What are you listening 2 now?

[ritter]

Igor Stravinsky conducts the Los Angeles Festival Orchestra in Agon, and the Cleveland Orchestra in Jeu de Cartes.

On CD 4 of this set:

[hopefullytrusting]

Florence's Sonata Fantasia
Ilara Ibere Grosso on the piano with Oscar Borgerth on the violin. I don't know how Borgerth did it – his violin has such deep resonance coupled with such piercing harmonics (and that has nothing to do with the recording, which is not as good as it could be). The richness of his texture shines through, and a vital pulse emerges gripping the ears of the listener, enticing them, seductively, down a main-travelled road they think they have once trodden upon, in a nostalgic reverie – the glittering of the piano adds just enough atmosphere to act as a perfect complement.

Heller's Piano Sonata No. 3
Played by Werner Genuit. Heller, most known for his studies for piano, but this is one of his more substantial pieces for piano coming in at 20 minutes – a solid sonata played by a solid pianist. I will admit that I have a block when it comes to piano sonata. It is why I listen to so many of them. I am waiting for them to unlock. I find their structure odd, and I do not see the connection that the composer does between all the movements. More times than not, I wonder why they didn't release the sections separately. For one, it would ensure that more people would hear it – it being in the form it is means that it is less likely to be played and therefore heard. I suppose this what makes an artist an artist. This sonata is a great example of this, I think, as the second movement is so much better than the first, but I can see that anyone who even comes across this might not even make it to the second movement and hear the lovely, playful rollicking. Outside of it being a historical oddity, I can see why this was relegated to the dustbin.

Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9
Played by Fritz Jank, and conducted by Roberto Schnorrenberg. Jank is someone I came across on my Beethoven sonata journey, and who was untiered because the digital transfer was so bad, but I had heard him play on a better transfer, and knew he was a pianist that I would be interested in aka idiosyncratic enough to make whatever it is he is playing, to me, at least worth giving a shot, and my estimation was not incorrect. This is a slightly better transfer, although still not the best, but his pianism is much clearer and his touch is light and swift, perfect for early Mozart, when those fingers were most dexterous. I also liked that all the ambience was left in, as I thought that added to the performance. Obviously, the music is excellent; it is Mozart, in the end.

[Madiel]

Brahms: Horn trio op.40

[Florestan]

What is more logical and fitting after Tchaikovsky's music than Brahms's? 

[Mister Sharpe]

I was shocked to read this morning (in the Development of Western Music by K. Marie Stolba) that Brahms, ever looking over his shoulder at LvB and ever the perfectionist, discarded 24 string quartets, leaving us, of course, with but the three. I had heard 20 before, and made my peace with that, but for some reason adding four more to the funeral pyre really gets to me, a figure higher than the number we possess! I know it's useless from perspectives both practical and psychological to be upset about this, but geeeeezz... 

 

[Florestan]

No. 3 in C minor Op. 45

[Karl Henning]

[AnotherSpin]

Sonic jubilation from Liuwe Tamminga and Bruce Dickey.

[SonicMan46]

Nielsen, Carl - Symphonies w/ Alan Gilbert and the NY Philharmonic on the top 3 discs below; all recorded live in Avery Fisher Hall but the engineers have removed all audience noise/applause! 

Now these recordings have been put into a 4-disc box w/ Nielsen's Concertos (middle pic bottom row) - want to compare to the recording I own on BIS (final image below) - would like to obtain a DL - any suggestions?  Dave

   

   

[Todd]

[JBS]

Nielsen, Carl - Symphonies w/ Alan Gilbert and the NY Philharmonic on the top 3 discs below; all recorded live in Avery Fisher Hall but the engineers have removed all audience noise/applause! 

Now these recordings have been put into a 4-disc box w/ Nielsen's Concertos (middle pic bottom row) - want to compare to the recording I own on BIS (final image below) - would like to obtain a DL - any suggestions?  Dave

   

   

I thought the concerto CD from Gilbert's cycle was much better than the symphonies.

