What are you listening 2 now?

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Rachmaninov
Trio elegiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9
Gidon Kremer, Daniil Trifonov, Giedré Dirvanauskaité



A superlative performance. This may be my favorite recording of this work. I think it's much more dynamic than my previously favored Borodin Trio performance on Chandos. Both performances make for nice interpretive contrasts.

[Papy Oli]

Completing the set of Bach Trios sonatas by Koopman (No.4,5,6).

Loving those.

[Karl Henning]

Byrd
Mass for Five Voices
The Tallis Scholars

[Karl Henning]

Myaskovsky
Opus 33 String Quartets (i.e. "old style")
# 1 in a minor (1929-30)
# 2 in c minor (1930)
# 3 in d minor (1911-26)
Taneyev Quartet

So, # 3 was the first for him to set to writing, and # 1 the first to be completed. Interesting. All three are very good.

The work certainly paid off, the third quartet is exquisite: had to revisit the second mvt immediately:

https://www.youtube.com/v/z2oDU8lqOYQ

[VonStupp]

Camille Saint‐Saëns
Requiem, op. 54
10 Partsongs for mixed, women's, and men's chorus

Swiss Radio Chorus of Lugano
Swiss-Italian Orchestra - Diego Fasolis

Of course, Saint‐Saëns' Requiem is beautiful, although the ending Agnus Dei tune could slide right into an opera chorus.

The 40-minutes of mostly a cappella partsongs are most interesting to me. Some seem as forward sounding as Ravel and Debussy, while others are mere boisterous patriotism, and others still in a more conservative style that I associate SS's choral music. A good variety, though.

I also don't think I have heard Fasolis lead anything that wasn't Renaissance, Baroque, or Classical Era, although as always, this chorus is excellent. Fasolis uses another tenor soloist here whose timbre is not to my liking, the second for today. Must be his personal preference or a regional style.

[MusicTurner]

Back from a few days on the Stevns peninsula, now focusing a bit on Valen's piano works.

Riefling is a more expressive pianist here, than I remember him to be from the earlier LP years (this one originally came on LP too, but somewhat later in his career).

Btw, Valen is said to have written 20-30.000 piano etudes; none have been recorded. They might just be mechanical exercises (I don't know), but one would think that just a small selection would be of interest for people who like the major, Norwegian composers, also if presenting some other piano works by Valen or his contemporaries.

[Karl Henning]

On the pastoral side:

https://www.youtube.com/v/Pnz_jmDhAW8

[SonicMan46]

Farrenc's Nonet - the Nonet that I owned was w/ Dieter Klöcker and the Consortium Classicum and was purchased as a MP3 download  (DL) years ago; well, yesterday numerous glitches were present on listening, so I searched for a 'new' recording and decided to buy the Ambache Chamber Ensemble as a WAV DL from Qobuz for $10 USD; burned to a CD-R and playing beautifully this morning on my den speakers - its contents are shown below; single reviews of each are attached for those interested - now, there are some other 'Nonets' available but the other pieces included may not please or be desired?  Dave

   

[Brian]

On the pastoral side:

You mind-reader, you! I was just getting ready to stream the Naxos album of Piston quartets 1, 3, 5, and noticed that the album only totaled 49 minutes. I thought "Why didn't they include 2 and 4? How long are they?" Well, there was plenty of room on that disc to include 4...but hey, you got me the connection with that YouTube video.

[Symphonic Addict]

You know what, despite being a huge admirer of Andreae, I don't think I've ever listened to his SQs nos. 1 and 2. Time to rectify that! What do you think of his two symphonies and two piano trios (which I love dearly)?

Yes, you should!

Both symphonies are splendid, expertly written, so I love them. The piano trios are good, but I have to say I prefer the string quartets to them, above all the 1st one. That's something else. The 2nd SQ is also fantastic, if a bit more restrained.

[Karl Henning]

You mind-reader, you! I was just getting ready to stream the Naxos album of Piston quartets 1, 3, 5, and noticed that the album only totaled 49 minutes. I thought "Why didn't they include 2 and 4? How long are they?" Well, there was plenty of room on that disc to include 4...but hey, you got me the connection with that YouTube video.

Trippy.

[SonicMan46]

Farrenc, Louise - Piano Works w/ Joanne Polk (from 2019) and Konstanze Eickhorst (2002); I do not own the third recording shown which includes mainly 'variations' (assume similar to transcriptions); of the two in my collections, there is some overlap w/ the Air russe varié, Op. 17 and the Etudes, Op. 26 - I'd probably recommend the Polk if just one is desired (see Dubins comments) - reviews of all attached.  Dave

   

   

[Karl Henning]

Why-Not? Wednesday

https://www.youtube.com/v/IPzg1UakAJk

[Harry]

Yes, you should!

Both symphonies are splendid, expertly written, so I love them. The piano trios are good, but I have to say I prefer the string quartets to them, above all the 1st one. That's something else. The 2nd SQ is also fantastic, if a bit more restrained.

Would wish that the sonics were better, what I heard so far was disappointing.

[prémont]

Completing the set of Bach Trios sonatas by Koopman (No.4,5,6).

Loving those.

Yes, I was about to recommend you these (as well as the 6 CD Novalis set), when I noticed you had purchased them already.

[Karl Henning]

https://www.youtube.com/v/q9nn3ofeTQ4

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Dvořák
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello
The Prague Philharmonia
Bělohlávek

[VonStupp]

Ludwig van Beethoven
PS 14 in c minor "Moonlight", op. 27 No. 2
PS 23 in f minor "Appassionata", op. 57
PS 21 in C Major "Waldstein", op. 53

Daniel Barenboim (rec. 1981 & 83)

This CD must have been slipped into my box at a rummage sale, because I have only bought complete cycles of Beethoven's sonatas. In any case I thought I would give it a listen regardless. From Barenboim's 2nd Beethoven sonata cycle and for those who enjoy a deliberately-paced Waldstein.

By the looks of the cover, Beethoven possibly signed this recording in absence of Barenboim, who looks none too happy about it.

[Papy Oli]

Yes, I was about to recommend you these (as well as the 6 CD Novalis set), when I noticed you had purchased them already.

Hi Poul,
That sonatas CD is just wonderful. The Novalis was just a blind purchase based on the feedback found in the Bach Organ thread, at a very silly low price, I had to grab it. I'll start it tomorrow, I'll see how it goes.

[Irons]

Moeran: Prelude for Cello and Piano & Stalham River.



Inspired to listen these two pieces by recent discussion on the Moeran thread. The Prelude played by the dedicatee, Peers Coetmore, Moeran's wife. The work is a pure and simple love song with an Irish accent. Listening I was struck by two points, whatever the trials and tribulations of the short-lived marriage, Moeran loved the woman and how on earth was Coetmore with the underlying emotion able to play this and the middle movement of the Cello Concerto by her late husband?

Stalham River, a work for piano is much more ambitious in scope. After a conventional opening Moeran appears to get more inspired as the work progresses. The twist and turns (ebb and flow of the river?) of the middle section are quite thrilling. Staltham River is unique in the piano pieces I have heard by him.