What are you listening 2 now?

[Mirror Image]

You didn't ask me, but I really enjoy Muti:

Very cool, Karl. I think I have an older iteration of Muti's set somewhere. I'll have to dig it out. I've read nothing but positive things about Muti's Tchaikovsky cycle.

[SonicMan46]

Well, a small package from BRO arrived today - first up:

Vivaldi, Antonio - Violin Sonatas (Manchester Manuscript) w/ Biondi and Pals (see quote) - basically, these are violin chamber music.  The name is misleading (see attachment w/ more of this history); Vivaldi assembled and presented these 12 sonatas to Cardinal Ottoboni in Rome - upon his death, taxes were owed and his musical collection sold off - these sonatas ended up in the Central Library of Manchester, just a fortuitous twist of faith.  Their RV numbers are interesting (RV3,6,12,17a,22,754,755,756,757,758,759,760), i.e. a group < 23 and then 754-760!  At any rate, delightful chamber music which is completely new to my large collection of Vivaldi's RV numbers!  Dave

Fabio Biondi (violin P.A. Testore, Milan 1750), Rinaldo Alessandrini (Italian style harpsichord Alain Anselm, organ Jean-François Muno, 18th-century Neapolitan tradition, 1989), Maurizio Naddeo (Italian anonymous cello, Milanese school, late 18th century), Paolo Pandolfo (Italian anonymous double bass, late 18th century) & Rolf Lislevand (theorbo Lourdes Uncilla Moreno, 1989, after an early 17th-century Italian instrument, baroque guitar Lourdes Uncilla Moreno, after an early 17th -century Italian instrument) (Source)

 

[Roasted Swan]

Very cool, Karl. I think I have an older iteration of Muti's set somewhere. I'll have to dig it out. I've read nothing but positive things about Muti's Tchaikovsky cycle.

pretty much all the recordings Muti made early on in his association with the Philharmonia (New Philharmonia initially) are very good - I'm thinking his Schumann cycle, the Carmina Burana, numerous Verdi operas as well as this Tchaikovsky.  From memory - they were late anaolgue recordings (the Manfred was one of EMI's first DDD recordings I think) made at the Kingsway Hall and they still sound very fine as technical recordings and full of fire and brimstone in a way the older Muti lacked/lost

[Traverso]

Sibelius

Violin Concerto

Orchestra National de la RTF
Zubin Mehta
Filmed at the ORTF,Paris,26 May 1965

[André]

Moving apace with the Abbado set of Schubert's symphonies:



No 3: very well done, with an ideal tempo in the allegretto (second movement). The important wind solos in the trios of the middle movements are very shapely but sound a bit too manicured (the players) and rythmically even (the conductor). A more rustic tone and a feel for dance inflexions is missing. The best I've heard in this symphony are from an obscure provincial east-german band (from Dessau) and the Czech Phil (Neumann). Still, a smart account.

No 4. Curiously, the Allegro vivace marking of the first movement is galumphing and a tad obese. The same tempo marking in the first 2 symphonies produced an almost breathless result. The big buildup to the end of IV is impressive but I've heard even better. Good, but no cigar. Giulini (in Chicago or Munich) is my benchmark for giving real meaning to the work's title ('Tragic').


No 5: probably the most often recorded of the lot after the Unfinished. Abbado's bracing account works remarkably well in the first, third and last movements. The Andante con moto second movement lacks a bit of swaying (excellent basic tempo but inflexibly enforced from first note to last). One of the best accounts of the work I've heard.

No 6: Abbado embraces the work firmly with excellent results. It is prone to sound aimless without a strong guiding hand at the helm. The orchestra is excellent - again. I've never cared much for this symphony, finding its thematic material slightly banal. There's only so much the composer could do with his own lesser inspirations.


No 8: exposition repeat in I taken. Good idea in view of Abbado's no-nonsense, muscular approach to that movement. His is a very classical view, very different from Walter and Giulini, closer to Böhm/BP. In his later account with the WP, Böhm would take a more somber, tragic and elegiac view (my favourite version). For those who want a classical, 'straight' Unfinished Abbado and the COE offer a superb performance.

Grand Duo (D.812, orchestrated by Joachim). It exists, so it's there. However I find this work mostly boring, with truly unmemorable material. Schubert's development method relies heavily on repetition and when it's applied to banal stuff as in I and II the result is very disappointing. The scherzo is by far the most characterful movement here, not just bold and assertive but vehement as well. Schumann thought this 2-piano work had symphonic potential, hence his prodding Joachim for an arrangement. It should have been left as is.

Throughout the set the engineering is spectacularly good (hailing from 3 different locations). I'll tackle the 9th sometime this week.

[Que]

Que - found on Spotify and now listening - quite good!  Will explore what else this group has done. Dave 

I knew it would be your style... 

[Mirror Image]

pretty much all the recordings Muti made early on in his association with the Philharmonia (New Philharmonia initially) are very good - I'm thinking his Schumann cycle, the Carmina Burana, numerous Verdi operas as well as this Tchaikovsky.  From memory - they were late anaolgue recordings (the Manfred was one of EMI's first DDD recordings I think) made at the Kingsway Hall and they still sound very fine as technical recordings and full of fire and brimstone in a way the older Muti lacked/lost

Interesting, RS. Thanks for the feedback, but I have decided on two cycles to rip to my computer: Jurowski and Svetlanov (Live in Tokyo). I'll also be ripping that Masterworks Edition on DG, so whatever is in this set as well (which I believe Mravinsky is in Symphonies Nos. 4-6). After this, I think I'll be good on Tchaikovsky.

