What are you listening 2 now?

[Todd]

Technical perfection, to be sure, and enjoyable, but it lacks the spark of Grumiaux and Klien.  But then, so does everyone else.  Well worth the $5 I plunked down.

[Madiel]

I decided it was time to go back to Bartok.

The Wooden Prince.

[Klavier1]

[Karl Henning]

CD 9
"Wolferl"

Pf Cto in c minor, K. 491
Pf Cto in C, K. 503

[Symphonic Addict]

Fine but only mildly interesting works. Vol 2 (with the Schmied Schmerz symphony) was much better than that.

One of those concertos is significantly more interesting than the others. If my memory serves, it is the one for violin. The Symphony Schmied Schmerz and the other orchestral and chamber pieces have a great significancy for me.

[Symphonic Addict]

One of my favourite disks of Debussy

Once I heard the Pelleas et Melisande Suite from this recording and I thought that both the performance and the work were rather flaccid and few dynamic. Not too interesting for my taste. Perhaps the DG recording will be more convincing.

[André]

One of those concertos is significantly more interesting than the others. If my memory serves, it is the one for violin . The Symphony Schmied Schmerz and the other orchestral and chamber pieces have a great significancy for me.

You have a good memory  .

[Symphonic Addict]

Uhhhh, I do! It's my favorite Rossini overture, and one of my favorite overtures of all time. No Rossini overture collection is complete without it!

That is quite fun indeed. My personal choice is Semiramide like his most-symphonic and with themes less frivolous and more distinctive, as a whole.

[Symphonic Addict]

John Ireland: 'Legend for Piano and Orchestra'. Today I was walking on the South Downs in scenery which inspired Ireland, who lived, in his windmill, not so far away.

A stunning CD, Jeffrey!

[Klavier1]

No.3.

[Daverz]

Hendrik Andriessen: Symphony No. 4



Haydn: Symphony No. 103



and Beethoven Overtures (Egmont, Fidelio, Leonore 3, Coriolan, Nameday, and Consecration of the House)

[Symphonic Addict]

Speaking of Atterberg's ravishing slow movements:

Symphony No. 5

I don't doubt it is the best performance, even superior to Rasilanien on CPO. It's more bewitching than I had thought before. Masterpiece!

[kyjo]

Copland: Music for the Theatre and Piano Concerto



I'm realizing that I've taken Copland's music for granted in the past. He had an instantly recognizable compositional voice and his music is nothing if not really characterful and truly American in style. These two early works from the 1920s are characterized by an appealing blend of acerbic harmonies and popular/jazzy motives.


Saint-Saens: Symphony in A major



Not bad for a 15 year old! Well, the first two movements are wonderful, fresh, and vibrant - the scherzo and finale much less so IMO.


The whole disc:



I've seen some mentions of this composer on GMG recently. The winners here are the brief, delightful Suite and the more harmonically advanced Piano Trio, op. 61 which contains a particularly memorable and intriguingly developed finale. Disappointingly, I was less enthralled by the works with the cool titles - the Kammermusikdichtung and the Theodor-Storm-Muisik.


The whole disc:



A fantastic disc of Nielsen orchestral "odds and ends", most of which I hadn't heard before. The Maskarade and Helios overtures were already great favorites of mine, and I was pleased to make acquaintances with works like the Prelude to Sir Oluf He Rides and the incredibly majestic Prelude to Act II of Saul og David. The two later tone poems - An Imaginary Journey to the Faroe Islands and Pan and Syrinx are Nielsen at his wierdest - complete with his characteristically wild writing for clarinet and snare drum. I'll need a few more listens to assimilate these two works!


Ludolf Nielsen: Symphony no. 2 (Frankfurt Radio SO/Ole Schmidt on CPO)

Time for the "other" Nielsen! It's not a masterpiece like his 3rd Symphony, but it contains some really enjoyable music. Interestingly, the first movement begins darkly with a slow introduction, has an uninhibitedly joyful main section that becomes increasingly dissonant towards its climax, ushering in the return of the dark opening material. A most compelling emotional trajectory! And the slow movement is just to die for, with a main melody that bears a resemblance to "Danny Boy/Londonderry Air". It receives a fantastic performance here.

[Symphonic Addict]

Copland: Music for the Theatre and Piano Concerto



I'm realizing that I've taken Copland's music for granted in the past. He had an instantly recognizable compositional voice and his music is nothing if not really characterful and truly American in style. These two early works from the 1920s are characterized by an appealing blend of acerbic harmonies and popular/jazzy motives.


Saint-Saens: Symphony in A major



Not bad for a 15 year old! Well, the first two movements are wonderful, fresh, and vibrant - the scherzo and finale much less so IMO.


The whole disc:



I've seen some mentions of this composer on GMG recently. The winners here are the brief, delightful Suite and the more harmonically advanced Piano Trio, op. 61 which contains a particularly memorable and intriguingly developed finale. Disappointingly, I was less enthralled by the works with the cool titles - the Kammermusikdichtung and the Theodor-Storm-Muisik.


The whole disc:



A fantastic disc of Nielsen orchestral "odds and ends", most of which I hadn't heard before. The Maskarade and Helios overtures were already great favorites of mine, and I was pleased to make acquaintances with works like the Prelude to Sir Oluf He Rides and the incredibly majestic Prelude to Act II of Saul og David. The two later tone poems - An Imaginary Journey to the Faroe Islands and Pan and Syrinx are Nielsen at his wierdest - complete with his characteristically wild writing for clarinet and snare drum. I'll need a few more listens to assimilate these two works!


Ludolf Nielsen: Symphony no. 2 (Frankfurt Radio SO/Ole Schmidt on CPO)

Time for the "other" Nielsen! It's not a masterpiece like his 3rd Symphony, but it contains some really enjoyable music. Interestingly, the first movement begins darkly with a slow introduction, has an uninhibitedly joyful main section that becomes increasingly dissonant towards its climax, ushering in the return of the dark opening material. A most compelling emotional trajectory! And the slow movement is just to die for, with a main melody that bears a resemblance to "Danny Boy/Londonderry Air". It receives a fantastic performance here.

Were you reading my mind about/with Ludolf Nielsen? I was about to post this stirring and glorious work:

The Tower of Babel



The choral parts never lack depth and they're majestic, noble, even close to VW's style. The vocal solo parts are more academic, truth be told. I was less engaged by them, but when the chorus enters becomes an overwhelming creation. Even it has something of Langgaard's Antikrist. Quite a discovery, I must say!

And please, you do give a listen to his symphonies and other stuff!

[Symphonic Addict]

Dohnányi: Symphony No. 2

Stirring!

[Mirror Image]

Last work for the night:

Honegger
Symphony No. 5, "Di tre re", H. 202
Czech PO
Baudo

[Madiel]

Dvorak, 7 interludes for small orchestra.



These are great. Early Dvorak without all the excess of length in many works. And this might be the only recording? They absolutely should be used more often as 'filler' for the larger scale works.

[Madiel]

Dvorak, Tragic/Dramatic Overture (which is the overture to his first opera, Alfred, revised as a separate concert piece)

[Madiel]

Dvorak, Romance for violin (orchestral version)

[Que]

Morning listening:



Muisc for lute consort doesn't seem very cool, but this sounds quite groovy...