What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[The new erato]

A wonderful disc with orchestral songs from:

John Alden Carpenter, Charles Griffes, Roy Harris, Virgil Thomson and Horatio William Parker .

[hildegard]

I like your Linus avatar, Hildegard. That was a great episode with Linus waiting for the Great Pumkin. 

Ahh yes! We must believe! 

TY!

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD3 from this set from my Handel collection.  This is only the second time I listen to these well performed works on non-period instruments ...

[Antoine Marchand]

Ahh yes! We must believe! 

TY!

I believe in the Great Pumpkin too! 

[Frellie]

It's fresh, it's jaunty, it's lyrical, it's virtuosic, it's everything an early romantic piano concerto needs to be.

Thank you, Howard Shelley!

[Antoine Marchand]

Do I read between your lines, that Suzuki´s interpretation is a bit aristocratic in contrast to the more vulgar renderings of Fasolis et alii?

Yes, it is right in some sense: as when you do the same thing that other people, but with less effort, without sweat: with a certain kind of elegance. IMO this is very suitable for these concertos intended to the Court.  

[WI Dan]

Haydn String Quartets, Op.76
Auryn Quartet

My first venture into the Op.76 quartets, and I am enjoying these very much!  "Papa Joe" has been steadily moving up on my list of favorite composers.   

[Bogey]

Bill,  How is this CD?  Can you provide a link to it?  Thanks.

It absolutely incredible.  I was just about to star exploring Smetana's other chamber works based on this due to the fact that this is all I have of this composer's chamber genre.



http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Borodin-Quartet-Bedrich-Smetana/dp/B00000429F/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1257094221&sr=1-10

There are a handful of used ones here, Stuart.  I would rec. the gohastings seller, as they have done me right in the past.

[Harry]

The second cd from this box already, and a good experience it was. I think the second symphony is one of the most beautiful works Dvorak wrote. The tempi are fast and swift, this orchestra is very agile in its flexibility, and the brass just sounds marvelous. When the recordings starts you hear the typical warm sound, and again it is a tad muffled. But in the third movement the engineer is changing something in the recording settings, because suddenly all opens up, and there is more dept. Front to back is evident, and you can hear all woodwind, after all a predominant factor in this work. This is a different take on Dvorak altogether, and it takes some adjustment, but heard on its own merits I would say this a very good performance.

[Brian]

Harry, I most certainly agree with you: Dvorak's Second Symphony is terribly underrated, a totally wonderful work! The last two movements especially just fly by: irresistible. Whoever says Dvorak hadn't "found his own voice" until the late symphonies just has not heard the Symphony No. 2.


Thread duty:

[Bogey]

The second cd from this box already, and a good experience it was. I think the second symphony is one of the most beautiful works Dvorak wrote. 

Harry, I most certainly agree with you: Dvorak's Second Symphony is terribly underrated, a totally wonderful work! The last two movements especially just fly by: irresistible. Whoever says Dvorak hadn't "found his own voice" until the late symphonies just has not heard the Symphony No. 2.

*raises coffee mug to both*

[prémont]

IMO this is very suitable for these concertos intended to the Court.

What they certainly were. I think (well we can not know for sure) the new Suzuki set is outstanding and the style is spot on.

And I very much worship the less bass-heavy character especially of concertos no. 3 and 6.

And the inserted movement in concerto no. 3 is a most felicious choice IMO and it is most convincingly executed.

[Coopmv]

Now playing this CD I bought a few weeks ago for a second listen ...

[Coopmv]

It absolutely incredible.  I was just about to star exploring Smetana's other chamber works based on this due to the fact that this is all I have of this composer's chamber genre.



http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Borodin-Quartet-Bedrich-Smetana/dp/B00000429F/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1257094221&sr=1-10

There are a handful of used ones here, Stuart.  I would rec. the gohastings seller, as they have done me right in the past.

Bill, Thanks for the link.  I may check out Academy Records, the store in NYC much recommended by George.  I have never bought any used CD's and really hesitate to buy any over the internet ...

[Coopmv]

*raises coffee mug to both*

The Dvorak's set on Brilliant is available for under $20 USD at MDT ...

[Bogey]

[Coopmv]

Now playing this Glossa CD, which arrived almost 2 weeks ago ...

[George]

Good morning all 

After seeing No Country for Old Men last night, your post has an ominous tone to it.  

[George]

So Robert Redford is trying his hand at conducting now?

[Harry]

What was certainly a great surprise for me, and which makes me unbelievable happy, is this fantastic box with Symphonies and other Orchestral works by Joseph Joachim Raff. I started today with the first Symphony "For my Fatherland", and I can say in all honesty, I never heard Raff better performed or recorded than on this Tudor set. Crystal clear recording venue, you can walk through the rows, hearing all instruments without fail. I heard so many things which in previous recordings I could not hear. As a example the second movement, "Scherzo. Allegro molto vivace" all the small interactions on the strings, as if a bunch of small twittering birds where dancing around with utmost precision on the instruments. And that marks the character of this performance, precision, a clear lucid presentation, and the right accents in all the good places. Furthermore, the tempi are spot on, and the conducting exemplary. I think the Bambergers is one of the best orchestra's in the world, the sound of the woodwinds is famous, and you can hear that to your hearts delight. The booklet needs to be applauded too, the information is up to the point of perfection. The box itself is graced with fine artwork by Arnold Bocklin.
Recommended with all my heart.

Some sound bites

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Joachim-Raff-Symphonie-Nr-1-An-das-Vaterland/hnum/4109798