A friend & I have weekly music nights, when we get together & listen to eachother's recordings.
I thought I'd post these here for discussion & observations by members. Feel free to discuss these recordings or composers.
Often, our listening is based on concerts we will be going to in future (works or composers played at those concerts). But sometimes we just listen to what takes our fancy.
My friend has many cd's he collected in the '80's and '90's. Many of these are out of print gems. Most of my collection has been purchased since 2008. We also listen to some cd's borrowed from the local library, as well as recordings from the radio. I'm more into the more recent stuff, he's more into the earlier stuff, but we listen to composers from all eras (as well as a bit of jazz and rock).
My recordings are labelled (S), my friend's (F), the library's (L) and others (O).
I have records going back until the beginning of the year, but it would be laborious to put all that up, so I have decided to start from August this year.
7th August, 2010
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker, Act 1 (F)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41MR4DQ87BL._SS500_.jpg)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 (F)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JOsnTL83L._SS400_.jpg)
Ives: Charles Rutladge (song) (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aJlmIOUFL._SS400_.jpg)
Widor: Symphony No. 1 for solo organ (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51UT2QFP%2BvL._SS400_.jpg)
14th August, 2010
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker, Act 2 (F)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41MR4DQ87BL._SS500_.jpg)
Beethoven: Minuet in G for cello & piano (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51X72FTG5WL._SS400_.jpg)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 (L)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61HbHoaut%2BL._SS400_.jpg)
Carter: Gra for solo clarinet (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JrqDh%2BDeL._SS500_.jpg)
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty - Ballet Suites (L)
(No image available - Philadelphia/Ormandy on Sony)
21st August, 2010
Chopin: "Heroic" Polonaise (F)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kI1hSPeSL._SS400_.jpg)
Chopin: Ballades 3-4; Polonaises 5-6 (L)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FoTXNBRBL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Adagietto) (S)
Royal Philharmonic/Frank Shipway
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZSu5i4vNL._SS400_.jpg)
Chausson: Poeme de l'amour et de la mer (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wlXUEJd7L._SS500_.jpg)
Wagner: Prelude to Lohengrin (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IpHcRRP6L._SS500_.jpg)
Carter: Three Occasions for Orchestra (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jruqiO7QL._SS400_.jpg)
28th August, 2010
Chopin: "Heroic" Polonaise; Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise; Variations Brilliantes on a Theme from Ludovic by Halevy; Mazurkas Op. 6; Contredanse; Tarantelle (F)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kI1hSPeSL._SS400_.jpg)
Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit (L)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sah34JwNL._SS400_.jpg)
Haydn: Symphony No. 103 "Drumroll" (O)
(No image: London Classical Players/Norrington - radio recording)
Schumann: Cello Concerto (S)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2439/4021769992_4fe8921562_o.jpg)
Cage: Imaginary Landscape No. 1 (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511jN2Lr1mL._SS500_.jpg)
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Adagietto) (S)
Royal Philharmonic/Frank Shipway
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZSu5i4vNL._SS400_.jpg)
11 September, 2010
We missed a music night last week, but my friend and I got together again last Saturday. He really enjoyed Balakirev's Islamey, which he hadn't heard before. We listened to a lot of Chopin and Ravel, and read about their lives, as we went to a piano recital together the following day.We were looking forward to seeing Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit, but they changed the program and the Valses Nobles et Sentimentales was played (interesting to hear that lighter work as well). A great weekend all up. We included the Mozart and Schumann as we will be seeing these live in the second half of September...
Chopin: "Heroic" Polonaise (F)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kI1hSPeSL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Chopin: Ballade No. 4; "Heroic" Polonaise (L)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FoTXNBRBL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit (L)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sah34JwNL._SS400_.jpg)
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41G1ip4EE6L._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
Schumann: Cello Concerto (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-b6q7iBrL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Balakirev: Islamey (solo piano version)
Prokofiev: Suggestion Diabolique (S)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KAEYPNC2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Does anybody notice that Sid is the only one who posts in this thread?
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 15, 2010, 06:16:43 PM
Does anybody notice that Sid is the only one who posts in this thread?
The only reason I haven't posted here is that I'm not familar with any of these recordings except for the Chopin played by Frager which I have not listened to in recent years.
Well, anyone is welcome to post, especially if they are familiar with some of the recordings or artists. I am just putting these things out there for people to comment on. Some of the recordings were issued in the 1980's and out of print (like Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker conducted by Previn), so I understand it's difficult to comment. But it's also a way for people here to become familiar with some of the music my friend & I like to listen to (there's a wide variety) - and hopefully it makes them understand where I'm coming form (& at) regarding classical music...
It looks like a really nice idea and makes for a pleasant evening. No one round here I could do this with, even on an occasional basis.
Mike
Yes, I think I am lucky to have met this friend five years ago. It was a tough time in both of our lives, and we kind of met by chance. Anyway, once we got to know eachother on a deeper level, we found we both had this passion for classical music. So about two years ago we started meeting for music nights. We began to enjoy these so much, that we made them weekly rather than just an irregular thing as initially. We also go to a number of concerts per month together. I think that we are both pretty eclectic listeners but he likes the older stuff more and I tend to concentrate on the newer stuff (last 100 years or so). I have been able to access and listen to many things from his collection, many discoveries, especially in the solo piano realm and opera. I hope that we can go on like this for many years to come, these nights are a highlight of my week. Especially after a heavy week, it's good to relax with some great music and friendly company...
Yeah, I wish I knew some people around me that liked classical as much as I do. I would start a club! Everybody who loves classical music is accepted into the club, unless, they mention they liked Satie's music, then it's out the door they go! >:D :D
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 16, 2010, 08:48:58 PM
Yeah, I wish I knew some people around me that liked classical as much as I do. I would start a club! Everybody who loves classical music is accepted into the club, unless, they mention they liked Satie's music, then it's out the door they go! >:D :D
Funny that you mention that, because my friend understands that I have some limitations - I don't want to hear everything in his collection. Eg. I absolutely detest Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony, & have told him I don't want to hear his (or any!) recording of it. I can stomach an occassional exposure to some other warhorses (like Vivaldi's Four Seasons or Beethoven's 5th Symphony), but I can't stand the Saint-Saens (although his other works are ok). But by being a bit flexible & accomodating I have extended my range - I never thought I liked Chopin that much, but the friend's recording of the waltzes played by Cyprien Katsaris was like a revelation to me. He's brought along quite a few good recordings like that, too numerous to mention. So yeah, we all have our limitations, but this has also encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone - his complete recordings of Handel's Messiah and Wagner's Tannhauser have been two other things that I wouldn't have accessed without knowing him...
Quote from: Sid on September 16, 2010, 09:03:35 PM
Funny that you mention that, because my friend understands that I have some limitations - I don't want to hear everything in his collection. Eg. I absolutely detest Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony, & have told him I don't want to hear his (or any!) recording of it. I can stomach an occassional exposure to some other warhorses (like Vivaldi's Four Seasons or Beethoven's 5th Symphony), but I can't stand the Saint-Saens (although his other works are ok). But by being a bit flexible & accomodating I have extended my range - I never thought I liked Chopin that much, but the friend's recording of the waltzes played by Cyprien Katsaris was like a revelation to me. He's brought along quite a few good recordings like that, too numerous to mention. So yeah, we all have our limitations, but this has also encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone - his complete recordings of Handel's Messiah and Wagner's Tannhauser have been two other things that I wouldn't have accessed without knowing him...
I would like to actually hear Wagner's Ring cycle at some point. Even though you know I'm not a big opera fan, but I would like to at least hear these works.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 16, 2010, 09:06:59 PM
I would like to actually hear Wagner's Ring cycle at some point. Even though you know I'm not a big opera fan, but I would like to at least hear these works.
