What are you listening 2 now?

[Que]

With thnx to AnotherSpin.    A beautiful all male performance with 1st rate singers form various countries.

[AnotherSpin]

Trying to catch the link between Scelsi's vocal music and the themes that preoccupy me.

[Irons]

Bax: November Woods.

Taken from an eclectic collection of pieces featuring various BBC Orchestras. November Woods with BBC Philharmonic conducted by John Wilson at a live concert at Bridgwater Hall, Manchester.

A performance I enjoyed very much. I have read the odd comment that Wilson can be a bit safe and underwhelming, not on this occasion. A chill winter wind blows through Wilson's trees.

[Harry]

Kurt Atterberg (1887 – 1974)
Orchestral Works, Volume 1
Symphony No.6, Op.31 'Dollar Symphony' (1927 –28) in C major
En värmlandsrapsodi, Op.36 (1933)
Suite No.3, Op.19 No.1 (1921) Arrangement by the composer for Violin, Viola, and String orchestra
Symphony No.4, Op.14 'Sinfonia piccola' (1918) in G minor, Composed on Swedish National Melodies

Sara Trobäck Hesselink Violin
Per Högberg Viola
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
Recorded: 2012, Concert Hall, Gothenburg, Sweden
Streaming: FLAC 48kHz/24 bit
Label: Chandos, PDF file attached

Atterberg's sixth Symphony is in all respects an unusual but very beautiful work. The first movement has no less as 12 movement shifts in 9 minutes, opening a kaleidoscope of orchestral colours that tells a story about the musical roots of this composer. A C major work of great proportions and intimate propulsions that touch the very heart of this hugely talented composer. This first movement is an effective pointer towards the other works on this CD. The serenity of the En värmlandsrapsodi or the dreamy Suite No.3, Op.19 No.1 and to end with the Sinfonia piccola — a Swedish palette of vivid Swedish melodies that opens a whole fiesta of wonderful tunes. And all this music is performed in such a way that in Järvi gets all the qualities hidden in Atterberg's compositions firmly in the context, helped by a SOTA recording. I have a weak spot for this composer and his music, and am always a satisfied listener when I hear his solidly crafted, high-quality compositions.

Placed against his contemporaries, Atterberg's voice becomes even clearer. In the Dollar Symphony, while Stravinsky and Schoenberg were dismantling tonality, Atterberg embraced a late-Romantic language closer to Richard Strauss in its orchestral colour, though leaner and more transparent. In the Värmlandsrapsodi, his use of Swedish folk idioms brings him near to Sibelius, though with a gentler, more pastoral touch. The Suite No.3 recalls Dvořák's chamber lyricism, yet seen through a Scandinavian lens. And the Sinfonia piccola, composed on national melodies in 1918, might remind one of Nielsen's lighter patriotic works — celebratory, spirited, and melodic to the core.

Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra prove ideal advocates. Järvi has a gift for revealing the inner glow of such repertoire without exaggeration; he lets the music speak with natural clarity and rhythmic verve. The Chandos sound is state-of-the-art, spacious yet detailed, giving Atterberg's orchestral colours the vibrant sheen they deserve.

Thus, while others rushed headlong into modernism, Atterberg quietly built a legacy not revolutionary but rooted, heartfelt, and unmistakably Swedish — a music of craftsmanship and emotion. For those curious about Atterberg—or those already entranced by his world—this disc is both a persuasive entry point and a reaffirmation of his stature. A Swedish palette indeed, painted with skill, affection, and just a touch of brilliance rewarding for those who listen.

[Que]

Picking up where I left off yesterday.

