What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Henk]

First rate performances by Chiara Banchini and her Ensemble 415. This seems hard to surpass: beautiful PI textures and sonorities, incisive and articulated, with nice Italianate, rugged but stylish and virtuosic violin playing. And that is what this music needs: maybe not exactly earth shattering compositions but it comes alives with the proper lively and virtuosic approach. Very enjoyable and very interesting to hear period orchestrations of Corelli famous Opus V sonatas - which makes it "a basic" for any serious Baroque collection IMO.

And I got this OOP 2CD set as part of a box set (just a cardboard slipcase with the original issues) which was a bargain!

Q

Lean. I go for the original releases...

Henk

[Henk]

I've been going through this box - the performances seem uniformly stronger than the Sony/CBS big box, so it makes a good suppliment to it, with the modern sound quality as a final deal-sealer. The Chailly disc is a joy, shame that it doesn't seem to have been reissued like his ballet recordings have.

Edit: actually, I can't understate how good the Chailly disc is - the Soldier's Tale suite is almost done and I'm going to have to repeat play it right away - it's the best performance I've heard of this piece (admittedly there isn't a huge amount of competition).

Interesting.

[Henk]

Compact Disc 2 of 2:
1 Berceuse 1931-32, arr. from the ballet The Firebird 2:48
2 Prelude et Ronde des princesses 1926, arr. from the ballet The Firebird 4:53
3 Scherzo 1932, arr. from the ballet The Firebird 2:41
4 Chanson russe 1937, arr. from the opera Mavra 3:18
5-10 Divertimento 1934, arr. from the ballet The Fairy's Kiss 19:44
11 Danse russe 1932, arr. from the ballet Petrushka 2:32
12 Tango 1940, arr. by Samuel Dushkin of solo piano piece 3:39
13 Ballade 1947, arr. from the ballet The Fairy's Kiss 3:08
14 Scherzino 1932, from Suite italienne 1:30
15 La Marseillaise solo violin, Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle (1760-1836) arr. 1919 1:11

Anthony Marwood, violin
Thomas Adès, piano

What an enjoyable release this is .. both musicians obviously love this music a lot.

Interesting.

[Antoine Marchand]

Beethoven - Complete Piano Trios
Borodin Trio [Luba Edlina, piano; Rostislav Dubinsky, violin; Yuli Turovsky, cello]
4 CDs
Brilliant Classics

I was disappointed for these discs recorded in the 80s and licensed from Chandos. Although I greatly enjoyed the measuredly romantic Rachmaninoff's trios of the Borodins, here they sound lack of energy and charm; impression probably stressed for the spacious acoustics of the Layer Marney Church.

[Coopmv]

Now playing SACD2 from this set.  SACD1 wsa excellent, though I do not thnk it is the best Brandenburg Concertos out there so far ...

[Sergeant Rock]

Miaskovsky Symphony #21




Sarge

[Que]

Any comment on that Müthel? 

Very nice, and it grows on me. Written in the "transitional" style, akin to Georg Benda & CPE Bach. Müthel's style is particularly willful, and I like that. The combination of the rather timid nature of the clavichord with such impulsive music, is an interesting touch in this respect. Van Delft gives it his best: propulsive and expressive. Another bonus: the clavichord is a notoriously difficult instrument to record, but that is a succes here.

Samples HERE.

Q

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD9 from this set ...

[listener]

CHOPIN Rondos and Variations        Idil Biret
Rondos opp. 1, 5, 16, 73;  6 Mazurkas without opus numbers; Variations -  Paganini, Bellini, brillantes, on a theme national allemande, and for piano 4-hands
15 tracks here, minor pieces played well enough to possibly fill in gaps in the catalogue for completists inexpensively.   Pleasant enough that they may remain in the mind like salon pieces that won't go away (unlike themes from major works that you can't remember when you want to.)

[Brian]

Miaskovsky Symphony #21




Sarge

You know what? As soon as this Sibelius disc ends (No 3, Halle, Mark Elder), I think I will join you on that one.

