What are you listening 2 now?

[vandermolen]

Early morning listening in East Sussex - César Franck: Violin Sonata
Following recent enthusiasm for this two CD set on GMG Forum I purchased a second-hand copy inexpensively - and very nice it is too.
The Franck I first came across as accompanying music for my audio-book of 'The Lady of the Camelias' by Alexandre Dumas Fils and always remembered it. Those Naxos audio-books always tended to use musical material from the Marco Polo catalogue and I made a number of interesting discoveries that way, including Joseph Holbrooke's chamber music (which I tend to prefer to his orchestral music):

[Que]

Never heard this one?

I didn't know it existed - goes on the list!

But I do have this harpsichord recording by Olga Martynova and enjoyed that very much:

I have this  recording on my wishlist 

A very lovely recording!

[Irons]

Yes, I loved the Bartok!     My question for you was whether or not the recording quality/transfer for the LP was significantly better than on the youtube clip.  I had read by someone who had commented on the YT thread that it was much better, but was curious as to what you recall hearing when you played your LP of it.

In any event, happy that you enjoyed watching it; I suspected that you would. 

PD

For sonics, no comparison PD. Trying to avoid coming over all vinyl-head superior. Melodiya, in my view a simple mike set-up of live recordings is best, even orchestral - Mravinsky for example. Melodiya have earned a less then stellar reputation for recording quality due to the engineers being too intrusive with spot-lighting, multi-miking etc.

The notes are not clear if the dedicatee, Druzhinin's recording of the Shostakovich bleak Viola Sonata is live or not. Without applause (which would spoil the serene close) so I guess not.

[Que]

Morning listening:

[vandermolen]

Elisabetta Brusa: 'Merlin' - an atmospheric Symphonic Poem from 2004:

[Harry]

Marin Marais.
Troisieme livre de pieces de Viole (1711)
CD IV.
Suite VIII in do Majeur & IV in re majeur,

Francois Joubert Caillet, Bass viol.
L'Acheron.

Gives peace and solace of mind after a strenuous week of problem solving.

[Que]

Marin Marais.
Troisieme livre de pieces de Viole (1711)
CD IV.
Suite VIII in do Majeur & IV in re majeur,

Francois Joubert Caillet, Bass viol.
L'Acheron.

Gives peace and solace of mind after a strenuous week of problem solving.

And you picked the right music.

[Tsaraslondon]

Elgar and Dvorak from Jacqueline du Pré. Du Pré's Elgar produces such feelings of nostalgia in me.This recording was used as the theme tune for the superb TV adaptation of John Mortimer's Paradise Postponed, which was set in the 1960s, with the original LP cover (the one coupled to Janet Baker's recording of Sea Pictures) even making an appearance in the show. That record has never been out of the catalogue and I remember we had it on permanent order with EMI when I worked at a classical record shop in central London back in the 1980s.

As I already had Baker's Sea Pictures when I came to buy the Elgar on CD, I went for this coupling of the Dvorak, a live performance from 1970 with her husband Daniel Barenboim conducting.

[vandermolen]

Yesterday, in the car, Schubert Symphony No.5 - I'd forgotten what a great symphony it is. It came as the freebie CD with BBC Music Magazine -  the issue also included a feature on Miaskovsky:

[Roasted Swan]

Yesterday, in the car, Schubert Symphony No.5 - I'd forgotten what a great symphony it is. It came as the freebie CD with BBC Music Magazine -  the issue also included a feature on Miaskovsky:

As someone who was a dep violin in the West End "Phantom of the Opera" for 19(!) years it sticks in my throat a little that Sir Andrew is on the front cover of this magazine "championing" the cause of musicians and live music.  This is after the aforesaid Phantom closed in March 2020 with all the cast and orchestra's contracts paid off.  At the time it was the largest live nightly orchestra in the West End with 28 musicians.  It has just reopened with an orchestra of 14 which sir Andrew claims is actually "better" in terms of sound/orchestration than before.  The new orchestration is actually based on the reduced touring production version and is no doubt very good and is (also no doubt) being played by skilled musos.  But please do NOT doubt for one second that this is a purely financial/business decision and that the loss of such a large live ensemble (the onstage cast is reduced too) diminishes the West End.  Les Mis went a similar way some years back and with the passing of the original Phantom Band there will never be another live orchestra of that size in the West End.  The big sound that orchestra made was integral (even if it was subliminal) to the impact of the show.  I kind of accept that the is possibily a necessary decision to keep the show alive but please DON'T insult the intelligence of everyone Sir Andrew by pretending it is better.

