What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Johann Christian Bach.

Sinfonia Concertanti, volume IV.

Budapest Strings.

Its a on and off story sometimes its good, sometimes just to smooth.

[karlhenning]

First listen (this recording):

Mahler
Symphony № 6
Berliner Philharmoniker
Abbado
Recorded vi.2004

[Brahmsian]

First listen (this recording):

Mahler
Symphony № 6
Berliner Philharmoniker
Abbado
Recorded vi.2004

How is it Karl?  Andante moderato as 2nd or 3rd movement?  Final movement - 2 or 3 hammer blows?    

[karlhenning]

ii. Andante moderato

Haven't counted the blows, yet, Ray!

Sounds lovely to mine ears . . . .

[DavidRoss]

First listen (this recording):

Mahler
Symphony № 6
Berliner Philharmoniker
Abbado
Recorded vi.2004

One of the best in that cycle.  I may give it a go myself a bit later (too early in the morning for Mahler's 6th, for me). ;^)

This is more my speed at present: Hilary Hahn performing RVW's The Lark Ascending.

[mc ukrneal]

Bartok's SQs, Takacs: bookmarked. 

I found, with Bartok, that the hard part is finding a way in. Once in though, his whole world opened up for me (especially the quartets, which are quite special works). All I can add is that I had that proverbial door slammed on my foot more times than I can remember, so keep looking for the way in!

[bhodges]

Last night, on a friend's fantastic system:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (Boulez/Vienna, DVD) - First time watching this (I've heard the audio-only), taped in the Abbey of St. Florian. Liked it even better than the CD - if nothing else for the opportunity to observe Boulez in action.

[asin]B0007XHKRQ[/asin]

Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Artur Rubinstein / Reiner / Chicago SO)
Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain (Artur Rubinstein / Jorda / San Francisco SO)

I don't recall ever hearing this recording before - if I did it was 30+ years ago - and it's terrific. The Rachmaninoff is predictably dazzling; the Falla was the big surprise. And the even bigger surprise was the sound quality; I could hardly believe how good the Rach sounded, from 1956.

[asin]B000003GAY[/asin]

--Bruce

[Keemun]

Good morning.  Rainy day listening to these works for the first time.

[asin]B000031WHH[/asin]

[Lethevich]

@toñito: what in particular didn't you like about the Emerson's Schubert quartets? (I like the late works so much now that I am pretty much considering every major recording )

In the quintet I found everthing technically right, but a little bit lacking in tactility. I do however quite like the Juilliard in the quartets, so steeliness shouldn't be a problem to me, hmm...

[kishnevi]

I found, with Bartok, that the hard part is finding a way in. Once in though, his whole world opened up for me (especially the quartets, which are quite special works). All I can add is that I had that proverbial door slammed on my foot more times than I can remember, so keep looking for the way in!

Apropos, I am just now listening to the last movement of the Emerson cycle.  My only previous recording is the Nowak Quartet (on a Philips Duo), and I'm realizing the Emerson performance doesn't reach me the way the Nowak did. I particularly disliked Quartet 4. Glad I only paid $5.99 for the Emerson recording.  The Belcea recording is on its way to me now;  we'll see how they come out.

As I write, Quartet 6 ends, and it's replaced by  Schubert: Symphonies 1 and 4, Harnoncourt/ Concertgebouw--like the Emerson Bartok, a first listen as well.

[The new erato]

Apropos, I am just now listening to the last movement of the Emerson cycle.  My only previous recording is the Nowak Quartet (on a Philips Duo), and I'm realizing the Emerson performance doesn't reach me the way the Nowak did. I particularly disliked Quartet 4. Glad I only paid $5.99 for the Emerson recording.  The Belcea recording is on its way to me now;  we'll see how they come out.

As I write, Quartet 6 ends, and it's replaced by  Schubert: Symphonies 1 and 4, Harnoncourt/ Concertgebouw--like the Emerson Bartok, a first listen as well.

I never connected with the Emerson Bartok as well. So I've never collected them extensively; however their Prokofiev disv and the Grieg/sibelius referred to earlier seem quite good to me.

[Rinaldo]

Stopped by a record shop today and this caught my eye in the bargain bin:

[asin]B001B56KT8[/asin]
8€? I'd be mad to leave it there. Listening to Müllerin right now.

[DavidRoss]

Now it's time for:

[asin]B00092ZAM2[/asin]

[listener]

MOSSOLOV  Piano Music
Sonata no. 4 op.11      Sonata no.5 op.12
Turkmenian Nights
Daniele Lombardi, piano
GILBERT & SULLIVAN     The Mikado
Welsh National Opera     Charles Mackerras, cond.
Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Donald Adams, Felicity Palmer   among the soloists
no dialogue

[Brahmsian]

Dvorak

The Wild Dove, Op.110
Symphony No. 1 in C minor 'The Bells of Zlonice'

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Libor Pesek

Virgin Classics

[Todd]

On a second run through of Tennstedt's Mahler cycle.  On the Fifth now.  Darned good cycle.

[Brahmsian]

On a second run through of Tennstedt's Mahler cycle.  On the Fifth now.  Darned good cycle.

Can't tell you how much I love this set, Todd.  I truly believe it has the best 6th in the business.   

[PaulR]

Schumann:  Piano Concerto in A Minorfirst listen to the piece, surprisingly

[Brahmsian]

Schumann:  Piano Concerto in A Minorfirst listen to the piece, surprisingly

One of my favorite PCs.  2nd only to Brahms' 1st.

[Antoine Marchand]

@toñito: what in particular didn't you like about the Emerson's Schubert quartets? (I like the late works so much now that I am pretty much considering every major recording )

In the quintet I found everthing technically right, but a little bit lacking in tactility. I do however quite like the Juilliard in the quartets, so steeliness shouldn't be a problem to me, hmm...

Hi, Sara. IMO the late quartets by the ESQ are forgettable, not remarkable under any special concept. Their interpretations are deprived of intensity and lyricism (which is a big fault for me). Anyway, from an interpretative point of view the quintet is quite a different world, recommendable as interpretation and even recorded in better sound. Sonically, this set (especially the string quartets) is "adorned" with typical digital sound from the 80s (*), with poor dynamic range and uncomfortable trebles. As you can see, not my cup of tea.

(*) Dates includes recordings even from the middle of the 90s.