What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Coopmv]

That one is '77, I believe, a reunion concert for Karajan and the VPO after a break when he left the Vienna State Opera.  There is also a video for the '89.  The '77 video is an actual concert, the '88 is essentially a recording session with video cameras.

Exactly.  What a church that was with some breath-taking architecture where the concert took place.  The acoustics was excellent as well.  I only wish Karajan last US concert given at Carnegie Hall in 2/89, a few short months before he died, was available on DVD.  According to NYT review, it was helluva performance by Karajan and the VPO ...

[DavidW]

Listening for me-- Bach's Musical Offering, Beethoven's 3rd (Blomstedt this time), Mahler's 9th (Barenboim), Bruckner's 7th (Karajan, yet again), Beethoven's Op. 59 #3 and Op. 18 #1 SQs (Smetana Quartet amazing!).  Some great music, and that Mahler 9 cd was a great buy.

[Brian]

ZWILICH | Peanuts Gallery
Florida State University Symphony Orchestra
Jeffrey Biegel, piano; Alexander Jimenez, conductor

A very cute, goofy piece which really captures the whimsy of the Peanuts cartoon characters. It's a special pleasure to hear Schroeder's dream of playing the Hammerklavier someday, set into musical form. That said, as much fun as I had, this isn't exactly a major work or one I'll be listening to much. It was my first listen to anything by Ellen Zwilich, though, and obviously she has so much talent and good humor to burn that I need to pay her a lot more attention from now on.

[DavidW]

Is this the Koopman one?

Yup!

[Scarpia]

Exactly.  What a church that was with some breath-taking architecture where the concert took place.  The acoustics was excellent as well.  I only wish Karajan last US concert given at Carnegie Hall in 2/89, a few short months before he died, was available on DVD.  According to NYT review, it was helluva performance by Karajan and the VPO ...

I happens I was there.  It was without parallel, although my recollection is that the New York Times review the next morning said it stunk.

[Scarpia]

I neglect Howells too much, mainly due to his strong choral music which overshadows all the rest. It's unjust because so much of what he writes is superb - I recall enjoying the concerto for string orchestra, and so far the first movement is living up to this recollection. At times it conjurs up a feeling of Vaughan Williams at his most passionate, but there are more angular edges and the work remains rather earthbound where so much of VW's music tends to take wing at some point. VW also didn't write string music on quite this scale, so it's fascinating to continue to compare the two, but may not do Howells full justice. The comparison may also imply the Howells work as slightly unsuccessful, but I'm enjoying it thoroughly.

I listened to some excepts, it reminds me of the Bliss music for strings more than the Vaughan Williams.  Just the sort of stuff I was looking for in my "music for string orchestra" thread a few weeks ago.  I will be definitely be getting a recording of this piece.  Thanks for your comments.

[DavidW]

How you like it so far?

At first I didn't like it (except the opening ricercar), but I gave it several listens and some time to mull it over, multiple versions through youtube (I'm pretty new to the piece) and then came back to it and now I like both the work and the performance.  

[Brian]

GERSHWIN | Piano Concerto
Andre Previn, piano
London Symphony Orchestra
Andre Previn, conductor

GERSHWIN | Piano Concerto
Michel Camilo, piano
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra
Ernesto Martinez Izquierdo

GERSHWIN | Piano Concerto
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeff Tyzik

The last two recordings are fairly new, but it's the first one that I'm reviewing for MusicWeb right now, thanks to EMI's latest binge of unnecessary reissues. Hard to say much about a classic recording like the Previn that hasn't been said already, but I'll take any excuse to listen to Gershwin's Piano Concerto three times in a row!

[Que]

Listening to:
La Petite Bande \ Kuijken - Hob 01 102 Symphony in Bb 2nd mvmt - Adagio

Splendid set, this was the 5th and final disk towards giving me the complete cycle. It was worth the 6 month effort of assembling the individual disks.

Aaahhh.. You did it, congrats!

Q

[Harry]

Mozart.
The Sonatas for Fortepiano and Violin.
CD 4.
KV 301-305.

This is a absolute winner, and a great buy.

[Harry]

A welcome guest.

[Harry]

Had a great review in Gramophone, and well deserved. Its a very poetic performance, textures clear as a bell, and a pleasant drive to it all.
Recording is awesome too.

[mc ukrneal]

Currently enjoying:


There is another good disc of his orchestral work on Sterling.

[Harry]

Von Weber.
Five overtures. Euryanthe, Der Freischutz, Oberon, Ruler of the Spirits, Turandot.

Hindemith.
Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber.

The Philharmonia, Neeme Jarvi.

Very well performed and recorded, and a interesting match to listen at.

[Florestan]

Be it February 22nd or March 1st, Chopin certainly deserves being celebrated.

Raoul von Koczalski, piano

Four Ballades.

[Lethevich]

I listened to some excepts, it reminds me of the Bliss music for strings more than the Vaughan Williams.  Just the sort of stuff I was looking for in my "music for string orchestra" thread a few weeks ago.  I will be definitely be getting a recording of this piece.  Thanks for your comments.

Looks like I need to check out more Bliss, who I am still not very familiar with, hehe. I have the Colour Symphony on Naxos in my to listen queue.

[Conor71]

Dvořák: The Golden Spinning Wheel, Op. 109, B 197

[Opus106]

Be it February 22nd or March 1st, Chopin certainly deserves being celebrated.

Raoul von Koczalski, piano

Four Ballades.

Many thanks for the heads-up, Florestan. I'm going with what the parish church says.
Chopin will be played tonight.

[Harry]

Gerald Finzi.
Cello Concerto, opus 40 in A minor.
Raphael Wallfisch, Cello.
City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox.
Recorded February 1986.

I am a admirer of Finzi's music, so this cd being on Abeille for almost nothing I seized the opportunity and ordered it. I am glad I got it. For the Cello concerto is of great beauty, and so well performed and recorded in fine Chandos sound. I think the older recordings sounded much better as the ones today.

[Florestan]

Chopin

Polonaise in A-flat major op. 53

Rubinstein