What are you listening 2 now?

[Todd]

Been in something of a string quartet mood lately.

[kyjo]

Franz Schmidt: Notre Dame (Act I: Introduction - Intermezzo - Carnival Music)
Budapest Symphony Orchestra
Michael Halász

After a number of Schmidt postings recently by @ritter my curiosity was piqued, so plumped for this concert suite from his opera Notre Dame this morning as a first foray. And it was pretty much immediately a hit. Lavishly romantic with a luminous orchestration that allows the music to take flight, a very lovely thing indeed,I shall be seeking out more (The Book with Seven Seals and Fourth Symphony seem the main contenders).

(Wiki tells me that he wrote the orchestral music for the opera before he wrote the vocal lines, a highly unusual/intriguing way of doing things. Certainly an indication of where his priorities lay you'd think. I may dip in a toe out of curiosity as to the results of his methodology.)

Oh yes, if you don't know Schmidt's Fourth Symphony yet you have a major discovery awaiting you! Schmidt composed much fine music, but that work undoubtedly stands at the peak of his achievements to me. It's a work that's both structurally/thematically ingenious and unified as well as deeply emotionally compelling. There's several fine recordings of the work, of which the top of the pack is probably the Vienna Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta on Decca.

[kyjo]

Cyril Scott: Piano Concerto No 1,Symphony No 4,Early One Morning Shelley (piano) BBCPO/Brabbins  Chandos cd



Time to get out the incense! It's been a while since I listened to my Cyril Scott cds. A curious Piano Concerto. It's all very ruminative,relying on great washes of lush,impressionistic sound with some curious "chinese" sounds (or what passed for back then!). It's saving grace is Scott's gift for orchestration. The Fourth Symphony follows a similar formula,but the orchestration is more astringent. Again these great washes of sound. His interest in the occult shows through. Madame Blavatsky,The Golden Dawn et al (Not sure about Aleister,though?!). Of course,he wrote a couple of occult/mystical tomes himself (still available to buy new on Amazon!).
After more than one listen I detect an underlying logic beneath all the ruminating which somehow hold together,what may seem allot of sub-Delian meandering (BORING!) to some ears (I remember Dundonnell not being too excited!). Chandos certainly pulled out the stops with the engineering. If I had to nit-pick (and I hate to do that!) I think Scott's main failing was his lack of emotional range. (I actually think his piano & chamber music shows him at his best) And of course if you enjoy all this incense and mysticism you can't beat Scriabin! I was rather disappointed that Chandos didn't include Scott's 1937 Harpsichord Concerto. I had this wierd mental image of Lurch (the one in the b/w tv show) cracking his knuckles before getting down to play it!

Cyril Scott is hardly one of my preferred 20th-century Brits, but the PC No. 1 and Early One Morning on the above disc were pretty nice discoveries for me. I particularly liked the finale of the PC which shows Scott in a rare jocular, spirited mood. The much later Fourth Symphony has mysterious atmosphere aplenty but little else that captured my attention, I'm afraid.

[brewski]

This afternoon, a very mixed bag from Stuttgart. I was drawn in by the Lachenmann, since I'd never heard any of his large-scale orchestral pieces live. (His string quartets are incredible.) The March fatale is wild, as if the composer were channeling some blend of Sousa and Ives. Highly entertaining, in any case, at around six minutes. Ausklang is even larger than I imagined, around 50 minutes. And while there were many interesting sequences — e.g., the pianist doing glissandos on the keyboard with plastic cups, and inside the instrument using a credit card — overall the piece seemed about 30 minutes too long. The friend with me, also a Lachenmann fan, said she dozed off slightly for a minute or so.

But never mind: the composer, who just turned 90 yesterday, was in the audience and looking quite hale as he stepped onstage to enormous cheers. The orchestra gave him a rousing version of "Happy Birthday," which seemed to please him a great deal.

The Beethoven, on the other hand, was spirited, fleet, and fun. Roth is an early music devotee, and the horn and trumpets were both valveless and expertly played, and strings used no vibrato. The light textures, extreme dynamic contrasts, and lively tempos were all very appealing.

