What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[kishnevi]

No, this is my first time back since late July.

Resurgens!


Welcome back.

[Mirror Image]

Ah. I am just back myself after, oh I don't know, a couple weeks.

Well, welcome back my friend. 

Now listening:

[asin]B000003FBY[/asin]

I love, love, love this recording! Superlative performances from all involved. Abbado is a master of Mussorgsky's music.

[Mirror Image]

Resurgens!


Welcome back.

Thanks, Jeffrey. It's good to be back. 

[Gold Knight]

On Spotify:

Einojuhani Rautavaara--Symphony No.7 {"Angel of Light"} and Symphony No.8 {"The Journey"}, both featuring Max Pommer leading the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

[Brahmsian]

Thanks, Ray. It's good to see you on here again as well. I've certainly missed your company.

Thanks John.  It's good to be back.  I've certainly missed GMG indeed!    Seems like many are coming back.  You, me, DavidW, and now MN Dave!

Let the flame wars and poll creations begin en masse! 

[kishnevi]

Thanks John.  It's good to be back.  I've certainly missed GMG indeed!    Seems like many are coming back.  You, me, DavidW, and now MN Dave!

Let the flame wars and poll creations begin en masse! 

Not to mention the purchases.   

[Mirror Image]

Thanks John.  It's good to be back.  I've certainly missed GMG indeed!    Seems like many are coming back.  You, me, DavidW, and now MN Dave!

Let the flame wars and poll creations begin en masse! 

DavidW is back? Excellent! Yes, let the flame wars and poll creations begin! I've even seen some recent posts by Scarpia. Now that I'm back, he'll probably leave now. 

[DavidRoss]

Very nice.

[asin]B006M51FJ2[/asin]

[classicalgeek]

No, this is my first time back since late July.

Welcome back, John!  I've especially missed your posts in the 'Purchases' thread!

Thread duty:
[asin]B0000262OH[/asin]
Bohuslav Martinu
Piano concerto no. 5
Emil Leichner, piano
Jiri Belohlavek; Czech Philharmonic

Typical Martinu - which is to say, delightful in every way!

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 3. One of the best performances of this critically acclaimed masterpiece.

[Mirror Image]

Welcome back, John!  I've especially missed your posts in the 'Purchases' thread!

Thread duty:
[asin]B0000262OH[/asin]
Bohuslav Martinu
Piano concerto no. 5
Emil Leichner, piano
Jiri Belohlavek; Czech Philharmonic

Typical Martinu - which is to say, delightful in every way!

Thanks, it feels good to be given such a warm reception. I actually haven't bought much anything over the past month, which is a good thing for me as I have way too much already. There are a few classical releases that have caught my attention that I'm keeping my eye on though (i. e. a new Villa-Lobos symphony cycle on Naxos!!!!). Anyway, that's a great Martinu set there. Love his PCs.

[Lilas Pastia]

Neither positive nor negative. I'm glad to have heard it, glad I own it, but the performance and interpretation didn't arouse much feeling unfortunately. A straightforward, middle-of-the-road kind of Bruckner Eighth which I can't fault but can't get excited about either. Living with this symphony, as I have, for forty years, and knowing it so well in multiple versions (26 and counting), I'm at the point where I want a conductor and/or recording sound that makes me hear it again with fresh ears. In recent years Schuricht has done that, Paita has done that, Maazel's live performance with Kubelik's orchestra has done that.

All of the above    I want to hear this awesome symphony in as many permutations as possible. My favorites are all over the interpretive map: Szell, Boulez, Maazel (both in Berlin and Bavaria), Paita, Schuricht, Celibidache.

Sarge

Jumping 3 pages of posts to answer yours: Thanks for your reply and your list of favourites. It does give me an idea of what may fire the Rock . If you have the opportunity, try the VSO Prêtre version. I *think* it combines  the best attributes of the versions you like. If a combination of Szell and Païta could be imagined, it would come close to this. I just listened to it again tonight and found out my initial impression was entirely confirmed. It has gone up in the top five in my collection.

[Sadko]

Bernstein/Achatz

Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story" (piano arrangement)
Fancy Free (piano arrangement)
Touches - Chorale, Eight Variations and Coda

Dag Achatz (piano)



A very nice discovery!

[Gold Knight]

On Spotify:

Carl Nielsen--Symphony No.3, Op.27 {"Sinfonia Espansiva"}, Symphony No.4, Op.29 {"The Inextinguishable"} and Symphony No.5, Op.50, all featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra led by Osmo Vanska.

[Mirror Image]

Now:

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Listening to Symphony No. 5. Pure magic. Man, I've missed this music so much.

[Mirror Image]

Now:

[asin]B000BK53DI[/asin]

Listening to Bachainas Brasileiras No. 7 which is quite possibly my favorite of the entire cycle. Gorgeous music with a whiff of exotic potpourri.

[Que]

These are intimate settings of mainly liturgical texts celebrating the Virgin Mary.
The programme consists of 18 petits motets, that is to say pieces without orchestra and requiring only a small ensemble of voices.
The music, hitherto largely if not entirely unrecorded on disc, is sung with ingenuous fervour

[Gramophone]

Q

[listener]

a disc of Russian music for one and two pianos:
for 2: SCRIABIN: Fantasy SHOSTAKOVICH: Concertino    RACHMANINOFF: Italian Polka
BORODIN: Prince Igor - Polovetsian Dances transcr,
solo:  SCRIABIN  Sonata 4 in F#  GLINKA: Variatons   SHOSTAKOVICH 3 Fantastic Dances 
STRAVINSKY  3 Movements from Petrouchka
Hans-Helmut Schwarz   with  Edith Henrici

[North Star]

Busoni
Fantasia Contrappuntistica
Elegies
Sandro Ivo Bartoli
[asin]B004Z34MRU[/asin]


Earlier:

Schubert
Symphonies nos. 8 & 9
Mackerras & OAE
[asin]B00004TQQV[/asin]

Prokofiev
Symphony No. 3
Ozawa & BPO
[asin]B00004SA89[/asin]

[Lisztianwagner]

That's a great recording, Ilaria. Egdon Heath is reportedly Holst's favorite work of his own. I can understand why.

Yes, he always considered it much better than The Planets; although I personally prefer the second one, I completely agree Egdon Heath is a wonderful work.

Glad to see you here again, John, welcome back!