Me too, opera is the one genre that I have been less into than the others - although my mother had a strong preference for it, and I can remember listening to things like Verdi's Aida & Rossini's Barber of Seville when I was growing up. She mainly likes the Italian stuff. & my father preferred keyboard works, which I'm also now getting into now that I am more mature (before I found them a bit boring).
The good thing about hearing Wagner's Tannhauser in full is that you can pick up how he takes certain themes & ideas through the whole three or so hours. It's really cohesive and holistic, something you don't get from just listening to highlights. But I must admit that I find Wagner a bit heavy going, and we listened to the complete opera spread over a period of three music nights (one per disc - it's on three cd's). If I hear it in one go, it all sounds the same to me, but if it is more spread out (into seperate listens), then it tends to make more sense.
In coming weeks, I think we will concentrate a bit on songs and the piano. The friend has a classic recording of Emil Gilels playing Beethoven's Hammerklavier, which I really want to hear, since I haven't heard much of his playing. There's a lot to discover yet, so far we have only scratched the surface (in the past two years!)...
Quote from: Sid on September 16, 2010, 09:19:08 PM
Me too, opera is the one genre that I have been less into than the others - although my mother had a strong preference for it, and I can remember listening to things like Verdi's Aida & Rossini's Barber of Seville when I was growing up. She mainly likes the Italian stuff. & my father preferred keyboard works, which I'm also now getting into now that I am more mature (before I found them a bit boring).
The good thing about hearing Wagner's Tannhauser in full is that you can pick up how he takes certain themes & ideas through the whole three or so hours. It's really cohesive and holistic, something you don't get from just listening to highlights. But I must admit that I find Wagner a bit heavy going, and we listened to the complete opera spread over a period of three music nights (one per disc - it's on three cd's). If I hear it in one go, it all sounds the same to me, but if it is more spread out (into seperate listens), then it tends to make more sense.
In coming weeks, I think we will concentrate a bit on songs and the piano. The friend has a classic recording of Emil Gilels playing Beethoven's Hammerklavier, which I really want to hear, since I haven't heard much of his playing. There's a lot to discover yet, so far we have only scratched the surface (in the past two years!)...
Hmmm....interesting. Yes, I would not take a Wagner opera all in one setting. That would be too much for me, but if you spread it out, like you did, then I can see where the possible enjoyment would come from.
By the way, those connecting motifs that appear in the operas are called
leitmotifs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitmotif (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitmotif)
Saturday 2.10.10
I meant to post this earlier, but the server problems prevented me from doing so. This particular night (& in the coming weeks) the friend & I concentrated on art songs by some of the major composers & also some of the works of Saint-Saens, Mozart & Ligeti which will be seeing live during this month. All of the songs will be in a song recital as well as the Carnival of the Animals, Eine kleine Nachtmusik and the Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet in another concert (both here in Sydney).
We also got into recordings of pianist Maurizio Pollini, my friend's Schubert late piano sonatas and my own C20th cd - we will be listening to these complete over the next few weeks.
Schubert - Shepherd on the Rock (Friend's cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YB2KX8YWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Britten - A Charm of Lullabies (Local library)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51b2DXsg5GL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Mahler - Ruckertlieder (Local library)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FkgxU98OL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Mahler - "Um Mitternacht" from Ruckertlieder (My collection)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511P39WC7KL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Schubert - Piano Sonata D. 959 op. posth (Friend's cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KRhU%2BCTqL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 7 "Stalingrad" (My collection)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31FWX133M3L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saint-Saens - Carnival of the Animals (My collection)
(http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSS3JPXGb2wTwb8t7bjDc4O7-QbI9c-IUAKh0t2-d2cJAza5hs&t=1&usg=__LYL_GCt98mVHAMYBf-Gapzgqo-k=)
Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Friend's)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61u8tNaZ9CL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Ligeti - Ramifications, version for string orchestra (My coll.)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21B6YP7GDZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saturday 9.10.10
We basically focused on similar stuff to last week, getting ready for the song recital and chamber concert. So we listened to these again:
Schubert - Shepherd on the Rock (Battle)
Britten - A Charm of Lullabies (Kozena)
Schubert - Piano Sonata D. 959 op. posth. (Pollini) - this is not in any concert, we are just listening to it for some variety. I needed a second listen to get my head around this work, next week we will listen to another Schubert sonata played by Pollini.
Saint- Saens - Carnival of the Animals (Beatrice Lillie, narrator)
But we also listened to some different recordings/works:
Mahler - Ruckert Lieder (Library)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ol4H%2BTvzL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Berlin Philharmonic/Bohm (My LP)
(No image available)
Stravinsky - Three Movements from Petrushka for piano
Webern - Variations for piano (My coll.)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31FWX133M3L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Ligeti - Etude No. 6 (Book 1) "Autumn in Warsaw"
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/315qh6j-c%2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saturday 16.10.10
Some of the things we listened to together that we hadn't before were:
Schubert: Piano Sonata in C minor D.958 op. posth. (Friend's collection) - Funnily enough, I found this sonata (in a minor key) to be lighter and less darker than the one we listened to previously (D.959, which is in a major key).
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KRhU%2BCTqL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Liszt: Sposalizio & Petrarch Sonnet 104 (from Italian Year from Years of Pilgramage)
Stephanie McCallum, piano
ABC Classics
(http://shop.abc.net.au/multimediaitems/images/product_images/3/350866.jpg)
Debussy: Arabesque No. 1
Peter Schmalfuss, piano
Vienna Master Classics/PILZ
(No image) (Two above my collection)
I put on the Debussy after the Liszt's Sposalizio to compare the two pieces. Both have this descending phrase which to my ears sounds very similar. My friend agreed, there was similarity in that and also the subtlety and even poetry of these pieces.
Saint-Saens: Valse-Caprice (Wedding Cake) & Allegro Appassionato (both for piano & orchestra) (from library) - These works were written at the same time as the Carnival of the Animals, which the friend and I will see live next week. There is a sense of fun here, especially in the Valse-Caprice - written as a wedding present for a lady friend - and we also felt that Chopin might have been an influence.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AGkSHW67L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Grieg: Holberg Suite (Friend's collection)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61u8tNaZ9CL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
We also listened to Schubert's Shepherd on the Rock, Mahler's Ruckert-lieder, Britten's A Charm of Lullabies and Ligeti's Etude VI (Recordings above in earlier posts)
Saturday 30.10.10
This night, the friend & I focused on Beethoven & Gounod, as we will be seeing Beethoven's 7th & Gounod's 1st in a concert in a fortnight. But we also had time to repeat some of the Schubert played by Pollini, our featured disc for this month. We also listened to some modern works by Messiaen and Xenakis to finish up the evening.
Schubert: Piano Sonata in C minor D.958 op. posth. (Friend's collection)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KRhU%2BCTqL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 (Library) - The friend used to own this work & was familiar with it. We both enjoyed Dorati's performance.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41V6VECTWCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Gounod: Petite Symphonie for 10 wind instruments
Members of the Halle Orch./Barbirolli (My collection)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21J4J57SA8L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Gounod: "Salut, demeur" from Faust
Alain Vanzo, tenor
Award CD (My collection, no image)
J. S. Bach/arr. Gounod: Ave Maria
From Daniel Benko's album "Ave Maria"
Favorit, Hungary (tape) (My collection, no image)
Messiaen: Le Merle Noir (The Blackbird) for flute and piano (Friend's collection)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51D5aigmZPL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Xenakis: Theraps for double bass solo
Mark Cauvin, double bass (My collection)
Interesting how my friend heard the (simulated) sound of a siren in this. I just heard motoric sounds, and felt like I was gliding in the sky on a plane. He isn't as familiar as I with the works of Varese, so his siren allusion was interesting, coming without much prior knowledge...
