What are you listening 2 now?

[ritter]

I have it, I love it!

It is good, very good! 

Very nice, Rafael. I own the Barraqué CPO set sitting within arm's reach. I still need to get around to ripping the set. Any thoughts on the CPO set? And a good day to you!

I have that set too, haven't listened to it in ages. I do not recall, though, the two works I listened to today making such an impact with the CPO set.

Good day, John!

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony 9 Eduard van Beinum Concertgebouw Orchestra

[Klavier1]

This is an excellent new release. I far prefer this version of Salonen's Cello Concerto to Yo-Yo Ma's, which had terrible sound, and the playing here sounds more committed.

[Karl Henning]

A great choice.

It's a beauty!

[ritter]

First listen to this new acquisition:


I knew most of the music on this disc (the exception being the Trois Valses-nocturnes, op. 31) from other recordings, but this CD confirms that, much as I love Schmitt's music, his early piano pieces (pre-Crépuscules and Ombres) leave me completely cold. Glimpses of the wonders to come are there, but few and far between, and the music sounds derivative and salon-like. The works are from around the turn of the century, the composer being in his 20s and early 39s, but sound as if they had been composed 40 years earlier...

EDIT: Enough of early Schmitt. Basta! 

Moving to the safe haven of Debussy (another new arrival):


Georges Pludermacher, whose Debussy Préludes and Études —which I only recently discovered— are top-notch, is equally good in the pieces on this CD, which are among the ones by the composer I listen to less often.

[Linz]

Pierné  Cydalise et le chevre-pied with David Shallon

[aligreto]

Bruckner Symphony 9 Eduard van Beinum Concertgebouw Orchestra

You obviously have a large experience of listening to Bruckner's music. Do you have a favourite performance/interpretation of each of the symphonies? If so, could you please list them some time? I would be interested in your thoughts.

[JBS]

Just when the storm was recording 122 mph off the Isle of Wight this morning, it was absolute flat calm in my garden (Cheshire/Derbyshire border).  Blowing a bit now though - seemed to peak for me at about 15:30.

If that's the strength of the sustained winds, Eunice is the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.

TD
Saint Saens Piano Concertos 1-3
Jeanne-Marie Darre piano
Orchestra National de la Radiodiffusion Française
Louis Fourestier conductor
Recorded April/May 1955
From the "Historical Recordings" part of Warner's Saint Saens Edition
Sound is very good; if you don't pay close attention you might think this is stereo (it's actually mono).

[Klavier1]

Some superb playing here...obviously!

[ritter]

TD
Saint Saens Piano Concertos 1-3
Jeanne-Marie Darre piano
Orchestra National de la Radiodiffusion Française
Louis Fourestier conductor
Recorded April/May 1955
From the "Historical Recordings" part of Warner's Saint Saens Edition
Sound is very good; if you don't pay close attention you might think this is stereo (it's actually mono).

I listened to those recordings as well when I got the Warner Saint-Saëns set and, yes, the sound is indeed very good for the vintage. Unfortunately, I have very little affinity to Saint-Saëns' music, and the couple of CDs I listened to from that set haven't led me to explore the composer's output any further...some time in the future, perhaps. 

TD:

Moving on to something more adventurous: André Boucourechliev's complete music for string quartet (Quatuor III, Miroir 2, and Archipel II - the disc presents the music in reverse chronological order), played by the Quatuor Ysaÿe.



I only knew Archipel II until now (the Quatuor Ysaÿe appear in the recording of the complete Archipels that impressed me so much not long ago). So far, the late (1994) Quatuor III seems much more "standard" than Archipel II (where spur-of-the-moment decisions by the performers play a significant rôle) but is just a strongly expressive.

Curiously, apart from those of the composer and of the performers, the booklet includes a biography of Dolorès Marat, the photographer who took the picture of the Quatuor Ysaÿe that appears on the cover. 

[André]

Produced by Richard Mohr and engineered by Lewis Layton, RCA's crack team in 1960, this still holds water handily as a sound recording. The playing of the Chicago orchestra sounds better IMO than under Reiner (1958, with Gilels). As for Richter, he throws caution to the winds and performs the work like a titan.

[Linz]

Symphony 3 the 1890 version CD 7 of the Gerd Schaller set

[JBS]

I listened to those recordings as well when I got the Warner Saint-Saëns set and, yes, the sound is indeed very good for the vintage. Unfortunately, I have very little affinity to Saint-Saëns' music, and the couple of CDs I listened to from that set haven't led me to explore the composer's output any further...some time in the future, perhaps. 

