What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[PerfectWagnerite]

Allan Pettersson.

Symphony No. 10.



Radio Philharmonie Hannover des NDR/Alun Francis.

Highly disturbing music, as always with this composer, but also highly rewarding.
Further on in his Symphonies he gets more chaotic and lets the music drift, making it hard for you to focus.
Yet, this makes it also attractive, to find your own focus.
Take for instance five measures after No. 53, when the dramatic intensity culminates to almost unbearable heights. Heartbreak measures they are.
Then after No. 69, the resentment cools off, and all the emotion and movement reach the climax of utter silence, within and outside.
The fighting is finally over.

Where do you find a score buddy?

I want a score also.

[George]

Allan Pettersson.

Symphony No. 10.



Radio Philharmonie Hannover des NDR/Alun Francis.

Highly disturbing music, as always with this composer, but also highly rewarding.
Further on in his Symphonies he gets more chaotic and lets the music drift, making it hard for you to focus.
Yet, this makes it also attractive, to find your own focus.
Take for instance five measures after No. 53, when the dramatic intensity culminates to almost unbearable heights. Heartbreak measures they are.
Then after No. 69, the resentment cools off, and all the emotion and movement reach the climax of utter silence, within and outside.
The fighting is finally over.

My next big purchase will be the complete Pettersson Symphonies on CPO. My mouth waters...

[Harry]

My next big purchase will be the complete Pettersson Symphonies on CPO. My mouth waters...

Be prepared George these work from Pettersson are by no means easy, and have the tendency to make you sad, if you are not well prepared.

[George]

Be prepared George these work from Pettersson are by no means easy, and have the tendency to make you sad, if you are not well prepared.

What if I am already sad?

[Harry]

What if I am already sad?

Then I advise you not to listen to Pettersson.
I am not joking George.
And if you must, do it with some good friends that know you well.

[George]

Then I advise you not to listen to Pettersson.
I am not joking George.
And if you must, do it with some good friends that know you well.

Thanks, I'll make sure I am online when I put it on, but wow! I am intrigued...

[Harry]

Sir John Blackwood McEwen.

String Quartets, Volume II.

Chilingirian Quartet.

Absolutely amazing music, with no comparison to other composers of his time.
Excellent recordings, and performances.

[not edward]

Richtering away this morning.

Prokofiev: Sonatas 4 & 7
Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues (nos 14/17/15/4/12/23).
+ now the Sofia recital.

[Drasko]

Richard Wagner

Tristan Prelude & Liebestod
Meistersinger Act I & III Preludes
Parsifal Act I Prelude & Karfreitagszauber

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra / Nikolay Golovanov

[johnQpublic]

LPs

Auber - Overture to "La Part du Diable" (Camberling/EMI)
Jongen - Symphonie Concertante (Fox/Angel)

[Harry]

Malcolm Arnold.

String Quartets No, 1 & 2.

Fantasy for SQ "Vita Abundas"

Maggini Quartet.

Absolutely gorgeous, and well recorded and performed.

[Harry]

LPs

Auber - Overture to "La Part du Diable" (Camberling/EMI)
Jongen - Symphonie Concertante (Fox/Angel)

The Jongen symphony must be very interesting!
Any comments?

[Haffner]

Be prepared George these work from Pettersson are by no means easy, and have the tendency to make you sad, if you are not well prepared.

I agree, George, you have to have a certain frame of mind. I don't know if you ever tried listening to Mahler's Kindertotenlieder or Shostakovich's SQ no.7 when sad...Peterrson can provoke a reaction even more negative. That's judging from my relatively recent acquisition/listening to his 7th...during a down time for me.

[Haffner]

I pulled out the Beecham recording of Haydn's "Clock" Symphony, mostly for nostalgic reasons. To this day, the recording sounds below acceptable, and the playing a bit too sweet at times, but...ah, nostalgia!

[SonicMan46]

Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907-1991) - Complete String Quartets - purchased based on Harry's recommendation back on pg. 63 or so of this thread; Saygun was a Turkish composer who studied in Paris, and also travelled w/ Bartok in Turkey studying & collecting Turkish folk music - these works kind of make him the 'Turkish Bartok' - the quartets are 20th century all the way (written from 1947-90); if you like string writing from the latter 20th century & the Bartok SQs w/ some Turkish 'folk' influences thrown in, then these are worth a listen.  Check this link for an excellent review on MusicWeb - 

Saygun also composed Five Symphonies on 3 other CPO discs (along w/ a Violin Concerto - reviews on MusicWeb are also in the link above; but has anyone heard these other works?  Thanks - 

[Harry]

I agree, George, you have to have a certain frame of mind. I don't know if you ever tried listening to Mahler's Kindertotenlieder or Shostakovich's SQ no.7 when sad...Peterrson can provoke a reaction even more negative. That's judging from my relatively recent acquisition/listening to his 7th...during a down time for me.

Thanks Andy for supporting me in this!

[Harry]

Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907-1991) - Complete String Quartets - purchased based on Harry's recommendation back on pg. 63 or so of this thread; Saygun was a Turkish composer who studied in Paris, and also travelled w/ Bartok in Turkey studying & collecting Turkish folk music - these works kind of make him the 'Turkish Bartok' - the quartets are 20th century all the way (written from 1947-90); if you like string writing from the latter 20th century & the Bartok SQs w/ some Turkish 'folk' influences thrown in, then these are worth a listen.  Check this link for an excellent review on MusicWeb - 

Saygun also composed Five Symphonies on 3 other CPO discs (along w/ a Violin Concerto - reviews on MusicWeb are also in the link above; but has anyone heard these other works?  Thanks - 

Thanks for reminding me of the SQ, I will play them again tonight.
Of course the "other" compositions are also in my posession, and if you love these SQ, you will love the Symphonies, and his fine Violin concerto.

[Harry]

I pulled out the Beecham recording of Haydn's "Clock" Symphony, mostly for nostalgic reasons. To this day, the recording sounds below acceptable, and the playing a bit too sweet at times, but...ah, nostalgia!

Nostalgia is so sweet........................huh!

[johnQpublic]

Any comments?

Yes, it's a classic for organ and orchestra. Jongen utilizes some Impressionistic devices but in more powerful ways than Debussy and his toccata finale is like Widor's only louder since there's an orchestra included.

[Harry]

Yes, it's a classic for organ and orchestra. Jongen utilizes some Impressionistic devices but in more powerful ways than Debussy and his toccata finale is like Widor's only louder since there's an orchestra included.

Well that's good to hear, thanks.
And now it would be nice if recording companies would start and record some of his work.
I ask my buddies at CPO!