What are you listening 2 now?

[Ratliff]

Mahler 9, Neumann, Czech Philharmonic



Really beautiful recorded performance. Neumann lets the music unfold robustly without histrionics, which is just the way I like Mahler. The orchestra is gorgeous, I particularly love the sound of the horn section. Recording is just right, close enough perspective to hear the details, enough hall resonance to produce a rich satisfying sound. This cycle is becoming a favorite. (I recently listened to the 7th from this cycle and was similarly impressed.)

[kyjo]

I ordered the 5th and 6th symphonies disc on Naxos. Looking forward to hearing it.

Fantastic! Please report back here once you've had a chance to listen to them. The 6th is great as well.

[kyjo]

Francis Poulenc: Stabat Mater. Serge Baudo, Choeurs et Orchestre National de Lyon.

A simply sublime work! Poulenc at his best IMO.

[Maestro267]

Arnold: Symphony No. 8
NSO Ireland/Penny

Arnold: Symphony No. 9
NSO Ireland/Penny

[André]

Heldenleben and Zarathustra. Hothouse Strauss from Solti.

[Karl Henning]

"Papa"
Heiligmesse
Tölzer Knabenchor
Tafelmusik
Weil

[Wakefield]

Hi Gordo 

Now playing:

[asin]B006M51FEW[/asin]

That's a beauty too, Dave!!! She's fantastic, isn't it?

[SonicMan46]

Many on GMG agree with you, including myself.

Thumbs UP!  Dave

[Maestro267]

Fantastic! Please report back here once you've had a chance to listen to them. The 6th is great as well.

Seconded. Having bookended my day with the last 3 symphonies (7 this morning, 8 & 9 this evening) I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say Arnold is the English Shostakovich. Especially in the latter symphonies, any perceived "triumph" is more like defiance, a false victory through gritted teeth.

[Mirror Image]

Having enjoyed his symphonies a lot, this CD couldn't be an exception. This is an excellent composer whose neglect is criminal.  His oratorio Quo Vadis sounds quite promising too. One more to investigate.

What is his music like? Any points of reference?

[SonicMan46]

Hmm. Listening to samples of this (Hyperion not being a company that does full streaming).



Rather interesting. This is basically the first time I've heard a harpsichord recording and thought I might want to buy it.

A coincidence - this morning, I was listening to Peter Watchorn playing the Bach Toccatas on the harpsichord and was curious about Mahan Esfahani - some googling brought up this Twitter feed (2nd pic below) - seems to know Peter quite well - interesting.  Dave

 

[Symphonic Addict]

What is his music like? Any points of reference?

His style is mostly late-Romantic and relatively conservative, so you might detect some lush, aflame music from his works, and his orchestration is vivid and extraordinary. Some composers whose idiom might be similar are Karlowicz, Kabalevsky (think of Symphonies 1 & 2) and Antheil.

[Symphonic Addict]

The content of this disc is simply astounding. The work that impressed me the most is the Symphonie Concertante, it's a riot!! Some of the most scintillating writing for piano and orchestra I know, though it's not devoid of several Nocturne-like moments. Its blend of several styles is proper of a genius. This is seriously exciting stuff.

[André]

A great disc and an excellent entry point to the music of Schmitt.

[Mirror Image]

His style is mostly late-Romantic and relatively conservative, so you might detect some lush, aflame music from his works, and his orchestration is vivid and extraordinary. Some composers whose idiom might be similar are Karlowicz, Kabalevsky (think of Symphonies 1 & 2) and Antheil.

Hmmm...probably not really my thing, especially with those points of comparisons. Thanks for the feedback, Cesar.

[Karl Henning]

Liszt
Années de Pèlerinage
Grimwood

[Mirror Image]

Debussy
Études
Momo Kodama

[vers la flamme]

Current listening:



Robert Schumann: Waldszenen, op.82. Sviatoslav Richter. A most excellent mono recording, recorded, I believe, in 1956. Richter makes the case better than anyone that this is no lesser a work than such earlier piano cycles as Kinderszenen, Carnaval, etc.

A coincidence - this morning, I was listening to Peter Watchorn playing the Bach Toccatas on the harpsichord and was curious about Mahan Esfahani - some googling brought up this Twitter feed (2nd pic below) - seems to know Peter quite well - interesting.  Dave

 

You've piqued my interest, as I have not heard any of Bach's Harpsichord toccatas. I sampled the Watchorn and was really impressed with what I heard. I think I'm going to get that disc.

[Mirror Image]

Ravel
L'enfant et les sortilèges
R.T.F. National Orchestre, R.T.F. Choeur De Radio France, R.T.F. Maitrise De Radio France
Lorin Maazel
Colette Herzog (soprano), Jeannine Collard (mezzo-soprano), Jane Berbié (mezzo-soprano), Francoise Ogeas (soprano), Sylvaine Gilma (soprano), Camille Maurane (baritone), Michel Sénéchal (tenor), Heinz Rehfuss (baritone), Rene Alix (chorus master)

[Madiel]

If I may add my 2 cents, it reminds me more of Prokofiev's first symphony, i.e. an excercise in Haydn transposed to Soviet Russia, but this time his SQs rather than symphonies.

Makes sense to me as point of view (re Shostakovich SQ 1).