What are you listening 2 now?

[prémont]

Next 4 (now sixteen):

Eliseo Villar
Seokyoung Hong
Nicolas Namorade
Drew Petersen

Updated ranking:

1. Eduardo Del Pueyo/ Sergey Schepkin, can't choose between them
2. Tengku Irfan
3. Maroussa Gentet
4. Seokyoung Hong/ Drew Petersen
5. Joel Schoenhals
6. Robert Maciejowski
7. Marta Czech
8. Nicolas Namorade
9. Jean Muller
10. Tumaini Sango
11. Anastasia Frolova
12. Eliseo Villar (has learned the notes, but not to make music of them)
13. Alberto Sanna (sigh!)
14. Fritz Jank (gave up rather fast)

[Linz]

Felix Mendelssohn Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor, op. 64
Max Bruch Concerto for Violin and Orchestra no. 1 in G minor. op. 26
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

[Mandryka]

Immaculate D959. Who could possibly ask for anything more? Effaces the memory of all others. It's in the same league as his late Beethoven - perfect.

[Todd]

[hopefullytrusting]

Another amazing discovery for me (this one thanks to co-pilot): Fesca's String Quartet No. 1 Op. 1 No. 1



My 4 22s for today:

Solomon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJEZfhpWVzE
Gyorgy Cziffra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfhXPdcVVFw
Michael Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waJVumCiCx4
Leif Ove Andsnes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aecvdNPJeqM

[brewski]

For the 90th birthday of Arvo Pärt (Sep. 11), "And I heard a voice...", the title track from the new album by Vox Clamantis.

[Linz]

Gabriel Fauré Requiem
Johannette Zomer, soprano Stephen Genz, baryton
La Chapelle Royale, Collegiun Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs Élysées, Philippe Herreweghe
César Franck Symphony in D minor

[hopefullytrusting]

22 current standings:
Del Pueyo, Schepkin, Schoenhals, Gentet, Irfan, Solomon, Andsnes, Cziffra, Namoradze, Petersen, Hong, Brown, Sango, Villar, Frolova, Czech, Maciejowski, Muller
Insanity: Sanna
Bad Transfer: Jank

Getting ready to teach: Ziegler's Uakti

[Symphonic Addict]

The pleasure of discovering gems by lesser-known composers will never stop. The two piano quintets by the Italian composer Sandro Blumenthal (1874-1919) contain some intensely idyllic music that can warm up even the coolest hearts. Endearing stuff.

Oliver Triendl once again impresses by delivering top-notch pianism and championing this repertoire with confidence along with the string players mentioned on the cover. This is the sort of committed performances that can bring to life pieces that otherwise would remain in obscurity.

[Symphonic Addict]

Schubert: Piano Sonatas D. 537, 557 and 566

The D. 537, especially, encapsulates his identifiable melodic wealth and melancholy lyricism. Great piece.

[kyjo]

Heard Daniel Lesur's Suite médiévale for flute, harp, violin, viola, & cello last evening on the Beeb - a premiere for me and an exhilerating one. Using medieval intervals, Lesur crafted a work (1945) that hangs delicately suspended between old and new, seemingly timeless. I love it!

Sounds like a must-hear for me! I love works for this quintessentially "French" instrumentation. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

[Symphonic Addict]

Finzi: Cello Concerto

Sounds very well played, but the cello wasn't captured prominently, something that didn't happen with the orchestra. Anyway, the middle movement has to be one of the most achingly soulful slow movements I know.

[Que]

Previous incarnation:

[Que]

Another amazing discovery (recommend to me by Presto): Hyacinthe Jadin's Sonates pour pianoforte

For an excellent complete set - provided you do not mind the use of a fortepiano (Nanette Streicher, Vienna, 1814):



Amazing music for someone in his early twenties!
In Jadin we lost a composer of great potential (to tuberculosis).

[Harry]

Antonio de Cabezón (1510-1566)
Organ Music. Volume III. Javier Jiménez, Organ. Church of Immaculate Conception. El Margen (Granada, Spain).Built by Georg Stahlhuth, Aachen (Germany), 1965. Characteristics: A 56-note manual keyboard, Four whole stops, A 27-note pedalboard, Disposition: Holzflöte 8, Flöte 4,  Prinzipal 2, Mixtur II/IV.Pitch: ?, Temperament: ?.

Pristine recordings on a organ that sounds very authentic, and is treated as such by Javier Jiménez. The only thing that is a huge drawback is the Booklet. The info is sparse, no explanation about the music, technical omissions etc etc. It is a pity with such excellent performances the producers think they can skip the rest as unimportant. Cabezon is getting his music squarely in the front row by performance and sound. You will be hard pressed to find better interpretations.

[prémont]

22 current standings:
Del Pueyo, Schepkin, Schoenhals, Gentet, Irfan, Solomon, Andsnes, Cziffra, Namoradze, Petersen, Hong, Brown, Sango, Villar, Frolova, Czech, Maciejowski, Muller
Insanity: Sanna
Bad Transfer: Jank

I listened to Solomon's version two days ago (Testament release). I found him unnecessarily noisy and aggressive and not much refined.

[hopefullytrusting]

For an excellent complete set - provided you do not mind the use of a fortepiano (Nanette Streicher, Vienna, 1814):



Amazing music for someone in his early twenties!
In Jadin we lost a composer of great potential (to tuberculosis).

I do not mind the fortepiano at all, in fact, I enjoy it - I love its flat tone, and I love it even more because it doesn't sound like a piano.

Agree with you in full - everything I have heard from him thus far is lush and harmonically rich - he started off stronger than any other composer I've come across so far (I view the string quartet as the true test of compositional technique).

I listened to Solomon's version two days ago (Testament release). I found him unnecessarily noisy and aggressive and not much refined.

I didn't find my recording noisy, but I do agree that Solomon is aggressive, but I value interpretation a lot (if I was going simply off sound and technique alone - my list would look a lot different - my current ranking is a bell curve - I doubt that will move very far, as most pianists, at least those uploaded to YouTube are adequate and qualified for the task).

[Harry]

Insane Harmony - English Music 1650-1700.
Musica Alta Ripa.

This ensemble has a long list of recordings that are both unique and artistically successful in a commercial way.
For one they are incredibly good in what they do, and always avoid bad artistic decisions, about how to perform and interpret the compositions at hand. This recording is such a CD, were all the qualities meet in perfect harmony. Sound is good, delivering sublime ensemble playing.

[vandermolen]

Arnold Schönberg
Erwartung

Alban Berg
Lulu Suite

Christoph von Dohnányi & Wiener Philharmoniker

Love the cover paining (by Schoenberg)

[vandermolen]

Copland: Symphonic Ode