What are your favorite discoveries up to now, for 2010? Either works, composers or recordings. :)
One of mine so far is the simple, yet oh so beautiful music for Female Chorus by Brahms.
Not sure why this is in the "Composer" subsection, but since it is, I'll mention Niels W. Gade. Pre-2010, I'd only heard his overture "Echoes of Ossian"; now I am a fan of his First and Sixth symphonies and Novelettes for string orchestra. The rest of the symphonies are in my listening queue to be played sometime in the next few days. An excitingly dramatic composer whose marvelous and super-energetic First was like Grieg meeting Mendelssohn and indulging in some high drama. Very promising. :)
Quote from: Brian on May 13, 2010, 09:43:21 AM
Not sure why this is in the "Composer" subsection,
Oops, my mistake. Hopefully the mods can correct my absent mind. ;D
Quote from: Brahmsian on May 13, 2010, 09:46:03 AM
Oops, my mistake. Hopefully the mods can correct my absent mind. ;D
Not sure what can be done about
that ;D but the thread is now in the "General" section.
One of my discoveries of the year happened just this week in live performance, and I hope to get the recording soon: Louis Andriessen's
De Staat (1976).
--Bruce
Atterberg. I'd heard about him a lot on the forum, but hadn't got around to hearing him. Dreadully good he is too - slightly superior to Alfvén, substantially superior to Peterson-Berger.
I was among the many who turned their ears towards Atterberg, this year and also last year. But I remain still somewhat unconvinced. I played his seventh and eight symphonies a lot, but could never get used to the fact that the idiom is so full blooded Romantic, 19th Century almost. I still haven't tried the much praised Third though ... ::)
So, my only "discovery" of late is the Norwegian Ludvig Irgens Jensen, in particularly for the sake of his Symphony and great orchestral Passacaglia.
Not sure if it qualifies as a discovery if you play a CD in 2010 that you've owned for several years but just never really attended to.
If it does, then I'd say my favorites so far this year have been Sachiko M and Mattin. They're both very spare, sparse minimalists. Long stretches of silence. Very small sounds. And that's something I've recently come to enjoy very much, so they finally resonated with me. And I've acquired several more than the single CD of each that I came into 2010 with. Solo CDs and them playing with other people like Keith Rowe and Otomo Yoshihide and that sort.
I discovered George Rochberg in January. My favorite part of this discovery is his 5th Symphony.
I also found an appreciation for Schumman's symphonies. I'm not sure if this counts as a discovery, because I've tried listening to them off and on for a couple of years and found them boring. But this year that has changed. :)
I discovered two amazing things:
1. I can listen to Wagner without becoming nauseous, and
2. The fortepiano is not a bad sounding piano.
I have come to actually enjoy PI recordings of Haydn and Mozart, so much so that I just bought the Van Swieten Haydn Piano Trios and love them - and I even watched the entire Das Rheingold.
:)
Quote from: Keemun on May 13, 2010, 11:26:05 AM
I also found an appreciation for Schumman's symphonies. I'm not sure if this counts as a discovery, because I've tried listening to them off and on for a couple of years and found them boring. But this year that has changed. :)
Todd, which recording changed your mind? I'm curious. :) By the way, I adore Schumann's symphonies. Probably my favorite early Romantic era symphonies.
Quote from: James on May 13, 2010, 11:00:18 AM
hehe sounds like something that anyone can do with little or no practice.
You say that as if that were a
bad thing.
Quote from: Christo on May 13, 2010, 10:42:50 AM
I was among the many who turned their ears towards Atterberg, this year and also last year. But I remain still somewhat unconvinced. I played his seventh and eight symphonies a lot, but could never get used to the fact that the idiom is so full blooded Romantic, 19th Century almost. I still haven't tried the much praised Third though ... ::)
The Third is perhaps even
more romantic in language and orchestral style. 3 and 8 are organizationally opposites - 8 founded on a 'motto' theme (actually the motif of three ascending notes which founds the first and second movements, trio of the scherzo, and the contrapuntal finale) which appears throughout, 3 a series of almost completely unrelated tone poems - but I love them both. For more "modern" musical languages turn to 5 and 6, but Atterberg was an unabashed romantic no matter what he was composing. It's his appeal to me, really. The man was born a few decades too late; his is the last cycle of great romantic symphonies. I wouldn't call him the last great romantic, though, not with Strauss and Rach and a percentage of Shostakovich's output vying for the title.
Quote from: Brian on May 13, 2010, 12:01:36 PM
The Third is perhaps even more romantic in language and orchestral style. 3 and 8 are organizationally opposites - 8 founded on a 'motto' theme (actually the motif of three ascending notes which founds the first and second movements, trio of the scherzo, and the contrapuntal finale) which appears throughout, 3 a series of almost completely unrelated tone poems - but I love them both. For more "modern" musical languages turn to 5 and 6, but Atterberg was an unabashed romantic no matter what he was composing. It's his appeal to me, really. The man was born a few decades too late; his is the last cycle of great romantic symphonies. I wouldn't call him the last great romantic, though, not with Strauss and Rach and a percentage of Shostakovich's output vying for the title.
