What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

Gatti's Fourth is good, but it won't be replacing Solti's recording as my favorite.

Ho capito.

TD:

"Wolferl"
Quartet in G, K. 387
Juilliard Quartet

[JBS]

Part of that recording was re-issued on Naxos, with three other works in place of the Choreografic Suite.

TD
Second listen.

My initial reservation about this CD holds: there's a certain sameness to the music that makes it a little boring.  Better listened to one or two cantatas at a time than all six in one go. (The performance itself is fine.)

ETA
For reference, the rest of Schwarz's Creston recordings on Naxos re-issues

[Daverz]

Part of that recording was re-issued on Naxos, with three other works in place of the Choreografic Suite.

TD
Second listen.

My initial reservation about this CD holds: there's a certain sameness to the music that makes it a little boring.  Better listened to one or two cantatas at a time than all six in one go. (The performance itself is fine.)

ETA
For reference, the rest of Schwarz's Creston recordings on Naxos re-issues

Yeah, Naxos has done a great service by reissuing all these old Delos recordings of American music.

TD:



The Krejci Serenade and Pauer Bassoon Concerto are in vivid mono.  The Krejci Symphony in stereo.  It's all jaunty, post-war neo-Classicism.

[Mirror Image]

Georges Enesco's Cello Sonatas, op. 26. No. 1 in F minor & No. 2 in C major. Cătălin Ilea (vc) and Nicolae Licareț (pf).



Although they share the same opus number, these two works are from completely different periods of the composer's career. The first was composed by a teenage Enesco in 1898, while the second is from the composer's maturity (1935).

That a decent recording, but I much prefer this one:



The interpretation, overall performance and audio fidelity cannot be faulted. If you haven't acquired it, please do so, Rafael.

[Mirror Image]

The Third Sonata definitely stood out to me more than the others. That's an interesting story, the one about Ives writing a bunch of movements and then trying to make separate sonatas out of them!

TD: moving on to the Third Symphony:

Charles Ives
Fugue in Four Keys on 'The Shining Shore'
Symphony no. 3
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin



So far, I'm most impressed with Ives' Second Symphony... but I really like the Third too. I want to listen again, perhaps this time with the score.

Ives' 3rd symphony (aka "The Camp Meeting") could be viewed as his 'pastoral symphony'. It's got this easy atmosphere about it, but it is gorgeous. Also glad to see you listening to the Fulkerson/Shannon recording of the Violin Sonatas. A must-have set, IMHO, for anyone wanting to collect Ives' music. FYI, Ives' Violin Sonata No. 2 is my favorite of the four.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Franck
Symphony in D minor
CSO
Monteux



When talking about Franck's sole symphony, for many listeners, the Monteux is the reference and I can certainly hear why.

[Symphonic Addict]

Rautavaara: Anadyomene

This kind of ethereal and evocative works was a composer's specialty. Ravishing.





Sumera: Piano Concerto

Sumera stamped a very personal style, and you notice that in this piano concerto in two significantly contrasted two movements.

[kyjo]

Don't agree about the Sauguet 'Expiatoire' Symphony which I find marvellous in every respect. I find the finale, especially the coda, to be very moving. There is an earlier recording by Bour which has greater urgency but, actually, I like both recordings. The Schoenberg CD was recently sold off, very cheaply, by the school's Music Dept, although I haven't played it yet.

I'm now listening to Ornstein's Piano Quintet which is terrific and definitely in the spirit of PQs by Bax and Bloch. I think that I have you to thank for alerting me to this one Kyle 

I couldn't find the earlier Bour recording of the Sauguet on Spotify or YT, so I was stuck with the one on Marco Polo. I'm sure a really fine performance would increase my appreciation for the work.

Pounds the table for the Ornstein! A tremendous work.

[kyjo]

Wow - that's a big statement!  Never heard this version but really better than Peter Donohoe and the Magginis let alone John Ogden and the Allegris to name 2 others for starters....?!

OK, perhaps I jumped the gun with my statement, but I was really impressed with that new recording of the Elgar Piano Quintet. The Donohoe/Maggini version is indeed very fine; don't know the Ogden/Allegri one.

[kyjo]

László Lajtha's Symphony No. 8
    Nicolás Pasquet, Pécs Symphony Orchestra

First time listening, not even properly ripped and catalogued yet ...but I couldn't wait! Excellent piece.

Pounds the table! I love that symphony with its atmospheric, nocturnal style.

