What are you listening 2 now?

[Nostromo]

[Symphonic Addict]

The Symphonic Studies are best of all!

The Lyrita recording is the finest one available.

[Symphonic Addict]

A truly marvellous disc. I purchased it for the Braunfels sextet but through it I got to discover Busch as a composer - and a fine one. Really worth exploring.

If I'm not mistaken, the same ensemble (on the same label) performed some stuff by Röntgen with exceptional results too.

[Symphonic Addict]

d'Indy: Jour d'été à la montagne

In some way, this work is a sort of precursor of Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie in that it also depicts a day in the mountain and it ends as it begins, featuring vividly atmospheric nocturnal sounds, doing the whole cycle of the day, and I must say, in a very effective manner. I think d'Indy is kind of underappreciated nowadays. He excelled in his craft: tone painting. He was a real master in that regard and this composition exhibits that skill most magnificently.

[JBS]

Third listen. The Bach (Partita 6 in e minor BWV 830 being the main entry*) is better than the Beethoven (Op 90 in e minor and Op 109 in E Major) or the Schubert (Sonata in e minor D566).

*The Prelude in E Major BWV 854 and the Sarabande from French Suite No 6 in E Major BWV 817 bookend the CD.

[AnotherSpin]

[vandermolen]

And worst cover in any format...

Yes, it's really weird!
The performance was more recently issued on Melodiya.

[Que]

Interesting! 

Melnikov redid these pieces with some HIP powerhouses... and it didn't quite live up to my high expectations...

[Roasted Swan]

d'Indy: Jour d'été à la montagne

In some way, this work is a sort of precursor of Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie in that it also depicts a day in the mountain and it ends as it begins, featuring vividly atmospheric nocturnal sounds, doing the whole cycle of the day, and I must say, in a very effective manner. I think d'Indy is kind of underappreciated nowadays. He excelled in his craft: tone painting. He was a real master in that regard and this composition exhibits that skill most magnificently.

the first piece of D'Indy I ever got to know and certainly the one that 'hooked me in'.  Very attractive and appealing work.

[Daverz]

Ernesto Halffter's Sinfonietta is quickly becoming one of my favorite finds of 2025!

His ballet Sonatina is in a similar neo-Classical vein:

This evening's listening:

Bartok String Quartet No. 6 - Quatuor Diotima

I don't remember this work sounding so difficult before.  I must need more fiber in my musical diet.

[Madiel]

Ravel: Sonata for violin and cello



I think I've only listened to this work once before. But as played here at least... GOSH it's good. This sounds completely marvellous.

[Que]

The recent exchange here on Italian cello sonatas did trigger some listening ideas: 

 

PS These are sonatas by Venetian composers. Nasillo also did a recording with Neapolitan cello sonatas.

Remainder. This selection shows some interesting repertoire by lesser known composers.

[San Antone]

Monteverdi | Vespers for the Blessed Virgin

VENICE MONTEVERDI ACADEMY
Solo Soprano, Paolo Lopez
Solo Soprano, Federico Fiorio
Solo Mezzosoprano, Antonio Giovannini
Alt,o Matteo Pigato
Tenor I Solo, Alessio Tosi
Tenor II Solo, Raffaele Giordani
Tenor III Solo, Claudio Zinutti
Bass Solo, Mauro Borgioni
Bass Solo II, Gugliemo Buonsanti

Soprano I, Sheila Rech
Soprano II, Silvia Pollet
Alto, Marco Petrolli
Tenor I, Claudio Zinutti
Tenor II, Peter Gus
Bass, Claudio Pistolato

SCHOLA GREGORIANA
Reale Corte Armonica "Caterina Cornaro"
Psalmist, Danilo Zeni

ORCHESTRA LORENZO DA PONTE
Violin I, Massimiliano Tieppo
Violin II, Gianpiero Zanocco
Viola, Mario Paladin
Viola da Gamba, Francesco Galligioni
Violoncello, Simone Tieppo
Double Bass, Paolo Zuccheri
Cornetto I, Gustavo Gargiulo
Cornetto II, Ludmila Krivich
Trombone I, Robert Lugosi
Trombone I, Kasza Nándor
Trombone III, Narancsik Norbert
Organ I, Nicola Lamon
Organ II, Lorenzo Feder

[Papy Oli]

one more:

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1
London Symphony Orchestra / Claudio Abbado

[Madiel]

Medtner: Piano sonata in C, op.11/3



Provisionally my favourite of the op.11 sonatas.

[Traverso]

Bach

CD 9

Kantate BWV 80 "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott"; Orgelchoral BWV 720 "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott / Martin Luther: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
  Sonntag nach Trinitatis (5.11.1724) - Kantate BWV 115 "Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit" / Gottfried August Homilius: Orgelchoral "Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit" / Anonymus (ca. 1700): Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit
  Sonntag nach Trinitatis (12.11.1724) - Kantate BWV 139 "Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott" / Johann Christoph Oley: Orgelchoral "Mach's mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt" / Johann Hermann Schein: Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott

[Madiel]

Prokofiev: Piano sonata no.1 in F minor, op.1



I've been having an urge to make a comparison, ever since the liner notes in the Hamelin Medtner set made a mention of Scriabin's and Prokofiev's piano sonata cycles. Three Russian composers who all wrote quite a few piano sonatas, although for all of them there was a fair bit of departure from the Classical multi=movement form.

It's been ages since I've listened to most of the Prokofiev sonatas, around 8 or 9 years (that damn spreadsheet tells me). His op.1 frankly sounds more like Medtner than it sounds like Prokofiev. Which is no bad thing.

[Madiel]

Rachmaninov: Two pieces for cello and piano, op.2

[Papy Oli]

The last one:

Mendelssohn: Symphony No.1

Chamber Orchestra of Europe/ Yannick Nézet-Séguin

A very enjoyable survey of this work.

Might start Symphony no.2 on the weekend.

[Madiel]

Might start Symphony no.2 on the weekend.

It ain't catalogued as a symphony anymore.