What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Sergeant Rock]

Sir,

you don't have time for this now. You have Mahler's 8th to listen to.

I listened to it once yesterday. An excellent performance, of course. I'm not ready to comment further. I want to do some AB...and maybe C comparisons first.

BTW: So far I *love* Norrington's 9th...

Really?...that very interesting. I ordered Norrington's M4 yesterday (along with Levine's) figuring that was the one symphony he could probably damage least    Almost hit the button on the Fifth too, but chickened out 

Sarge

[Brahmsian]

Stravinsky

Apollo

Stravinsky
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Sony Classical

[Franco]

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major
Anne-Sophie Mutter; London Philharmonic Orchestra/Yuri Bashmet

[jlaurson]

I listened to it once yesterday. An excellent performance, of course. I'm not ready to comment further. I want to do some AB...and maybe C comparisons first.

Comparison comschmarison. Just listen once to the Chorus Mysticus, discussion over, comparison unnecessary. 

[Sergeant Rock]

Purchasing and listening to a 30(!)-CD set to me is both daunting and prospectively exhausting.  I actually stay away from big box sets to avoid too much "surface grazing."  My hats off to you, Sarge.

I don't treat boxes that way. They are more of an investment for the future, not for immediate consumption (by pigging out on one composer ). It's just nice knowing you have the complete works, or almost complete works of a composer. Today for example, when I discovered I owned the Bean Lark performance. Lethe was discussing it in the RVW thread and I thought, damn, I wish I could listen to it in order to understand what she's saying. Then I remembered the box!

Actually, buying that much at once is daunting in one way. I catalogue every purchase, usually the same day I acquire it but I've had that box for more than a year and haven't yet added it to the data base. I keep thinking how much work it's going to be and I just keep procrastinating. But there's an upside: it's cool to discover things you didn't know you owned. Like that Bean Lark. 

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Comparison comschmarison. Just listen once to the Chorus Mysticus, discussion over, comparison unnecessary. 

If there weren't more to the M8 than those six minutes, I'd agree with you. But there is..so, you'll just have to have patience before I render my final decision on the matter 

Sarge

[not edward]

I love how the British contingent of GMG all seem to be terminal insomniacs. You, me, Renfield and John all end up posting in the small hours.

I did too before I moved across the pond. Funnily enough I think I probably post at about the same times that I did before the move.

Some Australian Eloquence issues:



I actually find Amoyal/Roge are an interesting change from my much-overplayed Danczowzka/Zimerman recording. As for the quartet, I need more listenings to digest it: this is actually my only modern recording (I also have the Pro Arte on Biddulph).



I'm rather taken by Stein's Bruckner 6th on first listening. Need to give it some thorough exposure.



A very nice collection as far as I can tell: the operas are, criminally, new to me.



Should I confess that I bought this more for the Schmidt than the Bruckner?

[Fëanor]

Loose your doubts about the veracity of multi-channel sound ...

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
~ Micheal Tilson Thomas & San Francisco Synphony on SFS/BBC Blu-ray (See Amazon HERE)

There is no surround gimmickry here. The recording was made live before a Proms concert audience in 2007 in the Royal Albert Hall ... and you are there. The delivery medium is Dolby Digital TrueHD on Blu-ray.

Accompaning the music is synchronized video of the performance that features close ups of the conductor and orchestra members. This is extremely well done but I find it distracting. For one thing, while you see picture of a performer a few feet away, but the perspective of the music remains that of a good seat in the orchestra section, (and thank goodness for that). Also included separately is Tilson Thomas' excellent background on Shostakovich and the his Fifth Symphony which was composed in response to the pseudo-esthetic criticisms of the Soviet regime.

It so happens that Shostakovich's No. 5 is probably my favorite "fifth". Shostie's music here, as typical of him, is easily accessible modern classical, not terribly complex but with exquisite expressive nuance.

