What are you listening 2 now?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I like the Khachaturian disc from Naxos. ASV also issued his film music, and it is wonderful as well.

Hovhaness in his Piano Concerto Lousadzak gets a mesmerizing, oriental-sounding effect from the piano and orchestra. I love this work.




The Battle of Stalingrad was a hefty find today. Militaristic, pompous and pleasing the Soviet regime, but it's eminently the more enjoyable to hear.






A fascinating and deep piece Kancheli's 6th Symphony turns out to be. I would say a bit disturbing too because of the extremely sudden pianissimo-fortissimo shifts!

It's still playing and oh Gosh, this has some potent orchestral sound. A work of huge contrasts. The climax around 31:20 was simply spectacular. That tam-tam stroke was something else.

[Mirror Image]

NP: Poulenc Organ Concerto, FP 93 (Marie-Claire Alain/Conlon)

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

NP: Poulenc Organ Concerto, FP 93 (Marie-Claire Alain/Conlon)

Wow very interesting! I need to get the disc.

[Mirror Image]

Wow very interesting! I need to get the disc.

Yeah, it's fantastic. You'll enjoy it I'm sure.

NP: Schoenberg Herzgewäschse, Op. 20 (Lucy Shelton/Knussen)



A haunting piece. I wish it were a bit longer, though.

[steve ridgway]

Peter Maxwell Davies - Psalm 124. Rather quiet and pleasant.

[Irons]

Bax: Elegiac Trio.

Marisa Robles (harp) Christopher Hyde-Smith (flute) John Underwood (viola)

Sir Arnold stands shoulder to shoulder with the illustrious couplings.

[steve ridgway]

Peter Maxwell Davies - Tenebrae Super Gesualdo. Interesting - soprano and vocal pieces interspersed with fairly quiet instrumental passages with a mysterious, late night feel. I like the marimba and glockenspiel in those.

[Harry]

Hubert Clifford
Orchestral Works.

BBC Concert Orchestra, Ronald Corp.

Maybe not to everyone's taste, but it is to mine. Light music but by no means bad music. Clifford knew a thing or two about orchestrating plus he is quintessentially a composer with a British twist. After all the serious bashing of music that is not light, this is a welcome refreshment. And so it is.
The Cowes Suite is soooooo much fun, and afterwards the fun goes on. State of the Art recording and frankly also performance. 

[Que]

[Karl Henning]

Thanks Cesar - coincidentally my brother had decided to play 'Celebration Day' by Ives!

Nice!

[Todd]

[Karl Henning]

CD 4

"Papa"
Symphonies nos. 11 in E^b, 5 in A, 32 in C
DRD
Stuttgarters

Again, although these symphonies are "early" in "Papa's" substantial catalogue, these are well-turned pieces written by a fully fledged composer.
While there is nothing absolutely wrong with listening to Mozart's juvenilia, it puzzles me why a discerning listener would prefer seeking them out to these works of Haydn's, though certainly Mozartolatry is a cottage industry in no danger of going belly-up.

Perhaps the standout movement of these early symphonies for me is the Adagio cantabile opening of the E^b Symphony

https://www.youtube.com/v/Qm2iqQ21138

[vandermolen]

Delius: Violin Concerto
I've never been much of a fan of Delius but the Violin and, in particular, the Piano Concerto are works that I greatly admire. I also like 'In a Summer Garden', 'North Country Sketches' and 'Brigg Fair'. I also find the end of the Requiem to be very moving:

[Karl Henning]

https://www.youtube.com/v/EdREpLf7Eoo

[Karl Henning]

https://www.youtube.com/v/WlFYC1U5viw

[DavidW]

Some Haydn.

[Carlo Gesualdo]

For now a n LP of Luca Marenzio -Madrigaux a 5 et 6 voix from Concerto Vocale  (Harmonia Mundi) under direction of René Jacob fabulous composer, that I really appreciated

[André]

Symphony no 3 'Sebastopol'. Very nice and much more substantial than I had thought. Sebastopol is a port city on the Black Sea, with a long military (naval) history. The work is not about war, battles or battleships at all. Cast in a single 35 minute movement, it is a musical impression of the sea, with abstract evocations of seagulls, wind and waves. Very poetic.

(Now listening to the rest of the disc).

[vandermolen]

Symphony no 3 'Sebastopol'. Very nice and much more substantial than I had thought. Sebastopol is a port city on the Black Sea, with a long military (naval) history. The work is not about war, battles or battleships at all. Cast in a single 35 minute movement, it is a musical impression of the sea, with abstract evocations of seagulls, wind and waves. Very poetic.

(Now listening to the rest of the disc).

I think that the Sebastopol Symphony is terrific although I prefer this cover.

Now playing:
Holst: A Somerset Rhapsody and The Perfect Fool Ballet Music.
George Weldon conducting the LSO and Philharmonia.
These are the most poetic and beautifully realised versions from this tragically short-lived conductor who committed suicide in South Africa in 1963. I cannot recommend this disc strongly enough:

[Todd]

Disc seven.  Possibly the best rendition of Stravinsky's Capriccio I've heard, though it's not exactly a favorite.  The Ravel and Bartok PCs are nice, as are the 1949 Debussy recordings.