What are you listening 2 now?

[kyjo]

I will! I also have symphonies 4, 5, and 6. Is there one of those that you would recommend?

(Re: Arnold) My two favorite symphonies of his are nos. 2 and 5; I'd say they're also the two most immediately accessible of the cycle.

[VonStupp]

Most interesting! These works are all but unknown to me. Thanks for the detailed report!

Richard Strauss may be a top 5 composer for me, so it is fun to find some works I have missed over the years. This was an interesting one, for sure!

VS

[Mirror Image]

Only on GMG do folks discuss the connection between Saint-Saëns and Tubin!

Indeed!

Speaking of Tubin, I have to say I heard some musical phrases in the two Ikuma Dan symphonies I heard earlier that reminded me of him.

[foxandpeng]

Peteris Vasks
Flute Concerto
Patrick Gallois
Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä
Naxos

[André]

Die Walküre. A very fine performance where all female singers are excellent (Mödl, Resnik, Malaniuk) and the men mostly so (Vinay's Siegmund sounds tired in Act II, after a sterling performance of the big first Act). The sound is mostly good mono, but I suspect it's been tampered with - some bizarre fake stereo effects pop up here and there.

[Mirror Image]

Yet Another First-Listen

Rubbra
Piano Concerto in G, Op. 85
Piers Lane, piano
The Orchestra Now
Leon Botstein

[kyjo]

Indeed!

Speaking of Tubin, I have to say I heard some musical phrases in the two Ikuma Dan symphonies I heard earlier that reminded me of him.

I think quite highly of Ikuma Dan's 4th Symphony - it's been a while since I've heard any of the others.

[Mapman]

I was eating cake with my girlfriend, and she asked if I had any cake-themed music. So we listened to:

Britten: "A Time There Was...", Op. 90 - Cakes & Ale
Debussy: Golliwog's Cake Walk
Léhar: The Merry Widow - Cake Walk
Saint-Saëns: Wedding Cake, Op. 76

The last two works were new to me. We liked the Debussy the best, especially for me since I understand the references to Wagner!

I'll return to Arnold at some point, probably to #5 as mentioned by kyjo. I at least don't dislike his music! (Also, his Scottish Dances are great!)

[kyjo]

Bernstein: On The Waterfront: Symphonic Suite and Fancy Free: Ballet



Damn, I had forgotten how great these works are! Bernstein had an instantly recognizable voice with its mixture of melodic genius, edgy dissonance, and jazzy rhythmicality. The suite from On The Waterfront is really a marvelous work, filled with ominous tension and lyrical poignancy. The closing section is particularly compelling in its hard-won defiance. And the ballet from Fancy Free is sheer catchy fun in every way imaginable!


Herzogenberg: Symphony no. 2 and Cello Sonata no. 3



Herzogenberg was definitely more successful at writing chamber music than orchestral music, as these two works demonstrate. The 2nd Symphony isn't bad by any means (it's better than his 1st!) and has some good tunes and attractive orchestration, but the development of ideas is somewhat academic and unsatisfying. Not so with the gloriously lyrical 3rd Cello Sonata, which is the finest work I've heard by him thus far, and fully the equal of Brahms' two sonatas for the instrument I might add. The third movement is as masterful a set of variations as you're ever likely to hear, full of range and depth.


Pejačević: Symphony in F-sharp minor and Phantasie Concertante for Piano and Orchestra



The Symphony is a thoroughly enjoyable late-romantic specimen, a bit uneven in inspiration perhaps, but really fine (and exciting!) in its best moments (the ending of the first movement and the entire scherzo). I was rather less taken by the Phantasie Concertante.


Holmboe: Symphony no. 2



This symphony doesn't seem frequently discussed, even by our resident Holmboites/Holmbonians, but I found it utterly compelling in Holmboe's typically organic and narratively gripping style, notwithstanding a rather unsubtle reference to Nielsen's 5th near the end of the 1st movement. If I have one criticism of Holmboe's style, it's his tendency to overuse the snare drum and cymbals in his orchestration, which can approach tiresomeness. Maybe it's just that those instruments are very forwardly balanced in these BIS recordings of the symphonies?


Ivanovs: Symphony no. 2 (Latvian NSO/Sinaisky)

https://youtu.be/JEMriOL-Sno

I enjoyed this much more than his 5th Symphony - it's a relatively traditional, nationalistic work full of lyricism. Not a masterpiece, but it receives a wonderful performance here, certainly better than the commercial Yablonsky recording on Marco Polo (he's one of the "unholy trinity" of conductors I try to avoid, along with de Almeida and Polyansky. )

[Mirror Image]

I think quite highly of Ikuma Dan's 4th Symphony - it's been a while since I've heard any of the others.

