What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Florestan]

Kussmaul

Now that's one of the funniest surnames I've ever encountered. 

[Harry]

Now that's one of the funniest surnames I've ever encountered. 

True, and furthermore he is quite famous for his playing.
Kissmouth

[quintett op.57]

Stravinsky conducting Stravinsky from the early 60's:

Essential!

it looks like, at least

[Florestan]

Kissmouth

Actually it's rather kiss muzzle.

[quintett op.57]

Honegger : Cello concerto
Nordwestdeutsche philharmonie/Dominique Roggen/Ulrich Schmid

[Harry]

Viotti.

Violin Concerto No. 22, in A minor.

Rainer Kussmaul, Violin.
Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss/Johannes Goritzki.

The violin concertos from Viotti are little marvels, well written, and inventive.
Would love to have more in such perfect performances.

[Harry]

Samuel Barber.

Capricorn Concerto.
A Hand of Bridge.
Mutations from Bach.
Intermezzo from Vanessa.
Canzonetta for Oboe and Strings.
Fadograph of a Yestern Scene.



Most excellent music, well recorded, and performed.
Apart from A hand of bridge, which is nothing to me.

[Choo Choo]

Bruckner  Symphony #7  Van Beinum / Concertgebouw (1953 on Decca)

I wish I liked this performance more than I do.  It's fine - there are just too many others that I enjoy more.

[Sergeant Rock]

Taking this one out for its first spin:



I'll have to play the 1812 Overture sometime today. It's a Cleveland Orchestra tradition at Blossom Music Center to play the Tchaikovsky on the Fourth and since I can't be there in person...

Sarge

[Harry]

Roy Harris.

Symphony No. 3.

Symphony No. 4.

I thought the third Symphony beautiful, very well thought out music, and to my ears well written.
The Fourth is a failure, that is the Chorus contributions, not the fine instrumental parts.
It is well performed though and the quality of the Chorus is fine, just not my cup of tea.
Tim Handley made a fine recording.

[Lilas Pastia]

Tchaikovsky's Pathétique symphony, BPO, Karajan (EMI 1971). This is from a newly reissued budget price 2-disc album of symphonies 4-6. I thought I'd like this one best, but it fails to live up to expectations. Nevertheless, it's a staggering performance. I don't like everything in it, but that's my personal impression, so anybody in the market for a molten lava, Afrikakorps-type of performance need not look any further.

It's markedly different from previous Karajan BPO performances. Once again I prefer the 1964 version, more singing, with a broader range of emotions. The late seventies DG is also extremely fine, just as powerful as this EMI one, but better recorded. This is the most disappointing aspect of the EMI production. Although everything sounds fine in II-IV, the first movement is coarse and congested, with the huge climaxes sounding more like a giant catfight than an orchestral mêlée. Listen to Böhm-LSO to hear huge orchestral climaxes played to the hilt by all sections of the orchestra but without ever sounding like they want to silence each other. Böhm's superb conducting allows every strand to be clearly heard. Engulfing and enthralling stuff.

Past that, things improve markedly. Indeed, I didn't expect Karajan to show such sweetness in the waltz. For once this is not too loud. The slightly recessed recording probably helps here, and given the simple orchestration, we are spared obnoxious knob twiddling from the control room. Superb Scherzo, and a Finale that is right there among the best. It clocks in at 10 minutes only, but all the boiling despair, dejection and resignation are given full due in a real symphonic structure (no tone poem looseness here).

Not for every day consumption, but at the price it's a set that demands to be on the shelves (yours, not the store's ). Although I mentioned that for all three symphonies I preferred Karajan's earlier effort, there's no denying that they show less character than what is heard here. Given their chosen penchant for interpretive and dynamic extremes, these EMI versions offer a fascinating alternative view.

[Harry]

I always enjoyed El Khoury's music, and this is no exception, although I could have done without the applause, since part of it is live.

[Kullervo]

I always enjoyed El Khoury's music, and this is no exception, although I could have done without the applause, since part of it is live.

Do you know anything else about this composer?

[Hollywood]

Today is the 4th of July and so I thought I would listen to my John Philip Sousa cds, especially to my favorite Sousa march "The Invincible Eagle".

[Harry]

Do you know anything else about this composer?

Bechara El-Khoury, born in Beirut in 1957

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.naxos.com/images/paintings/el_khoury/el_khoury.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/4410.htm&h=274&w=184&sz=13&hl=nl&start=12&sig2=oWNSNngnbI57qFDLKJVpnw&tbnid=asjts9dpw-CQ8M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=76&ei=l7GLRvX0Mqba0gSgqryXDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBechara%2BEl-Khoury%26svnum%3D50%26hl%3Dnl%26lr%3Dlang_nl%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DN

[Choo Choo]

Following some recent discussion in the Terry Riley thread, this afternoon I am re-acquainting myself with this substantial work:

   

Having first warmed up with another play of this recent reissue of two 1970's film soundtracks (slighter but highly enjoyable):

   

[Kullervo]

Bechara El-Khoury, born in Beirut in 1957

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.naxos.com/images/paintings/el_khoury/el_khoury.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/4410.htm&h=274&w=184&sz=13&hl=nl&start=12&sig2=oWNSNngnbI57qFDLKJVpnw&tbnid=asjts9dpw-CQ8M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=76&ei=l7GLRvX0Mqba0gSgqryXDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBechara%2BEl-Khoury%26svnum%3D50%26hl%3Dnl%26lr%3Dlang_nl%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DN

Thanks, Harry

As for me, I am listening to this disc

[Harry]

El-Khoury.

Serenade No. 2 for String Orchestra, opus 20.

These licensed Forlane recordings do sound good to me, and the performance is more than adequat.
Moody piece, and so am I.

[George]

Mozart PC's

Anda


Delightful! 

[Harry]

Alla Pavlova.

Monolog for Violin and String Orchestra.

Yaroslav Krasnikov, Violin.

Moscow PO/Rossen Molanov.

My all time favourite composer. whatever she has composed, I deeply love.
This Monolog is a glimpse into heaven, but then all her music is for me.
Guess we are on the same wavelenght.
Well recorded and played.