What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[The new erato]

He wrote an octet too!

Another recording of some nicely romantic chamber music that I've just finished listening to, not ground-breaking but enjoyable and worth a listen:



Very good recording (as nearly always with MDG) and sensitive performances.

[SonicMan46]

Max Bruch.  SQ, opus 9 & opus 10.   Mannheimer Streichquartet.

Harry - I like Max Bruch's chamber works, and will put that one on my list - for those wanting to hear other than a violin concerto, the two discs below are quite good:

For me this Sunday morning - about to start the NY Times while listening the Vol. 2 of the Mozart pianoforte/violin works - 

   

[SonicMan46]

Masolino - please comment - assume multiple composers - which period(s) of time - thanks - 

[Harry]

He wrote an octet too!

Yes, that one I knew, but funny enough these SQ escaped me.

[Harry]

Another recording of some nicely romantic chamber music that I've just finished listening to, not ground-breaking but enjoyable and worth a listen:



Very good recording (as nearly always with MDG) and sensitive performances.

Very good, this disc in staring me in the face, so it will get a spin one of these days.

[Bogey]

Yesterday:

Beethoven Music for Wind Instruments Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (MHS)

Beethoven Symphony No. 7 Bernstein/BSO (DG)

Beethoven Overtures Davis/Symphonie-Orchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks (CBS)

Good morning.

[Harry]

Alan Rawsthorne.

Symphony No. 1 & 2, "A Pastoral Symphony". *

Charlotte Ellett, Soprano.*
Bournemouth SO/David Lloyd Jones.

Stunningly recorded in 24 bit by Eleanor Thomason, this music impresses you imidiatly with its grave tone, and emotional impact. Very intense in the manner of Pettersson but a bit less severe. It has the same effect on me. Beautiful.

[rubio]

Bruckner Symphony No. 5 performed by Harnoncourt/VPO. This is a real nice contrast to all the less-than-excellent sounding versions I have of this symphony. It doesn't really reach up to my favourites (Jochum/RCO (Tahra), Furtwangler/BPO war-time and Karajan/BPO), but I hear some more interesting details in this well-engineered performance.

[Lilas Pastia]

Hugo Wolf's string quartet works. Basically we're talking about the familiar Serenade, an Intermezzo, and his magnum opus in the genre, a massive Quartet in d minor (40 minutes, the classical 4-movement layout, albeit with the scherzo before the slow movement). The Artis Quartet, on Accord. The Quartet is worth investigating. Serious stuff, but with very original harmonic and rythmic ideas.

[The new erato]

I like Swedish late romanticism/early modernism, and these very melodic quartes fit the bill perfectly.

One of the most valuable things about Naxos (this has been available on Naxos in Norway) is all the valuable and relatively unknown quartet repertoire they have issued, the English series, the Enesco disc (a must have if there ever was one!), their disc of Norwegian string quartets, their Nielsen etc. (and a a higher price point I would also praise cpo). But there are still so much repertoire to cover....

[Kullervo]

[Harry]

Alan Rawsthorne.

Symphony No. 3.

Bournemouth SO/David Lloyd Jones.

Of gentle expression one could say and typify this fine piece. So much playing PP, that it really gets fairy tale like, with all this whirling around of Strings and Percussion.
Superb recording, and a fine performance.

[M forever]

Bruckner Symphony No. 5 performed by Harnoncourt/VPO. This is a real nice contrast to all the less-than-excellent sounding versions I have of this symphony. It doesn't really reach up to my favourites (Jochum/RCO (Tahra), Furtwangler/BPO war-time and Karajan/BPO), but I hear some more interesting details in this well-engineered performance.

You should also check out the rehearsal excerpts. It is highly interesting what NH has to say there, and also a little bit funny how he talks to the orchestra, for instance when he says (but in a nice way), "I don't really know what Bruckner meant here, and neither do you". I don't remember if a translation is included in the booklet but even if you don't understand what he says, it is very apparent how intelligenly and detailed he rehearses the orchestra, for instance, how he works on articulation and phrasing and how he balances those complex brass chorales.

