What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[karlhenning]

Sturdy favourites Saturday:

(* chortle! *)

[Harry]

The first Symphony from this box. Already in my player for the second time this month, and I try to come to terms with this rather bombastic overblown extravaganza ala Bruckner. That is not to say that the work in itself has no quality, far from it. But the mass of notes rather obscure anything what Langgaard has to say. The guy has no rest, as a massive block of concrete he slams his way into the world, as if he wants to say, hear how much noise I can make, more as anybody else. The work has its fine moments, but the drive is rather relentless, the brass keeps bragging in, and muddling the notes in chaos. A comprehensive melody line is hardly found, and if it glimmers somewhere in the score, hope is quickly quenched again by  being overblown into noise.
Well, maybe its my fault at understanding this obdurate composer, and he is a true genius, if only my ears would give way..... Its a fine recording but rather close, and missing dept.

[karlhenning]

The first Symphony from this box. Already in my player for the second time this month, and I try to come to terms with this rather bombastic overblown extravaganza ala Bruckner. That is not to say that the work in itself has no quality, far from it. But the mass of notes rather obscure anything what Langgaard has to say. The guy has no rest, as a massive block of concrete he slams his way into the world, as if he wants to say, hear how much noise I can make, more as anybody else. The work has its fine moments, but the drive is rather relentless, the brass keeps bragging in, and muddling the notes in chaos. A comprehensive melody line is hardly found, and if it glimmers somewhere in the score, hope is quickly quenched again by  being overblown into noise.
Well, maybe its my fault at understanding this obdurate composer, and he is a true genius, if only my ears would give way..... Its a fine recording but rather close, and missing dept.

Harry, have you listened yet to any of the subsequent symphonies?  To use a blunt analogy, if you had only been listening to Beethoven's First Symphony, would you already know the character of all the symphonies he wrote after? : )

[Harry]

Harry, have you listened yet to any of the subsequent symphonies?  To use a blunt analogy, if you had only been listening to Beethoven's First Symphony, would you already know the character of all the symphonies he wrote after? : )

I am merely talking about the first Symphony Karl, that is my starting point. I am not judging about the others, for I have not heard them yet apart from sampling.
I want to understand the starting point, before I can move on, and I wrote what I felt.

[Keemun]

I am merely talking about the first Symphony Karl, that is my starting point. I am not judging about the others, for I have not heard them yet apart from sampling.
I want to understand the starting point, before I can move on, and I wrote what I felt.

I've not heard all of Langgaard's symphonies, but Symphony No. 1 is quite different from the others I've heard, though not necessarily in a bad way.  IMO, he [further] developed his own voice in subsequent symphonies.

Thread duty, and because it is Sturdy Favorites Saturday (Americanized spelling): 

[Opus106]

Seriously, after a couple of times the finale Der Bär becomes a Der bore.

[pi2000]

  Stanislav Bunin-Chopin   from here:

[Harry]

Asger Hamerik.
Complete Symphonies.
Symphony No. 1 & 2.
Helsingborg SO, Danish National SO, Thomas Dausgaard

These are lovely works, well performed and recorded, with a enormous dept, and space around the instruments.
Hamerik does not disappoint.

[Antoine Marchand]

This performance of the fantastic "Allegro molto" from Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major is not the same of the Channel disc in the image, but you get a rather exact idea about Wispelwey:   

http://www.youtube.com/v/DkvlROnS5w4

[mc ukrneal]

Very entertaining disc of harder to find Saint-Saens pieces (very well played):

[DavidRoss]

This performance of the fantastic "Allegro molto" from Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major is not the same of the Channel disc in the image, but you get a rather exact idea about Wispelwey:   

Terrific!  Thanks for posting.  I happen to be on a period instrument Haydn binge, so it took no more than a minute or two before I placed an order for his recording of this with Florilegium. 

Now playing:


op 64

[Antoine Marchand]

Terrific!  Thanks for posting.

You're welcome, David. I'm sure you will enjoy that disc.

[springrite]

I like the early-middle Langgaard symphonies the best. Oh, and Music of the Spheres is his best work, IMO.

Now listening: Schubert Piano Sonata D894 (Sokolov)

[Harry]

And after the echo's of Symphonies die down slowly but surely, my ears are treated to a gem that I bought from the BUY ME list of Hyperion. Its truly a wonderful assembly of Purcell songs, that will echo in my mind for the rest of the evening. Good sound and excellent performances.

All info and sound samples here. Please try, give yourself a treat.

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA66750&f=cda66750

[Opus106]

And after the echo's of Symphonies die down slowly but surely, my ears are treated to a gem that I bought from the BUY ME list of Hyperion. Its truly a wonderful assembly of Purcell songs, that will echo in my mind for the rest of the evening. Good sound and excellent performances.

All info and sound samples here. Please try, give yourself a treat.

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA66750&f=cda66750

Are these completely instrumental, Harry? To be clear: is there a singer involved?

[Scarpia]

The horror! Make it stop!   

[Harry]

Are these completely instrumental, Harry? To be clear: is there a singer involved?

Singers in fact, yes, but really beautifully done.

[Opus106]

Singers in fact, yes, but really beautifully done.

Thanks, Harry.

[SonicMan46]

Couple of recent arrivals and some time this weekend to listen:

Stenhammar, Wilhelm (1871-1927) - Piano Concertos w/ Seta Tanyel, Andrew Manze, & Helsingborg SO - another 'first' exposure for me; a Swedish composer well regarded in his day around the turn of the last century!

Titz, Anton Ferdinand (1742-1810) - String Quartets, V. 2 w/ Hoffmeister Quartet - another 'unknown' to me; German born, early stay in Vienna, then in 1771 off to imperial Russia!  I'm really enjoying these works - apparently he wrote (or at least had published) 12 SQs - need to explore more of his works as he is from one of my favorite musical time periods - 


 

[Que]

Anyone that could fill me in on details about the fortepiano used?

Q