What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

And another suggestion from Jeffrey:

https://www.youtube.com/v/bHb6JMXJW8o

[vandermolen]

And another suggestion from Jeffrey:

https://www.youtube.com/v/bHb6JMXJW8o

Smashes the table to smithereens Karl

Now playing:
Sibelius 'Kullervo'
This fine set of 4 CDs arrived yesterday. It includes Sibelius's cantatas which I look forward to hearing. The performance of Kullervo ((Paavo Jarvi/Royal Stockholm PO) seems very impassioned to me. This nicely presented Erato set cost me £11.00 new. Unlike some other very inexpensive sets it contains booklet notes:

[pjme]

First-Listen Monday!

Penderecki
String Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 3
Quatuor Molinari

Language remark / carelessness: it is not "Unterbrochen gedanke" but

"Der Unterbrochene Gedanke"   https://en.schott-music.com/shop/der-unterbrochene-gedanke-no38143.html

I listened (after many moons) to Eugene Ormandy conducting the first part of "Utrenja" ( ca. 40 mins.), on a Japanese RCA CD which I bought mainly for a symphony (nr. 9) by Vincent Persichetti: "Sinfonia Janiculum" 1969-1970 (commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra, written while Persichetti was in Rome on his second Guggenheim Fellowship).
To my surprise, I discovered that Ormandy is the dedicatee of Utrenja: https://culture.pl/en/work/utrenja-krzysztof-penderecki
Utrenja I has all the recognizable features of early Penderecki: huge sound waves of choral and/or orchestral clusters, extreme dynamic changes shot through with passages of old Slavic church music.
I definitely prefer the dramatic coherence and religious fervour of the Saint Luke's Passion. But the sheer size and power of Utrenja I still impresses.  I would go to a live performance...
I'll give the symphony by Persichetti definitely another listen. The large orchestra - important parts for harp, timpani, bells, woodwinds - is put brilliantly through a virtuoso  "gamut of invention".
Apparently Persichetti heard the bells of a small church (San Pietro sul Janicolo) while working on the score and incorporated that theme into the composition. The composer states that the symphony is a meditation on the meaning of life. What is the beginning, what is the end? Is the door opening or closing? Hence the reference to Janus - the two faced god of the gateway....

[vandermolen]

Kastalsky: 'Requiem for Fallen Brothers' (1914-17):

I've enjoyed this newish Naxos release but am unaware of anyone else here having heard it.

[Que]

Morning listening:



Since Eastertide lasts till Pentecost Sunday, there is still some time to go through the abundance of available seasonal music.

Q

PS: Wow, that is even better than I remembered: absolutely gorgeous - a masterpiece! 

[Roasted Swan]

Kastalsky: 'Requiem for Fallen Brothers' (1914-17):

I've enjoyed this newish Naxos release but am unaware of anyone else here having heard it.

I picked up a copy of this when Presto were doing hi-res downloads cheap... but haven't listened to it yet.... oops!

[vandermolen]

I picked up a copy of this when Presto were doing hi-res downloads cheap... but haven't listened to it yet.... oops!

Thanks. I'll be interested to hear your views in due course.

[ritter]

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's death:


This is the composer's first (mono) recording of The Fairy's Kiss (complete ballet), with the Cleveland Orchestra.

From this set (one of the great achievements of the gramophone):

[pjme]

Indeed, a good idea to commemorate Igor.

First with K.A.Hartmann: the Melodie from symphony nr 5
https://youtu.be/F1To4FNDE4o

and a rare 1972 recording of the Concerto for piano and winds : Earl Wild and the Cleveland Orchestra under Bruno Maderna!
https://youtu.be/EoKyszpyXWY

[Harry]

Joachim Raff.
Piano Works, Volume IV.

La Cicerenella, opus 165.
12 Romances en Forme D'Etudes, opus 8.
2 pieces, opus 166.
Allegro Agitato, opus 151,

Tra Nguyen, Piano.

Cannot imagine better recordings of these works.

[ritter]

Indeed, a good idea to commemorate Igor.

First with K.A.Hartmann: the Melodie from symphony nr 5
https://youtu.be/F1To4FNDE4o

and a rare 1972 recording of the Concerto for piano and winds : Earl Wild and the Cleveland Orchestra under Bruno Maderna!
https://youtu.be/EoKyszpyXWY

Good day, Peter. Very interesting! I'll have to listen to that Hartmann Symphonie Concertante soon (didn't know about the Stravinsky connection).

THREAD DUTY:

More Igor Fyodorovich on this special day: his first recordings of Orpheus and the Mass, made for RCA in 1949 (again, from the big box).


Orpheus, with its "pastel shades", has always been one of my favourites of Stravinsky's neoclassical period. The Mass blew me away when I first listened to it (in my teens), but has over the years fallen out of favour with me. Let's see if I reingratite myself with it this time around. 

[Que]

Folks listener of musi that surreal, Sir Thomas Crécquillon devote of renaissance, he is by far my favorite of all, absolutely fabulous, don't know, but Crécquillon was an avant-gardist, dabbling in chromatic  amazing, poly-choral , use microtonal sounds, his grandeur, grandiose work, Secular songs or religious he was excellent like his French chansons, his Motets are closer in sound to Cypriano de Rore, Pierre DE Manchicourt his perhaps similar methodology used, one happen to be Huelgas ensemble created magic whit him.
one of my top ten favorite ensemble or another one different than Huelgas: Veni Sancti Spiritus, is a true gem to parallell Manchicourt skill. whit a masse and the track 5 till the end of chansons, French chansons but that does is best sacred music, Brabant ensemble, of might  and glory director Missa Mort ma privé's, his motets  magnificat , Stephen rice best renditon, Brabant perfect execution & ''Bref la crême de la crême du monde des monde rivalise part la crême Chantilly, traduction cream of cream, there is no other best rendition.

There is the Boston advent for choir ensemble I have vol.1 & vol.2, these singer Records remain awesome, bold and daring, trues professionals

The Egidius Kwartet did a very nice recording of Créqcuillon songs:

[Madiel]

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (Milstein, Abbado, Wiener Philharmoniker)

[Traverso]

Dowland

CD 2

[Madiel]

Pejacevic, Blumenleben



Honestly, I think these are amongst the best Romantic piano miniatures.

[Biffo]

Mozart: Piano Concerto No 14 in E flat major, K 449 - Daniel Barenboim conductor & soloist with the English Chamber Orchestra

[Harry]

Francesco Venturini.
Concerti di Camera.
Opus I, no. 2, 11, 9.
Overture a 5 in E major.
Concerto a 6 in A major.

La Festa Musicale.


Definitively one of the best Baroque CD'S I heard so far this year, and that goes for the originality of the music as well the performance, plus superb sound too.

[Traverso]

Stravinsky

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's death:

Scènes de Ballet
Bluebird-pas de deux
The Fairy's Kiss



Today I ordered the new CD box with the Kandinsky covers

[Biffo]

Franz Schmidt: Symphony No 2 in E flat major - Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paavo Jarvi

[Que]

.[asin]B012UOD7E4[/asin]
Violin concertos vol. IV with Igor Ruhadze and the Ensemble Violini Capricciosi.