What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Mark]

First set, so no comparison, but huge virtuosity (as you would expect, to play these pieces successfully). I sat in awe, listening to them this morning. Will certainly be seeking out more Ehnes recordings.

Got the disc cheap on Amazon for £1.24! Gone up to around the three quid mark now...

You got a real bargain.

I've got an Ehnes CD arriving soon (Dvorak's Violin Concerto/Chandos - I'm hoping he can make me like the work ), so I'll get my first taste of his virtuosity.

I hear his Barber disc is excellent.

[Mark]

This:



It's the disc to which I referred above, although I'm currently listening to the Piano Concerto. It lacks the pace brought to it by Wit and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra on Naxos (Jando, the soloist in that recording), and almost sags a tad in places. But sonically it's superior to the Naxos. What I'm really interested in is the Violin Concerto - a work for which, as is known around here, I have little or no love.

[johnQpublic]

LPs

Adam - Overture to "Giralda" (Bonynge/London)
Saint-Saens - Romance, Op. 67 (Tuckwell/London)
Franck - Psyche, fragments symphoniques (Paray/Carthagene)
Tailleferre - Harp Concertino (Zabaleta/DGG)
Offenbach - Excerpts from "Tales of Hoffmann" (Paray/Mercury)

[Harry]

Louise Farrenc. (1804-1875)

Symphony no. 2 opus 35 in D major.
Overture No 1, opus 23 in E minor, and No. 2 opus 24, in E flat major.

NDR Radiophilharmonie/Johannes Goritzki.
Recorded 2001.

Farrenc is a odd duck in the pond, in many ways. In her time being a composer instead of a woman, as men saw them only, she attracted much attention on basis of what she composed, being a woman with stunning good looks too.
The Mendelssohnnian spirit looms heavily above all the works she wrote, yet with so much distinction in the quality of what she produced, that a very unique voice emerges, that makes you sit up and notice, yet has no staying power in your memory, odd but true. Her writing for strings and woodwinds is as good as Mendelssohn and often even much better, and her feel for rhythmic patterns and coherence is simply amazing. The logic in her compositions is abundantly clear and concise. Fine melodies tumble over each other with haste, so much so, that keeping it all in mind, to recognize it when it returns in repeats, is impossible without a score. And the many felicities in the gorgeous string writing never ceases to amaze me. She learnt the trade well, with many a famous composer in her time. In every movement you will find this excellence in instrumentation, and the fine intricate lines woven into the structure of this second symphony, to be repeated in the two overtures also.
The performance is pretty amazing too, Goritzki has clearly made a great effort to bring these works in a clear and benign light, and he succeeded without a doubt. the recording has enough dept, but the lower strings sound a bit dense at times, and with the string writing being important for the structure of the works, this is unfortunate, but it is a minor point in the presence of such dedicated music.
Recommended.

[wilhelm]

[Lilas Pastia]

I'm totally in awe of Ehnes' Paganini Caprices disc. His sound is the sweetest I can think of, with an aristocratic silver lining to it - an ideal combination.
NOT like Perlman's own brand of diabetes-inducing sweetness

Lots of listenings to a trio of orchestral works by Krzysztopf Meyer: Fireball, Concerto da camera and Symphony no. 5.
Fireballs is a big orchestral fantasy (some 17 minutes), with plenty of odd things going. Very well orchestrated. Keeps one's attention engaged throughout. Concerto da camera is actually a horrendously difficult oboe concerto, and a great piece of music in its own right. Symphony no. 5 is for strings only. This is a particularly fertile ground for 20th century composers. Many have given a try to this apparently restrictive form, challenged to display a wide array of sonorities
within  that basic orchestral setrup. Meyer uses many compositional techniques and creates a superb work in the proceedings. It's a large multi-movement piece and once more interest is sustained at a high level from first note to last.

Meyer is fast becoming my favourite composer of recent music. Every work of his I've heard is a great musical experience.

[Que]

Dvorák - violin Concerto in A minor (Op. 53)
Nathan Milstein, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by William Steinberg

Q

[longears]

I've got an Ehnes CD arriving soon (Dvorak's Violin Concerto/Chandos - I'm hoping he can make me like the work ), so I'll get my first taste of his virtuosity.

Thanks for the great idea, Mark!  Think I'll put on my favorite recording of Dvořák's VC, by Suwanai and Fischer with his Budapest Festival Orchestra!

Earlier this morning I was reveling in the delightful tone, clarity, and unimpeachable musicality of Richard Goode and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in various Mozart PCs.

[George]

Kemal Gekic

Live in Japan

[not edward]

Mahler 9 (VSO/Scherchen).
Not one of the great Mahler 9s: playing too sloppy, tempi often way too fast (as was this conductor's wont). Yet some passages are strangely compelling, particularly the frantic, chaotic reading of the Rondo-Burleske.

[sidoze]

Kemal Gekic

Live in Japan

yep. told you so!

[FideLeo]

"Works for Clavichord" here simply mean "Keyboard works played on clavichords" -

Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue (Rust version BWV 903A)
Adagio in G major BWV 968
Fugue in G minor (after BWV 1000)
From the Clavier-büchlein für Wilhelm Friedmann Bach:
Allemande in G minor BWV 836
Menuet 1 BWV 841
Menuet 3 BWV 843
Partie diverse sopra il Corale "O Gott, du frommer Gott" BWV 767
Partita in A minor after BWV 1004; arranged by Mortensen

[Scriptavolant]

C.P.E. Bach - Flute Concertos.

This is the first time I meet C.P.E. Bach.

[SonicMan46]

Just returned from a trip to Philadelphia - there was a large FYE Music/DVD store near the hotel, so stopped in a couple of times - I usually don't buy CDs at these places (mainly because if I don't have my list of CDs or specific recommendations on my PDA, I might pick up some 'duds' or duplicates!); but, I did buy 4, mainly Naxos, and duplicated only one (CPE Bach oboe concertos); listened to them in the hotel room on a 'crappy' clock/CD radio, but just giving them a try @ home:

Dutilleux, Henri - Complete Solo Piano Music w/ John Chen (a performer I did not know); love Dutilleux's orchestral works, but have not heard these piano pieces - 20th century pianism w/ an impressive young Chen on the ivories!  CLICK the image for an great review on MusicWeb!

Buxtehude, Dietrich - Seven Sonatas, Op. 1 w/ Holloway on violin, Linden on viola da gamba, & Mortensen on cembalo; I've only explored this composer's vocal works (and not much there yet!); a 1994 recordings re-released from the Dacapo label - just superlative performances and sound - these date from the mid-1690s (he died in 1707) and are marvellously fresh & modern in their composition & sound - probably my favorite purchase of the 4 CDs; apparently a second volume will (or already) is published, and it's on my list!  Again, CLICK the image for an outstanding review on MusicWeb!

Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich (J.C.'s 'full' brother) - Sonatas & Trios w/ Camerata Koln; recorded in '04 on the excellent CPO label; combinations of 2-3 instruments - my first disc of this composer's music; not sure 'how much' else he wrote, but these recordings are quite good!

Bach, CPE & Marcello, A. - Oboe Concertos w/ Kiss on the oboe + Ferenc Erkel Cham Orch; recording from '91 - already have Holliger in the Bach works - have not re-listened yet on my home system; might not be to thrilled w/ this one, but the others are winners for me!

Edit - excellent review by Scott on the Buxtehude CD; plus, the 2nd Volume is available! - 

 

 

[longears]

Abbey Simon, Ravel solo piano music.

Thinking about Angela Hewitt's set, but when I listen to this I think, "Why bother?"  Simon is terrific--liquid.

[Peregrine]

Kemal Gekic

Live in Japan

How did you get hold of this after all, George?

[Peregrine]

One of the best recital (vocal) discs I own. Revving me up for the game...

[Harry]

Ludolf Nielsen.

Symphony No. 1 in B minor opus 3. (1902-03)

From the Mountains, opus 8, Symphonic Suite for Orchestra.

The Danish PO/Frank Cramer,

dacapo 1998.

My first encounter with this very interesting composer. He has a voice totally new for me, in which I found a few influences, most notably Richard Strauss and Bruckner, and to much lesser degree Wagner/Nielsen. But foremost, Nielsen is his own man, with a unique soundworld, that I did not encounter anywhere else. His first Symphony is a perfect example of his art, in that it presents a composer, that can think Orchestral in a very natural way, and had little musical education, yet produced such a wonderful Symphony. The first movement is a complex affair in which is clear that he has a mastery in extraordinary stringwriting, and has a keen ear for harmony. The woodwind is absolutely gorgeous, you will not get it any better as here, and the way he binds this all together will give you a second movement, that will stun you in the very first pages to admiration. This is so well written, that for me the world stood still for a few moments. And into the third movement Allegro pastorale, that has all the charm of a summer breeze. Well really I eat my hat if this is not a near masterwork.
All is crowned off with a very pittoresk Suite, with is a sort of magic cauldron, emitting all sorts of color and sparks, that make you want to join the fun as in the last movement Folk life in the valley. Or the introductionary first notes of the third movement The Mountain Chapel, that is simply stunning again, it had me spellbound for 72:00 minutes, and afterwards I suffer a bout of wanting it to play on repeat. O, go and buy this inexpensive disc, its worth every penny you are willing to pay.
The sound is clear and has a lot of detail, front to back is within reason, but when the brass is playing loud, it gets a bit nasty, but keep the volume within reason and all is fine. Cramer has a firm grip on the proceedings, and the orchestra follows him without complaint,
The second Symphony I have on CPO with Ole Schmidt at the helm, and I just ordered the third, again on dacapo with Cramer doing the honours again.

[George]

How did you get hold of this after all, George?

Through the Gekic Website. They told me a few weeks ago that they had one or two left.

[Que]

Bloody marvelous - different from the 1st '30s rec., much better than the "manicured" 3rd rec.

Q