TD:

Moving on to something more adventurous: André Boucourechliev's complete music for string quartet (Quatuor III, Miroir 2, and Archipel II - the disc presents the music in reverse chronological order), played by the Quatuor Ysaÿe.



I only knew Archipel II until now (the Quatuor Ysaÿe appear in the recording of the complete Archipels that impressed me so much not long ago). So far, the late (1994) Quatuor III seems much more "standard" than Archipel II (where spur-of-the-moment decisions by the performers play a significant rôle) but is just a strongly expressive.

Curiously, apart from those of the composer and of the performers, the booklet includes a biography of Dolorès Marat, the photographer who took the picture of the Quatuor Ysaÿe that appears on the cover. 

Re Saint Saens:  I can see, going by what you do post here, why you don't find much to connect with him.  I'd suggest the melodies, and when you feel the mood, the four symphonies that don't have an organ in them (Martinon is more than good in them).

Re Ysaye Quartet: I have one recording by them, Schumann's Quartets, and it's a corker.

[classicalgeek]

From the rhythmic Japan to the folksy Bohemian mountains. Not bad.  And yes, for me, this is still the one to beat. I mean, for instance, the celebratory and joyful trumpets in the 4th mov. is a moment to feel yourself alive and thankful for having created this wonder in a really fun rustic Czech dance!

I love that finale of Dvorak 8! Such unbridled joy - especially when the full orchestra comes in at around two minutes in (and again to cap off the piece.) The more the conductor lets those lusty horn trills ring out, the more I love the performance! There's a performance on YouTube with Manfred Höneck and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony that does this as well as anyone (and there's some lovely work by their principal flute): https://youtu.be/QXAv-NGppFw

TD: last night, some Second Viennese School (well, the first work is more decadent late-Romantic):

Alban Berg
Sieben frühe Lieder
*Altenberg Lieder
Juliane Banse, soprano
*Alessandra Marc, soprano
Staatskapelle Dresden
Giuseppe Sinopoli



I'm really enjoying this set - it's like Sinopoli was born to conduct this repertoire. And Alessandra Marc in particular was born to sing it - both her Altenberg Lieder and Erwartung (also in this set) are just exquisite, in music that I imagine must be fiendishly difficult to sing. She makes it sound effortless!

[Klavier1]

[Karl Henning]

Two pieces I might never have heard of, let alone listened to, had I not reeled in the box:

CD 8

Jan Klusák
Variations on a Theme by Gustav Mahler for Large Orchestra

Vítězslav Novák
Autumn Symphony for Large Orchestra, Male & Female Chorus, Op. 62

Had to listen go this again, esp. for the Klusák, but the whole disc is gold.

Now;

CD 1

Symphony № 6 in D, « Le Matin » Hob I:6
Symphony № 7 in C, « Le Midi » Hob I:7
Symphony № 8 in G, « Le Soir » Hob I:8

[Symphonic Addict]

Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra




Sarge

What did you think about it?

[kyjo]

I am familiar with Ropartz in general, so yes, me likes his SQS, mostly the first 5 or 6. OTOH, the only symphonies that really atracts to me are Nos. 3 and 4. The others lack memorability and spark, methinks.

So, yes, persevere on those nice discoveries!

He only wrote 6 SQs. And yeah, I listened to his 2nd Symphony recently and thought it to be pretty uninspired. I like the occasionally Braga Santos-like 3rd Symphony quite a bit, though I could do without the vocal solos.

[Symphonic Addict]

Glazunov: Symphony No. 2 [Serebrier]





What a wonderful opening to this work. There is a wonderful underlying tension along with a fine sense of drama running through the opening movement. The slow movement is very lyrical and atmospheric. The strings really sing out and are ably accompanied by gently scored woodwinds. The brass then fills out the scoring wonderfully. The Scherzo is animated but not overly so; it is exciting. Those warbling woodwinds in the Trio section are very engaging. We have more of this "gentle" scoring at the beginning of the final movement. It is a beguiling orchestral voice. I like his use of the woodwinds throughout this work; he uses them very well. There is a gradual and steady build up towards the conclusion and the work concludes with a satisfactory and definitive resolution.

Great analysis! That's maybe my overall favorite with Nos. 4 and 8. The slow movement is particularly ravishing.

[kyjo]

Hans Pfitzner's Piano Concerto 
    Werner Andreas Albert, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Volker Banfield (piano)

IMO, the first movement of this concerto is rambling and unmemorable, but the 2nd movement scherzo is one of the most fun, catchy things I've ever heard. Go figure! The slow movement is quite beautiful, too.