Very helpful, many thanks. :) Am playing the `tone poems' of the Third at the moment (but silently, my family is sleeping ...) :-[
In my case, I guess it is the chamber music of Prinz Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. Cherubini's overture to Démophoon, Weber's overture to Beherrscher der Geister (sometimes it's a bit rough, but appealing anyway), and Grétry's L'amant jaloux have been other important discoveries.
Paavo Järvi's Beethoven 3rd and René Jacobs' Mozart 38th and 41st were both revelatory cds, and my favorite discoveries so far this year. :)
Primary discovery so far this year: Alexander MacKenzie's Violin Concerto, courtesy of a Hyperion recording. I'll be on the lookout for more of his work, too.
Quote from: Keemun on May 13, 2010, 11:26:05 AM
I discovered George Rochberg in January. My favorite part of this discovery is his 5th Symphony.
I'm curious what else you've heard. The 5th Symphony was the first Rochberg I heard, and my reaction was lukewarm: a well-done Mahler imitation but rather uninspired and overblown. Since then, I've heard some other Rochberg pieces (1st and 2nd Symphonies, Violin Concerto, quartets) and found a much more interesting and adventurous composer than I expected.
Quote from: toucan on May 13, 2010, 05:47:29 PM
Busoni's Berceuse Elegiaque, the only piece by Busoni I like, so far, it's been like a drug, I have to listen to it repeatedly.
I've got this on an all-Busoni CD on CPO. I've barely listened to it, and will take your post as a recommendation to do so. BTW, John Adams made a chamber orchestra version of this piece (why, I don't know, but it sounds quite nice).
As for
me, I haven't discovered any new composer this year. But I did discover that I can enjoy the harpsichord if it's played and recorded well enough. What convinced me were CDs of Byrd by Gustav Leonhardt, and Scarlatti by Trevor Pinnock and Pierre Hantai.
3 main ones for me :
- Solo Piano works as a genre : step by step discovery thanks to the recommendations and samples from GMG'ers, turning from a past complete dislike of this piano sound to a fair share of my music spending ;D
- My first Live Mahler symphony (the Sixth) - a powerful and memorable experience 8)
- One work that fascinates and mesmerizes me : Kanon Pokajanen by Arvo Part - making time stand still.... 0:)
Quote from: papy on May 14, 2010, 02:30:41 PM
- My first Live Mahler symphony (the Sixth) - a powerful and memorable experience 8)
I hear you, bro. Hearing Szell conduct the Sixth live literally changed my life.
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 14, 2010, 02:44:15 PM
I hear you, bro. Hearing Szell conduct the Sixth live literally changed my life.
Okay, that's hard to believe. I heard Karajan do Bruckner 8 with the Vienna Philharmonic and it was the best concert I have ever heard or expect to hear. But it didn't change my life.
Quote from: Scarpia on May 14, 2010, 03:25:16 PM
Okay, that's hard to believe. I heard Karajan do Bruckner 8 with the Vienna Philharmonic and it was the best concert I have ever heard or expect to hear. But it didn't change my life.
What, you don't believe in hyperbole? What kind of classical fan are you???
I own almost 400 recordings of Mahler...if that didn't change my life, it certainly changed my bank balance ;D
Sarge
Quote from: Scarpia on May 14, 2010, 03:25:16 PM
Okay, that's hard to believe. I heard Karajan do Bruckner 8 with the Vienna Philharmonic and it was the best concert I have ever heard or expect to hear. But it didn't change my life.
I believe music has the capacity to change one's life. After hearing Tureck's WTC, I became a more spiritual person.
It's not a religious thing but a matter of the human spirit.
Quote from: Bulldog on May 14, 2010, 03:48:57 PM
I believe music has the capacity to change one's life. After hearing Tureck's WTC, I became a more spiritual person.
It's not a religious thing but a matter of the human spirit.
My love of music has changed my life, but given the volume of music I listen to, it is hard to imagine an
individual performance or recording literally changing my life.
Quote from: Scarpia on May 14, 2010, 03:51:21 PM
My love of music has changed my life, but given the volume of music I listen to, it is hard to imagine an individual performance or recording literally changing my life.
Okay, I'll answer seriously this time. I knew Mahler only from a recording of the Second (Klemperer, a library copy) and the Fifth (heard over WCLV, Cleveland's classical radio channel), both of which end on a positive, uplifting note.
When I hitchhiked home from Ohio University to my village about forty miles from Cleveland in the fall of 1967, I knew I liked Mahler's music but was not, in any way, expecting the profound and tragic impact of his Sixth Symphony. I was literally stunned...I mean
STUNNED at the conclusion. I'd never heard anything so uttertly negative, so nilhilistic...and I could not understand why everyone at Severance Hall was applauding...applauding defeat, applauding death??? I left the hall stunned...and honestly, I am still stunned by the realization that we are all mortal and we are already as good as dead. Yes, that evening changed my life. A few months later, I enlisted, went to Vietnam...and I don't know why I'm still alive. But I know the end is certain....because Mahler told me so...and I've lived every moment of my life since that concert as if it were the last.
Sarge
Quote from: Brahmsian on May 13, 2010, 11:50:25 AM
Todd, which recording changed your mind? I'm curious. :) By the way, I adore Schumann's symphonies. Probably my favorite early Romantic era symphonies.
