What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD1 - mainly works of Rachmaninoff from this set, which arrived 2 days ago for a first listen ...

[PaulSC]

R. STRAUSS   Tanzsuite  after F Couperin
                    Divertimento op. 86  also after F. Couperin
Tokyo Metropolitan S.O.       Hiroshi Wakasugi, cond.
unexpectedly delicate transcriptions/arrangements

I had never heard of these and am now curious to hear them. They seem to have been composed at the height of WWII -- how odd that Strauss would set about reworking music of the French baroque!

[Brian]

Can't quite believe this, but I just listened to Shaquille O'Neal conducting.

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD8 - Bach Inventions and Sinfonias performed by Gustav Leonhardt from this set for a first listen ...

[Conor71]

Good morning - some Haydn quartets to start the day .
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33

[Sid]

I have been listening to Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony repeatedly (can't get enough of it, it seems) & hearing more each time I listen. This morning I have been listening to that as well as one of his Psalms & Janacek:

Zemlinsky: Psalm 13
Cologne Philh./Dusseldorf Choir/Conlon
EMI

Janacek: Glagolitic Mass
Soloists/Orch. & Choir of Bavarian Radio/Kubelik
DGG

What these two very different choral works have in common is that they are totally wedded to the contexts in which they were written. Janacek's mass was written at the time Czechoslovakia became independent after the first world war. It is full of optimism and passion for the homeland. It is basically an expression of national pride set to words and music. In contrast, the Zemlinsky psalm was written in Europe's darkest days in the mid 1930's, just after the Nazis had taken over in Germany. This is a thinly veiled protest against oppression, and quite dark, although the ending seems to suggest hope and triumph against all odds. A big thing that these two masterworks have in common is that they are powerful expressions of humanity by two composers at the top of their game...

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD4 from this set for a first listen ...

[jlaurson]

Onslow Onslaught


G. Onslow (1784-1853)
Works for Piano Four Hands
Liu Xiao Ming / Horst Goebel
Signum

earlier today:


G. Onslow (1784-1853)
String Quartets v.2
Mandelring Quartett
cpo

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD11 from this set for a first listen ...

[DavidRoss]

Coincidently, earlier I was listening to Brautigam playing the Pathétique, but the guy is like a maniac playing this music. So I needed a detoxification:


... terrible, but coldly calculated.

Just saw this and thought I'd give it another shot.  Ouch.  "Coldly calculated" is right.  Rhythmically dead and much too thought out--lacks life, charm, and spontaneity.  And the sound of her piano is ugly, tinny.  Played Goode to clear my palate and then Kovacevich's sensual recording.

[Gurn Blanston]

Just saw this and thought I'd give it another shot.  Ouch.  "Coldly calculated" is right.  Rhythmically dead and much too thought out--lacks life, charm, and spontaneity.  And the sound of her piano is ugly, tinny.  Played Goode to clear my palate and then Kovacevich's sensual recording.

Really, I love the byplay that comes from evaluating Annie Fischer's contribution to the Beethoven recorded legacy. A lot of people have opinions, many of them are people whose opinions I respect and am interested in, and yet they are so wildly differing that one scarcely knows what to make of it. As it happens, I have Annie too. I like all of my pianoforte versions better, just because that's what I like. But of my modern piano versions, she falls more or less in the middle. So I can fairly say that I don't have a strong opinion either way. Guess I'm the only one.   



Thread duty:

The Borodin Quartet - Beethoven Op 127 in Eb. Unlike a poster who commented these to me the other day, I don't find the Borodin's to be over the hill, so to speak. Intonation is perfect, tempos are well judged, they play like an 8 armed man. I have been very pleased with this set so far. 0:)

[Brahmsian]

When I "cracked" the Bruckner Seventh and came to really love it, the key to my success was listening to the slow movement by itself first - since its beauty was the most obvious, its structure the most crystal-clear, and its climax absolutely shattering. I've decided that this approach might help me digest the other Bruckner symphonies, too, especially since on first listen the adagio of No 8 was absolutely heart-stopping.

So this afternoon, for a second and third listen...
Bruckner 8 - Adagio - Staatskapelle Dresden, Eugen Jochum

Ahhh yes Brian!  Try the sumptuous Adagio of Bruckner's 5th Symphony, from that same set.  The 9th is also great on this set.

[Daverz]

Benjamin Lees: String Quartet No. 5.  These are excellent "contemporary" neo-Classical string quartets, and the recording here as an ideal blend of presence and ambiance.

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD2 or M2 from this set for a first listen ...

[PaulSC]

Really, I love the byplay that comes from evaluating Annie Fischer's contribution to the Beethoven recorded legacy.
[snip]
As it happens, I have Annie too. I like all of my pianoforte versions better, just because that's what I like. But of my modern piano versions, she falls more or less in the middle.

Gurn, do you mean "fortepiano" above?

[Mirror Image]

Can't quite believe this, but I just listened to Shaquille O'Neal conducting.

Probably one of the most moronic things I've seen all year, thanks for the good laugh.

[Mirror Image]

Bax - Northern Ballad No.2 & 3
Delius - North Country Sketches

Two wonderful recordings right there. Hickox is a natural in Delius' music and Spring Fire is one of my favorite Bax works.

[Mirror Image]

Now:





It's been years since I heard this recording. Still a great recording.

[Daverz]

Weinberg: String Quartet No. 13.

I'm starting to become somewhat disenchanted with the Danel's Weinberg cycle.  The sound is dry and lacks presence, which is unhelpful in this music.  And the Danel Quartet's tone itself seems infelicitous.



Here's one that hasn't gotten a spin in a long time: Lalo Schifrin's Piano Trio "Hommage á Ravel".

[springrite]

Two wonderful recordings right there. Hickox is a natural in Delius' music and Spring Fire is one of my favorite Bax works.

Glad I am not the only one who loves Spring Fire!

Almost 20 years ago, Richard Capman at KUSC had a Friday afternoon program called TGIF. It is two hours featuring the letter F. One program was my suggestion, which is FIRE. And the first work I suggested (that is NOT The Firebird) was the BAX. But he did not play the one I suggested, thought TGI Fire was programed.


Now listening: Shostakovich and Prokofiev Violin Concertos #1 (Vengerov, Rostropovich)