[listener]

SCHARWENKA  Piano Concerto #1, op. 32
   Earl Wild, Boston S.O., Leinsdorf
and Wild - solo piano: BALAKIREV: Reminiscences of Glinka's "Life for the Tsar", MEDTNER: Improvisation op. 31/1,  d'ALBERT: Scherzo op. 16/2
not the deepest stuff, but good for a morning wake-up.  The notes mention a Scharwenka opera, Mataswintha, having been performed at Weimar and at the Met in N.Y. (1907), this might be a pleasant listen.
d'ALBERT: Piano Concerto 2     REINECKE: Piano Concerto 1
  Michael Ponti,piano   Luxembourg Radio O..     Pierre Cao

FRANCK:  Piano Quintette in f     BRAHMS Sextette in G, op. 36  (for AGA(T)HE)
   Heifetz, Primrose, Piatigorsky, Pennario,  etc.
Dry, studio recordings, noticeable vibrato reminded me too much of choirs whose members were quite elderly...

[jlaurson]

I did too before I moved across the pond. Funnily enough I think I probably post at about the same times that I did before the move.

Some Australian Eloquence issues:



Should I confess that I bought this more for the Schmidt than the Bruckner?

No reason to by shy about it; it's definitely the better piece of the two. (And I love Bruckner.)

[Brahmsian]

Loose your doubts about the veracity of multi-channel sound ...

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
~ Micheal Tilson Thomas & San Francisco Synphony on SFS/BBC Blu-ray (See Amazon HERE)

There is no surround gimmickry here. The recording was made live before a Proms concert audience in 2007 in the Royal Albert Hall ... and you are there. The delivery medium is Dolby Digital TrueHD on Blu-ray.

Accompaning the music is synchronized video of the performance that features close ups of the conductor and orchestra members. This is extremely well done but I find it distracting. For one thing, while you see picture of a performer a few feet away, but the perspective of the music remains that of a good seat in the orchestra section, (and thank goodness for that). Also included separately is Tilson Thomas' excellent background on Shostakovich and the his Fifth Symphony which was composed in response to the pseudo-esthetic criticisms of the Soviet regime.

It so happens that Shostakovich's No. 5 is probably my favorite "fifth". Shostie's music here, as typical of him, is easily accessible modern classical, not terribly complex but with exquisite expressive nuance.

Keeping Score is a fantastic, on going serious Feanor! 

[Brahmsian]

Stravinsky

Agon

Los Angeles Festival Symphony Orchestra

Jeu de cartes

Cleveland Orchestra
Sony Classical

[karlhenning]

Stravinsky

Agon

Los Angeles Festival Symphony Orchestra

Jeu de cartes

Cleveland Orchestra
Sony Classical

Good on you, Ray, giving Agon a fresh go!

[Brahmsian]

Good on you, Ray, giving Agon a fresh go!

Hey Karl, the first time around, I didn't particularly like Agon.  Since then though, it has grown on me.

Agon is a very interesting, unique work!

Still enjoy the most of the ballets, and boy, especially the Apollo on the same disc!

[Conor71]

Shostakovich: Viola Sonata In C Major, Op. 147

[Brahmsian]

Brahms

13 Kanons for female chorus, Op.113

Chamber Choir of Europe
Nicol Matt, conductor

Brilliant Classics

[not edward]

I have a lot of time for these mostly quiet, inward-looking works.

[Brahmsian]

Stravinsky

Orpheus

Stravinsky
Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Sony Classical

[Daverz]

Lovely music in a mostly neo-Romantic or impressionist vein.  The Concertino and Suite Modale are both for flute and orchestra.

[greg]

Liszt: Nuages gris / Zimerman

I love this piano piece because it's really something unique. It doesn't try to be "great" by adopting a certain formula or doing certain things, but instead keeps it very short and simple, with maximum atmosphere. It's from another world!


(not to mention that i find this to be possibly the most creepiest and disconcerting piece ever written, despite all the Xenakis/Penderecki I've listened to)