What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Bogey]

So we DO have something in common: the Telemann/Holliger disc...nice

Cool.  And the Holliger listening continues.....

[Choo Choo]

Ending up a day of (mostly) choral music, with this:



Mainly Henze, some Dallapiccola, Schuman, & others.

[George]

Michelangeli Chopin Recital

Yours for $1.38

Nice Excellent performance, poor sound   

[Kullervo]

It's not fashionable to say that, but in this instance it's true. I heard it in concert and once is enough. Honestly the material is not memorable enough to withstand the size of the piece. Some judicious pruning might have helped. Better Dutilleux' conciseness than Messiaen's overwrought music machines.

Yes, but what did I ever care about being fashionable? 
As much as I love Messiaen's greatest work, his later stuff gives the impression that he ran out of ideas.

[wintersway]

Wintersway, please give us details on that Jean Barrière disc. Who is he? How's the music?

Lilas this about sums it up. I find it to be immensely enjoyable!
http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=8792

NP:

[sidoze]

on something of a Bruckner binge lately. Following Asahina's grand and spacious 5th Sym with the CSO, followed it up with his 8th Sym / NHK / 97 and before sleeping tonight will listen to Jochum's B9 with the Munich Phil, live Jan '87. Should be fascinating to compare this to his earlier B9s if his late performance of the B7 is anything to go by.

[beclemund]

A fascinating and terribly frightening set. I have already managed to scare my wife and my dog out of the room with it (particularly at the start of the 2nd). Very stunning sound when the chorus enters the first movement. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but a very interesting symphony (my wife called it "evil"). Kilanowicz and Dobber have gorgeous voices. I definitely intend to try his 3rd.

[Kullervo]

Trout Quintet (Amadeus QT)

as if anyone cares...

[Que]

Good morning to all (afternoon/night).


Johann Sebastian Bach:
Cantata "Auf, schmetternde Töne," BWV 207a
Cantata "Schleicht, spielende Wellen," BWV 206
Christoph Prégardien, Cologne Concerto, Michael Chance, Peter Kooy, Ruth Ziesak
Conducted by Frieder Bernius

Q

[Joan]

Trout Quintet (Amadeus QT)

as if anyone cares...

I care! Actually, that's one of those essential works that I don't own, so now I'm reminded I need to fill that gap. Would you recommend the Amadeus QT as a purchase?

A fascinating and terribly frightening set. I have already managed to scare my wife and my dog out of the room with it (particularly at the start of the 2nd). Very stunning sound when the chorus enters the first movement. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but a very interesting symphony (my wife called it "evil"). Kilanowicz and Dobber have gorgeous voices. I definitely intend to try his 3rd.

Interesting artwork on that CD. Does it list the artist's name?

[AnthonyAthletic]

A fascinating and terribly frightening set. I have already managed to scare my wife and my dog out of the room with it (particularly at the start of the 2nd). Very stunning sound when the chorus enters the first movement. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but a very interesting symphony (my wife called it "evil"). Kilanowicz and Dobber have gorgeous voices. I definitely intend to try his 3rd.

There's a whole new world of difference between the 2nd & 3rd symphonies.  The 2nd symphony is very modernly brutal (in a good way of course), the 3rd is just full of long lines of repetative music with vocal in the 2/3 movements.

Stick with Naxos for the 3rd too, IMO after hearing six recordings the Naxos recording is the one I still return to the most. 

Your Wife and Dog will re-enter the room when you play the third, don't worry 

[Christo]

Thank you my friend, I will order it, and hope the soprano doesn't kill me!

Don't worry, dear Harry: no screaming, bloodthirsty, self-centered or otherwise lusty sopranos to be heard within miles. Just a meditative, contemplative voice, responding to the chorus and joining them afterwards. It's all rather impressive -more than I expected. It you start digging your local CD selling plaggenhut - the paper case looks like this:
                       

[Que]

Q

[val]

Good morning

FALLA:  El Amor Bruxo

Freitas Branco, Rivadeneira, Madrid Orchestra

Ansermet, Gabarain, OSR

Hoffelé in his remarkable book about Falla considers the version of Freitas Branco one of the greatest recordings ever made of a Falla's work. In fact, it has a discipline and perfection of articulation that reminds Toscanini, but has also a deep eloquence, powerful, incandescent. The Orchestra of Madrid is just acceptable but Rivadeneira with her strange voice, harsh, very dark, is as impressive as Berganza in Garcia Navarro version.

Ansermet gives a splendid orchestral version, but it seems artificial, with no magic, when compared to Freitas Branco or Garcia Navarro. The mezzo, Maria de Gabarain is vulgar.