[Que]

Well, a small package from BRO arrived today - first up:

Vivaldi, Antonio - Violin Sonatas (Manchester Manuscript) w/ Biondi and Pals (see quote) - basically, these are violin chamber music.  The name is misleading (see attachment w/ more of this history); Vivaldi assembled and presented these 12 sonatas to Cardinal Ottoboni in Rome - upon his death, taxes were owed and his musical collection sold off - these sonatas ended up in the Central Library of Manchester, just a fortuitous twist of faith.  Their RV numbers are interesting (RV3,6,12,17a,22,754,755,756,757,758,759,760), i.e. a group < 23 and then 754-760!  At any rate, delightful chamber music which is completely new to my large collection of Vivaldi's RV numbers!  Dave

A favourite of mine! 

[Symphonic Addict]

The Markevich set is nice, Cesar!

This was the first cycle I got and I still love it.

[Brian]

Interesting, RS. Thanks for the feedback, but I have decided on two cycles to rip to my computer: Jurowski and Svetlanov (Live in Tokyo). I'll also be ripping that Masterworks Edition on DG, so whatever is in this set as well (which I believe Mravinsky is in Symphonies Nos. 4-6). After this, I think I'll be good on Tchaikovsky.

I'm an enthusiastic endorser of Jurowski's Tchaikovsky. I was at the live recording of 5.

-

Beethoven and Brahms concertos - Gil Shaham with a chamber group called The Knights

[Symphonic Addict]

The Sea Hawk

I'm in awe with this amazingly inspiring, colourful, heroic, vibrant, lovely film score! This is music of enormous inspiration, and those melodies!! This performance and recording are just incredible. Korngold was born to write majestic music like this. Phenomenal work.

[Mirror Image]

I'm an enthusiastic endorser of Jurowski's Tchaikovsky. I was at the live recording of 5.

Sweet!

[VonStupp]

George Frederick McKay
From a Moonlit Ceremony
Harbor Narrative
Evocation Symphony 'Symphony for Seattle'
NSO of Ukraine - John McLaughlin Williams

Another wonderful release! from the American Classics series. It's too bad we don't have more from John McLaughlin Williams and the Ukraine, because after listening to a few of their collaborations, they obviously had a strong affinity working together.

McKay's music, inspired by the Pacific Northwest in the US, is great too. Some Native American folk-based tunes, very panoramic, open harmonies, some jazzy, Gershwin-esque sounds, and a lot of atmospheric wind work. I am not sure why I didn't move on to the other Naxos entries into George McKay, including one by these same performers, but I will need to remedy that. Good stuff!

[Stürmisch Bewegt]

The Sea Hawk

I'm in awe with this amazingly inspiring, colourful, heroic, vibrant, lovely film score! This is music of enormous inspiration, and those melodies!! This performance and recording are just incredible. Korngold was born to write majestic music like this. Phenomenal work.

+1

[Stürmisch Bewegt]

I must have six or seven different recordings of Schubert's Octet; for some reason I'm like Goldilocks continuingly searching for just the right one.  Trying this, this aft, along with another recording (and work) new to mine ears.

[SonicMan46]

And several more BRO bargains from my recent small order of a half dozen items:

Boccherini, Luigi - Cello Sonata Solo e Basso V.II w/ Michal Kanka (Cello), Jaroslav Tuma (harpsichord), & Petr Hejny (cello) - I own different versions of these somewhat confusing 'Cello Sonatas Solo) - there is a dominant cello with 'et basse continue', the latter may be one or two other instruments, usually a cello, plus a bass, or a plucked string instrument (like a theorbo), or a keyboard, such as a harpsichord, as is used in this recording; using the Yves Gérard catalogue (Source), there are 29 works - the six on this disc are G.2b,4,5,13,15,18; on their V.I are Nos.3,6,8,9,14,16,17.

Boccherini, Luigi - String Quintets w/ two cellos; Ensemble Explorations + Roel Dieltiens - works on disc are G.287, 318, & 347; in the same link above, the G. catalogue shows 113 String Quintets w/ two cellos - one duplication in my collection from this recording, but I own just three dozen or so of these works -      Dave

 

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Suk
Summer Moods, Op. 22b
Pavel Štěpán

From this set -

[vandermolen]

Before bedtime and in tribute to Switzerland for their memorable (and well-deserved) victory against France in the Euros tonight:
Arthur Honegger - Symphony No.4 'The Delights of Basel'. This is my favourite recording of this charming, magical and under-appreciated work:

[Brahmsian]

Before bedtime and in tribute to Switzerland for their memorable (and well-deserved) victory against France in the Euros tonight:

I'm almost in tears 😭. France should have closed it out, but high credit to the Swiss.

Besides France, the other team I cheer for is Spain 🇪🇸, and they went through in another thrilling match.

[Karl Henning]

George Frederick McKay
From a Moonlit Ceremony
Harbor Narrative
Evocation Symphony 'Symphony for Seattle'
NSO of Ukraine - John McLaughlin Williams

Another wonderful release! from the American Classics series. It's too bad we don't have more from John McLaughlin Williams and the Ukraine, because after listening to a few of their collaborations, they obviously had a strong affinity working together.

McKay's music, inspired by the Pacific Northwest in the US, is great too. Some Native American folk-based tunes, very panoramic, open harmonies, some jazzy, Gershwin-esque sounds, and a lot of atmospheric wind work. I am not sure why I didn't move on to the other Naxos entries into George McKay, including one by these same performers, but I will need to remedy that. Good stuff!

Yes!

TD

Maiden-Listen Monday!

Taneyev
Trio in D for vn, va & vc (1880)
Trio in D for 2 vn & va, Op. 21
Members of the Taneyev Quartet