What are you listening 2 now?

[kyjo]

Early morning listening - Merikanto Symphony No.1
A long time since I've listened to the Merikanto symphonies:

So....what did you think?

[kyjo]

Ahmed Adnan Saygun's Symphony No. 4 
    Ari Rasilainen, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz

Pounds the table!!! Sensational work!!!

[Linz]

Schubert Symphony 9 the "Great" Harnoncourt Concertgebouw

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Some Debussy with Rudolf Firkusny:

Suite Bergamasque, Estampes and Children's Corner on an old mono Capital LP

Exquisite playing and what has not already been said before about the wonderful music!



PD

[kyjo]

The Bloch Party finally resumed yesterday:

Voice in the Wilderness (re-listen)
Wolfgang Schmidt, cello
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Fabrice Bollon

Evocations (re-listen)
Three Jewish Poems
Malmo Symphony Orchestra
Andrey Boreyko

Symphony in C-sharp minor
London Symphony Orchestra
Dalia Atlas



Bloch is definitely a composer who's growing on me; his mature style (most present in Three Jewish Poems, but also evident in Evocations and Voice in the Wilderness) is like no one else's. Lots of chamber-like texture and delicate flourishes of orchestration, and an almost exotic harmonic language that seems to be fond of parallel fifths! I was impressed with his Symphony in C-sharp minor as well, for the large scope as much as anything. True, it did bring to mind Mahler and especially Richard Strauss (there's a passage in the first movement, from about 6:50 to 7:55, that reminds me vividly of a similar passage in Death and Transfiguration.) In some parts I was reminded of Arnold Bax (who was a rough contemporary of Bloch, so he probably hadn't written his major orchestral works when Bloch wrote this symphony); the way the theme from the slow movement is brought back at the climax of the finale reminds me of Malcolm Arnold's Fifth Symphony! And of course the very end brought to mind the close of Rachmaninov's The Bells. I guess these comparisons to other composers is a way of saying I didn't hear a lot of Bloch in this piece - but it was still a rewarding and enjoyable listen. I love decadently-scored late-Romantic orchestral works as much as anyone, and this certainly delivered!

To the bolded text - great observation! I love when composers bring back earlier themes from a work in a grand, climactic matter near the end as Arnold does in his 5th Symphony and Bloch does in his C-sharp minor Symphony - it gives these works a sense of unity and "homecoming".

[Linz]

Bruckner symphony No.1 in C minor 1866 version Gerd Schaller

[Florestan]

I love when composers bring back earlier themes from a work in a grand, climactic matter near the end as Arnold does in his 5th Symphony and Bloch does in his C-sharp minor Symphony - it gives these works a sense of unity and "homecoming".

Tchaikovsky's Fifth did it first. 

[Karl Henning]

CD 53 with Gil Shaham

Edward Elgar
Salut d'amour, Op. 1

Fritz Kreisler
Schön Rosmarin

Johan Svendsen
Romance in G, Op. 26

Fritz Kreisler
Liebesfreud

LvB
Romance № 1 in G. Op. 40
Romance № 2 in F. Op. 50

Fritz Kreisler
Liebesleid

Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Sérénade mélancolique, Op. 26

Pablo de Sarasate
Romanza andaluza, Op. 22 № 1

Antonin Dvořák
Romance in F, Op. 11

Just listened again to a "curated" edition of this disc: Just the Elgar, Svendsen, Tchaikovsky, de Sarasate & Dvořák ... making a compelling program. Reminds me of my last experience (decades since) with a magazine subscription ... we called the removal of all the card-stock ads and perfume promotions "deboning" the periodical. Come to think of it, that's probably why I've never subscribed to magazines since ....

Now:

CD 5

Dvořák
Symphony № 7 in d minor, Op. 70
Symphony № 8 in G, Op. 88

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Ludus Tonalis, Paul Hindemith. Edward Aldwell

[Linz]

Playing Schubert's 9th again this time with Günter Wand and the Berlin Philharmonic

[Karl Henning]

Ludus Tonalis, Paul Hindemith. Edward Aldwell

Sweet!

[Mirror Image]

Two back-to-back fairy ballets:

Schmitt
Le petit elfe ferme-l'oeil, Op. 73
Aline Martin, mezzo-soprano
Lorraine National Orchestra
Jacques Mercier



Stravinsky
Le Baiser de la fée
LSO
Craft

[Mirror Image]

That one (as one might expect) is a-coming later in the box, John, thanks.

[Linz]

Shostakovich Symphony 15 with Kurt Sanderling

[ritter]

Two back-to-back fairy ballets:

Schmitt
Le petit elfe ferme-l'oeil, Op. 73
Aline Martin, mezzo-soprano
Lorraine National Orchestra
Jacques Mercier



Stravinsky
Le Baiser de la fée
LSO
Craft

Nice! Good evening to you, John.

Some Debussy with Rudolf Firkusny:

Suite Bergamasque, Estampes and Children's Corner on an old mono Capital LP

Exquisite playing and what has not already been said before about the wonderful music!

Once again, we coincide in listening to Debussy, PD!  Good evening to you as well!

Spinning this new arrival (disc 1, with the first books of the Préludes and Études, respectively:


Georges Pludermacher's playing so far (I've just reached Les Collines dAnacapri) sounds muscular, but also poetic. Great stuff!

[pi2000]

  I Musici

[Karl Henning]

Shostakovich Symphony 15 with Kurt Sanderling

Love it!

[Mirror Image]

Nice! Good evening to you, John.

Spinning this new arrival (disc 1, with the first books of the Préludes and Études, respectively:


Georges Pludermacher's playing so far (I've just reached Les Collines dAnacapri) sounds muscular, but also poetic. Great stuff!

And the same to you, my friend. Nice looking Debussy recording!

[Mirror Image]

By the way, Rafael, what do you think of Alain Planès's set of complete Debussy piano works? I have his box set, but I haven't heard any of these performances in years.

[ritter]

By the way, Rafael, what do you think of Alain Planès's set of complete Debussy piano works? I have his box set, but I haven't heard any of these performances in years.

I know it only fleetingly, from YouTube. Seemed OK to me, but cannot really give an informed opinion. Planès studied with Jacques Février (whose Debussy I only recently discovered, but enjoyed very much), so that is a good indicator....