What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[TheGSMoeller]

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Listening to this on Spotify, Tureck's Goldberg is on the other side of the spectrum of Gould's 1955 recording, such lovely playing.

[Mirror Image]

Now:

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Listening to Bartok's The Wooden Prince. I'm still debating if I like this Boulez performance more or the one he did with the CSO on DG. They're both excellent readings.

Karl and myself bought this set around the same time and we both got a killer deal on it. Karl, you still enjoying your set?

[springrite]

I'd love to be there when M.I. debates himself...


Now listening:

The incredible Ernst Levy performance of Liszt B minor Sonata (MARSTON)

[Mirror Image]

I'd love to be there when M.I. debates himself...

Me too. This is the second time I've used this joke today. Wow, I'm so lame...

[Mirror Image]

Now:

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Without a doubt one of the top performances I own of Daphnis et Chloe and one of my favorite recordings with Dutoit conducting.

[springrite]

Furtwangler Symphony #1

OMG, listening to it for the second time today, and I am beginning to love the work. It certainly got to me now, much much more than the second symphony which I know pretty well.

This time, the 85 minutes did not seem that long...

[listener]

Tadeusz BAIRD:  4 Novellettes    5 Songs for mzo-sop and orch.
Epiphany Music       4 Love sonnets (Shakespeare)       Canzona for Orch.
Mainly severe serial stuff, except the Shakespeare sonnets which are early works, warmly Romantic and tonal.
Polish Radio Symphony Orch.     Wojiech Michniewski cond.   
Adam Kruznewski, bar.  - sounding like a relaxed Fischer-Dieskau.
No texts for the sung sets, I can work out the sonnets from the titles.
KARG ELERT   Piano Music   (cpo  vol. 4)
Exotische Rhapsodie (Jungle Impressions ) op.118      Twilight Impressions
Heidebilder op.127      Nocturnal Rain
Mosaic op.146 - 29 short instructive pieces in the form of a Sonatine in a and Suite in e
Ernst Breidenbach, piano
The op.118 was a surprise.  I'm acquainted with some of his organ works which do not sound like Ives gettng exotic but not American.  He died in 1933, and the op.146 seems to be a comment of the rise of German Nationalism.

[Que]

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Q

[springrite]

Complete Works of Zino Francescatti
Gaetane Prouvost, violin; Noel Lee, piano; Philharmonie de Lorraine

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

I am starting for the second time with this box, which I find extraordinary beautiful, and of which I saw no GMG er taking the same path. Maybe they have the originals? Well, excellent singing on Disc 1 "ll Primo Libro de Madrigali 1587". This perfect harmony in singing together still amazes me no end.
the sound after all those years is as fresh as a early spring morning. go for the box, if you have them not, its dead cheap and deadly addictive. 

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[Conor71]

Messiaen: Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps


One of my favourite works of late - 3rd listen this week


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[springrite]

Peter Lieberson: Rilke Songs (again!)

This work is so beautiful. I really should find the Neruda Songs which is supposedly Lieberson's best work.

Next up:
Bach Well Tempered Klavier Book II (Asperen, Harpsichord)

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

The sound of Cultures, A musical journey through Baroque Europe. "Hungary".

Ars Antiqua Austria, Gunar Letzbor.
Noemi Kiss, Soprano.
Live recording 2002.

I looked on Amazon DE and UK, no image available, and still cannot upload from bucket.

The whole series which I bought is a joy to me in every respect. The mix of classical and folk music, is intriguing. And the performances are very good, as is the sound. Every lover of Baroque music should have this in his collection.

[mc ukrneal]

Now listening to Tancredi from Naxos after some discussion in the Naxos interview thread. Outstanding recording with a great feel for Rossini. The playing is light with a deft touch, the phrasing delicious - the way I always imagined Rossini should be played.  The singing is very good, with no weak link.
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[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Now listening to Tancredi from Naxos after some discussion in the Naxos interview thread. Outstanding recording with a great feel for Rossini. The playing is light with a deft touch, the phrasing delicious - the way I always imagined Rossini should be played.  The singing is very good, with no weak link.
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I have given up on opera, no matter how much effort I put in to it, my heart stays firmly out. There are many aspects I do not like in opera, but it would go to far to loose myself in philosophical meanderings. Why I do like operetta, and especially all what is recorded before 1960 is still a unsolved riddle to me.

[mc ukrneal]

I have given up on opera, no matter how much effort I put in to it, my heart stays firmly out. There are many aspects I do not like in opera, but it would go to far to loose myself in philosophical meanderings. Why I do like operetta, and especially all what is recorded before 1960 is still a unsolved riddle to me.

Opera is different beast. Perhaps it's the lightness of the stories (and often the music) that allows you to enjoy operetta? I don't know. Think of it this way, you'd be that much poorer if you had to collect opera as well!! 

[Sergeant Rock]

Mahler Symphony #4, Dohnányi conducting the Cleveland, with Dawn Upshaw




Sarge

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Yesterday I played the Suites 2 & 3, being quite enthusiastic about it, I attempted the first and second, and I am happy to report that I like them as much as 3 & 4. Marriner keeps a really tight ensemble, and the orchestra is so well rehearsed that any criticism would be futile. Winds sound fabulous tight, strings perfectly in line. If you expect over the top emotional outbreaks, than you are at the wrong address, but if for a minimum of that, and technical perfect renderings, this set is the one to go for. Marriner really puts emphasize on all accents, never forgets a compositional highlight, has a good sense for dynamics, and the recording team did its best to give a deep sound stage, and a avalanche of detail normally escaping most recordings. Fleet tempi too! Its a good addition on the Melodia recording by Svetlanov I have already.

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[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Going a bit further in the Russian vein, I am now continuing this set, which I bought in 2010 at a Abeille sale, due to some pretty fabulous reviews on GMG. Being as far as the 5th Symphony now, I beg to differ in more than one way. First of all the sound of this set. Its pretty good, yes, but wrong to my ears. The sonic's will blow you away, impressive basses, detail mid range also, and a somewhat shrill upper range. The sound as a whole is made rather vulgar, because there is too much emphasize on the lower range, so much so that it obscures all the detail there, and becomes quite muddy at those huge climaxes in the first movement. It was this way with all previous symphonies, and it is not getting better along the way.
As a interpretation they leave me cold, I do not connect to Kitajenko's thoughts, mainly because of this recording. A pity! I will also continue the Jarvi set on Chandos which did more for me, and order Ozawa's take on these works.

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[Drasko]

For my own sins, this Prokofiev recording:

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What to say about this? Probably the best 2nd I've heard, and Hamlet excerpts that blow the Polyansky recording on Chandos away. An excellent 3rd, and finally a 4th (in the later revision) that convinces me that it wasn't a mistake to create a symphony from this material.

Given the similarly high quality of the 5th with Rozhdestvensky and the same orchestra, I wonder if there were recordings of the 6th and 7th?

Yes, Rozhdestvensky recorded complete set of symphonies, and it has been reissued by Melodiya recently:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Melodiya/MELCD1001797

7th had single disc release (coupled with 1st) some time ago on Consonance label, out of print now. Can't recall single release of 6th.