What are you listening 2 now?

[André]

César Franck
Les Béatitudes, op. 25

Jessye Norman, Brigitte Fassbaender
René Kollo, Dietrich Fischer‐Dieskau

Bavarian Radio Orch. & Choir - Rafael Kubelík (rec. 1974)

I don't know if anyone has ever said this, but I have been spending time with French oratorios lately.

Franck's The Beatitudes is overlong at 2 hours, but at least it is well varied structurally, with some quality dramatic points.

Mostly an operatic choral work, the required eight soloists ensure the obscurity of this music. The continuity of the returning music for DFD is sublime, and the chromatic bass motifs in the final three Beatitudes are really something. Hardly a masterpiece not to be missed, I was glad it was not two-hours of delicate contemplation, but instead there is some fine choral writing and orchestral banter from Franck.

The outer few Beatitudes of the 8 are perhaps the best, and at an overall timing 10 minutes faster than Helmuth Rilling, Kubelík does his best to inject this rarity with some juice (the timpani in #3!).

The star-studded stable of soloists (there are four more I didn't list) are pretty good, with Jessye Norman, Fassbender, and particularly Fischer-Dieskau, giving it their best.

Great ! I have the Rilling version and despite some excellent singing from the chorus and fine orchestral playing I found it a bit lacking in backbone. Following your post I've ordered that Kubelik set. 

[Mirror Image]

Revisiting this SQ yet again:

Dvořák
String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106, B. 192
Pavel Haas Quartet

[JBS]

Excellent!

For myself, high time I waded into this box:

CD 1
Le sacre du printemps
NY Phil
the composer conducting
Carnegie Hall 4 Apr 40

Since you have it out....does that box have the recordings he made in the 1930s in Paris (mostly--the English language version of Les Noces being of course recorded in England)?

TD
One you will recognize

[Madiel]

Mendelssohn Songs without Words, Book 6 (Eschenbach)

[Mirror Image]

Szymanowski: String Quartet No.1 & Violin Concerto No.2.



The single-minded intensity of Szymanowski can be at times unsettling. His sound-world is not for the faint-hearted but one hell of a ride. SA is 100% correct with his comment recently on another thread that the 1st Quartet is a masterpiece - it is.

Sweet!

I really ought to explore Szymanowski further. I only know Symphony No. 3, the Stabat Mater, a couple of other orchestral works (the Boulez disc, of course), and King Roger (which I've also seen fully staged here in Madrid). The SQs sound very enticing....

Yes, you should, Rafael! The solo piano works are also top-drawer. I'm still wrapping my head around the songs, but I think a lot of it is the recordings I have, which I bought complete on Channel Classics. I should look into getting those Dux recordings of the songs.

[Que]

Morning listening:



First impression: marvellous! 

https://earlymusicreview.com/byrd-1588/

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/byrd-1588-a-compelling-insight-into-an-extraordinary-moment-in-english-history

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2021/Apr/Byrd-1588-INV1006.htm

[Madiel]

Sweet!

Yes, you should, Rafael! The solo piano works are also top-drawer. I'm still wrapping my head around the songs, but I think a lot of it is the recordings I have, which I bought complete on Channel Classics. I should look into getting those Dux recordings of the songs.

Personal opinion from what I've sampled, the Dux ones aren't necessarily better...

The most appealing Szymanowski song recording I've encountered so far is this one:



But I do suspect it could be the works as much as the recordings. Maybe Szymanowski is a bit much for a mere human voice and piano.

[Irons]

Sweet!

Yes, you should, Rafael! The solo piano works are also top-drawer. I'm still wrapping my head around the songs, but I think a lot of it is the recordings I have, which I bought complete on Channel Classics. I should look into getting those Dux recordings of the songs.

Personal opinion from what I've sampled, the Dux ones aren't necessarily better...

The most appealing Szymanowski song recording I've encountered so far is this one:



But I do suspect it could be the works as much as the recordings. Maybe Szymanowski is a bit much for a mere human voice and piano.

Szymanowski is one serious composer and admit finding him daunting at times in the past. I have not heard his piano works although I imagine them to be excellent. I think the songs would be a step to far for me and Madiel makes a good point. Works for orchestra and violin, "Mythes" is a favourite, I do have on my shelves.

[Madiel]

Do check out the piano works, I think they're very good. Sinae Lee is the pianist I've sampled the most though there are plenty of others.

If you like "Mythes" then perhaps try the piano works from the same period and with a similar idea - "Metopes" and "Masques".

