What are you listening 2 now?

[Sergeant Rock]

Havergal Brian Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Tragica"




Sarge

[Brian]

Sounds promising! I'm not familiar with this composer. What's his style like?

I listened to Krouse's First Symphonies for Strings based on that post - it's based on the Spanish La Folia tune - it starts out with a feint to minimalism before presenting a series of intensely developed variations, then finally presenting the main tune halfway through, then oddly moving on to much simpler variations. Intriguing sound world but not memorable, so then I sought out (on streaming) his "Labyrinth on a Theme by Led Zeppelin" for four acoustic guitars, and wow - now that is a cool piece! It's the guitar rock version of the Tallis Fantasia, just about.

[Sergeant Rock]

Havergal Brian Symphony No. 7




Sarge

[Bachtoven]

[Iota]

Mahler: Symphony No. 3, BRSO, Haitink

There seem quite a few Mahler 3rd's getting an airing!.. is there something in the air?

First time I've heard this recording, and for the first five movements I thought I may have stumbled onto possibly my favourite recording of it. This didn't quite transpire however, as the last movement (my favourite) for me didn't achieve the emotionally compelling sense of rightness and wondrous detail of the earlier ones. Shame, not that it was bad, just lacking a touch of magic that lit up the rest. Nonetheless a marvellous recording still.

[SonicMan46]

von Weber, Carl Maria (1786-1826) - Keyboard Sonatas - Garrick Ohlsson on a Bösendorfer vs. Jan Vermeulen on a fortepiano (by Tröndlin, Leipzig, 1825) - reviews attached for those interested.  Dave

 

[classicalgeek]

Over a couple of evenings I very much enjoyed these two string quartets from composer I hadn't heard of 'till recently.  Pleasing and easy listening in an early 20th century style, (or so it seems to me, a non-musician) ...

Charles Koechlin:  String Quarters Nos. 1 & 2 ~ Ardeo Quartet

Koechlin is recent discovery for me as well! I don't think I've heard the string quartets, but I have listened to a lot of his other chamber music (especially for winds and piano) and found it immensely gratifying. His orchestral music was what really gripped me, though. Part the Debussy/Ravel soundworld, part Messiaen-before-there-was-Messiaen, but wholly and completely original. There are a number of tone poems, some based on The Jungle Book by Kipling which have received numerous recordings. Two of my favorite non-Jungle Book tone poems are Vers la voute étoileé, which is suggestive of nighttime starry sky and is absolutely gorgeous, and Le Docteur Fabricius, sort of an hourlong Also sprach Zarathustra on acid . I'm also particularly fond of the Seven Stars Symphony, more a suite than a true symphony, which offers a musical portrait of seven different Hollywood film stars. Have fun exploring Koechlin! He's one of the most unique compositional voices I've heard.

[classicalgeek]

Interesting.

It really is!

Yes, I believe the premium members are able to listen with a 320 kbps bitrate whereas regular members listen at 256 kbps, which is still very good. Anything above 192 kbps is going to be good. For home listening, I've ripped most of the recordings I'm listening to at 256 kbps, but lately I've been ripping to 288 kbps AAC, which is an improvement but not a drastic one.

OK, that's what I thought! A lot of streaming services used to offer much lower bitrates (128 kbps was long a standard, and I believe the free version of Naxos Music Library was 64 kbps) so it's good to see them raising their standards. I've been thinking about switching to Qobuz because they offer FLAC, for a few extra dollars. Still on the fence about that.

Brahms

Symphony No.2 

This recording is from 1954 and therefore naturally in genuine "Mono"

Phenomenal!! One of the best performances of one of my favorite symphonies!

Pounds the table! One of my favorite ballets. I was also rather disappointed by Glazunov's Raymonda btw, but The Seasons is a different story!

I really loved the complete Bergakungen. Some gorgeous melodies... and the orchestration (always something I listen for) is to die for! I've been meaning to check out The Seasons.

This ballet surprised me a great deal - I was expecting something light, frivolous, and insouciant along the lines of Poulenc, Ibert, Milhaud et al but instead it's quite an aggressive and strident work that takes it cue from works like Le sacre and the Scythian Suite. Not easy listening, but rather fascinating!

Yeah, I was really impressed by Phedre - definitely closer to Stravinsky and Prokofiev than those French composers. Not that there's anything wrong with Poulenc et. al. - I absolutely love Les Biches!

There's so many great 20th century ballets, aren't there?? Adam Zero is a real favorite of mine - it's imaginatively orchestrated as you say and is full of variety and memorable motives. I'm thinking particularly of the rhythmic motive in the movement called Adam's Fates - so catchy! Don't miss another one of Bliss' ballets, Checkmate - also available on Naxos (with a finer orchestra - the RSNO - also under Lloyd-Jones).

I have Checkmate on my radar as well - if it's as good as Adam Zero, I'm going to really like it! I'm guessing those are anvils at the beginning of Adam's Fates?  Another one I really want to hear is Electra by Malcolm Arnold. I really enjoy Arnold's symphonies and concertos - I have to imagine a ballet by him would be just as delightful!

