What are you listening 2 now?

[Mapman]

A very early (1988ish?) CD purchase - fine performances!

For me, a recent purchase at a book sale (the CD was likely manufactured before I was born!) And yes, I was pleased with the performance (and music!)

The oldest CD I own may be this: https://www.discogs.com/release/8145094-American-Brass-Quintet-Plays-Renaissance-Elizabethan-And-Baroque-Music. As far as I can tell, it is from 1983, the first year CDs were sold in North America. (And it was made in Japan, as there were no CD factories in North America yet!)

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing disc 4 from this Chopin Tatiana Shebanova set:

[Traverso]

Bach

CD3

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Bohuslav Martinů: Symphonies No. 3 and No. 4. Vladimir Válek conducts the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Whoah...this is a bit of a surprise. A rare Martinů outing for you, but great to see nevertheless and a good afternoon to you, Rafael.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Before heading out for the day:

Stravinsky
Mass
Netherlands Chamber Choir, Schönberg Ensemble
Reinbert de Leeuw

[pianococo90]

Juan Manuel Marrero
Histoire éphémère d'une plume blanche for string quartet

[SonicMan46]

Now playing disc 4 from this Chopin Tatiana Shebanova set:

   

Listening to some Chopin the last few days from the Pietro de Maria box but curious about Shebanova - from looking at a few reviews (attached), she had two Chopin recordings - the one on a 1849 Erard and one on Dux with a modern piano (added above) - both reviews of her performances are excellent but would be nice to have a period instrument set (just have the Nocturnes on both) - assume you're enjoying her?  Dave

[Que]

[ritter]

Ernest Ansermet conducts Stravinsky's Le baiser de la fée and Renard.

CD4 of this set:

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Listening to some Chopin the last few days from the Pietro de Maria box but curious about Shebanova - from looking at a few reviews (attached), she had two Chopin recordings - the one on a 1849 Erard and one on Dux with a modern piano (added above) - both reviews of her performances are excellent but would be nice to have a period instrument set (just have the Nocturnes on both) - assume you're enjoying her?  Dave

Hey Dave, yes indeed. Shebanov is exquisite. I was just telling someone else on another forum that it was her playing on this Érard piano that attracted me immediately because I had done some sampling from her earlier DUX cycle and, while the modern grand she used (which I'm assuming is Steinway), sounded rather nice, it was the sound of the Érard that I found even more alluring. So as a result, I bought the whole set, but earlier I had bought The Real Chopin set, which uses many different artists throughout the set but is Chopin's complete oeuvre. I highly recommend The Real Chopin set first, because this particular set uses either Pleyel or Érard pianos and all the pianists involved are mostly superb (some more than others of course). So this would be my recommendation over the Shebanova (as fine as her set is so far):



Also, my knowledge of the Chopin discography isn't as vast as many other members here who have been listening to this composer for 40 years, but between the Shebanova set, The Real Chopin set and The Complete Works set on DG, I'm not really in the market for any more Chopin as I feel I have enough the satisfy for hopefully more years to come.

[ritter]

And now, some Edgar Varèse. Kent Nagano conducts the French National Orchestra in Amériques, Offrandes (w. soprano Phyllis Bryan-Julson), Hyperprism, and Arcana.



Varèse's name comes up in an essay I'm reading by Paule Thévenin on Roger Désormiere's collaboration with Antonin Artaud. Varèse had asked Artaud to write the libretto of an opera (after having proposed it first to Robert Desnos and then to Alejo Carpentier). Artaud wrote four of the envisaged six scenes, but then the project was abandoned. A pity...

[SonicMan46]

Hey Dave, yes indeed. Shebanov is exquisite. I was just telling someone else on another forum that it was her playing on this Érard piano that attracted me immediately because I had done some sampling from her earlier DUX cycle and, while the modern grand she used (which I'm assuming is Steinway), sounded rather nice, it was the sound of the Érard that I found even more alluring. So as a result, I bought the whole set, but earlier I had bought The Real Chopin set, which uses many different artists throughout the set but is Chopin's complete oeuvre. I highly recommend The Real Chopin set first, because this particular set uses either Pleyel or Érard pianos and all the pianists involved are mostly superb (some more than others of course). So this would be my recommendation over the Shebanova (as fine as her set is so far):



Also, my knowledge of the Chopin discography isn't as vast as many other members here who have been listening to this composer for 40 years, but between the Shebanova set, The Real Chopin set and The Complete Works set on DG, I'm not really in the market for any more Chopin as I feel I have enough the satisfy for hopefully more years to come.

Hi John - thanks for the comments - I've been 'in the market' for The Real Chopin for a dozen years or so and back in 2012 had the box at a good price on the Amazon MP but the deal fell through - now looking on my usual sites, $100 USD is about the cheapest price I see and not willing to pay that amount - oh well - Dave

[VonStupp]

Eugene Goossens
Symphony 1, op. 58
Phantasy Concerto, op. 60

Howard Shelley, piano
Melbourne SO - Sir Richard Hickox

The piano concerto doesn't do a whole lot for me, but I find Goossens' first symphony splendid.
VS

[Lisztianwagner]

Arnold Schönberg
Ein Stelldichein
Herzgewächse
Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra
Nachtwandler (Brettl-Lieder)

Mary Thomas; June Barton
David Atherton & London Sinfonietta

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E Major, 1885 Version. Ed.Leopold Nowak, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks,  Paul Kletzki;

[ritter]

Music by Jonathan Harvey...

[Linz]

Rued Langgaard Symphony no.  9 "From  Queen Dagmar's City"
Symphony no. 10 "Yon Hall of Thunder"
Symphony no. 11 "Ixion", Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard

[VonStupp]

WA Mozart
Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 370
Horn Quintet in E-flat Major, K. 407
Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581

Lothar Koch, oboe
Karl Leister, clarinet
Gerd Seifert, horn
Brandis Quartet

I particularly love the Horn and Clarinet Quintets from these old Berlin Philharmonic players. This might be my favorite recording of K. 407 altogether.

In the Oboe Quartet, Koch holds back the Brandis Quartet. You can tell they are champing at the bit to add some vitality in the final movement, but he won't go for it. Too bad, for it was Koch's sweet tone which led me to first appreciate the possibilities of that instrument.
VS

[Number Six]

Brahms: Violin Concerto
Viktoria Mullova
Abbado, Berlin

I have gotten lazy about logging my classical listening, and I still need to get in a Saturday Symphony. . .

[DavidW]

I have gotten lazy about logging my classical listening, and I still need to get in a Saturday Symphony. . .

I've started only posting if I really like something or if I notice someone listening to the same or similar. It is nicer not to share all my listening (I usually listen to several recordings daily).