What are you listening 2 now?

[VonStupp]

Gioachino Rossini
Thieving Magpie: Overture
Semiramide: Overture
Elizabeth, Queen of England: Overture
Othello: Overture
Siege of Corinthia: Overture
Sinfonia in D 'al Conventello'
Ermione: Overture

Prague Philharmonic Choir
Prague Sinfonia - Christian Benda

Very different sound to these, as opposed to recordings like Abbado or Giulini.
VS

[Harry]

Adolphe Biarent.
Chamber Music.
See back cover for details.
Quatuor Danel, Mark Dobrinsky, Diane Andersen.
Recorded: January 2001, St Truiden, Academiezaal.

These two chamber works by Adolphe Biarent (1871-1916) deserve to be rescued from oblivion, so much is clear after listening to them. He is on the same level of say, Lekeu, Vierne, and Franck, and a few more I think. It is astounding considering Biarent's marginalized position and the fact that his output is so miniscule, and yet totally forgotten. Biarent's melodic fluency is much like Lekeu's and his style displays the same influences of  Franck. For me the Piano Quintet in B minor (1914) is a masterpiece of the genre. This work does not wastes a single moment on frivolity, but is throughout intense and carries a lot of drama. So many  changes of tempo and modulations. Dazzling! The Cello Sonata in F-sharp minor (1915) is in my ears on the same level as the Piano quintet! Masterpieces of heavyweight intensity and symphonic-like proportions. Superb. Excellent performances and sound.

[Madiel]

Poulenc: Napoli



Another work that the composer apparently repudiated later on. But didn't destroy unlike some others.

[Madiel]

Well I never. It turns out that these days there's a recording of Poulenc's piano arrangement of Mozart's A Musical Joke. And the recording was done here in Australia.



This set of complete piano music takes 5 discs, because it includes Poulenc's own arrangements of a bunch of his works not originally for piano. And then there's the Mozart!

[Traverso]

Mozart -Beethoven



There is another recording on Chandos. I prefer the first recording where the balance is more even so the clarinet blends better into the ensemble.



 

[AnotherSpin]

Sonata No. 22. Very clean and at the same time thoughtful performance, without clutter, without frenzy.

[VonStupp]

Gustav Mahler
Das Lied von der Erde

Janet Baker, alto
Waldemar Kmentt, tenor
Bavarian RSO - Rafael Kubelík

A Happy Birthday to Janet Baker today!
VS

[AnotherSpin]

Symphonies by Arthur Honegger (Liturgique) and Johannes Brahms (No. 4) with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the lead of Herbert Blomstedt - 22 September 2022.

https://www.konserthuset.se/en/play/herbert-blomstedt-conducts-honegger-brahms/

[Harry]

Otto Albert Tichy- (1890-1973)
Chamber Music.
Ensemble Stanislas.
See back cover for details.

Another composer that has been utterly forgotten, and as a consequence you can hardly find any recordings of his music. Of course he did not deserve such neglect for his music is interesting, inventive, full with beautiful harmonies, and completely in balance with the musical world around him. Few of the Tichy's works are performed regularly today. His best known pieces are the Missa festival in honorem St. Alberti Magni, Missa pastoralis in honorem Jesu Infantis in Praga or A Notre-Dame du Chene, and Tantum ergo sacramentum, and Ave Maria, and some other vocal compositions and very nice compositions for small chamber brass or string ensembles. but just a fragment is recorded on disc. The present one is filled with his art, and might I urge chamber music lovers to venture a listen? Fine performances and recording.

[Todd]

[Harry]

Vivat Leo! Music for a Medici Pope.
See for details back cover.
Cappella Pratensis, Joshua Rifkin.
Recorded: April 2010, ar AMUZ, Antwerp, Belgium.

Much of the music played at the court of Giovanni de' Medici (elected pope in March 1513 as Leo X) is lost today. However, a particularly vivid picture of Leo's musical world can be found in the so-called Codex Medici, a collection of 53 motets. With the exception of the first and last piece, the music on this CD is taken from the Codex Medici.
Exquisite in sound and outstanding in interpretation, a musical musical cosmos that is representative of a cultural epoch in which not only the categories of sacred and secular spiritual  were blurred, but decadence and artistry went hand in hand. Superb recorded and performed.

[Iota]

Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

The magic never fades. And a fantastic recording.

