What are you listening 2 now?

[SimonNZ]

[Mirror Image]

NP:

[kyjo]

I would happily try some of his music.  I'll do my best to check out the youtube link later.  For me, it wasn't his music (which I don't know other than a small sample at a record store of too-scratched-for-for-me-CDs), but was shocked by his comments re his pupils.  One thought that has occurred to me:  when did Stanford make that comment re his pupils and what had Holst, Vaughan Williams, and his star pupil composed by then?  Anyone know?  And another thought:  what did Stanford value most in terms of composition?  And what other composers did he like at that time?  Just some thoughts to try and put it into perspective....Perhaps there are other factors too?

Best,

PD

Stanford may have made some nasty comments about other composers, but then again so did many other composers. That won't keep me from enjoying his music.

[André]

I bought this 14 cd set last year. Just unwrapped it and currently listening to the first 9 sonatas. Excellent presentation: a well-written 22 page English only booklet. A total of 17 1/2 hours of music. Tracks are thoughtfully laid out with a decent  interval between each sonata. That kind of resting time is important, as it allows the works to sink in before another one follows it. The harpsichord used sounds quite wonderful. I have plenty of other discs from other performers, on harpsichord or piano, but this seems to be quite a winner.

[JBS]

First listen

[asin]B0000061JH[/asin]

[Madiel]

Tubin, Music for Strings

[JBS]

Starting in QE's set with CD 1
[asin]B083XRVRXY[/asin]
Opus 18 Number 1 in F major
Opus 131 in c sharp minor

Too soon to say anything about the performance, but the sonics are good: about as close as you can get to the performers without hearing them breathe.

[kyjo]

Starting in QE's set with CD 1
[asin]B083XRVRXY[/asin]
Opus 18 Number 1 in F major
Opus 131 in c sharp minor

Too soon to say anything about the performance, but the sonics are good: about as close as you can get to the performers without hearing them breathe.

I don't usually get too excited about Beethoven, but those new Ébène recordings are truly phenomenal - some of the finest and most exciting music-making I've ever heard, period.

[T. D.]

I don't usually get too excited about Beethoven, but those new Ébène recordings are truly phenomenal - some of the finest and most exciting music-making I've ever heard, period.

I really don't need another LvB SQ set, but am sorely tempted by the Ébène...

Playing the Weinberg SQ set again, cpo discs 4-6. Exceptional compositions, I must be in a better mood today because the bleak ones aren't bumming me out.

[Mirror Image]

Quiet City -



Simply sublime.

[Ratliff]

Your quite right, Stanford is a fine composer, but some are not able to appreciate beauty even if it is right in front of them.

Good put down, well done. You haven't lost your touch.

[steve ridgway]

Schnittke: String Quartet No. 1, Kapralova Quartet.

[vandermolen]

I would happily try some of his music.  I'll do my best to check out the youtube link later.  For me, it wasn't his music (which I don't know other than a small sample at a record store of too-scratched-for-for-me-CDs), but was shocked by his comments re his pupils.  One thought that has occurred to me:  when did Stanford make that comment re his pupils and what had Holst, Vaughan Williams, and his star pupil composed by then?  Anyone know?  And another thought:  what did Stanford value most in terms of composition?  And what other composers did he like at that time?  Just some thoughts to try and put it into perspective....Perhaps there are other factors too?

Best,

PD

Hi PD. I came across the comment in the notes for Benjamin's very enjoyable Symphony on the Lyrita label. Benjamin, who was an Australian, won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London in 1911, so I guess that Stanford must have made his unpleasant comment around that time. I find much of Stanford's music to be tedious but enjoy the Irish Symphony (No.3), Symphony No.5 and, in particular, the Irish Rhapsody No.4. Remember too, that despite his antisemitism, Arthur Benjamin held his teacher, Stanford, in the highest regard. Stanford was quite a musical disciplinarian according to Vaughan Williams (who often disagreed musically with Stanford but clearly learnt a lot from him). The young VW would show Stanford one of his compositions, which he was very proud of, and Stanford would look at it and say 'All rot m'boy!'. VW thought that Bax would have benefitted if he'd had 'some gruelling lessons with Stanford' but then suggested that they would probably have just argued! I think that Stanford is an example of the maxim that the greatest composers are not necessarily the best teachers and the best teachers (like Stanford and Parry) are not necessarily the greatest composers:

[vandermolen]

Quiet City -



Simply sublime.

+1

[Mirror Image]

+1

Yes, indeed. It really surprised me how fast these Copland Collections have gone OOP and only the middle box set has been reissued by Sony. I bought all three sets around 2008 I believe. They have pretty much formed the basis of my Copland collection ever since (even though I have bought a lot recordings of his music since I bought these sets). These recordings are as important as Bernstein conducting his own music or Stravinsky, IMHO.

[vandermolen]

Yes, indeed. It really surprised me how fast these Copland Collections have gone OOP and only the middle box set has been reissued by Sony. I bought all three sets around 2008 I believe. They have pretty much formed the basis of my Copland collection ever since (even though I have bought a lot recordings of his music since I bought these sets). These recordings are as important as Bernstein conducting his own music or Stravinsky, IMHO.

Those were three great sets - I like all of them but recently have been enjoying the one featuring the Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, the Symphonic Ode (a favourite of mine) and 'Statements'. I notice that our paths cross online when you are up quite late and I am up (usually forced to by the cat demanding his breakfast!) quite early.


Now playing:
Tippett: Concerto for Double String Orchestra. My favourite work by Tippett and the most approachable one. First recording (1943) conducted by Walter Goehr:

[T. D.]

[Que]

Wonderful recording! 

Q

[Florestan]

I know it by a different cover, on the Aura label, but I believe that album features live recordings from a 1965 recital for Radio Svizzera Italiana. The studio recording I listened to was made for Deutsche Grammophon a year later, and can be found on this set.

Thank you!

[Que]

Morning listening (via Spotify):



Not sure.... It's well sung, but somehow it doesn't feel like a perfect match. It is rather bright and fluid.
The recitation of the text of each madrigal before it is sung, I could have done without.

Q