What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Harry]

Benjamin Frankel.

Film Music.

Curse of the Werewolf.
So long at the Fair.
The Net.
The Prisoner.

Royal Liverpool PO/Carl Davis.

The recording made in 2005 is stunning. Phil Rowlands, created a front to back image, with amazing detail and punch. Even in the loudest passages, there is lucidity, and the brass is free from glare.
State of the Art recording, Naxos may count themselves lucky with so good a recording team.

The music is gorgeous too. Frankel being one of my favourite composers at all, created a vivid image in The curse of the Werewolf, with stunning writing for percussion and strings, colorful and scary music, hits target at once.
So Long at the Fair, is a joyous and happy piece of music, running in a fine trot, what color in just 7 minutes.
The Net's Love Theme of 3 minutes is a concentrated uttering of deep feelings.
The Prisoner is again like the Werewolf, a powerful evocation, colorful, but at times also tumbling into despair. The ranges of emotion Frankel writes into this music is simply devastating, and grasps you at your throat at once with the intro "Prelude" despair walks in.
The performance under Carl Davis is nothing short of very good. Not often we encounter the film music of Frankel, but if you love his work, you should snap this up.

[bhodges]

Bruno Maderna: Serenata per un Satellite (1969) (Mauro Ceccanti/Contempoartensemble) - On first hearing, delightful.  For seven players, and apparently with chance elements that are directed by the conductor.  Also on the disc is Don Perlimplin (1962) a "radio opera" with substantially more personnel.  May take another hearing to digest, but also fascinating.

--Bruce

[Maciek]

Earlier today, a fantastic concert on the radio (live):

10th Music Festival of the Polish Radio - Szymanowski's Close and Distant Worlds
Concert no. 4: Mountain landscapes - transmission for the Witold Lutoslawski Studio in Warsaw

Władysław Żeleński W Tatrach (In the Tatras) op. 27
Vítězslav Novák V Tatrách (In the Tatras) op. 26
Zygmunt Noskowski Morskie Oko (The Morskie Oko Lake) op. 19
Michał Kondracki Mała symfonia góralska "Obrazy na szkle" (Small Goral Symphony "Paintings on Glass")
Karol Szymanowski VC No. 2 op. 61
(Jakub Jakowicz violin, Sinfonia Varsovia/Wojciech Michniewski)

The performances, especially of the Zelenski and Noskowski, were staggeringly good! There was a moment earlier this year when I doubted whether Sinfonia Varsovia was still the best orchestra we had (the PRNSO being really good these days) - all doubts are gone now, these guys are peerless (and Michniewski has always been one of my favorite conductors)! Not to mention the great program! Kondracki is the real discovery here: he was one of Szymanowski's best students, now completely forgotten. The Symphony was written at roughly the same time Szymanowski wrote Harnasie and the analogies are evident. It is an absolutely brilliant piece. I tried to record the webcast but there was apparently too much traffic and it came out all jagged (some stupid presidential debate on web TV at roughly the same time - we have elections coming in less than a month).

[bhodges]

Sounds like a fantastic broadcast, Maciek!  I've never heard of Kondracki, either, and what a beautiful title he chose for his piece.

--Bruce

[Solitary Wanderer]

Weber ~ Piano Concertos Hyperion RPC series

[bhodges]

James MacMillan: Sowetan Spring (1991) (MacMillan/RSNO) - A piece that uses some hocketing effects that the composer admired in Louis Andriessen's music, with added explosive percussion.  The musical material is derived from fragments of the South African national anthem.

And now his Brittania (1994), a "fantasy based on patriotic themes" that quotes Arne, Elgar and British military marches.  Both of these have excellent playing from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the composer seems to be superb conducting his work.

--Bruce

[orbital]

Suite op 3 in particular.

[Solitary Wanderer]

[Bonehelm]

BRUCKNER: Symphony no.5 in B-flat major

Berliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan
Deutsche Gramophone

[BachQ]

Mozart's Haffner (HvK).  0:)

[wintersway]

Good morning/day to all!

[dtwilbanks]

This should be called the "good morning" thread. 

Anyway, this album is gorgeous, I say.

[SonicMan46]

I've just started slogging through the Alfven symphonic box on BIS. I fear it will be a tough ride, but I've decided I need to hear this stuff at least once. A continuation of last winters project with the Atterberg and Petterson-Berger symphonic sets from cpo.

Did the same w/ Atterberg recently and ended up buying the box set of his Symphonies - have not explored Alfven, yet - how does he compare to Atterberg's symphonic writing?  

[SonicMan46]

Franz Schubert.  Complete Dances, Volume V.  Michael Endres, Piano.

The last cd in this box, and I can be quite clear about this set. In my 35 years of listening I never encountered a pianist with such a good inner feel for the piano works by Schubert. His Sonatas also by Endres, this feeling was even more apparent. All sides from Schubert come clearly to the fore with Endres, and without effort at all, the music flows out of his hands, like pearls through women's hands. An excellent set on all counts.

Harry - that is a TOP recommendation (i.e. after 35 yrs of listening)!  I have Uchida in the Piano Sonatas, and just a small sampling of Schubert's other 'solo' piano works - just $30 at Amazon for the box - assume separate cardboard or paper sleeves?

BTW - I checked in Third Ear for their comments - unexpectedly high PRAISE from them w/o a negative comment!  Looks like a go!     Dave

[Hector]

Since I had to re-configure my Freeview to be able to continue to receive Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4 and only got around to doing it today it has been iPod, only.

Sibelius: Karelia Suite, King Christian II and Pelleas and Melisande and I played the whole lot twice it being such a long time since I'd heard them.

Vanska is noted for being able to get a wonderful pianissimo from the Lahti orchestra and this is one of the many delights of this BIS issue.

[SonicMan46]

Walton & Rubbra Viola Concertos w/ Lawrence Power on the fiddle; Ilan Volkov & the BBC Scottish SO - recorded in 2006.  I have Kennedy-Previn in the Walton piece performed in 1987, which was a 1962 revision of the concerto; for this new Hyperion recording, the original version from the late 1920s is used - the orchestra is more sparse & classical, similar to that used by Brahms (according to the line notes in the Kennedy disc).

Eybler, Joseph (1765-1846) Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 w/ Hofstetter & the Chamber Orch of Geneva on CPO; just starting to listen to this disc - purchased because I was impressed w/ his String Quartets, also shown below (and commented on a number of pages back in this thread) - 

   

[Catison]

Did the same w/ Atterberg recently and ended up buying the box set of his Symphonies - have not explored Alfven, yet - how does he compare to Atterberg's symphonic writing?   

Alfven has been on my wishlist for awhile now.   I heard one of his symphonic poems on the radio and was very impressed.  I would say his style is similar to Atterberg, but maybe even more like Sibelius.

[FideLeo]

From one of my favourite traverso players. 

[orbital]

Schoenberg - Cello Concerto

Is this really Schoenberg   

[springrite]

Schoenberg - Cello Concerto

Is this really Schoenberg   

Are you sure you were not listening to a Monn harpsichord concerto?