What are you listening 2 now?

[pjme]

Maurice Ravel's
L'Enfant et les Sortileges

Lorin Maazel, Orchestre National de la RTF

I don't know a better recording of this work, though I've tried many! Great fun.

I heartily concur.

Françoise Ogéas is a very good "enfant" and the wonderful 1960 cast is (except Rehfuss, a Swiss) uniformly French.
I love Ernest Bour's version (1947 - mono) and Flore Wend is excellent in Ansermet's recording of 1954.
I'm not familiar with more recent recordings (Mikko Franck, Stéphane Denève...)

[Brian]

I noticed that one, and it is interesting. I have Hollliger's old recording on Archive (from the 70's), so I was concerned it would be somewhat redundant. The old recording is a bit staid, sort of semi-pre-HIP.

I'll try to revisit the ECM set soon to see how HIP or semi-pre-HIP it is - my assumption/fuzzy memory was that it was more informed, as befits the time.

FWIW here is Hurwitz' direct comparison of the two:

"It was Heinz Holliger and friends who began the "Zelenka Renaissance," if you can call it that, way back in the early 1970s with their Archiv recording of these Trio Sonatas.... The only thing that has kept these works from the Baroque "Top Ten" is their appalling difficulty in performance (just listen to the bassoon in Sonata No. 5, and you'll get the idea). For this reason, it's not surprising that Holliger wanted to take another shot at music that he has lived with for nearly 40 years, and his performances (which include several members of his original Archiv team) are an improvement in every way. Where before he was content to more or less get through the notes, here he and his partners play with such ease and sovereign command, and are so beautifully recorded, that this set easily becomes the reference edition for this marvelous music."

Track listings on Presto indicate the newer set is 99 minutes, total, compared to 104 minutes on Archiv.

[Que]

Disc 5: Sonatas KV 282, 283 & 284; Rondos KV 485 & 511.

[vers la flamme]

Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata No.20 in A major, D 959. Alfred Brendel

Perhaps my favorite Schubertian slow movement. Good to revisit the Schubert piano sonatas (at least the late ones) after a long period of neglect.

[Traverso]

Johann Kuhnau


"Der Gerechte kommt um"

[Todd]

[Traverso]

Handel

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Chilly Sunday morning. Szymanowski Mazurkas. Kaoru Bingham.

[SonicMan46]

We just signed up for Wondrium and now watching a course on Sacred Music; the lecturer is on the Renaissance and William Byrd - so for Sunday morn listening to the recordings below - Dave

 

[VonStupp]

George Dyson
Nebuchadnezzar
Woodland Suite
Three Songs of Praise
Psalm 150
Confortare

Mark Padmore, tenor / Neal Davies, bass
BBC SO & Chorus - Richard Hickox

For this afternoon:
VS

[prémont]

Handel

How do boy sopranos work in Messiah?

[Traverso]

How do boy sopranos work in Messiah?

Willcocks must have been very happy because the boy sopranos are really excellent at their job, I can't say anything else. They sing with verve and I love the unique tembre they have.
I've known this recording for a long time and it remains an attractive recording alongside two other favorites.  (Cleobury Argo)

[Lisztianwagner]

Edvard Grieg
Piano Concerto in A minor

Pianist: Krystian Zimerman
Herbert von Karajan & Berliner Philharmoniker

[Todd]

It has been a little while since I last listened to this.  As good as memory suggested, and it remains among the elitist of elite recordings - eg, Firkusny. 

[VonStupp]

Howard Hanson
Piano Concerto in G Major, op. 36
Symphony 7 'A Sea Symphony'

Carol Rosenberger, piano
Seattle Symphony & Chorale - Gerard Schwarz (rec. 1992)

VS



From this set:

[Mandryka]

https://www.discogs.com/release/6090971-Jan-Smeterlin-Jan-Smeterlin

Smeterlin is my favourite performer of Chopin's nocturnes, and it looks like he's a brilliant Szymanowski player too.

[vers la flamme]

You remind me of this great recording. Current listening:



George Frideric Handel: Messiah, HWV 56. Andrew Parrott, Taverner Choir & Players

Always good to return to Messiah. It has been a while.

[VonStupp]

Howard Hanson
Mosaics
The Lament for Beowulf
Serenade for Flute, Harp, and Strings
Pastorale for Oboe, Harp, and Strings
Merry Mount Suite

NY Chamber Symphony of the 92nd Street Y (Serenade & Pastorale)
Seattle Symphony and Chorale - Gerard Schwarz

Some extras from this set for tonight:
VS

[prémont]

Smeterlin is my favourite performer of Chopin's nocturnes

Yes, I knew this and have acquired it for that reason.
I agree that he is a great chopinian. Time will show if he will replace Arrau as my favorite nocturne interpreter on modern piano.

[Todd]

Revisiting this set of Hartmann's quartets for the first time in a while.  I also have the Zehetmair's take on both, and prefer those, though this disc works very well.  While there are a couple other sets, I hope the Armida record these works.