What are you listening 2 now?

[Traverso]

Mahler

Das Irdische Leben
Wo die schönen Trumpeten blasen

Ich Atmet einen Linden duft
Um Mitternacht
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen

Christa Ludwig

[Mirror Image]

Jakob Hrusa is now their Chief Conductor and he has himself embarked on the Bruckner train with a splendid set of all versions and movement variants of the 4th symphony.

My only hope for Jakub Hrůša and the Bambergers is a Martinů symphony cycle. Crossing my fingers for this one. But I suppose more Bruckner would be nice, too.

[SonicMan46]

Still going through my JC Bach collection and on some chamber recordings last night and this morning; Flute Quartets w/ C. Köln; Sonatas, Op. 16 w/ fortepiano and period flute (violin can be substituted for the flute); Flute, Oboe, Strings, Op. 11 - superb performance; and 2 recordings of the Symphonies for Winds (really 'Wind Sextets' w/ 2 clarinets, 2 horns, & 2 bassoons) - an old one w/ the wonderful London Wind Soloists and Eric Hoeprich w/ period instruments.  Dave

P.S. all received excellent reviews, attached are some for the Wind Symphonies for those interested.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Kodaly: Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song for Orchestra "The Peacock" [Dorati]





This work displays Kodaly's orchestrating skills to great advantage. There is also a great infusion of a sense of atmosphere, tension and drama in this performance.

I'll bet that that's a great CD set!  I have a CD on Mercury with him and Minneapolis of Hary Janos and the two dances along with some Bartok.

Just played my newly cleaned Mozart sonatas album with Ivan Moravec on Connoisseur Society...nice gentle way to start the day.

PD

[Mirror Image]

Before heading off to work:

Malipiero
Piano Concerto No. 1
Sandro Ivo Bartoli (piano)
Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra
Michele Carulli

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Greetings

I am about to listen to one of my favorite English polyphonist Robert Fayrfax in vynil, on Hyperion:

[Traverso]

Rossini

Guillaume Tell
Le Siège De Corinthe
La Cenerentola
La Gazza Ladra
La Cambiale Di Matrimonio
La Scala Di Seta
Tancredi
Il Signor Bruschino
Il Turco In Italia
L'Inganno Felice

[SonicMan46]

 

Que & Andrei - I have the Oramo recording inserted above, which is on modern instruments; Beyer & Gli Incogniti perform on period instruments, so would be a nice contrast in my collection - reviews attached are excellent for both groups, so if just one set is desired then MI vs. PI may make the decision?  However, the Beyer CD is $20 USD on Amazon USA and not at BRO - it is available on Spotify, so will take a listen and see if the disc is cheaper elsewhere?  Thanks.  Dave

ADDENDUM: I listened to the Beyer recording on Spotify and was quite pleased - did no comparison w/ Oramo, who is also excellent - BUT I'd like to add this CD to my collection if I can find a good price; of course, a DL is always a cheaper option.

[vandermolen]

Gerber: 'Dirge and Awakening' just what I need to get the weekend started 

[Linz]

Dufay Music for Saint Anthony of Padua

[Bachtoven]

I downloaded this new release from Ms. Hewitt as a 24/96 FLAC file this morning. Wow. Her playing, her new Fazioli piano, and the sound are all superb. She might not "hammer" out the intense passages with the tensile strength of Pollini, but her playing is wonderfully musical and plenty powerful when needed. After all, I don't think the point of playing is to show how hard one can hit the keys.

[Linz]

Mahler 1 with Michael Gielen as well as some Charles Ives

[Karl Henning]

Hey, watch it, John!

(* chortle *)

CD 44

Stravinsky
Pulcinella Suite
Concerto in E^b « Dumbarton Oaks »
8 Instrumental Miniatures for 15 Players

The Instrumental Miniatures of course, is a regrettable underutilization of the OCO, how the disc would have been improved with a substitution of the Concertino, say.

