What are you listening to now?

[vandermolen]

Wow ! You must have been there on Nov 11 2007, then ? Unless it's been revived since. What I have is a cd transcript of the BBC broadcast, complete with announcements before the two parts. Exact same forces, but I don't know if it's the same performance. Maybe it was taken to the studio before or after that November 11 evening.

Yes, it's a recording of the concert I went to in 2007 on Armistice Day. It's first performance since the 1920s I think.

[vandermolen]

At last I've put my hands on this recording. And what I can say is... WOW!! What stunning works, magnificently performed!! All sounds spectacular, with the epic at its most ablaze!!

The Symphony No. 3 is simply superb, and this recording opened my ears to more details. There are passages that brought to my mind Glière (ending of the 1st movement), Bax and Tubin (2nd movement, above all the militaristic middle section with the use of the xylophone and the snare drum). The 3rd movement is full of intense wizardry-like moments. The 4th movement is in a similar vein than the 1st one, and that ending... blown me away!! so glorious and scintillating, with a great use of bells. Great, great, great stuff!!!

Grazhyna receives an impeccable rendition as expected, plenty of glaring heroic passages. More than possibly it surpasses the Naxos recording.

Delighted you liked this too Cesar. I think that the analogy with Tubin, Gliere and Bax is right.

[André]

Yes, it's a recording of the concert I went to in 2007 on Armistice Day. It's first performance since the 1920s I think.

Exact. It was performed 4 years in a row (1923-1926) at the RAH on Armistice Day. Since then, nothing until that 2007 revival, possibly on account of the huge forces needed (1250 at the premiere). The performance is mostly very good - though « only » 450 strong. The soprano is quite in distress, which is a pity.

[NikF]

Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas - Ovchinnikov.

[asin]B0787D7V37[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas - Ovchinnikov.

[asin]B0787D7V37[/asin]

Somebody is on a Prokofiev-a-thon. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course as it's quite easy to get caught in that web.

Thread duty -

Listening to this one again:



Basically, what I did when I ripped this recording, is edit out all of those nonsensical 'interludes' composed by Nitin Sawhney. I find them jarring and out-of-place amongst composers like Debussy, Takemitsu, Fauré, Ravel, etc.

[NikF]

Somebody is on a Prokofiev-a-thon. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course as it's quite easy to get caught in that web.

I've taken a few days off and away from everything and so yesterday was devoted French music. Today it's Prokofiev due to my tickets arriving for a ballet performance of Cinderella. Tomorrow's listening? - no idea. I'll deal with that when it's here. 
But right now -

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 - Pollini.

[asin]B000001GQK[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

I've taken a few days off and away from everything and so yesterday was devoted French music. Today it's Prokofiev due to my tickets arriving for a ballet performance of Cinderella. Tomorrow's listening? - no idea. I'll deal with that when it's here. 
But right now -

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 - Pollini.

[asin]B000001GQK[/asin]

Good idea to just go with the flow. I'm jealous you get to see Cinderella tomorrow. Is this concert with the BBC Scottish SO or a theatre orchestra?

[NikF]

Good idea to just go with the flow. I'm jealous you get to see Cinderella tomorrow. Is this concert with the BBC Scottish SO or a theatre orchestra?

It's with the ballet company's orchestra, The Scottish Ballet Orchestra. They're a part time ensemble, but full time pros with many members from the BBC SSO and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra etc. We're travelling to the Highlands for it - Inverness - and I could do without that aspect, but a friend of a friend is dancing in it and I already said I'd go.

[Mirror Image]

It's with the ballet company's orchestra, The Scottish Ballet Orchestra. They're a part time ensemble, but full time pros with many members from the BBC SSO and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra etc. We're travelling to the Highlands for it - Inverness - and I could do without that aspect, but a friend of a friend is dancing in it and I already said I'd go.

Well, hope you enjoy the concert.

[NikF]

Well, hope you enjoy the concert.

Cheers, mate. 

[Kontrapunctus]

I'm not sold on her interpretation of "Pictures" overall (it has some great moments), but the other works are hair-raising! Excellent sound.

[Kontrapunctus]

No.1 today. This all-analog remastered sound sounds fantastic, and the performances are exemplary.

[Mirror Image]

Listening to this recording again:



A wonderful disc.

Here's a nice promo video for it:

https://www.youtube.com/v/aSI8Urfq0FM

[Mirror Image]

Now playing:

Copland
Lincoln Portrait
Quiet City
An Outdoor Overture
Our Town
Charlton Heston, speaker
Maurice Abravanel, conductor
Utah Symphony Orchestra

[Que]

Morning listening:

[asin]B000004CYV[/asin]
Keyboard transcriptions played by Colin Tilney.

Q

[vandermolen]

Exact. It was performed 4 years in a row (1923-1926) at the RAH on Armistice Day. Since then, nothing until that 2007 revival, possibly on account of the huge forces needed (1250 at the premiere). The performance is mostly very good - though « only » 450 strong. The soprano is quite in distress, which is a pity.

I remember that to be there was very special with choirs situated in the roof of the Albert Hall. If you can enter its at times hypnotic sound world it really is/was quite an experience and really moving. I rate Foulds very highly but because he died young and worked in India he is quite a neglected figure.

[vandermolen]

Symphony 2:
[asin]B000027QX1[/asin]

[vandermolen]

Now playing:

Copland
Lincoln Portrait
Quiet City
An Outdoor Overture
Our Town
Charlton Heston, speaker
Maurice Abravanel, conductor
Utah Symphony Orchestra

I really like that CD. Charlton Heston is much better than Henry Fonda in the narration of the Lincoln Portrait and I've invariably liked Abravanel's recordings of anything. The Morton Gould is fun too.

[Harry]

Shakespeare at the Covent Garden. Henry Rowley Bishop.
Music composed, adapted and arranged for Shakespeare productions in Covent Garden 1816-1821.
Musicians of the Globe, Philip Pickett.

It is my considered opinion that Bishop should have kept his fingers from this project, and instead find another hobby, like fishing or gardening, instead of delivering this crap.
I was not prepared for this onslaught, and was not a little discontented to find such an abject disc in this otherwise fine box. Good God, I am flabbergasted. Despite the fact that all participants are first rate, I was not a little irritated by the vibrato of Susan Gritton, fine as her voice might be.
O, well 6 discs are almost as good as I expected.

[Irons]

Symphony 2:
[asin]B000027QX1[/asin]

A symphony in every sense. I read somewhere Rubbra described as the English Bruckner which put me off a tad as not being a Bruckner fan. In the case of the second I was reminded not of Bruckner, but a composer I love, Sibelius.