Ray, actually it wasn't a particular recording. I just began to "see the light" in the same recordings I had been trying to listen to for a while. I recently acquired the Bernstein/VPO set and I like it a lot. :)
Quote from: Velimir on May 13, 2010, 10:40:48 PM
I'm curious what else you've heard. The 5th Symphony was the first Rochberg I heard, and my reaction was lukewarm: a well-done Mahler imitation but rather uninspired and overblown. Since then, I've heard some other Rochberg pieces (1st and 2nd Symphonies, Violin Concerto, quartets) and found a much more interesting and adventurous composer than I expected.
I have recordings all of his symphonies, but the 5th is the only one I've really taken to so far. I also have Black Sounds and Transcendental Variations, neither of which I've listened to in their entirety (yet).
Mendelssohn's String Quartets.
I have just a few Mendelssohn discs. I don't seem to be into his famous orchestral pieces like A Midsummer Night's Dream. Those sound "too-early romantic" to me.
But, from day one I have enjoyed Mendelssohn's String Symphonies. I own only one disc on Naxos but I have always liked it a lot. Earlier this year I started to suspect that Mendelssohn's String Quartets might to my liking, works that I had always totally ignored. I sampled them on Spotify and liked what I heard. So, just recently I bought all of them on Arte Nova label (Henschel Quartet). I really like this kind of rhytmic, pulsating music.
:)
P.S. The Fuga of String Quartet in E flat major is amazing from a 14 years old boy! :o
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 14, 2010, 04:36:27 PM
Okay, I'll answer seriously this time. I knew Mahler only from a recording of the Second (Klemperer, a library copy) and the Fifth (heard over WCLV, Cleveland's classical radio channel), both of which end on a positive, uplifting note.
When I hitchhiked home from Ohio University to my village about forty miles from Cleveland in the fall of 1967, I knew I liked Mahler's music but was not, in any way, expecting the profound and tragic impact of his Sixth Symphony. I was literally stunned...I mean STUNNED at the conclusion. I'd never heard anything so uttertly negative, so nilhilistic...and I could not understand why everyone at Severance Hall was applauding...applauding defeat, applauding death??? I left the hall stunned...and honestly, I am still stunned by the realization that we are all mortal and we are already as good as dead. Yes, that evening changed my life. A few months later, I enlisted, went to Vietnam...and I don't know why I'm still alive. But I know the end is certain....because Mahler told me so...and I've lived every moment of my life since that concert as if it were the last.
Sarge
Impressive story, Sarge. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 14, 2010, 04:36:27 PM
Okay, I'll answer seriously this time. I knew Mahler only from a recording of the Second (Klemperer, a library copy) and the Fifth (heard over WCLV, Cleveland's classical radio channel), both of which end on a positive, uplifting note.
When I hitchhiked home from Ohio University to my village about forty miles from Cleveland in the fall of 1967, I knew I liked Mahler's music but was not, in any way, expecting the profound and tragic impact of his Sixth Symphony. I was literally stunned...I mean STUNNED at the conclusion. I'd never heard anything so uttertly negative, so nilhilistic...and I could not understand why everyone at Severance Hall was applauding...applauding defeat, applauding death??? I left the hall stunned...and honestly, I am still stunned by the realization that we are all mortal and we are already as good as dead. Yes, that evening changed my life. A few months later, I enlisted, went to Vietnam...and I don't know why I'm still alive. But I know the end is certain....because Mahler told me so...and I've lived every moment of my life since that concert as if it were the last.
Sarge
Well, I understand what you mean. Music has been a great enrichment to my life, but I've had to learn life's major lessons the hard way. That Bruckner concert I had mentioned took place a short time after my father had been diagnosed with lung cancer. The music was an escape from grim reality.
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 14, 2010, 03:35:54 PM
What, you don't believe in hyperbole? What kind of classical fan are you???
I own almost 400 recordings of Mahler...if that didn't change my life, it certainly changed my bank balance ;D
Sarge
(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/literally.png)
http://xkcd.com/725/ [The mouse-over text is only available at the site.]
;D
I discovered (a recording, not the actual pieces :P ) few awesome piano works by Bruckner; "Erinnerung" particularly was disquieting.
Arvo Part he ain't, but this is heart meltingly beautiful
Quote from: Velimir on May 13, 2010, 10:40:48 PM
I'm curious what else you've heard. The 5th Symphony was the first Rochberg I heard, and my reaction was lukewarm: a well-done Mahler imitation but rather uninspired and overblown. Since then, I've heard some other Rochberg pieces (1st and 2nd Symphonies, Violin Concerto, quartets) and found a much more interesting and adventurous composer than I expected.
I'd concur with you very much here; I'm lukewarm about the 5th too but wholeheartedly enthusiastic about the 2nd and close to that regarding the violin concerto.
At present, my favourite Rochberg work by far is the 4th symphony, which, criminally, is still awaiting a commercial recording. It's possibly even more Mahler-9-inflected than the 5th (you could almost argue for it as a paraphrase of the first movement of the Mahler work) but it's introverted, concise and lightly orchestrated where the 5th is extroverted, diffuse and overblown.