[Harry]

ANTONIO DE CABEZÓN, (1510-1566)
COMPLETE KEYBOARD WORKS, Vol.I.
JAVIER JIMÉNEZ, Organ.
Instruments: Organ by Pascual de Mallén, (1498-1499) restored by Rainolter Organbuilders.
Church of San Pedro de los Francos, Calatayud, Zaragoza. Spain.
Church of El Salvador, Granada. Spain.
Organ by F.J. Alonso and J.I.Fernández. (2001)
Recorded in 2024. SOTA recording.
Streaming: FLAC 176.4kHz/24 bit.
Label: HR recordings. PDF file attached. TT:46:29, short measure in my view.
No details are provided about pitch or temperament; a fair conjecture would place the El Salvador organ at a′=440 Hz in equal temperament, while the Mallén organ almost certainly speaks in ¼-comma meantone, its pitch perhaps hovering between a=440 and 465 Hz.

Thanks to @AnotherSpin I was alerted to  Jiménez for I was not aware of him.

Javier Jiménez is an extraordinarily fine organist, and his interpretations of Cabezón's works here stand among the best I have heard. His nimble fingers and poised articulation lend these pieces a brilliance and intimacy that make them feel at once devotional and alive. Cabezón's music, often described as the Iberian answer to Sweelinck, blossoms in Jiménez's hands — not only through his technical command, but through a subtle shaping of rhetoric that makes every tiento and diferencia speak as if newly minted.

Antonio de Cabezón himself (1510–1566), blind from childhood, was one of the towering figures of the Spanish Golden Age, serving as organist to Charles V and later Philip II. His music combines polyphonic mastery with a uniquely Iberian colour, weaving liturgical solemnity with courtly refinement. In his diferencias — variations on popular tunes — he showed not only intellectual ingenuity but also a gift for transforming humble melodies into something exalted. His influence radiated far beyond Spain, reaching into the European organ and keyboard tradition at large.

The Pascual de Mallén organ (1498–1499), a jewel of Spanish Renaissance craftsmanship, proves an ideal partner. Its voice is reedy, pungent, and full of character — action noise included — and in this lies its authenticity. Far from distraction, these mechanical whispers remind us that this instrument has sung across five centuries of devotion. By contrast, the 2001 Alonso/Fernández organ in Granada represents the "living tradition" of Spanish organ building: modern yet faithful, it offers a clear and balanced sonority, perfectly adapted to Cabezón's idiom.

The recording quality is superb, presented in the unusual but highly effective resolution of FLAC 176.4kHz/24 bit. The detail is exceptional: one senses the intimacy of the church spaces, the subtle play of resonance and silence, the tactility of Jiménez's phrasing. This is narration in sound, every ornament precise, every cadence telling.

If there is a drawback, it is only the brevity of the disc — at just under 47 minutes, one longs for more. Yet in that span, Jiménez convinces utterly. This opening volume of the complete works promises a landmark cycle thus I look forward to the rest of the four releases I bookmarked. For admirers of Cabezón — and for anyone curious about the Spanish Golden Age at the keyboard — this is not to be missed.
 

[Todd]

[Traverso]

Mozart

Violin Sonata in B-flat major (K. 454)  1937

piano concerto K 537 "Coronation"  1930

[Wanderer]

[AnotherSpin]

ANTONIO DE CABEZÓN, (1510-1566)
COMPLETE KEYBOARDS WORKS, Vol.I.
JAVIER JIMÉNEZ, Organ.
Instruments: Organ by Pascual de Mallén, (1498-1499) restored by Rainolter Organbuilders.
Church of San Pedro de los Francos, Calatayud, Zaragoza. Spain.
Church of El Salvador, Granada. Spain.
Organ by F.J. Alonso and J.I.Fernández. (2001)
Recorded in 2024. SOTA recording.
Streaming: FLAC 176.4kHz/24 bit.
Label:HR recordings. PDF file attached. TT:46:29, short measure in my view.
No details are provided about pitch or temperament; a fair conjecture would place the El Salvador organ at a′=440 Hz in equal temperament, while the Mallén organ almost certainly speaks in ¼-comma meantone, its pitch perhaps hovering between a=440 and 465 Hz.

Thanks to @AnotherSpin I was alerted to  Jiménez for I was not aware of him.

