What are you listening 2 now?

[Mirror Image]

Oh, that's a fab work - rather overshadowed by No.3

It sure is, Jeffrey. I'm really digging it.

[VonStupp]

Charles Ives
Psalm 90 (1894/1923)
The Dale Warland Singers - Dale Warland

I love the juxtaposition of the bitonality of the first 3/4's of Psalm 90 vs. the placid, easy-going, diatonic peace of the final quarter. The sound world of this work reminds me of the underground congregation singing to the bomb in the finale of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970); very mid-century modern for sure.

The cluster chords starting at 4'47" (22-part divisi at one point) are a lot of fun, and I like the quality of the tolling bells on this particular recording.

I would be merely nitpicking if I said I preferred the 'Salt of the Earth' style of the Gregg Smith Singers over the professional sounds of The Dale Warland Singers.

https://www.youtube.com/v/fqz-ulXRYyw&ab_channel=DaleWarlandSingers-Topic 

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Bruckner
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major
Berliners
Wand



Absolutely magnificent. I've really come to love the 5th.

[Traverso]

NP:

Bruckner
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major
Berliners
Wand



Absolutely magnificent. I've really come to love the 5th.

[VonStupp]

Nice, thanks. Fine's symphony and his catchy Blue Towers are big favourites.

Thanks! The sound bytes of these two works couldn't be more different.

VS

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Tuesday:

Glazunov
String Quartet No. 7 in C major, Op. 60
Utrecht String Quartet

[classicalgeek]

Found this fascinating collection on Spotify:

American First Sonatas
works by Reinagle, MacDowell, Griffes, Siegmeister
Cecile Licad, piano



The Reinagle is pleasant enough - it sounds a lot like Haydn or CPE Bach (Reinagle was influenced by both, it seems), but its two movements sound very similar to each other. The presence of a slow movement would no doubt have helped the work. The MacDowell has been recorded a few times, but I don't think I've heard another performance - it's certainly well-done here. I didn't immediately warm up to the Griffes sonata, but I'm curious to hear it again - it reminded me a bit of Scriabin. The real gem here is the Siegmeister: full of snappy (one could say uniquely American) rhythms and spiky harmonies; the performance is as winning as the piece. A mixed bag, maybe, but one in which the pluses outweigh the minuses. This is apparently the first in a series highlighting American piano music featuring Ms. Licad, and I'm intrigued to listen to the rest of the entries.

[Karl Henning]

Found this fascinating collection on Spotify:

American First Sonatas
works by Reinagle, MacDowell, Griffes, Siegmeister
Cecile Licad, piano



The Reinagle is pleasant enough - it sounds a lot like Haydn or CPE Bach (Reinagle was influenced by both, it seems), but its two movements sound very similar to each other. The presence of a slow movement would no doubt have helped the work. The MacDowell has been recorded a few times, but I don't think I've heard another performance - it's certainly well-done here. I didn't immediately warm up to the Griffes sonata, but I'm curious to hear it again - it reminded me a bit of Scriabin. The real gem here is the Siegmeister: full of snappy (one could say uniquely American) rhythms and spiky harmonies; the performance is as winning as the piece. A mixed bag, maybe, but one in which the pluses outweigh the minuses. This is apparently the first in a series highlighting American piano music featuring Ms. Licad, and I'm intrigued to listen to the rest of the entries.

My vote for Most Likely to be of Interest to Me, would indeed have been the Siegmeister.

[classicalgeek]

My vote for Most Likely to be of Interest to Me, would indeed have been the Siegmeister.

I found Siegmeister's Third Symphony on Spotify - giving it a listen now.

[Madiel]

It's French Suites day.

[classicalgeek]

Elie Siegmeister
Symphony no. 3
Oslo Philharmonic
composer conducting



A thoroughly enjoyable and attractive piece - there's some rough orchestral playing in this recording, but the quality of the work shines through.

[Daverz]

NP:

Tippett
Concerto for Orchestra
Bournemouth SO
Hickox

This got me on a Tippet jag.   First this Concerto for Orchestra, which I still have not warmed to.  I find it a bit too arid.  Then the Piano Concerto, which I only discovered this year and which has quickly become a favorite.   Then the Ritual Dances from The Midsummer Marriage, which are delightful.  These are very good stereo recordings.

[Mirror Image]

This got me on a Tippet jag.   First this Concerto for Orchestra, which I still have not warmed to.  I find it a bit too arid.  Then the Piano Concerto, which I only discovered this year and which has quickly become a favorite.   Then the Ritual Dances from The Midsummer Marriage, which are delightful.  These are very good stereo recordings.

Yeah, I'm not too crazy about late period Tippett and this especially goes for his Concerto for Orchestra. I do like the Triple Concerto and his last work, The Rose Lake. That is a good 2-CD set. Some nice performances, indeed. I, too, like the Piano Concerto very much, but my favorite work from Tippett is still the Double Concerto. It has a bit of everything in it: rigorous rhythms, some spicy dissonances and much lyrical beauty all within a tight structure.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Bruckner
Symphony No. 8 in C minor, WAB 108
NDR-Sinfonieorchester
Wand

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Tuesday:

Glazunov
String Quartet No. 7 in C major, Op. 60
Utrecht String Quartet

I just want to add a note or two about this work. I know our Cesar has mentioned his reservations about the later Glazunov SQs and how it's a difficult to appreciate them, but I have to say that I have had no problems getting inside of this work. It seems I'm going to be working my way backwards in Glazunov SQs. As for the performance, it's quite fine --- nothing really left to say.

[JBS]

One of the used CDs I bought Sunday was this.  Listening to CD 1 atm.

[Tsaraslondon]

Mine too. An excellent disc!

When it comes to British music at least, you and I seem to have all the same records.

[Que]

My 1st impressions were very favourable. 
I've put it on the shopping list.

[Tsaraslondon]

This is a really lovely disc. About half of it is taken up with Holst's short but extremely effective opera, Sãvitri, wonderfully sung here by Janet Baker, Robert Tear and Thomas Hemsley, under the composer's daughter, Imogen Holst. The libretto is by Holst himself, taken from an episode in the Mahabharata.

The opera is sandwiched between beautiful Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, choral settings of Sanskrit texts, translated by Holst himself and more choral settings of poems by Robert Bridges and Henry Vaughan.

Superb performances with Janet Baker in radiant form in the opera.

[Que]

Morning listening (this time on disc):



A gorgeous recording that focuses on the Southern Netherlands and its artistic ties with Italy, and the music at the Brussels court in the early 1600's.

https://earlymusicreview.com/the-ear-of-theodoor-van-loon/

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/the-ear-of-theodoor-van-loon