Come to think of it, Rochberg's 4th is probably my favourite discovery of the year.
Quote from: edward on May 27, 2010, 10:13:27 AM
Come to think of it, Rochberg's 4th is probably my favourite discovery of the year.
Sounds like a job for Naxos...along with the 6th Symphony (not heard by me, but also not recorded). Have you heard the 1st Symphony? It's not perfect (tends to ramble a bit), but on the whole it's a knockout.
Quote from: edward on May 27, 2010, 10:13:27 AM
At present, my favourite Rochberg work by far is the 4th symphony, which, criminally, is still awaiting a commercial recording. It's possibly even more Mahler-9-inflected than the 5th (you could almost argue for it as a paraphrase of the first movement of the Mahler work) but it's introverted, concise and lightly orchestrated where the 5th is extroverted, diffuse and overblown.
Your description of the 4th has picqued my interest, so I guess I should listen to all of his symphonies again. :)
In a minimalist vein, Hans Otte's Das Buch Der Klänge and Stundenbuch
More romantic, Maurice Emmanuel's sonatines and cello sonata
Definitely romantic pianism, Ronald Stephenson
Béla Bartók -- I've been listening to some of the concerto and concerto-type works in the past few days. Digging his orchestral works muchly!
Here's my discovery of 2010
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61QRqmFQYsL.jpg)
No i haven't only just discovered Beethoven's Middle Quartets, it's actually the Tenth String Quartet 'Harp', i've listened to it dozens of times, but just recently it really hit me, i understood its beauty and structure, i finally got it!, it's like discovering the thing for the very first time, i love it when this happens to me.
So this is my discovery of 2010, especially the first movement, see YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9ahXntXXNs
Quote from: Opus106 on June 26, 2010, 08:21:00 AM
Béla Bartók -- I've been listening to some of the concerto and concerto-type works in the past few days. Digging his orchestral works muchly!
Lovely, Nav! :)
Probably Jennifer Higdon, Sumera's 2nd Symphony, and pretty much ANYTHING by Ronald LoPresti.
So far, much of this year has been about reaquainting myself with some composers who I had either not given a chance or have completely blown off for whatever reason. Some of my rediscoveries have been Berg, Bloch, Martinu, Piston, Vivaldi, Corelli, Rodrigo, Part, Massenet, Roussel, and Webern.
Quote from: Mirror Image on July 05, 2010, 08:43:58 PM
So far, much of this year has been about reaquainting myself with some composers who I had either not given a chance or have completely blown off for whatever reason. Some of my rediscoveries have been Berg, Bloch, Martinu, Piston, Vivaldi, Corelli, Rodrigo, Part, Massenet, Roussel, and Webern.
Let me add the Vivaldi Cello concerti-- although that may have been last winter. Some of Vivaldi's best work!
Glancing quickly at my listening log, here are a few things I've heard for the first time in 2010 that I really, really liked!
Grieg: Violin Sonata No 3
Englund: Piano Concerto No 1
Zwilich: Peanuts Gallery
Popper: Cello suite Op 69
Hartmann: Symphony No 6
Mahler: Symphony No 8 part I (didn't listen to part II yet, but I was impressed to discover that my prior notion of absolutely hating the work was totally wrong for what I heard!)
J.C. Bach: Cello Concerto
Piatigorsky: Variations on a theme by Paganini (yes, that Piatigorsky, and yes, that theme)
Brahms: Piano Quartet No 2
Dorman: Piano Concerto, Piccolo Concerto
Madetoja: Elegy for Strings
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No 5
Gade: Symphony No 1
Vycpalek: Cantata of the Last Things of Man
Mozart: Violin Concerto No 5
Stookey: The Composer is Dead
Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos 1-18
But all this is ignoring the elephant in the room: prior to 2010, I had never heard a Beethoven string quartet. Now, I've seen Op 59 No 1, the "Serioso," and another I've forgotten live, and am listening on CD to the quartets, one-by-one, strictly in order. I'm still on Op 18 No 4, because I'm savoring them. :)
Quote from: Brian on July 06, 2010, 06:51:29 AM
Brahms: Piano Quartet No 2
Interesting you list this one Brian, as that is the least favorite of mine, out of Brahms' 3 piano quartets. I nowhere nearly enjoy this one compared to the other two, so I am very happy to hear you say you do enjoy it! :)
Which is the g minor quartet?
[FD2010] Listening to one right now: Janáček's Glagolitic Mass. Awesome work!
Quote from: Opus106 on July 06, 2010, 08:27:09 AM
[FD2010] Listening to one right now: Janáček's Glagolitic Mass. Awesome work!
Excellent! Which recording?
Quote from: Opus106 on July 06, 2010, 08:27:09 AM
[FD2010] Listening to one right now: Janáček's Glagolitic Mass. Awesome work!
It is a great piece, eh! Yes, I also would be interested in knowing which recording...
--Bruce
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 06, 2010, 08:27:50 AM
Excellent! Which recording?
A concert recording from the year past. Boulez leads the Orchestre de Paris.
Quote from: Opus106 on July 06, 2010, 08:30:51 AM
A concert recording from the year past. Boulez leads the Orchestre de Paris.
