What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Que]

Domenico Scarlatti on an Enlish square piano....that doesn't sound quite right - to be honest.

Q

It sounds excellent! I can swear it. 

Theories that Scarlatti might have composed at least part of his later output (also) for the fortepiano seem plausible, but an instrument of this particular kind? Or did Queen Maria Barbara posess English square pianos?

Q

[Que]

Listening now:

Good morning!



Q

[listener]

Vagn HOLMBOE  works for a cappella choir
English translations are supplied except for the Latin Psalms.  The cantata 'Frieze' is vocalized but wordless, the Two Border Ballads are sung in English, with beautiful vowel sounds and a minimum of consonants.   Maybe it's a border accent.
Holmboe uses the voice as an onomatopoetic instrument at times, tonal harmonies with occasional quarter-tones ease the pitch challenges in a cappella choral works and let the group get the most out of the variety of sounds

A lovely disc.

[val]

BAX, DELIUS, IRELAND:        Orchestral works              / LSO, Barbirolli

A very lyric and poetic version of some minor works, with the exception of Tintagel and In a Summer Garden. A nice CD.

[Antoine Marchand]

Theories that Scarlatti might have composed at least part of his later output (also) for the fortepiano seem plausible, but an instrument of this particular kind? Or did Queen Maria Barbara posess English square pianos?

Q

Certainly, Maria Barbara Braganza didn't own any English square piano, but IIRC at least five Cristofori fortepianos were constructed for Maria Barbara (i.e, for Scarlatti) and always a square piano - a domestic instrument - will sound closer to those early fortepianos than any harpsichord... 

[Sergeant Rock]

Sarge - thanks for your input on the Beenhouwer performances of the Clara Schumann; the Grützmann set was offered for $28 at MDT today, but still somewhat more expensive (Amazon lists the Beenhouwer as having 3 discs although one of the reviews indicated a 4-CD set?).

Hey, Dave. Yes, the Beenhouwer set has three discs. I don't know how he got the music to fit. Are Grützmann's interpretations slower? Her discs less well-filled? A comparative review might clear up the mystery. In any case, $28, even with shipping added, seems like a very good price for Grützmann although still more than the $21 (€15, free shipping) I paid for Beenhouwer.

Sarge

[Harry]

From this box the first CD/DVD with folk music from Romania, unique images, fine music.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tvrmedia.ro/images/products/3d_dvd_maestrii_muzicii_populare_umbra.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tvrmedia.ro/produs/maestrii%2Bmuzicii%2Bpopulare%2Bromanesti_lk.html&usg=__vSiKQZrmAMWSL31Ajj0O1qo4t-4=&h=360&w=318&sz=26&hl=nl&start=1&tbnid=R5MeScNfcxPolM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=107&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMaestrii%2Bmuzicii%2Bpopulare%26hl%3Dnl%26lr%3Dlang_nl%26sa%3DN%26newwindow%3D1

[Lethevich]

I can't recall anything other than the incredible opening of this piece, so I'm giving it another go.

[Harry]

Asger Hamerik.
Complete Symphonies.
No 1 in F major, opus 29. "Symphonie Poetique".
Helsingborg SO, Thomas Dausgaard.

[George]

Release Date: 07/06/1993
Label:  Dorian Recordings   Catalog #: 90172   Spars Code: DDD
Composer:  Robert Schumann,  Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Ivan Moravec
Conductor:  Eduardo Mata
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dallas Symphony Orchestra

[Harry]

Antonin Dvorak.
Complete Symphonies.
Symphony No. 7 in D minor, opus 70.
Czech PO, Jiri Belohlavek.
Recorded on Chandos 1992.