Whenever I hear the Pulcinella Suite I smile a wry smile at the thought that it is one of the very few Stravinsky pieces which will get airplay on CRB. So, yes, they play (much) more John Williams than they do Stravinsky. I see that the Concertino does appear on this next CD

CD 45

Stravinsky
Tango
Suite № 1
Suite № 2
Concerto in D
Concertino
Octet
3 pcs for string quartet
Praeludium
Ragtime
Duet (Lied ohne Namen)
Fanfare for a New Theatre
Scherzo à la russe

[Mandryka]

Had a listen to that, first impression was very favourable, will be returning to it.  The only work I've heard by him before is In the Tatra Mountains.


Here:



Brahms: Op.117
Arcadi Volodos (piano)


The way Volodos seems to suspend sounds in the air is just breathtaking, it's sensationally beautiful playing. Indeed for me the 'sound' of his playing generally is one of the most beautiful there's ever been in piano, but I wonder if it might be too so for some in the Brahms (Lupu by comparison, another fantastic recording, almost bleeds the music onto the piano). I don't have any problem with his performance at all though, I find it unique and spellbinding.

It's just extremely beautiful playing, and a consoling, passionate interpretation. Everything on the CD is sweet -- like a box of chocolates.  What it lacks is aggression and anger. But I don't want to be a grouch, the world's a better place because this recording exists.

[JBS]

I'm quite positive: Benuzzi's performances are light and bright, elegant, articulate. He uses a harpsichord after Michael Mietke and a pianoforte after Gottfried Silbermann, choices that work out excellently.

On the music: with more than 6hrs there is a lot of it. By reputation Krebs' music lacks originality and is very conservative.
There is indeed not a very personal/individual stamp on the music, but the quality as such is very high. Stylistically conservative to some extent, but his reputation on this seems exaggerated. The influences of the transition from Baroque to the Galant Style is definitely present, as are French and Italian influences.

I thought his organ music was excellent, the only set of 18th century organ music by someone other than Bach that I enjoyed from start to finish. There was sometimes the feeling he was following the path laid out by his teacher, but when the teacher is JSB that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[Linz]

Mahler 10 Cooke's  Version with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

[ritter]

After a long day at work, relaxing at home now with CD2 of this new arrival:


La plus que lente, Hommage à Haydn, Pour le piano, Estampes, and the first book of Préludes.

There's something about how these performances sound (perhaps even the recording quality has something to do with it, but it cannot be that, because the quality varies widely from one work to another), that makes them very enjoyable to me.

EDIT: Not so happy about Pagodes, which is played too fast for my taste.

[André]

The works here are Momentum for orchestra and the violin concerto titled And then there was silence by british composer Christopher Wright. They make up some 40 minutes of this 79 minute CD. Then there is a revised edition (2008) of Vaughan Williams' 5th symphony. Of the latter very little seems to have much import: no cut or restored bars, no orchestration change, merely corrections of faulty phrasing and articulation markings. I doubt anybody will notice them.

Personally the main interest resides in the two works by Wright. Momentum is a brilliant, sizzling concert piece that would make a rousing start to any orchestral concert. A small gem. The surprise is the big violin concerto Wright wrote in 2009 in memory of his just deceased wife. The big final movement is a work within the work, a lament that features prominently the tenor voice for about 10 of its 13 minutes. Fortunately the tenor here has a superb voice and is very naturally balanced. Understandably the violin is not in the forefront when the tenor declaims, which must make its prospects for performances rather chancy - concert violinists are loath to take a step back from the spotlight  . At least we have the disc, and I wholly recommend the present CD on account of these two works.

Everybody with an interest in RVW already has a version (or 10) of this symphony, so let me just say that Yates conducts a very good performance and that the excellent Bournemouth Orchestra is beautifully recorded. Indeed, this disc is in the demonstration class. Warmly recommended.

[Symphonic Addict]

Had a listen to that, first impression was very favourable, will be returning to it.  The only work I've heard by him before is In the Tatra Mountains.

Glad you enjoyed it, Iota. The Cello Sonata on the same disc is worth listening too.

You could also like his ballets Nikotina and Signorina Gioventù

[Symphonic Addict]

Sounds thoroughly promising, Cesar! Which quartet is performing? I don't see this recording on Spotify.

It's performed by the Vlach Quartet.

I couldn't find it on Spotify either, but on Youtube it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvy-0IY37Fk&list=OLAK5uy_kVaYu386pLECOtv-FRVOOY13OWsSl7STo