What are you listening 2 now?

[Brahmsian]

A first listen to Delibes earlier today. Really enjoyed that. I think a recording of those will find its way in my collection at some point.

Delibes' ballets are marvelous. Glad you enjoyed it, Olivier.

[Karl Henning]

Mahler
Symphony № 9 in D
NY Phil
Lenny

Way below the green lemon

Mendelssohn
Symphony № 5 in D, Op.107 « Reformation »
Freiburg Barockorchester
The Hobbit

Mendelssohn
Symphony № 5 in D, Op.107 « Reformation »
LSO
Abbado

"Papa"
Symphonies nos. 101 in D « L'Horloge » & 103 in E^b « Roulement de timbale »
NY Phil
Lenny

[Brahmsian]

Mahler
Symphony № 9 in D
NY Phil
Lenny

Way below the green lemon

Mendelssohn
Symphony № 5 in D, Op.107 « Reformation »
Freiburg Barockorchester
The Hobbit

Mendelssohn
Symphony № 5 in D, Op.107 « Reformation »
LSO
Abbado

"Papa"
Symphonies nos. 101 in D « L'Horloge » & 103 in E^b « Roulement de timbale »
NY Phil
Lenny

I guess that is *pounds the table* fois quatre.

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Merulo Motets on Brilliant , wwhat a great ''motetist''.
Succh harmony and melody, RICH instrumentation is sweet, whit viola Da Gamba, violone, TheoRbo, organ.

I forgot this release long enough and Merulo works in general, than there is also great Giaches De Wert, focus on them , also Josquin, Ockeghem all musician to take very serriaously, this morning I would listen to Sigismondo D'India of palermo Sicily, italy whit an album called D'India, Mottetti, very good album, staggering, riveting, captivation, this is sensational better believe it, goodnight to all , sleep well.

[asin]B000056F7P[/asin]

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Music at the court of venosa keyboard rendition, Paola Erdas it's very finest execution of keyboard works this is darn impressive, she play whit such assurance, great musician, she incredible.


Tonight I was feeling for some ensemble graindelavoix Gesualdo Tebebrae, very bold and daring, visionary and conceptualist musicologist of the Dark Prince Da Venosa , but it work on me.

[JBS]

Shostakovich: String Quartet No.2

First time I've heard the Pavel Haas play this quartet, which was my first favourite of his I think (I was subsequently rather surprised at the low opinion some people seemed to have of it). I must say I don't think I've ever heard the Adagio 2nd movt. played so affectingly, the other movements none too shabby either. Their playing always seems to teem with character, offered up with Dickens-like vividness, really an excellent and very involving recording. 

I must investigate this.
For my part I have a low opinion of the Second Quartet only in the sense that I like the Seventh and Eighth more.

TD

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Right at this moment paying tribute listening to his ensemble Organum,  the very godlike album.

Plaint-Chant CATHÉDRALE D'AUXERRE- MANUSCRIPT DU XXII' SIÈCLE also GRADUEL D'ALIÉEOR DE BRETAGNE
PLAINT-CHANT & POLYPHONY (XIII'-XVI' SIÈCLES).

[Karl Henning]

I must investigate this.
For my part I have a low opinion of the Second Quartet only in the sense that I like the Seventh and Eighth more.

Just so.

[Symphonic Addict]

Symphony 'Vigil'

Modern yet approachable and somber.

[Mirror Image]

I bought these Quartets with the Pacifica Quartet because of the enthusiastic reviews, I go crazy when I have to have everything in multiple recordings of every interesting piece of music. I am interested in all styles of music where the romantic period in general is at the very back of my interest.
I pay more attention to "modern music" than ever before.
There are periods when I change my listening preferences and mainly listen to early music or start listening to all Bach cantatas again.
I have a good musical memory, but to know all the cantatas after having heard them only once, no that is impossible although it is surprising how much sticks.
When I listen to a mass I try to do that regardless of its liturgical context, only what sounds in relation to the degree to which I am receptive is decisive.
Paul van Nevel would be horrified by the idea that his many recordings of "religious music" are a service act different from strictly the music itself.
So I am looking more for a certain purity in the music that can have many guises, it must be more than just a way of relaxing if it is to transcend a certain everydayness.
You cannot relate to music if you do not also examine yourself and you will find that there is little that is immutable.
Sometimes you are so captivated by the music that it totally throws you off your feet, makes the blood flow faster and you get a "total experience". This is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you and you cannot control it.
You can say, well they are only vibrations, but then you have never really listened or encountered what the sounds suggest or can evoke.
There are psychologists who say that someone who listens to the music of a folk singer can experience the same thing as myself when listening to a Bach cantata. 
I hope it's not complete nonsense

Hmm...I'm not sure what to say, Jan, but I do believe that the older we get our tastes change. I think what happens is we end up refining our listening to the point where we finally have figured out what it is exactly you look for in music and sometimes we can't explain it other than to say that we'll know it whenever we hear it. Personally, I haven't acquired the taste the earlier classical like the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical Eras, although I do like some of Haydn's music. I should explore more of his music at some juncture.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Mahler
Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Maureen Forrester, contralto
Concertgebouw
Haitink



I had Mahler's 3rd running through my mind most of my day at work, so when I got home I had to actually sit down and listen to it. The biggest problem, of course, is picking out a performance to listen to since there many fine performances of this symphony. Anyway, Haitink's early account on Philips with the Concertgebouw is always a satisfying listen.

