What are you listening 2 now?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

It is quite good, but I still don't know the music as well as I ought to.

P.S. Your new avatar scares me. I thought it was a zombie at first, but, no, it's Keith Richards!

A weird/interesting thing about Holmboe is that his music is frequently based on the Japanese minor scale I mentioned- 1-2-3-5-6. So it may sound like Japanese to you sometimes.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Pierné
Piano Quintet, Op. 41
Christian Ivaldi (piano)
Louvigny Quartet

[vers la flamme]

Kurt Atterberg: Symphony No.5 in D minor, op.20. Ari Rasilainen, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt

Not terribly familiar with this composer's music, but this is sounding good. The slow movement is nice.

[Operafreak]

  Dvorak: String Quartets Nos  7 and 8- Panocha Quartet performing;

[Symphonic Addict]

Whilst they're not lost masterpieces, the Lassen and Langgaard are good enough to think about revisiting them in the future. The Scharwenka was the least interesting concerto on the CD. Rather pedestrian and forgettable.

[Symphonic Addict]

Casella: Partita for piano and small orchestra, Op. 42
Sun Hee You; La Vecchia: Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma

I like that the small orchestra still includes 3 clarinets. The ending of the piece is exciting! The performance was good, but it was sometimes hard to hear the oboe.

The Naxos series devoted to this composer have proved to be more than reliable.

[Mirror Image]

Last work for the night:

Diamond
String Quartet No. 3
Potomac String Quartet



I'm well aware that Diamond wrote other SQs, but I just keep coming back to his 3rd. Such a gorgeous work.

[Symphonic Addict]

Martinu: Sinfonietta Giocosa

Decidedly exhilarating work! This work is full of life and spark. Just my cup of tea.

[vandermolen]

Joonas Kokkonen
*Symphony no. 2
Symphony no. 3
*Osmo Vanska
Ulf Soderblom
(on Spotify)



Compelling music. Not easy to listen to and, at times, almost Webernian in its austerity, but Kokkonen has a really distinctive voice. I get the feeling these pieces will reward repeated listening.

Try Symphony No.4 - it is more approachable but just as compelling (there are two recordings on Ondine and one on BIS - all v good IMO). I find the searching ending of the 4th Symphony to be very moving.

[vandermolen]

In the Tatras and Eternal Longing Have been recorded many times, but this is the first time I get to hear the Moravian-Slovak Suite. All three works are wonderfully evocative. Novák has a knack for luscious melodies and evocative orchestration. He reminds me of his next door neighbour, the Pole Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, who knew the Tatras Mountains very well indeed (they straddle Slovakia and Poland): he died in an avalanche while hiking... . Anyhow, this is gorgeous music. Thanks John for letting me in on this superbly conducted and played disc. 

That's a great disc! My favourite of those works is 'In the Tatras' - much better IMO than the overblown 'Alpine Symphony' by Richard Strauss, I know that you'll all agree! 
Novak was a mountain climber and 'In the Tatras' plots a spiritual as well as a physical journey.

[vandermolen]

Kurt Atterberg: Symphony No.5 in D minor, op.20. Ari Rasilainen, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt

Not terribly familiar with this composer's music, but this is sounding good. The slow movement is nice.

Two fine symphonies - my Atterberg favourites are 5,3,8 (slow movement) and 2.

[Que]

Morning listening on Spotify:



Great French lute recording by Claire Antonini.

[Traverso]

Locatelli


Concerti 1-2-3 & 4

[Operafreak]

Kalevi Aho: Chamber Music-  Samuli Peltonen (cello), Sonja Fräki (piano), Jaakko Kuusisto (violin), Pekka Kuusisto (violin)

[Maestro267]

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Staatskapelle Dresden/C. Davis

Magnard: Symphony No. 2
BBC SSO/Ossonce

[Tsaraslondon]

Excellent performances. Not sure I like the third much, but the first has always been a favourite.

[Iota]

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110
Pavel Haas Quartet


Not sure I've heard a better version of the 8th quartet. Brilliant, quasi-possessed playing, and they convey the feeling of fingertips clutching the edge of sanity above the waiting abyss below, with frightening intensity. A Shakespearean rattling of inner demons.

[Madiel]

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

*delayed response*

Presto is my go-to store, because shipping to Australia has never been the slightest problem. They provide me prices in Australian dollars, always knew that shipping to Australia meant they shouldn't include the UK taxes, and when it became necessary for them to include Australian taxes they did it without any fuss whatsoever.

I will shop somewhere else if there's a clear price difference, but if prices are similar I will choose Presto every time because I know things will work!

[Madiel]

I have to say, I've been thoroughly enjoying Holmboe today. His music is growing on me. These Dacapo sets are worth their weight in gold. Excellent performances, audio quality and presentation.

The test may be when you go to later opus numbers. Almost all the chamber concertos are quite early - which is to not say that they're poor in any way, I think they're wonderful pieces. But Holmboe's style does change over time, with the folk music influences becoming less evident.

[Madiel]

Saint-Saens, Phaeton



It's going to take me years to explore Saint-Saens at the horribly sporadic rate I'm going. Never mind.

EDIT: And I'll probably do Danse macabre as well because it's the next opus number. I'm sure Dad had an LP with that work on it, see if I recognise it...

SECOND EDIT: Oh yes of course. Never mind whether I remember it from an LP, there's various usage in TV and film.