What are you listening 2 now?

[Biffo]

Dvorak: Symphony No 8 in G major - Halle Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli

[SonicMan46]

Bach, JS - Solo Violin & Cello Works - Nigel North w/ new transcriptions for lute - Dave

 

[Karl Henning]

Martinů
String Quartet  № 1 H.117 (1918 Polička)
Stamitz Quartet

[Iota]

First-Listen Mondays!

Martin: Cantate pour le temps de Noël (Simone Stock, Karola Hausburg et. al.)

.. Almost a hybrid of Szymanowski meets Britten, but still with Martin's unmistakable style.

An interesting sounding combination, I must give that a listen.


Here:



Kurtag: Grabstein für Stephan

A short, penetratingly intense musical poem, with a couple of Munchian screams to jolly things along. Though they could more accurately be described as hammer blows on this recording at least (the only one I have). A work that seems to carry the weight of a whole symphony packed into its brief duration.

[Mirror Image]

An interesting sounding combination, I must give that a listen.


Here:



Kurtag: Grabstein für Stephan

A short, penetratingly intense musical poem, with a couple of Munchian screams to jolly things along. Though they could more accurately be described as hammer blows on this recording at least (the only one I have). A work that seems to carry the weight of a whole symphony packed into its brief duration.

Yes, I think you'll enjoy this work from Martin (hopefully, as much as I did). The instrumentation is also rather alluring. It's written for solos, mixed choir (and small female choir), boys' choir, string orchestra (with violas da gamba), harpsichord and organ. That Kurtág work is quite fine. I'd still say my favorite works of his are those written for string quartet.

[Carlo Gesualdo]

I'm listening to: Johannes Tinctoris a Franco-Flemish composer of the 14 century, he was a music theorist of importance, respected by  Ockeghem and Busnois, less prolific but great in the end, have this in LP on NON-SUCH.

[Mirror Image]

NP: Strauss Cello Sonata in F major, Op. 6 (Peter Wöpke, Wolfgang Sawallisch)

[Iota]

Yes, I think you'll enjoy this work from Martin (hopefully, as much as I did). The instrumentation is also rather alluring. It's written for solos, mixed choir (and small female choir), boys' choir, string orchestra (with violas da gamba), harpsichord and organ. That Kurtág work is quite fine. I'd still say my favorite works of his are those written for string quartet.

Okay, thanks for the appetiser.

[Irons]

And the best performance of Symphony No.5 IMO. Do you know Kabalevsky's 2nd Cello Concerto, with the same cover image Lol? It is a much deeper work.
Playing this morning, two of the great 20th Century symphonies (symphonies 2 'Grave' and 3 by Hilding Rosenberg):

Yes Jeffrey. Shafran's recording of the 2nd CC is the coupling.

[André]

You mentioned perhaps buying it from a lesser known dealer here in Copenhagen, Danacord, it was on sale; was just wondering if it went OK, or you decided for someone else. But if you forgot, I guess the outcome maybe wasn't truly scandalous

That's the one ! And yes, everything was shipshape. 

[André]

Stravinsky

Petrushka
Pulcinella

And ?   

[Sergeant Rock]

Havergal Brian Gothic Symphony part 1, Groves conducting the New Philharmonia




Sarge

[Que]

Sometimes I wonder how on earth did I end up with THREE complete Haydn sonatas sets? 

But it just kind of happened... And the thing is: they are all very good....
Schornsheim is elegant and charming on a wide range of keyboard instruments.
Brautigam (BIS) is energetic and expressive. Beghin (Naxos) is absolutely brilliant and probably my favourite, but I wouldn't want to be without the others.

Q

[Florestan]

Cyril Scott: Symphonic Poem 'Neptune' 1933/35 (inspired by the Titanic disaster and Debussy's 'La Mer'):

My favourite of Scott's purely orchestral works.

Ditto. I was not impressed by any of the symphonies but Neptune is surely something else.

[Mirror Image]

NP: K. A. Hartmann Sinfonia tragica (Janowski)

[André]

Disc two, with the Capriccio, Sinfonietta (for strings) and Sinfonia (for large orchestra).

This is even better, more impressive than disc one. Make that double. The Sinfonia was composed for the famous Schubert contest of 1928 that also saw as entries the Gothic symphony of H. Brian, Atterberg's 6th (who won), Schmidt's 3rd, Irgens-Jensesn's Passacaglia and many others. The story behind the judging is quite interesting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928_International_Columbia_Graphophone_Competition#Submissions_and_zone_judging.
It seems that to some of the jurors (check that list of luminaries!) the Marek and Brian works were superior to Atterberg's and were « considered outstanding but eventually rejected as 'in a modernistic vein inappropriate to the occasion « .

In any case, IMHO it's a real masterpiece, a 32 minute, one movement work of great structural and harmonic sophistication and striking thematic material. If one could imagine a cross between works as divergent as Schmitt's Salammbô, Reger's Hiller Variations and Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, without extra percussion or vocal parts (it is very classically scored) it might give an idea of Marek's idiom here. I found it enchanting and immensely sophisticated.

The Capriccio is a kind of orchestral pastiche along the line of Strauss' Rosenkavalier waltzes, without the inebriated horns. The Sinfonietta is a surprisingly big work. Marek composes in big paragraphs, making the work sound like a real symphony rather than a serenade. The first movement in particular is really imposing. This, too, is a major work. All the performances are excellent (Philharmonia Orchestra) and in superb sound.

This twofer is a major find I cannot recommend too highly.

[Todd]

Mahler 9 with a properly sized band.

[DavidW]

[Mirror Image]

NP: Lutoslawski Double Concerto for Oboe and Harp (Nicolas Daniel, Lucy Wakeford et. al.)

[vandermolen]

Yes Jeffrey. Shafran's recording of the 2nd CC is the coupling.

Ah, that explains why it has the same cover!