[kyjo]

Thread Duty: Speaking of Ives...

Charles Ives
Violin sonatas nos. 1-4
Gregory Fulkerson, violin
Robert Shannon, piano
(on Spotify)



I'm familiar with Fulkerson and Shannon because they both taught at Oberlin (and Shannon still teaches there), where I studied music composition in the 90s. They deliver really stunning performances here, and there are some really genuinely beautiful moments in these pieces too, particularly the Third Violin Sonata. I want to revisit these works soon, to become more familiar with the individual works, but I was really impressed with both the works and the performances. Thanks John/MI for the recommendation!

I particularly love the poignantly lyrical 3rd Violin Sonata - one of Ives' most approachable and deeply-felt works.

[Mirror Image]

Last work for the night:

Hahn
Piano Concerto in E major
Shani Diluka, piano
Orchestre de Chambre de Paris
Hervé Niquet



Absolutely exquisite.

[kyjo]

Sibelius: Scaramouche



It's all too easy to forget that Sibelius wrote a ballet, and an excellent one it is too! It shows the composer at his most elegant (but not "dainty"), and contains plenty of his signature fingerprints (delicious woodwind writing!). Every serious Sibelius should hear this, in a wonderful performance and sound here.


Papandopulo: Piano Concerto no. 3 and Violin Concerto



My first encounter with the music of one of the best-named composers! The winner here is the PC no. 3. It starts off rather seriously but soon develops into a madcap, Poulencian romp. The slow movement is calm and reflective a la Ravel's G major concerto, and best of all is the ultra-jazzy, rhythmic finale which kinda sounds like Gershwin on crack! The VC tries to be a more serious/epic work, but doesn't really succeed. The 25-minute first movement simply does not sustain itself, and while the 2nd and 3rd movements are slightly better, they can't save the work as a whole. Nevertheless, the PC definitely piqued my interest in this composer.


Peterson-Berger: I Somras (Last Summer), suite for orchestra



My first listen to this work, actually. I thought the highlights were the two outer movements (The Mountain and The Mountain Stream), above all the imposingly majestic opening one. Peterson-Berger was nothing if not a really colorful and personal orchestrator, and it shows in this work.


Novák: Slovak Suite and Serenade in F major



Enjoyable and beautifully orchestrated music, it just lacking that last ounce of staying memorability. My favorite works by him remain his two fantastically colorful ballet-pantomimes Nikotina and Signorina Gioventu.


Fauré: Dolly Suite for piano 4-hands



Sheer delight - Fauré at his most unbuttoned! I particularly loved the final movement Les pas espagnol.

[Madiel]

Schumann, Eric Le Sage, first volume.



This volume has:

Papillons, op.2
Davidsbundlertanze, op.6
Intermezzi, op.4

(so works that have Schumann's fragmentary approach... apparently he described the Intermezzi as "longer Papillons")

[vandermolen]

John Ireland 'The Forgotten Rite' Prelude for Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Barbirolli.
I like this album as it features my three favourite Ireland works on the same disc (Forgotten Rite, Mai Dun, These Things Shall Be):

[Que]

[vandermolen]

I couldn't find the earlier Bour recording of the Sauguet on Spotify or YT, so I was stuck with the one on Marco Polo. I'm sure a really fine performance would increase my appreciation for the work.

Pounds the table for the Ornstein! A tremendous work.

Hi Kyle,
https://forgottenrecords.com/en/Marechal--Bour--Bloch-Sauguet--1061.html
Here's the link. If it doesn't work go to 'Forgotten Records' and search for Sauguet under their composers catalogue.
The performance of Bloch's 'Schelomo' is about the best I have heard, which might interest you as well.

[Irons]

László Lajtha's Symphony No. 8
    Nicolás Pasquet, Pécs Symphony Orchestra

First time listening, not even properly ripped and catalogued yet ...but I couldn't wait! Excellent piece.

I like the 9th Symphony very much.

TD

Holst: Beni Mora.

An outstanding CD which I return to many times.

[Que]

Switching to Spotify to give this set another chance



https://earlymusicreview.com/the-complete-fitzwilliam-virginal-book/

I think I'm already convinced that my initial response was too harsh....

[Florestan]

Schumann, Eric Le Sage, first volume.



This volume has:

Papillons, op.2
Davidsbundlertanze, op.6
Intermezzi, op.4

(so works that have Schumann's fragmentary approach... apparently he described the Intermezzi as "longer Papillons")

What do you think?