What are you listening 2 now?

[JBS]

Pausing Bach to listen to French chanson.



Sorting some CDs this afternoon I saw this and could remember nothing about it.
Bostridge certainly does a good job with the Berlioz, so I'm not sure why it fell out of my memory.

[Mirror Image]

Pausing Bach to listen to French chanson.



Sorting some CDs this afternoon I saw this and could remember nothing about it.
Bostridge certainly does a good job with the Berlioz, so I'm not sure why it fell out of my memory.

I don't know I just can't get onboard with a tenor in the Berlioz or Ravel, but I'd be interesting in reading your thoughts of these performances.

[JBS]

I don't know I just can't get onboard with a tenor in the Berlioz or Ravel, but I'd be interesting in reading your thoughts of these performances.

Bostridge handles it well, so you'd never guess it was not written for tenor.
Adams orchestration sounds  vraiment Debussy. You might want the CD just for that.

[Mirror Image]

Bostridge handles it well, so you'd never guess it was not written for tenor.
Adams orchestration sounds  vraiment Debussy. You might want the CD just for that.

I'll have to take a pass, Jeffrey. I'm not a huge Bostridge fan aside from some Britten he's done, but I just thought I'd get your take on the performances. Thanks for the feedback.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Berlioz
Les nuits d'été, Op. 7
Régine Crespin, soprano
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ansermet

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Berlioz
Les nuits d'été, Op. 7
Régine Crespin, soprano
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ansermet

I think this is a good performance, but the finest available? Hardly. This doesn't in no way supersede Gens, Baker, Lieberson or Balleys. I find Crespin's voice to be quite good in the higher registers, but when she sings in the lower registers it sounds a bit out-of-tune to me or like there's some kind of unsteadiness in the pitch. These are just my impressions after having not listened to this performance in ages. Ansermet sounds quite good in his accompaniment.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Schoenberg
Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16
BBC SO
Boulez

[Symphonic Addict]

Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne

Are there any more ridiculously glittering and lovely songs than these ones? I'm totally enamoured of them! The music irradiates so much beauty and rusticity that the overall effect melts my heart. Not only is the music ineffably gorgeous, but also the impeccable orchestration. This is music to really die for. Canteloube used the orchestra to conjure up some striking effects. One of them is like imitating the sound of a bagpipe. The voice of the soprano suits magnificently the lushness and folksy nature of the music. I heard other singers but their voices were too operatic for these songs. Gens has the velvety, warm and right tone that this music demands.

La pastoura als camps, Baïlèro, L'aïo dè rotso, Obal din lou Limouzi, Pastourelle, L'Antouèno, N'aï pas iéu de mio, La delaïssádo, Passo pel prat, Lou boussu and Malurous qu'o uno fenno were my favorites. One of my most remarkable discoveries this year among many others.

[Madiel]

Now String Quartet No.12 in E-flat major, op.128. Beautiful recording of this late masterpiece. I love the clean, incisive tone of this quartet which is somehow simultaneously very warm and effervescent. Very talented musicians all, in very good recorded sound.

You're not the first person I've seen saying very positive things about the Belcea.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Shchedrin
Concerto cantabile
Maxim Vengerov, violin
LSO
Rostropovich

[vandermolen]

Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Eugene Goossens (1941 recording)
I'm listening to the Classik Haus Restorations CD. It's also on a Biddulph CD.
I remember that hearing the Biddulph CD version was the first time that I heard any of the music that Vaughan Williams had excised from the score (of course now we can hear the original 1913 version on Chandos). Hearing the ending of the 1920 version was so exciting and I couldn't believe that the composer had cut out such a poignant and moving section - one of my favourite moments in any of his symphonies. VW was presumably trying to tighten up the structure of the work in 1936 (being in thrall to Sibelius at the time) and the 1936 version is more objective and less personal, but I think that A London Symphony lost much more than it gained by that final and (IMO) unnecessary 1936 edit:

[The new erato]

+1

I love Boulanger's works. Don't miss her other psalms. Really stupendous music.

Me too.

Now playing the first of a series of Bru Zane aquisitions. I have no recollection of ever listening to a Herold work before.



McCreesh + Bru Zanes usual superb packaging. What can go wrong if the music is any good? I will see......

[vandermolen]

Blomdahl: Symphony No.1 (1943)
My favourite of the Blomdahl symphonies and very much in the spirit of his teacher, Hilding Rosenberg:

[The new erato]

Blomdahl: Symphony No.1 (1943)
My favourite of the Blomdahl symphonies and very much in the spirit of his teacher, Hilding Rosenberg:

I have the disc and need to take it out of the collection. Thank you for reminding me!

[vandermolen]

I have the disc and need to take it out of the collection. Thank you for reminding me!

I've been appreciating the more modernistic 'Facetter' (No.3) recently but No.1 remains my favourite and IMO a remarkably underrated score - I hope that you enjoy it. As with Rosenberg's 2nd and 3rd symphonies it has a powerfully affirmative and memorable conclusion.

[Traverso]

Kodàly-Blacher & Elgar

[Harry]

No listening time for me. the garden is renovated, and I am working with them, especially in planting trees, shrubs, flowering ones also, tiles, so the whole works.

[vandermolen]

No listening time for me. the garden is renovated, and I am working with them, especially in planting trees, shrubs, flowering ones also, tiles, so the whole works.

Happy Gardening Harry!

[Harry]

Happy Gardening Harry!

Thankee my friend, one of the trees I planted this morning I have called Jeffrey from Great Britain, honestly

[aligreto]

Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne

Are there any more ridiculously glittering and lovely songs than these ones? I'm totally enamoured of them! The music irradiates so much beauty and rusticity that the overall effect melts my heart. Not only is the music ineffably gorgeous, but also the impeccable orchestration. This is music to really die for. Canteloube used the orchestra to conjure up some striking effects. One of them is like imitating the sound of a bagpipe. The voice of the soprano suits magnificently the lushness and folksy nature of the music. I heard other singers but their voices were too operatic for these songs. Gens has the velvety, warm and right tone that this music demands.

A big +1 here. That is a terrific set.