What are you listening 2 now?

[Que]

Morning listening - music from the Peterhouse Partbooks, vol. 2:

   

[Harry]

Johann Gottfried Walther.

Complete Organ Music.
Chorale settings VII.
Volume 8.

Simone Stella plays on a Francesco Zanin organ 2006.

My admiration for the set is boundless. Those chorale settings sound as if made in heaven. One long line of life affirming music. The Zanin organ sounds fantastic, and the recording throughout matches that. Simone Stella knows exactly how to get the maximum out of this music.
Recommended on all counts.

[vandermolen]

I must thank Jeffrey (vandermolen) for sending me this very impressive CD, from a composer I never heard from, but which is now firmly established in my awareness. This CD seems to be OOP, but when I listened to some fragments of the first symphony I knew that I had to have it, and thus Jeffrey came with a perfect solution, I am lucky in this respect.

Steve Gerber
Premiere recordings.

Symphony No. 1.
Dirge and Awakening for Orchestra.
Viola Concerto.
Triple Overture.

Russian PO, Thomas Sanderling.
Lars Anders Tomter, Viola.
The Bekova Sisters.

The first movement of the symphony opens up in such a balance and equilibrium, and inward drama, delicately furnishing a tapestry with emotion that left me somewhat in awe. And when the Brass comes in in the beginning of the second movement, I am utterly stunned with Gerber"s insight when it comes to effective scoring, sparse but adequate. The third movement sostenuto firmly cementes this Russian sounding music in my mind as quite an achievement.
And it does not stop here, for the Dirge and Awakening for orchestra, engenders the same enthusiasm, as does the rest of his compositions.
I am truly happy with the music, performance and sound.

Excellent! I'm delighted that you have enjoyed this CD Harry and share your high view of the composer.

[Harry]

Alexander Glazunov.

Complete Symphonies & Concertos.
CD II.

Symphony No 1, in E major, opus 5, "Slavyanskaya".
No. 2 in F sharp minor, opus 16.
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jose Serebrier.

This set, together with the Neeme Jarvi set on the label Orfeo, are the best on the market.

[Que]

On Spotify:



Nice but the opening is quite slow...

[Florestan]

It's one of the best examples! Not only does that 'fate' motive permeate all four movements, especially the Finale, but I also love when at the very end the trumpets bring back the main theme of the first movement! It's tremendously exciting. (not sure if this is the passage you were referring to)

That's it indeed and the most exciting thing about it is that it's transformed from the ominous and menacing quasi-dirge first presentation to the glorious and triumphant concluding fanfare. Pure genius. My favorite Tchaikovsky symphony and one of my favorite works by anyone.

[Papy Oli]

R. Strauss
Don Quixote
Don Juan.
(Fritz Reiner, Chicago SO)

[Pohjolas Daughter]

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!

Must have been something in the air?    And now a good morning to you (from here) Rafael.

PD

[Traverso]

 Bach

English Suites  1-2 & 3

[Harry]

Arnold Bax.

The Symphonies.
CD II

No. 2, in E minor & C major.
No. 4.

BBC Philharmonic, Vernon Handley.

[Florestan]

Liederkreis op. 39

[aligreto]

JS Bach: Complete Organ Works [Foccroulle] CD 7





Music from the Weimar period: Orgelbüchlein played on the Schott organ of the Klosterkirche in Muri.

[VonStupp]

I did have a hunch about you enjoying this masterful piece. This recording is unknown to me precisely because of Lang's participation. I am zero fond of his playing. Good to hear he's up to the expectations here.

Yes, I especially love how the theme and variations 2nd (and final) movement ends poetically instead of with bombast. It really makes the whole work a satisfying journey.

I suspect that the engineers on this project dialed back the piano in the scheme of things. The balance really puts everyone on equal terms, where I could see the piano overwhelming the two string instruments if the player was more outgoing, as I think LL is known for. Maisky is really all in here and his strong presence really worked.

VS

[Madiel]

Good morning.
There is a city called St Petersburg in Florida.

Indeed.

[Madiel]

Tchaikovsky's Fifth did it first. 

He might have done it before the other examples, I doubt he did it first though!

[Traverso]

Bach

[vandermolen]

Alexander Glazunov.

Complete Symphonies & Concertos.
CD II.

Symphony No 1, in E major, opus 5, "Slavyanskaya".
No. 2 in F sharp minor, opus 16.
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jose Serebrier.

This set, together with the Neeme Jarvi set on the label Orfeo, are the best on the market.

I agree, although I also like Svetlanov and Fedoseyev.

[Florestan]

He might have done it before the other examples

Precisely what I meant.

As for who did it for the very first time, I really don't know. I suspect it's a Late Romantic thing, though. Slightly later than Tchaikovsky 5 (1888) came Franck D minor (1889).

[Harry]

Alexander Borodin.

Symphony No. 2 in B minor.
Petite Suite/ (Orchestration Glazunov.)
Polovtsian Dances.

Royal Stockholm PO, Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

Original Chandos recordings.

A very enjoyable set, apart from the vocal contributions on disc I, which I neglected for my own health, so strictly personal mind! Sound and performance is most excellent.

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Friday

Schmitt
Suite sans esprit de suite, Op. 89
BBC NOW
Fischer