What are you listening 2 now?

[Selig]

The term viola de basso appears in the Kellner manuscript, but can we be sure what it means? I suppose this is explained in the booklet.

[AnotherSpin]

The term viola de basso appears in the Kellner manuscript, but can we be sure what it means? I suppose this is explained in the booklet.

Unfortunately, the Qobuz release comes without a booklet.

I haven't delved deeply into the finer details, but I can say this: in recent years, I've listened to more versions of the suites than I could reasonably digest, mostly out of sheer habit. Yet, to my pleasant surprise, this particular interpretation drew me in, I found myself genuinely enjoying what I heard and gradually becoming quite immersed in it.

[Irons]

Arnold: Symphony No.2



Arnold dedicated his 2nd Symphony to both conductor and orchestra of this recording.

[Florestan]

[Florestan]

Disc 3

Overture in F major, D 675
Four Laendler, D 814
Grande marche funebre in C minor, D 859, Op. 55
Six Polonaises, D 824, Op. 61
Variations on an Original Theme in A-Flat Major, D 813, Op. 35

[Mandryka]

It is an extraordinary recording to be sure, but not sure about the one to rule them all.  Furtwangler's wartime recording and Giulini's DG are certainly up there.  Probably Schuricht, too.

You can always browse https://www.abruckner.com/downloads/downloadofthemonth/ for free download versions to find hidden gems.

One of the best K491s I've ever heard was with Honeck, Lang Lang the pianist, at the Elbphilharmonie 7 years ago.

[prémont]

The term viola de basso appears in the Kellner manuscript, but can we be sure what it means? I suppose this is explained in the booklet.

In the booklet Seeberg writes (a little bit shortened by me):
The instrument of the suites is referred to in the sources as violoncello, but also as Viola de Basso, a variant name of the terms Basso de viola or Basso viola, common at the time. Violoncello originally meant a slightly smaller and therefore more tonally agile instrument than is common today. Basso de Viola referred to a somewhat larger instrument with a deeper, bass-oriented timbre. In this recording both types are heard: in the first five suites a rather large instrument by Matteo Goffriller ca. 1700, which can be regarded as Viola de Basso, and in the sixth suite a smaller four-stringed violoncello ca. 1755 (even if it's written for an instrument with five strings). Both instruments are strung with gut strings and tuned lower than the present norm (I suppose Seeberg means below 440). The bow by Johann Strötz (first half of 18th century).

BTW I have had the recording for about ½ year in its cellophane in my listening queue.

[Mandryka]

"One Bruckner 9 to rule them all, One Bruckner 9 to find them, One Bruckner 9 to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

Quite apart from the interpretation, the sound is very impressive. Depth to the stereo image, just the right amount of sense of hall.

[Mandryka]

In the booklet Seeberg writes (a little bit shortened by me):
The instrument of the suites is referred to in the sources as violoncello, but also as Viola de Basso, a variant name of the terms Basso de viola or Basso viola, common at the time. Violoncello originally meant a slightly smaller and therefore more tonally agile instrument than is common today. Basso de Viola referred to a somewhat larger instrument with a deeper, bass-oriented timbre. In this recording both types are heard: in the first five suites a rather large instrument by Matteo Goffriller ca. 1700, which can be regarded as Viola de Basso, and in the sixth suite a smaller four-stringed violoncello ca. 1755 (even if it's written for an instrument with five strings). Both instruments are strung with gut strings and tuned lower than the present norm (I suppose Seeberg means below 440). The bow by Johann Strötz (first half of 18th century).

BTW I have had the recording for about ½ year in its cellophane in my listening queue.

Premont, are there any recordings of any cello suites using Gamba - earlier than Pandolfo?

[prémont]

Premont, are there any recordings of any cello suites using Gamba - earlier than Pandolfo?

Not as far as I know, except Pandolfo's own recording of suite no. 5 some years before the complete set.

After Pandolfo I only know a few recordings of the suites on gamba:

Sadao Udagawa suites 1, 3, 2 & 5 (5 in the shape of Bach's lute arrangement) Tedious listening because of absurdly slow tempi.

Myriam Rignol suite 1 - 6

Ronan Kernoa plays some of the suites on diverse gamba's.

I recall a single individual rather new recording of maybe suite no 1 by some female gambist. I have it somewhere digitally and won't be able to trace it quickly.

         

[Philo]

Today, this - until I get sick of it!

Tanke playing Messiaen



In my opinion, Apparition de l'église éternelle is the GOAT organ work.

[Traverso]

[Madiel]

Vivaldi violin concertos... I held off until the next sequential volume finally arrived.



The common theme this time is that there's evidence all of these concerti were written on a trip to Bohemia in 1730-31. Though Biondi in his liner notes discusses how they're not all stylistically similar (to those people who can tell the difference between late Vivaldi and early Vivaldi!).

An interesting feature of the recording is that Biondi provides his own linking cadenzas between movements in some concerti - a practice he can justify, and judging from the first concerto on the disc (RV 282 in F major) it works quite well. I did notice it but it certainly wasn't jarring. Both cadenzas were very tasteful and clearly designed to fit with the movements on either side.

RV 282 didn't strike me as likely to be a personal favourite but it's too early to judge the disc as a whole.

EDIT: RV 278 in E minor, is rather interesting, with an extended opening movement that Biondi treats with a lot of complexity and rhetoric. He seems slightly less fussy about intonation than some violinists in the series, though it's never really "off". He's just most interested in the expressive possibilities. No linking cadenzas in this one. The Largo has some pretty fascinating harmonies all on its own that don't need elaboration.

[Selig]

I recall a single individual rather new recording of maybe suite no 1 by some female gambist. I have it somewhere digitally and won't be able to trace it quickly.

Maybe Lucile Boulanger? There's a suite on the Bach-Abel album mixing movements from multiple suites.

[Madiel]

Haydn: Symphony no.71 in B flat (composed around 1778-9)



Starting on the last group of Esterhazy symphonies (numbers 62-63, 70-71 and 73-75, just to make life awkward, and that still doesn't reflect the order of composition).

To understand why Haydn is such a master, just listen to how many times in the first movement there's a phrase with an odd number of bars, or 3 repetitions rather than 2 or 4. The adagio is a theme and variations based on 5-bar phrases. Nothing is allowed to be square (which makes the later 'Surprise' symphony even funnier).

[prémont]

Maybe Lucile Boulanger? There's a suite on the Bach-Abel album mixing movements from multiple suites.

No, I think it was someone else and a complete suite.

Edit:
@Mandryka & @Selig
Even if I thought it was a female gambist, it must have been a male gambist I recalled.
These two I found in my download batch:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8615604--risonanze-music-for-viola-da-gamba

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8253670--the-bach-album-fahmi-alqhai

I recall both of them as being rather good.

[Papy Oli]

Boulez - Notations
David Fray (piano)

[DavidW]

[PaulR]

Britten: War Requiem

[SonicMan46]

Bach, CPE - Flute Sonatas w/ Wolfgang Schulz on a modern flute and Claudio Brizi on a claviorgan (see attachment), an instrument new to me - just arrived from BRO (which is still in business!) - now already own two double-disc sets of CPE's flute sonatas with Barthold Kuijken on period flute - his two sets show no overlap of works - the new one just obtained pretty much is a duplicate of the one with Bob van Asperen but different instrumentation, of course.  Dave