What are you listening 2 now?

[Symphonic Addict]

.....and?? That key signature sure is enticing!

Not too much "animated" for my mood yesterday. I put it off, and yes, great works have been composed in that key (Walton's 1st, Respighi's Metamorphoseon and Sinfonia Drammatica, Magnard's 3rd, Shostakovich's 13th, and so forth).

[bhodges]

Martinů: Violin Concerto No. 1 – Frankfurt Radio Symphony / Josef Špaček, Violin / Petr Popelka, conductor. Even better on second hearing, and you can see it in the orchestra members' faces, during the performance and the curtain call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgIcuoPyInE&t=1s

--Bruce

[Symphonic Addict]

Bloch: 'Voice in the Wilderness' (Nelsova/Ansermet). New arrival:

NP
Walther Geiser: Symphony (1953)
Never heard of this composer. The inspiriting, neo-classical Symphony is very enjoyable, not unlike Honegger and David Diamond in places.

Never heard of this composer before either. Must be worth listening!

[Symphonic Addict]

Bacewicz: Violin Concerto No. 2

Phenomenal! My favorite female composer hands down.

[JBS]

From the Warner Complete Recordings set


Quite good, enough to provoke a lament he did not record the other three concertos

To be followed by

[TheGSMoeller]

More Ives!

These are vintage Ives, in that inimitable "patchwork" style: a church hymn here, an American patriotic tune there; different popular dance rhythms come and go, overlaid on these intricate patterns of rhythm and pitch. Quarter-tone pianos, Jews' harps, brass bands, choirs... it's all wonderfully chaotic and exactingly precise at the same time. There's nothing else in music quite like it.

Glad to hear you're enjoying Ives, CG, and "wonderfully chaotic and exactingly precise" is a great description of his music.

[kyjo]

NP:

Saint-Saëns
Symphony in F, "Urbs Roma"
Orchestre National de France
Cristian Mǎcelaru



Beautiful performance. This is my first foray into this new Saint-Saëns symphony cycle and I'm rather enjoying it so far.

This may be the best S-S symphony cycle yet, above the classic Martinon on EMI or the more recent Soustrot on Naxos (I haven't heard the Kantorow series on BIS or Thierry Fischer's on Hyperion). Remarkably beautiful performances and sound.

[TheGSMoeller]

This is a fantastic album. Going from Feldman's Rothko Chapel, to Satie, Cage and back to Satie is quite a kaleidoscopic journey. 

[Mirror Image]

This may be the best S-S symphony cycle yet, above the classic Martinon on EMI or the more recent Soustrot on Naxos (I haven't heard the Kantorow series on BIS or Thierry Fischer's on Hyperion). Remarkably beautiful performances and sound.

I certainly enjoyed this performance, Kyle. Martinon is still deep within my subconscious from having cut my teeth with his cycle years ago, so I'm not going to say Mǎcelaru is better, but I think both are worth having in one's collection. I wouldn't bother with Fischer on Hyperion --- I found the performances rather drab, which is shame because I do generally like Fischer's conducting (especially his Frank Martin and Honegger recordings).

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Debussy
Estampes
Youri Egorov



From this incredible set -

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Ravel
Chansons madécasses
Jessye Norman, soprano
Ensemble Intercontemporain
Boulez



Quite possibly the closest Ravel ever got to Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School. A frightening, eerie work --- love it.

[Symphonic Addict]

Schmitt: Oriane et le Prince d'Amour

Simply sensational.

How Schmitt manages to combine Impressionism, some Neoclassicism and a few tinges of Second Viennese School is nothing short of cohesive and brilliant.

[Mirror Image]

Last work for the night:

Ravel
L'enfant et les sortilèges
Colette Herzog (soprano), Jeannine Collard (mezzo-soprano), Jane Berbié (mezzo-soprano), Francoise Ogeas (soprano), Sylvaine Gilma (soprano), Camille Maurane (baritone), Michel Sénéchal (tenor), Heinz Rehfuss (baritone), René Alix (chorus master)
R.T.F. National Orchestre, R.T.F. Choeur De Radio France, R.T.F. Maitrise De Radio France
Lorin Maazel

From this set -



For me, this is one of the most magnificent pieces ever written. It cleverly straddles the line between outrageous and sensuous. The orchestration alone is a feast for the ears.

