What are you listening 2 now?

[Klavierman]

His playing is brilliant, as always, and the sound is rich and full.

[ChamberNut]

Arrived in the post just in time for the birthday boy.

It took a month for arrival after the shipping date of December 27th, from across the pond in the U.K. to the Canadian Great White North. Perhaps it came on the back of Platero the donkey from the Castelnuovo-Tedesco composition (see above)!

I have been eargerly awaiting to dive into this set. And doing that right now and probably going through it like a hot knife through butter!

Disc 1

Mozart

String Quartet No. 1 in G major, K80
String Quartet No. 2 in D major, K155
String Quartet No. 3 in G major, K156
String Quartet No. 4 in C major, K157
String Quartet No. 5 in F major, K158

THE Quartetto Italiano (aka, the luxury liner of quartet ensembles)
Decca

[VonStupp]

Samuel Barber
Andromache's Farewell, op. 39
Knoxville: Summer of 1915, op. 24
Antony and Cleopatra, op. 40
    Give Me Some Music
    Death of Cleopatra
Vanessa, op. 32
    Must the Winter Come So Soon
    Do Not Utter a Word
I Hear an Army
Nocturne
Sure on This Shining Night

Roberta Alexander, soprano
Netherlands RPO - Edo de Waart

It is taking me some time to warm to Alexander's voice, but I believe these to be very fine performances indeed.
VS

[André]

German language version of Honegger's oratorio. It's excellent. The reciter (Quadflieg, who gets top billing) is a renowned german theater and movie actor. The musical parts are very well done.

[Klavierman]

[Number Six]

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (2024)
Alfia Bakieva
Jordi Savall, Les Musiciennes du Concert des Nations

The first time I streamed this album not long ago, it was the first set "with sonnet". I wasn't expecting that, and I hated it. Thank goodness disc two has the "not with sonnet" version!

[Number Six]

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Op. 64
Hilary Hahn
Hugh Wolff, Oslo Philharmonic
2002

Aww, look at Baby Hilly here! This recording stole my face right off my head the first time I heard it. So beautiful. I have loved it ever since.

[Number Six]

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music


I feel like sticking with the Vivaldi a bit longer as I get ready for bed.

[steve ridgway]

Cowell: Concerto For Piano And Orchestra

I'm enjoying the varied orchestral sounds that accompany the characteristically heavy handed piano playing. The more amorphous background passages remind me of Ives .

[Florestan]

A splendid serenata a due voci, full of rustic charm and musical felicities, exuding melodiousness and euphony. Excellent performance and sound. Highly recommended.

[vandermolen]

Suk: Asrael Symphony (Bavarian RSO, Hrusa)
A deeply felt performance - one of the best I think.

[North Star]

Haydn
Symphonies Nos. 33, 54 & 55
Kammerorchester Basel
Antonini

[Roasted Swan]

Suk: Asrael Symphony (Bavarian RSO, Hrusa)
A deeply felt performance - one of the best I think.

Did you hear Hrusa Prom's performance of the work this year? (I have it in my head that you were there?).  Another very very fine performance.

[vandermolen]

Did you hear Hrusa Prom's performance of the work this year? (I have it in my head that you were there?).  Another very very fine performance.

No, and I'm really sorry that I missed it. The only Prom that I went to this year was Martyn Brabbins conducting the 1920 version of Vaughan Williams's 'A London Symphony'- a great performance as well and I'm delighted that I did get to that one.

[Madiel]

Earlier today: Schumann with Eric Le Sage



This particular volume is a 2-CD one. I mostly liked it, the Novelletten were perhaps not as interesting as the rest but that might be a little bit to do with Schumann, there's not a lot of contrast in that set.

[Madiel]

Currently: the box arrived.



Only the Dvorak Serenade so far. It's a long while since I've listened to any version of the work, but this sounds incredibly... perky.

I think part of it is something I thought from a small sampling of a few of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble albums. They seem to be one of those groups that wants to keep the sound of each wind instrument quite distinct, not blended. There are some very spicy oboes on here in particular.

I'm not really saying that as either a positive or negative, there are different schools of thought on this. But this definitely isn't a background-music approach. It's very engaging.

[Irons]

A LP that gives much pleasure. Phillips produced excellent sound for chamber issues and this is one of the best.

[Traverso]

Bach

[Florestan]

[Madiel]

Mozart: Piano concerto no.11 in F



EDIT: It's ages since I've listened to this, but I really like the first movement. More lively than in no.12.

SECOND EDIT: Okay, I definitely like this concerto more than no.12. At least this week.