What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Karl Henning]

Cheers, Ray!

[Papy Oli]

Good afternoon all 

My Solti/Wagner boxset has landed from Presto this morning. Had a listen to the overture and the 1st track of Der Fliegende Holländer during my lunchbreak. That was an intense lunchbreak 

[Sergeant Rock]

Happy Friday, all!

Bruckner
Symphony № 8 in c minor
Cologne Radio Symphony
Günter Wand

Morning, Karl. That's some heavy listening so early in the day!

Me, listening to Copland Dance Symphony, the composer conducting the LSO




Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Good afternoon all 

My Solti/Wagner boxset has landed from Presto this morning. Had a listen to the overture and the 1st track of Der Fliegende Holländer during my lunchbreak. That was an intense lunchbreak 

And Wagner didn't give you indigestion? Excellent! You have the makings of becoming a first class Wagnerite 

Sarge

[Papy Oli]

And Wagner didn't give you indigestion? Excellent! You have the makings of becoming a first class Wagnerite 
Sarge

no, no... the overture was err.. fun... air-batonning and all that !! 

It was a shame it was a bit too nippy today otherwise I would have opened my car windows and force the people on the car park to enjoy it too 

That boxset is a wee bit daunting for sure but i'll try and upload the libretti from the CD-rom onto my tablet, and take it by small chunks at a time with the full attention this deserves. 

[Sergeant Rock]

no, no... the overture was err.. fun... air-batonning and all that !! 

It was a shame it was a bit too nippy today otherwise I would have opened my car windows and force the people on the car park to enjoy it too 

That boxset is a wee bit daunting for sure but i'll try and upload the libretti from the CD-rom onto my tablet, and take it by small chunks at a time with the full attention this deserves. 

Yeah, even one Wagnerian drama can be daunting let alone the massive amount of music in that box. I think too it's best for the neophyte to listen to one act, or even one scene at a time. Give it plenty of time to digest 

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Copland Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, E. Power Biggs, organ, Bernstein conducting the New York Phil





Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Bakels is good in the 2nd too - I find Hickox's uncut version a bit ... in need of editing 

Ralph thought so too    And I suppose for the sake of symphonic argument, he was right.

Still, I abhor the surgery. Too much beautiful VW lost in the process.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

There's perhaps a trend of preferring Boult I over Boult II, though, no?

Opinion is divided of course (of course!) but I think most critics lean towards the Decca. I do now (after resisting nearly 40 years). The readings are tauter, more dramatic. You do lose some of the beauty and lushness of the later recordings (he was less cowpat in the fifties). I need both but at least one Boult cycle is mandatory for any serious VW collection.

Sarge

[PaulR]

Hoy, Paul! By the too-easy filtration of Are those the people who "ought" to be performing that piece?!!, that recording looks "all wrong" ; )

So I am interested in your report.

I am impressed with the recording.  I should listen to the other ones I have of either concerto with Rostropovich as the cellist and the Schiff/M. Shostakovich recording for comparison.  In regards to this recording, in the first movement of the first Dindo has a different phrasing of what I think is the 2nd theme (Unfortunately I don't have a score of this).  Looking at Wikipedia, it shows it in 3/2, after the bar of half-two quarters-half, Dindo places an accent (either missing in the other recordings, or heavier here) on the following bar.  It was a bit off-putting at first, but after another listening I like it.

For the second concerto, Dindo and Noseda created an appropriate atmosphere to the first movement.  They took good tempi for the piece and the small slides Dindo made fit with the piece.  The buildup to the climax in the third movement was fantastic.

In terms of sound quality, it is probably the best recording (to my ears) in just terms of sound quality.  Balance was perfect, I could hear instruments like the bass clarinet perfectly.  In the two discs I have, Noseda is a fine Shostakovich conductor.

[PaulR]

Thread duty:
[asin]B0044ZQ8QC[/asin]
Concerto Grosso #2

[mc ukrneal]

Opinion is divided of course (of course!) but I think most critics lean towards the Decca. I do now (after resisting nearly 40 years). The readings are tauter, more dramatic. You do lose some of the beauty and lushness of the later recordings (he was less cowpat in the fifties). I need both but at least one Boult cycle is mandatory for any serious VW collection.

Sarge

Ugh. You mean I have to buy another!?!? You are cruel to my wallet Sarge (I am expecting a revolt any day now too)... 

[Lisztianwagner]

Hector Berlioz
Symphonie Fantastique

[asin]B000001GCI[/asin]

[PaulR]

.[asin]B00000INXW[/asin]

[Karl Henning]

LvB
Symphony № 7 in A, Op.92
CSO
Giulini

[Karl Henning]

I am impressed with the recording.  I should listen to the other ones I have of either concerto with Rostropovich as the cellist and the Schiff/M. Shostakovich recording for comparison.  In regards to this recording, in the first movement of the first Dindo has a different phrasing of what I think is the 2nd theme (Unfortunately I don't have a score of this).  Looking at Wikipedia, it shows it in 3/2, after the bar of half-two quarters-half, Dindo places an accent (either missing in the other recordings, or heavier here) on the following bar.  It was a bit off-putting at first, but after another listening I like it.

For the second concerto, Dindo and Noseda created an appropriate atmosphere to the first movement.  They took good tempi for the piece and the small slides Dindo made fit with the piece.  The buildup to the climax in the third movement was fantastic.

In terms of sound quality, it is probably the best recording (to my ears) in just terms of sound quality.  Balance was perfect, I could hear instruments like the bass clarinet perfectly.  In the two discs I have, Noseda is a fine Shostakovich conductor.

Thanks! And I've got a Noseda/Shostakovich disc as well, and agree that he does very fine work.

[DavidRoss]

After enjoying "Sea Drift" and other choral works by Delius yesterday, I thought I'd give some of his orchestral music a go today.



One or two pieces heard in a doctor's waiting room would be pleasant enough, but more soon became irritating. 

http://www.youtube.com/v/_VZxE6pW_to

Doh! Could have heard some Bach! 

[jlaurson]

Late last night, the last act of this:


Ricky Wagner
Die Walküre
V.Gergiev / Mariinsky /
A.Kampe, J.Kaufmann, R.Pape, N.Stemme
Mariinsky Live SACDs
German link - UK link

This morning this splendid new recording (disc 2):


Arcangelo Corelli
12 Violin Sonatas Op.5
The Avison Ensemble
Linn SACDs
German link - UK link

And now, fresh from what the cat dragged in:


C. Nielsen
Symphonies 2 & 3
Sir Colin Davis / LSO Live
LSO Live SACD
German link - UK link

Despite the whirring cover picture, the wheels in the 2nd Symphony so far are turning rather slow. Very stately indeed.

[Karl Henning]

First-Listen Fridays!

"Wolferl"
Symphony № 31 in D, K.297 « Paris »
Concertgebouworkest
Harnoncourt

[Sergeant Rock]

Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Norrington conducting the LCP




Sarge