[JBS]

TD
A rainy afternoon outside, a good time to listen to an opera inside

Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda in a 1992 studio recording.
Despite it being his penultimate opera, I've never heard any of it until now.

[SonicMan46]

I thought the concerto CD from Gilbert's cycle was much better than the symphonies.

Thanks for the comments although I like the Gilbert Symphony performances (now listening to some Blomstedt, my old standby and enjoying them equally - I've not heard the Oramo yet which has gotten great reviews) - BUT, just listened to my BIS disc of the concertos and from your comments, need to hear the Gilbert which is on Spotify and available as a Qobuz DL.  Dave

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in E Flat Major, 1878/80 Version (1880 with Bruckner's 1886 revisions) - Ed. Leopold Nowak
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Domingo Hindoyan

[ritter]

Music by Bruno Maderna. Two works from the 50s (Composizione in tre tempi and the Flute Concerto) and three from the Hyperion "constellation " (Aria, Dimensioni  III and Stele per Diotima). Vocal and instrumental soloists, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Tamayo (cond.).

[Linz]

Dmitri Shostakovich CD 4 & 5
Symphony No. 7, Op. 60 "Leningrad"
Alexander Sladkovsky, Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra

[Lisztianwagner]

Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No.1 in G minor (orch. Schönberg)

Simon Rattle & City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Synphony No. 2 in C Minor, 1872/77 Mixed Versions. Ed. Leopold Nowak
Berliner Philharmoniker; Herbert von Karajan

[Linz]

Antonin Dvořák The String Quartets CD 4
String Quartet No.4 in E minor, B. 19
String Quartet No.5 in F minor, op. 9 B. 37
Prager Streichquartett

[hopefullytrusting]

Villani-Cortes's Cinco Miniaturas
Played by the Camerata de Florianopolis conducted by Jeferson Della Rocca. A piece for a string orchestra, but nontonal in the final instance, as the notes, which linger, when they stop lingering tickle the ear, so causing them to twinge as the hair raises when what is heard is unexpected. I would liken this to something Copland would have written, as it has a very American feel to it. I appreciate its overall off-kilterness, as that sense of disquiet never leaves you and never settles. It is always there like a burr. Even at its happiest, most danceable, there is a hint of danger, an edge. It feels like it is the tuning system, as in microtones, but I've not confirmed that, only felt.

Bonis's Femme de Legende
Played by pianist Anna Shelest is a set of seven pieces inspired by legends. It feels very much in line with Debussy and Ravel – French. At times it is airy and light, other times flashy and glittery – it runs the gamut of impressionistic expressions. I did not look up any of the legends, but I also find the connection between music and other arts tenuous, at best. The music stands on its own, and anything else is a remainder – much like the use of a literary trope in a book – there is the text and a number of subtexts, but nothing is truly lost or grained if all you understood was the text. This interpretation feels like it is perfect – the sound is great and the video is excellent and the pianism is exceptional, but this set is not difficult, mechanically, it was made to fit the hand.

Miguez's Ave Libertas
Played by the Orquestra Sinfonca Nacional – UFF conducted by Ligia Amadio is a piece for orchestra. It is not filmed well, in the sense that it feels like a Hollywood director was filming it – the shots seem designed to discombobulate – they made me dizzy and my eyes hurt,, so I would not recommend watching it – only listening, as it is very distracting – the conductor also moves around a lot – almost feels like fake DJing. The music itself is inoffensive, something that might be played at dinner if your family is trying to class it up, but none of it stuck with me. It wasn't harmful; it was there. No one seemed excited to want to play this, and if the players aren't excited – why should we be? The brass seems muted, which causes an automatic bad taste in my mouth, as I am a major brass fan in orchestral pieces – for good reason, lots of concertos for the rest of the orchestra – I bet even the percussion outpaces the low brass for concertos given the contemporary penchant for the instrument thanks Varese – why couldn't you have recognized the true potential of the trombone?! In Kevin's time machine, it was Russolo not Varese who was the success – strike that, just read he was a fascist – I am not ashamed to admit when I am wrong. Back to the music, even at its most vigorous, it has no pep. I cannot recommend this to anyone.