(http://www.markcauvin.com/img/transfiguration_cover.jpg)
Saturday 06.11.10
Again, we listened to some Gounod (his Symphony No.1 coming up in next week's concert, but I don't have that, so we listened to one of his masses). We also listened to some Carter, as he's music is coming up in a recital the friend & I will probably go to at the end of the month. & we continued exploring the Schubert played by Pollini set. The Three Piano Pieces is my favourite work from what I've heard of this set so far. Full of dance melodies and nostalgia for the Vienna of his younger days. The Schubert/Pollini is the friend's disc, the rest are from my collection.
Schubert: Allegretto in C minor D.915; Three Piano Pieces D.946 (op. post.)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KRhU%2BCTqL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Meyerbeer: "O Paradiso" from L'Africaine
Enrico Caruso (tenor), rec. 1907
Cilea: "E la solita storia" from L'Arlesiana
Beniamino Gigli (tenor), rec. 1941
Gounod: Solemn Mass for St. Cecilia
Pilar Lorengar/Heinz Hoppe/Franz Crass/Choeurs René Duclos/Orchestre De La Société Des Concerts Du Conservatoire/Jean-Claude Hartemann
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21J4J57SA8L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Haydn: Piano Trio in A major, Hob. XV:18
(http://shop.abc.net.au/multimediaitems/images/product_images/3/311270.jpg)
Carter: String Quartet No. 1
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B0HygExbL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
That's funny, I just listened to Carter's String Quartet No. 4 this morning. :) That cd, though that is my fav, #1 and 5 are awesome. 8)
Did you draw any conclusions from listening to Caruso then to Gigli?
Mike
Thanks for replying guys, good to see that somebody (at least) is reading this stuff.
@ DavidW:
Yes, that disc with Carter's String Quartets 1 & 5 is my favourite also. I think that the first in particular is quite an accessible work, once one listens to it a few times. I'm also beginning to get my head around the more mercurial and flighty fifth. I've also got the other disc (Nos. 2-4), and I find them quite hard going & very complex. Actually, the fourth has been the one I've singled out for repeated listening on the second volume, because it has (some) similiarities with the first. As you probably know, the excellent first disc won a Grammy. The friend enjoyed the first quartet quite a bit, and likened it's quiet ending (how it peters off into nothingness) to the end of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique. I hadn't thought of that - the beauty of listening to new things is that one makes connections with stuff that one already knows. We'll be listening to some more Carter in the next coming weeks before we go to the recital.
@ Mike ("knight") :
Well it's pretty interesting to compare Caruso & Gigli, because the former retired in about 1920 when the latter was making his debut. The friend immediately noticed the difference in recording quality (of course, the Gigli was better in that regard). But as for performance, I think that Caruso had a darker, heavier tone, whilst Gigli had a higher voice. Perhaps Caruso was a bit more restrained than Gigli, too? I chose those two arias (the Meyerbeer & the Cilea), because these exact items were sung by Domingo and Carreras respectively in the Roman three tenors concert in 1990, and my friend has still got that disc and it's one of his favourites (mine too). So we were comparing the vintage and the modern perfomances as well...
Thanks. When I started collecting almost 50 years ago, that comparison was one that was often made, with the experts usually preferring Caruso. I preferred the tone of Gigolo and the openness of his approach, which some deemed vulgar. Now, we would be happy to have him around, even if he did sob somewhat.
How did they stack up against the near departing generation of tenors?
After hearing Gigli's famous recording of La Bo heme, an aged aunt of mine said, without conscious irony, that she wanted 'Your Tiny Hand is Frozen' to be sung at her funeral.
Mike
Quote from: Sid on November 07, 2010, 01:39:25 PM
Thanks for replying guys, good to see that somebody (at least) is reading this stuff.
Lurking here too. Just don't have most of the discs you listened to. I do have Gonoud's symphonies with Marriner conducting, but that looks like it's OOP. You might try Naxos here if you want to get something (if you decide you want it).
I like both Gigli and Caruso, so a fun comparison that always leaves me wanting more of both!
Saturday 13.11.10
We were to go to a concert this night, but due to financial reasons we pulled out. Next week, however, we'll definitely go to a contemporary classical concert at Sydney Conservatorium, so I decided to introduce one of the seminal works of the C20th to my friend, Schoenberg's Violin Concerto. To start, we listened to the first disc of Handel's Messiah (we will be listening to this set in the next few weeks, leading up to a live performance of the work in December). I really like Handel and I enjoyed this recording (we've listened to it previously, a few years back). We also paid tribute to two figures of the classical music world who passed away recently, Rudolf Barshai and Henryk Gorecki.
Handel: The Messiah (Part One, cd 1)
Soloists/Monteverdi Ch./English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner
(Friend's cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41KAW66D66L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Vivaldi: Two concertos from L'Estro Armonico (in B minor for 4 violins & cello op. 3 No. 10; in D major for 4 violins op. 3 No. 1)
Moscow Chamber Orch./Barshai
(My cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tZ8Waqf7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Gorecki: Symphony No. 3 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs' (2nd movement)
(My cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DGGHKSPJL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Schoenberg: Violin Concerto
(My cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nAsQam8ML._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saturday 20.11.10
This week we continued listening to the Handel Messiah recording conducted by John Elliot Gardiner. & we listened again to the Schubert recording with pianist Maurizio Pollini. Then we had some Sarah Vaughan for light relief & got right into two of the most significant American composers - Ives and Carter. If you guys want to talk about the composers or performers here (or other performances, even), not necessarily these exact recordings, that would be welcome.
Handel: Messiah (Part Two, Disc 2)
Soloists/Monteverdi Ch./English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner
(Friend's cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41KAW66D66L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Schubert: Allegretto in C minor D.915; Three Piano Pieces D.946 (op. post.)
Maruizio Pollini, piano
(Friend's cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KRhU%2BCTqL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Sarah Vaughan sings
"Lullaby of Birdland" with band incl. Clifford Brown (trumpet); Paul Quinichette (tenor sax)
Rec. 1954, New York
"Take the "A" Train" arr. J. J. Johnson, with his big band
Rec. 1967, New York
Mercury 830 699-2 (Compact Disc)
(My cd)
Ives:
"The Cage" (song) - Marni Nixon, sop./John McCabe, pno.
Set for Theatre or Chamber Orchestra - Ensemble Modern/Metzmacher
(My cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aJlmIOUFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Ives: Piano Sonata No. 1
Peter Lawson, pno.
(My cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SsyjhdWSL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Carter: String Quartet No. 5
Pacifica Quartet
(My cd)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B0HygExbL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saturday 27.11.10
This week we rounded off our listening of Handel's Messiah (Part 3, disc 3 of the Gardiner set above). The friend & I are looking forward to seeing this work at the end of December. Then we got into Beethoven's Emperor Concerto in two interpretations, as we'll be seeing this done by a local orchestra next weekend. We felt that Serkin was more poetic and lighter, whereas Foldes was more bold and vigorous. The Lutoslawski's charming and jazzy Paganini Variations as a sorbet before we finished up with Schubert's Piano Sonata in B flat major D. 960 (op. post.) of the Pollini set above. I liked the rumbling bass bit in the first movement, the rather disturbing (at times) slow movement, and the last two movements which were both based on dance music, but were totally different from eachother (kind of reminding me of the String Quintet). Here are the details of the Beethoven & Lutoslawski, the Handel & Schubert images being in earlier posts.
