What are you listening 2 now?

Started by Gurn Blanston, September 23, 2019, 05:45:22 AM

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Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Shostakovich & Szymanowski Preludes: Alexandra Dariescu.



Todd



Wrapping up with Op 96.  The cycle as a whole slightly exceeded expectations.  It does not rise to the level of Cerovsek/Jumppanen or Papavrami/FFG among current century sets, but it is basically on par with Capuçon/Braley or Fouchenneret/Descharmes.  The Midori/Thibaudet duo is half French, and boasts one of the elitist of elite pianists from the last several decades, so that does not surprise.  Were this duo to record more, I would be keen to hear said recording(s).
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

JBS

Another Offenbach in German, The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, from the Warner Offenbach box.
Also attached a poster from 1868, the year after the opera's premiere.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

kyjo

Quote from: Madiel on December 04, 2022, 12:38:48 AMDvorak: Dimitrij



I listened to Act One months ago, and for various reasons didn't come back to it even though it's very good. I don't know if I'll do the entire thing tonight (it's just over 3 hours), but about to progress to Act Two.

As much as anything, I suspect that this time around Dvorak got a quality libretto. Certainly, Act One didn't get bogged down.

EDIT: Turns out I'm doing the whole thing. It really is rather good, and I'm not an opera lover.

A fantastic work, nearly as good as the much more famous Rusalka! Its neglect is rather shocking (it's only received one or two recordings).
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

kyjo

Quote from: Papy Oli on December 04, 2022, 03:33:56 AMRe Casella 3
It was a first listen to the work for me, Kyle but some moments did catch my ear. I need to go back to it with more attention. 

Thanks for the report, Olivier! His first two symphonies are also fantastic, in a more over-the-top (in a good way!) Late-Romantic vein.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Todd




4.  The cycle continues to not suck.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Brian



The Cecilia Quartet, a group of four Canadian ladies, produced one of my all-time favorite Dvorak albums before it dissolved in 2018. Starting with the Cypresses and finishing with a few encore waltzes, the album's structure primes your brain for a certain way of looking at the central work - the big masterpiece quartet Op. 106. Because you've been enjoying the utterly lovely, ultra-melodic Cypresses, the big quartet sneaks up on you, presenting itself at first as another in the flow of Dvorak's glorious tunes. The development and structural complexity unfolds slowly, luxuriously, even though the Cecilias' performance is actually quite vigorous and exciting. The slow movement is uberromantic, including luxurious portamenti.

A pity this group has disbanded. Also a pity that only 6 of the 12 Cypresses are on this album. There was room for more! A+ stuff.

Brian

Quote from: Brian on December 04, 2022, 12:18:03 PM

The Cecilia Quartet, a group of four Canadian ladies, produced one of my all-time favorite Dvorak albums before it dissolved in 2018. Starting with the Cypresses and finishing with a few encore waltzes, the album's structure primes your brain for a certain way of looking at the central work - the big masterpiece quartet Op. 106. Because you've been enjoying the utterly lovely, ultra-melodic Cypresses, the big quartet sneaks up on you, presenting itself at first as another in the flow of Dvorak's glorious tunes. The development and structural complexity unfolds slowly, luxuriously, even though the Cecilias' performance is actually quite vigorous and exciting. The slow movement is uberromantic, including luxurious portamenti.

A pity this group has disbanded. Also a pity that only 6 of the 12 Cypresses are on this album. There was room for more! A+ stuff.
Following up with another favorite album that feels appropriately wintry.



Recorded on Sibelius' own 1915 Steinway, a gift from a collection of Finnish music fans, in the room of his house where it's sat for a century. The story of the piano is remarkable itself: Wilhelm Kempff visited Sibelius and played the 'Hammerklavier' at JS's request; a very young Isaac Stern visited and asked Sibelius to accompany him; Emil Gilels played through Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues Op. 87 for the Finnish composer; and Sibelius himself presented a recital to his family every Christmas.

For all those reasons, in addition to Folke Grasbeck's folksy, intimate, chamber-scaled performances, this is one of the two must-own Sibelius piano discs (with Andsnes). And the piano really is lovely. If I had to choose 10 musical performances through history worthy of a visit via time-travel technology, the Kempff Hammerklavier and Gilels Op. 87 would both be among my time-machine targets.

Bachtoven

Excellent playing but rather distant sound.

JBS

NP
How about Dvorak with Andsnes?


The 13 pieces that form Opus 85

The major flaw with this recording is length: he could have easily extended the program by 15 or 20 minutes with other Dvorak works.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Klavierman

These works are extremely difficult, but Rubenstein plays them well.

SurprisedByBeauty


#morninglistening
to #JSBach & #ManuelMariaPonce w/ #AnneHaasch on
@genuinclassics


Perfect AdventListening to a homogenous mix of music across two centuries.

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: André on July 19, 2022, 03:22:26 PM



The recording is full-bodied and pellucid. The excellent album notes are by our fellow GMGer Jens F. Laurson.

Why, thank you very much for the kind words!  8) 
VERY much appreciated... especially from such a knowledgeable bunch. One always half suspects just being picked apart for having missed some factoid or gotten something wrong and being called a cretin for it.

Cheers,

Jens

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

#82373
Quote from: Bachtoven on December 04, 2022, 01:19:04 PMExcellent playing but rather distant sound.


Vg album/performance. Agree, mediocre, uninspiring sound quality. I like his other albums as well.

Is your McIntosh tube or solid-state?

Mapman

Finzi: Clarinet Concerto, and Suite from "Love's Labours Lost"
Hacker; Boughton: English String Orchestra


Brian

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on December 04, 2022, 04:18:40 PMWhy, thank you very much for the kind words!  8) 
VERY much appreciated... especially from such a knowledgeable bunch. One always half suspects just being picked apart for having missed some factoid or gotten something wrong and being called a cretin for it.

Cheers,

Jens
Welcome back!!

Symphonic Addict

Two performances/recordings that left me cold:

Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie



I don't get the hype about the Kubelik, I didn't feel anything special on this performance. I prefer my Mahler more shining and decadent to be honest, something I didn't perceive here at all. The recording didn't help that much either.

As for the Strauss, an uninteresting, underwhelming, uninspired performance that lacked emotion, majesty and glitter in large amounts. Solti conducted some good Strauss (namely some of his operas), but here he was out of place. I suspect Hurwitz would praise this performance because it's fast  ;D (44 minutes long).
One detail I did enjoy was the wind machine in the storm section, though.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Mapman

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on December 04, 2022, 05:54:08 PMTwo performances/recordings that left me cold:

Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie


I don't get the hype about the Kubelik, I didn't feel anything special on this performance. I prefer my Mahler more shining and decadent to be honest, something I didn't perceive here at all. The recording didn't help that much either.


Interesting. My memory is that Kubelik does a great job in the 3rd movement with shocking disruptions from the wind band. (I'm somewhat curious, what is a recording of Mahler's 1st that matches your preferences?)

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Mapman on December 04, 2022, 05:57:55 PMInteresting. My memory is that Kubelik does a great job in the 3rd movement with shocking disruptions from the wind band. (I'm somewhat curious, what is a recording of Mahler's 1st that matches your preferences?)
Yes, the inner movements worked better overall, but the other two were taken somewhat hurried. One performance that gets it right for me is Sinopoli/Philharmonia on DG.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Operafreak







 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 51 'Seven Last Words'/Cuarteto Casals
The true adversary will inspire you with boundless courage.