What are you listening 2 now?

[Mister Sharpe]

From my very first listen years ago to Canadian Robert Farnon's Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra (1958), I was besotted.  From his pen to my heart.  Film composer, arranger, and to many if not most listeners, "another of those British 'light music' composers," he wrote quite a bit of concert hall material including 3 symphonies and this heady brew of a Rhapsody, comprised of equal admixtures of film music, VW's Lark Ascending, Barber, and Korngold. But more than anything, it's recognizably Farnon, fanciful, danceful, strings-dominating, and though mostly light-filled, storm clouds threaten alarmingly, almost instaneously. Call it light music if you want, this piece ranks as one of my most memorable listening experiences. Parts of it haunt me even if I go for a long time with no Farnon whatsoever.

[steve ridgway]

Schnittke - In Memoriam... For Orchestra

[AnotherSpin]

[Selig]

Nothing beats late-1400s Franco-Flemish music 

[Wanderer]

[steve ridgway]

Takemitsu - Folios I, II, III

[Irons]

Bartok: Music for String Instruments, Percussion and Celeste.



Impressed by playing, I reached for the cover for orchestra only to discover no such information. Turns out Stokie is conducting "his" orchestra. Wild guess, New York Phil or Hollywood based musicians? 

[Spotted Horses]

Bartok: Music for String Instruments, Percussion and Celeste.



Impressed by playing, I reached for the cover for orchestra only to discover no such information. Turns out Stokie is conducting "his" orchestra. Wild guess, New York Phil or Hollywood based musicians? 

The EMI release gives some additional detail. Both are credited to the "Leopold Stokowski Symphony Orchestra," The Bartok was recorded at the Manhattan Center, NY, and the Martin at The Riverside Plaza Hotel, NY. So, New York based.

Discogs

[Harry]

Zacara de Teramo (c.1360-1416)
Enigma Fortuna.
Vol.2, Sacred Parodies and Secular models.

The second volume out of four. Equally impressive as the first disc. Keep the volume down at a low level, because the singers are closely miked, and when the volume of their voices increase, it gets overbearing. for the rest, recommended emphatically!

[Que]

Finishing:



https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-3175/

[Harry]

Finishing:



https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-3175/

Alas, I could not find this disc on Qobuz. There is precious little of on Qobuz by this ensemble, or by Crawford Young. The longer I am on Qobuz, I find more omissions in their catalogue.

[vandermolen]

Bax: 'In the Faery Hills'
RSNO Lloyd-Jones (Naxos)

[Harry]

I was in a state of listening and dozing off, when playing the music, and lost contact at track 13 till the end, so playing now, ears and eyes wide open. I keep to my earlier review, positive as it was. Lovely music and performances, maybe a bit too nice and sedate but still, well worth hearing.

[Que]

Zacara de Teramo (c.1360-1416)
Enigma Fortuna.
Vol.2, Sacred Parodies and Secular models.

The second volume out of four. Equally impressive as the first disc. Keep the volume down at a low level, because the singers are closely miked, and when the volume of their voices increase, it gets overbearing. for the rest, recommended emphatically!

I much enjoyed the performances! The fact that this set immediately fills all gaps in the Zacara da Termo discography is a nice bonus. Like you mentioned, the music is of high quality and IMO indispensable for covering the (late) Trecento.

Alas, I could not find this disc on Qobuz. There is precious little of on Qobuz by this ensemble, or by Crawford Young. The longer I am on Qobuz, I find more omissions in their catalogue.

If it's any consolation: it is not on Spotify either...
In fact: available recordings on both sites are identical, so this could be a licensing issue?
I also noticed that neither site has the "Northerne Wynde" recording with music by Walter Frye (Marc Aurel Edition).

In both cases I used an old fashioned disc 

[Que]

Inspired by Harry. I've listened to it before, but don't mind another run...   

[Florestan]

[Mandryka]

Inspired by Harry. I've listened to it before, but don't mind another run...   

It grew on me a lot -- very much so actually. Subtle and delicate performances of subtle and delicate music. Try it @AnotherSpin and @calyptorhynchus

[Iota]

Giovanni Kapsberger.
Libro Terzo D'Intavolatura di Chitarrone.
Diego Cantalupi, Claudio Nuzzo.

This is a fine close of my listening afternoon, a glass of Quadruple La Trappe beer in hand, Sun going down, autumn smell in the air, and perfect performances of Kapsberger's music. Serene and calm, balanced and expressive tones from this mighty instrument. Inkblack surroundings, the music floats in mid air. SOTA recording.

A real delight of a disc! Thanks to your post I listened to this yesterday and was thoroughly drawn into it, indeed found it actually hard to pull myself away from it. Seems like it's set the boards quite aflutter too!

[Harry]

Robert Russell Bennett (1894– 1981).
Orchestral works.
Concerto (1941) in A major, ('In the Popular Style') for Violin and Orchestra.
Hexapoda (1940), Five Studies in Jitteroptera, for Violin and Piano.

Vernon Duke [Vladimir Alexandrovich Dukelsky] (1903– 1969).
Concerto (c. 1941 –43), for Violin and Orchestra, Violin part edited by Ruth Posselt.

Chloë Hanslip, Violin.
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton conductor & Piano.

What can I say other than spectacular! It would cover all other things I could say, and that would do full justice to the music on this disc. First thing I would like to add to that, is the SOTA sound, produced by Chandos. It can't possibly get any better as this. It is as if you are sitting in the concert hall itself, acoustically in the best place possible. There is not a crumble of detail, however small, that you will miss, every punch of the timpani resides in your stomach. Both Violin Concertos on this disc, are to my ears, belonging to the top tier. I thoroughly enjoyed them, and could listen endlessly to them. They encompass all spheres in the musical cosmos, and believe me the whole gamut is passing by, in which there are so many expressions, that every moment becomes a precious moment even if it lasts only a few minutes, like in the Hexapoda's. Chloe Hanslip is a violinist to treasure, she sails through the difficult scores with ease and confidence, without as much as batting her eyelashes. And Litton is to be applauded for running this orchestra to the top of their possibilities, they deliver and how!
Recommended, of course!

[prémont]

I much enjoyed the performances! The fact that this set immediately fills all gaps in the Zacara da Termo discography is a nice bonus. Like you mentioned, the music is go high quality and IMO indispensable for covering the (late) Trecento.


If it's any consolation: it is not on Spotify either...
In fact: available recordings on both sites are identical, so this could be a licensing issue?
I also noticed that neither site has the "Northerne Wynde" recording with music by Walter Frye (Marc Aurel Edition).

In both cases I used an old fashioned disc 

This emphasizes the importance of acquiring precious CDs before it's too late, which I fortunately managed to do in the case of the two CDs in question.