Excellent! The 1st is rather short, but the 2nd has some outstanding moments. Looking forward to hearing the other four.

[Mirror Image]

Bernstein: On The Waterfront: Symphonic Suite and Fancy Free: Ballet



Damn, I had forgotten how great these works are! Bernstein had an instantly recognizable voice with its mixture of melodic genius, edgy dissonance, and jazzy rhythmicality. The suite from On The Waterfront is really a marvelous work, filled with ominous tension and lyrical poignancy. The closing section is particularly compelling in its hard-won defiance. And the ballet from Fancy Free is sheer catchy fun in every way imaginable!

I heartily concur! Outstanding works that should be on more concert programs, especially in the US. It's almost like God forbid an American orchestra program a dead American composer.

[Mandryka]

Very good, tone good, lovely when quiet, jaw dropping speed at times. One of the better Iberias.

[Operafreak]

 



Grieg & Schumann: Piano Concertos

Radu Lupu (piano)/   London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn

R:I.P

[Mirror Image]

Now playing this entire recording:



Sensational! I snapped up all of these Glazunov Rozhdestvensky during the pandemic in a box set that collects all of the original issues on Olympia. Superb find and the performances are first-rate. Between Svetlanov and Rozhdestvensky, I'd have a difficult time picking a favorite Glazunov conductor. Serebrier and Fedoseyev are pretty good, too. I was less impressed with Järvi's symphony cycle on Orfeo, but his recordings of Glazunov on Chandos are superb.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Now playing this entire recording:



Sensational! I snapped up all of these Glazunov Rozhdestvensky during the pandemic in a box set that collects all of the original issues on Olympia. Superb find and the performances are first-rate. Between Svetlanov and Rozhdestvensky, I'd have a difficult time picking a favorite Glazunov conductor. Serebrier and Fedoseyev are pretty good, too. I was less impressed with Järvi's symphony cycle on Orfeo, but his recordings of Glazunov on Chandos are superb.

Please don't forget the recordings by your hero, de Almeida.
For me, 1. Fedoseyev, 2 and 3.  Svetlanov and Serebrier in tie.

[Mirror Image]

Please don't forget the recordings by your hero, de Almeida.
For me, 1. Fedoseyev, 2 and 3.  Svetlanov and Serebrier in tie.

I'll gladly forget Almeida! I guess I'm a bit biased when it comes to Rozhdestvensky --- he's one of my favorite conductors and whether it's Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams, Schnittke, Prokofiev et. al., he always adds a personal touch to the music that is unmistakably his own. I'm still waiting to see if Melodiya will ever get around to remastering their Shostakovich with Rozhdestvensky. They remastered a few of his performances for a special set called All Symphonies, which is way OOP at this juncture (thank goodness I jumped on this when it came out!) and they sound fantastic.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I'll gladly forget Almeida! I guess I'm a bit biased when it comes to Rozhdestvensky --- he's one of my favorite conductors and whether it's Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams, Schnittke, Prokofiev et. al., he always adds a personal touch to the music that is unmistakably his own. I'm still waiting to see if Melodiya will ever get around to remastering their Shostakovich with Rozhdestvensky. They remastered a few of his performances for a special set called All Symphonies, which is way OOP at this juncture (thank goodness I jumped on this when it came out!) and they sound fantastic.

Fair enough. Music without bias is no-fun, just like food without personal preference.

[Mirror Image]

Fair enough. Music without bias is no-fun, just like food without personal preference.

Indeed.

[TheGSMoeller]

Bach: Mass in B Minor
Collegium Vocale - Herreweghe
Sopranos: Johannette Zomer & Véronique Gens; Alto: Andreas Scholl; Tenor: Christoph Prégardien; Basses: Peter Kooy & Hanno Müller-Brachmann

[classicalgeek]

I don't know if I've heard Harrison Birtwistle's music before, but on the event of his passing today, I thought I should.

Birtwistle
Night's Black Bird
The Shadow of Night
*The Cry of Anubis
*Owen Slade, tuba
Halle Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth
(on Qobuz)



Not sure where I stand on his music - the were moments I enjoyed, for sure. But I sensed a dark undertone to all three pieces; there's a definite preference for bass instruments (double basses, contrabassoon, tuba (in addition to the solo in The Cry of Anubis), timpani, bass drum.) I'll have to continue listening.