What are you listening 2 now?

[Symphonic Addict]

Although at least it's the 1920 version Cesar!

That was the reason why I gave it a listen, Jeffrey. The last minutes are indeed magical.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Benjamin Britten's
Cello Suite No. 1

Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)

Masterpieces, all. I wish Slava had recorded the 3rd suite, is all.

Me too. 

PD

[Traverso]

How is this set? It looks quite marvelous, Atherton recorded my favourite version of Schönberg's Wind Quintet.

This is an attractive box but only available as a 5 LP set.

[ritter]

Ricardo Requejo plays Isaac Albéniz's Suite Española, op. 47:

[aligreto]

Lalo: Scherzo. Presto [Andretta]





This is one of those short works that really packs a punch. Quite a lot, both musically and atmospherically, is delivered in a very short time frame. Great craftsmanship.

[classicalgeek]

Isang Yun
Double Concerto for Oboe, Harp, and Small Orchestra
Heinz Holliger, oboe
Ursula Holliger, harp
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
Dennis Russell Davies
(on Spotify)

[aligreto]

Poulenc: Eric Le Sage Plays Poulenc





From CD 5:

Sextet for piano and wind instruments [Pahud/Leleux/Meyer/Koster/Audin/Le Sage]

This is magical and exciting music. What wonderful scoring and intriguing harmonies there are in this music. The music also has great depth to it; it is emotional on many levels.

[foxandpeng]

RVW
Symphony 5
Kees Bakels
Bournemouth SO
Naxos

Fine close to the day.

[Mandryka]

That was my 18th birthday present!

I'm so glad you love the opera. But now consider the objections at the time, and also those of some later critics: that is more orchestral than operatic.
It's still magical, no doubt. I wouldn't trade it for a lot.
But it is incredibly non-operatic when you think of it. Which makes it a masterpiece on the one hand, and a flop on the other.
Anyway: I don't mean to detract from it in the least. It is a masterpiece without doubt. I just don't think it his greatest opera (maybe Aida or Otello would fit that bill).

There was a time when I seemed to be seeing it a lot, a period of about five years when I saw it maybe three or four times, mostly staged. It became very familiar (I remember a similar experience with Lulu), and it works just fine in the theatre, I've never seen it fail, and once, at Covent Garden, it was quite special.  I think the idea that Falstaff is not operatic is strange, that applies more to Aida I think, because so much of Aida is static. Put it like this: if Figaro is operatic, so is Falstaff.

All these Verdi operas are flawed - even Otello has Iago's creed. But Falstaff ain't bad IMO - I'd see it again without hesitating. It's quite revealing of your tastes I think - whether you prefer Otello or Falstaff. I'm in the Otello camp, I'm a sucker for heldentenors.

[Lisztianwagner]

This is an attractive box but only available as a 5 LP set.

Oh, I understand, what a pity, I saw on Amazon there were some Atherton recordings of the Wind Quintet, Suite, Serenade and the Pierrot Lunaire, so I hoped there was the complete set too. Thanks for the reply anyway.

[Karl Henning]

RVW
Symphony 5
Kees Bakels
Bournemouth SO
Naxos

Fine close to the day.

Possibly the very first RVW disc ever I bought.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Ricardo Requejo plays Isaac Albéniz's Suite Española, op. 47:

I like his Falla disc. I will check this out!

[vers la flamme]

Arnold Schoenberg: 5 Pieces for Orchestra, op.16. Antal Doráti, London Symphony Orchestra

Damn, this sounds great!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Bruhns Organ Works. Suzuki.

[Operafreak]

Dvorak, Tchaikovsky & Borodin: String Quartets-Escher String Quartet

[Karl Henning]

Arnold Schoenberg: 5 Pieces for Orchestra, op.16. Antal Doráti, London Symphony Orchestra

Damn, this sounds great!

Sweet!

[TheGSMoeller]

I don't listen to Mahler 6 often enough, it's one of the few pieces of classical music that intimidates me, not completely sure why. But it is an amazing work, and I might now go on a exploration of my other recordings of the 6th for comparisons...

[SimonNZ]

Reacquired this today, in its original edition with the big booklet of notes.

But listening again now I again think - and I know its blasphemy to say this - I actually prefer the copy I made which cuts out all DFD's "readings" and just leaves Bostridge doing the songs uninterrupted.

Nothing but love for Dietrich...but he didn't need to be here.

I'm guessing that's why even after this was rated a Rosette that Bostridge felt the need to record it again on EMI

[vandermolen]

I am enjoying the set immensely Jeffrey. And yes Tchaikovsky updated 2022, he needed that! Hope you are not shocked too much my friend.

On the contrary - it's a great photo.

[vandermolen]

Possibly the very first RVW disc ever I bought.

And it's a very good one too. I like the (unusual) combination of those two symphonies - both of which are amongst my very favourites.