What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[knight66]

The choir I used to belong to put us on notice that we would be performing 'The Armed Man' by Karl Jenkins. I bought a copy of the CD, listened once, then it ended up in the box-file with the rest of the choir stuff. My job does not enable me to be available consistently one particular evening a week, so, I never did sing the piece. This week I remembered I had the disc, so loaded it into my iPod and I have listened again.

If you know the excellent music by John Barry for 'The Lion in Winter', then you will understand the sound world here. Lots of short bursts of muted brass, a lot of quite dreamy music, a lot of martial sounding stretches. However, this music has to stand on its own and sounds vacuous to my ears. The thing does not hang together and had I been told it was film music, I could understand, in that it has an episodic quality. He does almost nothing with the soloist singers, except the soprano who gets a rather nice movement to herself. The choral work is rather bland, lots of it almost in unison, a great deal is simple chords all being sounded together, no complex interweaving of vocal lines. Shoved into the mix is a short movement consisting of a declaimed text in Arabic. I should think that a lot of choirs will jump on it as an easy-on-the-ear, and easy to learn, modern piece. It also seems to have an agenda of commenting on war, but it cannot be put in any kind of context against Britten's War Requiem.

I like some of Jenkins' other works, though I think he tends to work well in miniature pieces. Here I did not feel I was listening to someone who was expressing his ideas across a large canvas. Chop the thing up, keep two or three movements and junk the rest.

Mike

[Lethevich]

Vaughan Williams - Symphony Nos.3 & 4 and the folk song suite from the Handley cycle. Is there any short work containing a greater condensation of wonderful tunes than this suite?

      ....and one of my favorite choirs

A very fine disc, I forgot that I had it! Must relisten soon.

[Subotnick]

Good morning!

I'm still in Elgar/Hickox mode. Giving The Apostles another listen, then I may pop over to eMusic to download The Kingdom.



TTFN.
Me.

[knight66]

Some people might suggest you are a glutton for punnishment there. I like Elgar, but I am afraid The Kingdom was one piece I have so far been unable to appreciate.

Mike

[Subotnick]

I'll take that into account, but it's a totally new piece to me and I am more than willing to give it a go.

[Que]

Q

[The new erato]

Some people might suggest you are a glutton for punnishment there. I like Elgar, but I am afraid The Kingdom was one piece I have so far been unable to appreciate.

Mike

However much I love Gerontius, I find the rest (maybe a gross overgeneralization, but I think I have heard most) of Elgars oratorioes weak, undramatic and insipid (add sickly sweet as well). Glorious orchestration and more than the occasional beautiful melody, but Oh, so bOOOOOOring. No drama or variation whatsoever, just an unending sugary goo.

[knight66]

That is my fix exactly. Gerontius I love and have just ordered the new Halle issue, the rest is snoozville.

Mike

[Subotnick]

The Apostles and Caractacus are my only two experiences of Elgar, other than symphonies 1 and 2 and the Enigma Variations. In the hands of Richard Hickox I find them passionate and exciting. I am eager to listen to Gerontious and The Kingdom. King Olaf and The Black Knight too. I have looked into these briefly over the past few days and have read only positive comments. I find the negative comments here just as interesting and informative. They'll enrich (if that's the right word) my first listen. I'll be sure to let you know what I think! 

TTFN.
Me.

Doh! "Land of hope and glory..."

[Henk]

S. 3

[Henk]

disc 1

[mozartsneighbor]

[SonicMan46]

 

Will be interested in comments from all who know these recordings by Borgstede - there is an excellent Amazon Review recommending these recordings w/ some minute reservations.  Although I own a lot of Handel, I've only 2 discs in my collection from these vast compositions - Trevor on harpsichord & Jarrett on piano (must have been a bargain purchase from BMG years ago?).

While on the topic of Borgstede, any comments on his performances of the Couperin works on harpsichord - a much larger collection (11 CDs!) - an exhaustive review on MusicWeb HERE, which seems to be a generally good recommendation.  Thanks - 

[Christo]

Played this one a couple of times in the car, last week. The Fourth Symphony received a lot of attention in these columns. For me, the Variações Variações sinfónicas sobre um tema alentejano / Symphonic Variations on a Theme from the Alentejo Op. 18 are of a similar interest and among the best set of orchestral variations that I know of.  

How do you like them?

[SonicMan46]

Sunday morning listening - some new arrivals - new composers to me:

Wesley, Samuel (1766-1837) - Sacred Choral Works w/ Webber & Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge - ASV bargain from BRO - 

Arnell, Richard (1917-Present) - Symphonies 4/5 w/ Cohen & MusicaNova Orchestra - comin' up next! 

 

[springrite]

Bach: Goldberg Variation
Beethoven: DIabelli Variations
Beethoven: Eroica Variations

Played by Maria Yudina

Beethoven with muscle, of course. But Bach with loads of muscles!

[Lilas Pastia]

That is my fix exactly. Gerontius I love and have just ordered the new Halle issue, the rest is snoozville.

Mike

Coincidentally, I have just ordered the Rome Barbirolli version (live, 1957) with Jon Vickers as Gerontius. Soundwise I have no idea what to expect, but since this is regarded as a legendary interpretation, I'm ready to be quite tolerant of any sonic deficiencies.

[Bunny]

Sandrine Piau, Mark Padmore, Neal Davies, Miah Persson, and Peter Harvey (as Adam and Eve)

Bigger is better when it comes to the Big Bang.

[Todd]

Bigger is better when it comes to the Big Bang.

Indeed.  Ms Piau is wonderful in that recording.  One of my best of '08!

[Dundonnell]

Played this one a couple of times in the car, last week. The Fourth Symphony received a lot of attention in these columns. For me, the Variações Variações sinfónicas sobre um tema alentejano / Symphonic Variations on a Theme from the Alentejo Op. 18 are of a similar interest and among the best set of orchestral variations that I know of.  

How do you like them?

Absolutely agreed A splendidly invigorating piece, glowing with warmth and all Braga Santos's trademark rich orchestral colours