What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Philoctetes]

I'm actually quite fond of that version. Much warmer than one might expect of Solti.

I really enjoyed it. I'll be giving it another listen tomorrow. Although, I have nothing to compare it to, as this is my first time going through this composition of Dvorak's.

[jlaurson]

G.F. Handel (1685 – 1759),
12 Concerti Grossi op.6
Linn SACD (3 discs)

[Philoctetes]

What'd you think, Philo?

It wasn't bad (I think I'm just used to more 'powerful' forces), but the rest of the works on the disc were pretty fantastic, especially the Alto Rhapsody. I also enjoyed the interview with Gardiner in the liner notes, that guy really knows his stuff. I'll be giving this a relisten tomorrow though.

[Brahmsian]

Schubert

Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D759 "Unfinished Yet Perfect"

Wiener Philharmoniker
Istvan Kertesz
Decca



**Almost done going through this set for the first time, and am really, really enjoying the performances so far.  Especially the 4th, which I've had to take a break from the other symphonies as I had to listen to it on repeat.  I cannot stop humming the Andante of the 4th.   

The tempos I find a bit on the brisk side, compared to Abbado, but nothing drastic.  I am finding the famous intro to the 8th actually a little tad too slow for my liking, but I'm sure I'll get accustomed to it.

Oh....and I really like the liner notes to this set, written by Geoffrey Crankshaw.  They are witty, and you can tell that he REALLY likes Schubert's symphonies. 

[SonicMan46]

Villa-Lobos, H. - Piano Trios w/ the Damocles Trio - excellent review in a recent Fanfare issue - see attachment, if interested! 

[CD]

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD2 from this set for a first listen ...

[listener]

Alexander MOYZES
Gemur Dances, op. 51      Down the River Vah, op. 26     Pohronie Dances (Dances from Hron) op. 43
CSR (Bratislava) S.O.     Ondrej Lenard, cond.
Very Hungarian, not German,  cimbalom quite prominent.[asin]B000024OOZ[/asin]

[jlaurson]

Late, but here it is anyway: the Best Recordings of 2010 "Almost List". Stupendous rejects, if you will.

Ionarts:
Best Recordings of 2010 - "Almost List"
http://bit.ly/h4PQyh

From Bach to Titz, from Norrington to Rousset.

Thread duty:


L.v. Beethoven (1770 – 1827),
String Quartets
Vermeer Quartet
Warner (9 discs)

[Bogey]

A.M. and afternoons at work for the past two days have been reserved for the first four discs of this set.

[Brahmsian]

A.M. and afternoons at work for the past two days have been reserved for the first four discs of this set.

Nice, Bill.  I have the Rubinstein set of Chopin Nocturnes, Ballades and Scherzos.

[Brahmsian]

Schubert

Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944 "Great"

Wiener Philharmoniker
Istvan Kertesz
Decca



Terrific performance!

[Sid]

Thomas Ades
Asyla (for orchestra)
Concerto Conciso (piano & chamber ensemble)
These Premises Are Alarmed (orchestra)
Chamber Symphony for 15 players
...but all shall be well (orchestra)

Thomas Ades, piano & direction
City of Birmingham SO & Contemporary Music Group
Simon Rattle, conductor

I can hear a lot of influences and similarities with other composers in this music. From the opulence & big emotions of Mahler, R. Strauss or Zemlinsky, the shadowy night-time world of Dutilleux, the rhythms of techno, to the randomness and chaos of John Cage. However cohesive this heady brew of various styles may or may not be, it is quite enjoyable on many levels. I particularly like ...but all shall be well, a very accomplished orchestral work that has a bit of the tintintabulation (bell sounds) of Arvo Part & even a reference to a piece by Liszt in the closing bars (I can hear a similarity to something, maybe the Consolations, but I'm not sure - the notes do mention Liszt, though). I'm not really sure if it matters if Ades has a single "style" or not, because these pieces come across to me as quite engaging. Another good thing is that you get to hear him as a piano soloist in the short and aptly named Concerto Conciso & boy, can he play!...

[asin]B000UYWG9O[/asin]

[Bogey]

Nice, Bill.  I have the Rubinstein set of Chopin Nocturnes, Ballades and Scherzos.

I am on a Chopin run, Ray, and so far enjoying every second of it.

[Mirror Image]

Schubert

Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944 "Great"

Wiener Philharmoniker
Istvan Kertesz
Decca



Terrific performance!

Of the Schubert sets I own right now, Kertesz's is the finest I've heard. I recently bought Harnoncourt's, so the jury is still out of his performances, but that's such a great set.

[Mirror Image]

Bloch, Hindemith, and Szymanowski. Now that's quite a mixture. I love all three of these composers.

[Mirror Image]

Dear O. dear, I would love to spend my listening hours with her, so much to take hold of.

And she's Canadian. Makes it even more irresistible.

[CD]

Bloch, Hindemith, and Szymanowski. Now that's quite a mixture. I love all three of these composers.

Also have discs of Schreker and Zemlinsky queued up. Excited to hear these!

[Dancing Divertimentian]

  Fellow Sibelians,   I need to hear more of the tone poems so I just ordered these:

Where else do I need to go?

This is a pretty nice set of some of the more obscure tone poems:




[asin]B0000CGP1U[/asin]



Vänskä's disc of tone poems is great, too. And you'll probably want the orchestrated songs, Luonnotar especially. Both Isokoski and Mattila have recorded fine discs.

[The new erato]

PIZZETTI La Pisanella, Concerto dell'estate RESPIGHI Trittico Botticelliano ROTA Concerto for strings. Argo Chamber Orchestra, I Musici, L`Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Lamberto Gardelli, Laszlo Heltay. Eloquence

The Pizzetti works are really fine, neoclassical scores. Anybody liking Respighi's similar stuff should hear these.