What are you listening 2 now?

Started by Gurn Blanston, September 23, 2019, 05:45:22 AM

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vers la flamme

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on June 13, 2021, 05:11:39 AM

Nice disc. Among many recordings of the overtures and preludes, Markevitch's album is my personal favorite. The recording is old (1954/1959) and monaural. But it has an aura, and the performance is majestic. Plus, the recording sound is not bad. Also, I find Paray's recording enjoyable though I could be biased.

Both look excellent. I have been wanting to check out the Paray Wagner disc (for some reason I am very drawn to the idea of French conductors taking on Wagner; I like what I've heard of Cluytens' Bayreuth recordings) but never heard of the Markevitch.

Mirror Image

Quote from: vers la flamme on June 13, 2021, 06:23:01 AM
Both look excellent. I have been wanting to check out the Paray Wagner disc (for some reason I am very drawn to the idea of French conductors taking on Wagner; I like what I've heard of Cluytens' Bayreuth recordings) but never heard of the Markevitch.

I'm similar only that I'm quite drawn to Italian conductors in Germanic music. :)

Mirror Image

Quote from: Traverso on June 13, 2021, 04:44:06 AM
Bartók

Four Orchestral Pieces
Concerto for Orchestra

Chicago symphony Orchestra



Excellent, Jan. 8) I'm still rather ambivalent about the Concerto for Orchestra. My mind tells me I should like it, but my heart disagrees. The heart always wins.

SonicMan46

Beach, Amy (1867-1944) - Piano Music w/ Kirsten Johnson (Amy Beach Project) - controlled by a dominant mother, living with Victorian age morals, and married to a Boston doctor, 24 years her senior, Beach would have led a much different life in a later age, but my thoughts only - check the links for more, if interested.  Kirsten Johnson researched this project thoroughly and wrote all of the 4 volume booklet notes.  Finally, I love the Winslow Homer paintings as cover art and have seen at least three in person; after all, she was a 'member' of the Second New England School (sometimes known as the 'Boston Six').  Dave :)

QuoteAmy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867–1944) was an American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Her "Gaelic" Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. She was one of the first American composers to succeed without the benefit of European training, and one of the most respected and acclaimed American composers of her era. As a pianist, she was noted for concerts she gave featuring her own music in the United States and in Germany. (Source)

     

T. D.

Motivated by posts in "Purchases Today":



Picked up this budget set a few years ago (it's now on the even cheaper Alto) and it's become a favorite.

Mirror Image

Quote from: T. D. on June 13, 2021, 07:04:07 AM
Motivated by posts in "Purchases Today":



Picked up this budget set a few years ago (it's now on the even cheaper Alto) and it's become a favorite.

I've read some mixed reviews about this particular set, T. D., which why I never got around to buying it. But since I own the Borodin (both Chandos and Melodiya sets), Pacifica, Fitzwilliam, Brodsky (Teldec), Emerson and Rubio I think I'm good now. ;) I was considering the Quatuor Danel set for awhile, but backed out at the last minute.

T. D.

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 13, 2021, 07:51:43 AM
I've read some mixed reviews about this particular set, T. D., which why I never got around to buying it. But since I own the Borodin (both Chandos and Melodiya sets), Pacifica, Fitzwilliam, Brodsky (Teldec), Emerson and Rubio I think I'm good now. ;) I was considering the Quatuor Danel set for awhile, but backed out at the last minute.

Didn't mean to suggest anything, was sure you weren't lacking for sets!  ;)
If you're not familiar with the Fitzwilliams, good buy, I'd say it's one you should hear.
I haven't noticed anything amiss with the eponymous set on Regis/alto, and consider it "in the pack" with many other good recordings. It's the one I most often spin these days. I rely more on forum comments than website reviews and saw only enthusiastic ones, but I wasn't on GMG at the time...

kyjo

Quote from: vandermolen on June 12, 2021, 08:30:54 PM
+1 for Kabalevsky and I love that set, although symphonies 1 and 4 are my favourites. I think that No. 4 is a much more interesting and greater work than most people seem to think.

Kabalevsky's 4th Symphony is indeed one of his greatest works, possessing a depth and memorability on par with anything by his more famous contemporaries. That "doom-laden procession" that closes the first movement could knock anyone's socks off! To be honest, I think most people who dismiss Kabalevsky's music haven't actually listened to any of his works besides maybe his short didactic piano works for children! :D
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

Quote from: kyjo on June 13, 2021, 08:09:35 AM
Kabalevsky's 4th Symphony is indeed one of his greatest works, possessing a depth and memorability on par with anything by his more famous contemporaries. That "doom-laden procession" that closes the first movement could knock anyone's socks off! To be honest, I think most people who dismiss Kabalevsky's music haven't actually listened to any of his works besides maybe his short didactic piano works for children! :D
Totally agree Kyle!
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

kyjo

Quote from: Madiel on June 13, 2021, 05:55:08 AM
Trying a new Deutsche Grammophon release: Dustin O'Halloran, "Silfur".

Utterly tedious. What is DG of all labels doing peddling this?

