What are you listening 2 now?

Started by Gurn Blanston, September 23, 2019, 05:45:22 AM

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vandermolen

Quote from: Christo on January 28, 2023, 05:36:10 AMRVW, symhonies no. 4 and 5 in some lesser known recordings (conductors Colin Davis and Neville Marriner). With excellent notes by one Jeffrey Davis":

How kind!
 :)  :)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Karl Henning

#85001
Inaugural listens:

Bax
Symphony № 5 (1931-32)
The Tale the Pine Trees Knew (1931)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on January 28, 2023, 11:01:24 AMI enjoyed it a lot, it was an astounding work. The Adagio was particularly impressive, a very intense, poignant and reflective movement, with a beautifully melancholic atmosphere, which also sounded very influenced by Wagner; as a matter of fact, there were thematic developments that reminded me of some Wagnerian leitmotives, as for example the suffering motif from Parsifal and the consternation motif from Tristan und Isolde; I've read that Schmidt composed it after the death of his daughter, but maybe it is just a coincidence. In any case, it was a brilliant piece.
Glad you enjoyed it very much! Yes, it was inspired by his daughter's death, and one can notice the composer's sorrow throughout this eloquent masterpiece, and that is still the unrivalled recording. A very moving piece.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Symphonic Addict

Bloch: String Quartet No. 2

A dense yet fascinating work.

Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

vandermolen

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 28, 2023, 12:33:01 PMBloch: String Quartet No. 2

A dense yet fascinating work.


That's a great set Cesar.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

SonicMan46

Beethoven, LV - String & Clarinet Trios w/ the performers on the cover art - for the afternoon and dinner time -  :)   Dave

 

 

ritter

#85006
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on January 25, 2023, 01:38:45 PMBuenas noches, Rafael! Sure, I enjoyed the Concerto for Orchestra very much, a most intriguing piece; it is very mutable, as a kaleidoscope of forms in continuous transformation, with a great variety of timbric colours and dynamics as well as a tense, haunting atmosphere, aspects that remind me of Schönberg; in some passages, it reminds me of Bartók a little too, for example, after the beginning when there's a pizzicato on a floating pace of woodwinds, very beautiful and compelling.
The first impression on Gerhard's music was very positive, I'll listen to the Concerto for piano and strings too.
Thanks for this, Ilaria. Your descriptions of the music you enjoy are always very insightful, beautifully written, and highly appreciated! I can only suggest you also listen to Gerhard's Don Quixote too. A great work.

THREAD DUTY:

First listen to this recent purchase, and to any music by Gabriel DuPont(1878-1914):



So far, Les Heures dolentes, which is an orchestration in 1906 of some sections of a series for solo piano from 1903, is a sort of Gallic Death and Transfiguration, and is exceeding my expectations regarding this composer's music (the fact that he jumped to fame in Italy by winning in 1904 a Sonzogno competition for a one-act opera, La Cabrera, made me a bit apprehensive). Well, here we're nowhere near the vulgar excesses of verismo, but in firm late-romantic territory. The work flows nicely, has some captivating melodies, and moments of exquisite scoring. Let's see what the rest of the CD has to offer, but he'll, I'm now even willing to explore La Cabrera (which was released on CD by Bongiovanni many years ago)  ;) .


Symphonic Addict

Quote from: vandermolen on January 28, 2023, 12:41:09 PMThat's a great set Cesar.

Quite so, Jeffrey, masterful performances in very good mono sound.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 28, 2023, 12:29:44 PMGlad you enjoyed it very much! Yes, it was inspired by his daughter's death, and one can notice the composer's sorrow throughout this eloquent masterpiece, and that is still the unrivalled recording. A very moving piece.
The recording is certainly very compelling and superbly played, I completely agree. Yes, indeed, there's a sense of struggling and sufferance perceivable through all the symphony, sometimes merged with quieter moments of consolation trying to contrast the somber atmosphere, very beautiful. Another interest aspect is both the beginning and the ending with a solo trumpet, creating a sort of circular musical narration.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Todd



Josep Colom is, to the best of my knowledge, the first pianist to record Musica Callada twice.  His first recording is one of my favorites, along with Albert Attenelle and Haskell Small, so when I belatedly learned that Colom had recorded it again, I had to have it.  The playing is a bit slower across the board, typically a few seconds per piece, though it is not especially slow overall.  The recording is a DSD256 recording, but I went with a redbook download since DSD256 means nothing.  The recorded sound is superior to the earlier recording*.  That allows one to savor the quiet playing, in particular, just a bit more, as Colom will taper a phrase or hold a note until near silence.  Louder playing sounds less congested as well.  But much more important is how the pianist makes each piece sound beautiful, at times completely serene, at times filled with dramatic tension without sounding tense, at times searching, at times static.  It just jells.  I did not do a full A/B with the earlier version, though I probably will.  And with Stephen Hough's version almost out, as well as some new ones since I worked my way through a gob of recordings a half-decade ago, I may just have to listen to some more versions.

The inclusion of Cantar del Alma as an encore is a nice bonus.


* While sonics are better than Colom's earlier recording, the recording does not offer an improvement over Lin or Henck, and probably a couple others.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: ritter on January 28, 2023, 12:51:03 PMThanks for this, Ilaria. Your descriptions of the music you enjoy are always very insightful, beautifully written, and highly appreciated! I can only suggest you also listen to Gerhard's Don Quixote too. A great work.
That's very kind of you, thanks. And thank you for the suggestion, I'll look for Don Quixote too!
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Lisztianwagner

Sergei Rachmaninov
Symphony No.1

Vladimir Ashkenazy & Concertgebouw Orchestra


"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on January 28, 2023, 01:34:41 PMThe recording is certainly very compelling and superbly played, I completely agree. Yes, indeed, there's a sense of struggling and sufferance perceivable through all the symphony, sometimes merged with quieter moments of consolation trying to contrast the somber atmosphere, very beautiful. Another interest aspect is both the beginning and the ending with a solo trumpet, creating a sort of circular musical narration.

Indeed, the way he handled the themes (including the one featuring the wistful solo trumpet) makes the work highly cohesive and rewarding all-around.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Symphonic Addict

Rimsky-Korsakov: Suite from 'Mlada'
Koechlin: Les Bandar-log


Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on January 28, 2023, 03:03:23 PMSergei Rachmaninov
Symphony No.1

Vladimir Ashkenazy & Concertgebouw Orchestra




The recording that made me a convert of this work. It's that good.

This performance is also quite compelling:

Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Symphonic Addict

Tansman: Concerto for orchestra
Dvorak: Rhapsody in A minor, Op. 14


The agitated sections of the Tansman share some ideas with the Lutoslawski's, yet this work didn't convince me enough. The slow movements are too quiet, almost unperceivable.

When was the last time you heard this orchestral piece by Dvorak? The composer's talent in full display in each respect (written in 1874).

Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Mapman

Andreas Romberg: String Quartet in B Minor, OP. 30/1
Leipzig Quartet

The 4th movement was the most interesting; it has good tunes. (I listened to the finale of a different quartet the other night, and was impressed. Maybe Romberg was best at his finales?) The style seems somewhat like early Beethoven.


JBS



Been a while since I've listened to anything by Bridge.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Operafreak




 Bach, J S: Goldberg Variations, BWV988-Alexandre Tharaud (piano)
The true adversary will inspire you with boundless courage.

Mookalafalas

Coincidentally, I am also listening to Thauraud. A review by a fellow GMGer piqued my interest.
It's all good...