What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

In recent days:


Taneyev: Symphony #3  Highly recommended! 


https://www.youtube.com/v/9oR0oNobyWE



And the Ernst Toch Symphony #1: I hope to write my (very positive) impressions of it for Toch Talk!


https://www.youtube.com/v/EVxQryuNAxw

Will revisit the Taneyev after PT

[Madiel]

I have been listening to Vikingur Olafsson play Phillip Glass for 5 minutes, and I am enjoying the experience.

You have no idea what an absolute bloody miracle that sentence is.

[SonicMan46]

J.S. Bach.

The Brandenburg Concertos.

I am going through my collection in order to bring some ultimate quality back, and discard all that is not to my taste anymore. Culling it is called. And today I am sampling four complete sets. The first one was Musica Amphion, under Pieter Jan Belder. and the first to go. First of all I did not like the sound. To anonymous, and little character. In general I found the tempi conservative, and the detailing at times obscure.
The second set is with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, that caused my ears to protest, it was a rather schrill recording, with the string thin on the ground, and again rather anonymous. I thought there was little warmth in the process, but the detailing and tempi were rather adequate.
The third set is the Brandenburg Consort directed by Roy Goodman, and it was a strong antidote against the other two recordings. The playing is sophisticated, and very detailed, the tempi balanced, and the Hyperion recording very good. Of all sets I have been listening to the first three concertos to get a good impression. And I think this one is probably going to stay, even though it is a bit too polite in expression, but rather this, as a overly joyless interpretation.
The Fourth set is done by the Academy of Ancient Music, directed by Christopher Hogwood, a L' Oiseau-Lyre recording. And this one hit in all the right places, there is nothing 'I could find that did not appeal, so that sealed the deal for me. The first two sets will go, and the last two will stay.

Hi Harry - similar to you, I've been culling the Brandenburg Concertos for decades and probably have owned at least a dozen versions in the past (both PIs and MIs) - my 3 current ones are shown below - as w/ you I could 'cull out' the Belder (but it's cheap and likely a common purchase) - I like the older Lamon recording and the newer Suzuki, which also has the Orchestral Suites - looking forward to some recommendations.  Dave

   

[Traverso]

Mahler


Symphony No.6


It had been a long time since I listened to one of the Mahler/Solti recordings .

Just listened to Mahler 1 with Solti which was a disappointing listening experience. Of course, there was disciplined orchestral playing, but otherwise it all sounded very ordinary, but with the provocative style that is Solti's hallmark. The slack articulation and casual profiling make it a very global event that arouses no excitement to this listener.

The Maazel recordings can have their quirks but there are plenty of moments where your attention is drawn into the music

[prémont]

Johann Sebastian Bach.

Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001-1006.
Six Solos for Violin without bass, 1720.
Disc I No. 1 in C minor, No. 1 in B minor, No. 2 in A minor.
Disc II, No. 2 in D minor, No. 3 in C major, No. 3 in E major.

Elizabeth Wallfisch plays on a Paulus de Vitor, fecit Brescia, 1750.
Bow copy of a early Dodd by Matthew Coltman.
Pitch A=400 Hz.

When I bought this set in 1997, I enormously liked it right away on spot so to say, despite some oddities. The lower pitch is the first plus in my book, very little vibrato, the sober approach abjuring any additional ornamentation, not per se a warm tone, and she sometimes has to work real hard to maintain a steady rhythm, which one can hear in the G minor Fugue, and the B minor Bourree, and also the C major Adagio. I compared it with the Kuijken set, and like her tempi better, and her overall expression. She digs deep, and has a pronounced spiritual expression, that bowls me over. I admire the Kuijken set greatly, but the beauty of Wallfisch's approach is very seductive and appealing to me. They can however live happily together
The sound is very good, and I love her Violin, Wallfisch gets a beautiful and mellifluous tone out of it.

Now it's my turn to thank you for your comments about Wallfish, which I fully agree with. One more too seldom mentioned set.

Edit: Much of the same things also characterizes her recording of JS Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord with Paul Nicholson, likewise released by Hyperion.

[JBS]

Indeed, still, after all these years, a very good set of these lovely songs.
Ps: during one of the lockdowns I tried -again - to figure out who Pierre de la Roche may be. For ages melomaniacs are puzzled by this unfamiliar name. Who is the mystery conductor behind this pseudonym?
I wrote to the Vienna radio Orchestra as they recorded (1963-1966) in the Baumgarten Saal (mentioned on the cds) of the Baumgartner Casino (untill ca 1974 an Aufnahmestudio / Fernsehstudio for the Vienna radio orchestra). Alas- the mystery remains, nobody knows...

Ms Davrath at least was a real person, born in Ukraine, eventually emigrated to Israel. The rather short bio on Wikipedia says she recorded several albums for Vanguard Classics but only talks about how good this Auverne set is, with a quote from a critic.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netania_Davrath

[Madiel]

I have been listening to Vikingur Olafsson play Phillip Glass for 5 minutes, and I am enjoying the experience.

You have no idea what an absolute bloody miracle that sentence is.

I have now been listening to Glass for 45 minutes and I am still interested. What sorcery is this?

[Traverso]

I have now been listening to Glass for 45 minutes and I am still interested. What sorcery is this?

It's a good thing to be captivated 

[Linz]

Mahler Symphony 8 Bernstien and The London Symhony Orchestra

[aligreto]

Part: Fur Alina [Malter]





Here we have two versions of the work Fur Alina. Both are played on solo piano and both played by the same pianist Alexander Malter. The tones and sonorities presented, along with the written harmonies, both lend for quite an enchanting atmosphere. I find Malter's touch to be sublime in this work. I also find this to be a simply mesmerising work. I do not know the work well enough at this stage to enable me to discern any difference between the two versions here. They sound the same to me but there may be subtle differences or nuances that I am missing. Both versions are of the same length.

[ritter]

Mahler here as well: Michael Gielen conducts the Ninth.

From the old, quasi-complete set.

[Harry]

Now it's my turn to thank you for your comments about Wallfish, which I fully agree with. One more too seldom mentioned set.

Edit: Much of the same things also characterizes her recording of JS Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord with Paul Nicholson, likewise released by Hyperion.

Which is I am happy to say is in my collection

[prémont]

Hi Harry - similar to you, I've been culling the Brandenburg Concertos for decades and probably have owned at least a dozen versions in the past (both PIs and MIs) - my 3 current ones are shown below - as w/ you I could 'cull out' the Belder (but it's cheap and likely a common purchase) - I like the older Lamon recording and the newer Suzuki, which also has the Orchestral Suites - looking forward to some recommendations.  Dave

Some PI recommendations from me would (in casual order) to day be:

Cafe Zimmermann on Alpha

New London Consort, Philip Pickett on Decca

Brandenburg Consort, Roy Goodman on Hyperion

Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki on BIS (his second recording - the one you have)

Linde Consort, Hans Martin Linde on EMI or Virgin (has been my favorite since I first heard it). It's OOP but may be had second hand.

La Stravaganza Hamburg, Siegbert Rampe on Virgin (now Erato)

The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock on Archiv

Hofkapelle München, Rüdiger Lotter on DHM

Ensemble Caprice, Matthias Maute on Analecta

Academy of Ancient Music, Richard Egarr on Harmonia Mundi France

I know about 98% of the ever recorded sets (quite a lot actually), so my preferences may change sometimes. Fact is that the artistic level of the recordings generally is very high, so the best way to choose among them to ones own purpose is to be guided by one's taste.

[Lisztianwagner]

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No.4

[aligreto]

Barry: The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, Act 5 [Markson]

[Linz]

Ashkenazy Shostakovich  CD2 Festival Overture, October, Symphony No. 2, The songs of the Forest Brighton Festival Chorus New London Children's Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

[TheGSMoeller]

I have been listening to Vikingur Olafsson play Phillip Glass for 5 minutes, and I am enjoying the experience.

You have no idea what an absolute bloody miracle that sentence is.

Vikingur might be the best choice for a non-Glass listener, he has a way of making it seem not so repetitive. This and Batagov's are the two etude discs I spin the most. Although Batagov is more of a slow burn, less exciting, but a much weightier tone and atmosphere. For example for Etude No. 6 Olaffson's time is 4:27, Batagov is 5:49. Both reach successful results to my ears.

TD: David Lang's Child album...

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony no.9 Gunter Wand

[ritter]

Some Stockhausen now: Carré, with the North German Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by the composer, Mauricio Kagel, Michael Gielen, and Andrzej Markowski.

[Lisztianwagner]

On youtube:

Karol Szymanowski
Symphony No. 3