On a cheerier note - I listened to this disc for the first time in something like 20 years yesterday;



Only half a dozen tracks in but its better than I remembered - big lush (faintly derivative)melodies - oooh who does that remind me of - but very enjoyable to hear.......

[vandermolen]

As someone who was a dep violin in the West End "Phantom of the Opera" for 19(!) years it sticks in my throat a little that Sir Andrew is on the front cover of this magazine "championing" the cause of musicians and live music.  This is after the aforesaid Phantom closed in March 2020 with all the cast and orchestra's contracts paid off.  At the time it was the largest live nightly orchestra in the West End with 28 musicians.  It has just reopened with an orchestra of 14 which sir Andrew claims is actually "better" in terms of sound/orchestration than before.  The new orchestration is actually based on the reduced touring production version and is no doubt very good and is (also no doubt) being played by skilled musos.  But please do NOT doubt for one second that this is a purely financial/business decision and that the loss of such a large live ensemble (the onstage cast is reduced too) diminishes the West End.  Les Mis went a similar way some years back and with the passing of the original Phantom Band there will never be another live orchestra of that size in the West End.  The big sound that orchestra made was integral (even if it was subliminal) to the impact of the show.  I kind of accept that the is possibily a necessary decision to keep the show alive but please DON'T insult the intelligence of everyone Sir Andrew by pretending it is better.

On a cheerier note - I listened to this disc for the first time in something like 20 years yesterday;



Only half a dozen tracks in but its better than I remembered - big lush (faintly derivative)melodies - oooh who does that remind me of - but very enjoyable to hear.......

Interesting - I don't have much time for ALW and wished they'd put Miaskovsky on the front cover instead. I don't know why they got David Nice to write the article on Miaskovsky as he usually is totally negative about NYM's music (they could have asked me  )

[Harry]

Granada (1013-1502)

From the founding of the Kingdom of Granada, and the expansion and splendour of Al-Andalus, to its incorporation in the Kingdom of Castile and Leon, and the forced conversion of the Muslims.

Hesperion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Jordi Savall.

What a fine musical journey.

[Papy Oli]

Good morning all,

JS Bach - Cantata BWV 99 (Gardiner)

edit: and BWW 51

[Pohjolas Daughter]

K.387, 521, 156.

The comparison with the Alban Berg Quartet is instructive. I hear more sensibility, more nuance, a greater ability to switch from light to shade in a heartbeat with the Talich. With them K 421 is a miracle of sensitivity, an opera without words.

I haven't heard the Talich Quartet's Mozart before but have enjoyed other recordings by them.  I'm trying to remember, is this set one of the newer ones (vs. earlier group members)?

For sonics, no comparison PD. Trying to avoid coming over all vinyl-head superior. Melodiya, in my view a simple mike set-up of live recordings is best, even orchestral - Mravinsky for example. Melodiya have earned a less then stellar reputation for recording quality due to the engineers being too intrusive with spot-lighting, multi-miking etc.

The notes are not clear if the dedicatee, Druzhinin's recording of the Shostakovich bleak Viola Sonata is live or not. Without applause (which would spoil the serene close) so I guess not.

I was guessing that that was the case.  I'd love to get ahold of some of those Melodiya/HMV pressings as I suspect that they would be better than the Melodiya/Angel ones that I most often see around here (Think that I've run across some of the ones released on Monitor too.).  And thank you for the added info too! 

Early morning listening in East Sussex - César Franck: Violin Sonata
Following recent enthusiasm for this two CD set on GMG Forum I purchased a second-hand copy inexpensively - and very nice it is too.
The Franck I first came across as accompanying music for my audio-book of 'The Lady of the Camelias' by Alexandre Dumas Fils and always remembered it. Those Naxos audio-books always tended to use musical material from the Marco Polo catalogue and I made a number of interesting discoveries that way, including Joseph Holbrooke's chamber music (which I tend to prefer to his orchestral music):

Delighted to hear that you are enjoying that Belgian & French violin music Jeffrey!

PD

p.s.  Off now to poke around in my music library to figure out what to put on--after brewing some coffee. 

[vandermolen]

I haven't heard the Talich Quartet's Mozart before but have enjoyed other recordings by them.  I'm trying to remember, is this set one of the newer ones (vs. earlier group members)?
I was guessing that that was the case.  I'd love to get ahold of some of those Melodiya/HMV pressings as I suspect that they would be better than the Melodiya/Angel ones that I most often see around here (Think that I've run across some of the ones released on Monitor too.).  And thank you for the added info too! 
Delighted to hear that you are enjoying that Belgian & French violin music Jeffrey!

PD

p.s.  Off now to poke around in my music library to figure out what to put on--after brewing some coffee. 

Great minds! I'm just about to make myself a cup of coffee PD - a displacement activity to delay getting on with my domestic chores  ('put away the ladder, assemble the garden trimmer, paint the back door etcetc'  )

I really enjoyed the Franck and Debussy sonatas and the jazzy one by Ravel was quite new to me.

[VonStupp]

Felix Mendelssohn
Capriccio Brilliant, op. 22
Rondo Brilliant, op. 29
Serenade and Allegro giocoso, op. 43

Stephen Hough, piano
CBSO - Lawrence Foster (rec. 1997)

These 10-minute piano concertante miniatures are quite enjoyable. Last I listened, Hough's Mendelssohn concertos were balanced wonkily to my ears, but I don't sense that with these works. Perhaps I need to go back and re-listen to those.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Great minds! I'm just about to make myself a cup of coffee PD - a displacement activity to delay getting on with my domestic chores  ('put away the ladder, assemble the garden trimmer, paint the back door etcetc'  )

I really enjoyed the Franck and Debussy sonatas and the jazzy one by Ravel was quite new to me.

Excellent (re the music, not so much re upcoming chores!)!  I enjoy my morning coffee; I suspect that you start your day with a cup or two of tea instead?

TD

Mozart's String Quartet in G major, K387  with the Quatuor Ysaÿe on Decca.  Not certain what is up next (I took quite a different change after that--see the other music thread.).  Will see if I can manage to figure out some quiet in-house work (chores) before I hit the yard. 

PD

[Traverso]

Forqueray

Suites in D major & G minor

François Couperin

La Superbe,ou la Forqueray  in E minor

Duphly

La Forqueray in F minor

[VonStupp]

Felix Mendelssohn
Marriage of Camacho Overture, op. 10
Athalia Overture, op. 74
Ruy Blas Overture, op. 95
Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, op. 27
Midsummer Night's Dream, op. 21
The Hebrides, op. 26

Bamberg SO - Claus Peter Flor

Gosh, I haven't listened to Mendelssohn's overtures in quite some time. The Hebrides is divine bit of melody making and picturesque moodiness that I think I will revisit again soon.

Ruy Blas holds a certain fascination for me - it's melodic theme has always reminded me of the On Wisconsin fight song. It brings to mind a strange Liberace arrangement I once heard of it paired with his rendition of The Beer-Barrel Polka. Perhaps the only Mendelssohn-Liberace correlation I could ever hope for, (or rue). Enjoy!



https://www.youtube.com/v/yLvd4JyKd14&ab_channel=Lib_Thack

[aligreto]

Couperin, F: Quatrième Livre de Pieces de Clavecin [Rousset]





CD 2