What are you listening 2 now?

[T. D.]

The First Symphony
Pretty much straight from mailbox to CD player.

This is a first listen to this symphony for me.

Good heavens! I thought that Jarvi pic looked a lot like Vladimir Putin, and found that I'm not the first to notice a resemblance.
https://slippedisc.com/2019/07/paavo-jarvi-everyone-thinks-i-look-like-putin/
I still think he's a pretty good conductor, though.

[Symphonic Addict]

I need to revisit the cycle.

A good idea for sure!

[Symphonic Addict]

Symphony No. 3

The best word I can use to describe it is: EPIC. The fragment that goes from 12:14 to the ending in the 1st movement must be counted among the most stirring passages in any Soviet symphony. The melody that features it is truly epic and exciting!

[kyjo]

Liszt is a composer whom I've never had the slightest interest in. However on the EMI Great Conductors of the 20th Century devoted to the recordings conducted by Nikolai Golovanov, one and a bit of the two CDs is devoted to his recordings of Liszt and I decided to hear them. I actually did like 'Festklange' and am playing it for the second time now. Who knows - I may even become a Liszt enthusiast! 

Check out the Faust and Dante symphonies as well as the tone poem Tasso: Lamento e Trionfo. I think you might enjoy them!

[kyjo]

Arnold: Symphony No. 2
Sulek: Symphony No. 5



Arnold's 2nd is one of his most solid, and optimistic too. This man was a hell of a composer!

I love the contrast between the sunny, ebullient outer movements and the tragic funeral march slow movement. One of my favorite symphonies of his.

[T. D.]

Liszt is a composer whom I've never had the slightest interest in. However on the EMI Great Conductors of the 20th Century devoted to the recordings conducted by Nikolai Golovanov, one and a bit of the two CDs is devoted to his recordings of Liszt and I decided to hear them. I actually did like 'Festklange' and am playing it for the second time now. Who knows - I may even become a Liszt enthusiast! 

[Emphasis added] For a long time I avoided Liszt's music, expecting it to be bombastic and overly flashy. But I bought a cheap collection of Cziffra playing solo piano works (I mostly listen to chamber and piano music) and greatly enjoy it. I'll never be a Liszt collector, but now believe that he deserves attention.

[kyjo]

I sampled some of the Taneyev string trios and they didn't sound too promising. They might deserve the label "academic", which has unjustly been sometimes placed on the entirety of Taneyev's output. The Piano Trio is a nice work, if not reaching the exalted heights of his Piano Quartet and Quintet IMO.

[T. D.]

I sampled some of the Taneyev string trios and they didn't sound too promising. They might deserve the label "academic", which has unjustly been often placed on the entirety of Taneyev's output. The Piano Trio is a nice work, if not reaching the exalted heights of his Piano Quartet and Quintet IMO.

I decided to hold off on various Northern Flowers Taneyev recordings and will try this recording of the Piano (Quintet and Trio) as a starter:

[kyjo]

I decided to hold off on various Northern Flowers Taneyev recordings and will try this recording of the Piano (Quintet and Trio) as a starter:

That recording of the Quintet is a scorcher! Don't miss out on the Piano Quartet either.

[vandermolen]

My first ever B9 on LP was the Mehta on Decca (London Records in North America). A couple of years later my next version was this one, Barenboim with the Chicago Symphony. Both conductors studied in Vienna under Hans Swarowsky in the mid fifties. There are of course differences aplenty between the two performances, but I'd ascribe most of them to the different musical cultures of the WP and the CSO. Beyond that it's quite obvious that both share common traits.

The emphasis on a strong bass line, a singing tone from the strings, a passionately lyrical approach to the gesangperiode of the first and third movements. To this Barenboim adds two ingredients of his own: unusually pointed pizzicati, particularly prominent in the scherzo, and unabashed portamento playing from the violin section. I hadn't listened to this performance in many years. It's not often cited as a top choice, but for me it's one of the most characterful and ardent versions on disc.

Most interesting André. I must look out for that recording.

[vandermolen]

Symphony No. 3

The best word I can use to describe it is: EPIC. The fragment that goes from 12:14 to the ending in the 1st movement must be counted among the most stirring passages in any Soviet symphony. The melody that features it is truly epic and exciting!

+1 - a marvellous and indeed 'Epic' symphony - I have four recordings of it all of which I enjoy. The Marco Polo disc is excellent and was my introduction to the work.

[vandermolen]

Check out the Faust and Dante symphonies as well as the tone poem Tasso: Lamento e Trionfo. I think you might enjoy them!

Thanks Kyle - I'm thinking of getting this set which is very inexpensive second-hand. Any views on it?

[vandermolen]

[Emphasis added] For a long time I avoided Liszt's music, expecting it to be bombastic and overly flashy. But I bought a cheap collection of Cziffra playing solo piano works (I mostly listen to chamber and piano music) and greatly enjoy it. I'll never be a Liszt collector, but now believe that he deserves attention.

Thank you. Yes, I never had any interest in Liszt's music, but when I sampled some on the Golovanov set (which I bought for the Glazunov recording) I enjoyed it more than expected, especially 'Festklange'.

Now playing: Shostakovich 'Music for King Lear' Op. 58a

[vandermolen]

Salmenhaara: Symphony No.4
Definitely one of my most uplifting and inspiriting discoveries of this difficult year:

[Papy Oli]

Good morning all,

More Koechlin exploration:

Vers la voûte étoilée, Op. 129
Khamma (Debussy arr. C. Koechlin)

[Biffo]

Schutz: Symphoniae sacrae III - Dresdner Kammerchor, Dresdner Barockorchester & Soloists directed by Hans-Christoph Rademann

[vers la flamme]

Olivier Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps. Martin Fröst, Lucas Debargue, Janine Jansen, Torleif Thedéen

This is a phenomenal recording. Highly recommended to any lover of this incredible work. I'm really impressed with Debargue's work here. Need to check out more of his recordings 

[Madiel]

Briefly listened to this on streaming.



The stupidity of the exercise only became more profound once I started actually hearing it. I pressed pause once I realised that the longer I listened, the more the streaming service would pay her.

[vers la flamme]

Briefly listened to this on streaming.



The stupidity of the exercise only became more profound once I started actually hearing it. I pressed pause once I realised that the longer I listened, the more the streaming service would pay her.

What did you find so bad about it?

[Madiel]

What did you find so bad about it?

Constructing music largely a note at a time on a cello is a beautiful and powerful and expressive thing. Constructing music largely a note at a time on a piano sounds trite, and pretty much like a schoolkid is doing their practice before they get around to adding the other hand.

It's just completely misconceived as an idea.