What are you listening 2 now?

[prémont]

Well, in my own words, his approach is generally very slow - sometimes to breaking point, with lots of very long hesitations that outstay their welcome, breaking up the music. I don't like his approach to rhythm and (his disregard of) the overall structure of the music, I don't like his ornamentations. A "broken style" is a phrase I've seen here.

Many will argue this will deepen our experience of the music and provide introspection. But that is not the musical experience I'm looking for. His conducting style is very similar BTW.

I found a quote by Jed Distler on Vartolo's Art of the Fuge, discussed elsewhere on these pages, that fits my sentiment:

"Sergio Vartolo's frequent phrase distentions, tenutos, breath pauses, hiccups, and sundry agogic conceits that serve little structural or expressive purpose."

https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-15020/

I agree that Vartolo's style is deleterious for Bach, but I think he masters the Italian stylus phantasticus in an interesting way, and I hear his style here as being expressive in an alternative way. Concerning agogics one can compare his style to Wolfgang Rübsam's mature Bach-style - surely not the last word in the matter, but never-the-less interesting, or rather not the less interesting for that reason.

[Mandryka]

Well, in my own words, his approach is generally very slow - sometimes to breaking point, with lots of very long hesitations that outstay their welcome, breaking up the music. I don't like his approach to rhythm and (his disregard of) the overall structure of the music, I don't like his ornamentations. A "broken style" is a phrase I've seen here.

Many will argue this will deepen our experience of the music and provide introspection. But that is not the musical experience I'm looking for. His conducting style is very similar BTW.

I found a quote by Jed Distler on Vartolo's Art of the Fuge, discussed elsewhere on these pages, that fits my sentiment:

"Sergio Vartolo's frequent phrase distentions, tenutos, breath pauses, hiccups, and sundry agogic conceits that serve little structural or expressive purpose."

https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-15020/

What do you think of his point about harpsichord versus organ?

I'm reminded of Glen wilson on using harpsichord for M A Cavazzoni in the addendum to his essay for Naxos here

https://www.naxos.com/MainSite/BlurbsReviews/?itemcode=8.572998&catnum=572998&filetype=AboutThisRecording&language=English

[Mandryka]

Thanks for the recommendation. I just paused for a moment, not sure what to listen to after a long walk through the hot, empty village streets. This recording seems like a good selection. About your choice of Trabaci's music performance between the two Francescos, aren't you interested in Vartolo's recording too?

Tasini uses one of those little lemon flavoured juicy Neapolitan organs we like so much -- I don't know which one it is though.

[Madiel]

Dvorak: American Suite (orchestral version)



First listen to this recording. It is much quicker than the other orchestral one I own (Zinman), but about the same timing as the solo piano one I have. I don't know whether anybody is mucking about with repeats or it's just that there's a significant difference in chosen tempi - I'd have to sit down and compare. But I do regard Zinman to be slow and sleepy in Dvorak's Legends, where I don't have another orchestral recording for comparison, so I have my suspicion that Zinman has been giving me a slow and sleepy American Suite as well.

Anyway Yablonsky's performance is in keeping with the generally lively approach on this album, and highly enjoyable. This album keeps giving me the impression that it reflects the way this lighter and occasional music should be played.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Bloch - Voice in the Wilderness.

[Madiel]

Mozart: A Musical Joke



There's a little horn passage in the menuet that must be the most awful thing Mozart ever wrote. On purpose.

[SonicMan46]

Piston, Walter (1894-1976) - Orchestral Music w/ Gerald Schwarz & the Seattle Symphony plus others - just have 7 CDs (rest chamber works + violin concertos) of this Harvard professor with an impressive list of students (HERE).  Dave

   

[Linz]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Divertimento in F Major, K. 213
Divertimento in B-Flat Major, K. 240
Divertimento in E-Flat Major, K. 252
Divertimento in F Major, K. 253
Divertimento in B-Flat Major, K. 270
Martin van de Merwe; Irma Kort; Johann Steinmann; Remco De Vries; Hans Wisse; Jos Buurman

[Que]

Tasini uses one of those little lemon flavoured juicy Neapolitan organs we like so much -- I don't know which one it is though.

From the booklet of the original issue on Mondo Musica:

[VonStupp]

Anton Bruckner
Symphony 2 in C minor, WAB 102 (Haas/Nowak)

Chicago SO - Sir Georg Solti
Berlin PO - Herbert von Karajan

A small thing, but I prefer the horn to take the concluding solo of the Adagio movement. Both of these recordings hand it over to the clarinet. Too bad!
VS

[JBS]

Piston, Walter (1894-1976) - Orchestral Music w/ Gerald Schwarz & the Seattle Symphony plus others - just have 7 CDs (rest chamber works + violin concertos) of this Harvard professor with an impressive list of students (HERE).  Dave
 

That CD is one of the ones I bought from the library's used CD bin a couple of days ago.

TD

[Harry]

Carl Friedrich Abel.
Sonatas da Gamba, From The Maltzan Collection.
Sonatas: G major A2:72 · D major A2:75 · G minor A2:56a · G major A2:68a · A minor A2:57a · D major A2:50
Krzysztof Firlus – viola da gamba · Anna Firlus – harpsichord, fortepiano · Tomasz Pokrzywiński – baroque cello
Recorded 2018 at the seat of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice
Streaming: FLAC 44.1kHz/16-bit · PDF file attached

Carl Friedrich Abel's Gamba sonatas, drawn here from the Maltzan Collection, are charming and energetic works that reflect a transitional period — not only in musical style, but in the cultural fate of the viola da gamba itself. Composed in the mid-to-late 18th century, these pieces inhabit a world in which the gamba was already yielding to the rising dominance of the cello, and one senses in Abel's writing a dual impulse: a desire to honour the expressive capabilities of the older instrument, and an attempt to cast it in a more modern, forward-facing idiom.

