What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[listener]

VERDI   Requiem
Schwarzkopf, Ludwig, Gedda, Ghiarov    SATB
Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus      Giulini, cond.
a beautiful recording.    I listened to the Atlanta S.O. with Shaw earlier, also very ood.
The bass drum on the Shaw produces a sound like a low organ pedal.

heard in advance of a live concert.    The recording has much better soloists.
Some observations from the concert:  4 bassoons, and they even have a solo quartet (all of 5 bars, near the start of the Libera me,  a quartet of extra trumpets in the auditorium for the Tuba mirum, a tenor tuba (or something like that) covered the ophecleide part.  Percussion is just two, timpani and bass drum who doubles on timpani in the Lux Aeterna.
The soloists could have used a contunuo for the unaccompanied parts...  a general reluctance to get down to a piano, much less anything quieter.  But lots of blood and thunder.  The Dies Irae is often used in early theatrical trailers when a the final score is incomplete so hearing it in its original context can disconcert.   

[Keemun]

Sibelius
Tapiola
Blomstedt
San Francisco Symphony

[karlhenning]

Practically another first listen:

Wuorinen
Archangel for bass trombone & string quartet (1977)
David Taylor, b tn
Benjamin Hudson, Carole Zeavin, vns
Louise Schulman, va
Fred Sherry, vc

[jlaurson]

L.v. Beethoven
Sonatas nos.15, 18, 21, 30
Wilhelm Backhaus
audite [live in Berlin, 1969]

Good. Remarkable. Unnecessary.

[Brian]

Opp 22 and 26 (Nos 11 and 12).

Dang it, my tail's still wagging! I think I need to intentionally listen to a bad CD to dampen my enthusiasm tonight. Or maybe listen to a recording jlaurson loves and keep up the high spirits so at least he won't think I'm an irrational hyperactive sillyhead. 

[Mirror Image]

...at least he won't think I'm an irrational hyperactive sillyhead. 

I think this is implied.

[jlaurson]

Opp 22 and 26 (Nos 11 and 12).

Dang it, my tail's still wagging! I think I need to intentionally listen to a bad CD to dampen my enthusiasm tonight. Or maybe listen to a recording jlaurson loves and keep up the high spirits so at least he won't think I'm an irrational hyperactive sillyhead. 

I hope Gilels in Beethoven is not the "bad CD" that you try to dampen your enthusiasm with. And as per your other point: Yes, only my tail is one I want to see wagging. What is folly in others be conviction with me. 

Symphonies 2 & 4


A. Dvorak
Symphonies & Overtures
LSO / W. Rowicki
Decca (ex-Philips)

[Brian]

I think this is implied.

Heh, well, how about tasteless instead of irrational. One can be a discerning sillyhead, after all.

Jens - no; that's the disc that inspired the "tail's still wagging!" line. What wonderful playing:  0:)

[Toonces]

Serenade No. 4 For Orchestra In D Major ("Colloredo"), K. 203 (K. 189b): IV. Allegro
performed by: Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra

I'm listening on my computer via pandora.com.  I end up buying more music after hearing it there, but at least I get to hear it first.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Nobre's Convergencias. What an awesome piece! Love the rhythms.

[Conor71]

Good morning all
Lalo: Cello Concerto
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto
Bruch: Kol Nidrei
Bloch: Schelomo

[Brian]

Any standouts?

Whose complete set do you like best?

George, just saw your reply to my Rach Op 32 No 12 marathon last night. It was well past midnight and I was tired, and really the primary thing my brain registered was, "This is such great music!" Which is undeniable.  0:)  When I finished with the Horowitz performance, I considered putting on Osborne and Szpilman (the other two recordings I had) but decided against it. Something about Horowitz' idiosyncratically slow approach (2:55), meditative maybe although that word gets used really fuzzily - something about it felt like a really satisfying closure to the mini-thon and to my day. 

The only totally complete cycles I've got are Rodriguez, Nebolsin, Osborne, and Keene, of which I prefer Keene but mostly because the others are flawed (Rodriguez can be too fast, Osborne too unemotional, Nebolsin too good-but-undistinctive).

Current listening: Beethoven Op 31 Nos 1-3. Emil Gilels!

[George]

Something about Horowitz' idiosyncratically slow approach (2:55), meditative maybe although that word gets used really fuzzily - something about it felt like a really satisfying closure to the mini-thon and to my day. 

Yes, I like what Horowitz does with that work. One of his finer moments IMO.

The only totally complete cycles I've got are Rodriguez, Nebolsin, Osborne, and Keene, of which I prefer Keene but mostly because the others are flawed (Rodriguez can be too fast, Osborne too unemotional, Nebolsin too good-but-undistinctive).

I really like the Ashkenazy set, which can be had for cheap in various reissues. The Regis CD with Richter playing a lot of the Preludes and Etudes is superb, but incomplete.

[Brian]

The Regis CD with Richter playing a lot of the Preludes and Etudes is superb, but incomplete.

Got that one.    Don't have the Ashkenazy; I've actually not yet found a piano (ie Sibelius excluded!) recording of his I've really liked (albeit small sample size: Chopin sonatas, the Beethoven concertos w/Solti, a couple Rachmaninov concertos w/Haitink). Oh, hang on, there's his Prokofiev First Concerto.

[Sid]

This is one of my favourite recordings. I love the drama of Christopher Plummer's narration, even if it is a tad mannered. As usual with Walton, you have this kind of quick witted astringency combined with a piquant Prokofiev-like orchestration. I can also hear a flash of Debussy's La Mer in the sea voyage scenes. He even quotes Canteloube to conjure an image of France. The use of the harpsichord takes us back to Elizabethan times. The most emotional scenes for me is when Walton uses the strings only - the death of Falstaff and "Touch her soft lips and part." I have loved this recording, ever since I borrowed it from my local library in the mid '90's, and now I own it & give it a spin now & then...

[Conor71]

VERDI   Requiem
Schwarzkopf, Ludwig, Gedda, Ghiarov    SATB
Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus      Giulini, cond.
a beautiful recording.    I listened to the Atlanta S.O. with Shaw earlier, also very ood.
The bass drum on the Shaw produces a sound like a low organ pedal.

heard in advance of a live concert.    The recording has much better soloists.
Some observations from the concert:  4 bassoons, and they even have a solo quartet (all of 5 bars, near the start of the Libera me,  a quartet of extra trumpets in the auditorium for the Tuba mirum, a tenor tuba (or something like that) covered the ophecleide part.  Percussion is just two, timpani and bass drum who doubles on timpani in the Lux Aeterna.
The soloists could have used a contunuo for the unaccompanied parts...  a general reluctance to get down to a piano, much less anything quieter.  But lots of blood and thunder.  The Dies Irae is often used in early theatrical trailers when a the final score is incomplete so hearing it in its original context can disconcert.   

Excellent! - think I will put on Verdi's Requiem too .

[SonicMan46]

Bach - Sacred Masterpieces & Cantatas w/ John Eliot Gardiner & friends - a limited edition 20 disc set at just a bargain price - have listened to only 1 CD today but will report back periodically - this set has been under discussion in the dedicated thread to these works; the CDs are in individual paper sleeves w/ a booklet that simply lists the works; there is a link to the DG website (password needed and provided) to download a 141 page PDF file of the words in 3 languages - not a problem for me - 

[Coopmv]

Bach - Sacred Masterpieces & Cantatas w/ John Eliot Gardiner & friends - a limited edition 20 disc set at just a bargain price - have listened to only 1 CD today but will report back periodically - this set has been under discussion in the dedicated thread to these works; the CDs are in individual paper sleeves w/ a booklet that simply lists the works; there is a link to the DG website (password needed and provided) to download a 141 page PDF file of the words in 3 languages - not a problem for me - 

Dave,  I bought this set probably a good 6 months ago but still have another 15 CD's to go ...   

[Coopmv]

Now finally playing this CD I picked up at the local Borders store a few weeks ago for a first listen ...

[listener]

HINDEMITH    Symphonic Metamphosis of themes by Weber
KODALY     "Galanta" Variations
Brno State Philharmonic Orch.    Jaroslav Vogel (Hindemith), Janos Ferencsik (Kodaly) cond.
The Kodaly seems to get longer every time I hear it, the Hindemith is almost naughty in its treatment of the Weber.    This Epic/Crossroads release is quite harsh, but bearable given the enthusiastic performances.  There are better ones.
KORNGOLD  Violin Concerto,  'Much Ado about Nothing' suite, Theme and Variations (on 'Lover Come Back to Me'??)
Ulf Hoelscher violin in the concerto
Stuttgart Radio Orchestra                          Willy Mattes, cond
Oh, this is a nice disc.  Phrasing and tempi are ideal, unforced but not lax,  performances that stay in the memory.
tonight's final vinyl:   William LAWES   Viol Consort Music    Setts in F, c, a, B^b
The Consort of Musicke