What are you listening 2 now?

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Samuel Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915, op.24. Dawn Upshaw, David Zinman, Orchestra of St. Luke's

American composers today 

[ritter]

Samuel Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915, op.24. Dawn Upshaw, David Zinman, Orchestra of St. Luke's

American composers today 

I'm not a great fan of Samuel Barber, but that work, and that specific recording of it,  are lovely. 

Good day to you, vers la flamme,

[vers la flamme]

I'm not a great fan of Samuel Barber, but that work, and that specific recording of it,  are lovely. 

Good day to you, vers la flamme,

Good day to you as well, Ritter! Barber is hit or miss for me as well, and this is actually not one of the works that has really grabbed me. But I am enjoying it on this listen. I do love Ms. Upshaw's voice—one of my first loves in classical music, actually, as I have been hooked on her recording of Górecki's 3rd symphony since high school.

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Morning listening:



A beautiful recording but also conceptually fascinating:

These days we associate the name Claudio Monteverdi largely with the change in style of the early baroque, with its new theatrical approach to composition. Monteverdi was, however, significantly more versatile, also occupying himself closely with the "prima prattica" - the Franco-Flemish polyphonic composition technique of his predecessors.  One of his key works in this style of composition (proving to his critics that he was also a virtuosic master of the technique) is his Missa da capella, printed by Ricciardo Armandino in 1610. As the model for this mass Monteverdi chose a motet by one of his predecessors, Nicolas Gombert, who is widely regarded as one of the grand masters of imitative polyphony. Monteverdi extracts 10 motifs from the aforementioned motet and reworks them into his own imitative web of polyphony.  As a result he avoids unnecessary and dull repetitions, indeed Monteverdi simply takes up where Gombert left off, developing his own motivic structures and sequences.

This programme sees these boundary-breaking mass movements contrasted with the preceding generation of composers, including works by Cesare Tudino (c.1530-1591/92), Nicola Vincentino (1511-1575), Giaches de Wert (1535-1596) and Luca Marenzio (1554-1599).  What one experiences is the fascinating contrast between a "conservative" Monteverdi and his progressive forerunners."

Recommended! 

I am listening to this album, I agree about what you said about corelation between Gombert and Monteverdi, dear QUE you know your stuff, thanks for posting.

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Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings, op.11a. Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic

What a performance! The New York strings always sounded incredible under Lenny. Reminds me a bit of another Bernstein/NY recording I love, the Mahler 5th Adagietto on Sony.

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Leonard Bernstein: Symphony No.1, "Jeremiah". Marin Alsop, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Great performance.

[VonStupp]

One last work for the night:

Rachmaninov
The Bells, Op. 35
Aleksei Maslennikov, Galina Pisarenko, Sergey Yakovenko
Yurlov Russian State Academic Choir
USSR State Symphony Orchestra
Svetlanov

Svetlanov's performance of The Bells is terrific, and I enjoy the accompanying Spring as well. I don't have this collection, but a single release on Alto.

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William Bolcom: Piano Concerto. Marc-André Hamelin, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Ulster Orchestra

A composer I know absolutely nothing about. This is an enjoyable piece though. Kind of a jazzy, early Modern style. I like the solo part a lot.

[VonStupp]

Leo Arnaud
Three Fanfares and Charge Suite

Samuel Barber
Commando March

Karl King
Barnum & Bailey's Favorite

The Cleveland Symphonic Winds
Frederick Fennell

Famous for its Olympic Fanfare, the rest of the music to Arnaud's Charge Suite is definitely worth listening to, although rather brief.

I also really like Barber's Commando March for the concert hall. A lot of daring, unexpected harmonic turns for a short American march.

Back when I lived in Iowa, the wind bands inexplicably preferred Karl King (a longtime resident of Iowa, most famous there for his Rough Riders march) over JP Sousa. Fennell really careens through Barnum & Bailey.

Happy Independence Day to our US brethren and expats. Safe travels if you are on the road or among fireworks.

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John Cage: She is Asleep, First Construction (In Metal). Quatuor Hêlios

For my money, one of the very finest composers our country ever produced. Must confess that I have to be really in the mood to hear his music if I want more than a small dose at a time. These are early works, from before his ideas around chance and indeterminacy really took off, but are not exactly what one would call conventional, by any means.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Paul Creston SY2. Theodore Kuchar.

[Mirror Image]

I love 'The Bells' - my favourite work by Rachmaninov. I think that it may be coming up as the CD accompanying BBC Music Magazine.

I think it's a fabulous work, Jeffrey. The Mournful Iron Bells is Rachmaninov melancholy at its best.

[Mirror Image]

Svetlanov's performance of The Bells is terrific, and I enjoy the accompanying Spring as well. I don't have this collection, but a single release on Alto.

It sure is as is this one (coupled with an equally inspired Alexander Nevsky):

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Paul Creston SY2. Theodore Kuchar.

Hello Brett Kavanaugh, this album, is wonderfull, Paul Creston crafted a gem, awesome dude

[VonStupp]

Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sea Songs
English Folk Song Suite

Percy Grainger
Lincolnshire Posy

The Cleveland Symphonic Winds
Frederick Fennell

I couldn't just limit myself to the few American marches on this recording. Fennell certainly had a way with British wind band music.

[VonStupp]

It sure is as is this one (coupled with an equally inspired Alexander Nevsky):

Do the choruses sing in Russian or English in this recording?

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Elliott Carter: On Conversing with Paradise. Leigh Melrose, Oliver Knussen, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group

Lesser known work from another of my country's finer composers. I would like to get more from this Bridge series.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Hello Brett Kavanaugh, this album, is wonderfull, Paul Creston crafted a gem, awesome dude

Thank you D, my colleagues and I agree with you by 5-4.

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Thank you D, my colleagues and I agree with you by 5-4.

You'll have to explain to me how the hell you came up with that username sometime.

[Iota]

Beethoven: String Quartet Op.59/3

Quatuor Ebene


Jumping aboard the wagon for this one and was very impressed indeed. Listening to Op.59/3 had the welcome effect of reawakening some Beethoven feelings, for some while absent. Fantastic playing and agree with Kyjo upthread about the knockout final movement.