Pretty amazing how different the orchestra sounds here from their "lushly romantic" reading with Abbado made a few years before.

[M forever]

http://download.yousendit.com/3D98BCDB5149FB2D

http://download.yousendit.com/E849647C27ECC8B0
Thanks for Dalaras.

You are welcome. I am a pretty big Dalaras fan and have a number of his albums. That is a habit I picked up from a Greek girlfriend I had for 5 years.

What are these two clips?

[Harry]

Organ Landscape.

Holstein-Lubeck.

Organs from, Lubeck, St. Jacobi; Tellingstedt/Probsteierhagen/Barmstedt/Neukirchen/Neuendorf.

Works from; Andreas Kneller (1649-1724) Buxtehude/Petrus Heydorn (1660-1720); Christain Flor, (1626-1697); Jakob Kortkamp, (1615-1665); Johann Steffens (1560-1616); Nicolaus Hasse, (1617-1672); Petrus Hasse, (1585-1640).

Wolfgang Baumgratz, Organ.

This deserves the highest praise, first for the sheer beauty of the recording, secondly for the interesting lineup of unknown composers, and thirdly because of the quality of the compositions. All the Organs sound gorgeous under the hands of Baumgratz.
If you love Organ music from this period, you should not miss this one.

[Florestan]

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Symphonic Suite "Antar" (Symphony no. 2) op. 9

USSR Symphony Orchestra
Evgeny Svetlanov

[rubio]

You should also check out the rehearsal excerpts. It is highly interesting what NH has to say there, and also a little bit funny how he talks to the orchestra, for instance when he says (but in a nice way), "I don't really know what Bruckner meant here, and neither do you". I don't remember if a translation is included in the booklet but even if you don't understand what he says, it is very apparent how intelligenly and detailed he rehearses the orchestra, for instance, how he works on articulation and phrasing and how he balances those complex brass chorales.

Pretty amazing how different the orchestra sounds here from their "lushly romantic" reading with Abbado made a few years before.

Yes, I will check out CD 2 tomorrow, but no translation is included. It will be interesting anyway. How does Harnoncourt fare with the other Bruckner symphonies?

I kept to Symphony no. 5, but now Sinopoli/SD. This interpretation has not totally clicked with me yet, but this time I really started enjoying it. Could have to do with the beer I consumed while listening  . The playing of SD is really beautifully nuanced, and the reading is transparent thus interesting.

[Todd]

After Hamelin's superb Haydn set, I wanted some more, and so decided to try Fazil Say, a pianist I'd not yet heard, though I'd read about him.  Sure enough, he's a heavy-handed interventionist sort, but in this disc his playing works well.  He brings insouciance and vitality and sparkle to the playing, and if perhaps some of his accents and phrasing are a bit much, it all clicks.  Hamelin's set is better yet, but I'll take two good Haydn sets in the span of a few months anytime.  Superb sound too.

[Drasko]

What are these two clips?

Two old Serbian folk songs sung a capella by two brothers, cousins of mine, Teofilovici.

[M forever]

Yes, I will check out CD 2 tomorrow, but no translation is included. It will be interesting anyway. How does Harnoncourt fare with the other Bruckner symphonies?

I only listened to the 7th once and wasn't so impressed by that one listening, though, but again, I only listenend to it once. The 8th is highly interesting and will surprise some because there are some fairly slow tempi there. The 9th is amazing, just like the 5th. I haven't listened to the 3rd and 4th in a long time, I think I should put these on again some time soon.

I kept to Symphony no. 5, but now Sinopoli/SD. This interpretation has not totally clicked with me yet, but this time I really started enjoying it. Could have to do with the beer I consumed while listening  . The playing of SD is really beautifully nuanced, and the reading is transparent thus interesting.

Funny you mention that whileyou ask about listening guides in the other thread. The Gramophone review pointed out that this reading is so detailed and so well played and recorded, it is almost like a "study" recording of the piece. This is great listening with a score in hand because you can follow every detail.