[Harry]

Jean Fery Rebel.
Apotheose de la Danse Baroque.

La Terpsichore
La Caracteres de la Danse.
Les Plaisirs Champetres.
Fantasie.

Georg Philipp Telemann.
Overture Suite in G major, "La Bizarre".
Overture suite in B major, Tafelmusik Part III, No. 1.

Les Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall
SACD recording.

[vandermolen]

Randall Thompson: Symphony No.2
An engaging symphony, although I find the second movement a bit corny - like a western film soundtrack:

[Florestan]

Very good works, imaginative and colorful, with unexpected twists and turns and a quirky formal innovation: instead of the Minuetto-Trio, we get a Quintetto-Minore, that is two jocular wind quintets framing a string-only Sturm-und-Drang-ish minor key section. Quite interesting and effective.

Brunetti was an Italian who went to Spain and spent all his life there, in quite a similar position as Haydn's at Eszterhaza: working under a secure contract and free to experiment his ideas --- and it shows.

If you want to explore high quality off-the-beaten-track Classical music, then this disc is for you. Highly recommended.

[Roasted Swan]

I'm glad that the old EMI "Icon" boxes have made the transition to Warner.....  There are a lot of very good classic performances hidden away in those fairly underwhelming packages.  I like the Fremaux and Handley sets a lot but I think my favourite is the Berglund set;



Wisely the compilers of this set avoided adding either of the complete Sibelius cycles Berglund did for EMI.  The Helsinki Kullervo is included - I prefer his original in Bournemouth but that's a small price to pay.  These are still easily/cheaply available and well-worth bolting onto this both.  Of the rest Berglund's RVW is really excellent - dark and foreboding - just spoiled at the end of No.6 with an epilogue where the engineers decided to turn all the volume levels up!  All of Berglund's Shostakovich in Bournemouth was excellent too.  His Franck Symphony is quite craggy which I like.  The Scandanavian "pops" are just that.  The Dresden Ma Vlast is good but not definitive or revelatory.  All in all 13 discs that are never less than good and mainly a lot better than that for under £30.00.  A valuable collection to remember a fine conductor and musician.

[vandermolen]

Toru Takemitsu's Nami no Bon 
Tadaaki Otaka, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra

Very romantic. Rather conventional. Extremely lovely.

I remember liking that CD - must have another listen.

[vandermolen]

I'm glad that the old EMI "Icon" boxes have made the transition to Warner.....  There are a lot of very good classic performances hidden away in those fairly underwhelming packages.  I like the Fremaux and Handley sets a lot but I think my favourite is the Berglund set;



Wisely the compilers of this set avoided adding either of the complete Sibelius cycles Berglund did for EMI.  The Helsinki Kullervo is included - I prefer his original in Bournemouth but that's a small price to pay.  These are still easily/cheaply available and well-worth bolting onto this both.  Of the rest Berglund's RVW is really excellent - dark and foreboding - just spoiled at the end of No.6 with an epilogue where the engineers decided to turn all the volume levels up!  All of Berglund's Shostakovich in Bournemouth was excellent too.  His Franck Symphony is quite craggy which I like.  The Scandanavian "pops" are just that.  The Dresden Ma Vlast is good but not definitive or revelatory.  All in all 13 discs that are never less than good and mainly a lot better than that for under £30.00.  A valuable collection to remember a fine conductor and musician.

Mine too RS - especially for the appearance of Berglund's Bournemouth recording of Nielsen's 5th Symphony on CD plus those Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams and Bliss recordings. His recording of VW's Symphony No.4 was the No.1 choice on BBC Record Review some years ago and No.6 is one of the comparatively few successful recordings of that enigmatic work. The Shostakovich Symphony No.11 was a great LP discovery for me - in a shiny double LP set which got stolen out of my car (at least the thief had good taste).

[Harry]

Sergei Bortkiewicz.

Violin concerto in D minor.
Symphonic Poem after Shakespeare's "Othello", opus 19.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Martin Yates.
Sergei Levitin, Violin.

A valuable addition to my collection.

[Madiel]

Grieg, Cello Sonata



My spreadsheet claims it's slightly over 10 years since I last listened to this. 

[vers la flamme]

Henry Purcell: Dido & Æneas. William Christie, Les Arts Florissants

[Madiel]

Holmboe, string quartet no.17 "Mattinata".

Foxandpeng made me do it.

[Traverso]

Bach

Sonaten Für Traverso  BWV 1030-1036 & 1032