What are you listening 2 now?

[Que]

 

Disc 7: Magnificat Octavi Toni, Magnificat 4 Toni and assorted organ pieces. Most of it is played on the ornate Bizarri(1518)-Antegnati(1589)-Prati(1657) organ of the Chiesa Madonna di Campagna, Ponte in Valtellina, Italy. For Italy buffs: that is in the northern part of Lombardy, near the Swiss border. The organ sounds as good as it looks. My favourite kind: intimate, with great clarity and many diffent colours.

[Karl Henning]

[AnotherSpin]

[Que]

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Ulvi Cemal Erkin: Köçekçe / Violin Concerto / Symphony No. 2.

[VonStupp]

Vincent Persichetti: Flower Songs
Charles Ives: Psalm 90
John Corigliano: Fern Hill
Lukas Foss: Behold, I Build an House
Aaron Copland: In the Beginning

Susanne Mentzer, mezzo
Seung Won Cho, organ
University of Texas Chamber Orchestra & Choir
James Morrow

Universities are some of the most ambitious programmers of rarely performed music. I am surprised labels haven't jumped on the bandwagon, at least in the US.
VS


A Rose for Gertrude (1962), John Ferren

[Traverso]

Thomas Tomkins

[Le Buisson Ardent]

NP:

Martinů
Symphony No. 1, H. 289
Czech Philharmonic
Bělohlávek

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Lili Boulanger
Pour Les Funérailles D'un Soldat

Vincent Le Texier, baritone
Namur Symphonic Choir
Luxembourg PO - Mark Stringer

VS

If only she could have lived longer. Such a gift she had. I liken her to be like a link between Fauré and Debussy.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Koechlin String Quartet No 2, from the Antingone Quartet



Succinct work in four brief movements. Beautiful sonorities in the two slow movements, lively passage work in the fast movements. Enjoyed.

Also listened to the first half minute or so of Vänskä's Mahler 5 (which is sort of my Mahler litmus test). Nice!

Oh, that is a gorgeous disc. Please also check out this one (if you haven't already):

[Iota]

Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor

I've spent most of my life feeling that with the exception of a few select pieces Elgar wasn't really for me, though that's changed somewhat in the last few years, but I decided to listen to this, inspired by Elgarian Redux and Luke's passion and enthusiasm on the Elgar Hillside thread.
A first listen I think and I'll listen again at some point, but there were many things to like/enjoy about it this time through. Some memorable themes, it seems a very sincere utterance and I liked its almost permanent restlessness. It feels like there's more to come on a subsequent visit, but a nice first encounter.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor

I've spent most of my life feeling that with the exception of a few select pieces Elgar wasn't really for me, though that's changed somewhat in the last few years, but I decided to listen to this, inspired by Elgarian Redux and Luke's passion and enthusiasm on the Elgar Hillside thread.
A first listen I think and I'll listen again at some point, but there were many things to like/enjoy about it this time through. Some memorable themes, it seems a very sincere utterance and I liked its almost permanent restlessness. It feels like there's more to come on a subsequent visit, but a nice first encounter.

This is one of my favorite works from Elgar. There's a real tug-of-war of emotions happening in this concerto that you just don't get in say his Cello Concerto (for the record, one of my least favorite Elgar works) for example. For me, this work encapsulates what I believe Elgar is best at doing: creating a sound-world of emotional polar opposites that find a way to coexist. He has achieved this in several other works --- most notably his 2nd symphony, which may very well be my favorite work from him.

[Traverso]

Sweelinck

Fantasia A1 - à 4 ('B.A.C.H.'), SwWV 273       
Da Pacem, Domine, In Diebus Nostris - Old Church Melody      
Da Pacem, Domine, In Diebus Nostris - 4 Variations SwWV 302   
Fantasia F1 - Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La; à 4 Voci (Hexachord), SwWV 263      
Erbarm Dich Mein, O Herre Gott - Die XXVIII. Melodey, à 4    
Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott - 6 Variations, SwWV 303   
Fantasia C5, SwWV 257    
O God, Die Onse Vader Bist - Melody    
O God, Die Onse Vader Bist SwWV 308      
Nun Freut Euch, Lieben Christen G'mein - Die LVI. Melodey, à 4    
Nun Freut Euch, Lieben Christen G'mein - 3 Variations SwWV 307    
Toccata D3 - Primi Toni, SwWV 287   
Fantasia F2 - à 4, SwWV 264      
Fantasia G2 - à 3, SwWV 271 

Organ Winsemius-van Doeselaar-Harald Vogel &

soprano  Nele Gramß 

 

[DavidW]

Martinu's 3rd and 4th:

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Martinu's 3rd and 4th:

What do you think of this Martinů symphony set from Válek, Dave? I recall that @Spotted Horses was a fan of this set. I, on the other hand, never was able to appreciate it.

Speaking of Válek, I wish Supraphon would reissue his Schulhoff symphony cycle.

[Spotted Horses]

Koechlin String Quartet No 1, Ardeo Quartet



I decided to continue with this after listening to the Koechlin Piano Quintet and String Quartet No 2 on a companion disc. I had assumed that the two releases by this record label featured the same ensemble, but not the case. The other release is performed by the Antigone Quartet.

A very nice piece, generally similar to the string quartet No 2, beautiful sonorities in the slow movement, engaging contrapuntal writing in the fast movements. Four succinct movements. Enjoyed.

[Symphonic Addict]

Honegger: Horace victorieux - Symphonie mimée

It's been long since my last listen to this piece. How not to be grabbed by that brief yet explosive beginning with timpani at full throttle? And, is this a proper symphony? I don't know the story behind it, but it sounds to me more like a tone poem, and a rather gritty one. Love it.

[Spotted Horses]

It seems like I failed to mention having listened to Faure Nocturnes 9 and 10, Le Sage



These seem to mark the beginning of Faure's late period (my favorite) which are constructed from elemental motifs, which are woven into complex arpeggios and figuration. Just gorgeous, I can listen to this stuff endlessly.

[Mandryka]

De Profundis got in touch -- he seems well, his usual self  -- and amongst other things he was enthusing about the Old World Rats singing Josquin Baston. He's right!

 

[Karl Henning]

JSB
BWV 95 « Christus, der ist mein Leben »
BWV 96 « Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn »