Pieces that have blown you away recently

[Symphonic Addict]

Nocturne, Rhapsody, Polonia Suite, Landscape and Hommage à Chopin from this comprehensive set of Panufnik's orchestral works. This composer really had a quite personal, mystical, thought-provoking style that demands attention on part of the listener.

[kyjo]

I'll be honest; I've written off many composers from the United Kingdom, as they all seem so bland and boring.

Well, that's an egregious mistake! The UK produced some of the most wonderful music of the 20th century in my view, though those with more avant-garde tastes than me will likely disagree. "Bland" and "boring" are two of the last adjectives that come to my mind when hearing such masterworks as Walton's 1st Symphony, Vaughan Williams' 6th, Lloyd's 5th, Moeran's Symphony, Holst's The Planets, Elgar's In the South, Britten's Violin Concerto, Finzi's Cello Concerto, Foulds' Dynamic Triptych, etc. etc...

[steve ridgway]

I'll be honest; I've written off many composers from the United Kingdom, as they all seem so bland and boring.

Harrison Birtwistle

[Maestro267]

OK so your taste *is* more avant-garde then...

[Daverz]

Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra

[Brian]

Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra

One of my favorite pieces ever. And it's on a little island of its own, stylistically - so few other pieces, even by the same composer, resemble it at all.

I played the Urbanski recording real loud in the car one time and my girlfriend said "you can play this as often as you want!" We've now seen it live with the Dallas Symphony twice.

[DaveF]

Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra

He hadn't quite worked through Bartók's influence at that point, you might say - not that that's anything to complain about.  The return of the chorale at the end is one of the great moments, no doubt.

[Big David]

I may have already mentioned this...When James Bowman died earlier this year, a friend sent me a link to a YouTube recording of Bowman and Michael Chance singing a duet by Purcell, 'Sound the Trumpet'.  I rarely listen to music from this era but I was utterly amazed by this piece and also by the singing of Chance and Bowman.  Fantastic music.

[Maestro267]

Mozart's Symphony No. 39, specifically the slow movement...*specifically* that completely unexpected interjection of B minor in the middle of the movement! A key not related at all to either the key of the movement (A flat major) OR the symphony as a whole (E flat major)

[Irons]

My discovery of the year, String Quartet No.2 Lyatoshinsky from a 1977 Melodiya LP. Wonderful work which reflects his homeland and citizens with subtlety and some melancholy.
I rate this with the best string quartets of Tchaikovsky and Borodin, although heartfelt the music is never saccharine. That word subtle again.

N.B. Typo from Melodiya Trio op.7 is No1 not 2.
 

[Symphonic Addict]

Badings: Harp Concerto

Such a singular composition, encapsulating passages of intriguing atmosphere and alluring subtleties. In the 3rd movement there is an unexpected fragment where it reminds of a totally different yet familar composer.

[Symphonic Addict]

My discovery of the year, String Quartet No.2 Lyatoshinsky from a 1977 Melodiya LP. Wonderful work which reflects his homeland and citizens with subtlety and some melancholy.
I rate this with the best string quartets of Tchaikovsky and Borodin, although heartfelt the music is never saccharine. That word subtle again.

N.B. Typo from Melodiya Trio op.7 is No1 not 2.
 

Looks like a project that the Toccata label, for instance, could develop in the near future: to record all of his string quartets.

[AnotherSpin]

My discovery of the year, String Quartet No.2 Lyatoshinsky from a 1977 Melodiya LP. Wonderful work which reflects his homeland and citizens with subtlety and some melancholy.
I rate this with the best string quartets of Tchaikovsky and Borodin, although heartfelt the music is never saccharine. That word subtle again.

N.B. Typo from Melodiya Trio op.7 is No1 not 2.
 

Interestingly, the titles are in Ukrainian language, not Russian, although the LP was released at the Aprelevsky factory, Melodiya's main factory near Moscow. This LP was probably distributed only in Ukraine.

[Irons]

Interestingly, the titles are in Ukrainian language, not Russian, although the LP was released at the Aprelevsky factory, Melodiya's main factory near Moscow. This LP was probably distributed only in Ukraine.

Most interesting, thanks. The cover, a type Melodiya was prone to use, one fits all with only the inscription "Instrumental Music" sans music/artist details which fits with your theory. I handle and examine many LPs, I don't think this has ever been played until yesterday.

[Irons]

Looks like a project that the Toccata label, for instance, could develop in the near future: to record all of his string quartets.

They do seem thin on the ground. I'm not sure the 2nd SQ is, or ever has been, available in digital format.

All the bigger outlets in the UK have the Naxos box of Lyatoshinsky Symphonies out of stock.

[AnotherSpin]

Most interesting, thanks. The cover, a type Melodiya was prone to use, one fits all with only the inscription "Instrumental Music" sans music/artist details which fits with your theory. I handle and examine many LPs, I don't think this has ever been played until yesterday.

It's easy to tell the difference. There are several letters in the Ukrainian alphabet that do not exist in Russian, such as i, ї, є, ґ. Note that the composer's surname in Ukrainian is spelled Лятошинський. In Russian it's Лятошинский. The differences are stronger by ear, the pronunciation is different.

[Roasted Swan]

My discovery of the year, String Quartet No.2 Lyatoshinsky from a 1977 Melodiya LP. Wonderful work which reflects his homeland and citizens with subtlety and some melancholy.
I rate this with the best string quartets of Tchaikovsky and Borodin, although heartfelt the music is never saccharine. That word subtle again.

N.B. Typo from Melodiya Trio op.7 is No1 not 2.
 

High praise indeed - I'll have to check this out.  Thanks for the tip!

[LKB]

High praise indeed - I'll have to check this out.  Thanks for the tip!

I'll second this. If the piece is truly up there with Tchaikovsky and Borodin,  l need it in my head...

[Irons]

High praise indeed - I'll have to check this out.  Thanks for the tip!

I'll second this. If the piece is truly up there with Tchaikovsky and Borodin,  l need it in my head...

LKB, I think the second movement makes my point valid.

[AnotherSpin]

I'll second this. If the piece is truly up there with Tchaikovsky and Borodin,  l need it in my head...

I do not think mentioning Tchaikovsky or Borodin here has validity. Ukrainian music and Lyatoshinsky in particular is a part of Eastern European cultural tradition, closer to Polish or Czech music, imo.

Besides, Lyatoshinsky was a 20th century composer.