What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

He is. Yet volume III, with both the Third & Fifth ('Symphonie Concertante') symphonies is my stern favourite.


(Such a pity these four CDs are just numbered volumes 1-4, in stead of showing the symphonies & other orchestral works on the cover (this presentation doesn't sell, I'm afraid). Hope CPO will release them as a box, one day.) 

If they do, I should be sore tempted.

[André]

I'm contemplating a purchase of this 2 cd set of Andriessen's 4 symphonies plus a few fillers:

[vers la flamme]

Every day in this thread, I see at least one composer's name that I've never heard before in my life, Hendrik Andriessen in this case. Y'all are adventurous.



Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major, K581. Martin Fröst, Vertavo Quartet.

[Daverz]

I'm contemplating a purchase of this 2 cd set of Andriessen's 4 symphonies plus a few fillers:

I wouldn't hesitate.  Most of it is good stereo recordings.

TD:

Nordgren: Rock Score for 12 Strings

[asin] B0009JOPYY[/asin]

One of my favorite Finnish composers.  Modern but accessible.

[vers la flamme]

Frédéric Chopin: 3 Nocturnes, op.9. Claudio Arrau. Just got this CD today. Beautiful performances.

[Mirror Image]

Speaking of beautiful performances:

Barber
Adagio For Strings, Op. 11
Summer Music, Op. 31
Four Excursions, Op. 20
Dover Beach For Voice And String Quartet, Op. 3
String Quartet, Op. 11
Vanessa, Op. 32
Toccata Festiva, Op. 36
Thomas Schippers
Eugene Ormandy
Andre Previn
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
E. Power Biggs
Juilliard String Quartet
Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet
Philadelphia Orchestra
New York Phil.
Columbia SO



A kind of 'grab all' Barber recording, although I would like to point out that the title of the album is misleading. It should be called Orchestral, Chamber & Instrumental Works since Four Excursions is a solo piano work thus being a part of the instrumental genre. Anyway, a fantastic recording and for any one that may be new to Barber's music, this would be a nice sampling of some of the genres he wrote for.

[JBS]

Speaking of beautiful performances:

Barber
Adagio For Strings, Op. 11
Summer Music, Op. 31
Four Excursions, Op. 20
Dover Beach For Voice And String Quartet, Op. 3
String Quartet, Op. 11
Vanessa, Op. 32
Toccata Festiva, Op. 36
Thomas Schippers
Eugene Ormandy
Andre Previn
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
E. Power Biggs
Juilliard String Quartet
Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet
Philadelphia Orchestra
New York Phil.
Columbia SO



A kind of 'grab all' Barber recording, although I would like to point out that the title of the album is misleading. It should be called Orchestral, Chamber & Instrumental Works since Four Excursions is a solo piano work thus being a part of the instrumental genre. Anyway, a fantastic recording and for any one that may be new to Barber's music, this would be a nice sampling of some of the genres he wrote for.

That was in fact my introduction to Barber.

TD


The Quartets get all the attention, but these are just as good.

[Mirror Image]

That was in fact my introduction to Barber.

[Mirror Image]

Bernstein
On the Waterfront Suite
Chichester Psalms
Three Dances from 'On the Town'
Elizabeth Franklin-Kitchen (soprano), Thomas Kelly (treble), Victoria Nayler (alto), Jeremy Budd (tenor), Paul Charrier (bass)
Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop

[Mirror Image]

I turned the Bernstein off, I simply wasn't in the mood...

Mahler
Rückert-Lieder
Alice Coote (mezzo-soprano)
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Marc Albrecht

[SimonNZ]

[vandermolen]

I have some of that in this set:

[asin] B00002530M[/asin]

Too bad Warner doesn't seem to be doing anything with their Finlandia back-catalog.

TD:



https://open.qobuz.com/album/0794465959729

Poppy, jazzy post-minimalist orchestral/electro-acoustic works.  I like it.

Yes, I have that Englund album too. It is very nice. That was a good, inexpensive series, featuring the likes of Madetoja, Kokkonen etc.

[vandermolen]

This 4th really didn't get my pulse racing!  Where's the venom, the brutality?!  Well played and well engineered for sure but when you put it against the brutal 1st recording (also with the BBC SO) with the composer on the stick this just sounds "quite cross"!

Oddly enough I've never really liked that 'legendary' recording of RVW conducting RVW Symphony No.4, which I originally had on a World Record Club LP coupled with Walton's marvellous Sinfonia Concertante. To me  the VW sounds like he is rushing through it rather than having anything especially insightful to say, but maybe the 1930s recording has something to do with it. I much prefer the historic performance by Mitropolous (which VW apparently also thought highly of). I have to say that I know of no other person who shares my view! Far better I believe is the recently unearthed recording of him conducting his own Symphony No.5 which I think is truly legendary:

[Tsaraslondon]

More of Haitink's superb Debussy

[Tsaraslondon]

+1 for these performances - didn't the Jeux disc originally win a Gramophone Award?  Apart from the musical qualities here - the engineering across the whole set is first rate.  Phillips were never as "glamorous" as say Decca or DG in hi-fi terms but when you listen to these discs (and many others from this period too) you realise they were every bit the equal in the technical department as those other big names.....

I think you may be right about the Jeux disc. They were all certainly very well received when originally issued and still sound excellent today. The warmth of the acoustic is a marked contrast to the rather chilly and acerbic sound on the Boulez CBS recordings I was listening to a couple of days ago.

[listener]

I'm going to listen to some of the discs that arrived last year. starting with the third box from Chandos of music by contemporaries of Mozart.  Today:
Johann Christian BACH: Overture: Adriano in Siria, Symphony for Double Orchestra  op. 18/1. Symphony in D op. 18/4 Symphony in g op. 6/6    and a Sinfonia Concertante in C
Academy of Ancient Music    Simon Standage
and Carlos BAGUER:  4 Symphonies
London Mozart Players     Matthias Bamert
A firm sleeve for each of the 10 discs in the set, and a booklet of notes comes with each disc.

[Harry]

NEW ARRIVAL.

Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa.
Responsoria, et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae Spectantia-1611.
With Spiritual Madrigals by Giovanni de Manque, Luzzasco Luzzaschi, Luca Marenzio, Pietro Vinci.
CD I-Feria Quinta.

La Compagnia del Madrigale.

I would say with total conviction that the Responsoria, by Gesualdo should be in everyone's collection, especially this faultless interpretation. Listening to the second track in I Nocturno, "Tristis est anima mea" is pretty much the key to these performances, in that it exemplifies the intimate expression this music needs. With a restrained passion on top of it, crowns the music with the seal of authenticity. This is the stuff the music is made off.
Every time when I hear this ensemble I found the result sensational. The reviews are in the same line, from critics and public alike. Sound is superb.

[Tsaraslondon]

I like to hear a tenor in Schubert's Winterreise as the songs can all be performed in their original keys and this is an excellent performance by Kaufmann and Deutsch.

[Tsaraslondon]

Frédéric Chopin: 3 Nocturnes, op.9. Claudio Arrau. Just got this CD today. Beautiful performances.

They are indeed. I listened to them myself only recently. Thoughtful, lyrical and poetic rather than flashy.

[vers la flamme]

Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, op.30. Martha Argerich, Riccardo Chailly, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra.