What are you listening 2 now?

[vers la flamme]

Here it is: https://vimeo.com/627798456/21bc7e5890

Sarge

Thanks. That was cool; I should hear more of Karl's music.

[Spotted Horses]

Revisiting, Chamber Symphonies 1, 2, 3, Krimer, East-West Chamber Orchestra




Number 1 I thoroughly enjoyed. Number 3, same problem as first listen. First and second movements are very good, after that the soft music is played in such a hushed manner that I don't feel I can hear the melodies and harmonies. This also applies to No 2.

I have the Claves recording of 1, 2, 4, which I find excellent. Maybe I'll spring for the Kremer recording of all four.

[Artem]

Morton Feldman: Palais de Mari. Aki Takahashi

A haunting and entrancing piece, not one that I know very well. There are some striking harmonies throughout.

That was my fist disk of Morton Feldman's music that I ever bought. I often return to Palais de Mari in Takahashi's interpretation.

[Traverso]

Bach

Sonatas BWV 1014-1016 & 1019

[VonStupp]

The Choral Music of Morton Gould

First-time listen:

[vandermolen]

Kalnins: Soundtrack to the Film "Pūt, vējiņi": Finale. 
Symphonies 1-4.

St-Laurent Studio, concert performances from 11-1946 including the world premiere of Ropartz' 5th symphony - a white hot, scorching interpretation. The Honegger too is an apocalyptic performance (the French premiere of the work). Karajan gives an intense, monumental, tragic view of the symphony. Munch is implacable, all-consuming, harrowing (4 minutes faster in this half-hour long work, a sizable difference).

That Honegger recording is one of my favourites of all time and the Kalnins box has been a great recent discovery (especially Symphony No.6).

[SonicMan46]

Korngold, Erich (1897-1957) - just pulled out my nearly dozen Korngold discs, including several of his film music - starting with the 4 discs shown (one a twofer); short bio below (much more at the link) - his list of compositions HERE - Dave

Erich Korngold was an Austrian-born American composer and conductor. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was a noted pianist and composer of classical music, along with music for Hollywood films, and the first composer of international stature to write Hollywood scores. Overall, he wrote the score for 16 Hollywood films, receiving two Oscars. Along with Max Steiner and Alfred Newman, he is one of the founders of film music. (Source)

   

[André]

Elgar: Violin Sonata in E minor



The highlight here is the remarkable slow movement - which is by turns ghostly, nostalgic, and capricious. A magical creation. The first movement is passionate and noble, and if the finale is slightly less inspired than the preceding two movements, it still holds the attention.


Franck: Grand Trio Concertant (Piano Trio) no. 1, op. 1/1 in F-sharp minor



Absolutely stunning work!! I simply can't believe Franck wrote this when he was only 17 or 18 years old - and it's so incredibly ahead of its time for 1839/40. The first movement has an granitic, statuesque power that's quite unlike anything else in the repertoire, and it builds to an absolutely shattering climax. Perhaps even more remarkable is the finale, with its gloriously ecstatic main theme and tempestuous development section. It receives an absolutely smoking performance here!


Searle: Symphony no. 2



An imposingly dark, angry, threatening, menacing, powerful, and concise work! It seems be predominantly atonal in language, but it's far from directionless or overtly harsh. The finale, in particular, contains some really suspenseful, rhythmic, and riveting music. (To my disappointment, I sampled his 1st Symphony and it was much less appealing.)

If memory serves, I was quite disappointed by Searle's symphonies last time I heard them (years ago). I'll pull them off the shelf for a dust up. Chances are I've changed my mind about his kind of modernism.

[André]

That Honegger recording is one of my favourites of all time and the Kalnins box has been a great recent discovery (especially Symphony No.6).

I've yet to listen to Kalnin's other symphonies, like the 6th. In the first four I hear a distinct voice, but a limited vocabulary and rather narrow musical compass. Hopefully things will improve from there  .

[vandermolen]

I've yet to listen to Kalnin's other symphonies, like the 6th. In the first four I hear a distinct voice, but a limited vocabulary and rather narrow musical compass. Hopefully things will improve from there  .

I like 4,5 and especially 6.

[vandermolen]

Hanson, Howard (1896-1981) - Chamber Works w/ the performers shown below - after listening to my mainly orchestral Hanson collection earlier in the week, I decided to add a couple of chamber discs (one piano) - recording below just arrived and really enjoyed - quite romantic and impressionistic - reviews attached for those interested.  Dave

 

V nice disc. I especially liked the Organ Concerto.

[vandermolen]

If memory serves, I was quite disappointed by Searle's symphonies last time I heard them (years ago). I'll pull them off the shelf for a dust up. Chances are I've changed my mind about his kind of modernism.

I much prefer the Symphony by Robert Still to the Searle symphonies.

[VonStupp]

Morton Gould
Quotations

New York Choral Society and Orchestra - John Daly Goodwin

Quotations is a 30-minute choral work that takes colloquialisms and makes humorous wordplay out of those familiar phrases. The bookend and interstitial golden homages to Morton Gould's hometown of Richmond Hill are beautiful.

The instrumentation of percussion, pianos, and winds remind me of Stravinsky, and occasionally Gould creeps in with some jazzy Bernstein settings. Modern, but approachably so.

This was a lot of fun, although its witty repartee takes some of the meat out of the work, it can be a bit twee, but it's thankfully diverse in its sound world. The New York Choral Society are solid, but their amateur standing shows in places.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0VzwOOG8cKAhSw2Xztg7SJ

[vandermolen]

Haitink/PO on EMI/Warner. Despite it's slower than most of the performances, for me it works stupendously well, satisfactory and quite epic. The timpani of this orchestra sound fantastic, and that's a critical element so that the work is succesful IMO.

As a second choice, I'd go with Previn/LSO. Less heavy than the Haitink, though more intense it is.

I think that's the one included in the big Walton boxed set. I like it as well. Much as I like Previn I've never liked his much-admired LSO recording; for me it lacks nervous tension at the start. I've recently been much admiring Walton's own 1951 recording. Thomson is also very good.

[SonicMan46]

V nice disc. I especially liked the Organ Concerto.

Hi Jeffrey - the Hanson CD arrived yesterday and first listen this morning - really enjoyed as did the reviewers I posted - looking forward to a re-listen soon!   Dave

[vers la flamme]

Malcolm Arnold: The Bridge on the River Kwai Suite. Richard Hickox, London Symphony Orchestra

First listen to this disc, sounds excellent. I've seen the film but it's been a long time. I do remember enjoying the music. This is long before I knew who Malcolm Arnold was.

[vandermolen]

Hi Jeffrey - the Hanson CD arrived yesterday and first listen this morning - really enjoyed as did the reviewers I posted - looking forward to a re-listen soon!   Dave

Excellent Dave!
I also have the excellent Organ Concerto one one of those old Bay Cities CDs.

[André]

from this set:



A superb performance of The Bells, with a particularly sweet, bewitching solo soprano (not a given with slavic voices). The execution is top notch (wonderful wind solos), as is the recorded sound.

In the Symphonic Dances the solo saxophone does not sound russian at all. No nasal howling but a full, evenly produced sound. Some will prefer it one way or the other but there's no doubt this is exactly what Bychkov wanted: after all, he was the WDR Orchestra's Music Director for 13 years, and had been conducting in the West for decades (Paris,Berlin, Amsterdam, Cologne). So, while russian emotional songfulness and melancholy are given full rein, it is all heard in the sweet, plush sounds of top class western orchestral and technical standards.

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Dear folks on GMG. did you listen the Henrich Schultz on NAXOS label, it's quite nice I love Mister Schultz a lot good latest Renaissance composer of German or Baroque.

I have several album of Schultz and can tell you all I adore what I am  listening, quite a brilliant sound painters more than musician, because , his skill for music wear that great, he had talent beyond all, well a bunch a serious bunch, Do you like Heinrich Schultz like me?

[vandermolen]

from this set:



A superb performance of The Bells, with a particularly sweet, bewitching solo soprano (not a given with slavic voices). The execution is top notch (wonderful wind solos), as is the recorded sound.

In the Symphonic Dances the solo saxophone does not sound russian at all. No nasal howling but a full, evenly produced sound. Some will prefer it one way or the other but there's no doubt this is exactly what Bychkov wanted: after all, he was the WDR Orchestra's Music Director for 13 years, and had been conducting in the West for decades (Paris,Berlin, Amsterdam, Cologne). So, while russian emotional songfulness and melancholy are given full rein, it is all heard in the sweet, plush sounds of top class western orchestral and technical standards.

Such a great work!