What are you listening 2 now?

[Irons]

Roussel: 1st Violin Sonata.



What a fine work this is! Bears comparison with the equally Romantic Franck sonata. It is that good.

A travesty that the performers Olga Galperin (piano) and Eric Alberti (violin) are not credited on the front cover as they are artists of the highest calibre.

Sort of sat on the fence regarding Roussel, but the 1st Violin Sonata has well and truly placed me in the admirer camp.   

[Irons]

Miaskovsky: Cello Sonata No.2 (a new release - beautifully recorded and performed)

Looks a good one, Jeffrey. Love the lyrical Miaskovsky 2nd Cello Sonata.

[vandermolen]

Looks a good one, Jeffrey. Love the lyrical Miaskovsky 2nd Cello Sonata.

Yes Lol, it's one of my very favourites of his chamber music along with SQ 13. It has a wistful and elegiac quality which I find very appealing. The Glazunov works make a nice programme.

[Symphonic Addict]

The Suite contains the most memorable music, but the complete work has other good movements like the March and Dance and Chorus from the act III and The struggle between Hindbad and Aladdin from the act V. A nice work overall.

[Madiel]

Dvorak, Cypresses (string quartet version)



I find Dvorak's fascination with his own very early songs, well... fascinating. I'm slowly getting to know the actual songs, so I think that might make the string quartet versions more interesting as well.

[Madiel]

Beethoven, string quartet in A minor, op.132

[André]

Pierrot lunaire is one of those works more talked about than actually listened. I've been fascinated by it since my teen years, but that fascination has almost always yielded to incomprehension in the end. And yet, I go back to it every once in a long while. This version by Sinopoli is easily the most immediately accessible I've heard. Luisa Castellani is superb as the speaking voice. One can tell she can actually sing: a good soprano voice is detectable throughout. She seems to specialize in contemporary music and has performed under Boulez, Eötvös, Sinopoli, Berio etc. What I found most appealing is that she never uses declamation or 'enhanced' speech. Her delivery is natural and she always blends with the instrumental group.

I am much less familiar with Erwartung, Schoenberg's monodrama The composer described it as follows:

In Erwartung the aim is to represent in slow motion everything that occurs during a single second of maximum spiritual excitement, stretching it out to half an hour

The music has been characterized as athematic - whatever that means. I think that description hints at the fact that no material is ever developed or restated. It just starts and evolves as if in a musical stream of consciousness (echoing that of the heroine). It is eminently approachable stuff. Contemporary with Bartok's Bluebeard Castle, it is sometimes staged alongside it. The plot reminds me of the scene by the lake in Wozzeck. Creepy stuff. The soloist this time is not merely speaking, but singing throughout in true operatic fashion. It takes a big voice with an ample tessitura and soprano Alessandra Marc is really ideal IMO. Her voice is closer to that of a mezzo, and she reminds me of Martha Mödl with her glottal attacks and fearless up and down leaps. Very impressive.

[Todd]

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Surprise surprise deprofondis  stumble on an old download and decided heck download are  lame, they kill the sound  or atmosphere  something in the music, so I decided to pick up this Triple CD album and it's on Glossa Platinum so were can I falter hey, Nice work Bjorn & ensemble GRAINDELAVOIX this is epic, surreal, Riveting.

And the funny part his I had it in simple download and could get ''fun'' out of it, but buying the media whit my sound gear yes yes oh yes, this blow my mind, Like folks said in the past, a bit experimental manicotage of Byzantium ornaments, thee charming velvety warm voice of graindelavoix.

This triple album sound like a mile stone of evolution & revolution of what Carlo Gesualdo, could had sound like in other place like Greece or some Mediterranean southern part of Europa, love you folk,  bene and salute deprofundis fine this album so far fantastic and will support more CD media, a good album is a good album it's better to a download should I say, out of music critic !!!

