What are you listening 2 now?

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony 4 Michael Gielen SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg

[Brian]

I have that box, of course, I mean how could I not.  I have a hunch that a lot of good things exist in that catalog, much like the various old French market recordings, some of which occasionally pop up.  I want to hear all of it, or at least the various piano recordings.  Spanish pianists punch above their weight, collectively.

Being a fan of Spanish orchestral obscurities, I'm intensely jealous whenever ritter posts these EMI reissues (another one recently was Ernesto Halffter rarities). Would absolutely preorder a Hispavox Big Box.

Wonder how much material Hispavox had. Potentially enough for orchestral, zarzuela, and instrumental boxes?

[MusicTurner]

And sounds fantastic! Respighi is glorious in the 'standard' fare of festivals, church windows and pines, of course... but he also shines, when given the chance, with some very delicate orchestration, and great tunes and sonorities. I like him (and the recordings on that CD) a lot!

Good to hear - and it seems that Naxos is doing a complete survey of the orchestral music (where for example the Brilliant box is far from complete).

[Todd]

Wonder how much material Hispavox had. Potentially enough for orchestral, zarzuela, and instrumental boxes?

Rate Your Music lists 2300+ titles, and Discogs shows 9300+ entries, though the latter obviously has many duplicates.  The former likely does.  Whatever the number of recordings, I suspect several megaboxes could be cobbled together.  Of course, the number of recordings that have been converted to digital already, and the condition of the tapes for recordings that have not been digitized, may very well limit the total number that could be reissued.

As much music as we have access to, one must remember that tens of thousands of recordings, and likely far more, have never been transferred to current media.  I just think of the good stuff that may be gone forever . . .

[ritter]

Being a fan of Spanish orchestral obscurities, I'm intensely jealous whenever ritter posts these EMI reissues (another one recently was Ernesto Halffter rarities). Would absolutely preorder a Hispavox Big Box.

Wonder how much material Hispavox had. Potentially enough for orchestral, zarzuela, and instrumental boxes?

Well, Hispavox was active in many genres (pop, flamenco, classical, zarzuela), and it's not easy to filter the 122 pages in Discogs that cover the label's releases (which AFAIK, include stuff licensed from foreign companies) by category.

It was active independently for just over 30 years, and I think their classical catalogue was comprehensive but not huge (except for zarzuelas, where they were clearly the market leader). Off the top of my head, I have EMI CD reissues of recordings of Falla (a superb twofer that includes fabulous recordings of El Amor brujo, Master Peter's Puppet Show, and other works —an all-time favourite of mine which I believe  is still easy to find secondhand), Arriaga, Ernesto Halffter, Esplá, Guridi, plus a collection of guitar concertos played by Ernesto Bitetti (including a very early C. Halffter piece and, uncharacteristically, a non-Spanish work —by Castelnuovo-Tedesco). And the aforementioned Larrocha recordings included in the Icon box. I'm very satisfied with all of these (regardless of how much I appreciate the one or other composer).

I think the EMI reissues pop up occasionally in the second phand market (Amazon marketplace, Discogs), and if you're ever in Madrid, there is one store here that still has new copies of several of these CDs)...and I'd gladly invite you to a glass or two Sherry wine.

Regards,

[MusicTurner]

I also own some LPs from the old Spanish  anthology Genios de la Musica Espanola nos. 1 - 50, listed at Discogs, that also featured some rarities, albeit at times in rather mediocre recordings.

[Linz]

Now for avery slow version of the 4th Symphony with Celibidache from 1993 with the Münchner Philharmoniker

[pjme]

Thanks. I already knew the piano version, but was unaware of this earlier recording with orchestra. Looks good!

I really like late Schmitt!

Good evening to you, Peter.

And an" goede avond/bonne nuit/ good evening" from the Low Countries.  I moved from Belgium to the Netherlands earlier this year - closer to family.
A real adventure at my age (70).
But all is well now.

[Traverso]

And an" goede avond/bonne nuit/ good evening" from the Low Countries.  I moved from Belgium to the Netherlands earlier this year - closer to family.
A real adventure at my age (70).
But all is well now.

Welcome in the Netherlands ! 

[Todd]

The Salonen is a humdinger of a Cello Concerto, the best new example of the genre since Elliot Carter's.  (OK, I don't recall if I have heard any cello concertos written in the intervening years.)  The second movement manages to successfully incorporate electronic recordings of the cello, and some dandy flute playing.  The final movement is a rousing, energetic movement.  It takes some doing to combine all these elements.  Hopefully, this finds more soloists willing to perform it, and more bands.  I should probably try the Ma recording.  Perhaps Salonen himself can bring some additional insight to the conducting.  The Ravel pairing is quite different but works well.  Superb sound, superb playing.

[Brian]

Sounds like the best chance of Hispavox Big Boxes would be to have a really knowledgeable person comb through the catalog, the way Cyrus Meher-Homji does for Australian Eloquence, and be selective about the "best"/most noteworthy/most releaseable stuff.

Well, Hispavox was active in many genres (pop, flamenco, classical, zarzuela), and it's not easy to filter the 122 pages in Discogs that cover the label's releases (which AFAIK, include stuff licensed from foreign companies) by category.

It was active independently for just over 30 years, and I think their classical catalogue was comprehensive but not huge (except for zarzuelas, where they were clearly the market leader). Off the top of my head, I have EMI CD reissues of recordings of Falla (a superb twofer that includes fabulous recordings of El Amor brujo, Master Peter's Puppet Show, and other works —an all-time favourite of mine which I believe  is still easy to find secondhand), Arriaga, Ernesto Halffter, Esplá, Guridi, plus a collection of guitar concertos played by Ernesto Bitetti (including a very early C. Halffter piece and, uncharacteristically, a non-Spanish work —by Castelnuovo-Tedesco). And the aforementioned Larrocha recordings included in the Icon box. I'm very satisfied with all of these (regardless of how much I appreciate the one or other composer).

I think the EMI reissues pop up occasionally in the second phand market (Amazon marketplace, Discogs), and if you're ever in Madrid, there is one store here that still has new copies of several of these CDs)...and I'd gladly invite you to a glass other teo of Sherry wine.

Regards,

Thank you for all this! And if I am ever in Madrid I will let you know!

[vandermolen]

Lennox Berkeley: Concerto for Two Pianos - my favourite work by Berkeley (along with his First Symphony)

[ritter]

The Salonen is a humdinger of a Cello Concerto, the best new example of the genre since Elliot Carter's.  (OK, I don't recall if I have heard any cello concertos written in the intervening years.)  ....

Here you have two from those intervening years, the Mantovani and the Schoeller (the third concerto on the disc, Gilbert Amy's, is from one year before Carter's).



Listening to the one-movement, 18' long Mantovani as I write. So far, some very dramatuc and effective orchestral writing, and some beautiful sounds coming out of Queyras' cello. I like it...

That Salonen looks interesting. Might investigate.

[Brian]

The Salonen is a humdinger of a Cello Concerto, the best new example of the genre since Elliot Carter's.  (OK, I don't recall if I have heard any cello concertos written in the intervening years.)  The second movement manages to successfully incorporate electronic recordings of the cello, and some dandy flute playing.  The final movement is a rousing, energetic movement.  It takes some doing to combine all these elements.  Hopefully, this finds more soloists willing to perform it, and more bands.  I should probably try the Ma recording.  Perhaps Salonen himself can bring some additional insight to the conducting.  The Ravel pairing is quite different but works well.  Superb sound, superb playing.

I thought I wrote a post here comparing the two recordings, but after searching for every term I could think of, was unable to find it. At any rate, the orchestral sound is indeed very different between the two, or perhaps the miking/sound picture is very different. (Can't remember exactly how, which is why I was searching so desperately.) The work is definitely good enough to merit hearing/owning both.

[ritter]

Now listening to another Cello Concerto from the "intervening years"  , Marc-André Dalbavie's (2013).



I find Dalbavie's sensual, almost hedonistic orchestral writing hugely enjoyable.

[Stu]

Randall Thompson - Symphony No. 2

A joy to listen to.  The slow movement theme is just perfect and gorgeous, but it's the finale that really pops here.  The beginning of the theme of that last movement always makes me think of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," though it's not really that similar and the symphony was written 15 years earlier but, honestly, it's a lovely association to have in my mind anyway.

Thompson is remembered, if at all, mostly for his choral music, but it's a shame he didn't get to write for orchestra more as he has a deft touch for orchestration I'd say.

[Karl Henning]

Randall Thompson - Symphony No. 2

A joy to listen to.  The slow movement theme is just perfect and gorgeous, but it's the finale that really pops here.  The beginning of the theme of that last movement always makes me think of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," though it's not really that similar and the symphony was written 15 years earlier but, honestly, it's a lovely association to have in my mind anyway.

Thompson is remembered, if at all, mostly for his choral music, but it's a shame he didn't get to write for orchestra more as he has a deft touch for orchestration I'd say.

Nice album! I've heard both the Schuman and the Thompson in the Sony reissue boxes.

[vers la flamme]

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.2 in C minor, the "Resurrection". Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus

Love this Resurrection. The first movement is damn fast, very driven and exciting.

[Brian]

Nos. "6" and 4. Korstick is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Beethoven concerto cycles, as is another recent pianist with a driven approach, Oliver Schnyder.

[vandermolen]

Randall Thompson - Symphony No. 2

A joy to listen to.  The slow movement theme is just perfect and gorgeous, but it's the finale that really pops here.  The beginning of the theme of that last movement always makes me think of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," though it's not really that similar and the symphony was written 15 years earlier but, honestly, it's a lovely association to have in my mind anyway.

Thompson is remembered, if at all, mostly for his choral music, but it's a shame he didn't get to write for orchestra more as he has a deft touch for orchestration I'd say.

Nice looking LP! I like both of those works.