For those interested, the concert is still up at the link below.

Lachenmann: Marche fatale (2016-18)
Lachenmann: Ausklang, for piano and orchestra (1984)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7

Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, piano
SWR Symphonieorchester
François-Xavier Roth, conductor

[Nostromo]

[Roy Bland]

Walter Kaufmann, Symphony No. 3. Thanks to a post of @Roy Bland, I'm having a good time with this recording. Sounds like Okinawa rather than India. Nice music.

Dear Manabu
Thanks for your mention but what is "true" indian music?IMHO In this respect, the country appears much less sensitive to external influences than China and Japan. It's a question mark.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-15035703
https://interlude.hk/indian-music/
https://www.spkacademy.org/blog/discussion-about-western-classical-and-indian-classical-music
Best

[AnotherSpin]

[Que]

PS I Believe this is the 1st, or one of their first recordings. It has been highly praised in online reviews.
Still... not sure if it is the programming or the performances, but I find this pretty yet rather uniform and not very engaging or expressive.

[Irons]

Moeran: Works for piano.



If an English piano school exists, this is it. Head of the table sits John Ireland and to his right, Arnold Bax along with Moeran. Striking how even piano piece titles of all three composers are so similar.

[Traverso]

Bach

CD 4

Kantate BWV 178 "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält" / Johann Christian Kittel: Orgelchoral "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält" / Anonymus (Frankreich, 17. Jahrhundert): Choral "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält"
+9. Sonntag nach Trinitatis (6.8.1724) - Kantate BWV 94 "Was frag ich nach der Welt" / Friedrich Ernst Richter: Orgelchoral "O Gott, du frommer Gott" / Ahasverus Fritsch: Was frag ich nach der Welt
Sonntag nach Trinitatis (13.8.1724)- Kantate BWV 101 "Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott" / Georg Böhm: Choralvorspiel "Vater unser im Himmelreich" / Anonymus (ca. 1750): Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott

[Que]

Another, why not? 

This features organ works, but also motets and hymns by Nivers and some other (instrumental) works.
Thanks to Presto's listing I can tell you that this is the Lesselier organ from 1631 of the église Saint-Michel de Bolbec, Normandy.

[vandermolen]

Alexander Gretchaninov: Cantata 'Praise the Lord' (1915)
Best work I've heard from him. I enjoyed the 3rd Symphony but the cantata is much more memorable and moving - very special.
It reminded me of Kastalsky's 'Requiem' from the other end of the First World War.

[Iota]

A choice influenced by @Madiel's Vivaldi odyssey. I have a particular weakness for the sound of the Baroque bassoon and here it shines in all its myriad colours, in music that is elementally energetic and exquisitely beautiful. A real wonder of a recording, hat tip to Madiel for the steer.

[Papy Oli]

JS Bach - 4-part Chorales Vol.2 (BACH333)

[Que]

A Golden Oldie from the shelves:



Unfortunately this ensemble didn't record the second part of Albinoni Opus 9.

I have a particular weakness for the sound of the Baroque bassoon and here it shines in all its myriad colours, in music that is elementally energetic and exquisitely beautiful.

If this tastes like more: the good news is that there are four more volumes...

[Iota]

If this tastes like more: the good news is that there are four more volumes...

Haha, indeed a fact that hadn't escaped my attention. But if they're all as good as this one, why not?

[Papy Oli]

If this tastes like more: the good news is that there are four more volumes...

Haha, indeed a fact that hadn't escaped my attention. But if they're all as good as this one, why not?

And the sixth of sorts: Concerti per fagotto e oboe

[Papy Oli]

TD: Ockeghem - Missa l'Homme Armé
Clerks' Group

[Iota]

And the sixth of sorts: Concerti per fagotto e oboe

.   Bring them on!

[Papy Oli]

.   Bring them on!

 

That said, I still have 5 & 6 in my streaming pile