What are you listening 2 now?

[Papy Oli]

Great stuff. I particularly like the Sonatine. How are you finding early Boulez, Olivier?

Unexpectedly "pleasant", Rafael  I had it it on headphones "in the background" so to speak while I was sorting some files and data on the laptop and the music helped along, in a surprisingly enjoyable way. Maybe that's my key with this type of composers, just let it wash over me, without an absolute focus on it. I'll see how i get on with that set. I remember liking Derives, I think, when I tried some random works in it some months ago.

[Papy Oli]

Ah...this is more of my speed:

NP: Debussy Images, Books I & II (Jacobs)

Hey, I'll join you on this one, John, with Estampes. 

[Mirror Image]

In general, I enjoy it. I've seen two of his operas fully staged, The Bassarids and L'Upupa, and found much to admire particularly in the former. Recently I listened to Der Prinz von Homburg on CD, and it's very effective.

Thanks to our fellow GMGer pjme I approached the cantata Being Beauteous (it's in the big DG box, but I had never listened to it) and was quite impressed.

And this Undine, which I got to know when the recording was first released, is very attractive IMHO.

There's other works that I don't appreciate that much, e.g. Nachtstücke und Arien (which created a mini-scandal in Darmstadt at its premiere) and many more, but in general Henze is a composer I enjoy.

Thanks for the feedback, Rafael. I have the Henze DG box, but, honestly, I haven't even really begun to explore it. Of the works I've heard from Henze, they didn't leave much of an impression and this is mainly because I felt he's a composer in search of a voice. It'll be interesting to see if my opinion changed at all from the last listen.

[Mirror Image]

Hey, I'll join you on this one, John, with Estampes.

Great, Olivier! One of my favorite discs of anything. A revelation to me as all of Paul Jacobs' Debussy recordings have been.

[Brahmsian]

Unabashedly bombastic yet fun.

The Golden Age gave me a better impression than this one.

+1. I really enjoy Shostakovich's ballets, but particularly The Golden Age, which is my favourite of the three.

[Mirror Image]

NP: Debussy Acts IV, V from Pelléas et Mélisande (Boulez et. al.)

[Papy Oli]

Ravel - Miroirs (Queffélec)

[Mirror Image]

Ravel - Miroirs (Queffélec)

Lovely! One of my favorite Ravel pianists.

[Karl Henning]

Prokofiev
The Tale of the Stone Flower, Op. 118
BBC Phil
Noseda

This is likely the first I've listened through this recording attentively. (When it first arrived, I played it in the background while booking, e.g.,
Josh's trip to a Minerals conference in Minnesota....)

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Greetings GmG folks, tonight, listening to  the work of director
Peter Urquhart, like what I heard so far from him and his ensemble Capella Alamire whit Gombert (on naxos), now listen to his Johannes
Ockeghem (well done) and also his Josquin/Ockeghem split album.
These are quite awesome , enjoying whit he done.

P.s I stop smoking Hemp for three full weeks, my idea and mind more clear, detox and it's not like it's hard, don't feel craving for it also hardly drank, did a spring big clean up of my home for two days, everything spic N span. By the way  here a question what do you think of mister Urquhart achievements so far, do you value is works and ensemble?

[Mirror Image]

All this talk of Stravinsky has given me a sharp desire to hear Danses concertantes:

Very nice, indeed. Love those Stravinsky-led recordings.

[André]

This recording got excellent reviews from ClassicsToday and Musicweb. I can't say I share the reviewers' enthusiasm though. After listening to it 3 times, I still find the concerto unsmiling, a bit acerbic and devoid of memorable material. It is interesting to be sure, just not particularly likeable.

The symphony's first movement is atmospheric, mysterious and mostly piano. A short scherzo ensues with plenty of percussions, big and small. The language is like that of onomatopoeic syllables (so the notes say). Then a big Adagio follows, the kernel of the work. That, too, is full of atmosphere. It starts like the Fantastique's Scène aux champs, with a mournful english horn echoed by a bass flute. Cryptic and fascinating, but hard to relate to. A marimba and a celesta lend their delicate and eerie colours to the discourse, japanese drums and woodblocks punctuate the slow-moving ritual. Even after three hearings it still speaks to me in a foreign language. It is all quite static - surely the intended effect. The finale starts with a mysterious slow introduction interrupted by shrieking winds (birds?) with again lots of effort in finding eerie colours (piccolo and contrabassoon). The ensuing allegro is a short motoric piece that ends abruptly.

All told I found it impressive but hard to crack. I am reminded of Onibaba, a famous japanese horror film made about the same time, a story about  greed, deception and a fake ghost.

[springrite]

Okay...I had to turn the Elgar off.

Hahahahahahahahaa!!!

[JBS]

Will be returning to the Blue Heron set later tonight but right now

From

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Kurka.

[T. D.]

Discs 3, 4. Non- (strictly - some pieces arr. for SQ) string quartet chamber music. This (recent acquisition) is a really nice set.

[Mirror Image]

This entire recording:

[Mirror Image]

NP: Berg Der Wein (Norman/Boulez)

[SimonNZ]

Malcolm Sargent doing Mozart at the Proms in 1964 and Beethoven's 1st at the Royal Festival Hall in 1951

[Mirror Image]

NP: Copland Hear Ye! Hear Ye! (Slatkin)



Hear Ye! Hear Ye! is a ballet which takes place in a Chicago courtroom. Copland withdrew it and I kind of understand why he did --- it's an odd idea for a ballet (not that there haven't been odd ideas prior of course), but listening to it now it's difficult to imagine how the ballet would be choreographed, especially since it takes place in a courtroom. Slatkin and his Detroit forces give a superb performance. On a scale to 1 to 10 with 1 being a horrible work and 10 being a masterpiece, I'd give this work a 4.5. It's interesting, but not one of Copland's better works.