What are you listening 2 now?

[vandermolen]

NP:

I find No.6 very moving - especially in this performance.

[vandermolen]

Concerto for harp and string orchestra

Music for meditation, to connect with nature. Absolutely pleasant.

+1

[Que]

Morning listening:



This is very nice... 

Well good luck with that, after hearing a live recording a couple of years ago I decided never again
It is clearly not my thing at all.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on The Sixteen. 
My main issyes were with clarity/transparency -  it is as if a high pitched blanket of choral sound is thrown over the music, and by consequence music by different composers sounds very similar...

Q

[vandermolen]

'The Belles of St Trinians' - rather different to Symphony No.5 but great fun. I also like the 'Symphonic Study 'Machines' on this CD, which reminds me of Mosolov's 'Iron Foundry':

[Harry]

Morning listening:



This is very nice... 


I'm curious to hear your thoughts on The Sixteen. 
My main issyes were with clarity/transparency -  it is as if a high pitched blanket of choral sound is thrown over the music, and by consequence music by different composers sounds very similar...

Q

On the risk that someone takes offence, I can say this about the Sixteen. A predominance for high pitched sopranos like the Tallis scholars, often they transposed the music up to a disagreeable level. There is a lot of fiddling around with the scores, Christopher has his own very arbitrary opinion about notes, a choir that is too large for my taste, often crushing intimacy and destroying the spiritual side of the music. Choir balanced is towards the high pitched voices, and that ruins the balance, too much drama overall. Dynamics are often out of bounds, energy seems more important as harmony. Typical British I would say, this choir culture, which in general I do not like.

[Que]

On the risk that someone takes offence, I can say this about the Sixteen. A predominance for high pitched sopranos like the Tallis scholars, often they transposed the music up to a disagreeable level. There is a lot of fiddling around with the scores, Christopher has his own very arbitrary opinion about notes, a choir that is too large for my taste, often crushing intimacy and destroying the spiritual side of the music. Choir balanced is towards the high pitched voices, and that ruins the balance, too much drama overall. Dynamics are often out of bounds, energy seems more important as harmony. Typical British I would say, this choir culture, which in general I do not like.

Our impressions seem pretty similar.
And what about stile antico? Any recommendations?

Q

[Florestan]

Then started this set with Disc 1.

[Harry]

Our impressions seem pretty similar.
And wharpt about stile antico? Any recommendations?

Q

Let me put it this way Que, I did not hear a Stile Antico recording, that I did not like, and thus I have quite a few. Despite the fact that they are quite a large ensemble, the choir balance is always excellent. Any given recording of them lets you hear what I mean.

[Mandryka]

Does anyone know what this is? How improvised is it? All I can find online is this comment on ECM's website

Evan Parker and Roscoe Mitchell co-founded the Transatlantic Art Ensemble in 2004. The ensemble's account of Mitchell's "Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3" was issued by ECM to critical acclaim (including an album-of-the-year award from France's Jazzman). "Boustrophedon", featuring Evan Parker's music, is the companion volume. Like nothing else in Parker's discography it features him as composer-conductor, guiding the transatlantic instrumental forces into chamber orchestral territory "somewhere between Gil Evans and Luigi Nono". There is also, amongst many highlights, some transcendent saxophone playing – from both Parker and Mitchell. Recorded live in Munich

[vandermolen]

Shostakovich: Symphony 12 '1917'. I enjoy this work more than most people seem to:

[prémont]

On the risk that someone takes offence, I can say this about the Sixteen. A predominance for high pitched sopranos like the Tallis scholars, often they transposed the music up to a disagreeable level. There is a lot of fiddling around with the scores, Christopher has his own very arbitrary opinion about notes, a choir that is too large for my taste, often crushing intimacy and destroying the spiritual side of the music. Choir balanced is towards the high pitched voices, and that ruins the balance, too much drama overall. Dynamics are often out of bounds, energy seems more important as harmony. Typical British I would say, this choir culture, which in general I do not like.

I can also agree very much with this.

[Harry]

Biagio Marini.
Madrigali & Symphonies a 1,2,3,4 e 5 voci, opus II, 1612.

I Musicali Affetti, Walter Testolin.
Played on Historical Instruments.

The music is without a doubt beautiful, and added to that is the excellent contribution of the instrumentalists. I take however issue with the sopranos on this disc. Alicia Amo & Lucia Napoli. I cannot find in the booklet which soprano is attributed to the tracks, so let me take as an example track 9, "Non te'n fuggir deh spira" . There is simply more soprano as composer. The time of composition does not allow such performances, and although we cannot know how it was performed in that time, I know what my ears tell me. Often one can hear if something is amiss in a performance, in terms of rhythm, harmony, text, etc, it somehow feels uncomfortable, so that is what I feel. All the other soloists are excellent. The recording can be a bit bright at times. Added to this twofar is also a DVD, which I probably going to watch this evening.

[vandermolen]

Lyatoshynsky: Symphony No.3:

[Mandryka]

I can also agree very much with this.

I like this

https://www.youtube.com/v/rzybkEQ0aIg

[vers la flamme]

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.9 in D major. John Barbirolli, Berlin Philharmonic

Great performance of the 9th from a skilled conductor. Kind of a dark reading.

[Harry]

Lyatoshynsky: Symphony No.3:

A fine disc, I hope they are going to record all the other orchestral works too, they fully deserve it.

[Madiel]

Following on Beethoven op.105 last night with op.107 tonight.

He might have only been supposed to do a commission for not-too-difficult home music on popular tunes, but he still put plenty of poetry in.

EDIT: Op.107/5 has a super long trill passage that seems very familiar from the yet-to-be written last piano sonatas...

[Traverso]

Korngold

[Harry]

Bartolomeo Laurenti.
Sonate per Camera e Violino, e Violoncello, opus I. (Bologna 1691)

Ensemble Orfei Farnesiani, Maurizio Cadossi.

[Biffo]

Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis after Themes by Carl Maria von Weber - Dresden Staatskapelle conducted by Otmar Suitner - a lively performance though the bells and gongs in the Turandot Scherzo have been done more flamboyantly elsewhere