What are you listening 2 now?

[Mandryka]

Listened to it on Rübsam's website some months ago. Haven't purchased it. Rübsam's playing is as usual interesting, but the music doesn't engage me much either on lute or lute harpsichord.

On the basis of two tracks, 100% agreed.

[Mirror Image]

NP: Schoenberg Die glückliche Hand, Op. 18 (Craft et. al.)

[Karl Henning]

Mahler
Symphony № 5 in c# minor
NY Phil
Lenny

[Mirror Image]

Mahler
Symphony № 5 in c# minor
NY Phil
Lenny

My dad has had a long-time affection for this symphony. Mahler is his numero uno, but don't ask him what his favorite work is, because he's more than likely to name them all!

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Monday!

Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 20 (Wan/Nagano)

[Karl Henning]

My dad has had a long-time affection for this symphony. Mahler is his numero uno, but don't ask him what his favorite work is, because he's more than likely to name them all!

We many of us do that, don't we?

[Mirror Image]

We many of us do that, don't we?

Yes, indeed. I certainly couldn't name one work as I'd feel guilty about leaving off so many others.

[Mirror Image]

A double dose of Ravel's Shéhérazade

From these recordings:



Of course, Ravel composed two works with the title Shéhérazade. One of them is an overture and the other a song cycle. The song cycle is quite well-known, but I believe the overture isn't.

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Monday!

Schoenberg Prelude to Genesis, Op. 44 (Craft et. al.)



I'm surprised I've never listened to this previously. It's a fantastic miniature. It's seldom performed for the simple fact that it calls for both a large orchestra and chorus, but it's only 6 minutes in duration.

[Karl Henning]

First-Listen Monday!

Schoenberg Prelude to Genesis, Op. 44 (Craft et. al.)



I'm surprised I've never listened to this previously. It's a fantastic miniature. It's seldom performed for the simple fact that it calls for both a large orchestra and chorus, but it's only 6 minutes in duration.

.
That was part of a Biblical orstorio project with different movements composed by different composers, I believe Stravinsky's contribution was Babel.

I don't believe I've heard the Schoenberg, actually....

[Karl Henning]

Thread Duty:

Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique

Dvořák
Symphony № 9 in e minor, « From the New World »
Harris
Symphony № 3 (in one movement)

And, "Berlioz Takes a Trip" overall creative and well done; I don't fault Lenny for the "morality tale" curtain line: I don't suppose that a respected cultural figure could seem to suggest that anyone ingest psychedelics....

[Mirror Image]

.
That was part of a Biblical orstorio project with different movements composed by different composers, I believe Stravinsky's contribution was Babel.

I don't believe I've heard the Schoenberg, actually....

Ah yes, I remember now. This was mentioned in the documentary Stravinsky in Hollywood (the main dialogue being that Stravinsky and Schoenberg lived close to each other, but neither visited or spoke to the other). Interestingly enough, Stravinsky did send Schoenberg's wife a letter of condolence after his passing.

[André]

Dvorak 9 here, too, coupled with Stravinsky's Sacre. Svetlanov, USSR SO.

Strange bedfellows, but two winning interpretations. The Dvorak is surprisingly lyrical, with a truly wonderful slow movement. Plenty of swagger in the galloping sections of the scherzo and finale, and a surprise ending: a loud, sharp last chord instead of the prescribed diminuendo. It's a live performance (not a peep or cough). Good sound.

The Stravinsky is the real draw here, an attentive, eagle-eyed execution with tremendously gutsy playing from the low winds, creepy bassoon and contrabassoon solos and ferocious low brass. As always with Svetlanov he gets slashing attacks from the orchestra, but never at the expense of the work's continuity. It's always in motion, and when the payoff comes (the Danse sacrale) it's huge. It helps that this 1966 recording is wide-ranging, spacious, well ventilated. No peaking or distortion. Much better than some of the Tchaikovsky symphonies from the same vintage.

[JBS]

.
That was part of a Biblical orstorio project with different movements composed by different composers, I believe Stravinsky's contribution was Babel.

I don't believe I've heard the Schoenberg, actually....

So it was.
Conceived and organized by a conductor/composer named Nathaniel Shilkret. Wikipedia includes parts of a letter in which he comments on the music.

"In fact, so successful was my score at the concert that we [Shilkret and Werner Janssen, who conducted the premiere concert performance and was shortly to conduct the premiere recording] are changing the order of the records. Instead of starting with Schoenberg and scaring the buyer, the album starts with Shilkret—Creation 2 sides... We leave the futuristic music of Strawinsky and Schoenberg for one double faced record and at the last."

"The critics didn't dare to criticize the 2 giants Strawinsky and Schoenberg because they didn't understand them. Schoenberg's music is so ultramodern and in the 12 tone scale that even you with all your experience will think that the cat is just jumping all over the piano—It is a great piece of music but oh—so new in sound."

--https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_Suite

[JBS]

TD
Rachmaninov
Symphony no. 2
Rattle/LSO

[Mirror Image]

A selection of mélodies from this superb set:

[Karl Henning]

So it was.
Conceived and organized by a conductor/composer named Nathaniel Shilkret. Wikipedia includes parts of a letter in which he comments on the music.--https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_Suite

Thanks!

[Mirror Image]

Now for something completely different and a work that qualifies for First-Listen Monday!

NP: Bernstein Peter Pan (Alexander Frey et. al.)

From this set:



This work has a long, complicated history that can be read about here for those interested:

https://leonardbernstein.com/works/view/46/peter-pan

[Irons]

Moeran: Cello Sonata.



Out of the Sonata, Concerto and Prelude that Moeran dedicated to his wife Peers Coetmore, the Sonata is the most personal.

[SimonNZ]