What are you listening 2 now?

[Harry]

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

Piano trios No, 1 in D minor & No. 2 in C minor.

Schweizer Klaviertrio.

I already expressed my appreciation for this ensemble, and as a added bonus, this performance can be added to the list of thoroughly enjoyable interpretations. Sound is well balanced. Mendelssohn sparkles and speaks, to the heart as well as the head.

[ritter]

A major orchestral work by the recently deceased Sylvano Bussotti: Souvenirs d'Italie, versione intergrale (1995-1996). Live recording of the Orchestra della Toscana conducted by Tito Ceccherini.

From this (obscure, and lacking any useful notes) CD that landed today, which is a contender for the "Worst Covers" thread  :


This is a late(ish) work, postdating the pieces collected in Il catalogo è questo. Very typical of Bussotti's Spätstil, which can be described as "post-serial kitsch"  . The main theme of the flower duet from Delibes' Lakmé (yes, the one from the British Airways commercials  ) is quoted extensively, and some other quotations (that I cannot identify) are also used. Still, the rather transparent scoring is very attractive, and the piece is quite seductive.

The other two works on the CD are by hitherto unknown to me relatively young composers (Carla Rebora, b 1973, and Riccardo Panfili, b. 1979) and seem to be commissions of the Orchestra della Toscana. I'll listen to them in due course.

[Brahmsian]

Wonderful! Enigma certainly makes sense. This is phantasmagorical stuff, of unnerving textures, the scream-like sound from the strings is something else, also the timeless last minutes. The first composition I pay attention to by her and I was quite hooked.

Oh excellent! Psssst. There's an Anna Thorvaldsdottir composer thread now to post on, created yesterday. 

[Harry]

Julius Rontgen.

Works for Violin and Piano, Volume II.

Christoph Schickedanz, Violin.
Ernst Breidenbach, Piano.

It goes to show, that Rontgen is one of the best composers I know, and am very content that CPO released a lot of his music, and I sincerely hope that they will continue with this series. After all there was a big time gap, between the first and second volume. On this disc are very attractive works, well performed and recorded, and not to be missed by admirers of his music.

[aligreto]

Beethoven: Overture - Leonore [No. 3] Schmidt-Isserstedt





There is a truly wonderful opening sequence to this version. The lower register strings and the woodwinds sound terrific. When the pace eventually picks up the music is swept along. It never feels forced, however, and it feels quite expansive. The conclusion is quite exciting and invigorating with a fine display from the brass section.

[The new erato]

I snatched this before the recent price increases,



Thoroughly competent and nice, but not much of the iconoclastic Hector in this.

[Harry]

Den Männern ebenbürtig.

Works by female composers.

Barbara Moser, Piano.
Thomas Irnberger, Violin.

An absolute wonderful series by this couple, pulling out of a forgotten treasure trove a wealth of fine music by composers virtually ignored so many years. This is honouring finally the women that were Den "Männern Ebenbürtig". Good sound and performance.

[prémont]

This was recommended enthusiastically years ago by Don Satz when he was going through a muscle man phase - in Uriol's hands Cabezon is about as charming as The Grand Inquisitor. Nevertheless there's a certain grizzly pleasure in dusting it off and playing it once in a while - as there is a pleasure in visiting the torture chamber in the Tower of London.

I am afraid, that Cabezon's music invites most performers to some strictness in the execution (pun intended), which makes one associate to the Spanish inquisition. Generally I found Astronio "stricter" than Uriol by a small margin.

Both are in spirit very far from the human and expressive playing of Brauchli.

[aligreto]

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1 [Ashkenazy]

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Creston SY2. Jarvi/Detroit.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Symphony No. 2

A complete delight. For me, it's his "pastoral" symphony. Just hear the beautifully bucolic Trio from the 2nd movement. Endearing. I like that rusticity blended with that fine counterpoint and harmonic language. A winning combination.

Nice music!

[SonicMan46]

Excellent! 

+1

[kyjo]

Whenever I listen to the Op. 129, I wonder why this piece is not played more often, whether in Schumann's original scoring or in Shostakovich's re-orchestration.

Schumann's Cello Concerto is actually quite a frequently performed work amongst cellists today. Myself and most of my cellist colleagues have all learned the work at some point. I used to not like it very much, but it's grown on me quite a bit recently.

[Traverso]

Beethoven

Wich to choose Quartetto Italiano,Julliard ,Takacs or other recordings I have,well it is again the Alban Berg Quartet .

String Quartets Op.18 1 & 2

[The new erato]

You should try the remastered Busch Quartet recordings some time.

[aligreto]

Borodin: Polovtsian Dances [Rozhdestvensky]

[foxandpeng]

Pēteris Vasks
Musica Adventus
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Juha Kangas
Finlandia

Beautiful and moving, as ever.

[Traverso]

You should try the remastered Busch Quartet recordings some time.

Well,in fact I was considering it.I have heard some samples wich  were very promising and you gave the needed   push so I purchased the set accordingly.

[Biffo]

Loeffler: A Pagan Poem, Op 35 - Leopold Stokowski and his Symphony Orchestra - from the Urania album mentioned above. There are no notes so I have no idea what is 'pagan' about the piece. The only other Loeffler I have is the symphonic poem La mort de Tintagiles.

I have all the other works in the album but looking forward to hearing them from Stokowski.

[Mirror Image]

What is your favorite work by him?

Probably his 2nd symphony.