While I hesitate to issue blanket statements condemning the major labels like DG since they have issued some unexpectedly interesting stuff recently (e.g. P. Jarvi's Franz Schmidt cycle), I must say that the majority of stuff they release these days is annoyingly artist-centric and showing some questionable lapses in taste with gimmicky "crossover"-ish stuff. All I can say is, thank God for labels like Naxos, Chandos, CPO, BIS, Ondine, Capriccio, etc. who continue to give us high-quality recordings of interesting repertoire and don't always feel the need to plaster a picture of the latest hot-shot young soloist on the cover of every disc.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

aligreto

Delius: Cello Concerto [Du Pré]





I have never been a fan of the music of Delius but neither have I ever heard this Cello Concerto. I am a long term admirer of Du Pré as a cellist so I decided to give this version a go as a result of my partiality to her. No joy here I am afraid. I honestly find the music of Delius to be overtly saccharine and even boring. I just do not get it and not even my revered Du Pré could convince me. It ends as it begins; a constant stream of placid lyricism that is just not enough for me.
Apologies if I have upset the sensibilities of the many Delius fans out there. I have tried but I have continually failed to be convinced.

aligreto

Quote from: Que on June 13, 2021, 02:45:30 AM
I like the music - even though Fux is a quite a conservative composer - but I couldn't deal with Clemencic's slow tempi and low energy level.

This recording I found to be more to my liking:



Thank you for both the comment and the recommendation.

JBS

Quote from: T. D. on June 13, 2021, 08:04:05 AM
Didn't mean to suggest anything, was sure you weren't lacking for sets!  ;)
If you're not familiar with the Fitzwilliams, good buy, I'd say it's one you should hear.
I haven't noticed anything amiss with the eponymous set on Regis/alto, and consider it "in the pack" with many other good recordings. It's the one I most often spin these days. I rely more on forum comments than website reviews and saw only enthusiastic ones, but I wasn't on GMG at the time...

I seem to be the odd man out here, because the Fitzwilliam set is my least favorite. I also found the Brodsky rather underwhelming. My favorite is the Melodiya Borodin (don't have the Chandos) followed by Pacifica and then Emerson. The Shostakovich Quartet set and the Danel are, however nothing to sneeze at, and so is the Mandelring. (Don't have the Rubio.)

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

André



Few think much of Leinsdorf as a puccinian, but he had a long career at the Met and recorded Bohème, Turandot, Tabarro, Butterfly (twice) and Tosca. This is his first Butterfly, with Price and Tucker. While I think Sinopoli's DG account is even more moving vocally and orchestrally refulgent, this is one of the better offerings. Price takes great care with the words and the vocal colours. Butterfly is a different woman when act 2 starts, and her change of fortunes requires the interpreter to 'mature' vocally between acts - not an easy feat. Freni, who recorded the role twice, would not sing it on stage, on account of the overwhelming emotional toll the character goes through in acts 2 and 3. The sound on this 1962 set is extremely refined: spacious, with pinpoint clarity and smoothness.

Stürmisch Bewegt

Quote from: kyjo on June 13, 2021, 08:19:33 AM
While I hesitate to issue blanket statements condemning the major labels like DG since they have issued some unexpectedly interesting stuff recently (e.g. P. Jarvi's Franz Schmidt cycle), I must say that the majority of stuff they release these days is annoyingly artist-centric and showing some questionable lapses in taste with gimmicky "crossover"-ish stuff. All I can say is, thank God for labels like Naxos, Chandos, CPO, BIS, Ondine, Capriccio, etc. who continue to give us high-quality recordings of interesting repertoire and don't always feel the need to plaster a picture of the latest hot-shot young soloist on the cover of every disc.

+1
Leben heißt nicht zu warten, bis der Sturm vorbeizieht, sondern lernen, im Regen zu tanzen.

Stürmisch Bewegt

Among the many brass-CDs I own (amazing they actually play!  :laugh:), the Empires, the Canadians, et al, this remains a personal fave; it dates back to '85/86 :

Leben heißt nicht zu warten, bis der Sturm vorbeizieht, sondern lernen, im Regen zu tanzen.

listener

HANDEL:  The 4 Coronation Anthems
Vancouver Chamber Choir     CBC Vancouver Orch.   Mario Bernardi, cond.
Okay, but not worth looking for
BRITTEN: Simple Symphony    TIPPETT: Little Music    WALTON: Sonata for String Orchestra\
-  Variations on an Elizabethan Theme (Sellinger's Round) by OLDHAM, TIPPETT, BERKELEY,  BRITTEN, SEARLE and WALTON
Guildhall String Ensemble    Robert Salter, leader
JANÁČEK Sinfonietta      DVOŘÁK Symphony 9 
Vienna  S.O.     Horenstein, cond.   1956. 1952 mono recordings for Vox 
"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

VonStupp

Quote from: André on June 13, 2021, 11:38:10 AM


Few think much of Leinsdorf as a Puccinian, but he had a long career at the Met and recorded Bohème, Turandot, Tabarro, Butterfly (twice) and Tosca. This is his first Butterfly, with Price and Tucker. While I think Sinopoli's DG account is even more moving vocally and orchestrally refulgent, this is one of the better offerings. Price takes great care with the words and the vocal colours. Butterfly is a different woman when act 2 starts, and her change of fortunes requires the interpreter to 'mature' vocally between acts - not an easy feat. Freni, who recorded the role twice, would not sing it on stage, on account of the overwhelming emotional toll the character goes through in acts 2 and 3. The sound on this 1962 set is extremely refined: spacious, with pinpoint clarity and smoothness.

I agree, Leinsdorf is strong here. Leontyne Price is an acquired voice, and for me may be too big for the role, but I do like this recording very much (which I think I have on SACD). My other go-to is Karajan with Freni on audio-only Blu-ray, although Leinsdorf is more dramatic.
"All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff."

VonStupp

Charles Ives
Three Places in New England
New England Holidays
They Are There!

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
David Zinman


Zinman and Baltimore are a little too gentle with this music, but it is a decent recording of Ives' homage to his home.

"All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff."

Karl Henning

Quote from: JBS on June 13, 2021, 11:27:34 AM
I seem to be the odd man out here, because the Fitzwilliam set is my least favorite.
Just for the record: +1.  That said, I have no quarrel with their collaboration in the Op. 57 with Volodya Ashkenazy.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot