What are you listening 2 now?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Creston SY5. Schwarz/Seattle.


 

[Todd]

I've listened to this a couple dozen times or so, and it continues to thrill.

[Daverz]

Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin Suite, op.19. Ádám Fischer, Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra

Good performance—trademark weird Nimbus sonics. I like it, but I think I would like to find another recording of this work.

His brother recorded both works for Philips

[Symphonic Addict]

Braunfels strikes me as a rather uneven composer. Some works of his have grabbed me immediately (e.g. the Te Deum), while others have left me a bit disappointed and are rather lacking in memorability.

Yes, some works of his can be regrettable misses, but fortunately the hits have been more numerous (for me, at least). In the case of the quartet, I consider it partly has to do with the ensemble playing.

While it may be the least substantial of Copland's symphonies, I do enjoy the spiky rhythmic energy of the Short Symphony, which also exists in an effective chamber version as his Sextet. What do you think of his early Dance Symphony? I find it to be a very engaging and surprisingly "meaty" work given its title. The Chicago SO/Morton Gould recording is particularly excellent!

I don't have strong memories of that work, Kyle. I'll have to refresh my ears to find out.

[Symphonic Addict]

Haydn: Cello Concerto in D major

The opening tune sounds so familiar to me that I think I've heard it elsewhere.




Martucci: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor

Not a good work, zero memorable. The slow movement is pretty and sweet, though.

[Karl Henning]

CD 40

Shostakovich
Symphony № 10 in e minor, Op. 93
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York (NY Phil)
Rec. 18 Oct 1954 (i.e. only about a year after the piece's completion.)

Magnificent!

And now:

CD 46

Shostakovich
Violin Concerto № 1 in a minor, Op. 77—the book notes: Although Shostakovich had completed this Violin Concerto in the late 1940s as Opus 77, it was not premièred until 1955, after Stalin's death, by David Oistrakh. In order to suggest that the work was composed at that time, it was—against Shostakovich's wishes—assigned the opus number 99. [And so appears on the LP's cover.] The earlier opus number has since been restored to reflect the work's correct place in Shostakovich's œuvre.
David Oistrakh, vn
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York (NY Phil)
Rec. 2 Jan 1956 (World Première Recording.)

[Peter Power Pop]

Hahn's a great player and its certainly an unusual coupling - any explanation as to why "eclipse"??

No direct mention in the liner notes that I saw, but she wrote a little essay on how (good) it felt to record and play in concert after taking a sabbatical in 2019 that merged with the Covid lockdowns to keep her offstage for an extended time. Perhaps it's a reference to that.

Even David Hurwitz is flummoxed:

https://www.youtube.com/v/ys1K7s9TClA

[vers la flamme]

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.2 9in D major, op.36. André Cluytens, Berliner Philharmoniker

Enjoying this cycle so far. Definitely a very straightforward take on these symphonies, in good late '50s stereo. If I'm not mistaken, it was the first Beethoven cycle the BPO ever recorded, a few years before the very famous Karajan cycle (which I do not have). Glad to have it, and it was a steal for $15, shipping included. If anyone is looking for it, it can probably still be had for this price from certain eBay sellers.

[Todd]

The surfeit of fine young pianists means that some slip through the cracks.  A case in point, Jordanian-born pianist Karim Said's disc Legacy.  This second recording from the Barenboim protege, dating from 2018, is a splendid concept disc blending English Renaissance composers, Brahms, Webern, and Schoenberg.  Said plays everything superbly well, getting inside the idioms as fully as his instrument allows.  As Kit Armstrong demonstrated in his monumentally great Byrd & Bull set, the modern grand suits ancient English music perfectly well.  Said plays with less tonal luxuriance than Armstrong, generally keeping things cleaner, but his approach works nearly as well.  That the listener can be transported between Renaissance works and Webern and not only not find the juxtaposition jarring, but eagerly welcome them, attests to the pianist's talent.  The Schoenberg rates among the best I've heard.  Brahms' Second Sonata offers the only truly jarring contrast as Said blasts the opening at the listener, creating quasi-orchestral scale with a harder edge than my preferred second FFG recording.  Overall, FFG probably still rules the roost for me, but Said ain't none too shabby.  The Byrd Fantasia that ends the recital moves back in time seamlessly.  I will be listening to his earlier recording in short order.  Said really ought to be given a carte blanche contract at an enterprising micro-label.

The reason I found this disc is because I was searching for more modern grand recordings of Renaissance keyboard works.  The world really needs more of them.

[Daverz]

Hahn's a great player and its certainly an unusual coupling - any explanation as to why "eclipse"??

At least we get the composers listed on the front cover.

[Peter Power Pop]

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.2 9in D major, op.36. André Cluytens, Berliner Philharmoniker

Enjoying this cycle so far. Definitely a very straightforward take on these symphonies, in good late '50s stereo. If I'm not mistaken, it was the first Beethoven cycle the BPO ever recorded, a few years before the very famous Karajan cycle (which I do not have). Glad to have it, and it was a steal for $15, shipping included. If anyone is looking for it, it can probably still be had for this price from certain eBay sellers.

Currently US$14.18 (with free shipping) on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275318889595

Absolute bargain.

[JBS]

CD 13 of this

Which is the first CD of this

It's a PI set: a variety of harmoniums made between 1860 and 1891 are used. One piece is a duo with piano--an Erard, played by none other than Jos van Immerseel.

[Symphonic Addict]

Schmitt: Suites from 'Antoine et Cléopâtre'

When good late-Romanticism is concerned, Schmitt is the right man.

[JBS]

CD 4



Not as quite as inventive as Mozart or Haydn, and so far no deep emotional vistas that sometimes appear in the quartets of those two composers, but still pleasant and rewarding to listen to.

[Mandryka]

Choice of repertoire here was somewhat disappointing for me. Would instead recommend the Roland Pöntinen disc. Or Sviatoslav Richter.

Richter played 4 mazurkas in Hungary sometime between 1976 and 1985. Very good!

But my favourite Szymanowski piano recording remains Massimiliano Damerini's Metopes.

[Operafreak]

Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 5 'Egyptian'-Louis Lortie (piano)-BBC Philharmonic, Edward Gardner

[Peter Power Pop]

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (Kirov Orchestra, St Petersburg / Valery Gergiev)

[Que]

Even David Hurwitz is flummoxed:

https://www.youtube.com/v/ys1K7s9TClA

I have to say that I found it mildly entertaining!   I would almost forgive him his anti HIP rants.
Perhaps Hurwitz should stick what he knows best: Romantic and late-Romantic orchestral music. That caters for a very large part of Classical Music interests anyway.

[Que]

Via Spotify:



Familiar repertoire which sounds in the hands of Paolo Cherici amazing.

[Mookalafalas]

Oistrakh playing Bach.