What are you listening 2 now?

[Undersea]

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[asin]B00YJW851Q[/asin]

Pärt: 7 Magnificat-Antiphons


OK, I feel very relaxed now - excellent work...

[Wanderer]

Q

This one is a great favourite.

[Biffo]

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos Nos 4 & 5 - Musica Antiqua Köln directed by Reinhard Goebel

[Todd]

[Mirror Image]

Continuing with Tubin's symphonies: the 7th

[T. D.]

[Todd]

Proper, authentic Wagner.  Pity there's no complete Wagner opera from Walter on disc.

[Mirror Image]

Now playing this new acquisition:

[vandermolen]

Moeran, Symphony with the beautiful, eerie sounding second mouvement

I've come to appreciate this performance much more recently. The second movement is indeed beautiful.

Now playing: Roy Harris Symphony No.3:

[Mirror Image]

The Gadfly, Op. 97

[vers la flamme]

Don't get me started on Spano. I'm one of the vocal naysayers about his tenure in Atlanta. I think he's done a good job of running this once fine orchestra into the ground. I still remember the glory days of Yoel Levi and Robert Shaw.

By no means has the ASO been run aground. Still one of the finer orchestras of our country. I wonder what makes you say that...? To not like his conducting is one thing, but accusing him of running a cultural institution into the ground is entirely different.

[Traverso]

Do you remember why they did not last Jan?

No I can't, I think it was too expensive to have their own choir while there are excellent professional choirs they used in the past. I searched the internet but found nothing.

[Mirror Image]

By no means has the ASO been run aground. Still one of the finer orchestras of our country. I wonder what makes you say that...? To not like his conducting is one thing, but accusing him of running a cultural institution into the ground is entirely different.

Look at the history of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Spano vs. Levi or Shaw. The orchestra is struggling to keep their head above the water and this was before COVID affected everyone's lives. The orchestra went on strike under Spano due to management which forced him to reduce the size of the orchestra (i. e. laying off musicians) and so it performs at half (or even less) its capacity during Levi's tenure. Spano hasn't really done anything to promote the orchestra only with the occasional recording coming from their house label. Under Levi and Shaw, they had a contract with Telarc and recordings flowed from this orchestra in abundance. My dad owns ALL of the ASO's recordings and the Spano years by comparison is rather dismal. Also, the concert attendance has dwindled under Spano and I think a lot of times it boiled down to his lack of imagination in concert programs. He's a decent conductor, but I don't believe he's been a good luck charm for the orchestra nor do I believe they have performed their best under his baton. Also, the departure of Levi and the arrival of Spano, the internal management and the members that sit on their board haven't the foggiest idea of how to bring in new listeners nor do they have any clue how to keep the older ones. If you look at what the Nashville SO is doing by comparison, you'll see a huge difference between them and the Atlanta SO. Also, and this is just an FYI, my dad has an inside source at the ASO, so he gets to hear about all the drama that has unfolded over the past decade or so.

[vers la flamme]

Look at the history of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Spano vs. Levi or Shaw. The orchestra is struggling to keep their head above the water and this was before COVID affected everyone's lives. The orchestra went on strike under Spano due to management which forced him to reduce the size of the orchestra (i. e. laying off musicians) and so it performs at half (or even less) its capacity during Levi's tenure. Spano hasn't really done anything to promote the orchestra only with the occasional recording coming from their house label. Under Levi and Shaw, they had a contract with Telarc and recordings flowed from this orchestra in abundance. My dad owns ALL of the ASO's recordings and the Spano years by comparison is rather dismal. Also, the concert attendance has dwindled under Spano and I think a lot of times it boiled down to his lack of imagination in concert programs. He's a decent conductor, but I don't believe he's been a good luck charm for the orchestra nor do I believe they have performed their best under his baton. Also, the departure of Levi and the arrival of Spano, the internal management and the members that sit on their board haven't the foggiest idea of how to bring in new listeners nor do they have any clue how to keep the older ones. If you look at what the Nashville SO is doing by comparison, you'll see a huge difference between them and the Atlanta SO. Also, and this is just an FYI, my dad has an inside source at the ASO, so he gets to hear about all the drama that has unfolded over the past decade or so.

Sounds like a lot of your perspective is colored by your father's experience. Some of those are completely reasonable gripes, and I don't expect to change your opinion on these things in any way, but a lot of it rings untrue for me. Unimaginative concert programming? Poor attendance? They sell out almost every weekend concert, and rightly so with how much great stuff they put on. Plenty of your favorites; lots of Shostakovich, Sibelius, Prokofiev, Lutoslawski, Mahler, etc., not to mention above average representation for living composers among major American orchestras. As far as recordings, Telarc doesn't exist anymore and they're putting out recordings on their house label, but I don't see this as a failure by any means; many orchestras are switching to this model. Anyway, we're clearly going to have to agree to disagree on this one, but I don't see them as a failing orchestra by any means. I'm happy to have them around, as are many other Atlantans, and will gladly continue supporting them w/ my attendance once this virus finally spares us.

[Mirror Image]

Sounds like a lot of your perspective is colored by your father's experience. Some of those are completely reasonable gripes, and I don't expect to change your opinion on these things in any way, but a lot of it rings untrue for me. Unimaginative concert programming? Poor attendance? They sell out almost every weekend concert, and rightly so with how much great stuff they put on. Plenty of your favorites; lots of Shostakovich, Sibelius, Prokofiev, Lutoslawski, Mahler, etc., not to mention above average representation for living composers among major American orchestras. As far as recordings, Telarc doesn't exist anymore and they're putting out recordings on their house label, but I don't see this as a failure by any means; many orchestras are switching to this model. Anyway, we're clearly going to have to agree to disagree on this one, but I don't see them as a failing orchestra by any means. I'm happy to have them around, as are many other Atlantans, and will gladly continue supporting them w/ my attendance once this virus finally spares us.

I guess you're just too young to remember what Yoel Levi or Robert Shaw did during their tenures at the ASO and, yes, you won't change my perspective and my own opinion is in no way colored by my dad's inside source but this is an opinion that I have come to myself by simply reading the negative press that has surrounded the ASO for years. Anyway, my points have been made so I won't belabor them any further.

[Todd]

[vers la flamme]

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.2, "A London Symphony". André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra

I guess you're just too young to remember what Yoel Levi or Robert Shaw did during their tenures at the ASO and, yes, you won't change my perspective and my own opinion is in no way colored by my dad's inside source but this is an opinion that I have come to myself by simply reading the negative press that has surrounded the ASO for years. Anyway, my points have been made so I won't belabor them any further.

Ah, negative press. Yes, no need to belabor anyone further on the matter.

[SimonNZ]

[Mirror Image]

Kammerkonzert



Not far removed from Bartók's Hungarian Sketches or the Dance Suite but only with a prominent clarinet solo part. I find it rather interesting how K. A. Hartmann was able to forge the world of the Second Viennese School with Bartók (and in his 5th symphony: Stravinsky) into something original and accessible. I'll go ahead and say that I believe Hartmann to be one of the finest 20th Century symphonists and it's a damn shame how little his music, in particular, his symphonies, have appeared in the concert halls over the last 30 years or so. I'm sure the Hartmann fans here can agree with that.

[kyjo]

Yes, you are. 

I wish I had the same enthusiasm with his SQs as you, but they leave me cold, moreso his violin sonatas. The latter are just prolixity. 

I haven't heard his 2nd and 3rd SQs, actually! But I haven't read good things about them...