What are you listening 2 now?

[Mirror Image]

Did you ever heard the Mahler/Maazel recordings with the Wiener Philharmoniker?

My dad owns that Maazel/Wiener set, but I never listened to it. I've already got too many Mahler cycles ripped to my computer --- Bernstein 1, Bernstein 2, Chailly, Haitink, Tennstedt (complete cycle on EMI and partial one on the LPO label), Boulez, Tilson Thomas, Neumann, Solti and partial cycles from Klemperer, Barbirolli, Abbado, Levine, Solti (LPO) and Karajan. So, yeah, I'm good with Mahler symphonies.

[Linz]

It is possible to get enough of a sampling on Spotify to get an idea as to wether you want to add it to your collection

[Traverso]

My dad owns that Maazel/Wiener set, but I never listened to it. I've already got too many Mahler cycles ripped to my computer --- Bernstein 1, Bernstein 2, Chailly, Haitink, Tennstedt (complete cycle on EMI and partial one on the LPO label), Boulez, Tilson Thomas, Neumann, Solti and partial cycles from Klemperer, Barbirolli, Abbado, Levine, Solti (LPO) and Karajan. So, yeah, I'm good with Mahler symphonies.

What is the view of your father?

[Mirror Image]

What is the view of your father?

I recall him being rather pleased with it but, for him, it doesn't displace Bernstein or Chailly.

[Linz]

Nielsen Symphonies 3 and 2 by Alan Gilbert & New York Philharmonic

[DavidW]

So, yeah, I'm good with Mahler symphonies.

You don't have Gielen, Bertini or Kubelik so you are far from done.  Actually there is no great box set (not even Bernstein) so yeah keep going.  The individuals are much better.  Check out for starters

M1: Kubelik
M2: Mehta
M3: Ivan Fischer
M4: Bernstein I (okay you have this)
M5: Bernstein II (okay you have this)
M6: Sanderling
M7: MTT I (not II!)
M8: Nagano
M9: Chailly (okay you have this)

[Traverso]

I recall him being rather pleased with it but, for him, it doesn't displace Bernstein or Chailly.

I have 8 complete sets,I think that I will pass on this one.Concentrate on Mahler and Boulez, returning to Haitink,Chailly,Bertini,Tennstedt,de Waart,Inbal , Solti.and the many seperate recordings.

[classicalgeek]

Nielsen Symphonies 3 and 2 by Alan Gilbert & New York Philharmonic

An excellent Nielsen cycle - my top choice!

TD:
I thought I'd observe Norgard's 90th birthday by sampling some of his music:
Per Norgard
Symphony no. 4
Symphony no. 5
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Leif Segerstam
(on Spotify)



I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Sometimes these postmodern composers take multiple hearings before their music starts to make sense, and I think that's the case with Norgard for me.

[VonStupp]

Continuing on with Italia for today.



From this set:

This was the first of the series (3 of 9 CD's) where I didn't really know what I was getting into with much of the music. A lot of it sounded 20th Century experimental, but I was excited to hear what was on offer.

Giuseppe Verdi
Ave Maria & Laudi alla Vergine Maria
Pater Noster
These are unsurprisingly beautiful. I have only heard the a cappella numbers of Verdi's Quattro Pezzi Sacri from large symphonic choruses (ie. Giulini's Philharmonia Chorus), so it was interesting to hear these from a smaller professional German chamber choir.

Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968)
Three Choral Compositions (1942)
These were also quite beautiful, following much in line with Verdi. I am only familiar with the Requiem from Pizzetti's choral output, so I may look up Chandos' choral album with Danish singers. Terrific!

Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988)
Yliam (1964)
TKRDG (1968)
Scelsi was a total unknown to me. Improvisational ala John Cage and meditative ala Feldman's Rothko. TKRDG has an ethnic percussive quality that is hard to pinpoint and unusually pairs male voices with electric guitar. Not sure about this music...

Luigi Nono (1924-1990)
Sarà dolce tacere (1960)
I only know Nono's name from his association with the Darmstadt School. Not forbidding at all, but challenging nonetheless. These were interesting sounds, very separate from the text and often at extremes with angular leaps, plus it sounds to me like this would be snot-hard to perform. SWR also performed an all-Nono program on SWR Hanssler that I may check out.

Goffredo Petrassi (1904-2003)
Nonsense (1952)
Funny limericks set to unusual harmonies, Petrassi is another unknown name to me. It was nice to have a humorous element among largely experimental repertoire. 'I once knew a man from Nantucket...'

SWR Vokalensemble - Marcus Creed
Excellent singing. There is a strange low-pitched artifact that I detected on this, and on a previous entry, that I am going to try and identify on my next go around with these. Otherwise, Italia was a very interesting part of this series, but they are all fun to explore.

VS

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Korngold
Symphony in F-sharp, Op. 40
Munich PO
Kempe



This performance is so much better than John Wilson's on Chandos, but I'd put it on par with Previn on DG. I also like the Werner Andreas Albert on CPO.

[VonStupp]

NP:

Korngold
Symphony in F-sharp, Op. 40
Staatskapelle Dresden
Kempe



This performance is so much better than John Wilson's on Chandos, but I'd put it on par with Previn on DG. I also like the Werner Andreas Albert on CPO.

Have you heard, or do you have feelings about Marc Albrecht's on Pentatone? I remember the sonics as quite outstanding, but I think I focused on the Much Ado About Nothing it was paired with instead of the Symphony. I will have to get back to it.

VS

[Mirror Image]

Have you heard, or do you have feelings about Marc Albrecht's on Pentatone? I remember the sonics as quite outstanding, but I think I focused on the Much Ado About Nothing it was paired with instead of the Symphony.

VS

Unfortunately, I don't own the Albrecht recording. I generally like his conducting and may end up springing it for it. Would be nice if you could give it a listen and let me know your impressions.

[Bachtoven]

[Mirror Image]

I have 8 complete sets,I think that I will pass on this one.Concentrate on Mahler and Boulez, returning to Haitink,Chailly,Bertini,Tennstedt,de Waart,Inbal , Solti.and the many seperate recordings.

Yes, indeed. I don't blame you as you've got a whole new box set to explore.

[Traverso]

Yes, indeed. I don't blame you as you've got a whole new box set to explore.

Be careful John or I send Arnie 

[Mirror Image]

Be careful John or I send Arnie 

I'd love to meet Schoenberg, so send him on over.

[Traverso]

I'd love to meet Schoenberg, so send him on over.

Ah,...you mean the boogeyman...

[Mirror Image]

Ah,...you mean the boogeyman...

No, this would be the boogeyman:

Giacinto Scelsi

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Schoenberg
Erwartung, Op. 17
Anja Silja, soprano
Philharmonia
Craft

[Madiel]

An excellent Nielsen cycle - my top choice!

TD:
I thought I'd observe Norgard's 90th birthday by sampling some of his music:
Per Norgard
Symphony no. 4
Symphony no. 5
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Leif Segerstam
(on Spotify)



I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Sometimes these postmodern composers take multiple hearings before their music starts to make sense, and I think that's the case with Norgard for me.

While Segerstam has his fans, I would recommend the Da Capo series. You get fantastic sound, and he is a composer that benefits from that.