What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

Starting a traversal of Pettersson's symphonies and I'll be starting with the 6th:

Brave man!

[Mirror Image]

Brave man!

[Karl Henning]

Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.97 in C major. Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Revisiting this recording, inspired by seeing the Harnoncourt thread on the first page. This is a damn fine recording. Harnoncourt really brings out the dramatic intensity of this music. Razor sharp. Couldn't be more different from another recording I have with the same orchestra, under Colin Davis.

Yes, the contrast is itself dramatic!

[Karl Henning]

Without wishing to provoke my Pettersson-admiring friends, he's one of those few composers I tried dipping my toes into his works, and never felt any impulse to return to the water.

[Mirror Image]

Without wishing to provoke my Pettersson-admiring friends, he's one of those few composers I tried dipping my toes into his works, and never felt any impulse to return to the water.

I can certainly understand that sentiment, Karl, but I've since buried the hatchet with ol' Allan and I've actually been enjoying his music. I'm not saying he's for everyday listening, but sometimes I do get that itch to hear something outside of my comfort zone or that simply challenges me. I do feel that his compositional voice is a unique one and unlike any other I've heard.

[Spotted Horses]

Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.97 in C major. Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Revisiting this recording, inspired by seeing the Harnoncourt thread on the first page. This is a damn fine recording. Harnoncourt really brings out the dramatic intensity of this music. Razor sharp. Couldn't be more different from another recording I have with the same orchestra, under Colin Davis.

Harnoncourt's Haydn and Mozart from the Concertgebouw, starting in the 1980s, is miraculous. I still vividly remember the first recording I heard from the series, Mozart Symphony No 34 and 35 on LP. It completely changed my view of Mozart. The Haydn came out some time later, when I was listening to CDs. Harnoncourt's recording of "The Clock" is to die for.

[kyjo]

I am about 2/3rds of the way through, and Schmidt's oratorio traversing the Book of Revelations is a colorful, powerful oratorio. His musical language seems to get more complex as the work progresses and the major role for the pipe organ is a nice touch. Heldentenor Stig Andersen has a bit of a wild voice, but the work calls specifically for that voice type in the role of St. John the Divine.

+1 This work was a revelation (no pun intended ) to me when I first heard it a few years ago. It's an epic - and in parts truly terrifying (in the parts that depict the Four Horsemen of the Apocalpyse) - journey.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Dinastia Borgia

CD 3

I'm curious to know how you find that set Traverso.  I bought one years ago.  I liked the concept of it but listening to it I found to be rather strange--if that makes sense.

PD

[Harry]

Dinastia Borgia

CD 3

Super release

[Traverso]

Bach

Frühe Orgelwerke CD 1

Schnitger Orgel der Jakobi Kirche in Hamburg

[André]

Symphonies 39 and 45 by Haydn, Chamber Symphony I by Isang Yun (1917-1995).

What these works have in common is their orchestration: strings with a pair of oboes and horns. Haydn's no 39 is in g minor and is one of his very best - not just from his Sturm und drang period, but from his whole output. I suppose it's not as well known as many of Haydn's other symphonies because it doesn't have a name. No 45 does have one ('Farewell') and for once a story that makes sense justifies it. But its main claim to fame is that it's also a cracker of a work, one that most of musical Europe got to acknowledge as a classic from the get go. These performances from Munich are terrific. Modern instruments are played, but with many features of period performance practice. The result is both bracing and very sensitive.

I have another version of the Yun chamber symphony on Naxos. I don't want to pit them against each other other than to note that this one seems tighter in pacing, but more 'beefy' of tone (acoustics?). Conductor Alexander Liebreich has met with the composer and traveled to Korea so his involvement is not in question. One of the things that inspired him to couple these works was the way the composers handle the winds, some two centuries apart. For me Yun is one of the most original composers from the second half of the XXth century.

Despite the apparent oddity of its program, this is a superb disc.

[Symphonic Addict]

Enescu Symphony No. 3 and Ouverture de Concert, Lintu conducting the Tampere Phil




Sarge

I have fond memories of this majestic piece.

[Symphonic Addict]

NP:

Saygun
String Quartet No. 3, Op. 43
Quatuor Danel

What did you think about it?

[Symphonic Addict]

Cello Concerto in C major

One of the longest CCs I know (54 minutes), and it's in four movements. The broad first movement does meander a bit, it could have worked better if it had been cut. The 2nd and 4th movements contain the finest music. The short 3rd movement Intermezzo is not too substantial. Despite its length, I consider it a good composition.

[Mirror Image]

What did you think about it?

Not bad, but I'm not as enthusiastic about as you were initially. I'll definitely have to plan a revisit at some point.

[VonStupp]

+1 This work was a revelation (no pun intended ) to me when I first heard it a few years ago. It's an epic - and in parts truly terrifying (in the parts that depict the Four Horsemen of the Apocalpyse) - journey.

I was really quite taken with it in the end, although the 2nd section didn't quite live up to the larger first section. With all of the strange imagery in the Book of Revelations, Schmidt's oratorio doesn't venture too far in that direction, but the Horsemen of the Apocalypse is certainly a fun ride.

[SonicMan46]

Haydn, Joseph - Music Prince Esterhazy & King of Naples - listening to the first 2 CDs top row, i.e. Notturni, all eight works w/ Mozzafiato/L'Archibudelli and Ensemble Baroque de Limoges/Quatuor Mosaiques doing baryton octets, notturni, & lira organizzata works - the two lira copies from the booklet shown - checkout Gurn's Haydn Seek HERE for a more thorough description of this hybrid hurdy-gurdy/organ.  Now there are many other recordings of these lira works but virtually all use wind combinations as substitutes; Klocker does 6 of the Notturni w/ his group.  One of the best collections is the 6-disc w/ Manfred Huss and the Haydn Sinfonietta Wien.  Dave

     

   

[Traverso]

I'm curious to know how you find that set Traverso.  I bought one years ago.  I liked the concept of it but listening to it I found to be rather strange--if that makes sense.

PD

Well,what to say......very fine music,played with authority and spirit and last but not least ,beautifully published   
It's a kind of anthology  of the Borgia era.
I love it !

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Pettersson
Symphony No. 4
Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra
Alun Francis

[foxandpeng]

L V Beethoven
Complete Symphonies
Symphony #6
Robert Trevino
Malmö SO
Ondine

Oh, Mr B. Kind of knew what you were doing, huh?

Not often that I revisit the LVB symphonies, due to the oppressively large number of other compositions that I love or want to discover, but there a sublime genius to this music. I know I'm stating the patently obvious, but still.

Recording seems pretty good to my amateur ears. Fairly randomly chosen, I confess.