What are you listening 2 now?

[Harry]

That is if you allow me, a very good recording and interpretation!

[JBS]

Why volume 2 today? For the very practical reason that I cannot for the life of me find my vol. 1.  Or you could say that vol. 1 is indisposed at the moment. This would be annoying in and of itself, but making it worse is something Telemann once said, "The notes always found me as soon as I looked for them." Doesn't apply to me, sadly.  Sure would like to like to hear the Jolly Podger in these. 

I decided to wait for the inevitable wrapping-them-in-cardboard-box set.

As for Maestra Podger, this was a CD I bought when first exploring Telemann, and it made me a Podger fan

[JBS]

TD
Still with Haydn, but seeing what Glenn does to him.

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No 5 in B Flat Major, 1896 Edition [Doblingler] Revision by Franz Schalk
Wiener Philharmoniker, Hans Knappertsbusch

[Harry]

I decided to wait for the inevitable wrapping-them-in-cardboard-box set.

As for Maestra Podger, this was a CD I bought when first exploring Telemann, and it made me a Podger fan

Bookmarked, and a few others. Thanks for the nudge.

[Henk]

[Linz]

Sergei Lyapunov Symphony No. 1 in B Minor
Hashish, Oriental Symphonic Poem
The State Academic Symphony Orchestra, Evgeny Svetlanov

[Lisztianwagner]

Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita No.3 in E major, BWV 1006

Arthur Grumiaux (violin)

[JBS]

Sticking with Haydn but changing genre

[VonStupp]

Jean Sibelius
String Quartet in E-flat Major, JS 184
String Quartet in B-flat Major, op. 4
Tempera Quartet

The Tempera are quick and intense with Sibelius.
VS

[Cato]

Thanks to Karl Henning: Scriabin Piano Sonata #9.  A previously unreleased recording of Vladimir Horowitz playing this at a rehearsal!

Also:

Alexander Tcherepnin: Loose Leaves for piano.

[Irons]

Such a great LP - I remember exactly when and where I bought this - W H Smiths on Bold Street in Liverpool!

Same store, Putney High Street for me. I think it was the covers, as I walked into Smiths the plasticky smell got the blood racing.

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major, 1878 Version Ed. Leopold Nowak
Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim

[brewski]

Violin Odyssey, volume I.
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969).


This disc took my breath away, for the system had a field day with an absolute reference recording. Janusz Wawrowski delivers a performance that left me astonished and awash with admiration—not just for his superb artistry, but for the bold, intricate brilliance of Grażyna Bacewicz herself. This is no idle praise: I consider this recording mandatory for anyone who holds her music dear. Whether drawn by the intellectual spark of her writing or the raw electricity of performance, here is a recording to live with, return to, and marvel at.

Wow, quite the rave! I love Bacewicz, and your comments are making me salivate. Thank you.

[JBS]

Surprise! Not Haydn



The program as listed on this Japanese issue (although unlike some of the other CDs in this set, it was not recorded in Japan)

[Cato]

Violin Odyssey, volume I.
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969).
Solo Violin Works: Polish Caprice, Il Capriccio, 4 Caprices (Nos.1–4), Caprice No.24(Paganini/Bacewicz arrangement, with piano accompaniment) Scherzo, Partita (Allegro · Andante · Vivo),  Sonata No.1 (Allegro · Adagio · [third movement title] · Variazioni), Sonata for violin solo No. 2 (Adagio–Allegro · Presto), all works save for one are solo,

Violin Concerto No.7.

Janusz Wawrowski – Violin.
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Modestas Pitrėnas.
Recorded: at the Paliesius Studio Residence, 2024 – Karol Szymanowski Music Academy Concert Hall in Katowice, 2023 – Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, 2024.
Streaming: 96kHz/24 bit. Reference recording, SOTA sound.
Download only, or streaming, no PDF file. Could not find a back cover.

This disc took my breath away, for the system had a field day with an absolute reference recording. Janusz Wawrowski delivers a performance that left me astonished and awash with admiration—not just for his superb artistry, but for the bold, intricate brilliance of Grażyna Bacewicz herself. This is no idle praise: I consider this recording mandatory for anyone who holds her music dear. Whether drawn by the intellectual spark of her writing or the raw electricity of performance, here is a recording to live with, return to, and marvel at.

Bacewicz—composer, violinist, and pioneer—wrote deeply and prolifically for her own instrument. Her solo violin works, spread across decades, are bracing affairs: taut, angular, urgent. The demands are fierce—her music asks for fire and accuracy in equal measure. Fast, needlepoint passagework is offset by sweeping phrases with dramatic contour. But it's not all fevered bow-work: there is wit, elegance, and that peculiarly Polish lyricism—daring, but never sentimental. The performer here is equal to every turn. Wawrowski's tone is silvery and strong, his articulation diamond-cut, and the 1755 Guadagnini violin he plays sings with glorious brilliance.

And then—after all the architectural filigree of the solo pieces—comes the emotional and sonic weight of the Violin Concerto No. 7, composed in 1965, just four years before her death. It is a colossal achievement. In this final concerto, Bacewicz draws on a lifetime of idiomatic knowledge and expressive range, and casts it in glowing, modernist form. Here we find both power and introspection, tension and radiance. The orchestration is daring but always transparent—no detail is swallowed—and Wawrowski rides its tides with expressive eloquence. There are echoes of Bartók and hints of Szymanowski, but make no mistake: this is music of a wholly original voice, rooted in Poland, reaching far beyond it.

And all of it rendered in sound that can only be called state-of-the-art. The violin's presence is almost tactile, floating in an acoustic that is natural and airy. Strings shimmer, wind phrases unfold in three dimensions, and every dynamic bloom feels true and alive. My system opened up fully, responding with a sense of space, breath, and layering that left no doubt: this is reference material.

In sum—if you admire Bacewicz, this recording is not just a fine tribute, but a standard-bearer. Wawrowski's musicianship is commanding, the sound is ravishing, and the music... oh, the music. It is the work of a woman who knew the violin from the inside, who lived through war and Stalinism, who composed with fearless integrity. That such a voice was almost forgotten makes this rediscovery all the more vital.

On my head be it if you disagree.

There is only a sample of the CD in question on YouTube, but here is a score-recording of the entire work:

[Symphonic Addict]

A most excellent recording. Top-drawer Martinu.

[Mister Sharpe]

I was thinking back to the old Nonesuch issues on LP in the 60s and 70s (and naturally of their most attractive and engaging covers - I loved those every bit as much as the music, truth to tell) when I thought to myself: holy frijoles, Nonesuch was really quite Baroque-intensive! (I might tally-up the individual periods someday). Of course, that was the era of "Go For Baroque" resurgence and the rediscovery of Vivaldi, so they were both answering market demand and creating it. For some reason, I thought they issued many more Telemann recordings than they actually did (maybe it was my joy at seeing them!) 16 by my count; Bach saw 65; Vivaldi and Handel tied at 11. Up next on LP, NM:

 

[JBS]

A most excellent recording. Top-drawer Martinu.

I didn't realize Vasary conducted. I only have him playing Chopin



TD


Synergizing with @Mister Sharpe since about half of this CD is devoted to Telemann.

The cover image is a photograph of Checkpoint Charlie in 1960.

[Symphonic Addict]

I didn't realize Vasary conducted. I only have him playing Chopin

I didn't remember that he is a pianist too. It shows how little I know about pianists.