What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

First listen to some recently ordered CDs that landed today (all the works appearing on these discs are new to me):


I have very little Kodály in my collection, and found these two pieces (the Psalmus Hungaricus and the Peacock Variations) very impressive in their brilliance and overall effect. Really enjoyable!


Dipping into the 3 CPO  sets (15 CDs in total) of Hindemith's complete orchestral works with CD 1 of the third box. Listening to the interesting Clarinet Concerto as I write. TBH, Hindemith has a strange effect on me: not a composer that I rank among my favourites, but I usually enjoy his music (particularly from the later part of his career). It's music that seems not too inspired to me, has a certain "black and white" sound, and appears dated to my ears. But despite (or because of?) this, and because it's so well constructed, it does exert a certain fascination. Strange, isn't it?

Interesting, Rafael!

[foxandpeng]

Vaughan Williams
Various
Manze

I have actually very much enjoyed these Manze recordings of RVW, and although other sets get played more frequently, these are growing on me.

Beautiful music to close out the evening.

[Karl Henning]

Prokofiev
Divertissement, Op. 43
The jet-setting Estonian

[Karl Henning]

Since it's there, in my digital music library, and out of curiosity:

"Wolferl"
Symphony № 1 in E^b, K.16
Mozart Akademie Amsterdam
Jaap ter Linden

Great work for an eight-year-old, sure.

[Karl Henning]

Mendelssohn
String Symphony № 7 in d minor
Amsterdam Sinfonietta

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Hello folks, I'm listening tonight to Sigismondo D'India, The effort made on Ricercare  is prodigious,dear mod / op QUE if you did not heard it I strongly recommended it, have it in mp3 will buy the double CD album eventually it's that good, on the plus side I got The fives Centuries ensemble on ITALIANO wich is quite something ,this 1978 release, thick heavy duty, petrol holy grail. This one of my favorite LP.

Than the concerto vocale album is good have the re-issue in CD of this, I am a big fan of Sigismondo D'India you see!

[Brahmsian]

Mendelssohn
String Symphony № 7 in d minor
Amsterdam Sinfonietta

I am about to start my full traversal of the Mendelssohn string symphonies any day now.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Shostakovich
Symphony No. 13 in B-flat minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar"
Marius Rintzler (bass)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Gentlemen from the Choir of the Concertgebouw Orchestra
Haitink



Exhilarating! What a performance!

[Symphonic Addict]

+ 1! (although I don't have that recording)

Well, the recording and performance are splendid. No complaints from me.

[JBS]

Since it's there, in my digital music library, and out of curiosity:

"Wolferl"
Symphony № 1 in E^b, K.16
Mozart Akademie Amsterdam
Jaap ter Linden

Great work for an eight-year-old, sure.

That cycle of Mozart symphonies (on Brilliant) is an excellent one.

TD


The three sonatas:
Number 1 played by Fred Oldenburg
Numbers 2 and 3 played by Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy

[Karl Henning]

That cycle of Mozart symphonies (on Brilliant) is an excellent one.

That it is.

Now:

"Wolferl"
Symphony № 38 in D « Prague » K. 504
Philharmonia Hungarica
Maag

[JBS]

First listen to this (recorded at Tanglewood in August 2020)
Emmanuel Ax has turned into my uncle Al's identical twin.

CD 1--Opus 5 Numbers 1 and 2
This is digipaked as a 3 CD set. Sonatas 3-5 are on CD 2, the three sets of variations are on the rather short CD 3.

Now with CD2
Opus 69 in A Major
Opus 102 #1 in C Major
Opus 102 #2 in D Major

[kyjo]

Alfano: Symphonies nos. 1 and 2



Wow, I really enjoyed these two immensely colorful works! While they might not be completely structurally convincing, Alfano more than makes up for it with truly bejeweled orchestration (including lots of piano, harp, and celeste) and some emotional depth in the slow movements especially. I thought the 2nd Symphony was especially impressive, with its brilliantly joyous, life-affirming finale.


Georg Schumann: Symphony in F minor, Overture to a Drama, and Lebensfreude



Georg Schumann (no relative to Robert) doesn't get much mention even here on GMG, but he composed some really accomplished music. The Symphony in F minor (his second, I believe) is a dramatic work which boasts a gorgeous, rather Brucknerian slow movement and an agitated Scherzo that resembles what Brahms might have written had he composed a symphonic scherzo in the manner of, say, that of his Piano Quintet (I wish he had)! The two overtures are rather less distinctive, heavily inspired by Wagner and R. Strauss respectively, but still enjoyable at that.


Kalliwoda: Symphony no. 7



I seem to recall Cesar saying he was unimpressed with Kalliwoda's symphonies - well, either he had only listened to some of the earlier ones or we'll have to disagree! I found this symphony to be riveting, imaginative work, unlike the Mendelssohn-and-water concoctions other composers of the time were composing. Of particular note is the regal slow movement, which sounds quite unlike any other "slow movement" I've ever heard. I can't recommend this splendid disc highly enough, as the 5th Symphony and Overture no. 16 (!) are also wonderful, as are the vigorous performances they receive. A special shoutout to the timpanist of Das Neue Orchester - he plays the hell out of Kalliwoda's active timpani parts! (Like Cesar, I was also highly impressed by Kalliwoda's SQs.)


