What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Sergeant Rock]

I am green with envy, seeing Elektra live with Solti would have been phenomenal.

It was my first visit to London. I'd gotten out of the army after my first tour and went back to college. During the summer break, my wife (she was a teacher) and I spent two months in Europe (the typical hippie trek of the time...traveling light with just one bag and one change of clothes). We spent a month in England and Scotland; seven or eight days in London. We saw some great concerts: Colin Davis, Ashkenazy and the London Symphony played the Schuman PC and Beethoven 5th. Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, György Pauk and the New Philharmonia gave us Wagner Lohengrin Prelude, Berg VC, and (again!) Beethoven 5th (it was the flavor of the month apparently). On our last day in London before crossing the channel, we saw Jascha Horenstein, Paul Tortelier and the New Phil: Mozart Don Giovanni Overture, Dvorak Cello Concerto and the Bruckner 6th.

Here's the program for Elektra (the cast included Birgit Nilsson, Helga Dernesch, Regina Resnik and Donald McIntyre):




My wife didn't go to this. We'd divided our money equally and we each had to make our share last for two months. She didn't want to spend 15 pounds on an opera ticket. I wasn't going to miss it of course, even if it meant starving at some point on down the line. That price bought me an exclusive seat on the floor near the front in a "gated community"...you had to open a door to get inside this area. The guy beside me in our rich little world was wearing a tux. I was in 501s, Chuck Taylors, and an army field jacket    He didn't seem to mind my appearance though and was quite friendly. The performance was...words fail me. Those who heard Nilsson live can understand.

Sarge

[Haffner]

It was my first visit to London. I'd gotten out of the army after my first tour and went back to college. During the summer break, my wife (she was a teacher) and I spent two months in Europe (the typical hippie trek of the time...traveling light with just one bag and one change of clothes). We spent a month in England and Scotland; seven or eight days in London. We saw some great concerts: Colin Davis, Ashkenazy and the London Symphony played the Schuman PC and Beethoven 5th. Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, György Pauk and the New Philharmonia gave us Wagner Lohengrin Prelude, Berg VC, and (again!) Beethoven 5th (it was the flavor of the month apparently). On our last day in London before crossing the channel, we saw Jascha Horenstein, Paul Tortelier and the New Phil: Mozart Don Giovanni Overture, Dvorak Cello Concerto and the Bruckner 6th.

My wife didn't go to this. We'd divided our money equally and we each had to make our share last for two months. She didn't want to spend 15 pounds on an opera ticket. I wasn't going to miss it of course, even if it meant starving at some point on down the line. That price bought me an exclusive seat on the floor near the front in a "gated community"...you had to open a door to get inside this area. The guy beside me in our rich little world was wearing a tux. I was in 501s, Chuck Taylors, and an army field jacket    He didn't seem to mind my appearance though and was quite friendly. The performance was...words fail me. Those who heard Nilsson live can understand.

Sarge

What memories!!!

[Robert]

Listening to Pettersson's 16th:



Mindful of that quote I was a little worried as I put the disc in the player. Pettersson does occasionally irritate when he lashes onto an idea and won't let it go. I think the guy needed a good editor. But in this case, no, I didn't find it irritating at all. It's a marvelous symphony and should be one of the least daunting for a Pettersson neophyte because of its gentler nature and shorter length.


I'm a saxophone player so this was definitely an enjoyable experience for me. I did fear at first that it would stick out like a sore thumb but when I mentally decided it wasn't a symphony at all but really a concerto, all doubts vanished. I thought the sax was well integrated in the mix too; just part of the orchestral fabric and that lessened the listening challenge.

The liner notes talk of the elegiac nature of the saxophone's sound and I think the alto expresses that even more than the "sexier" sounding tenor. The alto works perfectly in this symphony which is, like almost everything Pettersson wrote, an elegy. Good thing he didn't employ the soprano sax: Harry would have been climbing the walls, howling in pain

This is an intensely beautiful piece of music. The Cantabile expressivo second section is haunting. I love the way the third section ends, with simple chords on the brass, sounding like a Brucknerian benediction.

Sarge

beautiful sarge. Its nice to finally hear some positive feedback about this symphony.  I have always enjoyed it and could not quite understand why they always blamed the sax... I got my feet wet with this type of symphony with Ornette Colemans symphony "Skies over America" a classic....

[PerfectWagnerite]

beautiful sarge. Its nice to finally hear some positive feedback about this symphony.  I have always enjoyed it and could not quite understand why they always blamed the sax... I got my feet wet with this type of symphony with Ornette Colemans symphony "Skies over America" a classic....

I don't know...that piece sounds like it has two minutes of material but is half an hour long. The sax is playing the same stuff over and over and over again. I thought it was influenced by Glass or Reich but certainly the soundworld is different.