[Mirror Image]

Penderecki

His first violin Concerto

What did you think, Jan?

[Daverz]

Francesco Venturini.
Concerti da Camera.
La Festa Musicale.

I very much enjoyed this disc (except for the brief group vocal contributions).  But they do add anachronisms like percussion.  The Musicweb review had a harsher view:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2021/Apr/Venturini-concerti-97775.htm 

[Mirror Image]

One last work for the night:

Korngold
Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35
Benedetti
Bournemouth SO
Karabits

[Harry]

I very much enjoyed this disc (except for the brief group vocal contributions).  But they do add anachronisms like percussion.  The Musicweb review had a harsher view:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2021/Apr/Venturini-concerti-97775.htm

I never let reviews like this blurr my opinion, I like the music and vocal contributions. To every one his own 

[Harry]

And since I like this disc so much I decided to give it a fourth run

Francesco Venturini.
Concerti da Camera.
La Festa Musicale.

And some positive thoughts about this recording.

The concerti of the violinist and composer Francesco Venturini are a real discovery - melodious, virtuosic, elegant and dance-like, they combine Italian and French stylistic elements to form a "mingled taste", as Telemann called this mélange. Inspired by the culturally and intellectually vibrant sphere of the Hanoverian court, Venturini created sophisticated and playful music in his orchestral works, which is dominated by numerous concertante moments for winds as well as strings.

His works are laid out with great and sometimes unusual richness of colour: As concerto solo instruments he combines not only one or two oboes, recorders and violins each, but also, for example, two bassoons and two cellos, or even oboe, two recorders and violin - the latter a combination almost reminiscent of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos written a few years later.

This release marks the beginning of the collaboration with la festa musicale. The ensemble presents here a representative cross-section of Venturini's instrumental music: three orchestral suites from Opus 1, which was already published in print during his lifetime, as well as two finds from Swedish music collections; three works are presented as first recordings (Op. 1 / 2, Ouverture à 5, Concerto à 6).

The North German baroque ensemble la festa musicale stands for first-class artistic level, which is reflected in creative, interdisciplinary concert formats and top-class collaborations. The interpretations intensify the richness of colour of the works through instrumentation variations beyond the original score, as was common practice in the Baroque period, and also through additional effects such as the use of percussion instruments.



O-Ton Christoph Harer (cellist and ensemble spokesman): "We throw ourselves skin and hair into our music, just as one would go to a roaring party. We want to stand for exuberant joy of playing and express it virtuously."

"We are all trained in historical performance practice, [...] but we still don't want to make music for the museum."
Reviews
"Playing joy and liveliness are top priority and you can hear that on this album as well." (André Sittner, MDR Kultur, 25.01.2021 - 'CD of the week')

"The ensemble la festa musicale convinces with great joy of playing and virtuosity and ensures that the name Venturini will not soon be forgotten." (Alice Kremer, SR KulturRadio, 08.02.2021)

"The ensemble la festa musicale is a brilliant storyteller. The musicians speak a clear language, play lively and refreshing, always surprising with new timbres and sparkling dialogues." (Guy Engels, Pizzicato, 06.02.2021, highest rating 5 / 5 points)

"Technically, everything is played at the high level one is used to from today's baroque ensembles, whereby the woodwinds must be especially emphasized because of their beautiful tone. Musically, the sense of proportion with which La festa musicale approaches the matter is convincing: it is cleanly articulated and phrased, here and there a little pointed, but the musicians do not make more out of Venturini than is in him. Indeed, its variety, vitality and joy of colour speak for themselves." (Stereo, April 2021)

[Que]

Thanks, Harry.    I've lined it up for a Spotify listening!


My own morning listening - finally on disc:



With 19 male singers the ensemble is on the largish side, I would have preferred OVPP, but the singing is exemplary.
A gorgeous performance.

https://www.classicstoday.com/review/odhecatons-exemplary-palestrina/

[Que]

Following Que's lead again w/ Jean-Marie Leclair - listening to the Spotify playlist (inserted above) of recordings not in my collection although some of the works are, e.g. Op. 7 & Op. 10 - still could not find the Daniel Cuiller recording on my Spotify app - saw it on the link given previously but was 'empty' for me - maybe an issue on how Spotify operates 'across the pond' - don't know.  Dave

Could be a copyright issue?
I quite liked the Shayegh recording BTW. Even though the playing in the Cuiller has a bit more of an edge,  Shayegh is detailed, warm and rich.

[Harry]

Bohuslav Martinu.
Early Orchestral Works. Volume III.
Sinfonia Varsovia, Ian Hobson.


Vanishing Midnight is a musical wonder to me, I could listen to it every day, like the Dream of the Past, another master stroke. These series are very valuable to me. Performance and sound are exemplary.

[Harry]

Karl Weigl.
Symphony No. 1 in E major.
Pictures and Tales, Suite for Small Orchestra, opus 2.
Deutsches Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Jurgen Bruns.

In ever increasing circles I come to appreciate Weigl's music more and more, His colour pallete is huge. despite first impressions that it floats effortlessly, like a meandering brook without purpose. But its far from that point. Every hearing brings more discoveries, and new colours. Keeps amazing me no end. The recording and performance are very good.