You should buy thee album it's splendid 3 CD's of material , amazing prestation recording.Final though for beginners and advanceds this remind me a bit sometime  to what Herreweghe but more  like I said more daring more experimental, and Gesualdo all about it, yet ensemble graindelavoix when further in experiments, brilliant , bravo, triumphant sounding.

[Symphonic Addict]

String Quartet No. 3

I confirm this is a thoroughly delightful disc, almost perfect in every regard (music, performance, sound quality). This specific quartet has virtuoso features mostly appearing in the buoyant Scherzo and the impressive Allegretto grazioso. Kalliwoda has been a real surprise to me. I'm glad I discovered this exquisite music.




Sonatina - Ballet

Another wonderful work today. In style it shares features with his Sinfonietta in the use of Baroque dances and tunes. A joy to hear.

[SimonNZ]

[Madiel]

String Quartet No. 3

I confirm this is a thoroughly delightful disc, almost perfect in every regard (music, performance, sound quality). This specific quartet has virtuoso features mostly appearing in the buoyant Scherzo and the impressive Allegretto grazioso. Kalliwoda has been a real surprise to me. I'm glad I discovered this exquisite music.

I decided to give this album a whirl this afternoon.

EDIT: I've enjoyed quartets 1 and 2, perhaps no.2 a bit more. Now in the opening movement of no.3 and it's sounding rather good.

The symphonies are recorded so I might try that as well.

[Symphonic Addict]

I decided to give this album a whirl this afternoon.

EDIT: I've enjoyed quartets 1 and 2, perhaps no.2 a bit more. Now in the opening movement of no.3 and it's sounding rather good.

The symphonies are recorded so I might try that as well.

Good to know your impressions, Madiel. These quartets may not have the depth of Beethoven's, but it's undeniable there is very fine writing there.

[Florestan]

Dufay

Ma Belle Dame Souverraine

One of the most beautiful songs I ever heard.


Ma belle dame souverainne,
Faites cesser ma grief dolour
Que j'endure pour vostre amour
Nuit et jour, dont j'ay tres grant painne.

Ou autrement, soiés certainne,
Je finneray dedens brief jour.
  Ma belle [dame souverainne,
  Faites cesser ma grief dolour.]

Il n'i a jour en la sepmainne
Que je ne soye en grant tristour;
Se me veulliés par vo doulcour
Secourir, de volonté plaine.

  Ma belle [dame souverainne,
  Faites cesser ma grief dolour
  Que j'endure pour vostre amour
  Nuit et jour, dont j'ay tres grant painne.]

Honestly, I think the Old French orthography is more pleasing to the eye than the contemporary one. 

[Madiel]

Good to know your impressions, Madiel. These quartets may not have the depth of Beethoven's, but it's undeniable there is very fine writing there.

No.3 might have been the flashiest. There's plenty of bounce and zip there, and yes, clearly a lot of skill.

[Daverz]

I decided to give this album a whirl this afternoon.

EDIT: I've enjoyed quartets 1 and 2, perhaps no.2 a bit more. Now in the opening movement of no.3 and it's sounding rather good.

The symphonies are recorded so I might try that as well.

Symphony No. 5 on CPO is a good place to start.

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[Mandryka]

Honestly, I think the Old French orthography is more pleasing to the eye than the contemporary one. 

Too many consonants - sepmainne, vostre , , , ,

[Florestan]

Too many consonants - sepmainne, vostre , , , ,

Well, in Romanian one can have a whole dialogue with vocals only.

- Oaia aia e a ei?
- A ei e.
- O iau eu.
- Ia-o!

ie

- Is that sheep hers?
- It's hers.
- I'll take it.
- Take it!

[ritter]

Well, in Romanian one can have a whole dialogue with vocals only.

- Oaia aia e a ei?
- A ei e.
- O iau eu.
- Ia-o!
...

So it turns out yodelling isn't Tyrolean at all, but originally Romanian? 

[Que]

Wonderful recording.