Most interesting, Nav!Quote from: Brahmsian on July 06, 2010, 08:30:03 AM
That is Piano Quartet # 1
Thanks, Ray! I have yet to hear it in Brahms's original; but I'm a great fan of the piece thanks to a celebrated arrangement.
Quote from: bhodges on July 06, 2010, 08:28:49 AM
It is a great piece, eh! Yes, I also would be interested in knowing which recording...
I've listened to two recordings of the Glagolitic, one by Chailly, the other Rattle. The Chailly is my preferred by a long shot.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 06, 2010, 08:35:07 AM
Thanks, Ray! I have yet to hear it in Brahms's original; but I'm a great fan of the piece thanks to a celebrated arrangement.
Please do not mention the name of the composer who created this celebrated arrangement! :D Just kidding. You'd be doing so at your own risk. ;D
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 06, 2010, 08:35:07 AMThanks, Ray! I have yet to hear it in Brahms's original; but I'm a great fan of the piece thanks to a celebrated arrangement.
:o You've not heard the Brahms piano quartets? If I were running this board your posting privileges would be revoked until you provide proof of purchase of this recording.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YvPpcaopL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) 8)
Quote from: Scarpia on July 06, 2010, 08:40:46 AM
I've listened to two recordings of the Glagolitic, one by Chailly, the other Rattle. The Chailly is my preferred by a long shot.
The Chailly is the one I have, I believe, and it's great.
--Bruce
Quote from: Brahmsian on July 06, 2010, 08:41:20 AM
Please do not mention the name of the composer who created this celebrated arrangement! :D Just kidding. You'd be doing so at your own risk. ;D
Nah -- he'll find it a pleasure do so. :D
I must say, it surprises me that he hasn't listened to the original.
Quote from: Opus106 on July 06, 2010, 08:48:05 AM
Nah -- he'll find it a pleasure do so. :D
I must say, it surprises me that he hasn't listened to the original.
Yes, because He Who Arranged It played the piece, and loved the original for that reason.
Quote from: Scarpia on July 06, 2010, 08:43:51 AM
:o You've not heard the Brahms piano quartets? If I were running this board your posting privileges would be revoked until you provide proof of purchase of this recording.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YvPpcaopL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) 8)
Hmm. Wonder if they have that at Borders . . . .
Karl, although much of Brahms' chamber output is masterpiece material, I really need to emphasize that the Op.25 and Op.60 piano quartets are really, really masterpiece material! :D
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 06, 2010, 08:54:02 AM
Yes, because He Who Arranged It played the piece
And you must be the
Boy Who Lived (after listening to that). ;D
Quote from: Scarpia on July 06, 2010, 08:40:46 AM
I've listened to two recordings of the Glagolitic, one by Chailly, the other Rattle. The Chailly is my preferred by a long shot.
*coughs politely*
Ancerl. That is all. ;)
Quote from: edward on July 06, 2010, 09:02:12 AM
*coughs politely*
Ancerl. That is all. ;)
Edward's right, you know : )
Quote from: edward on July 06, 2010, 09:02:12 AM
*coughs politely*
Ancerl. That is all. ;)
Not HIP enough. ;) I've put Mackerras ahead on The List.
Oh, the humanity!
Quote from: edward on July 06, 2010, 09:02:12 AM
*coughs politely*
Ancerl. That is all. ;)
POUNDS THE TABLE!
Ancerl in the Glagolitic Mass is one of my most treasured recordings. I could imagine the piece being taken a little more slowly in parts, but I don't want to. Very happy you've discovered this piece, Op 106. My favorite choral work, my favorite religious work, heck, one of my five or so pieces period. Just plain awesome from beginning to end.
Ray et al: I think the Quartet No 2 appealed to me because it's so darn
sunny. That doesn't happen much in Brahms. Haven't played the other two yet; still trawling slowly through Brilliant's Complete Brahms edition.
-
My man Dave Hurwitz tells the truth on Ancerl's Glagolitic Mass: "Charles Mackerras and Rafael Kubelik may find more energy in the Gloria and parts of the Credo, but no one matches Ancerl's particularly powerful mix of fervor and dignity in the vocal movements, and no one, but no one, makes a more joyously raucous, roof-raising, nose-thumbing, totally secular commotion in the closing "Intrada"....There's so much musical wisdom, warmth, and life-affirming joy in these performances that I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they moved you to tears."
QuoteBrilliant's Complete Brahms edition
Ooh, danger, danger!
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 06, 2010, 09:26:21 AM
Ooh, danger, danger!
It sucks for major works like symphonies, but most of the chamber music included is first rate. I got a copy for 21 Euros plus shipping from that bizarre french web site.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 06, 2010, 09:26:21 AM
Ooh, danger, danger!
Karl, you really ought to pull the trigger on this one. It is so dirt cheap, it's criminal really. There is some wonderful choral music (well, all of Brahms' works).
Go here, to fulfill all your dreams! ;D
Abeilles Musique (http://www.abeillemusique.com)
Quote from: Brahmsian on July 06, 2010, 09:32:53 AM
Karl, you really ought to pull the trigger on this one. It is so dirt cheap, it's criminal really. There is some wonderful choral music (well, all of Brahms' works).
