What are you listening 2 now?

[steve ridgway]

Messiaen: 4 Inédits Pour Piano Et Ondes Martenot

I think that completes my initial survey of Messiaen. All good stuff .

[vandermolen]

Koechlin, Bax, Ruggles as far as I remember - I'm sure that there were others! 

[Harry]

The interpretations are quite variable, with some parts being less memorable. After listening to all the available volumes once, I now choose to listen only to certain parts, primarily Lebrun's recordings. How many volumes are available for streaming?

Thanks, I keep this in mind. There as far as I can see 10 CD'S of Bach's organ music.

[vandermolen]

NP:

Bax
Harp Quintet
The Nash Ensemble

A lovely work!

[Roasted Swan]

Is it OOP?
New copies of your issue and another one⏬ are readily available on Amazon.


There is a live (I presume) recording of Previn conducting BF with the Royal Philharmonic.

The RPO version is a studio recording from the brief-lived RPO "own label" series.  Not nearly as impressive as the LSO recording not helped by the fact that the great Benjamin Luxon was beginning to have vocal issues that shottened his career.

[Harry]

Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre. (1655-1729)
Sonatas No.1-6, for Violin & BC. (1695)
Les Dominos
Florence Malgoire, violon
Guido Balestracci, basse de viole
Jonathan Rubin, théorbe & guitare
Blandine Rannou, clavecin
Recorded: Eglise Notre-Dame de Centeilles 2010.

One does not often find music from this female composer, and I am extremely glad to have stumbled over her while browsing through the music that is on offer. Les Dominos is a fine ensemble, and they play it rather well, avoiding vibrato quite effectively, but I could have done with a little less heaviness of expression in the slower movements. Apart from this, highly original music, well written, by Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre. She may be considered one of the few truly established professional female composers of the Baroque era. She must have been quite a personality to get herself on the foreground in a male dominated world. Louis de XIV liked her music very much, that must have propelled her music sky high. Anyway if you like the era, you'll like her music. The recording serves the music, in other words, excellent.

[Irons]

John Ireland: Decorations.

1. The Island Spell.
2. Moon-glade.
3. The Scarlet Ceremonies.

Alan Rowlands (piano)

Piano pieces by John Ireland are well served not least by Eric Parkin. A mono recording is not the best, although for my ears perfectly adequate, there is an ethereal aspect in Rowlands playing that sweep all qualms aside. A lot of Ireland's piano pieces have place and (past) time at their core and Rowlands playing highlights this to perfection.

[steve ridgway]

John Ireland: Decorations.

1. The Island Spell.
2. Moon-glade.
3. The Scarlet Ceremonies.

Alan Rowlands (piano)

Piano pieces by John Ireland are well served not least by Eric Parkin. A mono recording is not the best, although for my ears perfectly adequate, there is an ethereal aspect in Rowlands playing that sweep all qualms aside. A lot of Ireland's piano pieces have place and (past) time at their core and Rowlands playing highlights this to perfection.

We went past a nice house on our walk yesterday and noticed a plaque saying this was where the composer was born.

[Spotted Horses]

TOCH is an all-around fave!

Found in the archives from many years ago (2005?):

I listened to the Toch symphonies some years ago and they didn't resonate. Recently I discovered the Toch string quartets, which I found utterly brilliant. This led me to revisit the symphonies and ... they still didn't resonate. I suspect that there is something about the Alun Francis recordings that I am failing to connect with. The one non-cpo recording of a Toch Symphony (The William Steinberg recording of the 3rd) struck me as brilliant.

[steve ridgway]

Messiaen: Messe de la Pentecôte

I find I actually enjoy the surface noise on this vinyl rip from archive.org - the organ sound is still clear and gives the effect of existing in a still bubble listening to the rain outside .

[Selig]

Lebrun and Leurent embarked on a Bach integral on different organs many years ago. The volumes have generally been delayed, and I can't find out whether the last two volumes have been released or even recorded. The artistic quality of the released volumes is variable. Also here Leurent is the weakest link. They have also released an organ version of Art of Fugue together.

