What are you listening 2 now?

[Tsaraslondon]

This four disc set includes all Scriabin's Symphonies, Le poème de l'extase and Prometheus. The performances may not be the last word in refinement but they are certainly exciting.

[Operafreak]

Lignes Claires- Piano works by Ravel and Lipatti

[Traverso]

Bach


Partitas 1-2 & 3

[Iota]

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3
Freidrich Gulda (piano)


Sometimes listening to Gulda at the beginning of this and some other sonatas, I think my ideal speed might be a notch slower, but such is his conviction and control of detail and structure, this feeling soon evaporates. And certain things he does would not work at a slower pace.

The piece has such an enjoyable effervescence and grace, and includes (briefly) for me midway through the slow movement, one of the earliest unmistakeable Beethovenian drifts into dream state, which becomes so potent and extended in later works.

[Traverso]

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3
Freidrich Gulda (piano)


Sometimes listening to Gulda at the beginning of this and some other sonatas, I think my ideal speed might be a notch slower, but such is his conviction and control of detail and structure, this feeling soon evaporates. And certain things he does would not work at a slower pace.

The piece has such an enjoyable effervescence and grace, and includes (briefly) for me midway through the slow movement, one of the earliest unmistakeable Beethovenian drifts into dream state, which becomes so potent and extended in later works.

Surely one of the finest Beethoven sets ,I like his way of performing 

[Traverso]

Bach


Trio Sonaten  BWV 1036-1039

[DavidW]

Cello Concerto #1... and it is excellent!  It is lyrical, hmm... will have to relisten to this work a few times.

[Iota]

Surely one of the finest Beethoven sets ,I like his way of performing 

Yes indeed, a rich gift from a unique talent. 

[Biffo]

Yes I know the physical CD of The Stubborn Lovers has a libretto. But unlike many other companies, the booklet does not seem to be available on any of the online services.

Thanks for the clarification. It is a nuisance when there is no booklet; it is also often the case for downloads as well.

[Todd]

A half new to me, half not recording.  It opens with Say's Second Violin Sonata, sub-titled Mount Ida, which is inspired by the ecological destruction at the cited mountain in Turkey.  Say turns this event into a smokin' chamber piece.  The opening movement 'Decimation of Nature' is violent and intense, and it gives way to the second movement 'Wounded Bird' in which distorted bird calls are played on violin.  Forget Messiaen, this is how to depict bird calls in music.  The final movement, 'Rite of Hope', is dedicated to the people who tried to stop it.  With or without the programmatic elements, this piece sounds splendid and hopefully joins the regular chamber music repertoire.  The short solo violin piece Cleopatra follows, and Friedemann Eichhorn delivers the knotty but expressive goods as he did in the opening work.  The last two works on the disc are more familiar, and both have received multiple recordings.  Both are dedicated to Patricia Kopatchinskaja, who also recorded them.  The First Violin Sonata comes off very well, and while Eichhorn sounds absolutely fine, he does not generate the same degree of intensity and vitality as Kopatchinskaja.  The same holds true in 1001 Night in the Harem.  Of course, here one gets no less than Christoph Eschenbach conducting, so everything works well. 

Sound quality is top notch, playing is top notch, and Fazil Say's penchant for pronounced vocalizing is under control here.  A great disc, sure to be a purchase of the year.  There's contemporary music well worth exploring and buying.

[Traverso]

Bach


Chromatische Fantasie BWV 903


In the BBC television series Colditz there is an episode in which a British wing commander tries to escape captivity by simulating being mentally ill. He has to endure this for a while to be convincing and  allowed to go home on medical grounds. He listens endlessly to the same 78 rpm record, which is Bach's Chromatic Fantasy,  wich becomes maddening for his fellow prisoners. His plan succeeds, but later comes the message that back in the U.k. he has been hospitalized in a mental institution. The choice for this Fantasy is very well chosen and works very well as an underlining. It's not that I'm on the same wavelength that I always enjoy listening to this work.

[Mirror Image]

That would've been far more appropriate. What surprised me is that even Presto lists it for far more.

Presto doesn't always have a competitive price. Does Presto ship to Australia or shipping problem only with Amazon?

[vandermolen]

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.5 Academy of St Martin in the Field, Neville Marriner.
Having heard this great symphony live last night I thought that I'd like to play a CD recording.
I put on the Hickox recording this morning but it did not grip me nearly as much as this Neville Marriner performance, which has a much greater sense of flow and inevitably about it:

[bhodges]

From last November, this concert with Manfred Honeck, Frank Peter Zimmermann, and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra:

Bartók - Rhapsody No. 2 for  Violin and Orchestra 
Martinů - Suite concertante for Violin and Orchestra (with Bach encore, Adagio in C from Zimmermann)
Mahler - Symphony No. 1 D Major

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvyomG8fQwo

--Bruce

[Traverso]

Goldschmidt

[Mirror Image]

Now playing the last installment of the Glazunov SQ series on MDG with the Utrecht String Quartet:

[SonicMan46]

Mozart, WA - Symphonies - Wolfie has come up in my collection perusal (own over 200 discs of his music, a lot of duplication in certain genres) - listen to him often so will be quite selective - up first, samplings from my 'Symphony' recordings; own the 3 conductors below at the moment  - Dave

     

[foxandpeng]

Cello Concerto #1... and it is excellent!  It is lyrical, hmm... will have to relisten to this work a few times.

Agreed. I will be joining you, as I imagine that repeated listening will unlock a great deal.

Thread and SQs by Hindemith, of which the same is probably true, although these two at least, are extremely accessible:

Paul Hindemith
Complete String Quartets
String Quartets 1 and 4
Amar Quartet
Naxos

[Operafreak]

Hanson conducts Hanson- Eastman-Rochester Orchestra, Eastman Rochester School Of Music Chorus, Howard Hanson

[Mirror Image]

Thread and SQs by Hindemith, of which the same is probably true, although these two at least, are extremely accessible:

Paul Hindemith
Complete String Quartets
String Quartets 1 and 4
Amar Quartet
Naxos

One of the great SQ cycles. Hindemith knocked these out of the park. And as per my usual with this composer, they only got better with repeated listens.