Monthly Focus

[Karl Henning]

Well, back to Saint-Saens for my focus this month with his  piano concerto no 3 which I'm loving already.  Saint Saens never let's me down.   Amazing performance by

Sir Stephen Hough

CBSO

Sakari Oramo

Very nice, Judith!

[Judith]

Well, for this month it is Schumann Violin Sonata no 3.  Such a beautiful work and even more so because it is performed on a cello.
Using the recording by Steven Isserlis who also arranged it for cello and Denes Varjon

[Judith]

Decided on a symphony for this months focus.  
Mozart no 38 (Prague).
Don't know this one very well but decided to delve further.
Using a lovely recording by ASMF Orchestra and Sir Neville Marriner

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Decided on a symphony for this months focus. 
Mozart no 38 (Prague).
Don't know this one very well but decided to delve further.
Using a lovely recording by ASMF Orchestra and Sir Neville Marriner

Great choice! 

PD

[aligreto]

Decided on a symphony for this months focus. 
Mozart no 38 (Prague).
Don't know this one very well but decided to delve further.
Using a lovely recording by ASMF Orchestra and Sir Neville Marriner

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague" [Tate]

[aligreto]

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague" [Norrington]

[aligreto]

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague" [Hogwood]

[Brahmsian]

My favourite Mozart symphony along with # 39!

[Spotted Horses]

I've recently acquired Norrington's set of recordings of "Essential" Mozart Symphonies with Stuttgart (Hanssler) and have only listened to some of the minor "essential" symphonies. Well, a good time to try one of the big four.



The performance is remarkable for it's vitality, with trumpets and percussion often performing in a more aggressive manner than I'm accustomed to. There are also wonderful moments when the horns emerge from the texture in a thrilling manner. My only quibble is that the low strings don't have what seems like the necessary weight in some passages.

It is truly a remarkable work, with many wonderful thematic and harmonic transformations. I especially love a certain figure which appears early in the first movement exposition on the oboe, and later builds to the climax in the code, stated by full orchestra.

This is left my curious to listen to some contrasting performance. Maybe I'll return to a perennial favorite of mine, Krips/Concertebouw.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

A favorite set of mine (which includes the Prague) of Mozart symphonies (not complete) is this one.   It's with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sir Charles Mackerras.  Lovely recordings and in modern sound.  It has Symphonies Nos. 38-41 only.



PD

[Judith]

Listened to something different today.  Brahms violin Sonata in D major op 78 transcribed for viola by Csaba Erdelyi beautifully performed by Roberto Diaz and Jeremy Denk on the Naxos label. Decided to make it this months focus.
Feel that the final movement reminds me of piano trio op 8.

[Judith]

Well because Schubert doesn't seem to get a lot of love from me (unwittingly, of course), I decided that he would be this months focus in the form of "Arpeggione Sonata in A minor".  It is a beautiful work and using a lovely performance by Steven Isserlis and Denes Varjon

[Judith]

To start the year, staying focused with Schubert for the beautiful A minor D784 piano sonata. Thought to be  composed when  discovered he was very ill.
Lovely recording by Stephen Hough

Happy New Year to all of you.

[BasilValentine]

I've been working on the finale of D874 for a while now. The second theme (or rondo episode) is a lovely example of so-called harmonic major (major scale with b6). Alas, I despair of getting the octave passage in the coda up to tempo. First movement sounds orchestral to me.

[Judith]

For this month chosen a symphony because I've been concentrating on sonatas.
Haydn
Symphony no 92 (Oxford)

Ashamed to say I'm not familiar with a lot of Haydn Symphonies so trying to rectify this.

Using
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner

[DavidW]

I've decided that my focus this month will be Tubin's fifth symphony.

[Judith]

This one, I may have had before but it was mentioned on Twitter and was tempted to re-visit this beautiful concerto.   Now have a data-base set up so I can trace back.
Saint Saens
Cello Concerto no 2
Steven Isserlis
NDR Sinfonie Orchester
Christoph Eschenbach

[Judith]

Ashamed to say not so familiar with a lot of Haydn symphonies so for this April it is
Symphony no 104 (London)

Using the performance by
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner

[Judith]

Monthly focus this month is
Tragic Overture
Brahms


Not as familiar with this one as I am the Academic Festival


Using
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Marek Janowski

[Holden]

I go back to an oldie but goodie, Walter and the Columbia SO