What are you listening 2 now?

[bhodges]

Very nice, Bruce! I saw this production at an AMC Theater a few months ago as part of the Met HD Live series.

Am enjoying it more than I thought (especially after all the snarky remarks on the juggling  ). Couldn't catch it live or in a theater when it first appeared, but glad I made the effort today.

May revisit Satyagraha (starting later), which I did catch live.

--Bruce

[Todd]

A much needed corrective after the disappointing Fouchenneret Beethoven recording earlier today.  Alessio Bax is one of those pianists who should just record everything.  This mixed rep recording entertains and enchants from the start.  Bach's BWV974 grooves, and Rach's Corelli Variations does even more so, taking on a smooth, almost jazz-like feel in some variations, with Bax's sumptuous tone and tolling bass controlling the listener's mind and movements, down to forcing only shallow breaths so as not to miss even the subtlest diminuendo, even with the volume cranked to nearly obscene levels.  (I mean, how else can one maximally appreciate such subtleties?)  The disc then switches gears with Dallipicola's Quaderno musicale di Annalibera, and here Bax demonstrates rhythmic mastery with the left hand ostinato becoming almost hypnotic, and right hand harmonic beauty that simply beguiles.  Is this really dodecaphonic?  Yes, of course, and some craggier music reminds the listener of that, but then the vast dynamics that Bax conjures in the craggiest sections only helps things more.  He's a devious pianist. 

So far, so freakin' good, but then the recording closes with two Liszt pieces, the first Legende and the Dante Sonata, and one gets to hear the best playing on offer.  Bax's right hand playing in the Legend evokes water music of the most fluid variety, and against that backdrop he evokes multiple individual birds chirping while also establishing a soundworld one would expect in S173.  In the Dante Sonata, Bax combines all his formidable strengths to deliver about as good a version as one can reasonably or unreasonably hope for.  Deep, weighty, thundering left hand playing underpins the opening, and as the piece develops, he rushes forward, pulls back, and more less creates an impassioned sounding piece, managing to pound out some notes and chords with seeming abandon while obviously holding something in reserve.  The massive forte climaxes are offset by gentle, sometimes too beautiful and gentle for its own good playing.  It's echt-romantic playing.  That is, it is the way it should be.

The dude must record all of Rachmaninoff's works, and all of Liszt's major works.  And he should record Ligeti while he's at it.  Really, Mr Bax should just let me choose his repertoire for him.  I think I shall write him a letter outlining my proposition, and I expect a positive response.

[listener]

BRAHMS: "Double Concerto" for Violin and Cello
Zino Francescatti, violin   Pierre Fournier, cello
SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto
Eugene Istomin, piano
Columbia Symphony Orch.   Bruno Walter, cond.

"Hungarian Harp Concertos"  by DOHNANYI, BALASSA, FARKAS, and HIDAS
Melinda Felletár, harp   Hungarian S.O.,    Béla Drahos, cond.
You know you are safe with harp music, they don't have enough strings to accommodate 12-tone music - five of the notes would require pedalling like a hill on the Tour de France.

[Karl Henning]

Malipiero
First String Quartet

[Mahlerian]

You know you are safe with harp music, they don't have enough strings to accommodate 12-tone music - five of the notes would require pedalling like a hill on the Tour de France.

Watch out for the (partially) dodecophonic Ginastera concerto, then!

https://www.youtube.com/v/S3CJk32SOMU

[kyjo]

NP:

Things Lived And Dreamt, Op. 30

What did you think, John? Being a big Suk fan, I've been meaning to investigate his piano works.

[kyjo]

Watch out for the (partially) dodecophonic Ginastera concerto, then!

https://www.youtube.com/v/S3CJk32SOMU

Whatever the case, it's an accessible and colorful work to my ears!

[listener]

Checking my database I find I have two recordings of the Ginastera concerto, one with Zabaleta on vinyl, another with a Morawetz concerto on  a CBC cd.  I will look for them.

[Todd]

Disc 2.  Was I too hasty in proclaiming the Ebene was the cycle of the century without hearing the Auryn?  Well, I have six more discs to hear before I know for sure.  What I do know is that the Auryn's Op 18 is tip-top tier.

[JBS]

A second helping of the Ninth for Gurnsday, this time from this set
[asin]B082BXFM9Q[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

What did you think, John? Being a big Suk fan, I've been meaning to investigate his piano works.

I really enjoyed it, Kyle, although I thought the recording could use a bit more ambience. I might check out Fingerhut's performances on Chandos.

[Todd]

At what now approach ear-splitting levels (~88 dB C-weighted peak levels), a recording I clearly should have purchased years ago.

[Mirror Image]

NP:



One of my favorite Hovhaness recordings. Simply outstanding.

[SimonNZ]

[vandermolen]

NP:



One of my favorite Hovhaness recordings. Simply outstanding.

I like that Crystal series of Hovhannes recordings, often featuring London based orchestras. My favourites are the discs featuring the 'Odysseus' and 'Celestial Gate' symphonies and Symphony 11 'All Men are Brothers' but I like the St Vartan Symphony and other issues as well.

[vandermolen]

Stenka Razin, Symphonic Poem, Op. 13

I like Stenka Razin - great fun and that looks like a very attractive CD of Glazunov's music.

[vandermolen]

With you joining Symphonic Addict and me that makes three of us who like Haitink's Walton 1. Nice! After watching the Hurwitzer's scathing YouTube review (he brings out a complete battery of howitzers in an attempt to demolish Haitink's performance)  I had to listen to it to refresh my memory. Needless to say, I don't agree with him.

Sarge

I had the original LP (with the Grundig logo at the bottom) and I recall that it rather polarised opinion when it appeared. I found it 'different' but also valid as an interpretation. At the time I was probably only aware of recordings by Sargent (another 'unpopular' version which I like very much) and Boult (terrific but dim recording on the PYE LP):

[Que]

Morning listening:



Q

[vandermolen]

Josip Slavenski, 'Balkanophonia'

[Madiel]

Haydn symphonies in C: numbers 7, 9 and 30.



The opening movement of no.30 is a thrill.