[Christo]

Still enchanted. This terrific set helps me rediscover Nielsen as an absolute personal favourite - especially the Third is a great performance, here.

                                 

[SonicMan46]

Now playing SACD1 from this set.  I lost count on versions, as this is probably close to version 30 ...

 

Stuart - you must be one of the GMG Forums 'experts' w/ that many in your collection! 

What are some of your 'top' choices - modern or period instruments - thanks.  Dave 

For me this afternoon - Mozart Symphonies - the 'new' ones w/ Mackerras - now have both double-CD sets - enjoying!   

[prémont]

Stuart - you must be one of the GMG Forums 'experts' w/ that many in your collection! 
What are some of your 'top' choices - modern or period instruments - thanks.  Dave 

He certainly can not impress me, who owns > 140 different recordings and have heard most of the rest, meaning that I know > 98 % of all commercial recordings ever made.

[SonicMan46]

He certainly can not impress me, who owns > 140 different recordings and have heard most of the rest, meaning that I know > 98 % of all commercial recordings ever made.

OK, Premont - you too (and others w/ abundant collections of these works) may graciously I hope reply to my question - TIA - Dave 

[SonicMan46]

Re-listening to the 3-CD set shown below which is of great historic interest regarding the early development of the piano - if interested, see the Old Musical Instruments Thread - 

[Coopmv]

He certainly can not impress me, who owns > 140 different recordings and have heard most of the rest, meaning that I know > 98 % of all commercial recordings ever made.

I will be more than happy to see your list of 140+ Brandenburg Concertos.  Will you care to share?   

[Coopmv]

premont,  where is your list of 140 Brandenburg Concertos?  Is your 8086 processor choking on a mere copy/paste of 140 Excel rows into the reply box?  I will list my 30 as soon as you have backed up your claim.  We Americans are litigious and we only believe in evidence ...   

[The new erato]

  We Americans are litigious and we only believe in evidence ...   

Yep, all the way to Baghdad!

[SonicMan46]

premont,  where is your list of 140 Brandenburg Concertos?  Is your 8086 processor choking on a mere copy/paste of 140 Excel rows into the reply box?  I will list my 30 as soon as you have backed up your claim.  We Americans are litigious and we only believe in evidence ...   

Stuart - are you originally from Missouri, i.e. the 'Show Me' state? 

But I do agree - I'm on a 'Woodworking Forum' and when you boast about your projects and don't have pics to prove it - then the saying is NEVER HAPPENED!   

[CD]

Nice dogs

Np: a mix of things by Ginestera. This music is so well-written and crafted, but I cannot help but feel that without Igor Stravinsky (and sometimes Bartók) to crib from, this guy would have a totally different style. He also rather trivialises Stravinsky's language by creating a generalised sound from it - there is something almost distasteful to the man about town manner of orchestral writing with the endless tinkling percussion, kettle drums and hooting brass creating a toy-like sound. I wish I could describe better way, but there is a certain "ugh" feeling I get from the music at times. But I shouldn't complain, though, as when I dismiss the problems with the similarity of sound between works I am grateful for it, as it offers pleasant music in forms I wish Stravinsky wrote more of (concerto, orchestral variations).

I have a disc with Panambi and Estancia and another of the piano concertos — I agree with you. Panambi sounds stylistically like bits culled from Daphnis et Chloe and the Rite of Spring. The similarities in style/orchestration probably wouldn't matter if the music was substantial, but it's just not very exciting. The final movement of Estancia seems to repeat itself so often for so long that I laughed out loud the first time I listened to it, and in subsequent listens was just too annoyed to finish it.

The piano concertos seemed superfically "modern" and sounded like a lot of noisy orchestral gestures that gave no sense of forward movement or purpose within the piece. I've heard good things about the string quartets, but the music on the two discs I have is just so "meh" I wonder if I should bother.
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Listening:



This OTOH is excellent.