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[Shostakovich]

#1

General Classical Music Discussion / Re: What are you listening 2 n...

Last post by Madiel - Today at 09:48:54 PM

Shostakovich: Six Poems of Marina Tsvetayeva (orchestral version), op.143a



Everything you'd expect from a (very) late Shostakovich work.

[George Lloyd (1913-1998).Disc 3.Symphony No. 4 'The Arctic' (1945-6).Albany Symphony Orchestra. Recorded in Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy, NY 1987. Engineer: Roy Kendle.Overture to 'John Socman' BBC Philharmonic. Recorded by arrangement with the BBC in Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester 1988. Engineer Tony Faulkner.]

#2

General Classical Music Discussion / Re: What are you listening 2 n...

Last post by classicalgeek - Today at 09:41:13 PM

George Lloyd (1913-1998).

Disc 3.
Symphony No. 4 'The Arctic' (1945-6).
Albany Symphony Orchestra.  Recorded in Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy, NY  1987. Engineer: Roy Kendle.

Overture to 'John Socman'
BBC Philharmonic.  Recorded by arrangement with the BBC in Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester 1988.
Engineer Tony Faulkner.

There is not much to say as: FABULOUS!

Ugh. Stupid technology.

Having said that, the new Lyrita symphony releases have been on lots in our house in recent says, so yes 😁😆

The new re-releases of the Lloyd Symphonies are definitely on my radar - even though I have a couple of the individual discs already. It would be wonderful if Lyrita would re-release the piano concertos and choral works as well!

TD:
Brahms
Symphony no. 4
Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig
Herbert Blomstedt
(on CD)



One of the finest Brahms 4s I've heard! Especially the first two movements.

Robert Schumann
*Piano Concerto
Edward MacDowell
#Piano Concerto no. 2
Van Cliburn, piano
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
*Fritz Reiner
#Walter Hendl
(on CD)



Curious to listen to this since when Hurwitz was reviewing the Reiner RCA Box this morning, he kind of dismissed this disc. Well, I happened to really enjoy it - especially the MacDowell, a work I wasn't familiar with. Really good stuff, reminds me of Saint-Saens (whose Piano Concertos I adore!) in spots.

[Mozart]

#3

General Classical Music Discussion / Re: What are you listening 2 n...

Last post by Madiel - Today at 09:03:20 PM

Mozart: Missa longa in C major, K.262/246a



There are only 2 volumes so far but this is supposed to become a complete set of Mozart's masses. I'm a total novice to this music, but I'm finding this performance very appealing - nice energy, a good scale sounding neither thin nor overly grand. I'd be interested to know if others have heard this album (or volume 2) and what they thought.

#4

General Classical Music Discussion / Re: Klaus Mäkelä chosen for Ch...

Last post by MishaK - Today at 08:09:23 PM

Manfred Honeck in Minnesota is a superb exception. 

Surely you mean Pittsburgh!

#5

General Classical Music Discussion / Re: Klaus Mäkelä chosen for Ch...

Last post by MishaK - Today at 08:08:32 PM

There's an interesting video online of Makela being introduced to the orchestra for a rehearsal just after the announcement of his appointment.  A couple of things to note; 1) the reception by the orchestra is genuinely warm and lengthy from the whole group - from which the conclusion has to be that the players are definitely on-board with the appointment at this time. 2) Makela says a few well-chosen words about his pleasure excitement etc but also says - almost as a throw-away - how much he's looking forward to all their tours and recordings together which definitely chimes with what MishaK references in his post.  To be honest why shouldn't an orchestra be pleased at the opportunity to maximise their collective and individual incomes!

Back in the day a cynic at the BBC NOW said the best thing about Richard Hickox was his recording contract with Chandos....... make of that what you will........

PS:  I would disagree that any orchestra doesn't need "building".  Fair enough they already play brilliantly but any Music Director worth their salt will introduce different priorities musically, different style, different repertoire.  Any orchestra can and should grow from where they currently are......

Yes, I saw the video. There are also numerous social media posts from various CSO musicians that likewise attest to a genuine joy and rapport. There are 15 positions to be filled in the CSO, so Mäkelä will have his chance to do some orchestra building.

#6

The Diner / Re: What TV series are you cur...

Last post by Karl Henning - Today at 07:28:06 PM

Well, it turns out that there is yet another Rex Stout story in common between the two series: "What Happened to April" is based on "Death of a Doxy."

Fun to see Thaao Penghlis, whom I'd only known from the 80's reboot of Mission: Impossible 

[but my personal favorite work by FB is his huge Symphonic Poem Vahtek]

#7

Composer Discussion / Re: Luís de Freitas Branco (18...

Last post by Symphonic Addict - Today at 07:19:25 PM

Just came across something.

kyjo from the past said this (bolded text):

So, what are FB's best works? Many consider the dazzlingly impressionistic and rather forward-looking Symphonic Poem Artificial Paradises to be his masterpiece. I would agree with that statement to an extent, but my personal favorite work by FB is his huge Symphonic Poem Vahtek, which is also quite advanced for its time. This is a vivid, exciting, voluptuously decadent piece of music that can be placed alongside pieces like Schmitt's Tragedie de Salome, Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe and Scriabin's Poeme de l'exaste. Composed in the same year as The Rite of Spring (1913), Vahtek shows some uncanny similarities to the revolutionary masterwork in its barbaric, percussive outbursts and massive chords. Mind you, it's quite a bit more luscious and romantic than the Stravinsky, but it packs just as much of a punch in my opinion.

but kyjo from the present claimed (bolded text):

Freitas Branco: Vathek (Symphonic Poem in the form of variations on an Oriental Theme):



https://youtu.be/0JzXj50yl4E?si=DKPFh8nlhnaNUh2s

Incredibly, I just listened to this piece for the first time a few days ago - not sure why I had put it off for so long since I'd known about it for a while! It's undoubtedly Freitas Branco's masterpiece - nothing else I've heard by him approaches it in originality and striking level of inspiration (though the accompanying 4th Symphony - reminiscent in places of his student Braga Santos - is quite a fine work). Vathek is quite ahead of its time for 1913 - witness the mysterious, murky dissonances of the Introduction and - most remarkably - the creepy microtonal(?) ululations of the strings in Variation III, foreshadowing Ligeti and co. by 50-some years! And immediately following this in Variation IV is some of the most sensuously beautiful, voluptuously romantic music you're likely to hear. Simply a remarkable work full of fascinating contrasts and its neglect is incomprehensible! Interesting how Freitas Branco went on to compose in a much more conservative style starting in the 1920s - his Symphonies nos. 1-3, written in a quite Franckian style, are pretty good works but pale in comparison to the masterpiece that is Vathek.

It must be that Vahtek (first post) and Vathek (second post) are different (and this is not the first time I've detected the same thing on him with other works). 

#8

The Diner / Re: What TV series are you cur...

Last post by Karl Henning - Today at 06:46:47 PM

Well, it turns out that there is yet another Rex Stout story in common between the two series: "What Happened to April" is based on "Death of a Doxy."

#9

The Diner / Re: What are you currently rea...

Last post by vers la flamme - Today at 06:22:57 PM

With the James talk here recently I decided to pick up The Turn of the Screw. I have no idea how representative of his work this book is, probably not very, but I am enjoying it greatly, even though I have to read each sentence at least three times to understand what the hell the narrator is trying to say. Very, very eerie atmosphere, and definitely picking up on the strangeness that Borges referred to. I now want to read The Portrait of a Lady which I seem to recall is supposed to be from an earlier period before he adapted certain bizarre mannerisms of prose style which can be found in this later novella. The idea of reading one of his lengthier late period novels seems right now extremely daunting with how slow going even this short book is.

Edit: Thanks to Mandryka for recently re-sparking my interest in this author I've long been very curious about. Also today is the author's birthday, an interesting coincidence I discovered after buying the book.

#10

Composer Discussion / Re: Jewish Composers

Last post by Roy Bland - Today at 06:22:50 PM

Just spotted this post. Thank you!

This is exact contains of cd centenario on Maurice Jacobson

1      Suite Of Four Pieces (trio; Piano Violin Clarinette)   12:19
2      Carousal (piano)   5:51
3      Theme And Variations For Piano (duo)   20:17
4      Lady of Shalott (ensemble vocal avec tenor)   32:10
Piano - Julian Jacobson
Piano Duo - Christopher Black et Yoko Katayama
Violincelle - Lionel Morand
Tenor - Leon Cronin
Chorales; Cantilene & The Aire Valley Singers
Recorded Cadouin Abbey, France 1996.