What are you listening 2 now?

[Symphonic Addict]

Searle: Symphony No. 2



Gripping, dark, serialist in the right dose. This symphony has some loud climaxes, and they're recorded magnificently in this CD.



Landowski: Piano Concerto No. 2 (I couldn't find a decent cover art)

I wonder why this composer is not better known. Quite a find! I like the sonorities and textures presented here.

[SonicMan46]

Brahms, Johannes - Hungarian Dances - listening to the three recordings below in my collection; as to the orchestral versions, I decided to keep Abbado and cull out Bogar (one is enough for me), BUT the piano/violin version shown is just beautiful and my favorite interpretation - if not heard then worth a sampling IMO - Dave

   

[foxandpeng]

Krzysztof Penderecki
Symphony 1
Penderecki
LSO
Warner Classics

Symphonies 2 and 4
Antoni Wit
NPRSO
Naxos


Somewhat emotionally fraught and in keeping with the times. A now-defunct English extreme metal band once subtitled their sound as 'Grim Northern Bastards', and can be sure that despite his location, Penderecki will pick up the baton following their retirement. #4 appears less bleak than #1 and #2 while refusing to completely surrender the darkness.

[foxandpeng]

Searle: Symphony No. 2



Gripping, dark, serialist in the right dose. This symphony has some loud climaxes, and they're recorded magnificently in this CD.

+1 to the Searle. I like this too.

[Symphonic Addict]

Krzysztof Penderecki
Symphony 1
Penderecki
LSO
Warner Classics

Symphonies 2 and 4
Antoni Wit
NPRSO
Naxos


Somewhat emotionally fraught and in keeping with the times. A now-defunct English extreme metal band once subtitled their sound as 'Grim Northern Bastards', and can be sure that despite his location, Penderecki will pick up the baton following their retirement. #4 appears less bleak than #1 and #2 while refusing to completely surrender the darkness.

No. 4 has never convinced me for some reason, but the the first three have delighted me much better. I'll have to check it out and refresh my memory.

[Symphonic Addict]

In the meantime:

Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 74-3 in G minor

These quartets are wonders unto themselves. The Largo assai is a gem, in his most "romantic" and eloquent. This had to influence Beethoven's No. 15 in A minor (III).

[foxandpeng]

Lament
Works by Hagen, Asheim, Nordheim
Lament Nos 1 - 3
Lars Petter Hagen
Muohta Nos 1 - 18
Nils Henrik Asheim
Aurora
Arne Nordheim
Grete Pedersen (conductor)
Norwegian Soloists' Choir
Ensemble Alegria

Atmospheric choral lamentations for the small hours...

[Symphonic Addict]

John has recommended this recording of the Sixth degli archi with good reason, and I agree with him. Absolutely exquisite music in an ineffably poignant interpretation. One of my favorite symphonies for strings. Thanks for the heads-up!

[JBS]

And, the last:

CD 15

Jindřich Feld
Concerto for Orchestra

Ervín Schulhoff
The Communist Manifesto

And what is the Schulhoff like?

TD

Also on the same CD: Beethoven Piano Concerto 2 with Wilhelm Backhaus plus the first and second Leonore Overtures.

Starting off this box

[Mirror Image]

John has recommended this recording of the Sixth degli archi with good reason, and I agree with him. Absolutely exquisite music in an ineffably poignant interpretation. One of my favorite symphonies for strings. Thanks for the heads-up!

Great to read, Cesar. I'm glad you enjoyed this performance as much as I did. Despite my own reservations about the audio quality (a bit too reverberant), the performance itself shines through and never fails to move me. This is actually one of my favorite pieces of music from anyone. The second movement in particular has brought on some tears.

[Mirror Image]

Krzysztof Penderecki
Symphony 1
Penderecki
LSO
Warner Classics

Symphonies 2 and 4
Antoni Wit
NPRSO
Naxos


Somewhat emotionally fraught and in keeping with the times. A now-defunct English extreme metal band once subtitled their sound as 'Grim Northern Bastards', and can be sure that despite his location, Penderecki will pick up the baton following their retirement. #4 appears less bleak than #1 and #2 while refusing to completely surrender the darkness.

Oh cool! I love Penderecki! I recall one reviewer called him a "one tone" composer meaning that the prevailing feeling in his music is always dourness, but I strongly disagree in that once you start exploring his oeuvre, you notice a change as the composer gets older. Like, for example, the 6th ("Chinese Songs") sounds like something Mahler could've wrote. And the Horn Concerto, "Wintereisse" is downright Impressionistic in some places. Anyway, let the naysayers continue to run their mouth (I used to be one for this composer), but I have "seen the light" so to speak.

[steve ridgway]

Tchaikovsky under Muti's baton

Symphony № 2 in c minor, « Little Russian » Op. 17
New Philharmonia Orchestra

Cancelled here due to the invasion of Ukraine.

"There were also two military-themed pieces as part of the programme - Marche Slave and 1812 Overture - that we felt were particularly inappropriate at this time. We were also made aware at the time that the title Little Russian of Symphony No 2 was deemed offensive to Ukrainians".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60684374

[Que]

Morning listening:

[vandermolen]

Howard Hanson: Symphony No.2
My favourite recording of this work - I especially like the slow pace of the opening and the sense of urgency throughout Slatkin's performance:

[Madiel]

Dvorak, String Quartet no.10 in E flat major, 'Slavonic'

[Madiel]

Dvorak, Violin Sonata

[vandermolen]

Ernest Moeran's Symphony in G minor 
    Adrian Boult, New Philharmonia Orchestra

Great recording of a lovely work!

Most definitely. I also like the Neville Dilkes recording.

[André]

Searle: Symphony No. 2



Gripping, dark, serialist in the right dose. This symphony has some loud climaxes, and they're recorded magnificently in this CD.



Landowski: Piano Concerto No. 2 (I couldn't find a decent cover art)

I wonder why this composer is not better known. Quite a find! I like the sonorities and textures presented here.

I'd have to listen to the Searle symphonies again. I've had them for years but have never really liked them. Maybe time for a reassessment.


Landowski OTOH is a magnificent composer. The disc with the concerto and symphony no 2 is a corker !



The concerto can also be found with other works:




And of course all these works can be savoured in Erato's box Marcel Landowski Edition 

[Spotted Horses]

Continuing to revisit favorite works of Roussel, today the 3rd symphony performed by Cluytens and the Paris Conservatory Orchestra (EMI/Warner).

This is what it looked like on LP.



I have it in the Cluytens set, which is a treasure from first disc to last.



I haven't listened to this work for a while. Roussel respects the traditional four movement symphonic format, but the individual movements are very freely structured. A melodic motif seems to pervade the work, distilled at the very end. Cluytens is convincing, as usual, and the sound is very satisfying. Great listening experience, all told.

[Maestro267]

MacMillan: Triduum Part I: The World's Ransoming
Pendrill (cor anglais)/BBC SSO/Vänskä

MacMillan: Triduum Part II: Cello Concerto
Wallfisch (cello)/BBC SSO/Vänskä