[71 dB]

Inspired, no doubt!

Half-inspired. That CD is in my rotation at the moment.

[Robert]

Villa-Lobos.

SQ No 7.

Cuarteto Latinoamericano.

Boy what a fine quartet this is. The first movement puts you almost in a welcome coma, that lets you inhibit this sound world with full force. Slide into the second movement were silence is the strongest tool, to make you aware of the beauty, and it goes on in this fashion. These are no doubt the best performances on the market, and it will be hard for any contenders to beat it.
The sound is also topnotch.

These are all gems.  I also have the set by Danubius Quartet on MP. Both terrific.....very easy on the ears.....

[Harry]

Johann Jacob Froberger.

Harpsichord Works.

Partita, Meditation sur ma mort future.
Three toccatas from book II.
Partita auff Die Mayerin.
Tombeau fait a Paris sur la mort de Monsieur Blancheroche.

Sergio Vartolo, Harpsichord.

Post haste to the shop Gentlemen, for this twofar box from Naxos is a real gem, as there ever was one. Apart from the fact that Frobergers music is extremely beautiful, the playing is amazing too, and on period instruments no less. SO HIP, for those that are keen on that. The instruments sound gorgeous.
The recording is also very realistic, and well frankly I rate this performance high, and since there are not many recordings of Frobergers music, and the pressings are limited as told, snatch it up, before it is gone.

[Florestan]

Hello all!

Uccellini

Sonatas

Romanesca

As usual, Mr. Manze reminds me in a most enthusiastic manner that passion, anger, melancholy, serenity, fast and furious storms or soft and smooth meditations were not invented ex nihilo by late romantics but rather predate them by centuries.

This 17 century composer sounds surprisingly modern at times and enjoyable always.

[not edward]

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 1 (Gilels/New Philharmonia/Maazel).
I was tired of this work after many, many mediocre live performances. This is the first time I've listened to it in about five or six years, and I enjoyed it--even if it won't ever be one of my very favourite works in the genre.

At some point I may make a return to the violin concerto too--a piece whose solo part I used to play in a rather mediocre manner.

[Que]

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 1 (Gilels/New Philharmonia/Maazel).
I was tired of this work after many, many mediocre live performances. This is the first time I've listened to it in about five or six years, and I enjoyed it--even if it won't ever be one of my very favourite works in the genre.

This one might interest you, it's my favourite recording.



Q

[Harry]

Hello all!

Uccellini

Sonatas

Romanesca

As usual, Mr. Manze reminds me in a most enthusiastic manner that passion, anger, melancholy, serenity, fast and furious storms or soft and smooth meditations were not invented ex nihilo by late romantics but rather predate them by centuries.

This 17 century composer sounds surprisingly modern at times and enjoyable always.

That's a fine disc Andrei.

[Que]

[Danny]

Brahms Symphonies No 2 and No 3 (HVK/BPO from the 60's).   

[George]

and? 

[Que]

and? 

Like anything with Erich Kleiber: very nice indeed. Articulate, "light" and detailed - the Viennese touch.
And the Concertgebouw Orchestra is always a delight to hear.
I liked the 6th best, the 7th made me reach for Furtwängler ('43 or '53) or Klemperer ('55).

Q

[George]

Like anything with Erich Kleiber: very nice indeed. Articulate, "light" and detailed - the Viennese touch.
And the Concertgebouw Orchestra is always a delight to hear.
I liked the 6th best, the 7th made me reach for Furtwängler ('43 or '53) or Klemperer ('55).

Q

Thanks Q! 

[Solitary Wanderer]

Loving the 7th at the moment



I also listened to the 'bonus' SACD of the rehersal of the 9th which comes with this boxset. It was interesting although with Karajan speaking in German something was lost in translation. But I understood the 'Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein!' and the 'ein, shwi, drei, fur!' etc 

[Todd]

Villa-Lobos.

SQ No 7.

Cuarteto Latinoamericano.

A superb set indeed.  Harry, if you haven't already, you should consider trying their Ginastera and Revueltas.

[BachQ]

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 1 (Gilels/New Philharmonia/Maazel).
I was tired of this work after many, many mediocre live performances. This is the first time I've listened to it in about five or six years, and I enjoyed it--even if it won't ever be one of my very favourite works in the genre.

At some point I may make a return to the violin concerto too--a piece whose solo part I used to play in a rather mediocre manner.

........ there may yet be hope .........

[Kullervo]

Elgar - Enigma Variations; Cockaigne Overture; Serenade for Strings; Salut d'amour

Not exactly a famous conductor or orchestra but a great disc. The sound is fantastic.