What are you listening 2 now?

[JBS]

I have listened to his recording of the Partitas and the WTC. I would not characterize it that way. I didn't have the impression that he was "romanticizing" the music. I just felt that his tone was generally unpleasantly uniform and heavy. I found it was a relief to go back to the Bach "specialists" such as Hewitt and Schiff.

The effect was most pronounced in the Partitas. The rest of his Bach more or less bored me

TD
Yet another first listen



Some music from Dalmatia in the first half of the 17th century (with a couple of works from the mid-16th century) that doesn't deserve its relative obscurity.

[kyjo]

Sgambati: Symphony No. 2 in E-flat minor

Lately I've been drawn by life-affirming works, and this suits the rule. The slow movement has a similar feeling with an Atterbergian slow movement. Quite lovely.

To the bolded text, same here! I have positive memories of the Sgambati, particularly the sparkling scherzo.

[kyjo]

Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps

This is what I call austere and sincere music. I am seldom familiar with his composer and work, and this intrigued me enough.

Superb performance of a masterpiece!

[kyjo]

Ben-Haim: Symphony No. 1

For some reason, this work reminded me of Roussel's 2nd Symphony. Both works have malice, rigour enough and they develop convincingly. Even, if you want, there is a bit of Hindemith. Spectacular work, spectacular performance and recording.

Pounds the table! There's this ultra-catchy syncopated rhythmic figure near the conclusion of the work that's been stuck in my head for weeks!

[Spotted Horses]

The effect was most pronounced in the Partitas. The rest of his Bach more or less bored me

Yes, my impression is probably mostly based on his WTC. Is there more?

[kyjo]

Weinberg: Piano Quintet

One of the great PQs IMO. The 4th movement Largo gave me chills. Very moving.

One of Weinberg's greatest works IMO. Deeply-felt stuff.

[kyjo]

Brian: Symphony No. 2

First listen with this recording.

What did you think?

[kyjo]

TD:
Respighi
Church Windows
Brazilian Impressions
Philharmonia Orchestra
Geoffrey Simon



Listened to these twice each, once with score (available on IMSLP), once without. Really fine pieces, full of color, contrast, and absolutely stunning orchestration!

Just wait until you hear the masterpiece that is Metamorphoseon....!

[kyjo]

    Virgil Thomson's Symphony on a Hymn Tune 
    James Sedares, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Virgil Thomson was awfully rude about Benjamin Britten at times, which puts him into something of a dog house for me in some respects... but I can't argue with the charm and personality of some of his orchestral works. This one I like a lot.

He also apparently said that Sibelius was "vulgar, self-indulgent and provincial". He obviously had a screw loose somewhere.....

[Mirror Image]

Asking out of curiosity:
Did you ever hear his recording of the Bach Partitas? Because he played them as if they were by Chopin. It was certainly a different approach than the usual.


Ulf Hoelscher violin
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Pierre Dervaux conductor
Concertante works for violin and orchestra
Concerto 1 in A Major Op 20
Concerto 2 in C Major Op 58
Romance in C Major Op 48
Romance in D Flat Major Op 37
Morceau de Concert in G Major Op 62
Caprice Andalou in G Major Op 122
Prelude pour "Le Deluge" in D Major Op 45

Getting the image off the Amazon page, I discovered Jeff Bezos lists this set as [I bleep you not]:
#1 New Release in Traditional Folk

Are you sure it was Bezos? Didn't he leave Amazon?

[Spotted Horses]

He also apparently said that Sibelius was "vulgar, self-indulgent and provincial". He obviously had a screw loose somewhere.....

I find it does not benefit me to pay any attention to what composers say about other composers or their own works. Whatever nonsense they have to tell themselves to create beautiful music is fine, but they would be advised to keep it to themselves. Saint-Saens, who seems to be the darling of the moment here, referred to Debussy's works as "atrocities" and blocked Debussy's appointment to the Institut de France, for instance.

[Mirror Image]

NP: Roussel Le festin de l'araignée (Rophé)



Such an utterly beguiling ballet. Love it! Stupendous performance, too.

[Symphonic Addict]

Casella: Triple Concerto

Glad to revisit (and impressed by how good it is) this quite characterfully neoclassical concerto.

[Symphonic Addict]

Pounds the table! There's this ultra-catchy syncopated rhythmic figure near the conclusion of the work that's been stuck in my head for weeks!

Yes, an exciting piece, Kyle. I wonder Chandos when will release future volumes of his music.

[Madiel]

Giving this a whirl.



Romantic? Not particularly. But a bit dull. Bach can easily get dull (to be honest, the much more highly praised Andras Schiff doesn't always do it for me).  And after going through partitas 1&2 while sifting through personal papers from 1998-9 as part of the pre-house-moving cleanup... the papers were generally more interesting.

Now I've shifted to the Toccata that opens the 6th partita, because I know that far better than anything else in the set... and it's pretty darn dull. I'm sure I used to play it better than this. Sure, I was only playing one movement rather than an entire set of 6 works, but still. I wasn't getting paid.

[Symphonic Addict]

One of Weinberg's greatest works IMO. Deeply-felt stuff.

Absolutely, and his other chamber music (a big deal of it) is of high artistic quality as well.

[Symphonic Addict]

What did you think?

I confirmed various ideas and thoughts about this composer (to some extent) regarding why I don't enjoy his music as much as I should:

- He wasn't a good tunesmith, nor was he a distinctive or appealing rhythmic composer. The melodies on these symphonies are rather flat, there is no spark, and it was curious because then I immediately listened to an excerpt of Sibelius's Kullervo and I noticed how easy for Sibelius was to put a memorable melody in any of his works, if all.

- His use of the orchestra is not too much appealing to me. It's like he was trying too hard to achieve instrumental colour and cohesiveness.

- He can be annoyingly anticlimactic, and I say this about the more-extended 4th movement. There are several moments that seem to reach cathartic and powerful moments, and those passages just don't occur. Sort of frustrating.

I can understand the fact that he was self-taught and it gave him a lot of merit and pride, of course. And I'm not meaning he's not or he wasn't a good composer or 1st rate musician or something like that. In any case, I do find interesting some of his symphonies and some miscellaneous orchestral works.

[Symphonic Addict]

Casella: Triple Concerto

This was truly sensational. How was I missing this work for so long?

[Mirror Image]

This was truly sensational. How was I missing this work for so long?

It's a nice enough work. I prefer his Cello Concerto however.

[Mirror Image]

I confirmed various ideas and thoughts about this composer (to some extent) regarding why I don't enjoy his music as much as I should:

- He wasn't a good tunesmith, nor was he a distinctive or appealing rhythmic composer. The melodies on these symphonies are rather flat, there is no spark, and it was curious because then I immediately listened to an excerpt of Sibelius's Kullervo and I noticed how easy for Sibelius was to put a memorable melody in any of his works, if all.

- His use of the orchestra is not too much appealing to me. It's like he was trying too hard to achieve instrumental colour and cohesiveness.

- He can be annoyingly anticlimactic, and I say this about the more-extended 4th movement. There are several moments that seem to reach cathartic and powerful moments, and those passages just don't occur. Sort of frustrating.

I can understand the fact that he was self-taught and it gave him a lot of merit and pride, of course. And I'm not meaning he's not or he wasn't a good composer or 1st rate musician or something like that. In any case, I do find interesting some of his symphonies and some miscellaneous orchestral works.

I personally wouldn't say Brian is a horrible composer, but he is, however, devoid of interesting ideas that actually stick with you, or, at least, with me and this makes him someone I'm not interested in hearing again.