What are you listening 2 now?

Started by Gurn Blanston, September 23, 2019, 05:45:22 AM

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vandermolen

#34640
Quote from: Florestan on February 23, 2021, 09:29:38 AM
Ditto. I was not impressed by any of the symphonies but Neptune is surely something else.
Indeed Andrei. I played Neptune through twice today.

Now playing - Samuel Jones, Symphony No.3 'Palo Duro Canyon', I was reminded of the music of John Kinsella at times::
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 23, 2021, 08:42:23 AM
Havergal Brian Gothic Symphony part 1, Groves conducting the New Philharmonia




Sarge
I've been very happy with that disc.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: André on February 23, 2021, 10:24:03 AM


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 for strings. When thinking of strings-only works, Dvorak, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Britten come to mind. Here Marek composes in much bigger 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.

A great description! I remember being quite enthralled by the Sinfonia and Sinfonietta. Both have very attractive music. I'll be checking the other works at some point.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Mirror Image on February 23, 2021, 10:46:18 AM
NP: Lutoslawski Double Concerto for Oboe and Harp (Nicolas Daniel, Lucy Wakeford et. al.)



A brilliant work as usual with this composer.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

MusicTurner

Quote from: André on February 23, 2021, 08:05:15 AM
That's the one ! And yes, everything was shipshape.  :)

Glad to hear that !

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: T. D. on February 22, 2021, 11:25:20 PM
Looks interesting. How do you like it?

Both seemed influenced by Beethoven on some extent, above all the 1st SQ. The 2nd SQ is slightly more sophisticated. Two pleasant works overall.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Mirror Image


Sergeant Rock

#34647
Quote from: vandermolen on February 23, 2021, 11:31:24 AM
I've been very happy with that disc.

And now I know why  8) ...it is an astonishing performance. The Vivace is spectacular and quite a different beast than Lenárd's, Boult's or Brabbins'.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Mirror Image

NP: Milhaud L'Automne, Op. 115 (Choveaux)



Anyone with any interest in Milhaud and solo piano music should really pick up Choveaux's three volume series. It's excellent.

Traverso

Quote from: André on February 23, 2021, 08:10:08 AM
And ?   :D

Well I understand why EMI did not release this recording of Petrushka, but was it the right decision? To begin with, the recording is very good, it is clear as a watercolor painting, the woodwinds are audible and what you hear is in a sense a Stravinsky that is still under construction with only a layer of primer.
Unsurprisingly  there is no striving for slickness, the whole idea could plunge him into frenzy.
Sometimes it feel likes you are listening to an amateur orchestra. What we get to hear is the result of not enough rehearsal time but enough to hear what could have been. A very quirky Petrushka that cannot be compared to any other.
The Premier Tableau is very convincing notwithstanding the croaking oboe. :D What it has most of all is an intriguing atmosphere that cancels out all shortcomings in my view. I love it.

SonicMan46

Quote from: Que on February 23, 2021, 09:02:01 AM
   



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.

Hey Que - I have the same 3 sets, plus the one added above w/ Derzhavina (need one w/ a modern piano, I guess) - just was checking Amazon USA and Schornsheim must be OOP and in demand?  Also, need to check the works included but the piano box has only 9 discs vs. 13-15 CDs in the period instrument offerings?  Dave :)

André

Quote from: Traverso on February 23, 2021, 12:13:30 PM
Well I understand why EMI did not release this recording of Petrushka, but was it the right decision? To begin with, the recording is very good, it is clear as a watercolor painting, the woodwinds are audible and what you hear is in a sense a Stravinsky that is still under construction with only a layer of primer.
Unsurprisingly  there is no striving for slickness, the whole idea could plunge him into frenzy.
Sometimes it feel likes you are listening to an amateur orchestra. What we get to hear is the result of not enough rehearsal time but enough to hear what could have been. A very quirky Petrushka that cannot be compared to any other.
The Premier Tableau is very convincing notwithstanding the croaking oboe. :D What it has most of all is an intriguing atmosphere that cancels out all shortcomings in my view. I love it.

Very well put. It's a unique view that can't and shouldn't be replicated. I'm glad it exists, a very expressionist, highly contrasted black and white vision. The classic recording remains Monteux' - the work's creator.

Que

Quote from: SonicMan46 on February 23, 2021, 01:27:30 PM
Hey Que - I have the same 3 sets, plus the one added above w/ Derzhavina (need one w/ a modern piano, I guess) - just was checking Amazon USA and Schornsheim must be OOP and in demand?  Also, need to check the works included but the piano box has only 9 discs vs. 13-15 CDs in the period instrument offerings?  Dave :)

Disc 14 of the Schornsheim set is dedicated to an interview and a discussion on the various instruments.
And the set has more than just the sonatas, though I'm not sure if that would make up the remaining difference of 4 discs...Perhaps something with repeats?

Q

André



Salter's music for The Ghost of Frankenstein is a full-fledged score that holds the story together - 45 minutes vs the usual bits running for 15-25 minutes in most horror movies from Universal. Salter studied with Berg and Schreker and proves a master at establishing an atmosphere through orchestration. The themes are short and lend themselves to constant transformation, the orchestration providing all the changes of colour and mood required by the story. One of the best in Naxos' prolific film music series.

vers la flamme



Anton Bruckner: Symphony in F minor, WAB 99, the "Study Symphony". Georg Tintner, Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Tintner was a brilliant Brucknerian. His conducting brings a lot of insight into the music, I think, even in relatively minor works like this one. Always worth a listen. I think I'm going to try and piece together the rest of the cycle.

Mirror Image

NP: Martin Act I from Der Sturm (Fischer et. al.)


Symphonic Addict

Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 7-9. I can't get enough of these pieces. The melodies, rhythms and Brazilian flavour on them are absolutely enchanting. I think I prefer these works over the symphonies, or at least, over most of them. Fantastic rediscovery.

Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Mirror Image

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on February 23, 2021, 02:22:07 PM
Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 7-9. I can't get enough of these pieces. The melodies, rhythms and Brazilian flavour on them are absolutely enchanting. I think I prefer these works over the symphonies, or at least, over most of them. Fantastic rediscovery.



And I prefer the Chôros to the Bachianas Brasileiras and symphonies. ;)

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Mirror Image on February 23, 2021, 02:24:12 PM
And I prefer the Chôros to the Bachianas Brasileiras and symphonies. ;)

I also have them in high esteem. The Chôros will come next in the future. For these days I won't want to overload myself with his music.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Todd




The Martinu and Janacek pieces are well known to me, and these versions are superb.  The Janacek is more suave than the few other versions I've heard, and the better for it.  The show stopper, though, is the Kabelac.  DSCH with Czech lyricism and a groovy feel.  Man, it is something else.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya