What are you listening 2 now?

[Harry]

Our friend @Mandryka just tossed in this flashy metaphor like a smoke bomb so that the bad-sound cult wouldn't notice you slipping another Stockfisch love letter past them.

Yes obviously, he did a good job at that.    

[Cato]

This recording of the Mass in e minor was recently recommended:

[Traverso]

Vivaldi

[Harry]

Breaking Waves.
Williams | Bacewicz |
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Malin Broman.
Recording:  2024 at Musiikkikeskus Snellman, Kokkola, Finland (Williams)
2024 at Musiikkikeskus Snellman, Kokkola, Finland (Bacewicz)
2024 at the Schauman Hall, Jakobstad (Pietarsaari), Finland (Müller-Hermann)

Three works by three female composers from three different countries, each piece with its own unique style, that has always a great attraction for me!  Now the first two composers I know quite well but Johanna Müller-Hermann, was a new name to me. They all fill in a composition as a signature of what they are made of, be it in arrangement and thereby bypassing the original works. But if it is done in so much taste, it's easily forgiven. I must say that I enjoyed it immensely, more so as I expected, and that for me is a good sign. A good performance and SOTA sound. These are glowing interpretations, and worthwhile to listen too.

[Que]

More... This volume has some viol music mixed in. Looking at the tracklist the set as all kinds of extras, including music by other composers and some transcriptions.

I'm wondering whether you'll find it too slow? I've just got the impression that you like fast harpsichord playing. Maybe your word "gravitas" is a better choice.

@Que Maybe the word for Rondeau's Louis Couperin harpsichord music is sensual, erotic. I'm just listening to the Blancrocher tombeau and it struck me that it's like a slow fuck. Good way to start the day.

It is on the slower side, definitely. But he is also quite flexible and speeds up when called for and maintains momentum. At a minimum, I need a pulse, a beating heart. Once a harpsichordist lets the music disintegrate into disconnected phrases or chords, I'm out....

It also depends on what the performer actually does with the extra musical space in time... And this comes back to your remark on sensuousness: in the best French tradition Rondeau has a strong focus on the beauty of sound of and the subtle blending of sounds. L'art pour l'art and all that... 

PS Listening to the Tombeau de Mr. de Blancrocher right now: an epic performance....

[Harry]

Welsh Music for Strings.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes.
Recorded, Smith Square, London, 2024.

I skipped only one part on this CD for obvious reasons, and for the rest it was a great pleasure to hear all the pieces. Grace Williams, Elegy 1936-1940 did much to win my admiration, I have submitted myself to it, it's a wonderful composition, as is the rest. Phil Rowlands recorded it and that means SOTA sound.

[Karl Henning]

Beethoven: String Quintet in E flat, op.4



The order from Presto arrived super quick this time.

Indeed, a Presto order.

[Mandryka]

More... This volume has some viol music mixed in. Looking at the tracklist the set as all kinds of extras, including music by other composers and some transcriptions.

It is on the slower side, definitely. But he is also quite flexible and speeds up when called for and maintains momentum. At a minimum, I need a pulse, a beating heart. Once a harpsichordist lets the music disintegrate into disconnected phrases or chords, I'm out....

It also depends on what the performer actually does with the extra musical space in time... And this comes back to your remark on sensuousness: in the best French tradition Rondeau has a strong focus on the beauty of sound of and the subtle blending of sounds. L'art pour l'art and all that... 

Exactly -- total agreement here. As far as sensuous is concerned, and the French tradition, you can hear it in L'Achercon too.

[Todd]

[Madiel]

Indeed, a Presto order.

I came so very close to making that pun.

[Madiel]

Beethoven: Piano sonata in G major, op.14/2



Goode keeps a nice balance between relaxed and active, somewhat similar in mood to op.14/1 though I think this sonata is a little quirkier than its companion. After all the finale is a scherzo.

[Harry]

L'Orchestre de Louis XIII.
Musiques de l'enfance du Dauphin; Musiques pour le Sacre du Roy faites le 17 Octobre 1610; Musiques pour le Mariage du Roy Louis XIII en 1615; Concert donne a Louis XIII en 1627 par les 24 Viollons et les 12 Grands hautbois; Les Musiques Royales de 1634 a 1650.
Recorded, 1997-2001-2002.
Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall.

A fantastic panorama of courtly etiquette is unrolled on this recording, and is paired with exquisite tonal refinement. There is constantly a unerring sense of rhythm and tempo throughout the music that comes with a precision like a Swiss clockwork. Superb playing, imaginative and colorful. This is music, rich in folklore, and there is such suppleness in the playing combined with grace, grandeur and elegance, which is the fundament to it all. SOTA sound and reference performance. All what comes after, is to be measure to it, and I am sure Savall's take will stay on top of the list.