Go here, to fulfill all your dreams! ;D
Abeilles Musique (http://www.abeillemusique.com/)
Thanks! Done. I should have paid that much just for the piano quartets, the string quartets and the organ chorales.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 06, 2010, 09:54:58 AM
Thanks! Done. I should have paid that much just for the piano quartets, the string quartets and the organ chorales.
Excellent, Karl!! Bon appetit with the Brahms Brilliant Box (my favorite Triple B)! :) It is certainly gluttony!
:)
Quote from: Brian on July 06, 2010, 09:25:34 AM
Ray et al: I think the Quartet No 2 appealed to me because it's so darn sunny. That doesn't happen much in Brahms.
A few words: The string quintets.
Quote from: Brian on July 06, 2010, 06:51:29 AM
But all this is ignoring the elephant in the room: prior to 2010, I had never heard a Beethoven string quartet. Now, I've seen Op 59 No 1, the "Serioso,"
Which one? These are 2 different pieces (59/1 is the first Razumovsky - the Serioso is Op. 95).
I'm seeing praise for Brahms 2nd Piano 4tet. While the other two are favorites of mine, this is one I just can't get my head around. It seems so long-winded by comparison, and un-Brahmsian somehow.
Quote from: erato on July 06, 2010, 10:27:31 AM
A few words: The string quintets.
Well yeah, but I love those because they're craggy late Brahms, not much sun there.
Quote from: Velimir on July 06, 2010, 10:32:16 AM
Well yeah, but I love those because they're craggy late Brahms, not much sun there.
I find them beautifully sunny (but valedictory so). But being Norwegian, perhaps I regard other peoples semidarkness as sun.
Quote from: erato on July 06, 2010, 10:39:16 AM
I find them beautifully sunny (but valedictory so). But being Norwegian, perhaps I regard other peoples semidarkness as sun.
In Norway, you must take crags for granted ; )
I think with Brahms, the sun is never far away from the clouds, and the clouds always have the sun hidden behind them. (Except maybe the final of the 4th symphony.)
It's an oversimplification, of course, but it's one reason why I love his music so much.
Quote from: edward on July 06, 2010, 10:43:06 AM
I think with Brahms, the sun is never far away from the clouds, and the clouds always have the sun hidden behind them. (Except maybe the final of the 4th symphony.)
It's an oversimplification, of course, but it's one reason why I love his music so much.
I think this is quite spot on, the familiar laughter through tears is a metaphor that quite often strikes me as appropriate with Brahms. Or smiling though gloomy if one so prefers.
Quote from: Velimir on July 06, 2010, 10:32:16 AM
Which one? These are 2 different pieces (59/1 is the first Razumovsky - the Serioso is Op. 95).
Yes, I meant both of them.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 06, 2010, 08:54:42 AM
Hmm. Wonder if they have that at Borders . . . .
More likely B/N. At least at my local Borders, they seemed to have dropped all the Philips Duos, unlike B/N. They may have the Faure Quartett playing 1 and 3, or all three in a Virgin recording by Causse, Angelich and les freres Capucons. I have both, and prefer the latter, and not only because it's got all three.
Quote from: Brian on July 06, 2010, 09:25:34 AM
POUNDS THE TABLE!
Ancerl in the Glagolitic Mass is one of my most treasured recordings. I could imagine the piece being taken a little more slowly in parts, but I don't want to. Very happy you've discovered this piece, Op 106. My favorite choral work, my favorite religious work, heck, one of my five or so pieces period. Just plain awesome from beginning to end.
Thanks, Brian. :) You say it's a religious work, and the text contains all the "right words" to suggest the same, but I keep reading that Janáček wanted this piece to be a more "nationalistic" one, if that's the right word to use.
Janáček was a strong supporter of pan-Slavism, and this mass has been viewed as a celebration of Slavic culture. [Wiki (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Glagolitic_Mass)]
The Glagolitic Mass had little to do with organized religion in the composer's mind [...] and was not intended for liturgical use. Janácek's mass was conceived as a paean to Nature, and a tribute to humanity. In 1928, Janácek was quoted as saying, "I wanted to portray the faith in the certainty of a nation, not on a religious basis, but on a basis of moral strength which takes God for witness." [All Music (http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=42:29556%7ET1)]
Quote from: Brahmsian on July 06, 2010, 09:56:54 AM
Excellent, Karl!! Bon appetit with the Brahms Brilliant Box (my favorite Triple B)! :) It is certainly gluttony!
:)
Ray, YHM!
Re the best Glagolitic....Edward's view is representative, and I agree with it, up to a point:
Quote from: edward on July 06, 2010, 09:02:12 AM
*coughs politely*
Ancerl. That is all. ;)
Well, yeah....of course. The only problem is that we have more recent recordings, from the last decade+ which give us the work as the composer intended, as reconstructed in the Wingfield edition, and it's even finer and more flabbergasting played that way. None of these recordings have Ancerl's magic, but Ancerl, and most everyone else, is missing some pretty extraordinary music (some of Janacek's most visionary thoughts, actually) through not having the original score available to them. Somewhere buried on this board is a thread in which I went through the differences in detail....they are astonishing, some of them.
I have no idea why some performers still persist with the superceded version of the score, though I'm being slightly rhetorical, because I'm sure they have their reasons.