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor"
Rudolf Serkin, piano
Boston Symphony/Seiji Ozawa
(same telarc recording as below, but different cover) (Friend's coll.)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51cGVl%2BeZ2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Beethoven: "Emperor" Concerto & Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79
Andor Foldes, piano
Berlin PO/Ferdinand Leitner
Polyphon LP 2542 014
(My coll.)
Lutoslawski: Paganini Variations for piano & orchestra
Bernd Glemser, piano
Polish NRSO/Antoni Wit
(My coll.)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Yvgu85jvL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saturday 04.12.10
This week we focused on Beethoven and Sibelius, and also listened to a radio broadcast of a concert that we attended a few weeks ago. It was interesting hearing the Hindson piece again. When I saw it on the night, I didn't realise those rhythms from pop music in the first part, as well as the Arvo Part-like melodic minimalism of the ending...
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
LSO/Davis
(LSO Live)
(Library recording)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41MCLaD7f0L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture
LSO/Wyn Morris
(MCA Classics) MCAD-25237
(Same recording as below)
(My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41RcNpJvEgL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
Sibelius: Tapiola
Helsinki PO/Berglund
(EMI)
(My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mKjlHivPL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Radio broadcast on ABC Classic FM
Australia Ensemble concert at Sir John Clancy Auditorium, University of New South Wales (recording of earlier concert)
Ligeti - Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet
Mozart - Eine kliene Nachtmusik (quintet version - 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass)
Matthew Hindson - Light is both a particle and a wave (world premiere) - piano, clarinet, flute, string quartet
Saint-Saens - The Carnival of the Animals, Zoological Fantasy (chamber version)
Saturday 18.12.10
This week we again listened to Schubert's Piano Sonata D. 960 played by Maurizio Pollini. Then we listened to highlights from Handel's The Messiah on the Naxos disc below. My friend & I were to go to a live performance of the work the next day, but unfortunately he was unable to make it due to not feeling well. I wasn't feeling too crash hot either, but I was able to go. To finish up, we heard Beethoven's String Quartet No. 10 ("Razumovsky No. 3") played by the Hungarian String Quartet on an old Columbia LP.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DhYifZ6zL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Schubert: friend's collection
Handel & Beethoven: my collection
Saturday 08.01.11
To kick off the new year, we decided we'd delve into Liszt on our music nights this month. So it was Brendel & Horowitz playing the seminal Sonata in B minor & other works to get us started. Then we discussed & read poems from Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, and listened to that to finish up. We will see this work in April here in Sydney at an Australia Ensemble concert at the University of New South Wales. It's been more than 10 years since I last heard this work (I've never owned it on disc before) & probably the first time my friend heard it. He tapped in to the darkness & grotesquerie of the work straight away.
Liszt:
Sonata in B minor
Legends I & II
La Lugubre Gondola I & II
Alfred Brendel, piano
Philips
(Friend's disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z-KyJm5cL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Liszt:
Sonata in B minor
Funerailles
Vladimir Horowitz, piano (recorded 1930's)
EMI
(My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5104DKFP18L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Schoenberg:
Pierrot lunaire, melodrama for voice & chamber ensemble, Op. 21
Herzgewächse (Heart's Foliage), song for soprano, celesta, harp & harmonium, Op. 20
Christine Schafer, voice/soprano
Members of the Ensemble InterContemporain
Pierre Boulez, direction
DGG
(My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VD8C19PQL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saturday 15.01.11
This week we continued our exploration of Liszt with some of his works for piano & orchestra, played by Bolet, Cziffra & Richter. Then, following on from the Schoenberg of last week, a work by his teacher Zemlinsky (& like Pierrot Lunaire, in his Lyric Symphony Zemlinsky also employed speech-song, but to somewhat a lesser degree). The friend had not heard the music of Zemlinsky before, and he said he could hear a bit of influence of Wagner especially.
Liszt:
Totentanz
Malediction (I especially enjoyed this one, a rarely heard work)
Hungarian Fantasy
Jorge Bolet, piano
LSO
Ivan Fischer, conductor
Decca (Friend's disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31qtyyVF2hL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Liszt:
Hungarian Fantasy
Georges Cziffra, piano
Orchestra de Paris
Gyorgy Cziffra Jnr., conductor
EMI
(My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CAB47100L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Liszt:
Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Sviatoslav Richter, piano
LSO
Kyril Kondrashin, conductor
Philips LP GLS64 (My record)
Zemlinsky:
Lyric Symphony for soprano, baritone & orchestra
Soile Isokoski, soprano
Bo Skovhus, baritone
Gurzenich-Orchester Koln
James Conlon, conductor
EMI (My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M5ZJYgtIL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saturday 22.01.11This night, we went to an open air concert which I reviewed in the concerts thread:
Quote
Symphony in the Domain (open air concert as part of the Sydney Festival)
An evening with Shakespeare
John Bell, compere/narrator
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Brett Weymark, conductor
Nicolai - The Merry Wives of Windsor, overture
Walton - Henry V, a Shakespeare Scenario, highlights
(interval)
Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream, overture
Prokofiev - Three pieces from Romeo & Juliet
Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture - with cannons & fireworks!
A freind & I went to this concert under the stars. The weather was great & we took some wine & soft drink to have while we heard the beautiful music. We really enjoyed John Bell's narration of Henry V. He used his natural voice, and was quite understated and to the point without being dry. The St. Crispin's Day speech is such a rousing piece of rhetoric, one of the greatest political speeches of all time ("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers..."). It was also great to be able to chat and air-conduct during the pieces without breaking protocol - this was an open air concert after all. The audience was in their thousands, we were sitting at the back, but we got a glimpse of the large screens and the sound from the speakers was excellent. To end, the traditional "encore," Tchaikovsky's stirring 1812, complete with all the effects. A very enjoyable evening all round, and my first open air concert in nearly 20 years (my friend had never been to one of these ever)...
Saturday 29.01.11
This week, we continued exploring Liszt. I really liked my friend's recording of the Transcendental Studies, a work which I had not heard before. These etudes influenced basically everything else that was written in this genre after. Composers as wide & varied as Scriabin, Debussy, Bartok, Messiaen & Ligeti all learnt from Liszt's set of 12 pieces, and I could clearly hear this. To finish off, we went into some lighter territory, with Boccherini & Stockhausen.
Liszt
Transcendental Studies, S.139
Jorge Bolet, piano
Decca
(Friend's CD)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416RRQYMHQL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Liszt
Mass in Four-part for male chorus & organ "Szekszard Mass"
Four Sacred Male Choruses
- Mihi autem adhaerere
- Ave maris stella
- Anima Christi, sanctifica me II
- Ossa arida (this last one is amazing, it has organ four hands, & is only 2 minutes, but there are strange harmonies & dissonances which sound very c20th)
Jozsef Reti, tenor
Sandor Palcso, tenor
Gyorgy Melis, baritone
Jozsef Gregor, bass
Gabor Lehotka & Imre Kiss, organ
Male Chorus of the Hungarian People's Army (Bela Podor, chorus master)
Istvan Kis, conductor
Hungaroton LP LPX 11447
(My LP)
Boccherini
2 string quintets from Op. 39 (with double bass)
String Quintet in F, G. 338
String Quintet in D, G.339 (2nd movement - Pastorale: Amoroso ma non lento)
La Magnifica Communita
Brilliant Classics
(My CD)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VNNd6hewL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Stockhausen
Spiral I
Harold Boje, electronium & short wave radio
EMI
(My CD)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rr6qtbCLL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Saturday 5.2.11
This week, we finished our exploration of Liszt. We listened to Brendel playing La Lugubre Gondola I & II again, as well as Bolet playing Malediction. We also heard the tone poem Les Preludes. We had planned to listen to Liszt's A Faust Symphony, but with forty degree heat outside, and quite uncomfortable inside, we opted for some shorter works. The friend & I will be going to a concert of the Beethoven Op. 132 in May, so we listened to that as well as the Op.135 string quartet. Then for something lighter, Milhaud's jazzy Genesis, which reminded my friend of Gershwin, so I played the Concerto in F, which he hadn't heard before. It kind of suited the sultry and humid evening we were experiencing. To wrap it up, we listened to some popular light classics.