[Spotted Horses]

Saint-Saëns: Symphony Urbs Roma and Symphony No. 2

If the real first two symphonies (in A major and No. 1) show him as an accomplished symphonist already, these two confirm his stature as a great composer. The Urbs Roma is a fantastic work with a singular march-like slow movement. That music would be perfect for a detective plot. In the No. 2, Saint-Saëns employs the woodwinds in a masterful fashion.

I've been meaning to listen to these works since, forever. Will put them on my mental playlist, but will probably listen to the old Martinon/l'ORTF set of recordings. 

[Spotted Horses]

Started at the beginning of the CPE Bach solo keyboard set from Spanyi, a keyboard sonata in a minor performed on clavichord



And what a time to live in, when there is another set of complete keyboard music performed on modern piano, Markovina



Wonderful to have both. The music seems a bit more vivid on Clavichord.

[Traverso]

Bach

Suite No.4

Glorious music, just what the doctor ordered.

[Karl Henning]

Every once in a while I order something (on Amazon, JPC) and never receive the item. Lost in the mail, I suppose. But I've never received an item that I never ordered. Until 2 weeks ago. This disc popped up in my mailbox with my name and address on the sticker. I never ordered it. Didn't even knew it existed. From Decluttr, an unreliable supplier I sometimes use. They must have received the order and mixed up customer data. Someone somewhere must have claimed a refund, while I got the goods.

Listening to it now, I'm quite happy with this. It has the excellent Dolukhanova in all 4 song cycles (plangent, penetrating tone, well-controlled vibrato). Shostakovich is at the piano in his own Jewish Folk Poetry cycle. Very clear mono sound. Hint of peaking in the 1952 recordings (Shaporin and Ippolitov-Ivanov). No peaking, no distortion in the DSCH (from 1956) and Kabalevsky (1966).

Superb!

TD:

[Spotted Horses]

Every once in a while I order something (on Amazon, JPC) and never receive the item. Lost in the mail, I suppose. But I've never received an item that I never ordered. Until 2 weeks ago. This disc popped up in my mailbox with my name and address on the sticker. I never ordered it. Didn't even knew it existed. From Decluttr, an unreliable supplier I sometimes use. They must have received the order and mixed up customer data. Someone somewhere must have claimed a refund, while I got the goods.

Listening to it now, I'm quite happy with this. It has the excellent Dolukhanova in all 4 song cycles (plangent, penetrating tone, well-controlled vibrato). Shostakovich is at the piano in his own Jewish Folk Poetry cycle. Very clear mono sound. Hint of peaking in the 1952 recordings (Shaporin and Ippolitov-Ivanov). No peaking, no distortion in the DSCH (from 1956) and Kabalevsky (1966).

I can remember two strokes of internet good luck. The Levine Ring had just come out. I looked up the DVDs on amazon. Rheingold, $29.99, Walkure $39.99, Siegfried, $39.00, Gotterdamerung, $39.99, complete Ring $29.99. I clicked so frantically I almost broke my mouse. The next day the price was corrected but, lo' and behold, it was shipped at the original offer price.

Once on a now defunct site, cdnow.com, I put together an order of several CDs, clicked purchase, and the site crashed. It only came online after a day or two and my order was not on the order status page. I was contemplating re-entering the order, but the package came, I was not charged. Somehow the crash prevented billing, but the ship order had already been sent.

The there was the blowitoutahere fiasco on Amazon marketplace. Their automatically pricing went berserk and there were many many releases priced at almost zero. I remember people here falling over themselves, ordering everything they could find, and going apeshit when the orders were mostly canceled. I recall I was curious if it was for real and ordering one thing, the Vanska/Nielsen symphony set from BIS. I was surprised that it came. I still have it. It's ok.

[Que]

Vivat Leo! Music for a Medici Pope.
See for details back cover.
Cappella Pratensis, Joshua Rifkin.
Recorded: April 2010, ar AMUZ, Antwerp, Belgium.

Much of the music played at the court of Giovanni de' Medici (elected pope in March 1513 as Leo X) is lost today. However, a particularly vivid picture of Leo's musical world can be found in the so-called Codex Medici, a collection of 53 motets. With the exception of the first and last piece, the music on this CD is taken from the Codex Medici.
Exquisite in sound and outstanding in interpretation, a musical musical cosmos that is representative of a cultural epoch in which not only the categories of sacred and secular spiritual  were blurred, but decadence and artistry went hand in hand. Superb recorded and performed.

A personal favourite.

[Todd]

La Noche de los Mayas.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Pacho Flores.