The latest volume - no. 8 - was recorded in april 2023, so it seems the project is still ongoing. (Vol. 8 is played once again on a Grenzig organ - at Notre-Dame de Belvès). 

https://www.chanteloup-musique.org/boutique/int%C3%A9grale-de-l-oeuvre-d-orgue-de-bach-1/

I haven't heard any of it yet because I've prioritized other sets, but I intend to hear e.g. the CÜ-III because of the Trost organ.

[Selig]

Binchois' Comme femme desconfortée is one of my favorite songs.

[prémont]

The latest volume - no. 8 - was recorded in april 2023, so it seems the project is still ongoing. (Vol. 8 is played once again on a Grenzig organ - at Notre-Dame de Belvès). 

https://www.chanteloup-musique.org/boutique/int%C3%A9grale-de-l-oeuvre-d-orgue-de-bach-1/

I haven't heard any of it yet because I've prioritized other sets, but I intend to hear e.g. the CÜ-III because of the Trost organ.

Thanks for the link. I realize that I miss the latest released vol VIII.

[classicalgeek]

Over the last few days:

J.S. Bach
Magnificat
Jauchzet, Frohlocket
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner
(on CD)



Schubert
Impromptus, D 899
Moments Musicaux, D 780
Anne Queffelec
(on CD)



Charles Ives: Three Places in New England, Orchestral Set no. 2
Carl Ruggles: Sun-Treader, Men and Mountains
Ruth Crawford Seeger: Andante for strings
Cleveland Orchestra
Christoph von Dohnanyi
(on CD)

[Harry]

SCULPTING THE FABRIC.

Works by: Tarquinio Merula (1595-1665, Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676), Andrea Gabrieli (1533-1585), Giovanni Battista Fontana (1589-1630), Salomone Rossi (1570-1630), Giovanni Battista Vitali (1632-1692), Dario Castello (1621-1658), Francesco Turini (1589-1656), Andrea Falconieri (1585-1656), Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643).

La Vaghezza.
Ignacio Ramal, Mayah Kadish violin
Gianluca Geremia theorbo
Anastasia Baraviera cello
Marco Crosetto harpsichord & organ

Recorded: at Jujurieux, 2020.

A very pleasant surprise, artistically and soundwise. Recording Producer, Balance & Editing, is done by Christoph Frommen, a very able engineer. Thus we have SOTA sound. The works presented are without blemish, and so well done that I felt the need to play it twice  in one go. The choice of composers is also very inventive, each composition is a pearl.

[DavidW]

First listen!

[Traverso]

Beethoven

Symphony No.7

 I have been thinking for a while about purchasing the two CD boxes (Eloquence) released on Eloquence, but I have decided that the box with Symhonies ,overtures, piano concertos and violin concerto is all I wanted.
For me, these performances are the clearest path to the heart of Beethoven.
It does not have the overwhelming power of Kleiber or the slickness of Karajan. You could say that it is all very unobtrusive. What is striking, however, is that you hear Beethoven as it should be in my opinion. The beautiful articulation and singing phrasing. No rushing tempos. who force the music into a straitjacket.
Words will not convince you and many may choose a different version after just a few minutes of listening.
We live in a hectic time and Hans Schmidt Isserstedt's performances do not match that and that is what attracts me so much.
 These are without a doubt the best recordings Isserstedt has left us and it is special that they are available again.

[Todd]

[VonStupp]

Leó Weiner
Serenade in F minor, op. 3
Divertimento 1 in D Major, op. 20
Divertimento 2 in A minor, op. 24
Divertimento 3 in A Major, op. 25
Divertimento 4 in G Major, op. 38
Divertimento 5 'Hungarian Impressions', op. 39
Estonian NSO - Neeme Järvi

Like listening to Kodály. Wonderful!

It reminds me I need to get around to some Mátyás Seiber recordings.
VS

[Harry]

John Blackwood McEwen.
Three Border Ballads.
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Alistair Mitchell.
Recorded in 1993, in the All Saint Church, Tooting, London.

A disc very much liked by me. Good sound too!