[vers la flamme]

George Frideric Handel: Nisi Dominus, HWV 238. Andrew Parrott, Taverner Choir & Players

This is a really, really damn good recording. Thanks to Jan for putting me onto it last year when I was first getting really into Handel. Need to hear more of Parrott's work with this ensemble.

[Madiel]

Back to teenage Mozart. Symphony No.14 is apparently regarded as one of the best from the period. So far I concur. There's something about his works in A major...

[Symphonic Addict]

Mahler: Symphony No. 3, BRSO, Haitink

There seem quite a few Mahler 3rd's getting an airing!.. is there something in the air?

First time I've heard this recording, and for the first five movements I thought I may have stumbled onto possibly my favourite recording of it. This didn't quite transpire however, as the last movement (my favourite) for me didn't achieve the emotionally compelling sense of rightness and wondrous detail of the earlier ones. Shame, not that it was bad, just lacking a touch of magic that lit up the rest. Nonetheless a marvellous recording still.

Clearly Mahler is the leading composer to be commented here lately, his popularity has reborn these years of pandemic.

[classicalgeek]

The answer to this is simple: ABSOLUTELY! You can never have too many M6s. Tennstedt, as I wrote earlier, was in his element in front of an audience. Fire and brimstone and all that. Really special performances. I have an M3 from him with the LPO done on the ICA Classics label that is magnificent. If you don't own it, buy it now!

I'm continuing my Mahler journey with the 3rd Symphony, one that I don't know quite as well as some of the others (well it is rather long).

This live Abbado account (from the Royal Festival Hall in London in 1999), if it doesn't quite oust some of the old favourites (Horenstein, Levine, Barbirolli for instance), is a splendid modern alternative.

NP:

Mahler
Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Helga Dernesch, mezzo-soprano
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Women's Chorus, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus
Solti

Mahler: Symphony No. 3, BRSO, Haitink

There seem quite a few Mahler 3rd's getting an airing!.. is there something in the air?

First time I've heard this recording, and for the first five movements I thought I may have stumbled onto possibly my favourite recording of it. This didn't quite transpire however, as the last movement (my favourite) for me didn't achieve the emotionally compelling sense of rightness and wondrous detail of the earlier ones. Shame, not that it was bad, just lacking a touch of magic that lit up the rest. Nonetheless a marvellous recording still.

Mahler 3 is on my radar too... I want to join the M3 crowd! I really want to hear the Levine/Chicago one I just acquired on CD - but I'm at work, where all I have is Spotify! Soon...

[classicalgeek]

Continuing my 20th-century ballet kick:

Prokofiev
The Prodigal Son
Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop



Classic Prokofiev, though a good deal more subdued and introspective than usual for him. Still, those melodies couldn't have been written by anyone else!

[Klavier1]

Extraordinary playing with excellent sound.

[VonStupp]

Back to teenage Mozart. Symphony No.14 is apparently regarded as one of the best from the period. So far I concur. There's something about his works in A major...

I do like Jeffrey Tate in Mozart. Symphonies 13, but especially 25 & 28 ring in my memory as something special from his survey with the ECO. Add to that the 22 & 23 Piano Concertos with Uchida!

Enjoy your listening! 

VS

[VonStupp]

Mahler 3 is on my radar too... I want to join the M3 crowd! I really want to hear the Levine/Chicago one I just acquired on CD - but I'm at work, where all I have is Spotify! Soon...

I'll join in too. The first Mahler 3 I heard; I still keep it around:

Gustav Mahler
Symphony 3

Shirley Verrett, mezzo
Boston SO - Erich Leinsdorf

[kyjo]

Over a couple of evenings I very much enjoyed these two string quartets from composer I hadn't heard of 'till recently.  Pleasing and easy listening in an early 20th century style, (or so it seems to me, a non-musician) ...

Charles Koechlin:  String Quarters Nos. 1 & 2 ~ Ardeo Quartet

Interesting. "Easy listening" is not a phrase that normally comes to my mind when hearing Koechlin's music, though it is often quite beautiful and atmospheric!

[kyjo]

What later works are you referring to? His late symphonies have not been recorded, as far as I know, and we mainly have works in the Delos series that he wrote relatively early in his career. I've been listening to some Diamond recently and I find the most striking thing about his symphonic works to be the colorful orchestration, as well has harmonic and melodic interest. He's not the type to "wear his heart on his sleeve," which may make his output less attractive to some listeners. But generally I don't find generalizations about a composer's output to be very illuminating. It is more interesting to consider an individual work.

To the bolded text, I agree and I'm certainly guilty as charged! I guess I'm mainly referring to some of his later string quartets (post-No. 3?) which I sampled and found rather unattractive. You're right that most of his later symphonies haven't even been commercially recorded.

[Symphonic Addict]

Interesting. "Easy listening" is not a phrase that normally comes to my mind when hearing Koechlin's music, though it is often quite beautiful and atmospheric!

Koechlin appeals to weird people like me. 

[Klavier1]

A fine performance and recording.