What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Gold Knight]

Dmitri Shostakovich--Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47, performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitnik.
Dmitri Shostakovich--Symphony No.9 in E-Flat major, Op.70, again featuring Bernard Haitnik, this time leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

[listener]

American orchestral music of the 1930's
MASON  Chanticleer Festival Overture      PORTER Dance in Three-Time    HADLEY  Scherzo Diabolique
CARPENTER  Sea-Drift   (with the 12 and 5 bar cuts)
Albany Symphony Orch.,     Julius Hegyi cond.
[asin]B0000030D7[/asin]
BERLIOZ   Requiem
Richard Lewis, tenor    Royal Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra
Beecham conducting.
Live performance (like this past Sunday's) in the Royal Albert Hall
timing 78:16, fits on one CD

[Lilas Pastia]

From the RCA collection of stereo Stokowski records, the Brahms 4th symphony (just finished) completed, so to speak, by the Mahler 2nd (under way). Movement I follows the Brahms and the rest of the symphony is on another disc.

These two recordings were taped in London in the summer of 1974. The 92-year old conductor gives the Brahms a hell of a ride. Clocking in under 38 minutes, it's a dynamic, searing account of the score. It may well be my favourite symphony!  I don't own a whole lot of recordings, but I love the piece to death and will react very  critically when I hear it musically mistreated or simply played without 100% passion and commitment. Stokowski amd the New Philharmonia Orchestra are not found wanting. There is a sense of urgency throughout, so much so that at times (coda of I for example) the reading seems on the verge of skidding off rails. But it's all of a piece, part and parcel of a beautiful reading, totally attentive to the moods of the paragraphs, the colour of the phrases, and the always important forward flow of the musical argument. Woe to the conductor who conducts a slow, bar-by-bar 4th. It may reveal beautiful moments, but in the end it's likely to cause the work to fall apart somewhere in the Andante, never to recover. This is a surging, impassioned, almost impatient interpretation. Very good sound, and the orchestra is glorious (winds, low strings in particular).

The first movement of Mahler 2 is almost over. So far, wow! Full report in the Mahler Mania thread.

[TheGSMoeller]

Yes, but half-full of what? 

Paul has convinced me that it's time to drag out The Nash Ensemble's Elgar Piano Quintet (long time no hear)!

[asin]B000TF3TRM[/asin]

Oh, yeah -- I'd forgotten how good this is. Thanks, Paul!

I agree, David and Paul, the opening of the PQ is so wonderful.

[TheGSMoeller]

And for my 3000th post I will reveal the true meaning of life, share steamy half-naked pictures of Olivia Wilde, and give all the insider trading information I have....oh damn, 3001, I just missed it, oh well, now you'll just have to wait until my 4000th...

Now listening to...

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Berg, Lyric Suite for string quartet. Arditti quartet. "Lyric" or not there's no describing that last movement, marked 'largo desolato'. It certainly lives up to its name!




[asin]B00004WKJ2[/asin]

[TheGSMoeller]

Now listening to...

Dud.

[Bogey]

Dud.

Gotta have Montreal to make the magic happen.

[TheGSMoeller]

Gotta have Montreal to make the magic happen.

Possibly, but my main issue is with the tempo during the coda of the finale, no emotion put towards it, just zips on through.

This does make me want to pull out Dutoit/Montreal's Bartok recordings for a listen(Ct. for Orchestra, Miraculous Mandarin), some incredible playing on those two.

[Bogey]

Possibly, but my main issue is with the tempo during the coda of the finale, no emotion put towards it, just zips on through.

This does make me want to pull out Dutoit/Montreal's Bartok recordings for a listen(Ct. for Orchestra, Miraculous Mandarin), some incredible playing on those two.

It may just be my favorite tandem.  Hogwood and the "usual suspects" would be right there with them.

[bhodges]

Tonight, an annual dinner get-together with some old friends who bring some of their favorite recordings - we catch up and share back and forth. (My contributions were the Schubert, Stravinsky and Liszt.)

Schubert: Songs (Matthias Goerne / Andreas Haefliger)
Stravinsky: Suite from Le baiser de la fée (Rozhdestvensky / Concertgebouw Orchestra, live recording 1997)
Berlioz: Ride to the Abyss and Finale from The Damnation of Faust (Munch / Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Koechlin: "Chanson de nuit dans la jungle" from The Jungle Book (Iris Vermillion / Steuart Bedford / Montpellier)
Corigliano: Gazebo Dances, for piano four hands (Arianna Goldina / Remy Loumbrozo, piano)
Corigliano: Kaleidoscope, for two pianos (same)
Liszt: Paraphrase of Verdi's Rigoletto (Jerome Lowenthal, piano, live recording 1981)

And now listening to:

Brahms: Tragic Overture (Harnoncourt / Concertgebouw, live recording 1995)
Schumann: Fantasie in C Major for Violin and Orchestra (Thomas Zehetmair / Harnoncourt / Concertgebouw, live recording 1995)
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 (Gardiner / Concertgebouw, live recording 1996)

--Bruce

[listener]

PISTON  the Incredible Flutist (Suite)
Suite for Orchestra     Fantasy for English Horn, Harp & Strings
Concerto for String Quartet, Winds & Percussion     Psalm and Prayer of David
Juilliard Quartet      Seattle Symphony       Gerard Schwarz cond.
BARTOK   and LUTOSLAWSKI      Concertos for Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orch.    BBC National Orch of Wales
Tadaaki Otaka,    Witold Lutoslawski cond.  (respectively)

[Gold Knight]

On Spotify:

Dmitri Shostakovich--Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47 and Symphony No.9 in E-Flat Major, Op.70, both performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko.
Carl Nielsen--Symphony No.1 in G Minor, Op.7 and Symphony No.2, Op.16 {"The Four Temperaments"}, both featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.

[Conor71]

Bach: Art Of Fugue, BWV 1080


Just recieved this new recording today and playing it for the first time - Gould's approach is certainly a lot different to my other versions of AOF. I have to admit I laughed a bit at the opening of Contrapunctus 1, its pretty comical stuff 

[North Star]

Saint-Saëns
Samson & Dalila
Colin Davis, Cura & Borodina
[asin]B00000DGWS[/asin]

[Lisztianwagner]

Claude Debussy
Printemps

[asin]B000BUEGEU[/asin]

[Brahmsian]

Saint-Saens

Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44
Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103

Stephen Hough, piano

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo, conductor

Hyperion

[asin]B00005NUPA[/asin]

Definitely a highly ranked favourite in my entire collection.  I am not all that much into Saint-Saens' music in general, HOWEVER, his Piano Concerti is a HUGE exception.  They are amazing works!

[Karl Henning]

Could be an all-Hindemith day.

[TheGSMoeller]

I'm not familiar with this ensemble, but they perform with a lot of passion, closely recorded for an intimate atmosphere. A very good disc.

[jwinter]

Continuing my Brahms-fest with selections from:

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