Quote from: Luke on July 07, 2010, 05:04:06 AM
Re the best Glagolitic....Edward's view is representative, and I agree with it, up to a point:
Well, yeah....of course. The only problem is that we have more recent recordings, from the last decade+ which give us the work as the composer intended, as reconstructed in the Wingfield edition, and it's even finer and more flabbergasting played that way. None of these recordings have Ancerl's magic, but Ancerl, and most everyone else, is missing some pretty extraordinary music (some of Janacek's most visionary thoughts, actually) through not having the original score available to them. Somewhere buried on this board is a thread in which I went through the differences in detail....they are astonishing, some of them.
I have no idea why some performers still persist with the superceded version of the score, though I'm being slightly rhetorical, because I'm sure they have their reasons.
Recommendations? (He asked, greedily.)
That's the problem - none are as good as Ancerl. I have a couple, though, and I'm pleased with them. One is the first recording of the piece in this version, Mackerras and the Danish NSO; it's fine, but lacks a little fire. The other was a BBC music magazine cover CD, live IIRC, and I like it more, possibly - this is a work which benefits from live recording. Coupled with a nice Sinfonietta IIRC. I'm sure something can be arranged....
Atterberg Symphony No 5
Lo Presti, Elegy for a Young American, The Masks, Symphony 1 and 2
Casella Symphony No 2 and A notte alta.
Ruth Gipps Symphony No 4
Quote from: Luke on July 07, 2010, 05:04:06 AM
[W]e have more recent recordings, from the last decade+ which give us the work as the composer intended, as reconstructed in the Wingfield edition, and it's even finer and more flabbergasting played that way.
Historically informed, one might say.
;)
Quote from: Luke on July 07, 2010, 05:08:39 AM
That's the problem - none are as good as Ancerl. I have a couple, though, and I'm pleased with them. One is the first recording of the piece in this version, Mackerras and the Danish NSO; it's fine, but lacks a little fire. The other was a BBC music magazine cover CD, live IIRC, and I like it more, possibly - this is a work which benefits from live recording. Coupled with a nice Sinfonietta IIRC. I'm sure something can be arranged....
Have you heard the Mackerras on Supraphon, Luke? It's a DVD, I believe.
Quote from: Opus106 on July 06, 2010, 10:07:20 PM
Thanks, Brian. :) You say it's a religious work, and the text contains all the "right words" to suggest the same, but I keep reading that Janáček wanted this piece to be a more "nationalistic" one, if that's the right word to use.
From my forthcoming essay about the Glagolitic on former GMG member Mark's website (publication date uncertain):
He was not sympathetic to religion, either; he described church services as being about "death, nothing but death." One way to interpret this unusual Mass, then, is as Janacek's impression of what religion ought to have been: from beginning to end, this piece is a joyous and ever-grateful celebration of life.
Janáček's lack of faith played to some extent into the style of the Glagolitic Mass. There is an absence of reverence, or of solemnity, which strikes the listener from the very beginning: the piece is jam-packed with exciting rhythms, boundless energy, jubilant brass fanfares and riotous mood swings. Rather than long, flowing sacred melodies, there are short melodic ideas which repeat themselves insistently. When the chorus or soloists sing "Amit," medieval Slavonic for "Amen" [T3, 5:40-6:05], there is nothing solemn about it: they are shouting from the rooftops!Now, this is a very personal view. I have no evidence to back it up, haven't read many remarks by Janáček himself. Just what I hear in the piece. :)
Luke - I've heard Mackerras with the Danish Orchestra; it was factually informative hearing the original score, but the performance was not as electric or thrilling, so I set it aside. Hopefully someone will soon elevate their performance of the HIP version above "curiosity" level and into the "reference" category.
Quote from: Brian on July 07, 2010, 06:44:45 AM
From my forthcoming essay about the Glagolitic on former GMG member Mark's website (publication date uncertain):
He was not sympathetic to religion, either; he described church services as being about "death, nothing but death." One way to interpret this unusual Mass, then, is as Janacek's impression of what religion ought to have been: from beginning to end, this piece is a joyous and ever-grateful celebration of life.
Janáček's lack of faith played to some extent into the style of the Glagolitic Mass. There is an absence of reverence, or of solemnity, which strikes the listener from the very beginning: the piece is jam-packed with exciting rhythms, boundless energy, jubilant brass fanfares and riotous mood swings. Rather than long, flowing sacred melodies, there are short melodic ideas which repeat themselves insistently. When the chorus or soloists sing "Amit," medieval Slavonic for "Amen" [T3, 5:40-6:05], there is nothing solemn about it: they are shouting from the rooftops!
Now, this is a very personal view. I have no evidence to back it up, haven't read many remarks by Janáček himself. Just what I hear in the piece. :)
Thanks for the extract, Brian; I couldn't agree more with the second paragraph. Do let us know when your article is published. :)
Quote from: Brian on July 07, 2010, 06:44:45 AM
Luke - I've heard Mackerras with the Danish Orchestra; it was factually informative hearing the original score, but the performance was not as electric or thrilling, so I set it aside. Hopefully someone will soon elevate their performance of the HIP version above "curiosity" level and into the "reference" category.
