What are you listening 2 now?

[André]

Now, this looks interesting. Never knew about this work by Theodorakis. Thanks for posting it.

You can choose from quite a few videos on YT.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=theodorakis+canto+general

Canto is the most performed contemporary choral work, a favourite of choral societies, which is not surprising as Theodorakis' aim was to compose for ordinary folks.

[Karl Henning]

Very nice and, as you know, I'm a huge Stravinsky fan. Good to read you enjoy this recording as well. Have you ever listened to Orpheus or Apollon musagète? I imagine these ballets would be right up your alley and Le Baiser de la fée as well.

Parenthetically, I've had these two Craft/Stravinsky MusicMasters discs in heavy rotation these two weeks.

Major works:
The Mass
Agon
Canticum sacrum

And, much-loved sub-major works
Suite from L'histoire du Soldat
Pribaoutki
Cat's Lullabies
Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa ad CD annum
arr. of JSB's canonic variations on Vom Himmel Hoch
Dumbarton Oaks Concerto
Scènes de Ballet

And much-loved frankly-miscellany:
Greeting Prelude (arr. of "Happy Birthday to you"
arr. of "The Star-Spangled Banner" for Men's chorus
arr. of "La Marseillaise" for violin solo

[Mirror Image]

Very nice, Karl. I quite like Craft's Stravinsky series.

Speaking of Stravinsky: NP: Apollon musagète (HvK/Berliners)



Karajan nailed this ballet. The Berliner strings sound absolutely ravishing.

[Mirror Image]

NP: Bartók Sonatina, BB 69, Out of Doors, BB 89, Three Burlesques, BB 55 (Stephen Kovacevich/Richter)

[Symphonic Addict]

String Quartet De la guitarra

I was expecting something more tuneful, but as it is, I was delighted to hear it. Thoroughly pleasant music.

[Todd]

[Symphonic Addict]

You can choose from quite a few videos on YT.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=theodorakis+canto+general

Canto is the most performed contemporary choral work, a favourite of choral societies, which is not surprising as Theodorakis' aim was to compose for ordinary folks.

Thanks, André. I'll definitely be investigating this work at some point.

[Mirror Image]

Man, I almost forgot it's Barber's birthday, so I put together a little playlist:

Piano Sonata, Op. 26
Despite & Still, Op. 41
Piano Concerto, Op. 38

From these recordings:

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Speaking of lyricism, Vladigerov's Symphony No. 2 (scored for string orchestra) has plenty of it. An engaging, tuneful, and satisfying piece, much more so than his Symphony No. 1. I really enjoyed this once again.

Interesting. I prefer S1 and the two Overtures to S2 though I find all the works in the set very attractive. Still, S2 proffers unique lyricism and aestheticism as you say. Have you listened to the 3rd set- String Concertos by V? It is a wonderful set. Also the new set of Orchestral Works Vol. 2 will be released on April 2!

String Quartet De la guitarra

I was expecting something more tuneful, but as it is, I was delighted to hear it. Thoroughly pleasant music.

I love the recording!

[T. D.]

Discs 4, 5, 6 (5 and 6 are Mikrokosmos)

[Mirror Image]

Discs 4, 5, 6 (5 and 6 are Mikrokosmos)

Even as an admirer and lover of Bartók, I have difficulty getting into the Mikrokosmos, which are, to my ears, nothing more than piano exercises. I suppose if I was a pianist or teacher, I'd get some use out of these works, but as a listener, they don't do much for me. The rest of his solo piano works are top-notch, though.

[vandermolen]

David Matthews 'A Vision of the Sea'

[steve ridgway]

Pierre Henry - Investigations. The beautiful sounds of the electronic frequency generator.

[Que]

Congrats. I am sure you will get much pleasure from this set. Most of it is top shelf with only a few weak points. All in all my preferred set, Beekman being a close contender. But it is no need to recommend these sets, because they are next to unavailable.

[Ewald Kooiman's Bach cycle on Coronata]

It's a pity that sofar a reissue hasn't surfaced. I would definitely be interested.
They better get on with it while the generation that owns a CD player (myself included) is still alive... 

Q

[steve ridgway]

Stockhausen - Refrain.

[Que]

Morning listening:



Harmoniae Morales

Q

[vandermolen]

Daniel Jones: Symphony 4 'In Memory of Dylan Thomas'. Probably my favourite of those I know by Daniel Jones:

[MusicTurner]

Arensky - The two piano trios - Trio Carducci /brilliant CD

Very pleasant and well played, was somehow reminded of French Belle Epoque chamber music, rather than any Russian heavyness here. A bit of interesting booklet/cover design too, IMHO. Recommended; I don't agree at all with the MusicWeb review's very harsh criticism of the recorded sound.

[Harry]

J.S. Bach.
Complete Organ Music.
Volume XIV.

Miscellaneous Works.

Gerhard Gnann plays on a Johann Andreas Silbermann organ, 1750. Soultz-Haut Rhin, Eglise Saint-Maurice.

From all the organists on this set I find Gerhard Gnann to be the best of them, he comes close to what Kooiman did, but has his own particularities.
The Silbermann organ is a favourite of mine. Frommen made an excellent recording.

[Florestan]

It's unknown for sure why Madame Franck, usually described as difficult and a scold, reviled her husband's Piano Quintet (Tournemire called it "le roi des quintettes à clavier").  She refused to attend performances of it and it is widely thought to suspect its romantic inspiration (likely just a crush and almost certainly never consummated): Augusta Holmès, one of Franck's students.  It is certainly a passionate work, arguably the most passionate of Franck's compositions.  He was hardly alone with his infatuation for her and as Holmès came with a reputation as a femme du monde, it must have been easy for Madame Franck to put two and two together.  "We are all of us in love with her!" exclaimed Saint-Saëns, who actually proposed to her (!) and was refused (she never married but lived with poet Catulle Mendès and bore him five children).  D'Indy, Mallarmé, the novelist George Moore, and Rimsky-Korsakov, who described her as "très décolletée," were similarly smitten.  One classical dj, Dennis Bartel, suggests - interestingly - that the Quintet is so passionate as to make him wonder if Mme Franck actually "showed restraint with her mere disgust for the work."  You can listen to one of Holmès' own compositions here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQQnmqc4Fus

Most interesting, thank you.