What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[AndyD.]

Berg Violin Concerto (Nicolas Koeckert; Jena Philharmonic Orchestra)

[Harry]

Johann Nepomuk Hummel.

Complete String Quartets, in C major/G major/E flat major.

The Delme Quartet.
Recorded in 1991.

This must be a another success in the discography of Hyperion. The Delme Quartet play these fabulous SQ by Hummel in such a fine way that they ascend almost into heavenly spheres. Its a pity that Hummel wrote only three SQ, for he clearly has a good hand at it, and I would rate them almost as high as Mozart's or early Beethoven. Forgotten masterworks, maybe not as innovative as Beethoven, but it has certainly the same quality in the scoring. The recording is exemplary.

[Harry]

Francis Poulenc.
Sinfonietta.
Aubade.

Reynaldo Hahn.
Le Bal de Beatrice d'Este.

The New London Orchestra, Ronald Corp.
Recorded in 1989 by Tony Faulkner.

Till now I am very happy about the 17 Helios recordings I bought, and this one is no exception. I am thoroughly pleased with this one, first because of the beautiful music, and secondly because this performance is one of the best I ever heard. It is such a delight to listen to this perfectly balanced recording by Faulkner, that I played it several times in a row.

[Harry]

Edward Elgar.

Violin Sonata in E minor.
Piano Quintet in A minor.
The Nash Ensemble.
Recorded in 1992 by Anthony Howell

If you ever doubted the genius of Edward Elgar, than these works will certainly convince you otherwise. The rendering of both works is so expertly done, that it took my breath away several times during listening. The first movement of the Piano quintet keeps haunting me, as indeed the whole work, ghostlike murmurings, but what ephemeral beauty shines through, and what a fine work, so unlike Elgar and yet showing what a fine composer he was. The breeziness of the Violin sonata is something that lingers on your mind,  because of the ease and easy grace that surrounds every note. The recording is topnotch as is the performance. What a refinement and elegance in their playing.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 2 "Ascendcao" and its quite good. I need to spend more time with Villa-Lobos' symphonies. I've heard them all, but, still, I need to re-listen to them.

[Harry]

The Harp of Luduvico.
Fantasias, arias and toccatas by Frescobaldi and his predecessors.

Andrew Lawrence King, Baroque Harps.
Recorded in 1991 by John Hadden

This is quite a stunning recording. Treat yourself to it, even if it means pawning  something you can live without. (Gramophone) I agree with that, this disc gives much pleasure and is stunningly recorded.

[karlhenning]

Edward Elgar.

Violin Sonata in E minor.
Piano Quintet in A minor.
The Nash Ensemble.
Recorded in 1992 by Anthony Howell

If you ever doubted the genius of Edward Elgar, than these works will certainly convince you otherwise. The rendering of both works is so expertly done, that it took my breath away several times during listening. The first movement of the Piano quintet keeps haunting me, as indeed the whole work, ghostlike murmurings, but what ephemeral beauty shines through, and what a fine work, so unlike Elgar and yet showing what a fine composer he was. The breeziness of the Violin sonata is something that lingers on your mind,  because of the ease and easy grace that surrounds every note. The recording is topnotch as is the performance. What a refinement and elegance in their playing.

The Violin Sonata especially is a marvelous piece.

[The new erato]

Good stuff. Fans of Brahms Quintets and Sextets need these.

[Mirror Image]

Now listening to Symphony No. 3 A Guerra and I really like this symphony a lot. I think anybody who enjoys Villa-Lobos should own this set. It is essential listening.

[Keemun]

In honor of Maiden Listen Monday, a work that was included in the Muti set of Tchaikovsky symphonies:

Tchaikovsky
Francesca Da Rimini, Fantasy after Dante
Muti
Philadelphia Orchestra

[Lethevich]

Always nice to hear the 2 piano version of this. Some pieces sound better (Bk 1 No.1 in particular, the orchestra clunks and grinds in what is essentially a very pianistic theme), and some greatly benefit from orchestration (Bk 1 No.7).

