What are you listening 2 now?

[Traverso]

Sweet!

The music or Martha ?   

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Penderecki's Symphony No. 3 with Antoni Wit and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice) on Naxos -- Jaw dropping!  Mesmorizing.  Haunting.  First heard it used in the movie Shutter Island  Not for the "Faint of heart". 

In great sound too! 



PD

[Karl Henning]

The music or Martha ?   

Why, both, naturally.

[Karl Henning]

Penderecki's Symphony No. 3 with Antoni Wit and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice) on Naxos -- Jaw dropping!  Mesmorizing.  Haunting.  First heard it used in the movie Shutter Island  Not for the "Faint of heart". 

In great sound too! 



PD

Coolness!

[Mandryka]

Just nice to hear a piano well recorded and well played - the interpretation plays up melody and beautiful sounds rather than anything else, and that's rather sensual and fun. Benita Mushalam's Iberia - just a shame she didn't do the whole thing. I shall try to hear more of this pianist.

[Traverso]

Why, both, naturally.

   naturally,....I have a soft spot for her since I heard the Ravel / Prokofiev recording long long ago.

[Linz]

Now for Bruckners Die Nulte Symphony in D

[Tsaraslondon]

NP:

Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
Argerich
Berlin RSO
Chailly

Fabulous performance.

[Mirror Image]

Fabulous performance.

Yes, indeed.

[vandermolen]

Absolutely! One of my favorite Respighi recordings.

+1

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Kronos Quartet's Night Prayers on CD currently on.  Trying to figure out how to describe it.  It's mostly of works from the former Soviet Union (specifically from the republics in Central Asia and the Caucusus with the exception being one work from the Argentine-born, American-based composer Osvaldo Golijov).  I'll let you read what one of the members of the KQ had to say himself about the album:

Kronos' David Harrington on the album: "The feeling of the pieces on Night Prayers, taken all together, come from a very mysterious, almost unknowable place. Mugam Sayagi by Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, for example, is based on a musical tradition that is about hidden or secret love, and this particular mugam is a way for lovers to secretly communicate with each other... Night Prayers is filled with all kinds of shimmering, shivering sounds, and the pieces on the album are in a way like constellations that attract each other – the pieces pull themselves together to form a kind of fresco."

It includes one work which I've heard before on another of their albums; it's the "Mugam Sayagi" by the Armenian female composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh.  It's on an album of only her music.  I'm really enjoying the album.  Looking forward to hearing Sofia Gubaidulina's Quartet No. 4 in particular.

In any event, a fascinating album--a combo of traditional folk songs/sounds/styles are often the inspiration for these compositions and arrangements but not always.  An intriguing album.  You just need to check it out for yourself. 



PD

[Mirror Image]

Penderecki's Symphony No. 3 with Antoni Wit and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice) on Naxos -- Jaw dropping!  Mesmorizing.  Haunting.  First heard it used in the movie Shutter Island  Not for the "Faint of heart". 

In great sound too! 



PD

Yep, a fantastic recording. Well...that whole Wit cycle is fabulous.

[Linz]

Another Die Nulte with Skrowaczewski

[aligreto]

I posted this in the wrong thread earlier. It belongs here 


Glinka: Ruslan & Lydmila - Overture & Chernomor's March [Svetlanov]





This is powerful, thrilling and exciting music and music making from Svetlanov and his forces. The music and music making is always superlative, assertive and compelling here.

[aligreto]

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 [Tennstedt]





This performance of the opening movement is suitably powerful and assertive in its statement; quite thrilling in places. There are also wonderful lyrical passages to be found. I find the tone of the opening movement to be wonderfully questioning rather than dark in its presentation with delightful touches of delicacy when required. The second movement is a wonderful contrast and it is wonderfully presented; it has the requisite delicacy, intensity and tension where required. I have always been partial to the landler and the third movement is wonderfully infused with this dance music; the occasional disconcerting tones enrich the mood and atmosphere. The account given of this music is a very lively and engaging one here. The Urlicht is wonderfully forlorn and heartfelt and earnest and it is delicately sung. I particularly like the powerful opening to the final movement; it sets a marker down. I like the measured and graduated but powerful build up throughout the final movement. The brass fanfares are powerful, thrilling and magnificent! There is some very fine, powerful and thrilling music making here! I particularly like the build up to and the introduction of the vocal elements here. These vocal presentations, both choral and solo, are very sensitive and wonderful presentations. The conclusion is both magnificent and glorious in its power and intensity; a marvelous rendition.

