What are you listening 2 now?

[André]

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on Today at 10:13:55 AM
This is really good (I especially love the emotionally troubled first movement). It was composed when Max  was just 16. He didn't think it worthy of an opus number and so it joins that group of pieces I love despite the composers disowning them (for example Kullervo and Die Nullte).

After listening to the D minor quartet once more, I'm moving on to the G minor op.54/1

Sarge

+1. An unusually satisfying corpus, this set !

Most interesting, thanks!

[Brian]

I recall being surprised by that Sawallisch performance as well, mostly because I don't recall him conducting much of the composer's work. Totally agree about the playing and the sonics. Actually the sound is pretty good on even the oldest of these boxes (e.g., from the 1930s and 1940s), but anything from the 1960s on really shows the expertise of the Radio Netherlands engineers.

--Bruce

There's also a Sawallisch Martinu 4 in a Supraphon box set of his historic Prague recordings.

[bhodges]

There's also a Sawallisch Martinu 4 in a Supraphon box set of his historic Prague recordings.

Thanks, didn't know about that one! Might entice me to get the entire box, who knows.

--Bruce

[Brian]

Thanks, didn't know about that one! Might entice me to get the entire box, who knows.

--Bruce

Also has a Martinu Field Mass, Janacek Glagolitic Mass, short piece by Petr Eben ("Prague Nocturne"), and a Mendelssohn Lobgesang...just being a bad influence 

[bhodges]

Also has a Martinu Field Mass, Janacek Glagolitic Mass, short piece by Petr Eben ("Prague Nocturne"), and a Mendelssohn Lobgesang...just being a bad influence 

A very bad influence, indeed! 

--Bruce

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Koechlin
Oboe Sonata, Op. 58
Stefan Schilli, oboe
Oliver Triendl, piano



As with most of Koechlin's chamber works I've heard, it's absolutely gorgeous.

[André]

Quartets 1 and 2 (disc1) of this 2 disc set of the 4 SQ.

If my collection was filed alphabetically, Juon would be between Joubert and Kabalelevsky. But since I file composers by country/region, this becomes a problem. Pavel Fédorovich Juon was born in 1872 in Russia from parents born from Swiss immigrants. He went to school at the German Academy in Moscow, studied composition at the Moscow Conservatory under Taneyev and Arensky, married a Russian, after which he and his wife moved to Berlin (1898). He taught at the Musikhochschule where his students numbered Skalkottas, Vladigerov, Jarnach, Stepan Wolpe. Most of his industrious career took place in Germany, where he was highly regarded. After his retirement he moved to Switzerland (his second wife was Swiss), where he was able to devote himself to composing. He died in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1940. During his life he held all three nationalities. 

Juon has been called 'the russian Brahms' by the Russians, the Germans also claiming him (I have a disc of 'german music composed in Berlin in the 1930s' where he features) and here he is with his 4 quartets edited by the label Musiques suisses. Apparently he never used swiss folklore in his music (entirely tonal), but russian folk tunes and musical idiom is all over the place in these quartets (the booklet notes readily acknowledge as much). A rather special case, although not unique of course. On top of the russian-germanic influences, that of Dvorak may also be felt in the way the themes are freely exchanged between the instruments, going from soloistic to fully orchestral textures. The themes are closer to Tchaikovsky than Brahms, their development extremely sophisticated and thorough, with strong folk influences in the rythms of the fast movements. These works are a real find.

I still haven't decided where to place Juon in my filing system  .

[Mirror Image]

Quartets 1 and 2 (disc1) of this 2 disc set of the 4 SQ.

If my collection was filed alphabetically, Juon would be between Joubert and Kabalelevsky. But since I file composers by country/region, this becomes a problem. Pavel Fédorovich Juon was born in 1872 in Russia from parents born from Swiss immigrants. He went to school at the German Academy in Moscow, studied composition at the Moscow Conservatory under Taneyev and Arenaky, married a Russian, after which he and his wife moved to Berlin (1898). He taught at the Musikhochschule where his students numbered Skalkottas, Vladigerov, Jarnach, Stepan Wolpe. Most of his industrious career took place in Germany, where he was highly regarded. After his retirement he moved to Switzerland (his second wife was Swiss), where he was able to devote himself to composing. He died in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1940. During his life he held all three nationalities. 

