What are you listening 2 now?

[ritter]

Piano music by Joseph Jongen (two and four hands), spanning almost fifty years of the composer's activity. CD 3 of this set:



Most enjoyable! 

[vandermolen]

Sibelius: 'Tapiola' (fine performance, beautifully recorded)
Preceded by an excellent 'Luonnotar' sung by the young Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen:

[vers la flamme]

Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No.3 in F major, op.73. Pacifica Quartet

Brilliant performance. Apparently, Shostakovich felt this was one of his finest works, and it's indeed a damn good one. I know very little about Shostakovich's quartets, though I do try to listen to them here and there.

[SonicMan46]

It's completely incomprehensible why it hasn't been reissued....

Harmonia Mundi prefers issuing a new recording of The Art of the Fugue with accordion! 

This may a good and affordable way to sample the cycle:

[asin]B00099FVBU[/asin]

O, well I am happy that I bought it when it was released. I recognized the pristine quality in the performance.

LOL!    Thanks Que & Harry for your thoughts - will decide a 'plan' of action - don't know what at the moment?    Dave

[André]

Disc one, comprising the piano version of Iberia. Fantastic stuff and performance, although as usual I find the 4th Book rather lacking in the others' fantasy and originality.  Still, a must-hear work and a sizzling performance by de Larrocha.

[Mirror Image]

Sibelius: 'Tapiola' (fine performance, beautifully recorded)
Preceded by an excellent 'Luonnotar' sung by the young Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen:

Excellent, Jeffrey. I was wondering about this one. I like the cover art.

[Mirror Image]

Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No.3 in F major, op.73. Pacifica Quartet

Brilliant performance. Apparently, Shostakovich felt this was one of his finest works, and it's indeed a damn good one. I know very little about Shostakovich's quartets, though I do try to listen to them here and there.

You definitely should hear all of the Shostakovich SQs. The journey rewards, trust me.

[ritter]

Disc one, comprising the piano version of Iberia. Fantastic stuff and performance, although as usual I find the 4th Book rather lacking in the others' fantasy and originality.  Still, a must-hear work and a sizzling performance by de Larrocha.

Mme. Loriod isn't bad in Iberia, not bad at all. But Chauzu is better...

[vers la flamme]

You definitely should hear all of the Shostakovich SQs. The journey rewards, trust me.

I've heard them all at least once, but do not have enough familiarity to where I can identify each of them immediately. The standouts in my mind are 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8—the later quartets have yet to leave much impression on me, but only because I find them somewhat challenging. I also have another set I've been meaning to explore: the Fitzwilliam on Decca. No doubt this is good repertoire, but I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy these works.

[foxandpeng]

Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No.3 in F major, op.73. Pacifica Quartet

Brilliant performance. Apparently, Shostakovich felt this was one of his finest works, and it's indeed a damn good one. I know very little about Shostakovich's quartets, though I do try to listen to them here and there.

I've heard them all at least once, but do not have enough familiarity to where I can identify each of them immediately. The standouts in my mind are 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8—the later quartets have yet to leave much impression on me, but only because I find them somewhat challenging. I also have another set I've been meaning to explore: the Fitzwilliam on Decca. No doubt this is good repertoire, but I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy these works.

+1 as I am currently completely immersed in the Decca Borodin Quartet versions. #3 has been today's real pleasure,  although I've also heard 2, 4 and 6 today, amongst other listening. I love how increasing familiarity unlocks new facets on subsequent hearings, and an appreciation of the inherent emotion.

I'm sold 🙂

[vandermolen]

Excellent, Jeffrey. I was wondering about this one. I like the cover art.

