What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

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I share your love of the Pettersson Violin Concerto. A pity you can't connect with the Harris. I wonder why. I did listen to Koechlin's 'Vers la Voûte étoilée' tonight. It's beautiful music, rather ethereal and wispy, to these ears. I wonder if you don't like too much solidity in the orchestral sound? Perhaps that might be a reason - you don't like heaviness? Just guessing...

Hmmm....that could be, Johan. I'm trying to figure this out as well. I don't really know about heaviness, but rather making a connection with the music in general. I like all kinds of "heavy" music like Bruckner, Honegger, Bartok, etc., so I don't think the orchestral sound has ever been the issue, but rather the material that's being presented.

By the way, I'm glad you enjoyed Koechlin's Vers la Voûte étoilée. The last four or five minutes of this are truly stunning in their aural assault.

[Coopmv]

Oh don't forget Bogey!   You guys should set up an early music corner.

Wasn't there one at some point?   

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Listening to From The Middle Ages. An incredibly beautiful work. I remember there was somebody on another forum who loved to bash Glazunov's music, but in all honesty I don't hear anything wrong here just a person bearing his heart on paper.

[Coopmv]

Coop, would be interested in your opinion on Howard Shelley. The jury is still out with me but it's about 6-4 against. 

So far, I am 5-5, neutral to somewhat favorable but I am not done with the set yet. 

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Fantastic.

[Coopmv]

Now playing the following CD, which arrived from Presto Classical last week for a first listen ...

[Mn Dave]

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[DavidW]

Wasn't there one at some point?   

You know I think you're right... I think I just saw it resurrected today.  I didn't know about it before.

[Coopmv]

You know I think you're right... I think I just saw it resurrected today.  I didn't know about it before.

While Baroque has been my favorite period of classical music for decades, in recent years I have pushed backward to early music and forward to late 19th and early 20th and now I even have a few Mahler Symphonies cycles ...

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Listening to Elgar's Cello Concerto. A remarkable work.

[Mn Dave]

Brahms 4/first movement
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[DavidW]

While Baroque has been my favorite period of classical music for decades, in recent years I have pushed backward to early music and forward to late 19th and early 20th and now I even have a few Mahler Symphonies cycles ...

Haha be careful with Mahler a few turns into a hundred, and then you end up having conversations about esoteric Havergal Brian symphonies with Sarge...

That's cool that you're expanding.   I'm expanding but not chronologically... I'm expanding into opera.

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Listening to Symphony No. 2. An invigorating work full of angst and terror.

[Coopmv]

Haha be careful with Mahler a few turns into a hundred, and then you end up having conversations about esoteric Havergal Brian symphonies with Sarge...

That's cool that you're expanding.   I'm expanding but not chronologically... I'm expanding into opera.

I have all the major operas on LP only except Wagner's and Handel's, which are generously represented in both media since they are my favorite opera composers ...

[Coopmv]

Haha be careful with Mahler a few turns into a hundred, and then you end up having conversations about esoteric Havergal Brian symphonies with Sarge...

This has a slimmer chance of happening than having Sara Palin winning the next presidential election ...   

[Sid]

Sid, you've had this in your listening so often, at last I went to hear the samples.  Nice!  I'm not at all dissatisfied with the Boston Baroque recording of the Vespro della Beata Vergine, mind you . . . still, this one promises to be so lovely, and I like the sound of the boy trebles, and the price is right . . . thanks for beating the drum for this one!

Yeah, Hennig's is a very engaging account of Monteverdi's sacred masterpiece, so too is the only other one I've heard by Alessandrini with his Concerto Italiano group. As I said, I'm not as experted in the Renaissance realm such as people like yourself, so I got the Hennig recording with the combined UK & German musicians on the Alto label because I wanted own the Monteverdi as well as dip my feet into the water with other great works of the age - by Allegri, Schutz and Palestrina. I borrowed the Alessandrini recording from the library for contrast, and it's also excellent. I'm not always interested in listening to multiple interpretations of the same work, but like Handel's Messiah (which comes in 6 or 7 versions the last time I checked), Monteverdi's Vespers can be interpreted in a number of ways. It's nothing if not flexible. Monteverdi was a very flexible man, and he was also very emotional, judging from his music.

@ Sergeant Rock - I love Hilary Hahn's account of the Schoenberg violin concerto, she and her associates on that recording were the ones that made me hear the real colour and drama of Schoenberg's music for the first time. I also like his opera Moses und Aron, although I'm not a huge fan of opera generally...

@ lethe - I agree with you about the chamber group mobius who've done some interesting things on Naxos. I haven't heard that Bax disc, which sounds excellent, but I have got their disc of Villa-Lobos chamber works, which is also a gem. Their playing is very colourful and focused. BTW I also agree with you 110 per cent regarding York Bowen - he was a great composer, even more highly regarded than his contemporary Bax in his time. I've only listened to Bowen's viola concerto (I borrowed it from the library) & it came across to me to be very accomplished, emotional and imaginative. I'll have to borrow it again, and the library also have some of his chamber works, which is another favourite genre of mine.

@ conor - I love Bruckner's string quintet. I saw a performance of it with members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra in the '90's (along with Brahms' sextet #1) and this was a very fond memory. They played it to perfection. I also heard a radio broadcast last year of it, with Australian composer and violist Brett Dean joining the Australian String Quartet. In an interview before the concert, he talked about his great admiration for this masterpiece. The slow movement has this "grand arch" just like those in the symphonies. Bruckner rarely referred to Beethoven's scores, but he did consult the late string quartets in great detail when he was composing his quintet. I basically think that Bruckner's quintet is one of the chamber masterpieces of the 19th century, along with works by Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Franck, Tchaikovsky, and others. I used to own it but I don't now. I might get that Naxos disc you have, especially since I have never heard his only string quartet, the coupling on the disc. I'll have to get these at some stage, or borrow them from the library if they have it...

[haydnguy]

My newly acquired:

[Lethevich]

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Listening to A Summer Tale. Haven't listened to any Suk in quite some time. Great stuff.

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EXCELLENT!!!

Sarah, what are your thoughts on this recording? I think it's fantastic, but my opinion may be a little biased. Anyway, I think both La course de printemps and Le buisson ardent were exquisitely performed and Holliger knows this music really well.