Juon has been called 'the russian Brahms' by the Russians, the Germans also claiming him (I have a disc of 'german music composed in Berlin in the 1930s' where he features) and here he is with his 4 quartets edited by the label Musiques suisses. Apparently he never used swiss folklore in his music (entirely tonal), but russian folk tunes and musical idiom is all over the place in these quartets (the booklet notes readily acknowledge as much). A rather special case, although not unique of course. On top of the russian-germanic influences, that of Dvorak may also be felt in the way the themes are freely exchanged between the instruments, going from soloistic to fully orchestral textures. The themes are closer to Tchaikovsky than Brahms, their development extremely sophisticated and thorough, with strong folk influences in the rythms of the fast movements. These works are a real find.

I still haven't decided where to place Juon in my filing system  .

I'd file him under Russian composers for the simple fact that his country of origin was Russia and not Switzerland. It's kind of like Honegger --- he's regarded as a Swiss composer, but he spent his life in France. It probably has something to do with how the composer themselves felt. Ravel's parents were Swiss and Basque, but he identified himself as a French composer. Mahler was born in Bohemia, but considered himself Austrian. Anyway, there are so many examples one could go through.

[Mirror Image]

Andre brings up a good point, I need to get around to cataloging all of my collection. What a huge undertaking this will be, but it needs to be done so I can actually find what I'm looking for with no problems.

[Sergeant Rock]

+1. An unusually satisfying corpus, this set !

I'm finding it so. The first disc was stunning. I'm looking forward to the D minor op.74 Quartet, his longest work in this medium. Planning on listening to it tomorrow.

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Smetana
String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
Panocha Quartet

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Shostakovich
String Quartets Nos. 5, 6 & 7
Borodin Quartet

[Karl Henning]

Weinberg
Sonata for Viola Solo (Viola Sonata № 1) Op. 107
Julia Rebekka Adler

[Symphonic Addict]

You know how to hurt a guy!

But if you play it in the original version, I think it will surely sound better on the clarinet. 

[Symphonic Addict]

I always thought the Mordkovitch/Järvi team-ups were very good, their Prokofiev and Shostakovitch in particular.

Yes, in fact, Järvi on Prokofiev has been pretty consistent in general.

[Mirror Image]

But if you play it in the original version, I think it will surely sound better on the clarinet. 

Hah! FWIW, I think the original version is better. Just sayin'. This is how Weinberg wrote it and I love the writing he did for the clarinet.

[Mirror Image]

Yes, in fact, Järvi on Prokofiev has been pretty consistent in general.

+1 I love Järvi's Prokofiev. It's too bad he never recorded any of the complete ballets.

[Symphonic Addict]

Quartets 1 and 2 (disc1) of this 2 disc set of the 4 SQ.

If my collection was filed alphabetically, Juon would be between Joubert and Kabalelevsky. But since I file composers by country/region, this becomes a problem. Pavel Fédorovich Juon was born in 1872 in Russia from parents born from Swiss immigrants. He went to school at the German Academy in Moscow, studied composition at the Moscow Conservatory under Taneyev and Arensky, married a Russian, after which he and his wife moved to Berlin (1898). He taught at the Musikhochschule where his students numbered Skalkottas, Vladigerov, Jarnach, Stepan Wolpe. Most of his industrious career took place in Germany, where he was highly regarded. After his retirement he moved to Switzerland (his second wife was Swiss), where he was able to devote himself to composing. He died in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1940. During his life he held all three nationalities. 

Juon has been called 'the russian Brahms' by the Russians, the Germans also claiming him (I have a disc of 'german music composed in Berlin in the 1930s' where he features) and here he is with his 4 quartets edited by the label Musiques suisses. Apparently he never used swiss folklore in his music (entirely tonal), but russian folk tunes and musical idiom is all over the place in these quartets (the booklet notes readily acknowledge as much). A rather special case, although not unique of course. On top of the russian-germanic influences, that of Dvorak may also be felt in the way the themes are freely exchanged between the instruments, going from soloistic to fully orchestral textures. The themes are closer to Tchaikovsky than Brahms, their development extremely sophisticated and thorough, with strong folk influences in the rythms of the fast movements. These works are a real find.

I still haven't decided where to place Juon in my filing system  .

I did know you would enjoy these rewarding quartets. Those works have impressed me more than other pieces of his. There are also other orchestral works worth considering.

[Symphonic Addict]

Hah! FWIW, I think the original version is better. Just sayin'. This is how Weinberg wrote it and I love the writing he did for the clarinet.

I do enjoy the clarinet version as well, but that recording that guy posted the other day is really good.

[Karl Henning]

But if you play it in the original version, I think it will surely sound better on the clarinet. 

(* chortle *)