What are you listening 2 now?

[ritter]

The Albéniz Iberia listening project ensues...

Now playing:

Iberia, Book II
Miguel Baselga, piano

Iberia, Book II (orch. Carlos Suriñach / Enrique Fernández Arbós)
Cincinnati SO
López-Cobos

From these recordings -

Very nice, and good idea to listen to the original piano version and the Arbós / Surinach orchestral transcriptions back-to-back.

The second book includes my favourite of all the pieces in Iberia, namely Rondeña. It is IMHO the most successful example of flamenco being incorporated into the "cultured" music world. The lively first section uses the complex rhythm of the petenera, a palo (style) of flamenco that is associated with ill omens (the origins of this superstition are unclear, and the petenera is usually slower and more solemn). The quieter middle section is clearly a cante de ida y vuelta ("round-trip song", flamenco influenced by Spanish American idioms), specifically a guajira. And then we revert to the energetic first themes.

Perhaps I've overthought this, but if you listen carefully, Surinach does something quite wonderful in his orchestration of the reprise of the second melody of the lively section after the guajira (without deviating from Albéniz's original in the least): he allocates the high, final notes of the the melodic line of the theme to trumpets, which are slightly out of tune (sounding like the bugles used to accompany bullfights). López-Cobos realises this admirably in his recording (actually, I should bring this up in the "Specific Moments" thread  ). As Ronda (Rondeña means "from Ronda", a beautiful town in the province of Málaga) is home to the oldest bullring in Spain, this is particularly fitting. For me, a magical moment.

Another thing that López-Cobos gets right (as do many —but not all— pianists in the original) is the two notes that close the opening phrase of the initial section (and its reprise), which is repeated several times throughout the piece: in Albéniz's score, these notes are marked "sec et précis" and should be played staccato. They're castanets!  The other recording I own of the fully orchestrated Iberia, conducted by Jean Morel on Decca / Eloquence, is fine, but really doesn't get this right...

NP:

Casella
La giara Suite, Op. 41bis
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana
Christian Benda

And from Spain, to Sicily. A very Mediterranean listening session! 

I particularly like that recording of the La Giara suite, and Marco Beasley's rendition of "La Storia della fanciulla rapita dai pirati" is so full of melancholy, so beautiful! Great stuff!

Good evening, John!

[Linz]

Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 with Kurt Sanderling

[André]

Yesterday I met with friends and we listened to/ sampled from the following discs:

Karlsen » SQ 3. Symphony 1

Varèse : Amériques
The kannel is Estonia's national music instrument, a kind of cithar or psalterion. Beautiful.
The 4th symphony's first mov. Not a single bar goes by without tempo or dynamic tampering. I felt seasick.
The oboe concerto. Superb stuff, my first exposure to this composer's music.

Wright's moving violin concerto, 1st movement. It left everyone stunned.

[Mirror Image]

Very nice, and good idea to listen to the original piano version and the Arbós / Surinach orchestral transcriptions back-to-back.

The second book includes my favourite of all the pieces in Iberia, namely Rondeña. It is IMHO the most successful example of flamenco being incorporated into the "cultured" music world. The lively first section uses the complex rhythm of the petenera, a palo (style) of flamenco that is associated with ill omens (the origins of this superstition are unclear, and the petenera is usually slower and more solemn). The quieter middle section is clearly a cante de ida y vuelta ("round-trip song", flamenco influenced by Spanish American idioms), specifically a guajira. And then we revert to the energetic first themes.

Perhaps I've overthought this, but if you listen carefully, Surinach does something quite wonderful in his orchestration of the reprise of the second melody of the lively section after the guajira (without deviating from Albéniz's original in the least): he allocates the high, final notes of the the melodic line of the theme to trumpets, which are slightly out of tune (sounding like the bugles used to accompany bullfights). López-Cobos realises this admirably in his recording (actually, I should bring this up in the "Specific Moments" thread  ). As Ronda (Rondeña means "from Ronda", a beautiful town in the province of Málaga) is home to the oldest bullring in Spain, this is particularly fitting. For me, a magical moment.

Another thing that López-Cobos gets right (as do many —but not all— pianists in the original) is the two notes that close the opening phrase of the initial section (and its reprise), which is repeated several times throughout the piece: in Albéniz's score, these notes are marked "sec et précis" and should be played staccato. They're castanets!  The other recording I own of the fully orchestrated Iberia, conducted by Jean Morel on Decca / Eloquence, is fine, but really doesn't get this right...
And from Spain, to Sicily. A very Mediterranean listening session! 

I particularly like that recording of the La Giara suite, and Marco Beasley's rendition of "La Storia della fanciulla rapita dai pirati" is so full of melancholy, so beautiful! Great stuff!

Good evening, John!

Thanks for the information, Rafael. This post made me think about my listening and how I'm going to listen even more attentively, especially to these musical sections in which you highlighted so eloquently. And yes, that Marco Beasley performance alone is enough to repeat again and again --- so beautiful. And a fine evening to you as well.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Szymanowski
Fantasy, Op. 14
Anu Vehviläinen

[Klavier1]

In honor of Mr. Crumb's passing, Volume 1. It's very well played and recorded.

