What are you listening 2 now?

[pjme]

"I needed musical therapy."

I recognize that.

first this:
https://youtu.be/-vR5O-96ZCU
Then

Stravinsky: Symphony of psalms / Bernstein

[Mandryka]

Agreed with your assessment of the recording.
I'm also not sure if the voice + accompaniment treatment works for Josquin.
Although I enjoyed listening to it, it's not a keeper.

Clearly we are in disagreement with Johan van Veen -- though I think he's right about the lute contribution.

http://www.musica-dei-donum.org/cd_reviews/Ricercar_RIC403.html

[vandermolen]

Rimsky-Korsakov 'The Invisible City of Kitezh' (Suite)
This is a fine double album of Rimsky's music, including Mlada, May Night and the charming Christmas Eve Suite:

[Madiel]

Musical therapy part deux.

[Florestan]

Musical therapy part deux.

Schubert or Schoenberg? 

[Madiel]

Schubert or Schoenberg? 

Both parts of this album are equally wonderful. Truly.

EDIT: Though the primary reason for getting it was arguably the Schoenberg.

[ritter]

I needed musical therapy.



EDIT: I always think the 1st movement of op.89 is one of the most beautiful things ever... usually until a few seconds after the 2nd movement starts.

I don't have that specific recording, but will have to revisit op. 89 soon in light of your comment.

THREAD DUTY:

First listen to this new arrival: Françoise Choveux play piano muisc by Darius Milhaud.


I already knew the opening work on the CD (Printemps, Books 1 & 2) from the recording by Jacques Février in the priceless Milhaud "Une vie heuerese" box on Erato, but this time around it's sounding partcularly beguiling. Quite wonderful!

[Madiel]

I don't have that specific recording, but will have to revisit op. 89 soon in light of your comment.

There's the obvious potential for bias given how I was introduced to the piece, but not all other recordings I've tried have recreated the magic. Hopefully you've got one that captures it.

Part of what fascinates me about it is that Faure struggled a great deal to finish the composition, far more than was usual for him. 15 years on and off. And he himself reflected on how the 1st movement sounded spontaneous, despite him knowing it was anything but.

[Florestan]

Both parts of this album are equally wonderful. Truly.

EDIT: Though the primary reason for getting it was arguably the Schoenberg.

That's what I thought, honestly.

[Florestan]

EDIT: I always think the 1st movement of op.89 is one of the most beautiful things ever... usually until a few seconds after the 2nd movement starts.

Indeed, the whole quintet is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever penned. Desert island stuff.

[Biffo]

Dvorak: Symphony No 1 in C minor, Op 3 - Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jiri Belohlavek

[Traverso]

Debussy

Pelléas et Mélisande

[Harry]

"I needed musical therapy."

I recognize that.

first this:
https://youtu.be/-vR5O-96ZCU

I have every CD of Divna, a most glorious voice with Orthodox music, all very near to my heart.

[André]

Symphonies 7 and 8. Slightly less than excellent versions IMO. The main hindrance to my enjoyment of no 7 was the recessed balance of the violins. While winds and timpani have a firm and very well defined presence, the brass do not dominate as it should in the big moments (the end of the symphony) and the violins strain to make their presence felt. Also, the very end of the scherzo doesn't have the air of anger and defiance I expect. These furious chords should be spat out with a sense of revolt. Here they don't. Symphony no 8 is better recorded and I particularly like the swift tempo for the gorgeous third movement. It has lilt and joy aplenty. Too often it is bogged down with melancholy and mock sadness.

The glory of this set is the reading of the 6th symphony, but I didn't listen to it this time.

[Karl Henning]

Musical therapy part deux.

Excellent!

[ritter]

There's the obvious potential for bias given how I was introduced to the piece, but not all other recordings I've tried have recreated the magic. Hopefully you've got one that captures it.

Part of what fascinates me about it is that Faure struggled a great deal to finish the composition, far more than was usual for him. 15 years on and off. And he himself reflected on how the 1st movement sounded spontaneous, despite him knowing it was anything but.

Well, here goes  :

Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quintet No. 1, op. 89 - Michel Dalberto & the Quatuor Ebène.


CD 5.

[Papy Oli]

[MusicTurner]

Some Respighi - the Concerto a Cinque, which gets perhaps a more beautiful performance here on Brilliant, than on Naxos - and whether I should keep the Karajan disc because of the classic Antiche Arie Suite III-recording; decided that it probably wasn't that necessary. Am assembling another pile of CDs for cheap selling.

Because of the Beethoven anniversary, some stunning documentaries on Swedish state TV, easily watched here in Copenhagen:

1) A programme about the Strindberg circle that celebrated Beethoven as a artistic ideal in special meetings and at various concerts; the programme ended with Roland Pöntinen playing Der Sturm, which was a nice surprise; what I've heard of his recordings was OK, but that live recording showed him as a matured pianist, especially in the last two movements - the command of details and the sense of line was superb. Judging from this, he deserved to be counted among the elite currently, IMHO.
https://www.svtplay.se/video/18188842/strindberg-och-beethovengubbarna (if you're able to watch, it''s from 32:50)

2) A BBC programme with Gardiner convincingly arguing for the 5th Symphony as a piece of politically influenced programme music, including deciphering the hidden quotations in it, etc. Very well done, and a catchy, more recent performance with his Orchestre Revolutionnaire ..., which, however, it seemed, wasn't extremely different from their earlier Archiv recording. 

3) on Danish TV, the young Danish String Quartet giving a very good live performance of the String Quartet op.131
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdDNeMIvhIo
To me, it accentuated the contemporary relevance of the piece.

[kyjo]

Pounds the table!! Great music and performances.

[kyjo]

Some Respighi - the Concerto a Cinque, which gets perhaps a more beautiful performance here on Brilliant, than on Naxos - and whether I should keep the Karajan disc because of the classic Antiche Arie Suite III-recording; decided that it probably wasn't that necessary. Am assembling another pile of CDs for cheap selling.

A fantastic work! I'll have to look out for the Brilliant recording.