What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

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Prokofiev: Symphony no.5, Op. 100
Prokofiev: Symphony no.6, Op. 111
Prokofiev: Symphony no.2, Op. 40

Set arrived today for a first listen, and it's definitely worth the price of admission. Only dove into nos.5, 2 and 6 and so far I'm convinced this will be a set to enjoy for many a year. Great sound and performances, only complaint from this end is the almost nonexistent horns, missing them during some key moments in the 5th and 6th.
The real revelation for me here is the 2nd, Op. 40, the opening Allegro ben articolato is at least a minute, in most cases almost two minutes faster than my other recordings, and I must say I've never been this jolted by it's energy and punch, it's a real firestorm of force. This no.2 will be getting a lot of playtime, and possibly move this opus to a higher stature.

This is good to hear, Greg. I'll be digging into this set soon.

[kishnevi]

A musical gem, no doubt!

I would also add Chailly's recording in this list, it's superb.

I'd drop the Rattle and replace him with Thomas. And, for a dark horse candidate,  Gilbert Kaplan's second recording (with the VPO).   But my definite favorite is Bernstein/DG.

You might want to go the DVD route, and get Chailly's performance from Leipzig, released last year.  (But don't get the DVD of the 8th.)

ETA: forgot thread duty as usual.
Gesualdo:  Quinto Libro di Madrigal  Hilliard Ensemble  (ECM2175)
a relatively new release I found in the mall CD store, and bought simply to make them think there's a market for it.  But so far it's quite good.

[DavidRoss]

I'd drop the Rattle and replace him with Thomas. And, for a dark horse candidate,  Gilbert Kaplan's second recording (with the VPO).   But my definite favorite is Bernstein/DG.

I never warmed to Kaplan. MTT & Lennie on DGG are top shelf, along with Gielen, Fischer, Walter, Boulez, & Blomstedt -- and everyone's old favorites Mehta/WP, Klemperer/Philharmonia, and Abbado/CSO are none too shabby, either, though I prefer Abbado's Lucerne Festival 2nd these days, and I've yet to give Haitink's new CSO 2nd a thorough wringing out, but I've liked what I've heard so far.

Now playing:

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[Lethevich]

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I was thinking of the new Chandos disc, but this has 2/3rds of the same material, and more interesting couplings, and it's cheaper.

[Mirror Image]

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Awesome ballet.

[Mirror Image]

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A great recording. Listening to Cello Concerto No. 2. I had forgotten how enjoyable Shosty's CCs were.

[listener]

James Ehnes, violin, viola   Eduard Laurel, piano  Homage
using the supplemental DVD
familiar "encore" -type pieces played on 9 classic violins and 3 violas
very much worth owning.   The spoken commentary supplements the notes in the booklet.
Selections by Bazzini, de Falla, Elgar, Dinicu, Kreisler, David et al., and a couple of tracks allowing for direct comparison using the Bruch Scottish Fantasy and Berlioz Harold in Italy for excerpts

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Good morning!

I needed some music to start the morning with, so I took this box from the shelf, a top recommendation if it comes to  Tomas Luis de Victoria. nothing but good to say, both in my reviews of disc I ( 5-11-2011 & 24-11-2011) I am already packing my CD collection in boxes, so I saved this one for now. The singing is flawless, intonation perfect, articulation too, the flow of singing has the right rhythm, and is very exact in its execution. Voices are well balanced, with a good sense of the meaning of the text. All the voices are in balance, non of them are overbearing, they listen well to each other. It is perfectly recorded too!

Veni, Sancte, Spiritus, Sequence a 8.
Missa Pro Victoria a 9.
Super Flumina Babylonis, Psalm 137 a 8.
Missa Pro Defunctis a 4.

Recorded 2008, Cambridge, Chesterton, St George's Church.

[The new erato]

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A great recording. Listening to Cello Concerto No. 2. I had forgotten how enjoyable Shosty's CCs were.

Enjoyable? You´re weird man. 

Magnificent? Yes. Scary? In deed. Enjoyable? No.

[Opus106]

Enjoyable? You´re weird man. 

Magnificent? Yes. Scary? In deed. Enjoyable? No.

I need to re-listen to them. The First, IIRC, has some wonderful (enjoyable) moments, although I don't know if I've listen to the Second at all.

[mc ukrneal]

Yawn:

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Frothy light music, basically.

Sounds great to me. Nothing wrong with light music. I picked up the two discs of Shakespeare overtures. It reminds me very much of the movie music of the times (30's-50's), so someone who likes that, may like this. Now listening to this:
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[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Sounds great to me. Nothing wrong with light music. I picked up the two discs of Shakespeare overtures. It reminds me very much of the movie music of the times (30's-50's), so someone who likes that, may like this. Now listening to this:
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When hearing the first disc in this series I decided to let volume II go. The music could be interesting if they got better performances and recordings. My listening notes tell me to tread carefully in acquiring the rest of the series.

[Conor71]

Mahler: Symphony No. 10 In F# Minor


Mahler frustrates me a bit sometimes but I keep coming back to his music because it can be so beautiful - a great Composer who reminds me what it is to be human
Great Disc - I like hearing the completed version of this Symphony. This one is a flawless performance.

[mc ukrneal]

When hearing the first disc in this series I decided to let volume II go. The music could be interesting if they got better performances and recordings. My listening notes tell me to tread carefully in acquiring the rest of the series.

Hey, dems fight'n words! Pistols at dawn! Um...err...its day here, so too late. And I sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays. And well, by Monday, I will have moved on to something else. So consider yourself lucky buster! 

Seriously, I enjoyed the first disc. They very much reminded of various film composers. I'd probably take Steiner and others ahead of this, but still, it was tuneful and happy. I didn't always like the recording, that is true. Oh well.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Hey, dems fight'n words! Pistols at dawn! Um...err...its day here, so too late. And I sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays. And well, by Monday, I will have moved on to something else. So consider yourself lucky buster! 

Seriously, I enjoyed the first disc. They very much reminded of various film composers. I'd probably take Steiner and others ahead of this, but still, it was tuneful and happy. I didn't always like the recording, that is true. Oh well.

That made me laugh for a long time, thanks Neal, somehow I needed that.

Thread duty;

This disc charms the hell out of me. The D minor Symphony with which it starts, and which I think the best composition on this disc, makes me always wonder how the rest of his compositions will sound. On this disc they are always good, and a joy to listen too. The first Ballet suite is a gem too with a fine Andantino movement, which easily holds images for a choreography, as it were, I see a imaginary ballerina dancing her way around my temporary listening room. Anyways, performances are exemplary, and the attention for detail amazing. No worries about the sound, that's good too.

[nico1616]

Vänskä's Sibelius 7 to start the day 

[Conor71]

Mahler: Symphony No. 7 In E Minor, "Lied Der Nacht"


Not sure why this is regarded as Mahlers most difficult Symphony? I find it pretty easy going - It has some really fine moments and a great Finale!

[North Star]

Shostakovich
Symphonies nos. 8, 9 & 10
Mariss Jansons

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[Lisztianwagner]

Herbert von Karajan
Neujahrskonzert 1987

[Karl Henning]

Shostakovich
Symphonies nos. 8, 9 & 10
Mariss Jansons

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I love that Tenth with the Philadelphia Orchestra!