Liszt:
- La Lugubre Gondola I & II - Alfred Brendel, piano (Philips)
- Malediction for piano & orchestra - Jorge Bolet, piano/LSO/Ivan Fischer (Decca)
- Les Preludes - Philharmonia Hungarica/Zoltan Rozsnyai (RealTime Records CD) RT-2201 Digital Masterpiece Series Disc One
(Above 3 from friend's collection)
Beethoven
String Quartets Opp. 132 & 135
LaSalle Quartet
Brilliant Classics
(My disc)
[asin]B003HO0RV8[/asin]
Milhaud
La Creation du Monde (Genesis)
Orchestra National de France/Bernstein
EMI
(My disc)
[asin]B000EF5MMW[/asin]
Gershwin
Concerto in F (2nd movt. - Andante con moto - Adagio)
Kathryn Selby, piano/Slovak RSO/Richard Hayman
Naxos 8.570870 "The Best of Gershwin"
Popular Classics from RealTime disc above
Philharmonia Hungarica/Zoltan Rozsnyai
Bizet - Carmen Prelude
Chabrier - Espana
Dvorak - Slavonic Dance Op. 46 No. 8
Berlioz - Rakoczi March
Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 5
Saturday 12.2.11
This week, we listened to music of the Classical Era. I particularly liked my friend's recording of Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata played by Emil Gilels. I don't think that I had heard this pianist before. The piano in Gilel's hands sounded as rich as an orchestra. I agree with my friend who said this was a very "deep reading" of the work. Then we continued to explore Beethoven's late quartets. I love the intensity and no holds barred attitude of the LaSalle Quartet on these recordings. Then we went back in time a bit, to listen to two of Mozart's most famous string quartets. To me, the opening of the Dissonance quartet sounds like Schoenberg, but my friend said it reminded him of the opening of Winter from Vivaldi's Four Seasons & I could hear why. He said he had heard the first movement of the Hunt and the second movement of the Dissonance on radio before, but he's never owned these on disc. All in all, it was a good music session as usual.
Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106
Emil Gilels, piano
DGG CD 416 527-2
(Friend's disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41xSYS1fgWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Beethoven
String Quartets Opp. 130 & 133 "Grosse Fuge"
LaSalle Quartet
Brilliant Classics
(Image above - my disc)
Mozart
String Quartets 17 & 19 - "Hunt" & "Dissonance"
Chilingirian Quartet
Regis
(My disc)
[asin]B00069PCTY[/asin]
Saturday 19.2.11
In the following week's music listening sessions, my friend & I will focus on Beethoven & Debussy, as we'll be going to a performance of their piano trios by "Trioz" here in Sydney in early March.
We had heard my friend's Ravel & Debussy chamber music disc before, but being a chamber music fan, how could I object to him bringing it along for a second listen? I'm not sure if this disc is still in print, but it's a great collection of some of their chamber works. I particularly liked Ravel's Sonata for violin & cello, which had quite a bit of dissonance & even aggro for that composer; & Debussy's sensual Chansons de Bilitis, narrated by the great French actress Catherine Deneuve. I like how Debussy just lets tonality hang around in his music, there doesn't need to be a strong resolution or anything like that. I was interested to learn that the Chansons were written more than 10 years before Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire which is also for voice and chamber ensemble. Perhaps due to Debussy's more understated style, Schoenberg's work eventually made more of an impact.
Then we listened to a bit of Beethoven, the magnificient, mighty and noble "Archduke" piano trio & also some of his string quartet Op. 135 & an arrangement of it for 23 solo strings. The recording does not specify who made this arrangement, but the notes do mention Leonard Bernstein, so it might be him. Whoever it was, they toned down some of the dissonances in the original quartet, probably because they didn't want the arrangement to sound too much twentieth century-ish. My friend & I both agreed that it was a good arrangment. & the "Archduke" trio is a work full of innovation, my favourite bit is then second "theme" or phrase in the 2nd movement, which wouldn't be out of place in the music of Ligeti or Xenakis. Check it out.
Finally, more Debussy, the so-called Piano Trio No. 1 (although it had not successor). Written for Tchaikovksy's benefactress, the railway widow Nadezhda von Meck, it is a work from his student days, more reminiscent I think of salon music and Gabriel Faure's lighter chamber music. It's definitely not a "great" work, but a delightful work to hear nonetheless. My friend & I look forward to hearing it & the "Archduke" live on March 6th...
Ravel
- Introduction & Allegro (harp, SQ, flute, cl.)
- Pavane for a Dead Princess (flute, harp, SQ)
- Sonata for Violin & Cello
Debussy
- Syrinx (flute)
- Sonata for flute, viola & harp
- Chansons de Bilitis (narrator, 2 flutes, 2 harps, celesta)
Catherine Deneuve, narrator
Ensemble Wien-Berlin (DGG)
(Friend's disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FjNAZv7cL._AA300_.jpg)
Beethoven
String Quartet Op. 135
- Final movement played by Lasalle Quartet (Brilliant Classics) (My disc, image above)
- Whole work arr. 23 solo strings - Amsterdam Sinfonietta/Candida Thompson (Channel Classics) (Library disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61TL4rqBuWL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
Debussy
Piano Trio No. 1
Joachim Trio (Naxos) (My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517AKg-%2Bs%2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Beethoven
Piano Trio No. 7 "Archduke"
Chung Piano Trio (EMI) (My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MsCEySTHL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
26.02.11
This week we again listened to the Debussy & Beethoven "Archduke" piano trios, in preparation for the concert next week. My friend also bought along a disc of Debussy's piano music. I had not heard of the pianist Jacques Rouvier before, but I think that he had a very colourful but direct style.
Since we've been getting into Beethoven's late quartets, we also listened to an ancient 1943 recording of an arrangement for string orchestra of the Grosse Fuge. I assume that the arranger was the composer, the LP does not say. My friend & I agreed that this was more dissonant than the arrangement of Op. 135 that we heard last week.
To finish, Ives' crazy Three Page Sonata. There's a jumbled quotation of Beethoven's 5th symphony opening at the beginning, then the trademark hymn tunes slowed down to the nth degree, then a fugue were the pianist hammers out the musical notation of the letters B-A-C-H. Compared to this, Liszt's fugue on the same theme sounds rather tame.
All in all, this was a good evening & next week we'll also get into some Copland, whose short work for piano trio Vitebsk, will also be played at the concert...
