What are you listening 2 now?

[André]

An original and stimulating program of chamber music by this amazing composer. 2 works for string quartet and 2 for string quintet (w. 2 violas).

[Mirror Image]

Some selections from this recording:

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Tuesday

Schulhoff
Serenade, Op. 18
Brno State PO
Yinon



This work sounds like a pastiche of Haydn and Janáček. There are some individual touches here and there, but this isn't a memorable work.

[Karl Henning]

Tchaikovsky
Symphony № 3 in D, Op. 29 « Polish »

NY Phil
Lenny

[SimonNZ]

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Tuesday

Henze
Violin Concerto No. 1
Ode to the West Wind
Double Bass Concerto
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, violin
Siegfried Palm, cello
Gary Karr, double bass
Bavarian RSO
English Chamber Orchestra
Henze

From this set:



Basically, I just jumped into this set on a random disc as I didn't really know where to start. One of the things I already like about Henze is his unpredictability and this is meant either stylistically or really what direction a certain work is going in.

[Alek Hidell]

Continuing with this:



The Rachmaninov 2nd, a well-known recording that I have in another incarnation - and of course I always find myself singing "All By Myself" (a song I don't even particularly like) with the third movement  - followed by some Debussy and Ravel, and now onto the Shostakovich 8th, a recording I've been looking forward to hearing.

I don't know what follows that, as I'm intentionally letting myself be surprised at what comes next. Certainly nice variety so far - all French or Russian to this point, but different idioms.

[Karl Henning]

Tchaikovsky
Symphony № 3 in D, Op. 29 « Polish »

NY Phil
Lenny

Of the early symphonies, it appears that I like the Polish least.

[Traverso]

Sorry for the delay but I had to listen to a bit of the Kodama recording before responding.



Hers is just one of several very fine renditions of this wonderful suite of music.  I listened to some extracts and really enjoyed what I heard.  However my first reaction (before listening, just now) was that Momo Kodama is not a great fit for the Vingt Regards.  It's quite different from the Catalogue d'Oiseaux where she excels with her crystalline technique. 
Listening though, I felt that she was much better than I expected/remembered.  However eventually, on impulse, I switched to another recording I have, by (a young) Anton Batagov - and that was a revelation, a more 'romantic' approach which seems to me to suit this music better.  (NB this Melodiya recording is now over 30 years old, but it doesn't show.)

Thank you very much for the effort and again a new name for me. It is clear from the start that Batagov has a more romantic approach as you call it and that is what fits this music very well in a way.
I have looked around and given the prices it must be OOP.
By the way, have you ever listened to Kars?

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Henze
Symphony No. 6
LSO
Henze



I enjoyed the three concerti I previously heard, so now I'm trying my ears at a random symphony from within this set.

[JBS]

Cross-posted from the Nielsen composer thread:

First listen to these recordings.  Marvelous!  A generous gift to me from John (MI).  Thank you! 

Nielsen

Violin Concerto
Flute Concerto
Clarinet Concerto

Nikolaj Znaider, violin
Robert Langevin, flute
Anthony McGill, clarinet

Alan Gilbert, conducting
New York Philharmonic

DACAPO

I remember that CD being the best one in the set.
TD
Just finished the last CD of Alsop's Prokofiev cycle. This time around, the music did not seem to catch with me at all.
Might be my mood more than anything with conductor or composer.

[Mirror Image]

Another random selection:

Henze
Muses Of Sicily
Joseph Rollino (piano), Paul Sheftel (piano), Rudolf Mauersberger (chorus master)
Dresdner Kreuzchor, Members of the Staatskapelle Dresden
Henze

[steve ridgway]

Minao Shibata - Improvisation. Pleasant electronic cyclings up and down the frequencies.

[Harry]

No emails notifications from the states or Europe are coming my way, a Google problem? Have others in the Netherlands or elsewhere this too?

[steve ridgway]

Reimann - Inane, Monolog Für Sopran Und Orchester. A varied piece with the soprano alternating between singing and speech, and some dramatic instrumental outbursts. I'm finding it absorbing.

[Harry]

Antonin Reichenauer.

Concertos, Volume II.

Musica Florea on period instruments, Marek Strynel.

[Irons]

Ivor Gurney: 12 songs.

Not from the folk inspired English song tradition. Deeply personal and admittedly knowing of Gurney's tragic life may be a factor, I found the songs sad and a bit unsettling.

One of note Severn Meadows with words and music written in the trenches by Gurney with the manuscript dated Caulaincourt, March 19 1917.

Frank Howes (who wasn't an admirer of Gurney's songs) wrote "He survived the Great War but it destroyed him".

[Que]

Morning listening:



A 2CD set with "The Mass in any mode" performed in four different modes.


PS A happy Liberation Day (WW II) to my countrymen here! 

[Harry]

Joachim Raff.

Piano Works, Volume V.
World Premiere recordings

Grande Sonate, opus 14.
Blätter und Blüten, opus 135a, volume 1-4.

Tra Nguyen, Piano. Steinway, D model.

[vandermolen]

Pre-work listening.
Klami 'Psalmus' - conducted by one of my favourite conductor names!