Javier Jiménez is an extraordinarily fine organist, and his interpretations of Cabezón's works here stand among the best I have heard. His nimble fingers and poised articulation lend these pieces a brilliance and intimacy that make them feel at once devotional and alive. Cabezón's music, often described as the Iberian answer to Sweelinck, blossoms in Jiménez's hands — not only through his technical command, but through a subtle shaping of rhetoric that makes every tiento and diferencia speak as if newly minted.

Antonio de Cabezón himself (1510–1566), blind from childhood, was one of the towering figures of the Spanish Golden Age, serving as organist to Charles V and later Philip II. His music combines polyphonic mastery with a uniquely Iberian colour, weaving liturgical solemnity with courtly refinement. In his diferencias — variations on popular tunes — he showed not only intellectual ingenuity but also a gift for transforming humble melodies into something exalted. His influence radiated far beyond Spain, reaching into the European organ and keyboard tradition at large.

The Pascual de Mallén organ (1498–1499), a jewel of Spanish Renaissance craftsmanship, proves an ideal partner. Its voice is reedy, pungent, and full of character — action noise included — and in this lies its authenticity. Far from distraction, these mechanical whispers remind us that this instrument has sung across five centuries of devotion. By contrast, the 2001 Alonso/Fernández organ in Granada represents the "living tradition" of Spanish organ building: modern yet faithful, it offers a clear and balanced sonority, perfectly adapted to Cabezón's idiom.

The recording quality is superb, presented in the unusual but highly effective resolution of FLAC 176.4kHz/24 bit. The detail is exceptional: one senses the intimacy of the church spaces, the subtle play of resonance and silence, the tactility of Jiménez's phrasing. This is narration in sound, every ornament precise, every cadence telling.

If there is a drawback, it is only the brevity of the disc — at just under 47 minutes, one longs for more. Yet in that span, Jiménez convinces utterly. This opening volume of the complete works promises a landmark cycle thus I look forward to the rest of the four releases I bookmarked. For admirers of Cabezón — and for anyone curious about the Spanish Golden Age at the keyboard — this is not to be missed.
 

I also learned about Cabezón only recently, here on the forum...

[AnotherSpin]

J.S.Bach - Violin Concertos
Lina Tur Bonet, Musica Alchemica

[Madiel]

Mozart: Piano sonata in C major, K.545

[AnotherSpin]

[Madiel]

Vivaldi

Violin Concerto in D, L'Inquietudine (RV 234)
Violin Concerto in C minor, Il Sospetto (RV 199)



Okay, I need to see the score of L'Inquietudine to see how much of the percussiveness of this performance is written into the score and how much is interpretation. Because there is heck of lot of attack happening in this 6-minute concerto. Given the title it's probably all legitimate, but it's still pretty startling.

[brewski]

For the 113th birthday of John Cage, dipping into the annual 24-hour Cage broadcast from WKCR-FM at Columbia University.

Just heard 36 Mesostics re and not re Marcel Duchamp (1970) from the Harmonia Mundi album Litany for the Whale, with vocals by Paul Hillier and Terry Riley.

[Linz]

Carl Orff Carmina Burana
Maria Venuti, soprano
Ulf Kenklies, tenor
Peter Binder, baritone
Hamburger Knabenchor St. Nikolai, Mitglieder des Niedersächsischen, Staatstheaters Hannover, NDR Chor, NDR Sifonieorchester, Gunter Wand

[hopefullytrusting]

Today, pianist - Moritz Ernst:

Wohlhauser's Vocis imago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0bQV5jVLNo
Wohlhauser's Mania: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzvxEVcU0WU
Maros's Sonate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCveuSyk1dU
Edgerton's THRUSH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8M3S1bDfE0
Baumgartner's Baroque Rhapsody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoR6xI9xdOA

[Todd]

Today, pianist - Moritz Ernst:

Wohlhauser's Vocis imago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0bQV5jVLNo
Wohlhauser's Mania: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzvxEVcU0WU

Neos is a kick ass label for new rep.  I really didn't need a new pianist to explore.  Sigh.

[DavidW]

This is a fantastic recording!!

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, 1872 First concept version. Ed. William Carragan
Sinfonieorchester Aachen, Marcus Bosch