What are you listening 2 now?

[ritter]

Those "Marta Argerich and Friends - Live from Lugano" sets  were a cornucopia of great (mostly chamber) music making.

From the 2025 edition, listening to CD1: Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466, (Argerich and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana conducted by Alexander Vedernikov), Beethoven's Variations on 'Bei Männern, Welche Liebe Fühlen' in E-flat major  (Misha Maisky —cello— and Argerich), and the piano quintet version of Milhaud's La Création du monde (Eduardo Hubert —piano—, Michael Guttman and Dora Schwarzberg —violins—, Nora Romanoff —viola—, and Mark Drobinsky —cello—).

[Nostromo]

Thanks for reminding me of Wee's Beethoven - have you heard his Thalberg? If he plays Beethoven with such cantabile it'll be special. (Just a random and probably inappropriate thought - @Kalevala, you may well enjoy the Thalberg.)

Yes I have--it's great. I'll be listening to Wee's Beethoven shortly. I wish I had listened to Olafsson's recording before I bought it. (His releases have always been an automatic purchase for me.) First of all, the sound is not nearly as rich and full as his other releases, and I don't like his frequent use of détaché playing...more cantabile would be welcome. Of course, his finger facility is phenomenal. Perhaps it will grow on me over time. The Beethoven fares better, but it could still use more intensity.

[Linz]

Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto  No 4 in G major, BWV 1049
Brandenburg Concerto  No 5 in D major, BWV 1050
Brandenburg Concerto No 6 in B flat, BWV 1051
Christopher Hogwood ,The Academy of Ancient Music

[SonicMan46]

Naturally! 

Well, did a MP3 DL from Presto (320 kbps), burned to CD-R and listening now - came with the booklet - must say that this recording may be my favorite of the Sergio five?  Reviews attached if interested.  Dave  (P.S. description of the bassoon used below)

On the Vivaldi, Vol. 5 recording (part of the Naïve Vivaldi Edition), Sergio Azzolini uses a period baroque bassoon. Specifically, he plays on a modern copy of a c.1710 four-key instrument. This replica was constructed after extensive research in collaboration with the instrument maker Peter de Koningh, designed to match the Venetian pitch (a=440 Hz) used in Vivaldi's time. Azzolini uses this specific type of instrument for the entire series of Vivaldi bassoon concerto recordings for the Naïve label. (Source - AI search)

 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Romantic Virtuosity. Giuliano Sommerhalder.

[Linz]

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Symphony in C Major, H. 649, Wq. 174
Symphony in D Major, H. 651, Wq. 176
Symphony in E Minor, H. 652, Wq. 177
Symphony in G Major, H. 657, Wq. 182/1
Symphony in C Major, H. 659, Wq. 182/3
Symphony in A Major, H. 660, Wq. 182/4
Symphony in B Minor, H. 661, Wq. 182/5
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin; Mayumi Hirasaki

[Papy Oli]

Reicha

String Quartet in C major, Op. 48, No. 1

Kreutzer Quartet

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, 1872/77 Mixed Versions. Ed. Leopold Nowak
Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard

[Nostromo]

Taking a break from piano! (For a while...) These are two very compelling works, and are seemingly very well played. The Qobuz streaming sound is quite good, too. I found some interesting comments about the Violin Concerto by the composer: https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Robin-Holloway-Violin-Concerto/1112

[cilgwyn]

Excellent! Although I've got the 1957 recording (on a 2 cd Musidisc set) with Jules Gressier conducting.

[André]

Offertorium (a violin concerto) from the above album.

[JBS]

Ralph Benatzky (1884-1957): Im Weissen Rossl (1930),Fred Raymond (1900-54): Saison in Salzburg (1938),Friedrich Schröder (1910-72): Hochzeitsnacht im Paradies (1942) highlights  Philips



More highlights of 30s,40s operettas culled from old late 50s,60s lps. Souped up arrangements (dum-chikka-chikka-dum) and obligatoy chorus (oooh! aaah!),even a cheesy electronic organ at one point! On the plus side the singing is far better than you'd get on any of those cpo operetta cds. Some of it makes quite fun listening though! Benatzky's White Horse Inn has been recorded several times. The best one by far musically (imo) emi-electrolas late seventies 'complete' recording.

Have you ever listened to any of the recordings from Seefest Morbisch? All on Oehms. Most are the more standard operettas (Lehar, Strauss, etc--the most obscure in the set I have is Zellner's Vogelhandler).

TD
I called this Beethovenesque the other night. On second listen, I think it's an apt description

[JBS]

Reger's Clarinet Quintet and Second Clarinet Sonata plus a bunch of Bach on piano.

Reger's Clarinet Sonatas are just as good as the Quintet.

[Madiel]

Vivaldi: Farnace



I'm only in the midst of the first Act, so I'll probably come back later to discuss the actual music. Instead I wanted to mention that, while nearly all these Naive opera volumes have some sort of printing error in the booklet, they have really outdone themselves this time.

There are 7 roles. The outside cardboard box successfully mentions 7 singers. But everything, and I think I mean everything, in the actual booklet only reports 6. It starts with the booklet cover listing only 6 names under the picture, then the internal cover page skipping one role and one singer (separately assigning a singer to apparently the wrong role), then only 6 biographies and 6 photos.

The start of the libretto does list that there are 7 characters and it doesn't take long to hear them all. And of course this is a reissue of a recording previously released on a different record label. And yet somehow, someone managed to go through the whole course of producing the front half of this booklet in 3 languages without noticing a colossal blunder. Either that, or they had a serious vendetta against Sonia Prina.

I kind of hope she complained and got compensated.

[SimonNZ]

[steve ridgway]

Stockhausen - Opus 1970

[PaulR]

Mendelsohn: Symphony #3 'Scottish'

[SimonNZ]

[Mookalafalas]

Was binging on Rubinstein from the big pink box the last couple of days.
  But, now: