What are you listening 2 now?

[Papy Oli]

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Does anyone happen to know where I can find an English translation of Mozart's La finta semplice?

Unfortunately the sources I readily have to hand don't have a booklet and I can only find the Italian version online so far.

I found an Italian/Spanish translation here (if you speak Spanish):  http://kareol.es/obras/lafintasemplice/acto1.htm

Suggestion:  have you tried borrowing a recording through your library or interlibrary loan?  Either a recording or a book with the libretto in it?

Good luck!

PD

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Jan Kalivoda - String Quartets 1 and 2: My goodness, this is some truly brilliant music by this Bohemian composer! One doesn't need to be an expert to notice that these quartets are remarkable and fine in every way. They seem to lie in the middle of Classical and Romantic styles. Beethoven and Cherubini would have given their approval, no doubt on it. I'm listening to the 3rd quartet tomorrow. Recommended with enthusiasm.




Jan Hanus - Sinfonia concertante for organ, harp, timpani and strings: This disc is kind of recognized for its inclusion of the only (I think) recording on disc of Kabelac's masterpiece Mystery of Time, but this work by his compatriot Hanus also deserves several listens. It's an exciting and intense piece whose somewhat regrettable recording doesn't do justice to it. An interesting discovery.

Thank you for reminding me about Kalivoda; I've been meaning to purchase some of his music.  Hanus I haven't heard of before now...more music to explore! 

PD

[Madiel]

I found an Italian/Spanish translation here (if you speak Spanish):  http://kareol.es/obras/lafintasemplice/acto1.htm

Suggestion:  have you tried borrowing a recording through your library or interlibrary loan?  Either a recording or a book with the libretto in it?

Good luck!

PD

Thanks, but my Spanish is even more limited than my Italian.

I hadn't looked at what the library system can offer me.

[Traverso]

Haydn

String Quartets op.33 No.1-2-3-4

CD10

[Papy Oli]

Myaskovsky 13th.

[Symphonic Addict]

I acquired this fairly recently and agree. The Hanus was a pleasant surprise.

I hope his other works will be as good.

[Symphonic Addict]

Thank you for reminding me about Kalivoda; I've been meaning to purchase some of his music.  Hanus I haven't heard of before now...more music to explore! 

PD

I'm pretty sure you would enjoy the content of both discs. The Ancerl one has more serious pieces, though.

[Papy Oli]

Arnold
Concerto for 2 Pianos (3 hands)
Concertino for Oboe and Strings
Beckus the Dandipratt
Water Music
Anniversary Overture

[Traverso]

Demessieux


Te Deum Op. 11 [1957/58]    
Prelude et Fugue Op. 13 [1964]    
Prelude et Fugue Op. 13 [1964]    
Six Etudes Op. 5 [1944]    
La Nativité - Op. 4 [1943/44]    
Twelve Choral Preludes Op. 7 [1947]    

[Todd]

Disc two equivalent.

[Christo]

William Alwyn, Symphony No. 4 (1959):

[Roasted Swan]

My order of preference is 4,2,1
I much prefer 4 and 2 to 1

Early morning listening before work.
'The Sea' by Frank Bridge
This is the best disc I know of Bridge's orchestral music:

I preferred the Winslow Homer painting LP cover which was fortunately retained in the boxed set devoted to recordings by Sir Charles Groves:

going over old ground! - +++++100 for this disc!

[vandermolen]

going over old ground! - +++++100 for this disc!

Indeed haha 

Now playing - my favourite Bax CD
I love all the works on the CD and Thomson's magnificent performances.
Starting off with the unpromising sounding 'Festival Overture' (1918) - which develops into an entirely characteristic and moving Baxian work and then including my very favourite recording of the magical and poetic 'Nympholept' the profoundly moving 'Christmas Eve' (1912) and a very fine 'Tintagel'. These were basically the 'fill-ups' for Thomson's Bax symphony cycle individual releases.

[vandermolen]

William Alwyn, Symphony No. 4 (1959):

The first movement (a kind of mini-symphony in itself) is my favourite movement in any Alwyn symphony, but the second movement, which I find banal, is, unfortunately, my least favourite movement in any Alwyn symphony.

[Christo]

The first movement (a kind of mini-symphony in itself) is my favourite movement in any Alwyn symphony, but the second movement, which I find banal, is, unfortunately, my least favourite movement in any Alwyn symphony.

But, but .... the second movement is mostly lyrical, the 'banal' opening is nothing but a curtain raiser, followed by beautiful music. 

[vandermolen]

But, but .... the second movement is mostly lyrical, the 'banal' opening is nothing but a curtain raiser, followed by beautiful music. 

I'll have to give it another listen. I think that the Hickox recording might be better than the Alwyn version which I grew up with.

[Madiel]

Thanks, but my Spanish is even more limited than my Italian.

I hadn't looked at what the library system can offer me.

It turns out that my library system gives me access to the Naxos Music Library. Where there are booklets. Eventually found the one recording where the booklet is supplied (crazily, the recent Mozart 225 box set still doesn't offer one). It's the Orfeo label, and in a proper booklet it would have Italian, German, English and French across a double page spread. Online, though, it's all shown as single pages and the English/French gets bumped down below!

But it turns out that I can download it, and within a proper PDF view I can get it to show 2 pages at a time, and then can tell it to treat the first page as a cover so that the right of pages line up.

So there you go. A libretto of La finta semplice that I can read!

[Traverso]

Dufay

Ma Belle Dame Souverraine

One of the most beautiful songs I ever heard.


Ma belle dame souverainne,
Faites cesser ma grief dolour
Que j'endure pour vostre amour
Nuit et jour, dont j'ay tres grant painne.

Ou autrement, soiés certainne,
Je finneray dedens brief jour.
  Ma belle [dame souverainne,
  Faites cesser ma grief dolour.]

Il n'i a jour en la sepmainne
Que je ne soye en grant tristour;
Se me veulliés par vo doulcour
Secourir, de volonté plaine.

  Ma belle [dame souverainne,
  Faites cesser ma grief dolour
  Que j'endure pour vostre amour
  Nuit et jour, dont j'ay tres grant painne.]

[vandermolen]

Miaskovsky: Cello Sonata No.2 (a new release - beautifully recorded and performed)