This is a very fine version of this work. This is a very fine recording in every aspect and it sounds very clean and clear and every musical line appears to be very well delivered.

[classicalgeek]

Apparently, Spotify is (or was until a few minutes ago) down...  so off to YouTube:

Brahms
Symphony no. 4
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Eduard van Beinum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeUteN1t-G0

Sensational performance of the whole symphony... but especially the finale. On the quick side, but it totally works. Gripping and passionate, beautiful playing (especially from the strings), and I love how the trombones cut through the texture.

[Mirror Image]

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 [Tennstedt]





This performance of the opening movement is suitably powerful and assertive in its statement; quite thrilling in places. There are also wonderful lyrical passages to be found. I find the tone of the opening movement to be wonderfully questioning rather than dark in its presentation with delightful touches of delicacy when required. The second movement is a wonderful contrast and it is wonderfully presented; it has the requisite delicacy, intensity and tension where required. I have always been partial to the landler and the third movement is wonderfully infused with this dance music; the occasional disconcerting tones enrich the mood and atmosphere. The account given of this music is a very lively and engaging one here. The Urlicht is wonderfully forlorn and heartfelt and earnest and it is delicately sung. I particularly like the powerful opening to the final movement; it sets a marker down. I like the measured and graduated but powerful build up throughout the final movement. The brass fanfares are powerful, thrilling and magnificent! There is some very fine, powerful and thrilling music making here! I particularly like the build up to and the introduction of the vocal elements here. These vocal presentations, both choral and solo, are very sensitive and wonderful presentations. The conclusion is both magnificent and glorious in its power and intensity; a marvelous rendition.

This is a very fine version of this work. This is a very fine recording in every aspect and it sounds very clean and clear and every musical line appears to be very well delivered.

Tennstedt is one of my favorite Mahlerians. The 2nd is one of his specialties as he recorded many times. Those live LPO recordings are magnificent.

[Karl Henning]

https://www.youtube.com/v/dMOhbjD0vVk

[aligreto]

Tennstedt is one of my favorite Mahlerians. The 2nd is one of his specialties as he recorded many times. Those live LPO recordings are magnificent.

I am almost embarrassed to admit, John, that this is the first time that I have heard a Mahler Symphonic cycle under Tennstedt. Many years ago when I was exploring Mahler's work in depth this was the box set that was doing the rounds:





I was, at the time, convinced by a friend whose musical taste and sensibilities I trusted that this was not a good cycle for reasons I now forget.
Perhaps the presentations above are remastered or include live performances? I don't know because I have not compared the details of the two sets.
Either way I have now heard Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 from the reissue[?] and I have been very impressed with what I have heard.

[Mirror Image]

I am almost embarrassed to admit, John, that this is the first time that I have heard a Mahler Symphonic cycle under Tennstedt. Many years ago when I was exploring Mahler's work in depth this was the box set that was doing the rounds:





I was, at the time, convinced by a friend whose musical taste and sensibilities I trusted that this was not a good cycle for reasons I now forget.
Perhaps the presentations above are remastered or include live performances? I don't know because I have not compared the details of the two sets.
Either way I have now heard Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 from the reissue[?] and I have been very impressed with what I have heard.

The older set you pictured above doesn't contain any of the live performances that the newer iteration does (also the newer Warner set contains EMI live recordings, which aren't available anywhere else since EMI owns the rights to these recordings). Truth be told, it's the live recordings where the magic lies and you can really hear Tennstedt come alive. There's actually another box set of his LPO live recordings that you may want to check out:



This set contains the best performance of the 6th I've heard.