[Que]

From the "The Real Chopin" box set:

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony no. 8 Svetlanov

[ritter]

Bruckner Symphony no. 8 Svetlanov

BrÜckner?  That "Édition Officielle" has changed the composer's name 

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Schoenberg
Erwartung, Op. 17
Sara Jakubiak, soprano
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner



Listening to this performance again. This is absolutely fabulous and I'll say it again, this recording is one of the best I've heard from Chandos.

[Linz]

BrÜckner?  That "Édition Officielle" has changed the composer's name 

Those Russians

[Karl Henning]

Very nice, and good idea to listen to the original piano version and the Arbós / Surinach orchestral transcriptions back-to-back.

The second book includes my favourite of all the pieces in Iberia, namely Rondeña. It is IMHO the most successful example of flamenco being incorporated into the "cultured" music world. The lively first section uses the complex rhythm of the petenera, a palo (style) of flamenco that is associated with ill omens (the origins of this superstition are unclear, and the petenera is usually slower and more solemn). The quieter middle section is clearly a cante de ida y vuelta ("round-trip song", flamenco influenced by Spanish American idioms), specifically a guajira. And then we revert to the energetic first themes.

Perhaps I've overthought this, but if you listen carefully, Surinach does something quite wonderful in his orchestration of the reprise of the second melody of the lively section after the guajira (without deviating from Albéniz's original in the least): he allocates the high, final notes of the the melodic line of the theme to trumpets, which are slightly out of tune (sounding like the bugles used to accompany bullfights). López-Cobos realises this admirably in his recording (actually, I should bring this up in the "Specific Moments" thread  ). As Ronda (Rondeña means "from Ronda", a beautiful town in the province of Málaga) is home to the oldest bullring in Spain, this is particularly fitting. For me, a magical moment.

Another thing that López-Cobos gets right (as do many —but not all— pianists in the original) is the two notes that close the opening phrase of the initial section (and its reprise), which is repeated several times throughout the piece: in Albéniz's score, these notes are marked "sec et précis" and should be played staccato. They're castanets!  The other recording I own of the fully orchestrated Iberia, conducted by Jean Morel on Decca / Eloquence, is fine, but really doesn't get this right...
And from Spain, to Sicily. A very Mediterranean listening session! 

I particularly like that recording of the La Giara suite, and Marco Beasley's rendition of "La Storia della fanciulla rapita dai pirati" is so full of melancholy, so beautiful! Great stuff!

Good evening, John!

Most interesting, Rafael!


TD: The "Baroque miscellanies album"


CD 52

J. Pachelbel
Canon in D

Tomaso Albinoni
Remo Gazotto
Adagio in g minor

JSB
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Henry Purcell
Chacony in g minor

JSB
Air

A. Corelli
Christmas Concerto in g minor

G. F. Handel
Sinfonia from Solomon Act III
Largo from Serse, Act I

Vivaldi
Concerto in b minor for 4 vn & vc, RV 580

[aligreto]

Kodaly:





Concerto for Orchestra: This is buoyant music with quite a unique flavour to its musical language. It is very interesting.

Summer Evening: Descriptive, atmospheric and evocative are all adjectives that immediately come to mind.

[VonStupp]

Sergei Prokofiev
Zdravitsa (A Toast / Hail to Stalin), op. 85

Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
London PO - Derek Gleeson

What a pleasant little musical surprise this was, despite the propaganda background of Zdravitsa. There was a snatch of melody that reminded me terribly of Khachaturian, and at 15 minutes total it is wrapped up in a lovely, almost cinematic package. Terrific!

VS

[listener]

HINDEMITH:  Cello Concerto and Viola Concerto (Variations on an Ancient Folksong)
Miklos Perenyi, cello   Kaszlo Barsony, viola
Budapest S.O., Hungarian State O.
SIBELIUS:  Symphony 3, Pojola's Daughter, Night Ride and Sunrise, excerpts from Pelleas and Melisande
London S.O.,   Anthony Collins, cond.
AUBER, HÉROLD, GOUNOD, THOMAS et al.
French Opera Highlights    ( no voices!!)
Detroit S.O.    Paul Paray cond.

[Linz]

Bruckner's Study symphony with Gerd Schaller and the Philharmonie Festiva

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Tuesday

Martin
Trois danses
Heinz Holliger (oboe), Ursula Holliger (harp)
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Marriner

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Loyset Compère, on RICECARE, Missa Galeazescha Music for the Duke of Milan, and it's super good.

Consort music always very strong and festive ?
Whom like this one?

[Mirror Image]

Another First-Listen

Pierné
Piano Quintet, Op. 41
Christian Ivaldi (piano)
Louvigny Quartet

From this new acquisition:



There are occasions where I believe a composer's neglect is justified, but when it comes to Pierné, I fail to understand why this is the case. It's such finely crafted music that actually stays with you after the work has finished or, at least, this is the way it is whenever I hear one of his pieces.

[Madiel]

Don't remember Pierne exciting me all that much in the French listening thread... which Olivier seems to have abandoned in favour of AFL fandom or something...

Now listening to Vivaldi (disc 10 of this box equals volume 9 of the original series of issues).