Florence Price and Amy Beach: Piano Quintets



I had never been particularly impressed by Florence Price's music before, but I think that may be because most recordings of her music I've heard are not particularly satisfying from a performance perspective (e.g. the Naxos disc of two of her symphonies). This fabulous new Chandos release breaks that pattern, revealing her Piano Quintet to be a gorgeous work full of lyricism and infectious character (especially in the Juba dance third movement). Unusually, the work ends with a brief "scherzo", but it's quite compelling in its mad dash to the finish. The Beach quintet has received a fair number of recordings, and its highlight is undoubtedly its sublime slow movement. This time around, I wasn't particularly convinced by the outer movements of the work, though. I hope to hear more recordings from the "Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective" in the future! (BTW, this album also includes Barber's Dover Beach; he did not write a piano quintet, unfortunately.)


Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto



I thought the first movement lacked personality and distinction; fortunately, matters improve after that with a lovely slow movement featuring a prominent cello solo (which no doubt inspired the analogous movement of Brahms' PC no. 2) and a characterful finale with some harmonic twists and turns.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Respighi
Concerto gregoriano
Lydia Mordkovitch, violin
BBC Phil.
Downes

[vandermolen]

NP:

Respighi
Concerto gregoriano
Lydia Mordkovitch, violin
BBC Phil.
Downes

Great disc - all three works.

[vandermolen]

Alfano: Symphonies nos. 1 and 2



Wow, I really enjoyed these two immensely colorful works! While they might not be completely structurally convincing, Alfano more than makes up for it with truly bejeweled orchestration (including lots of piano, harp, and celeste) and some emotional depth in the slow movements especially. I thought the 2nd Symphony was especially impressive, with its brilliantly joyous, life-affirming finale.


Georg Schumann: Symphony in F minor, Overture to a Drama, and Lebensfreude



Georg Schumann (no relative to Robert) doesn't get much mention even here on GMG, but he composed some really accomplished music. The Symphony in F minor (his second, I believe) is a dramatic work which boasts a gorgeous, rather Brucknerian slow movement and an agitated Scherzo that resembles what Brahms might have written had he composed a symphonic scherzo in the manner of, say, that of his Piano Quintet (I wish he had)! The two overtures are rather less distinctive, heavily inspired by Wagner and R. Strauss respectively, but still enjoyable at that.


Kalliwoda: Symphony no. 7



I seem to recall Cesar saying he was unimpressed with Kalliwoda's symphonies - well, either he had only listened to some of the earlier ones or we'll have to disagree! I found this symphony to be riveting, imaginative work, unlike the Mendelssohn-and-water concoctions other composers of the time were composing. Of particular note is the regal slow movement, which sounds quite unlike any other "slow movement" I've ever heard. I can't recommend this splendid disc highly enough, as the 5th Symphony and Overture no. 16 (!) are also wonderful, as are the vigorous performances they receive. A special shoutout to the timpanist of Das Neue Orchester - he plays the hell out of Kalliwoda's active timpani parts! (Like Cesar, I was also highly impressed by Kalliwoda's SQs.)


Florence Price and Amy Beach: Piano Quintets



I had never been particularly impressed by Florence Price's music before, but I think that may be because most recordings of her music I've heard are not particularly satisfying from a performance perspective (e.g. the Naxos disc of two of her symphonies). This fabulous new Chandos release breaks that pattern, revealing her Piano Quintet to be a gorgeous work full of lyricism and infectious character (especially in the Juba dance third movement). Unusually, the work ends with a brief "scherzo", but it's quite compelling in its mad dash to the finish. The Beach quintet has received a fair number of recordings, and its highlight is undoubtedly its sublime slow movement. This time around, I wasn't particularly convinced by the outer movements of the work, though. I hope to hear more recordings from the "Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective" in the future! (BTW, this album also includes Barber's Dover Beach; he did not write a piano quintet, unfortunately.)


Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto



I thought the first movement lacked personality and distinction; fortunately, matters improve after that with a lovely slow movement featuring a prominent cello solo (which no doubt inspired the analogous movement of Brahms' PC no. 2) and a characterful finale with some harmonic twists and turns.

I like the Alfano symphonies as well.

[Mirror Image]

Great disc - all three works.

Indeed, Jeffrey. I love this entire Respighi series on Chandos.

[MusicTurner]

Rawsthorne - Violin Concertos etc. /Hirsch /naxos

Excellent. Was struck by a somehow very Myaskovskyan tone in the violin concertos, don't know if others would agree.

[Mirror Image]

One more work before bed:

Dvořák
Liebeslieder, Op. 83, B 160
Magdalena Kožená, mezzo-soprano
Graham Johnson, piano

[Que]

As it turns out, no recordings of the Ensemble Jachet de Mantoue on Spotify....
But this was available:



https://earlymusicreview.com/tallis-gentleman-of-the-chapel-royal/

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/tallis-gentleman-of-the-chapel-royal

A performance by an all male choir, two voices per part, is promising.
But I'm not wowed, mainly by weaknesses in technical execution and lack of inspiration.