What are you listening 2 now?

[Sergeant Rock]

Haydn String Quartet in B flat major op.71/1 played by the Auryn




Sarge

[Mirror Image]

Messiaen

As you can see complete with feathers.

Cool looking set, Jan. How are the performances so far?

[André]

First-Listen Friday:

Myaskovsky
Silence, Op. 9 (1910)
Svetlanov & al.

The fact is, I listened to this four times today. It has shot straight to my second-favorite Myaskovsky score (after the a minor quartet, № 13, Op. 86)  Twenty minutes of wonderfully colorful and atmospheric music which engages the ear from start to end, which has not always been my own experience with the composer.

Dmitri Dmitriyevich
Symphony № 5 in C, Op. 60 « Leningrad »
First I've listened to thus recording.  I've kept it at arm's length, because of the cuts (which Lenny himself later restored in his recording with the CSO.) I don't say that I expected otherwise, but of course, unless I were to follow the score, I don't notice the cut variation[ s ] and putting that musical malfeasance out of mind, I find it in all other respects a fantastic account.

You mean 'symphony no 7' surely? I wasn't aware there were recordings with cuts  .

[Mirror Image]

The very opening bars had me on the edge of the seat and after the final chord I stooped to pick up my jaw which must have dropped on the floor some time during the 3rd movement. Such a ravishing experience! The sweeping power of this music took me to planes and places where I'd never been before. An absolute masterpiece.

Glad you enjoyed this work, Andrei! For an early work, Kullervo is masterful and full of majestic beauty. Do check out Berglund's first recording of it on EMI (Warner) with the Bournemouth SO. This is my favorite recording of the work with Thomas Dausgaard's on Hyperion coming in a second. The Järvi recording isn't bad of course and is, in fact, very good in all respects, so it's good that you heard a performance that will pull you in like this one does, especially since it's your first-listen to this work.

[Sergeant Rock]

Haydn Symphony No. 78 in C minor, dedicated to Lethe (long absent and missed from GMG) who dubbed this work "The Stumbling Goat" 




Sarge

[André]

Another winner from the Gerhardt box. The track ' The Creation of the Female Monster' from Newman's score for The Bride of Frankenstein is quite something - almost graphic in its musical description. The theremin is a fantastic instrument when it comes to monster movies  .

[Irons]

The Dvorak Violin Concerto is a powerful and lyrical work. I do not have that version but one with him playing with the Prague Philharmonic also under Neuman.

I was not aware of the Prague Phil recording. The recording with Ancerl SUA ST 50026 was from 1962 and Czech Phil/Neumann recorded January 1978.

[vandermolen]

I've really enjoyed the CPO discs of his music that have come out so far.  He was a very prolific composer, so hopefully there will be much more.

TD: Frankel: Symphony No. 5



My previous encounter with Frankel was his film score for The Battle of the Bulge, which I found boring.  Probably works better in the context of the film.  This symphony however is quite engaging, lyrical and martial by turns and very well orchestrated.  It's also concise.  The recording is fantastic.

I think that 'Curse of the Werewolf' is a much better score than Battle of the Bulge:

[vandermolen]

Another winner from the Gerhardt box. The track ' The Creation of the Female Monster' from Newman's score for The Bride of Frankenstein is quite something - almost graphic in its musical description. The theremin is a fantastic instrument when it comes to monster movies  .

Probably my favourite of the Gerhardt recordings; 'The Creation of the Female Monster' is marvellous! There's also that interesting similarity between 'A Place in the Sun' and Shostakovich's 11th Symphony.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzti-u2yd3o

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Boulez
Messagequisse pour violoncelle solo et six violoncelles
Jean-Guihen Queyras, solo cello
Ensemble de Violoncelles de Paris
Boulez



Boulez could write for 20 snare drums and it would still sound like something he wrote. One of the most remarkable post-war composers, IMHO. Anyone who says they don't like like post-WWII avant-garde hasn't really given Boulez a chance. His music isn't far removed Debussy or the Second Viennese School.

[Mandryka]

If you have any interest in the cataloque I think this is a must but I would not miss the Erato recording with Loriod for the world.It's a  phenomenal  recording .I have only listened to Livre 1-2 & 3 and what I heard so far I like very much.
Later on I will listen to shorter pieces in different recordings and compare them,something I seldom do.The reason for this is not , "wich one is the best"but to learn and understand the pieces better.

Years ago I listened to parts of the catalogue with the Messiaen commentaries in hand, and my objective was to see which performer seemed to reflect those commentaries best. Austbo was the winner in that particular competition.

[Sergeant Rock]

Following up Haydn's C minor symphony with another in C minor, the Ninth by Miaskovsky




Sarge

[ritter]

Having listened to Dallapiccola's wonderful Partita (for orchestra with soprano soloist) last night, I now turn to pieces with the same title by two other composers I very much enjoy: Alfredo Casella's  (for piano and orchestra, from 1924) and Goffredo Petrassi's (for orchestra, which is exactly contemporaneous with Dallapiccola's—1932).

[Karl Henning]

You mean 'symphony no 7' surely? I wasn't aware there were recordings with cuts  .

I do, dratted typo

[Karl Henning]

You mean 'symphony no 7' surely? I wasn't aware there were recordings with cuts  .

It`s worth noting that Bernstein now plays the ''Leningrad'' without cuts, restoring the oboe-bassoon repetition of the march tune that, oddly enough, he always omitted in previous performances. He made the infamous martial crescendo sound truly terrifying, which is exactly how it`s supposed to sound.

[Karl Henning]

Igor Fyodorovich

Ballets, Vol. 4

Apollo

ΑΓΩΝ

Jeu de cartes

[ritter]

Igor Fyodorovich

Ballets, Vol. 4

Apollo

ΑΓΩΝ

Jeu de cartes

I was listening to Apollo (the Chailly recording) last night. I try, I really try, but I don't enjoy that piece at all (except perhaps for the very first and very last measures). 

Good day, Karl.

[Karl Henning]

I hadn't intended to listen to the Weinberg symphonies in order ... but then came:
the Myaskovsky Effect!

Weinberg
Symphony № 2 for string orchestra, Op. 30 (1946)
Kremerata Baltica

[Mandryka]

I do have the Austbø recording as well,
However, is your finding which performance most closely resembles Messian's commentary a highly subjective one?

I DON'T KNOW
Is a determination as made by you no more than a limitation  and is not ultimately important which is most appealing?

I DON'T KNOW
Commentaries are an indication of what the composer had in mind and it is known that Messiaen was very strict about this.
There is always the possibility that Messiaen was pleasantly surprised by his wife's execution.

I DON'T KNOW

Commentaries should not be a straightjacket.

I DON'T KNOW

  Commentaries have limited value and can be understood and implemented differently.

I DON'T KNOW

In some cases they only provide a manual of what would otherwise be overlooked. It will not be the first time that a composer is surprised by a performance that is not entirely in line with what he had in mind.
Just my two cents

[Karl Henning]

I was listening to Apollo (the Chailly recording) last night. I try, I really try, but I don't enjoy that piece at all (except perhaps for the very first and very last measures). 

Good day, Karl.

Cheers, Rafael. We none of us can liked everything, though it may be worth trying (to a degree)