What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Harry]

Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov.
Fantasy on Russian Themes, opus 33.

Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev.
Suite de Concert, opus 28.

Lydia Mordkovitch, Violin.
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi.

Everything about this disc, is perfect, sound, performance of both orchestra and Violinist, but best of all is RK's opus 33. It is played with the utmost concentration, that almost stopped my breath, bearably a sound was heard at times, PPPP, but what came out was utterly awesome. The opus 28 by Taneyev has a dreamlike character that sets your firmly in the contemplative mood. A musical feast, no less!

[Père Malfait]

Why would a soi-disant HIP practioner listen to this version of Bach's St. John Passion? Because I find here a sweep and grandeur I miss in HIP performances. Herreweghe I comes closest, but still misses out on the full dramatic impact of the Passion story, imo. And no HIP performance comes anywhere within light years of the quality of soloists on the Forster recording. Grümmer, Ludwig, Wunderlich, Fischy-Diesky et al. - what glorious vocalism!  Many, if not most, of my HIP friends think I'm nuckin' futz to listen to this, but it does the trick for me. YM, of course, MV. 

[DavidRoss]

Following yesterday's hearing of the New Helsinki SQ's Voces Intimae, today we're returning to the Emerson SQ's more overtly emotional, romaticized take on it, preceded by Nielsen's only mature quartet also:

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Giving the Delius VC another try. I think that expecting a violin concerto is what made this a problem first time around (along with listening to it alongside other more "normal" works). Concerto implies certain things to me, and one is a defined structure and contrast. But by the same token, it is not a suite, it's too through-composed, and the violin part is by no means minor. It reminds me of those Romantic-era concert rhapsodies for piano and orchestra, except with a more pastoral edge. It sounds very filmic during the climaxes, but there is also a modern edge to it in some moments where the obsession with the beauty of the violin part reaches heavenly levels - at these moments all effort to create a typical orchestra/soloist dynamic dies, and the composer becomes immersed in creating the most beautiful sounding tones possible. It's an aesthetic a bit like Scelsi or Sciarrino although sounds nothing like their music. It's not merely a consequence from being attractive music, as in other concertos even during beautiful moments tend not to "forget" themselves as this one seems to - it's more of a fragmentary dialogue. Weirdness such as this is not somthing I tend to expect from Delius, but I suppose there can be anything in any piece, hidden a little under the surface...

Interesting observations, Sarah. Yes, Delius isn't writing a concerto here, if concerto implies a struggle between soloist and orchestra. The orchestra functions more like an amplifier of the very poetic violin. The VC, imo, is an extended, tri-partite fantasia, but - a very strict one (everything evolves from the opening bars).

[karlhenning]

Scelsi
Elohim (twice . . . it's a brief 'un)
Anagamin
Klangforum Wien
Hans Zender

Giacinto Scelsi – Natura renovatur [popular title, wot?] Klangforum Wien Hans Zender

[karlhenning]

I think this must have a longer running time than the California EAR Unit recording I heard (oh, long ago).

Andriessen
Hoketus
Bang on a Can

Louis Andriessen – Gigantic Dancing Human Machine

[Peregrine]

Op.10:

[Conor71]

Bizet: Carmen



I really like this - great performance & recording! .

[DavidRoss]

I really like this - great performance & recording!

Yes!   

Thread duty: Yes, again!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Yes!  

Thread duty: Yes, again!

I listened to that same recording for the first (!) time only last week. It's one of the best readings of the Elgar Second - a work that is very dear to me - I have ever heard.

[PaulR]

Symphony #4

[Coopmv]

Now playing this CD, which arrived from MDT a few days ago ...

[Antoine Marchand]

Felix Mendelssohn – Complete Works for Solo Piano
Marie-Catherine Girod (piano)
Saphir Productions
8-CD set

A lot of neglected and beautiful piano music, ranging from delicate tenderness to demanding virtuosism; exceptionally well-played by M-C Girod. Strongly recommended!





CD5: Caprices and Fantasias

Scherzo a capriccio in F sharp minor
Capriccio, Op. 5
Rondo capriccioso, Op. 14
Fantasia in E on "The Last Rose of Summer", Op. 15
3 Fantasias or Caprices, Op. 16
2 Pieces
Album Page, Op. 117
Capriccio in E, Op. 118
Perpetuum mobile, Op. 119
3 Caprices, Op. 33

Total = 73'53''

Recording: March 3, 4 & 5 2008 at l'Église Protestante Bon-Secours, Paris.


"For the violinist-violist that Mendelssohn was in addition, the caprice is, in the final analysis, inseparable from the notion of virtuosity imposed by the Italian Paganini in his Caprices" (from the booklet: "Felix Mendelssohn 'supreme master of the piano'" by Brigitte François-Sapey).

[listener]

bought this afternoon at my downtown b&m
Alexader ALYABIEV 1787 - 1851  Symphony no.3 in e-minor for four horns and orchestra  (1 movement)
Variations on the Ukranian theme Ehal kazak za Dunai (The Cossack on the Danube)  (aka Schöne Minka) for violin and orchestra
Overtures:  Three Tens, or the New Two-Day Adventure; Young Mother and the 48-years Old Fiancé, or They House Party; The Apostate, or the Siege of Corinth; Morning and Evening, or the Wind Has Changed;
Ballet Suite: The Magic Drum        Symphonic Picture: The Tempest

Musica Viva Orchestra, Moscow plays these late 18th-early 19th century works with charm and lightness in a nicely-recorded disc.  Sound stage is wide, but I didn't get the feeling of an excessive number of microphones.   Good biographical note, you have to look for mention of individual works but they really don't need explaining.

[Coopmv]

Now playing another CD that arrived from MDT yesterday ...

[Coopmv]

Yet another version of Brandenburg Concertos from MDT by the Collegium Aureum.  CD1 now ...

[The new erato]

Disc 4, Preludes vol2. I like Scriabin's lyrical ramblings, and they are captured in excellent sound here . A nice set to have in order to capture all of Scriabins assorted works. BTW; I got mine for 12 Euros fra abeille, I see amazon.co.uk expects 49£ for it....

[Que]

The wonderful Van Nevel Box set "The Secret Labyrinth" has guided me further into the secrets of Early Music. I've progressed my way back to music of the Paris School, or Notre Dame School. As with their Dufay album(s) Grueber and his ensemble deliver sterling perfromances.

Good morning!

Q

[Que]

A new acquisition - only one CD by Enrico Baiano left to find.



17th century Italian harpsichord music by Giovanni Salvatore, Gregorio Strozzi and Gaetano Greco, played on a period harpsicord by an anonymous maker from the collection of the Villa Medici Giulini in Briosco, Italy.

Q

[val]

J. S. BACH:      Two and Three Part Inventions          / Glenn Gould  (1964)

To me, this is one of Gould's best performances. The perfection of the articulation doesn't exclude some moments of deep emotion - the Three Part Invention in F minor - and even a beautiful cantabile not very usual in Gould - the Three Part Invention in G minor.
However, the sound is not very good and the "singing" of the pianist is a bit irritating.