[Mirror Image]

Listening to Dance Suite right now. This 2-CD set has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. As I've explained before, Bartok was the first classical composer I got into and has remained one of my all-time favorites ever since.

I own pretty much every available orchestral recording of Bartok EXCEPT for those overpriced Hungarton recordings, which I don't forsee me buying until they come way down in price. Until then, I will happily enjoy all of Solti's, Boulez's, and Fischer's recordings.

[listener]

GERNSHEIM   Symphonies 1 & 2    bought on the recommendation of several other members.
Very nice, themes that won't go away so I'll stop for a break after disc 1, looking forward to disc 2.
HAHN Music for 2 Pianos  vol.1
3 Preludes on Irish Airs, Pièce en forme d'aria et bergerie, 7 Berceuses, Caprice mélancolique, Pour bercer un convalescent, Le Ruban dénoué (12 Waltzes)
Huseyin Sermet, Kun Woo Paik,   pianists.
Very pleasant, I'll look for disc 2.   There's some ballet music and a song collection somewhere, this is the first piano music of Hahn I've encountered.  And the notes are the first to mention his affair with Proust.
and then
CARPENTER  Skyscrapers        PAINE Oedipus Tyrannus - Prelude
MacDOWELL Lamia - Symphonic Suite      FOOTE   Suite in E for strings
Dudley BUCK   Festival Overture on The Star-Spangled Banner
London Symphony Orch.       Kenneth Klein, cond.

[Coopmv]

I rather enjoy Barenboim's WTC as well, though I must say that it's not the first set I turn too if I want to listen to the work.

Keeping with the Barenboim idea, I'm spinning his recording of Mendelssohn's Lieder Ohne Worte.  Some good stuff, well played, and well recorded.  Barenboim seems such a good fit for Mendelssohn, I wonder why there don't appear to be any recordings of the symphonies.  (Maybe I've missed them.) 

This is not a bad recording, though I am not sure if it is top of the heap.  I do have the recording ...

[Conor71]

Hi Conor - just picked up that Wispelwey set myself and do enjoy - now have about 4 recordings of these works; for a 'change of pace' the pic added above may interest some, i.e. w/ the shoulder cello - 

Nice one Sonicman, I will be interested to read your impressions of the set played on shoulder-cello as I have heard this was the instrument Bach had in mind when he wrote the suites? .

Now playing:

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Christiane Jacottet (Harpsichord)

[Coopmv]

Nice one Sonicman, I will be interested to read your impressions of the set played on shoulder-cello as I have heard this was the instrument Bach had in mind when he wrote the suites? .

Now playing:

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Christiane Jacottet (Harpsichord)

Can you post the CD cover for Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Christiane Jacottet (Harpsichord)?

Thanks.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 2 right now. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Kitajenko's Prokofiev set.

[Conor71]

Can you post the CD cover for Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Christiane Jacottet (Harpsichord)?

Thanks.

Sure - Covers for my Jacottet WTC Discs:

[Bogey]

Top-shelf.

[Sid]

I discovered Harry Partch after a composer friend of mine mentioned him to me last year. So six months later, I got this recording of his Delusion of the Fury. If you think that something like Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is rhythmically complex, well, that's just child's play compared to this. Partch devised his own musical notation system based on a 43 tone (microtonal) scale and designed and built his own instruments so that the music could be played on them (some of them based on ancient instruments, like the Greek kythera whose sounds hadn't been heard for some 3000 years, but Partch's is different, it has 70 or more strings instead of just eight). Partch was not interested much in the Western musical traditions, he was more into ancient cultures, not only European, but from other parts of the world. Delusion is based on two stories, one Japanese, the other Ethiopian. One critic of the time (we're talking around 1969 when this recording was made) said Partch turned out the most significant dramatic music on the American continent to date. Listening to this, one could hardly disagree. It is superb, but (as Partch said) listening is only part of the experience, this is also a visual work of art...