[karlhenning]

The adventure continues — Maiden-Listen Monday!:

Langgaard
Symphony № 9, Fra Donning Dagmars by (From Queen Dagmar's City), BVN 282 (1942)
Danish National Symphony
Thos Dausgaard

Langgaard – The Symphonies Danish National Symphony Orchestra Thos Dausgaard Da Capo 7 CDs

[Harry]

Joseph Joachim Raff.
Complete Symphonies.
Symphony No 5 "Lenore" opus 177.
Bamberger Symphoniker, Hans Stadlmair.

[Todd]

Listened to the Belcea Quartet's latest, the last two Schubert quartets and the quintet.  The playing is intense and vibrant and extremely well executed, but the melodies are not as beautiful as I prefer, and the overall feel is overcooked, if you will.  I'll stick with the Budapest Quartet, or even the Emersons here.

[Brian]

PROKOFIEV | Concerto No 3
Martha Argerich
Berlin Philharmonic; Claudio Abbado

[Lethevich]

No.7

[Que]

Q

[UB]

Thanks to BBC Radio 3 a wonderful broadcast of the music of Hans Werner Henze -

Variations, Op.13
Cherubino
Scorribanda pianistica
Fraternité – air pour l'orchestre
Symphony No.4
Elogium musicum amatissimi amici nunc remoti

The firsts three are piano solo works with the 2003 Scorribanda pianistica being my favorite. I have not heard his fourth symphony for a long time and I did not remember enjoying it as much as I did this time. The major work for me was the rich and beautiful 2008 Elogium Musicum for chorus and orchestra. It seems to me Henze late work is too romantic for those seeking new music sounds and too modern for those seeking romantic period music. 

Thank you R3

[bhodges]

Yesterday, this superb concert, and yes, I loved the Schubert and yes, I loved the Beethoven.    The latter was one of the best performances of the piece I've ever heard.

The MET Orchestra
James Levine, Music Director and Conductor
Diana Damrau, Soprano

Schubert: Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished"
R. Strauss: "Das Bächlein," Op. 88, No. 1
"Ich wollt' ein Sträusslein binden," Op. 68, No. 2
"Allerseelen," Op. 10, No. 8
"Zueignung," Op. 10, No. 1
"Morgen," Op. 27, No. 4
"Ständchen," Op. 17, No. 2
"Wiegenlied," Op. 41, No. 1
"Amor," Op. 68, No. 5
"Grossmächtige Prinzessin" from Ariadne auf Naxos
Encore:
R. Strauss: "als ein Gott kam jeder gegangen" from "Grossmächtige Prinzessin" from Ariadne auf Naxos
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

--Bruce

[Scarpia]

Orchester-Finalisten Vom Mittwoch aus Licht (1995/96) for orchestral soloists and electronic music (46:37)
A remarkable electronic composition based upon recorded "samples of natural sounds" is heard throughout. The sounds used are linked by the theme of "air" for example bees, steam trains, air conditioners and seagulls, All sounds have been subtly pitch-shifted to follow the 3 melodies of Licht, and the music surrounds the audience from the six directions of the four walls, ceiling and floor. Stockhausen uses an octophonic sound system with speakers in each corner of a cube around the public. By chanelling sounds to four loudspeakers at a time Stockhausen creates separate walls of sound. Twelve instrumental soloists sit behind music stands on stage. They are the "Orchestra-Finalists" and play in turn virtuosic soli based on very severely limited pitch material. All the time a French-horn player appears around the auditorium, until a mysterious mummified figure arrives to strike a gong. Lastly the twelve instrumentalists play all their 12 soli simultaneously and leave the stage.

ASKO ensemble soloists:
Bassoon - Margreet Bongers
Cello - Doris Hochscheid
Clarinet - Jacques Meertens
Double Bass - Piet Smithuysen
Flute - Kathinka Pasveer
Horn - Wim Timmermans
Oboe - Marieke Schut
Trombone - Toon van Ulsen
Trumpet - Hendrik Jan Lindhout
Tuba - Anne Jelle Visser
Viola - Liesbeth Steffens
Violin - Jan Erik Van Regteren Altena

I can't imagine a more idiotic performance.