These sonatas are lithe and sprightly, with clear melodic profiles and a kinetic drive that rarely allows the listener to drift. Abel's language is not introspective but extroverted, favouring decisive rhythmic profiles and ornamental turns rather than long-breathed lyricism. This is music that demands alertness rather than reverie.

The performances here, while clearly competent and sincere, are not without issues. Krzysztof Firlus plays with admirable dexterity, yet the interpretations often carry a certain nervous energy, a sense of interpretative unrest that impedes the music's natural flow. The continuo partnership — Anna Firlus alternating between harpsichord and fortepiano — provides two contrasting textures, though the results are uneven. The fortepiano aligns well with the gamba's tone and phrasing, offering a responsive and dynamic support. The harpsichord, however, is nearly inaudible — the victim of poor microphone placement or post-production neglect. Its presence is often more theoretical than actual.

More critically, the recording itself is marred by technical misjudgments. The viola da gamba is placed too far forward in the soundstage — which is a question of poor balancing by the engineer — and more problematically, an acoustic anomaly emerges: a faint, disharmonious after-echo emanating from the gamba itself, clearly picked up by the microphone. This ghostly resonance disrupts the tonal clarity of several sonatas, lending an unsettling overtone that compromises the listening experience. While the issue appears to have been corrected later in the programme, its earlier presence reflects inattentive mastering — the work of a technician who evidently failed to detect and address the flaw.

Despite these setbacks, the music itself retains its inherent charm. Abel wrote for the gamba with grace and agility, even as the instrument was retreating from the musical mainstream. There is something quietly noble in these sonatas — their resilience, their delicacy, their refusal to embrace the bombast of the age.

Still, this recording is unlikely to become a reference. For all its good intentions, it never quite settles — neither sonically nor interpretatively — into the clarity and poise these works deserve. A useful document, perhaps, but not a definitive interpretation.

Postscript – Carl Friedrich Abel and the twilight of the gamba

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723–1787) was one of the last great virtuosi of the viola da gamba. Born in Köthen and educated in Leipzig, he carried the Baroque tradition into an age increasingly shaped by galant elegance and the emerging Classical style. His later years in London — where he co-founded the Bach-Abel concerts — saw him adapting to changing tastes while continuing to write with affection for his instrument.

By the time the sonatas from the Maltzan Collection were composed, the gamba was already slipping into obscurity. Yet Abel's writing shows no resignation. These works are elegant, animated, and technically assured — the voice of an instrument not fading, but adapting with dignity. In his hands, the gamba becomes a final witness to a vanishing world, speaking one last time in its own refined tongue.
 

[Spotted Horses]

Returning to my slow progression through the Hindemith sonatas, Opus 31, No 1, 2 (for unaccompanied violin).

I started with a recording by Herwig Zach, but switched to the Gringolts recording on BIS.



The first, Op 31, No 1, is a rare Hindemith piece that did not resonate with me, except for the first movement. The second made a strong impression, a lot of lyrical material. Good audio and effective performances from Gringolts.

I was considering adding this to my FLAC collection, and noticed that all BIS downloads have disappeared from presto music. The CD is still there, and the lossless download if available at eclassical. A manifestation of Apple's modification of the distribution of BIS recordings, I suppose..

[AnotherSpin]

Well, in my own words, his approach is generally very slow - sometimes to breaking point, with lots of very long hesitations that outstay their welcome, breaking up the music. I don't like his approach to rhythm and (his disregard of) the overall structure of the music, I don't like his ornamentations. A "broken style" is a phrase I've seen here.

Many will argue this will deepen our experience of the music and provide introspection. But that is not the musical experience I'm looking for. His conducting style is very similar BTW.

I found a quote by Jed Distler on Vartolo's Art of the Fuge, discussed elsewhere on these pages, that fits my sentiment:

"Sergio Vartolo's frequent phrase distentions, tenutos, breath pauses, hiccups, and sundry agogic conceits that serve little structural or expressive purpose."

https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-15020/

I'll be listening to different performances of Trabaci, paying attention to the nuances with your and other participants' remarks in mind. It's very helpful and interesting .

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 6 in A Major, 1881 Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak,
Munchner Philharmoniker, Gunter Wand

 

[AnotherSpin]

[Daverz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 6 in A Major, 1881 Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak,
Munchner Philharmoniker, Gunter Wand

 

That's an excellent 6, and maybe Wand's best 6 as well.

TD:

Hovhaness: Violin Concerto No. 2, a new release.

[Linz]

Johann Christian Bach Symphonie Concertante in C major with Two Violins and Cello Soli
Violin Concerto in C major (C76) first recording
Symphonie Concertante in G with Two Violins, Cello and Flute Soli
The Hanover Band, The Hanover Band

[Iota]

Everything magnificently appears in the eternal now.

In Osho's words: "When the mind is gone and you are left alone without it, a fragrance is released. You have come home. You are fulfilled. The thousand-petaled lotus of your being has opened."

A quiet and peaceful collection of pieces by Buxtehude, Kerll, Froberger, and Böhm fits the moment beautifully.

Have been very much enjoying these thus far. Excellent recommendation!

[Lisztianwagner]

Franz Liszt
Paralipomènes à la Divina Commedia
Après une lecture du Dante – Fantasia quasi Sonata

Pianist: Leslie Howard