[Que]

Morning listening:



Another amazing recording by the Binchois Consort. Strongly recommended for those interested in Early English Polyphony!

A short explanation on the content, copied from Amazon:
This CD is a cultural, historical and musical delight thematically constructed around the victorious military campaigns of Henry V, culminating in the legendary battle of Agincourt, the coronation of his son Henry VI and the veneration (and exploitation) of the English saints Thomas Becket and king Edmund for patriotic purposes.
The Binchois Consort have chosen a selection of simply sublime music to illustrate each theme ranging from anonymous works to those of the leading English composers of the period Forest, Leonel Power and John Dunstable.
A bonus is the beautifully illustrated booklet with photos of English carved alabasters from the Castle Museum, Nottingham and full texts.

[Harry]

Johann Gottfried Walther.

Complete Organ Works, CD IV. Chorale settings III.
Simone Stella plays on a Francesco Zanin organ, 2006.

What a sublime introduction with which this CD begins, "Erbarm dich mein, O, Herre Gott" followed by the equally impressive "Erhalt uns Herr, bei deinem Wort". Very good sound too.

Good morning all.

[Irons]

Actually no, I didn't, or not so much. Only the 1st movement was played. I wasn't in the mood for it yesterday. However, I have fond memories of other of his symphonies and string quartets.

Thanks. I will move on.

TD

Alwyn: Violin Concerto.

[Harry]

Alexander Glazunov.

Complete Symphonies and concertos.
CD I.

Symphony No. 3 in D major.
Symphony No. 9 in D major, "Unfinished". (Orch. Gavriil Yudin)

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jose Serebrier.

Really fine performances. On Par with the Orfeo recordings with Neeme Järvi at the helm.

[Roasted Swan]

Alexander Glazunov.

Complete Symphonies and concertos.
CD I.

Symphony No. 3 in D major.
Symphony No. 9 in D major, "Unfinished". (Orch. Gavriil Yudin)

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jose Serebrier.

Really fine performances. On Par with the Orfeo recordings with Neeme Järvi at the helm.

By chance I listened to the No.5/The Seasons from this set yesterday and agree completely.  The recordings are technically excellent - opulent and rich - and Serebrier has a great feel for the music.  A couple of times I wondered if he over-egged some expressive corners but perhaps I'm too used to Svetlanov's more driven style.  But in any case this set is stunning value currently - under £16.00 on Amazon for the 8 CD box.  I don't know the Jarvi cycle for the simple reason it stays stubbornly expensive either as single 2nd hand discs or as a pricey Orfeo box.  With the caveat that I can't compare this to Jarvi, this is the best all-round set of the Glazunov symphonies I know (it does include the rare/incomplete No.9 as you mention) and trumps the Russian cycles (not all complete I know) from Svetlanov/Rohzdestvensky/Polyansky/Fedoseyev and Otaka in Wales.  I don't know the Naxos cycle but I doubt they match Serebrier either as technical recordings or as well-played.....

[Harry]

By chance I listened to the No.5/The Seasons from this set yesterday and agree completely.  The recordings are technically excellent - opulent and rich - and Serebrier has a great feel for the music.  A couple of times I wondered if he over-egged some expressive corners but perhaps I'm too used to Svetlanov's more driven style.  But in any case this set is stunning value currently - under £16.00 on Amazon for the 8 CD box.  I don't know the Jarvi cycle for the simple reason it stays stubbornly expensive either as single 2nd hand discs or as a pricey Orfeo box.  With the caveat that I can't compare this to Jarvi, this is the best all-round set of the Glazunov symphonies I know (it does include the rare/incomplete No.9 as you mention) and trumps the Russian cycles (not all complete I know) from Svetlanov/Rohzdestvensky/Polyansky/Fedoseyev and Otaka in Wales.  I don't know the Naxos cycle but I doubt they match Serebrier either as technical recordings or as well-played.....

The Orfeo box on JPC is around 54 euros. I bought them when they arrived on the market a long time ago. Still I consider them well worth the effort. Not as well recorded as the Serebrier, but very committed performances. I played the complete set more than 20 times, and in my book that says something.

[aligreto]

JS Bach: Sonatas Nos. 1-3 for Flute & Basso Continuo BWV 1033-1035 [Musica Antiqua Koln]





The music is beguiling, the playing is excellent and the recorded sound is also excellent.