What are you listening 2 now?

[Lisztianwagner]

Jean Sibelius
Tapiola

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphoy No. 4 Peter Jan Marthe and the Junge Ősterreichische Philhamonie

[Symphonic Addict]

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11

The atmosphere and pacing in the 1st movement are particularly remarkable in this rendition. Where other conductors seem to struggle with that movement, Kondrashin makes it sound truly icy, intimidatory, mysterious.

[prémont]

Frank Martin: Petite Symphonie Concertante in a nice Czech performance on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dThNYANu5Og

[André]

A 2021 release. Superb performance, likewise sound. Busoni's take on the Goldbergs involves skipping 9 variations as well as any repeats, adding bass lines and fiddling with octave placement of the musical line. It's a little over half an hour in length. Other recordings of this arrangement exist, but I was struck by how ideally clear-headed yet affectionate this performance is. I was curious to read reviews as I've never encountered this pianist before. Jed Distler in Classicstoday rated the disc a 9/10. Gramophone and Classicalreview were similarly impressed. The rest of the program includes a Busoni sonatina as well as a splendid account of the Bach-Busoni Chaconne.

[Symphonic Addict]

Ernst Toch: String Quartet No. 7 in G major

Exquisite and expertly written music. I wonder why these quartets are not better known.

[classicalgeek]

Stephen Dodgson
Five Essays for Orchestra
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Martin Yates
(on Spotify)



Pleasant enough stuff, if not outstanding. I especially enjoyed the Fourth Essay, which to me sounded influenced by Sibelius.

[aligreto]

Holst: Suite de Ballet [Braithwaite]

[Karl Henning]

Although I feel that I had heard the piece before, I don't believe I listened attentatively, whenever that may have been, so we'll call it:
First-Listen Friday!

Holst
Egdon Heath, Op. 47
LSO
Previn

Well, and this is exquisite, probably my favorite Holst work now.

[Que]

1) Yes, he was so little interested that he didn't even collect the party card and had to renew it in 1935. He said: "My party affiliation was a prerequisite for becoming general music director in Aachen. It was the price I had to pay to get what I wanted. I would have reached any point to get that job".
2) Yes, especially if they wanted to make a career, since in 1938 the same laws that there were in Germany had come into force. But for example, Furtwängler didn't have the party card.

What surprises me is that these discussions always revolve around Karajan - a then young, eager and ambitious conductor who thought party membership would further his career, but not a nazi - and Furtwängler - an old but naïve grandee that wanted to "save" German culture by keeping conducting, and certainly not a nazi.

While the real nazi was Karl Böhm....

[aligreto]

Although I feel that I had heard the piece before, I don't believe I listened attentatively, whenever that may have been, so we'll call it:
First-Listen Friday!

Holst
Egdon Heath, Op. 47
LSO
Previn

Well, and this is exquisite, probably my favorite Holst work now.

Certainly a very good work, Karl.
Glad that you enjoyed it.

[Lisztianwagner]

Holst: Suite de Ballet [Braithwaite]

It's one of Holst's early works, but it's very charming; simple, but brilliant and rich of orchestral colour.

Although I feel that I had heard the piece before, I don't believe I listened attentatively, whenever that may have been, so we'll call it:
First-Listen Friday!

Holst
Egdon Heath, Op. 47
LSO
Previn

Well, and this is exquisite, probably my favorite Holst work now.

Certainly a very good work, Karl.
Glad that you enjoyed it.

+1

[Spotted Horses]

Although I feel that I had heard the piece before, I don't believe I listened attentatively, whenever that may have been, so we'll call it:
First-Listen Friday!

Holst
Egdon Heath, Op. 47
LSO
Previn

Well, and this is exquisite, probably my favorite Holst work now.

It has been more years than I can remember since I listened to it, but I think of it as my favorite piece by Holst.

[aligreto]

It's one of Holst's early works, but it's very charming; simple, but brilliant and rich of orchestral colour.

Those were exactly my thoughts as I listened to Suite de Ballet.

[Symphonic Addict]

Szymanowski: Symphony No. 4 Symphonie concertante

Stupendous performance, but the dynamic range of the recording is not as good.

[JBS]

James Ehnes playing works composed for/premiered by him

[Todd]

Disc one.

[classicalgeek]

John Kinsella
*Symphony no. 5 "The 1916 Poets"
%Symphony no. 10
*Bill Golding, narrator
*Gerald O'Connor, baritone
*RTE National Symphony Orchestra
*Colman Pearce
%Irish Chamber Orchestra
%Gabor Takacs-Nagy
(on Spotify)



So I didn't much care for Symphony no. 5, but that was more because of the narration (recorded with a strange balance where the speaker dwarfed the orchestra) and the baritone soloist, who was borderline unlistenable. But there is a lot of good music in both works; I far preferred the Tenth Symphony, mostly because of the absence of vocal (both narrated and sung) histrionics. I do want to hear more Kinsella; I found him quite intriguing.

[Madiel]

Sibelius: Rondo for viola and piano.

Which would have to rank as one of his most obscure pieces, out of the things that aren't student works or fragments. He gave it an opus number.

It's sort of okay, but frankly doesn't come across as a lost masterpiece.

[JBS]

John Kinsella
*Symphony no. 5 "The 1916 Poets"
%Symphony no. 10
*Bill Golding, narrator
*Gerald O'Connor, baritone
*RTE National Symphony Orchestra
*Colman Pearce
%Irish Chamber Orchestra
%Gabor Takacs-Nagy
(on Spotify)



So I didn't much care for Symphony no. 5, but that was more because of the narration (recorded with a strange balance where the speaker dwarfed the orchestra) and the baritone soloist, who was borderline unlistenable. But there is a lot of good music in both works; I far preferred the Tenth Symphony, mostly because of the absence of vocal (both narrated and sung) histrionics. I do want to hear more Kinsella; I found him quite intriguing.

I don't care for the Fifth Symphony for the exact same reason: the spoken text ruins it for me (granted, I dislike text recited to music in general). But it's the only Kinsella work I'vs heard which I did not like.