What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Harry]

Doomsday prophets, Karl.

Good morning! It's Vivalditime, but smooth! Autumn:

That was the first recording I bought, secondhand, and I found it marvelous. Today I favour others, this being a highly romantic approach, with very slow tempi. But in those days it was the best to be had, or so I thought.

[wintersway]

Good morning/day to all!

[Valentino]

This Vivaldi disc one of the first classical LPs I bought, Harry. Haven't heard it for years, but It's nice to pick up after some years of listening to Biondi et al.

Dvorak: Slavonic Dances op. 46 and 72, and the Carnival Overture. Cleveland/Szell, on a double LP I picked up the oher day. Vivid, prescise recording and interpretation. Maybe preferrable to the Gewandhausorch. Leipzig/Masur-recording I have from before. This music is very entertaining.

[DavidW]

Awesome choice Harry.

For me I listened to some Schubert Masses conducted by Weil, and Mahler's 6th conducted by Gielen, and then last night Mendelssohn's Motets.  Today I would like to listen to Le Nozze Di Figaro, I have the Giulini recording.

[Lethevich]

Paganini - Violin concerto no.1; La Campanella; Caprices [selection] (Markov, live)

This guy sounds phenomonal.

Bruckner 7 (BPO/Celibidache).
As long as the spell is working, I can marvel at the beautiful sound on display here. But eventually it breaks and I become so frustrated with the slow tempi (86 minutes for the whole symphony) and one-dimensional interpretation that I end up wanting to chew my own legs off. Or something.

Ditto With Celi in Bruckner I tend to find the first movement reasonable or even enjoyable, and the sheer sound he creates is impressive, but halfway through the adagio it tends to become insufferable No rough edges makes Bruckner so deadly dull. Broadcasts I've heard of Thielemann in the 7th and 8th were similar in effect.

[Harry]

Joseph Haydn.

Complete Masses.

Volume VIII.

Missa in Honorem BVM, in E flat major.
Grosse Orgelmesse.

Missa Cellensis, No. 2 in C major.
Mariazeller Messe.

Susan Gritton, Soprano.
Louise Winter, Mezzo.
Mark Padmore, Tenor.
Stephen Varcoe, Bass.
Ian Watson, Organ.
Collegium Musicum 90/Richard Hickox.

As with the whole series, I am partly satisfied, and that is not enough, because in the long term I get grumpy about that. Most of all the Soprano's are bothering me, then the too loud choir, and the fact that they are screaming the notes out, the females that is. The tempi are to fast, and the recordings are below the level of Chandos excellence in this. The fine points for me are that I found out that Haydn's Masses is great music. And also the fact that the male solo singers are a joy to hear throughout all the 8 volumes. So as said, I ordered yesterday the Bruno Weill recordings, with a boy's choir, and a soprano that has disappointed me in the past, but since Que is insistent on this, I bought it anyway.

[Harry]

Finnish Music for Strings.

Rautavaara, Hommage a Zoltan Kodaly.
Sallinen, Some aspects of Peltoniemi Hintrik's Funeral March.
Nordgren, Concerto for Strings, opus 24.
Sibelius, The Lover, opus 14.

The Helsinki Strings/Csaba & Geza Szilvay.

This Ensemble is well trained to deliver powerful renditions of the above composers, starting with Rautavaara's Hommage, which is quite a explosive composition. All the tension emanates from these strings, were nimble fingers execute it almost to perfection.
The Sallinen piece well known, is done to great effect.
Nordgren is at times a hard egg to break, but I like this austere music.
Sibelius piece here is a first time for me, and I was not disappointed.
The recording is very good made, in 2001-2003. Front to back is perfect.

[Haffner]

My 41st birthday morning music is centered around the most majestic, ecstasy-inducing piece I've ever heard:


Mozart's 41st Symphony, aka the Clarion Call of Angels.

[Lethevich]

Liszt - Dante symphony (Kojian, Utah SO, Citadel)

Surprisingly good playing, with a spine-tingling Magnificat. Well recorded, seems bit dynamically limited, but far from average. Hard to tell on mp3 anyway, which is all I have as it's OOP

[Harry]

My 41st birthday morning music is centered around the most majestic, ecstasy-inducing piece I've ever heard:


Mozart's 41st Symphony, aka the Clarion Call of Angels.

Also a Virgo like me, and many on this board!
Have a good and pleasant day Andy.

[Haffner]

Also a Virgo like me, and many on this board!
Have a good and pleasant day Andy.

Thanks so much, Harry. I had a strong feeling I'd heard from you right off, and I'm deeply grateful.

May the Lord's blessings follow you and yours into eternity.

[Bogey]

Harry,
Any chance that they may use the complete Hickox set in the upcoming complete Brilliant box set?

[Harry]

Harry,
Any chance that they may use the complete Hickox set in the upcoming complete Brilliant box set?

No, Bill, that will be the Bruno Weil set that I ordered today.
The Hickox set is already available in the midprice with Chandos, and will be no part of the Brilliant collection.
And to be honest, I would not want to have it. I've got it real cheap, because of a special action price in Holland.
Had I known the recording better I would have passed this cup.

[karlhenning]

Good morning (and good day), all!

[Harry]

Mendelssohn.

Octet, opus 20, in E flat major.

Niels Gade.

Octet, opus 17, in F major.

Disc VIII.

L 'Archibudelli & Smithsonian Chamber Players

This recording from 1992, sounds real fine, it has this intimite chamberlike air around the instruments.
And both Octets are done wonderfully. Well known music in a new period instruments jacket, and letting you discover all the finer nuances of the music. Frankly these must be the best performances of these works around IMO. I enjoyed them immensely, and they make you smile big time.
Music for the afternoon.
This box is a constant delight so far.

[karlhenning]

Liszt
Tasso
Gewandhausorchester
Masur

[Florestan]

Liszt
Tasso
Gewandhausorchester
Masur

[karlhenning]

Had to queue that baby right up, Andrei!

[Florestan]

Had to queue that baby right up, Andrei!

I imagined so. I think I need Les Annees de pelerinage.

[Lethevich]

I hate that thread, now I can't listen to anybody else...

Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 in C sharp minor; Liebestraum No.3; Mephisto Waltz No.1; Funérailles; Rigoletto (Verdi) - Concert Paraphrase; La Campanella (Disc 1 of the BEYOND WONDERFUL box of piano works with Jorge Bolet)