What are you listening 2 now?

[kyjo]

Lately, I've been listening to a random assortment of pieces that depict spring to accompany me on my daily walks, most of them rather brief tone poems:

Bax: Morning Song "Maytime in Sussex" for piano and orchestra (7') (A. Wass/Bournemouth SO/J. Judd on Naxos). Bax at his most tuneful, sunny, and carefree - sheer delight!

Raff: Ode au printemps for piano and orchestra, Op. 76 (16') (T. Nguyen/Prague RSO/K. Stratton on Grand Piano). A typically Raffian outpouring of melody and forward motion.

Glazunov: Spring, Op. 34 (9') (RSNO/N. Jarvi on Chandos). It's very pleasant but not terribly memorable. Glazunov on auto-pilot.

Zygmunt Stojowski: Le printemps for chorus and orchestra, Op. 7 (8') (Polish forces with very complicated names on Dux). Optimistic and energetic stuff - a very nice discovery!

Gabriel Dupont: Journee de Printemps for violin and piano (10') (Pavel Hula/Marie-Catherine Girod on Mirare). A fine work in a style halfway between the Franck/Chausson school and impressionism.

Delius: Idylle de printemps (10') (RSNO/A. Davis on Chandos). This is prime early Delius in its uncomplicated melodic generosity. Should appeal to fans of the Florida Suite, etc.

Leopold van der Pals (1884-1966): Frühling, Op. 14/1 (10') (Helsingborg SO/J. Goritzki on CPO). An absolutely ravishing discovery from this prolific and almost totally unknown Danish-Dutch composer. The main theme bears some resemblance to the Lever du jour from a certain ballet by Ravel, but it's none the worse for that. I look forward to hearing more by this guy!

Roy Harris: Kentucky Spring (11') (Louisville Orchestra/J. Mester on First Edition). The only recording of this work, and the sound quality is not great. But I still enjoyed this quintessentially American, folksy creation.

Wellesz: Vorfrühling, Op. 12 (8') (Detusche SO Berlin/R. Epple on Capriccio). An early work of his, resembling early Schoenberg in its ultra-late romantic, chromatic language. I thought that it got better as it progressed, eventually becoming more opulent towards the end.

Roussel: Pour une fête de printemps, Op. 22 (11') (BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier on Chandos). I'll simply quote from a YouTube commenter who describes this work so eloquently:
Roussel was definitely in search of a more distinctively individual voice after WW1. Fete De Printemps, written while at work on the 2nd Symphony, certainly points the way to his newly-found and different form of self-expression. In spite of its deceptively pastoral, idyllic title, the composition seems, to me, to combine anxiety with a vibrantly burgeoning sense of natural growth. But there's no real celebratory quality. If anything, it's possibly more existentialist, unemotional and distant. The ending, for instance, seems completely at odds with the subject matter. I find the piece fascinating, absorbing and, yes, possibly slightly challenging.......

There's plenty more fine spring-inspired pieces that I plan to listen to over the coming weeks...

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Interesting work. Sounds substantially different from his other symphonies.

[Linz]

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2
Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31
Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54
Claudio Arrau, The Final Sessions CD3

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The Essential Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Hmm, don't know that!

Oh? This is gorgeous work, Karl. I think you will find some enjoyment in it. Solemnly beautiful. It actually made me kind of sleepy and I don't mean as slight against the composer at all.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Korngold Symphonic Serenade, Op. 39

[Symphonic Addict]

Tishchenko: Dante Symphony No. 5 'Paradise'

[Karl Henning]

Oh? This is gorgeous work, Karl. I think you will find some enjoyment in it. Solemnly beautiful. It actually made me kind of sleepy and I don't mean as slight against the composer at all.

There's a story about Harpo Marx who (notwithstanding his unorthodox technique—he was entirely self-taught—which of itself is sufficiently astonishing) had the occasional harp student. In the lesson, he would instruct the student to begin, and then say, "I'm going to recline on this divan, and if I should fall asleep, I want you to know that's the greatest compliment I can pay to your playing."

Ah, I've found the Koechlin!

[Karl Henning]

[Karl Henning]

Now playing Koechlin Viola Sonata, Op. 53

Exquisite!

[Karl Henning]

[Symphonic Addict]

Respighi: La Sensitiva and Il Tramonto

Il Tramonto is fairly popular, but La Sensitiva isn't and it should be better known. Supremely enchanting both pieces.

[Karl Henning]

[Symphonic Addict]

Holmboe: String Quartets 17 'Mattinata' and 18 'Giornata' (Kontra Quartet)

Almost nothing enthused over these pieces, they sound like written just for the sake of it and some previous ones suffer from the same. I've detected that the quartets with 4 movements or less have more purpose than the ones with more than 4.

[Karl Henning]

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Sculthorpe Cello Dreaming



The Australian landscapes are never far from Sculthorpe's music. From desolate Outback to the coastal regions to the tropical rainforests, it's all found within his music. It has been opined that Sculthorpe's influence and prominence in Australia was similar to Copland's in the US.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

There's a story about Harpo Marx who (notwithstanding his unorthodox technique—he was entirely self-taught—which of itself is sufficiently astonishing) had the occasional harp student. In the lesson, he would instruct the student to begin, and then say, "I'm going to recline on this divan, and if I should fall asleep, I want you to know that's the greatest compliment I can pay to your playing."

Ah, I've found the Koechlin!

Exquisite!

  Oh, I love The Marx Brothers, Karl. Animal Crackers and A Day at the Races were two films I wore out as a kid. They just don't make comedies like that anymore.

Glad you found the Koechlin and enjoyed it!

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Copland Music for a Great City



I've always loved this piece. The Night Thoughts movement is especially lovely, which if I'm not mistaken is an orchestration of a work for solo piano.

[SimonNZ]

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Sibelius Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104