Debussy
Children's Corner
Reverie
...D'un cahier D'Esquisses
Berceuse Heroique
Danse
Mazurka
Nocturne
The Little Negro (Le petit Negre)
Morceau de concours
La Plus Que Lente
Jacques Rouvier (Steinway)
DENON
(Friend's disc)
(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/83/02/5c0f793509a07318ce2d1110.L._AA300_.jpg)
Debussy - Piano Trio No. 1
Schmitt - Tres Lent for piano trio
Joachim Trio
Naxos (Image above, my disc)
Beethoven - Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op. 133
Dresden Staatskapelle/Karl Elmendorff (rec. 1943)
Melodiya Mono LP (coupled with Schubert 4th symphony "Tragic")
MIO 46 117 007
(My LP)
Beethoven - Piano Trio No. 7 "Archduke"
Chung Trio
EMI (Image above, my disc)
Ives - Three Page Sonata (Ed. Cowell)
Peter Lawson, piano
EMI (My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51afAqis99L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
05.03.11
This week we concentrated on three composers whose music we would hear at a piano trio recital the following day - Copland, Suk, Beethoven - as well as a bit of Ives just for a change. I enjoyed my friend's disc of some of Copland's famous orchestral works, it was a great recording especially in terms of sound. In contrast to those works, which can evoke some of the wide open spaces of America, we listened to my disc of his only Piano Sonata. This work with it's two slow outer movements and jazzy middle movement for me evokes the big cities in America. There's a feeling of loneliness and isolation amongst the crowds of thousands, it reminds me of an Edward Hopper painting. My friend agreed that it had different, perhaps more intimate, things to say than the more extroverted orchestral works.
Then a composer whom neither of us knew much about, the Czech Josef Suk and his Asrael Symphony. This is quite a dark work, written after two people very close to the composer died within a short space of time - Suk's wife and also her father, fellow composer Dvorak. Parts reminded me of Mahler (the big emotions), but my friend was thinking more in terms of Dvorak's influence. We only had time to listen to the last two movements.
Then we revisited, for the third time together, Beethoven's mighty "Archduke" piano trio. This was the main work in the recital the following day. Finally, for something completely different, Ives' Violin Sonata No. 4 and also his song At the River, which was quoted in the third movement. I feel that the song takes me right back to about 1900 to that river in Conneticut, but my friend said he didn't get that feeling. The violin sonata proved to be a good choice to listen to, as the Copland piano trio in the recital was similar in terms of technique. This was a good music night and it was good to hear some orchestral music, since we've mainly been concentrating on solo piano and chamber in recent weeks.
Copland
Fanfare for the Common Man
Rodeo
Appalachian Spring (Suite)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Louis Lane
Telarc CD-80078 (released 1982)
(Friend's disc)
[asin]B000003CSW[/asin]
Copland
Piano Sonata
Peter Lawson, piano
EMI (My disc)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51afAqis99L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Suk
Asrael Symphony (Part II - IV.Adagio; V. Adagio e maestoso)
Helsinki PO/Vladimir Ashkenazy
Ondine
(Library's disc)
[asin]B001N26H0G[/asin]
Beethoven
Piano Trio No. 7, "Archduke"
Chung Trio
EMI (My disc)
[asin]B000NPCMGW[/asin]
Ives
Violin Sonata No. 4 (Children's Day at the Camp Meeting)
Glenn Dicterow, violin/Israela Margalit, piano
"At the River" (song)
Deborah Voigt, soprano/Brian Zeger, piano
EMI (My disc)
[asin]B001G5ZO4U[/asin]
On Sunday my friend & I went to the following recital, which I reviewed in the concerts thread:
QuoteWent to this one on Sunday afternoon here in Sydney's northern suburbs:
Trioz "Vitebsk" tour
Kathryn Selby, piano
Natsuko Yoshimoto, violin (as guest)
Emma Jane Murphy, cello
Program:
Joseph Suk - Elegie for piano, violin & cello,Op. 23 (1902)
Aaron Copland - Vitebsk, study on a Jewish Theme,for piano trio
Claude Debussy - Piano Trio, L.3
Ludwig v. Beethoven - Piano Trio in B flat major, Op.97 "Archduke"
I like Trioz's recitals because they always include some things off the beaten track, as well as standard repertoire. We were familiar with the Debussy & Beethoven, but not the Suk or Copland. The Suk was a great opener, a quite dark and melancholic piece, dominated by the solo violin a bit. Debussy's only piano trio is from his younger years, but still has suggestions of those unique harmonies which would come later. It was first recorded only in 1984, and as the program notes show, it has a relaxed salon feel. Even the final movement marked appassionato doesn't take itself too seriously. The most surprising piece in the program was the Copland trio fragment. It had loud dissonant sections flanking some more lyrical melodic parts. Copland was influenced by Bloch in his use of Jewish sounding themes. This piece was written in 1929 and it used microtones and the two string players playing out of tune (deliberately) a bit like Ives before & Cage & Xenakis after. The ten minute piece really had a visceral impact on me. After the interval, we were treated to a superlative performance of the Beethoven "Archduke" trio, the king of piano trios. The playing was so good, it was of recording quality. I plan to go to more of Trioz's series this year, they are one of my favourite ensembles.
12.03.11
This week my friend brought along Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne sung by Kiri. I enjoyed the lush orchestration and the songs which - though by no means easy to sing - were not as virtuosic as some in the repertoire.
Then we got into some Stravinsky, which was my friend's choice from my small Stravinsky collection. My friend said he enjoyed the Violin Concerto the most on the disc, he had never heard this work before. It was also interesting to hear the 1947/1967 revised version of The Rite of Spring. It sounded more restrained than other recordings I've heard (my friend agreed), but I'm not sure if the reason is the conductor's interpretation or simply the sound of the different version. It doesn't really matter, we both enjoyed this disc & it had been about a year since I'd heard it last.
To finish up, Beethoven's Ghost piano trio. My friend had never heard this before either. The ghostly middle largo movement made him think of church music. We kind of agreed that this isn't a particularly scary ghost - but of course it was not Beethoven who gave the work this name. I love the dissonance of this work, it sounds so natural in Beethoven's hands.
Canteloube
Songs of the Auvergne (Series 1-3)
Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano
English Chamber Orchestra/Jeffrey Tate
Decca CD (Friend's disc)
Stravinsky
Violin Concerto
Zvezdoliky, cantata for male chorus and orchestra
Symphonies of Wind Instruments
The Rite of Spring (revised 1947/1967 version)
Jennifer Frautschi, violin
Philharmonia Orch./Robert Craft
Naxos (My disc)
[asin]B000Q6ZUXA[/asin]
Beethoven
Piano Trio No. 5 "Ghost"
Chung Trio
EMI (My disc)
[asin]B000NPCMGW[/asin]
Quote from: Sid on March 12, 2011, 05:36:17 PMThen we got into some Stravinsky, which was my friend's choice from my small Stravinsky collection. My friend said he enjoyed the Violin Concerto the most on the disc, he had never heard this work before. It was also interesting to hear the 1947/1967 revised version of The Rite of Spring. It sounded more restrained than other recordings I've heard (my friend agreed), but I'm not sure if the reason is the conductor's interpretation or simply the sound of the different version. It doesn't really matter, we both enjoyed this disc & it had been about a year since I'd heard it last.
Stravinsky
Violin Concerto
Zvezdoliky, cantata for male chorus and orchestra
Symphonies of Wind Instruments
The Rite of Spring (revised 1947/1967 version)
Jennifer Frautschi, violin
Philharmonia Orch./Robert Craft
Naxos (My disc)
[asin]B000Q6ZUXA[/asin]
Yes, this is a fine recording. The
Violin Concerto is very well performed. Frautschi, who is still making a name for herself, plays really well. Everybody will have their favorite performances of
The Rite of Spring, but this reading wasn't bad, but it wasn't one of the better versions I've heard either. One of the most savage performances I've heard, and one that still remains a top choice for me, is Yoel Levi's recording with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra:
[asin]B000003CXF[/asin]
QuoteYes, this is a fine recording. The Violin Concerto is very well performed. Frautschi, who is still making a name for herself, plays really well. Everybody will have their favorite performances of The Rite of Spring, but this reading wasn't bad, but it wasn't one of the better versions I've heard either. One of the most savage performances I've heard, and one that still remains a top choice for me, is Yoel Levi's recording with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra:...