I was attracted by the striking cover art too John! 
There's been some criticism of Gardner here but I have been enjoying this disc this evening (I like his Walton Symphony No.1 more than some here). Tapiola is my favourite work by Sibelius and I have ten million recordings of it ( ). I recently enjoyed the recording on Ondine conducted by Hannu Lintu. Gardner's version has a strong sense of rhythm and is moving in a kind of understated way - it is not the most intense 'Tapiola' I have heard but it lends itself to repeated listening. Luonnotar with Lise Davidsen is exceptional and I have been enjoying Pelleas & Melisande as well. I haven't got on to Spring Song and Rakastava yet but am looking forward to doing so.

[vers la flamme]

Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude & Fugue in C major, BWV 531. Piet Kee

Aah, what an instrument. Very impressive recording!

[Mirror Image]

I was attracted by the striking cover art too John! 
There's been some criticism of Gardner here but I have been enjoying this disc this evening (I like his Walton Symphony No.1 more than some here). Tapiola is my favourite work by Sibelius and I have ten million recordings of it ( ). I recently enjoyed the recording on Ondine conducted by Hannu Lintu. Gardner's version has a strong sense of rhythm and is moving in a kind of understated way - it is not the most intense 'Tapiola' I have heard but it lends itself to repeated listening. Luonnotar with Lise Davidsen is exceptional and I have been enjoying Pelleas & Melisande as well. I haven't got on to Spring Song and Rakastava yet but am looking forward to doing so.

Excellent to read, Jeffrey. I'll be picking up this recording momentarily. Oh and yes, I knew Tapiola had a strong pull on you, but I'm not as keen on it as I should be, especially given the fact that I'm a huge Sibelian, but the standout performance for me so far has been Segerstam/Helsinki on Ondine. I'm still rather taken by this performance.

[vers la flamme]

Paul Creston: Symphony No.2, op.35. Theodore Kuchar, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Inspired by some recent discussion around this work in this thread. So far so good. Creston is so far the only of the "great American symphonists" of that generation whose music has connected with me (albeit only in a small way, thus far)—unless we count Bernstein, whose three symphonies are excellent.

[vandermolen]

Excellent to read, Jeffrey. I'll be picking up this recording momentarily. Oh and yes, I knew Tapiola had a strong pull on you, but I'm not as keen on it as I should be, especially given the fact that I'm a huge Sibelian, but the standout performance for me so far has been Segerstam/Helsinki on Ondine. I'm still rather taken by this performance.

I think that both Segerstam recordings (Ondine/Chandos) are amongst the very best John.

The one below is one of my favourites:

[Mirror Image]

I think that both Segerstam recordings (Ondine/Chandos) are amongst the very best John.

The one below is one of my favourites:

Very nice, Jeffrey. I just couldn't get into Lintu's Sibelius for some reason.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Myaskovsky
Symphony No. 16 in F major, Op. 39
Russian Federation Academic SO
Svetlanov



More 'middle register only' music from Myaskovsky. Just kidding, this is superb.

[Mirror Image]

I've heard them all at least once, but do not have enough familiarity to where I can identify each of them immediately. The standouts in my mind are 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8—the later quartets have yet to leave much impression on me, but only because I find them somewhat challenging. I also have another set I've been meaning to explore: the Fitzwilliam on Decca. No doubt this is good repertoire, but I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy these works.

Excellent and I can certainly understand your attitude towards the late SQs as Shostakovich of this period isn't the easiest by any stretch, but I think, as I've said, before the journey is a rewarding one and I've grown to love all periods of this composer's music.

[Karl Henning]

Ruth Crawford Seeger
String Quartet (1931)
iii. Andante
Clevelanders
Dohnányi

[Madiel]

I've heard them all at least once, but do not have enough familiarity to where I can identify each of them immediately. The standouts in my mind are 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8—the later quartets have yet to leave much impression on me, but only because I find them somewhat challenging. I also have another set I've been meaning to explore: the Fitzwilliam on Decca. No doubt this is good repertoire, but I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy these works.

My two personal favourites are 5 & 12. Fitzwilliam is the only set I have. Whether those two statements are connected causally in any way, I don't know.