What are you listening 2 now?

[Todd]

Plowright and Rösel would be the strongest contenders I think. Andreas Boyde is also not bad.

Rösel is a must.  Plowright, too.  Boyde, probably as well.  The number of complete Brahms sets is dissatisfying.

[Symphonic Addict]

Reger - Piano Concerto in F minor

Following the Reger conversation on his thread about the Piano Concerto, I wanted to hear it again. A formidable and very hectic work which receives an authoritative rendition with Hamelin on the piano. It's imbued with intense energy in the outer movements, whereas the 2nd movement provides a necessary relief. A great rediscovery.




Honegger - Symphony No. 2

Another interesting rediscovery today. The slow movement of this work is impressive: somber and somewhat moving.

[Mirror Image]

Reger - Piano Concerto in F minor

Following the Reger conversation on his thread about the Piano Concerto, I wanted to hear it again. A formidable and very hectic work which receives an authoritative rendition with Hamelin on the piano. It's imbued with intense energy in the outer movements, whereas the 2nd movement provides a necessary relief. A great rediscovery.




Honegger - Symphony No. 2

Another interesting rediscovery today. The slow movement of this work is impressive: somber and somewhat moving.

Interesting choices and rather contrasting in moods and sound-worlds.

Thread duty -

Le Loup (symphonic fragements)



An interesting early work which sounds like a combination of early Prokofiev meets Les Six.

[SonicMan46]

I've got Couteau as well.  I'll probably have to do some comps among the complete sets in my collection at some point - I also have Oppitz, Katchen, and Klien (probably the best performances; definitely the worst sound) - and so far, ironically enough, Douglas sounds sharper edged than Couteau.  My objective is to find the best complete set among extant complete sets.

Thanks Todd for your thoughts - will look forward to your further comments on the 'complete' sets, especially Douglas vs. Couteau.  Dave

[TheGSMoeller]

Listening to, and also watching this performance of Le Nozze Di Figaro from 2006. Fantastic singers, inventive stage design and direction, Vienna Phil, and best of all...Harnoncourt! Extra slooooooow Harnoncourt.
Not the most lively rendition of Figaro, but it's quite lovely, and filled with talent. I bought the Blu Ray, but the entire performance is on YouTube.

[Symphonic Addict]

Interesting choices and rather contrasting in moods and sound-worlds.

Yeah, I often enjoy contrasting works of very different styles/composers. I get tired quickly when I hear many works of the same composer in a row.

[Todd]

A little Grieg.

[Mirror Image]

Yeah, I often enjoy contrasting works of very different styles/composers. I get tired quickly when I hear many works of the same composer in a row.

Not for me. If I love a composer's sound-world, then I can live in it forever. The problem is I know I have to move on and keep listening to other composers, so I won't get tired of them.

TD -

First-Listen Saturdays -

Fresh from the mailbox:

Children's Notebook, No. 1



Weinberg's Children's Notebooks were a gap that needed to fill in terms of his piano music as I already owned all of the sonatas and some other piano works. It's also nice having another performance of the Trio.

[Mirror Image]

NP:



I haven't been too crazy about Irish classical music, but there are a few good ones. Ó Riada, from what I understand, did for Irish classical music what Vaughan Williams did for English music.

[JBS]

Just arrived today
[asin]B084CSJB97[/asin]
In the first movement the brass are growling, the timpani prominent, the downbeats a bit brutal.  Let's see what the rest is like...

BTW, the symphony is the only thing on the CD, so it's just a half hour or so long.

[Mirror Image]

Now for something complete different:

Justė Janulytė: Was There a Swan? for organ and orchestra (2019)

https://soundcloud.com/juste-janulyte/was-there-a-swan-for-organ-and-symphony-orchestra-2019



This is completely mesmerizing. You know, there's a lot of contemporary music that I probably won't be able to get onboard with, but I'm finding Janulytė's music to be right up my alley. It's sensuous, alluring and simply mesmerizing. If you like Scelsi, John Luther Adams and Vasks, and wondered what they would sound like if they collided, then you have a pretty good idea of what the stylistic reference points are for Janulytė's music.

[steve ridgway]

Birtwistle - Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum.

[SimonNZ]

[vandermolen]

Holst: The Cloud Messenger (version for reduced orchestra). Early morning listening (2008 Statue of Holst, Cheltenham Gloucestershire):

[vandermolen]

Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 6
RFASO/Svetlanov

An excellent performance of one of my very favourite symphonies. I've loved it since discovering it (Kondrashin - still the best I think) on an old Melodiya LP set taken out from a record library in my over 40 years ago. The only drawback IMO is the absence of the (optional) choir in Svetlanov's recording. I think that it's the only recording not to incorporate the choir.

[vandermolen]

I like the LP cover!

[vandermolen]

Reger Four Tone Poems after Böcklin op.128, N. Järvi conducting the Concertgebouw



Sarge

Very nice! My favourite Reger work. I like the alternative to Rachmaninov's 'Isle of the Dead' and 'Hermit Playing the Violin' in particular.

[vandermolen]

Bruckner 7 - Chailly, Berlin RSO

[asin] B07FPJZJRK[/asin]

Bernstein: Symphony No. 1 "Jeremiah"

[asin] B01NCEGINK[/asin]

That IMO is one of the best versions of 'Jeremiah'.

+1 for Cesar's Jean Cras CD - I've greatly enjoyed discovering his music.

[Que]

Morning listening via Spotify:



I was curious to hear some music by William Mundy (c.1529-1591), which turns out to be very worthwhile though I think a small scale approach would be more beneficial to the music. This performance switches rather oddly between small scale and full blown Cathedral-style with large choruses, though all the singing is very well done.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2018/Sep/Mundy_choral_DCD34204.htm

Q

[vandermolen]

James MacMillan: Symphony No.5 'Le grand Inconnu':