Thanks for replying. Not many people have, but I know people have been reading my posts (from the post count) so I've persisted with posting every week.
I also have enjoyed what I've heard from the Atlanta Symphony, my friend has brought along a number of their earlier Telarc recordings from the 1980's over the years. I haven't heard them in action under Levi, that would be interesting. They are a very fine orchestra.
My friend & I agreed that Stravinsky's
Violin Concerto was the standout performance on the disc. But I listened to it again last night & I think the whole disc is pretty well done. I have a feeling that the relative restraint of
The Rite of Spring is more an issue of the revised version than Craft's conducting. Do you know whether most orchestras tend to play the original version or the revised version these days? It's a bit confusing because some recordings don't say which version is being performed. But listening to the recording again, I realised how good the sonics were. I'll probably get more Stravinsky on Naxos as a result.
Funny how the Telarc disc you posted has
Pulcinella as a coupling, that's a work I really want to hear at some point. I really enjoy Stravinsky's Neo-classical period, because it's good quality music, but doesn't whack you over the head like the Rite. Maybe my tastes are mellowing somewhat. But the friend & I discussed the view of some people that Stravinsky's Neo-classical period was inferior to music of his other periods and we both highly disagree with that view (expressed on this forum by some people, but not that many)...
Quote from: Sid on March 13, 2011, 02:56:27 PM
Thanks for replying. Not many people have, but I know people have been reading my posts (from the post count) so I've persisted with posting every week.
I also have enjoyed what I've heard from the Atlanta Symphony, my friend has brought along a number of their earlier Telarc recordings from the 1980's over the years. I haven't heard them in action under Levi, that would be interesting. They are a very fine orchestra.
My friend & I agreed that Stravinsky's Violin Concerto was the standout performance on the disc. But I listened to it again last night & I think the whole disc is pretty well done. I have a feeling that the relative restraint of The Rite of Spring is more an issue of the revised version than Craft's conducting. Do you know whether most orchestras tend to play the original version or the revised version these days? It's a bit confusing because some recordings don't say which version is being performed. But listening to the recording again, I realised how good the sonics were. I'll probably get more Stravinsky on Naxos as a result.
Funny how the Telarc disc you posted has Pulcinella as a coupling, that's a work I really want to hear at some point. I really enjoy Stravinsky's Neo-classical period, because it's good quality music, but doesn't whack you over the head like the Rite. Maybe my tastes are mellowing somewhat. But the friend & I discussed the view of some people that Stravinsky's Neo-classical period was inferior to music of his other periods and we both highly disagree with that view (expressed on this forum by some people, but not that many)...
I would say that all periods of Stravinsky's development: Russian, Neoclassical, and serial all have their strong points as well as each of them contain some of the most inspired, heartfelt, and dynamic music I've ever heard. Anyone who calls the Neoclassical period inferior hasn't really paid that much attention or really surveyed this period of his output.
Pulcinella,
Apollo Masagete,
The Fairy's Kiss,
Scenes de Ballet,
Jeu de cartes,
Dumbarton Oaks,
Violin Concerto,
Orpheus,
Symphony in Three Movements, among others are some of the finest of his output in my opinion. These works have an immediate appeal for me especially in his always unique treatment to rhythm.
If you haven't heard any of these works mentioned above then all can be acquired rather cheaply through Robert Craft's series on Naxos. The finest recording of the series, in my opinion, is his performances of the three Greek ballets:
Apollon Masagete,
Agon, and
Orpheus, but the whole series is worth picking up.
Quote...Pulcinella, Apollo Masagete, The Fairy's Kiss, Scenes de Ballet, Jeu de cartes, Dumbarton Oaks, Violin Concerto, Orpheus, Symphony in Three Movements, among others are some of the finest of his output in my opinion. These works have an immediate appeal for me especially in his always unique treatment to rhythm...
Yeah, rhythm is the thing with Stravinsky - that's what makes his music stand out for me as well. I haven't heard all of those works, I will get to them, but I would add
Oedipus Rex to the list (a marvellous work, imo, & it's a pity that Orff's
Carmina Burana which it influenced, kind of overshadowed it for much of the c20th, although it's being revived now)...
Quote...Robert Craft's series on Naxos. The finest recording of the series, in my opinion, is his performances of the three Greek ballets: Apollon Masagete, Agon, and Orpheus...
Yes, that recording has been on my to-get list for some time. I'm particularly interested in hearing
Agon, since it's been a while since I've heard anything in the serial style from Stravinsky. I'll have to order it soon...
Quote from: Sid on March 13, 2011, 06:57:13 PMYes, that recording has been on my to-get list for some time. I'm particularly interested in hearing Agon, since it's been a while since I've heard anything in the serial style from Stravinsky. I'll have to order it soon...
Agon is an unbelievable work. I love all the knotty rhythms, counterpoint, and dissonances. It is still Stravinsky, but projected through a Schoenbergian lens. It is also Stravinsky's last ballet.
19.03.11
PROKOFIEV
Romeo & Juliet Suites 1 & 2
National SO, Washington DC/Mstislav Rostropovich
DGG (1983) - 410 519-2
(Friend's disc)
DVORAK
String Quartets 10 & 12 "American;" Four Cypresses (selections)
Australian String Quartet
ABC Classics
(My disc)
GUBAIDULINA
In tempus praesens, concerto for violin & orchestra (2006/7)
Dedicated to Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin/London SO/Valery Gergiev
DGG
(City of Sydney library disc)
I had never heard Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet to this extent before (although there is a 3rd suite). I have been more familiar with his more experimental & modernistic works, so it was interesting to hear something that had more obvious connections with the Romantic tradition. Rostropovich personally knew the composer, and the disc notes say that they even lived together in the same house during the early 1950's. The interpretation & sound of this disc was excellent.
My friend chose the Dvorak disc from my disc purchases of the past three months. Most of these are of chamber music. My friend had heard the "American" quartet on radio years ago, and he had never heard the other works on the disc. The 10th quartet, written in Europe, is typically Czech, and the 12th was written during the composer's stay in the Czech community in Spillville, USA. It sounds a bit like Czech music combined with the open-air feel of the prairies. I'm pretty sure it would have influenced guys like Ives and Copland later. The 12 Cypresses (of which there is a selection of 4 here) were originally songs for voice and piano, later transcribed for string quartet. I get a sense of the patterns of the Czech language transformed into instrumental music, a bit like Janacek was to do later. This recording was from about 6 years ago, the personnel of the Australian String Quartet has changed since then, but the level of artistry and craftsmanship remains the same. A superb disc which only cost me $10 brand new!!! Needless to say, both my friend & I enjoyed this disc. We both disagree with people who say that Dvorak was just a weak imitation of Brahms. Utter rubbish, imo - there are so many harmonic innovations in this music.
Then the Gubaidulina, which I borrowed last week from the library. My friend had never heard the music of this contemporary Russian composer. He liked it more than I did. He said he liked the darkness and lyricism. It took him back to the feelings he felt when he lost his brother in a tragic accident 6 years ago. I agree that there is a sense of tragedy and forboding underlying this work. In my humble opinion, the work is a very effective vehicle to show off the talents of the dedicatee, Anne-Sophie Mutter. In terms of violinistic and orchestral technique, this is a very assured work. But I just felt that it was too kind of "new age" for my tastes. I won't compare it to other composer's violin concertos, because there's no use in doing that. Ditto Gubaidulina's more experimental and out-there earlier chamber works which I have been familiar with for a few years. Despite all of its merits and complexity, I felt that this violin concerto offered me little real meat to chew on. My friend disagreed, so this just shows that we are not carbon copies of eachother when it comes to opinions on classical music (& that's a good thing, otherwise it would be quite boring!!!). Unfortunately, we ran out of time & couldn't listen to the Bach concertos, which we will listen to together sometime soon...
