What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Harry]

Alexander Borodin

Symphony No. 3 in A minor.

Royal Stockholm PO/Gennady Rozhdestvensky.[/b]

Licensed from Chandos, this quality of performance and recording does not come as a surprise. The music is Borodin at his best, with a majestic first movement, and a second movement full with love for life.

[karlhenning]

Joly Braga Santos
Concerto for Violin, Cello, Strings & Harp (1968)
Northern Sinfonia / Cassuto

This is such a great, nervy, elegant piece!

[Wanderer]

Stephanie McCallum playing Alkan's monumental op.39.

[George]

[orbital]

Stephanie McCallum playing Alkan's monumental op.39.

How is it?

-
I'm listening to Brahms' transcription of Bach Chaconne for Left hand from Sokolov. Surely this piece is not played with left hand alone, is it 

[karlhenning]

Dmitri Dmitriyevich
String Quartet No. 14 in F# Major, Opus 142
Emerson Quartet

And this is such a great, nervy, elegant piece, too!

[Harry]

Franz Berwald.

Symphony in A major, fragment 1820 completed by Duncan Druce.

Symphony No. 1, in G minor, "Serieuse".

Swedish RSO/Roy Goodman.

Recordings made by Hyperion in 1995, and as engineer Tony Faulkner.
Lest I forget how good these compositions really are, and how little we hear of them, comes along this twofer, for budgetprice, so I snapped it up. And what good performances they are, alert, very swift, detailed, and very well played, very well indeed. The beautiful introduction theme from the fragment in A major is ravishing, as is the whole piece, what a lot of ideas Berwald had, and what a good complete symphony it would have been, if he only had completed it.
The first Symphony is in my ears a masterwork, so brimful with colossal melodies, yearning, romantic, wild, and young at heart. The first movement is surely a small wonder so ingeniously constructed, and without fault, as is the whole symphony. The third movement "Stretto" is gorgeous, with a interplay of winds and strings that is truly amazing, and so on. Boy am I glad I bought this.

[orbital]

Bartok 2nd VC.

[JoshLilly]

I love Berwald's symphonies. I have that very same recording, and I love it. I like Roy Goodman when he's not conducting his overly horny (heheheh) Hanover Band. That box gets lots of playtime in my house. Have you ever heard Berwald's Piano Concerto?

[Harry]

I love Berwald's symphonies. I have that very same recording, and I love it. I like Roy Goodman when he's not conducting his overly horny (heheheh) Hanover Band. That box gets lots of playtime in my house. Have you ever heard Berwald's Piano Concerto?

Not really no.
Recommendations?

[JoshLilly]

This box set is a steal for price:
http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Overtures-Concertos-Symphonies-Franz/dp/B000UZ4EOI/ref=sr_1_4/103-6844359-3463034?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1193241334&sr=1-4
It contains none of my favourite performances of any of these works, but it is really low price for 3 CDs, and can get you many - or most - of Berwald's orchestral music.

I think of the versions available on disc, I would have to suggest the one from 'The Romantic Piano Concerto' series from Vox, Volume 7 to be precise.

http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Piano-Concerto-7/dp/B000001K43/ref=sr_1_2/103-6844359-3463034?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1193241334&sr=1-2

[Lethevich]

Liszt - Piano works (Bolet, Decca)



One of my favourite and most listened to boxed sets - 3 discs into it ATM on this listen.

[Peregrine]

Feltsman - American Debut

[Harry]

This box set is a steal for price:
http://www.amazon.com/Berwald-Overtures-Concertos-Symphonies-Franz/dp/B000UZ4EOI/ref=sr_1_4/103-6844359-3463034?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1193241334&sr=1-4
It contains none of my favourite performances of any of these works, but it is really low price for 3 CDs, and can get you many - or most - of Berwald's orchestral music.

I think of the versions available on disc, I would have to suggest the one from 'The Romantic Piano Concerto' series from Vox, Volume 7 to be precise.

http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Piano-Concerto-7/dp/B000001K43/ref=sr_1_2/103-6844359-3463034?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1193241334&sr=1-2

The EMI set is ordered, thank you my friend.
I will look into the VOX recording.

[Harry]

Liszt - Piano works (Bolet, Decca)



One of my favourite and most listened to boxed sets - 3 discs into it ATM on this listen.

Yes, you are right, this is a wonderfull box, it was a gift from a woman friend of mine to me, and to my surprise, I began actually to like this composer, through these sensitive recordings.

[Que]

Kullervo op.7 (1892)
Lilli Paasikivi (mezzo soprano), Raimo Laukka (baritone)
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki University Chorus, Osmo Vänskä

Q

[Harry]

Mili Balakirev

Complete Symphonies and Poems.

Symphony No. 1 in C major.
Symphonic Poem "Russia".

The Philharmonia/Yevgeny Svetlanov.

Again tonight a Hyperion recording made in 1991 by Anthony Howell.
And that is very special, for this recording belongs to the best ever made for this label.
There is such a stage dept, simply amazing, you can hear from the first strings to the timpani, and still have air around. Its a demonstration disc, whenever someone walks in my hall and wants a hearing.
Their mouth can stand open for the full 60 minutes, not seldom that happens. Have to remind them of it. They leave with glassed eyes. Honestly!
Apart from that, you must look very hard to find better performances of these works. Svetlanov knows what he is doing, to get all the magical and fairytale like images from this fantastic orchestra, and off they come with total command and detail. Nothing is lost from this score, all you can hear. The tempi are moderate, and that is the only quibble I have, for the rest, if in need of these works, buy this. Budgetprice too. Back then when it was released the critics were in absolute praise, and they were right.

[karlhenning]

Yes, you are right, this is a wonderfull box, it was a gift from a woman friend of mine to me, and to my surprise, I began actually to like this composer, through these sensitive recordings.

Splendid, Harry, splendid!

[Drasko]

Etudes op.25, few Nocturnes (15/1, 15/2, 27/1, 55/1, 55/2), Nouvelles Etudes, op.45 prelude
late recordings, 40s - early 50s

[karlhenning]

Milhaud
L'homme et son désir, Opus 48