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General Classical Music Discussion / Re: What are you listening 2 now?
« Last post by Dry Brett Kavanaugh on Today at 12:56:27 PM »Prokofiev Symphony No. 4. Kitayenko.


Schalk started the practice of augmenting the brass in the coda but apparently only Jochum continued it in modern times. Come the coda the regular brass players were inevitably tired and unable to produce the full volume Jochum wanted.
https://multivariate-life.blogspot.com/2011/04/eugen-jochums-11-apostles.html
...Louis Langrée, who conducted the Seventh with the CSO in 2014, was clearly in his element. He was completely immersed in every phrase, yet never lost sight of the work’s expansive architecture. The music was warmly conducted, and every phrase breathed, yet all was anchored with a firm pulse.
The first movement, itself large in scale, was anchored by glowing sonorities in the strings playing unending tremolos. Textures were transparent, and intimate moments were beautifully shaped. The ascent to its peaks were gradual. A glorious summation was reached in a stunning display of timpani rolls (Patrick Schleker).
The heart of the work is the second movement Adagio, a memorial to Bruckner’s idol Richard Wagner, who died while he was writing it. How wonderful it was to hear the CSO’s French horns and tuba with the quartet of Wagner tubas. They made a sound like sun streaming through stained glass. The trombones, too, performed seamlessly in the movement’s climax, which quotes a theme from Bruckner’s “Te Deum.” Langrée’s reading of the lyrical themes was deeply felt and he cultivated a rich sound in the strings.
The Scherzo contrasted with its buoyant, energized quality, centered by a serene and gentle trio. The finale caught the feeling of sheer joy, its climaxes building to the final rousing, brass-filled finish. ...
Yes. It's old hardware in an environment it wasn't really designed to operate in, and instead of the expected telemetry the craft is " babbling ".
But they're still getting useful data from the science instruments that still function, and there's at least a chance the team can rectify the issue. They have an advantage in that a nearly identical spacecraft is not exhibiting the problem, so it can serve as a control in their investigations.
As in the recent (last week) BBC "Building a Library" when the reviewer listened to recordings of the 4th Symphony "blind" which I think a good move as preconceptions do not come into play. Similarly the Menuhin "radiant and mystical" recording of the 5th would rate far higher if the conductor's identity was hidden from the listener.Interesting point about the Menuhin Lol.
Very nice, Jeffrey. The one recording I'm actually looking forward most of all is of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde. This is one of my favorite works of all-time and it'll be interesting to hear how Ormandy treats the score. I have two performances of RVW's Tallis Fantasia and Fantasia on 'Greensleeves' now as it also appeared as coupling on this Holst The Planets reissue:Great stuff John - looks like a fabulous release. Brigg Fair and In a Summer Garden are amongst my favourite works by Delius.
Here's a tracklisting of this Elgar, RVW, Walton and Delius 2-CD set (the cover with the English countryside):
Disc 1 -
Elgar: Enigma Variations
Elgar: Cockaigne Overture
Walton: Violin Concerto (w/ Zino Francescatti)
Disc 2 -
RVW: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
RVW: Fantasia on 'Greensleeves'
Delius: Brigg Fair
Delius: Dance Rhapsody No. 2
Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
Delius: In a Summer Garden
Pleyel, Ignaz (1757-1831) - Austrian born French composer, publisher, and piano maker (along w/ his son) - nice bio HERE; a pupil of Haydn - Pleyel was a prolific composer w/ over 700 works in the Benton catalog (Rita Benton, Ignace Pleyel. A Thematic Catalogue of His Compositions. New York: Pendragon Press, 1977), including 40 Symphonies, 36 String Quintets, and 70 String Quartets! My collection has 20 recordings mainly of the works listed in the previous sentence - don't plan to listen to all but starting w/ the ones below - also, there is a Pleyel thread for those interested w/ a LOT of recordings shown and discussed. Dave