[Karl Henning]

I came so very close to making that pun.

You left an opening for a friend. It was generous of you. 

[Madiel]

Now exploring the Gloria in each of the Haydn late masses.



The number of sections that the CDs divide the Gloria into varies, from 2 to 4. Though it will be interesting to see how that translates musically. In the 'Heiligmesse' Naxos gives 4 sections, but the 2nd and 3rd represent a tempo and textural change (from soloists to choral) rather than a full break.

[SonicMan46]

More Vivaldi - last few days listening to the 'named' collections of violin concertos (see Chat discussion in the attachment for the names) in my collection - according to a Google search "Antonio Vivaldi wrote approximately 230 violin concertos out of his more than 500 concertos in total. These concertos are for solo violin and string orchestra..."; so these collections with names represent only 48 (about 20%) of the violin ones - do have two versions of the Four Seasons (bottom ones), but there are so many of these recordings in both PI & MI performances and I'm sure everyone has their favs - Dave 

   

 

[DavidW]

If you can't put up with Schnittke's oddities, the Requiem isn't one of them, it is just solemn, heartfelt music. And Chiaroscuro Quartet delivers one of the finest Op 33 in recent times. A good morning of listening!

[Harry]

Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Works for Violin and Piano.
Ulf Wallin, Roland Pöntinen.
Instrumentarium: Violin: Domenico Montagnana 1746 & Grand Piano: Steinway D.
Recorded, 2023 at Stora Salen, Västerås Konserthus, Sweden.

A lovely disc with music that will please almost anyone. Elgar is a star in that area. I think it fits perfectly to the clouds outside full with snow, and sometimes rain, mists over the fields and trees therefore barely discernible. It is not easy to keep one's spirits up unless with spirits
Jens Braun the sound engineer underestimated the loudness of the Violin, and thus due to the close miking it can get somewhat screeching on the ear, so be aware of it. It makes it less relaxing when Ulf Wallin puts some stress on the strings. Still enjoyable....

[AnotherSpin]

After some really inttriguing discussions on the forum lately about Couperin played by Jean Rondeau, I had no choice but to start listening myself. Zero free will here, I'm basically operating like some damn automaton, f**k it.

The first disc just finished, the second one's rolling now, and I might even get through it before the power supposedly cuts out. The whole set has 11 CDs, so that'll keep me going for a while. First impressions are excellent. Can't believe what I was waiting for all this time.

[Harry]

After some really inttriguing discussions on the forum lately about Couperin played by Jean Rondeau, I had no choice but to start listening myself. Zero free will here, I'm basically operating like some damn automaton, f**k it.

The first disc just finished, the second one's rolling now, and I might even get through it before the power supposedly cuts out. The whole set has 11 CDs, so that'll keep me going for a while. First impressions are excellent. Can't believe what I was waiting for all this time.

Thats a lot of Harpsichord music, even for such addicts as myself.

[Madiel]

Now exploring the Gloria in each of the Haydn late masses.

Well this was VERY interesting, because Haydn has several different ideas about how to break the Gloria up and structure the music.

If the text is basically thought of as 4 sections numbered 1 to 4...

The St.Bernard mass/Heiligmesse, the 'Theresa' mass and the 'Harmonie' mass each combine sections 2 and 3 into a single movement, with soloists doing section 2 and the choir coming at the start of section 3. But the St.Bernard mass has a big obvious tempo change at that point, the 'Theresa' has a subtler change with the introduction of a triplet rhythm, and the 'Harmonie' pretty much continues on.

The C major 'Kettledrum' mass and the D minor 'Nelson' mass have a different plan where sections 1-2 are combined, section 3 has a much larger slow movement (soloist led), and the section 4 'finale' has an obvious return of music from the first movement.

Then there's the 'Creation' mass. Sections 1-3 are combined into one sweeping movement but with a major tempo change just after the start of section 3, which is where the quote from The Creation occurs that got Haydn into trouble with the Empress. It's almost as if the music goes "uh-oh, we can't do that" and then changes. But she noticed! Then section 4 is a separate movement but with an internal tempo change.

All of it is mighty fine music regardless of which basic plan we're on. But it's fascinating to hear the variety when it's always the same text - not just these differences in the movement plan, but which words get repeated, how extensive the musical interludes are, which bits are choral. I'm sure I'd pick these things up with different composers (and indeed even with Haydn's earlier masses), but for now there's plenty to enjoy in just these 6 late masterworks.