[rubio]

Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 and 9 by Rozhdestvensky/USSR Ministry of Culture SO. Splendid performances. The 9th I prefer to the Barshai as it is more exciting (which this work needs IMO). For the 1st I like both Barsahi and Rozhdestvensky a lot here for different reasons. Surprisingly good sound.

[Harry]

Don't worry, dear Harry: no screaming, bloodthirsty, self-centered or otherwise lusty sopranos to be heard within miles. Just a meditative, contemplative voice, responding to the chorus and joining them afterwards. It's all rather impressive -more than I expected. It you start digging your local CD selling plaggenhut - the paper case looks like this:
                       

Thank you my friend, I will purchase it today!

[rubio]

Shostakovich Symphony No. 6 by Rozhdestvensky/USSR Ministry of Culture SO.

[johnQpublic]

Wagner - Overture & Bacchanale from "Tannhauser" (Karajan/DG)
Mendelssohn - Concerto for Piano & Strings in a (Brautigam/BIS)
Meyerbeer - Torch Dance #2 (Jurowski/cpo)

[rubio]

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 by Mravinsky/Leningrad PO. This interpretation is darker and more heart-on-sleeve than Rozhdestvensky. The sound is not as good, but still OK. Rozhdestvensky is still my prefered choice for this symphony.

The CD also included Songs of the Forest and I liked these ones a lot. Has they been recorded by some major conductors except for Mravinsky?

[RebLem]

 have not posted in over a week because my computer got infected when I approved a cookie I shouldn't have, during a session @ CMG, btw; the person has since been deleted, I see. But, my puter was so out of control that I uninstalled my McAfee and tried to re-download from the Comcast site. I had problems doing that, but finally managed to do so today, Saturday, June 30, in the early morning hours, so I am back. Anyway, this is a post which, in the normal course of events, I would have posted almost a week ago.

In the week ending Saturday, 23 JUNE 2007, I listened to the following:

1. 10/10 Bach, J.S.: Cantatas 106, 107, 108--Rilling, cond. usual suspects--hanssler CD, Vol. 34 of CBE.

2. 10/10 Haydn: Syms 57, 58, 59 "Fire," 60 "Il distratto," 61. 62--Dorati, cond. Philharmonia Hungarica--CDs 16 & 17 of 33 CD London complete set of the Haydn Syms.

3. 10/10 Franck, Cesar: Prelude, fuge, & variation, Op 18 (orig for organ, transcribed for piano by Franck) (10:39) |Prelude, chorale, & fuge (20:33) |Piano Quintet in F Minor (38:59)--Alice Ader, piano, in all pieces, and Ensemble Ader in Quintet--Fuga Libera CD, rec 2002. Fine, thoughtful performances.

4. 9/10 Mahler: Sym 2 "Resurrection" (80:36)--Boulez, cond. Wiener Phil & Singverein, Christine Schaefer, soprano, Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano--DG CD, rec 6/2005. Until about the last 15 minutes, this is a rather routine, lackluster performance, it seems to me. Even the last 15 minutes, though very good, is no match for Segerstam, Kubelik, Bernstein (the 2 Sony recordings) or Klemperer in this work. The solosits are excellent, but this performances are for Boulez specialists, Mahler completists, or fans of the two soloists.

5. 10/10 Mahler: Sym 9 (79:16)--Bruno Maderna, cond. BBC Sym Orch. 1971--BBC Legends CD. This is one of the great recordings of this work, esp in the outer movements. If the last couple minutes lack the last ounce of pathos some conductors elicit here, it is made up for by innumerable felicities of phrasing in other sections of the movement. One of the 3 or 4 best recordings of this work, along with the classic 1938 Walter recording, Giulini/CSO. Solti/CSO (one of the better performances in his set). Highly Recommended.

6. 10/10 Scott, Cyril: 7 solo paino works (79:27)--Dennis Hennig, piano--ABC Eloquence CD. Scott was something of an impressionist; his piano works remind me in style of the solo piano works of Arnold Bax, but considerably more subltle and sophisticated, it seems to me. Recommended.

7. 10/10 Ives, Charles: Concord Sonata (57:17) |Varied Air & Variations (7:33) |The Celestial Railroad (9:24) |Transcriptions from "Emerson," one of the movements of the Concord Sonata (4:55)--the last two works are reworkings, alternative versions of some of the material in the Concord Sonata--Steven Mayer, piano; Kerry Shale, Reader--Naxos CD. The major work here, obviously, is the Concord Sonata, which, in this version, has 8 tracks. Each piece of music (4 tracks) is preceded by a reading from or about the author(s) depicted, who are Emerson, Hawthorne, the Alcotts, and Thoreau. I found the Alcott section here especially affecting. Recommended.
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