No, it's not electric or particularly thrilling. But in the 'new' sections one can easily see how it could be. It's quite amazing, the stuff that Janacek was forced to excise from the score for the first performance, esepcially in the Veruju. And one thing we can all do, btw, to reflect Janacek's concept, even without a recording of the original version, is to program our CD players to play the Intrada at the end as well as at the beginning. This was always the plan, it's just a printing error that it doesn't bookend the score.
Google books result for Wingfield's book on the revised edition. It's all here (I've read it cover to cover many times!):
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=W9nMaEu-ZMEC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=janacek+glagolitic+ver&source=bl&ots=aa2QT1Nzf3&sig=1rEedPMZPFpUG_KduTu7vvsll0E&hl=en&ei=nqA0TMyUOpXNjAek94TgBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
Quote from: Luke on July 07, 2010, 07:44:55 AM
No, it's not electric or particularly thrilling. But in the 'new' sections one can easily see how it could be. It's quite amazing, the stuff that Janacek was forced to excise from the score for the first performance, esepcially in the Veruju. And one thing we can all do, btw, to reflect Janacek's concept, even without a recording of the original version, is to program our CD players to play the Intrada at the end as well as at the beginning. This was always the plan, it's just a printing error that it doesn't bookend the score.
Google books result for Wingfield's book on the revised edition. It's all here (I've read it cover to cover many times!):
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=W9nMaEu-ZMEC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=janacek+glagolitic+ver&source=bl&ots=aa2QT1Nzf3&sig=1rEedPMZPFpUG_KduTu7vvsll0E&hl=en&ei=nqA0TMyUOpXNjAek94TgBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
Thanks for that link - a couple pages were "missing from the preview" but what I read there was fascinating. I'm going to try to read it front to back too, great and insightful writing.
This October the LSO and Colin Davis are doing the Glagolitic Mass, just in time for my move to London. I hope they will be using the original score, but no matter what edition is deployed, hearing the Mass live is one of my greatest dreams...
Quote from: Brian on July 07, 2010, 07:55:51 AM
Thanks for that link - a couple pages were "missing from the preview" but what I read there was fascinating. I'm going to try to read it front to back too, great and insightful writing.
Yes....it pains me to admit it, because I don't like the guy in person! But it's one of the most important works of Janacek scholarship there is, that book.
Quote from: Brian on July 07, 2010, 07:55:51 AM
This October the LSO and Colin Davis are doing the Glagolitic Mass, just in time for my move to London. I hope they will be using the original score, but no matter what edition is deployed, hearing the Mass live is one of my greatest dreams...
I heard it done, in the Wingfield edition, in 1993 or 1994, at university, in King's College Chapel. Was pretty amazing.
Quote from: Luke on July 07, 2010, 07:44:55 AM
No, it's not electric or particularly thrilling. But in the 'new' sections one can easily see how it could be. It's quite amazing, the stuff that Janacek was forced to excise from the score for the first performance, esepcially in the Veruju. And one thing we can all do, btw, to reflect Janacek's concept, even without a recording of the original version, is to program our CD players to play the Intrada at the end as well as at the beginning. This was always the plan, it's just a printing error that it doesn't bookend the score.
I'm surprised, that would be the first Mackerras recording I know of which is not at all "electric." So there is no recommendable version of the restored score?
I'd still recommend it; if it was the only version you'd heard, you'd not notice the lack of electricity. And the BBC mag disc I have is also good, preferable, perhaps. It's just that the original version awaits an Ancerl, as yet.
Quote from: Luke on July 07, 2010, 08:08:18 AM
I'd still recommend it; if it was the only version you'd heard, you'd not notice the lack of electricity. And the BBC mag disc I have is also good, preferable, perhaps. It's just that the original version awaits an Ancerl, as yet.
There's also this DVD
(http://www.arkivmusic.com/graphics/covers/non-muze/full/124875.jpg)
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=124875 (http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=124875)
which appears to date from after the Chandos recording. Is this the performance on your live CD?
No, the BBC one is Hickox - not quite as deeply associated with Janacek of course, but still not a bad recording. Though I'm going to spin it again later with fresh ears. Don't know that DVD.
Quote from: ChamberNut on May 13, 2010, 09:25:10 AM
What are your favorite discoveries up to now, for 2010? Either works, composers or recordings. :)
One of mine so far is the simple, yet oh so beautiful music for Female Chorus by Brahms.
Two works I discovered thanks to this forum: Gliere's "Sirens," and Arthur Butterworth's 4th Symphony.
Harnoncourt.
8)
Bernd Alois
Quote from: ChamberNut on September 24, 2010, 05:22:01 AM
Awesome! :)
For sure. I just purchased his Bruckner 9th, and I'm in the process of getting his Beethoven Piano Concertos.
I just love the sound he is able to bring out.
Quote from: Philoctetes on September 24, 2010, 08:34:15 AM
For sure. I just purchased his Bruckner 9th, and I'm in the process of getting his Beethoven Piano Concertos.
I just love the sound he is able to bring out.
If you have not yet done so, check out his Beethoven symphonies. I have that set of Piano Concertos also, along with the Triple Concerto and Choral Fantasy.