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26.03.11
RAVEL
Bolero
Pavane pour une infante defunte
Daphnis & Chloe Suite No. 2
Saint Louis SO/Leonard Slatkin
SLSO Chorus/Thomas Peck, director (in Daphnis)
Telarc CD 80052
(Friend's disc)
REGER
Clarinet Quintet
Philharmonia Quartet Berlin/Wenzel Fuchs, clarinet
(Naxos)
(My disc)
RAVEL
Piano Trio
Joachim Trio
(Naxos)
(My disc)
PIAZZOLLA
Zum (arr. for piano trio by Quentin Grant)
Macquarie Trio
(ABC Classics)
(My disc)
J. S. BACH
Violin Concertos in A minor & E minor
Trondheim Soloists
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin/conductor
DGG
(Library disc)
A varied musical evening, taking in orchestral and chamber from various composers. We started with Ravel's ever popular orchestral works, on a Telarc disc which had great sound.
Then my friend chose the Reger Clarinet Quintet from my recent chamber purchases. It reminded my friend of Mozart's work in the same genre. Since listening to this work by Reger, I have felt that it sounds very much like vocal music, the clarinet being like a voice accompanied by the other instruments.
Then Ravel's Piano Trio, which my friend had not heard before (like the Reger). The last movement of this work makes me think of being at the beach - the seagulls, the sun, the surf, the beautiful people! But when I heard this work live played by another group at the Sydney Conservatorium last year, I didn't get that feeling - obviously that performance was done differently, which is interesting.
Then a short tango by Piazzolla as a break. My friend commented how this music changes mood in a short space of time, the blink of an eye. I've been listening to this disc a lot lately as I find that I have tired a bit of the more "serious" music. But although Piazzolla may be light, I don't think he's lightweight, his music has much substance, imo.
To finish, two of J. S. Bach's violin concertos, played on modern instruments but with imitation Baroque bows by Anne-Sophie Mutter and her cohorts. We tend not to listen to Baroque together, I'm basically clueless about much of it, so I've been trying to listen to some at least lately.
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2.4.11
BRAHMS
Double Concerto for violin, cello & orchestra in A minor, Op. 102
Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
Gidon Kremer, violin
Mischa Maisky, cello
Vienna Philharmonic Orch./Leonard Bernstein
DGG 410 031-2
(Friend's disc)
RAWSTHORNE
Practical Cats - An entertainment for speaker & orchestra (1954)
Text: Verses from 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' by T. S. Eliot
Simon Callow, narrator
Royal Liverpool PO/David Lloyd-Jones
Epoch
(Library disc)
Robert BEASER
From 'Mountain Songs'
Virginia Taylor, flute
Timothy Kain, guitar
ABC Classics Discovery series
(My disc)
PIAZZOLLA
Le Cuatro Estaciones Portenas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) arr. piano trio by Jose Bragato
Macquarie Trio
ABC Classics Discovery series
(My disc)
SCHOENBERG
Pierrot Lunaire, melodrama for voice & ensemble
Christine Schafer, speech-song
Ensemble Intercontemporain/Pierre Boulez
DGG
(My disc)
A varied musical evening. We enjoyed my friend's recording of the Brahms works, I especially like the Hungarian sounding ending of the Double Concerto. There was plenty of humour and lightheartedness in the Rawsthorne, the music has a decidedly Bergian lushness, a bit of the fun like Prokofiev & there is even a part that sounds very much like Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory. Then we finished off with some chamber music, the decidedly Celtic sounding Mountain Songs of contemporary American composer Robert Beaser, the tango-inspired world of Piazzolla's Four Seasons, & finally Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire which evokes the world of the cabaret (my friend & I plan to go to a concert of this Saturday week)...
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Quote from: Sid on April 05, 2011, 10:36:27 PM
2.4.11
RAWSTHORNE
Practical Cats - An entertainment for speaker & orchestra (1954)
Text: Verses from 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' by T. S. Eliot
Simon Callow, narrator
Royal Liverpool PO/David Lloyd-Jones
Epoch
(Library disc)
I wish my library had such interesting choices as this!
Quote from: mc ukrneal on April 05, 2011, 10:54:06 PM
I wish my library had such interesting choices as this!
Yeah, well Sydney City Library has some interesting stuff. Some of it is newish, like the Rawsthorne or Mutter discs I posted above, some of it is old (a lot of out of print stuff there). I'm actually thinking of not buying any discs for a while & just borrowing more stuff from them instead. They've got a lot of repertoire which I have never heard, or maybe heard only once on radio. I've already dramatically slowed down my rate of buying cd's in the last 3-6 months, so borrowing may prove to be a good alternative if I still want to listen to new stuff...
I have now continued this diary of my listening & concert going on a blog on another site. It can be accessed by clicking the green globe icon under my name and avatar on the left. Everyone is welcome to visit and comment...
Quote from: Sid on April 18, 2011, 11:03:42 PM
I have now continued this diary of my listening & concert going on a blog on another site. It can be accessed by clicking the green globe icon under my name and avatar on the left. Everyone is welcome to visit and comment...
Glad you aren't stopping (if nothing else you will have a record of your thoughts on the pieces for yourself). Thanks for doing it!
Just "re-booting" this thread, as I still want to contribute what I've been listening to on this forum, I just don't want to visit the "what are you listening to" thread for various reasons. This thread, "Sid's music spot" was originally set up to list what things a friend & I listen to when we get together on weekends to listen to eachother's recordings. I will begin to add that content as well, but also some of my own private listening during the week.
So feel free to comment here, not necessarily about the specific recordings I list, but just generally about the composers or pieces or even performers. I'm more of a generalist, & I'm more interested in general discussion than the specifics. You can go off-topic here as much as you want!!! (but negativity is definitely out, I don't need that in my life, I'll probably just stick to this & the concerts thread, also maybe some specific threads)
So, this morning before getting the day under way, I made time for this -
MANTOVANI (arrangements, conductor)
Album: Mantovani & his orchestra - A Night in Vienna
Die Fledermaus Overture - Merry Widow Waltz - Tritsch Tratsch Polka - Perpetuum Mobile - The Skater's Waltz - Light Cavalry Overture - Tales from the Vienna Woods - Eine Kliene Nachtmusik - Monti Csardas - Radetzky March
Some of these are originals, others arrangements by Mantovani. I like his trademark "cascading strings" sound, which sounds as if it was recorded in a cathedral, but I think he did it in a recording studio. The arranged works have added touches that are interesting. There's an accordion in the Merry Widow Waltz - which is more like a fantasy on themes from the operetta rather than just a simple arrangment of the famous waltz. The Skater's Waltz starts with the cascading strings coming at you very quickly, I don't think that Waldteufel thought of that! Tales From The Vienna Woods doesn't have the zither, but has some interesting effects - eg. muted trumpets in one small bit, which kind of gives a jazzy feel. The arrangement of the Monti Csardas is the best one I've heard - the quick part even has a bit of percussion. I also enjoyed some of the other pieces, which are played "straight." I remember hearing Light Cavalry at a pops concert here in Sydney when I was a kid. With the second theme, the slow and mournful one, Suppe captured the tragedy of Hungary's history, even though he wasn't Hungarian. Then we have the Radetzky March, dedicated to the man who suppressed the Hungarians and others in the Hapsburg Empire. Anyway, this is a great album, both performance and sound are excellent...
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