What are you listening 2 now?

[Todd]

I've got Josep Colom's Mompou, and have streamed his Bach & Chopin disc, so when I spotted this recording of Beethoven's late sonatas and Op 126 Bagatelles, I went ahead and bought it.  He splits Op 126 into three couplets, two before each sonata, and as with the Bach & Chopin recording, he plays the the groupings attacca, with some minor embellishments.  Everything is very well done, with most effective transitions.  He plays with a perfect blend of transcendence and terseness, and perfectly judged rubato and accents.  The transition from the last Bagatelle to the Maestoso of 111 sounds fantastic, like a scaled up and intensified K475/K457, and 111 comes off especially well.  The second movement is not dragged out, yet some of the playing is quite beautiful and colorful and bright.  Not, perhaps top 5/10/20 (?) stuff, but it is even better than anticipated.

[Madiel]

I ended up cancelling my Riley order. I guess I'm not really into that whole American Minimalist scene as I thought I was as I prefer those mid-20th Century Americans like Copland, Diamond, Schuman, Bernstein, etc. To be honest, I mainly stick with Russian/Soviet, Czech, Polish, Nordic, British, American, Italian and Latin American composers. Exploring these composers is enough for a lifetime and it seems I'm the happiest when I can hear music from each other these countries. I do like a lot of French music as well, but it's become less important to me over the past year or so.

Who are you, and what have you done with the Debussy obsessed man we all knew?

[Karl Henning]

Schnittke: Symphony No.8 (first listen):
This is a deeply impressive and deeply sombre work. I was, at times, reminded of Mahler (end of 9th Symphony), late Shostakovich and Ligeti. I shall need to hear it several times to get my head round it but I certainly do want to hear it again:

Excellent! I should revisit that, meself.

[Karl Henning]

Piston
Sonata for Piano (1926)
Leonard Hokanson

This is one terrific piece!

[Daverz]

Indeed!

Thread duty -

The 8th



A craggy work from Schuman, but to be honest, I love all of his symphonies. I think he was a true original.

I seem to have missed this Schwarz Schuman disc, but I do have a Bernstein recording of the 8th.

[asin] B0000029XY[/asin]

Sounds great!

[Mirror Image]

Who are you, and what have you done with the Debussy obsessed man we all knew?

He's dead and buried in the backyard.

[Mirror Image]

I seem to have missed this Schwarz Schuman disc, but I do have a Bernstein recording of the 8th.

[asin] B0000029XY[/asin]

Sounds great!

Nice! Yeah, I should revisit that Bernstein performance as well.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Who are you, and what have you done with the Debussy obsessed man we all knew?

That's what I was thinking Madiel! lol  Debussy, Ravel....and...? 

PD

[Mirror Image]

NP:

[JBS]

First listen


Both works are a bit gnarly. Probably need a few listens to give any opinion on it.

[SonicMan46]

WELL, I did not want to do it - BUT bought another Beethoven Sonata set, i.e. Paul Badura-Skoda shown below, just $40 from Amazon - these are recordings from 1978-89 made on seven different original (assume many restored) fortepianos to 'fit' the years of composition - all at the time were in his ownership - attached just one review from MusicWeb (I'm sure others will appear) - my only other PI set is w/ Brautigam (have 3 on MIs) - have just listened to the first two discs and enjoyed (no A-B comparisons w/ Ronald B. yet?) - not sure if this set has been 'reprocessed' but curious if others have heard these recordings?  Thanks - Dave

[André]

Distler was cantor and organist in Lübeck's St. Jakobi church In the 1930s. The church's current organist plays his predecessor's partitas on lutheran chorales and choral arrangements. Beautiful.

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Palestrina's Missa Iste Confessor,/ Missa Sine Nomine(IN IS NAME)...

Oh I love this vinyls and my Palestrina recording, what a fabulous renaissance shinning smart polyphony provider oor class.

I'm expection two Palestrinaa in the mail Palestrina on Musique d'abbord and Palestrina on Linn Label  songs of song's.

I cannot wait, Palestrina just has big in my head, Gesualdo or Monteverdi, all great Italians classical composers of late renaissance one bordering baroque.

[Mirror Image]

First listen


Both works are a bit gnarly. Probably need a few listens to give any opinion on it.

Is this your first exposure to Kernis' music, Jeffrey? I'm not familiar with his music at all even though I've heard his name for years. What would you say his music is like? Any points of reference? Thanks in advance.

[JBS]

WELL, I did not want to do it - BUT bought another Beethoven Sonata set, i.e. Paul Badura-Skoda shown below, just $40 from Amazon - these are recordings from 1978-89 made on seven different original (assume many restored) fortepianos to 'fit' the years of composition - all at the time were in his ownership - attached just one review from MusicWeb (I'm sure others will appear) - my only other PI set is w/ Brautigam (have 3 on MIs) - have just listened to the first two discs and enjoyed (no A-B comparisons w/ Ronald B. yet?) - not sure if this set has been 'reprocessed' but curious if others have heard these recordings?  Thanks - Dave

I have it, and listened to it. I think it's better than Brautigam but I'd have listen to both again to be sure.

[JBS]

Is this your first exposure to Kernis' music, Jeffrey? I'm not familiar with his music at all even though I've heard his name for years. What would you say his music is like? Any points of reference? Thanks in advance.

I have another CD of his music, but I'm not sure how to describe it.  Corigliano if the latter was more dissonant, maybe? [To be clear I generally like Corigliano.]
Like I said, it will take at least a couple more listens before I can say anything intelligent.

[Mirror Image]

I have another CD of his music, but I'm not sure how to describe it.  Corigliano if the latter was more dissonant, maybe? [To be clear I generally like Corigliano.]
Like I said, it will take at least a couple more listens before I can say anything intelligent.

I'm not really too familiar with Corigliano either. Anyway, thanks for the feedback.

[SonicMan46]

I have it, and listened to it. I think it's better than Brautigam but I'd have listen to both again to be sure.

Thanks JBS - guess that I'll have to re-listen to Brautigam and do a few comparisons - Dave

[Todd]

Disc 6.  Some old school Mozart Violin Concertos, here numbers five and seven, along with K261.  Very fine for its type.

[Mirror Image]

Walton's 1st and 2nd symphonies:



Followed by his Cello Concerto: