What are you listening 2 now?

[The new erato]

Mendelssohn: 4 Pieces for String Quartet Op. 81 [Gewandhaus Quartet]





Here is more terrific String Quartet writing. I find both the slow movement and the final movement here to be particularly fine and, once again, immaculately played.

I've always thought that Mendelssohn's quartes were the absolutely best part of his oeuvre, forging an intimacy and true feeling that in many of his more public works give way to brilliance.

[vandermolen]

Miaskovsky: Piano Sonata No.5 in B major.
This is my favourite of the piano sonatas - it contains a most lovely, soulful and entirely characteristic, tune in the final movement:

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Hindemith
Clarinet Quintet, Op. 30, "Erstfassung"
Buchberger Quartett, Peter Klaus Löffler

[ritter]

Some Casella this afternoon:


I know Italia and the Symphony No. 3 from other recordings (haven't listened to the works for years, though), but the Introduzione, corale e marcia will be new to me.

[aligreto]

Miaskovsky: Sinfonietta [Svetlanov] Op. 68 No. 2





This is another fine example of the Sinfonietta form from Miaskovsky. Comparisons will naturally be drawn between this and his other Sinfoniettas.  However, I don't think that such a direct comparison has that much validity simply because so much time had elapsed between each of the opus numbers that Miaskovsky's music had evolved so much in the intervening periods. As an example, listen to the closing passages of the opening movement and hear the wonderful musical language on display. Yes, the lithe and very charming and gracious Andantino could have been written at any stage of his career and it is a wonderful but relatively straightforward piece of orchestral writing in terms of musical language and expression. The third movement is based on a somewhat poignant theme and the harmonies and counterpoint are glorious. The writing for the lower register strings is very engaging. The harmonies and counterpoint are, once again, glorious in the final movement. The music is ardent and driven. I find this to be a fine work indeed.

[SonicMan46]

Through Spotify:



Dissapointing...

Hi Que - thanks for the 'thumbs down' - always looking for Wofie recordings on period instruments - currently I own the Piano Concertos w/ Bilson and Sofronitsky - not sure how many other fortepiano versions exist (either partial or complete) but am aware of Brautigam and Levin - found the Brautigam (complete set) on Spotify and will give a listen today (but around $100 on Amazon USA and 80 Euros on JPC, so unlikely a buy for me and I'd want to replace one of my other sets, both of which are fine for me). Dave

     

[aligreto]

I've always thought that Mendelssohn's quartes were the absolutely best part of his oeuvre, forging an intimacy and true feeling that in many of his more public works give way to brilliance.

I am a total convert 

[Karl Henning]

Good morning all,

A first listen to Corelli.
Concerto Grossi Op.6/1
(Ensemble 415).

Nice!

[Traverso]

Walton

Violin Concerto  Ida Haendel
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Paavo Berglund

Viola Concerto  Nigel  Kennedy
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra  André Previn

[Mirror Image]

Walton

Violin Concerto  Ida Haendel
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Paavo Berglund

Viola Concerto  Nigel  Kennedy
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra  André Previn

Good seeing you dive right into that Walton box, Jan. Oh and I have no issues with Haitink's performance of the 1st symphony. I think it's a fine one.

[Karl Henning]

Well Fergus, after having to deal with some examples of 'the dumb hostility of inanimate objects' the new CD player (NAD C538) is up and running! Thank you for your kind interest 
Now playing:
Shchedrin: Symphony No.1
Moscow PO/Nikolai Anosov (same performance as once found on a HMV/Melodiya LP which was also my first encounter with Miaskovsky's tuneful 23rd Symphony):

Huzzah!

[Traverso]

Good seeing you dive right into that Walton box, Jan. Oh and I have no issues with Haitink's performance of the 1st symphony. I think it's a fine one.

Well it did look fine to me as well and it was an encouragement to explore this set further.The violin Concerto is also very good,I have only the Kyung-Wha Chung recording with that funny cover (laughing) 
The viola concerto sound's also very fine,Nigel Kennedy is a very  talented violin player.
I'm pleased with my purchase and I'm curious what there is more in store  .

[Sergeant Rock]

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor played by Fleisher, Szell conducting the Cleveland



Edit: After the Third continued playing the disc with the Fourth PC


Sarge

[André]

This is a big-boned, large orchestra, big voices performance of The Creation. Not unlike those by Karajan or Levine, if maybe a tad more relaxed. The soloists are excellent (there are 5 of them, with different soprano and bass voices for the Adam and Eve characters, which I like). I prefer tighter, crisper performances, PI or not, but certainly won't carp over anything on that release: it's uniformly excellent.

[Que]

Some of the short virtuosic pieces by Saint-Saëns, De Sarasate and some arrangements by Heifetz, Kreisler, Zimbalist and Szigetti.

[Traverso]

Some of the short virtuosic pieces by Saint-Saëns, De Sarasate and some arrangements by Heifetz, Kreisler, Zimbalist and Szigetti.

rediscoveries of your treasures..? 

[Florestan]

No. 1 n E-flat major, Op.​​ 12

I tried to express my feelings in words four or five times --- and four or five times I deleted those words as they could not truly express what I felt.

[Traverso]

Richard Strauss

[Que]

rediscoveries of your treasures..? 

Absolutely! 

[Que]

Hi Que - thanks for the 'thumbs down' - always looking for Wofie recordings on period instruments - currently I own the Piano Concertos w/ Bilson and Sofronitsky - not sure how many other fortepiano versions exist (either partial or complete) but am aware of Brautigam and Levin - found the Brautigam (complete set) on Spotify and will give a listen today (but around $100 on Amazon USA and 80 Euros on JPC, so unlikely a buy for me and I'd want to replace one of my other sets, both of which are fine for me). Dave

     

And there is this one by Van Immerseel, a set that has grown in my appreciation when returning to it a while ago:




Whether Kristian Bezuidenhout will ever make it to a complete cycle, is anyone's guess. Just two issues to date: