Pieces that have blown you away recently

[Florestan]

oops, guess it is a candidate for the bad cover art.  Here is what they should have used:


I guess the cover art designer isn't big into classical music nor basic competency at his job.

My only guess is that the coupling is a viola concerto.

My guess is that the designer saw the word Rhapsody and thought that it must needs be the only one he has ever heard (of), namely the Rachmaninoff one. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

My only guess is that the coupling is a viola concerto.

That's what I was thinking as Paganini also played the viola.

PD

[Iota]

My guess is that the designer saw the word Rhapsody and thought that it must needs be the only one he has ever heard (of), namely the Rachmaninoff one. 

Haha, exactly what I thought.

[Florestan]

That's what I was thinking as Paganini also played the viola.

PD

He also played the guitar, so he would fit just fine in a cover art for the Concierto de Aranjuez... 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

He also played the guitar, so he would fit just fine in a cover art for the Concierto de Aranjuez... 

Yes, I had read that too...a very talented musician and composer. 

PD

[Florestan]

Yes, I had read that too...a very talented musician and composer. 

PD

Indeed, his body of works is much larger than the Caprices, the first two violin concertos and a handful of virtuosic showstoppers. Four more violin concertos, ten discs worth of chamber music, nine of violin and guitar music, four of guitar solo etc --- the Dynamic Complete Edition comprises no less than 35 discs of original works.

And btw, "very talented" actually means "genius", right? 

[relm1]

David Arnold's Kasuf Returns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKqYPY4JqLM

Something about the choral chant really gives me a rise (almost gives me the feeling of the chants in Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War).

That is a great score.  ID4 is very good too, I have the score and it's so full of interesting details like three different sized bass drums specified when to be used, virtuosic orchestration and playing, just a great, fun spectacle of an other worldly score. 

[Roasted Swan]

A powerful symphony that does full justice to the subject. Talking of which, the LP notes inform that Jones and Dylan Thomas were friends for 30 years and of course Dylan Thomas died aged 39. I wonder if this information accurate? It could be.

I have not checked this by my memory is indeed that they met as quite young school children so the 30 years friendship could well be legit.

[Spotted Horses]

The Martinu Piano Sonata took me by surprise. A white knuckle ride of pulsating restlessness, however, always under complete control. Martinu bares his soul to an extent I have not heard previously from other pieces. A section in the middle movement - you cannot miss it - the music seems to transcend and float upwards to another place, quite remarkable.
Written in 1954 for Rudolf Serkin, I listened to a recording from the Czech pianist Frantisek Maly. 

I realized I listed to the Martinu Piano Concertos, but not the Piano Sonata. I have to rectify that!

[Irons]

I realized I listed to the Martinu Piano Concertos, but not the Piano Sonata. I have to rectify that!

Martinu like Frank Bridge only wrote the one. Bearing in mind the prolificacy of both composers is worth noting, I think.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Martinu like Frank Bridge only wrote the one. Bearing in mind the prolificacy of both composers is worth noting, I think.

I should revisit that work.  Doing a tiny bit of digging, I see that I have (at least) two recordings of it:  Rudolf Firkusny and Emil Leichner.  I haven't heard of your pianist before now.  Did he record a lot?  Would be cool to find a recording of the Serkin one too.    As a side note, I hadn't realized that Martinu had written it for him.

PD

[Spotted Horses]

I should revisit that work.  Doing a tiny bit of digging, I see that I have (at least) two recordings of it:  Rudolf Firkusny and Emil Leichner.  I haven't heard of your pianist before now.  Did he record a lot?  Would be cool to find a recording of the Serkin one too.    As a side note, I hadn't realized that Martinu had written it for him.

PD

I find myself without any recording of it. Perhaps I will stream the Firkusny, but I feel like I should "own" at least one recording of the work. There is a BIS recording that also sounds good, in brief excerpts.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I find myself without any recording of it. Perhaps I will stream the Firkusny, but I feel like I should "own" at least one recording of the work. There is a BIS recording that also sounds good, in brief excerpts.

Will revisit tonight (Firkusny's recording).

PD

[Spotted Horses]

Will revisit tonight (Firkusny's recording).

PD

I plucked the Kavpil disc (BIS) from the streaming services but started with two of the Etudes and Polkas. Kavpil does all of them, whereas Firkusny just includes a selection. At some point I expect to buy one or another recordings of the Martinu Piano Sonata.

[Symphonic Addict]

I hadn't listened to any opera in a while, and what better way to get back to with an impressive, impassioned, late-Romantic opera like Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini. Truly fantastic music.

[Irons]

Enesco's 3rd Violin Sonata carries the subtitle 'In Rumanian Folk Style' which no doubt the work is based but I find the title misleading suggesting lightness. The first two movements are highly original being rarefied and unworldly, deep and spiritual. The finale is Rumanian folk/dance to it's core and very much lives up to the title. I cannot think of a violin sonata I have been so captivated by.
The husband and wife team of Gertler and Anderson play superbly being fully committed. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Enesco's 3rd Violin Sonata carries the subtitle 'In Rumanian Folk Style' which no doubt the work is based but I find the title misleading suggesting lightness. The first two movements are highly original being rarefied and unworldly, deep and spiritual. The finale is Rumanian folk/dance to it's core and very much lives up to the title. I cannot think of a violin sonata I have been so captivated by.
The husband and wife team of Gertler and Anderson play superbly being fully committed.

Thanks so much for bringing that up; I found it on youtube. 

PD

[Irons]

Thanks so much for bringing that up; I found it on youtube. 

PD

Your clip is of the third movement, PD. The preceding two are far more interesting.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Your clip is of the third movement, PD. The preceding two are far more interesting.

I believe that I found all three movements here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mp_z6Xfh4w0IJKkDoqnuBfJLE3u2kLTt0

They don't make it easy though to figure out which movement is which in terms of descriptions of the movements (or lack there of), but I'll figure it out.  They are listed under Diane Andersen - Topic.

PD

p.s.  If you click on the individual videos, they'll list the movement.  For those who are interested, these are the descriptions of the movements (from Wiki):

The sonata is divided into three movements:

    1.  Moderato malinconico
    2. Andante sostenuto e misterioso
    3. Allegro con brio, ma non troppo mosso

[Irons]

I believe that I found all three movements here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mp_z6Xfh4w0IJKkDoqnuBfJLE3u2kLTt0

They don't make it easy though to figure out which movement is which in terms of descriptions of the movements (or lack there of), but I'll figure it out.  They are listed under Diane Andersen - Topic.

PD

p.s.  If you click on the individual videos, they'll list the movement.  For those who are interested, these are the descriptions of the movements (from Wiki):

The sonata is divided into three movements:

    1.  Moderato malinconico
    2. Andante sostenuto e misterioso
    3. Allegro con brio, ma non troppo mosso

Thanks for going to the trouble.

Edit: List for 3rd Sonata are in correct order of movements.