What are you listening 2 now?

[kyjo]

+1

And let's not forget his Double Bass Concerto.

Indeed! Certainly one of the most important works for the instrument. Tubin's 1st Violin Concerto is an excellent work as well - it shares its lyrical, pastoral mood with his 4th Symphony.

[kyjo]

Gubaidulina: Pro et contra



This is one of those works from Gubaidulina that I felt immediately attracted to. The middle movement is astonishingly gorgeous.

Interesting, John. I'm not very familiar with Gubaidulina's music apart from a few extracts we listened to in one of my music history classes, which were, to be honest, rather off-putting to me. Would you say Pro et contra is one of her more accessible works?

[Mirror Image]

Interesting, John. I'm not very familiar with Gubaidulina's music apart from a few extracts we listened to in one of my music history classes, which were, to be honest, rather off-putting to me. Would you say Pro et contra is one of her more accessible works?

Yeah, I'm not terribly impressed with a lot of the Gubaidulina I've heard, but I would say Pro et contra is quite approachable and the middle movement alone would be the price of admission for me. This work is definitely more of 'my thing'.

[kyjo]

The 3rd:

Pounds the table! Hanson's 3rd is, IMO, his masterpiece and one of great American symphonies. As good as Schwarz's recording is, I do wish other conductors would take interest in the work and record it, as it's been almost 20 years since Schwarz made this recording...

[kyjo]

Yeah, I'm not terribly impressed with a lot of the Gubaidulina I've heard, but I would say Pro et contra is quite approachable and the middle movement alone would be the price of admission for me. This work is definitely more of 'my thing'.

Cool, John. I'll check it out.

[Mirror Image]

Pounds the table! Hanson's 3rd is, IMO, his masterpiece and one of great American symphonies. As good as Schwarz's recording is, I do wish other conductors would take interest in the work and record it, as it's been almost 20 years since Schwarz made this recording...

It really is a fantastic symphony, Kyle. Extremely moving at many points. Hanson's neglect is beyond me and I don't really understand how any orchestra of any prominence would be unmoved by much of his music. It has the power to touch listeners, but people who only listen to music that is the core repertoire or within the mainstream within classical music will never know this music unless they have the curiosity to get beyond their comfort zones. I honestly don't see many of these types of listeners being able to do this unfortunately.

[kyjo]

First listen of the day 'Prayer of St Gregory'
I wonder if he's the same one who turns up in Respighi's 'Church Windows'?

Hovhaness' and Respighi's depictions of this St. Gregory fellow certainly couldn't be more different!

[kyjo]

Nos.7-10: quite dramatic, ambitious & famous works.

Holmboe? Famous? I wish!

[Harry]

After Harry's encouragement:



Q

Don't you love it, especially treack 7

[Mirror Image]

Holmboe? Famous? I wish!

+1

[Todd]

Disc 42, an assortment of odds and ends for Piano Trio, and works transcribed for other trios, played by multiple ensembles.  One of them world-premiere recordings of a fragment is included.  Nice.

[ritter]

Disc 1, symphonies 25, 28 and 29.

This 4 cd set of symphonies 25, 28, 29, 33, 35, 36 and 38-41 from 1964-1978 by the modern music specialist Ernest Bour has long been a favourite of mine. Bour was born in Lorraine, France, in 1913. It was then part of the German Empire. Perfectly bilingual, Bour worked with Scherchen, and succeeded Hans Rosbaud at the helm of the SWF Baden-Baden orchestra. He gave the premiere of works by Berio, Dallapicola, Gorecki. He was a wonderful musician. This version of no 29 is the best I know, simply perfect in its pacing - many conductors misjudge tempi in this work. His Mozart is far from being cold or analytical, quite the contrary.

I do not know those specific recordings, but a big +1 to your appreciation of Ernest Bour. A great musician, and all the recordings of his I own (the Second Viennese School, Debussy, Ravel...) are all first-rate.

[Symphonic Addict]

Well, maybe I'm missing something about her SQs. What do you enjoy about them? For me, it felt like there just wasn't enough musical meat on the bones for me to really dig into them or, at least, of the two I heard. Don't let this criticism stop from listening to Pro et contra. I really did enjoy this work a lot.

These quartets reminded me of those by Penderecki, Lutoslawski and Schnittke for their intriguing, dark, tense atmosphere and weird sonorities. They're modern but easily approachable, or at least I felt that. They were a hit for me!

I will be investigating Pro et contra and other works of her.

[Symphonic Addict]

The 3rd is really charming & varied, IMO.

Nos.7-10: quite dramatic, ambitious & famous works.

Nos.11-13: I think they are great; they have a certain lightness, but in spite of their brevity, one needs several hearings.

For me the best ones are 3-6, 8, 10 and In memoriam. Nos. 11-13 are indeed interesting, but they're quite similar each other. There is no much difference between them.

[j winter]

I concur with everything you say - including your perceptive comment on Böhm's last, monumental recording of the 9th.

Always nice to have one's good taste recognized by others of good taste 


Trying some earlier Bohm, with Berlin...

[Symphonic Addict]

Benjamin Frankel - Curse of the Werewolf

Jeffrey has constantly recommended this work. I'm really pleased he has done so because this is formidable film music! My kind of work: dramatic, fierce, exciting, even thought-provoking. Thanks, Jeffrey.

[Mirror Image]

These quartets reminded me of those by Penderecki, Lutoslawski and Schnittke for their intriguing, dark, tense atmosphere and weird sonorities. They're modern but easily approachable, or at least I felt that. They were a hit for me!

I will be investigating Pro et contra and other works of her.

Looks like may have to investigate these SQs (aka in Mirror Image terminology: buy them ).

[Symphonic Addict]

Looks like may have to investigate these SQs (aka in Mirror Image terminology: buy them ).

[kyjo]

It really is a fantastic symphony, Kyle. Extremely moving at many points. Hanson's neglect is beyond me and I don't really understand how any orchestra of any prominence would be unmoved by much of his music. It has the power to touch listeners, but people who only listen to music that is the core repertoire or within the mainstream within classical music will never know this music unless they have the curiosity to get beyond their comfort zones. I honestly don't see many of these types of listeners being able to do this unfortunately.

That's the sad truth, unfortunately. I've been trying to get some of my friends to listen to classical music out of the mainstream over the past few years, to varying degrees of success.

[pjme]

Hovhaness' and Respighi's depictions of this St. Gregory fellow certainly couldn't be more different!

Hovhaness refers to :
Gregory the Illuminator (c. 257 – c. 331), the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He was a religious leader who is credited with converting Armenia from paganism to Christianity in 301.
Respighi draws a portrait of San Gregorio Magno:
Pope Gregory I (Latin: Gregorius I; c. 540 – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great. He was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian Mission, to convert the then-pagan Anglo-Saxons in England to Christianity. Moreover, the mainstream form of Western plainchant, standardized in the late 9th century,was attributed to Pope Gregory I and so took the name of Gregorian chant. And, as we all know: Respighi was very responsive to Gregorian chant!
(Sources: Wiki).