What are you listening 2 now?

[Harry]

Arrived yesterday, New acquisition, and a very welcome one at that.

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni.
The collected Concertos for Oboes and Strings.
CD I.
Opus 7, No 1-12.

Anthony Robson & Catherine Latham, Oboes.
Collegium Musicum 90, Simon Standage.

At last fine interpretations that can hold the promise of delivering pristine performances. Collegium Musicum plus the soloists are top notch, and the engineering is on a high level.

[Que]

Arrived yesterday, New acquisition, and a very welcome one at that.

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni.
The collected Concertos for Oboes and Strings.
CD I.
Opus 7, No 1-12.

Anthony Robson & Catherine Latham, Oboes.
Collegium Musicum 90, Simon Standage.

At last fine interpretations that can hold the promise of delivering pristine performances. Collegium Musicum plus the soloists are top notch, and the engineering is on a high level.

Noted, will investigate. 

[Roasted Swan]

Nothing special Lol and IMO not very memorable (I much prefer Hovhaness's 'Odysseus Symphony). In fact I preferred the short Dyson work. Armstrong Gibbs's masterpiece is the deeply morning Symphony No.3 'Westmorland' in memory of his son killed in WW2. That is definitely worth hearing.

Far more enjoyable is this just arrived CD. Rebecca Clarke's Viola Sonata (played here on the cello) is a great discovery:

I wanted to like Armstrong-Gibbs' "Odysseus" but sadly I agree with you - just not very memorable.  Conversely "The Westmorland Symphony" is genuinely very fine.....

[Florestan]

No. 3 in D major

Enjoying this set immensely.

[Florestan]

[Harry]

I must thank Jeffrey (vandermolen) for sending me this very impressive CD, from a composer I never heard from, but which is now firmly established in my awareness. This CD seems to be OOP, but when I listened to some fragments of the first symphony I knew that I had to have it, and thus Jeffrey came with a perfect solution, I am lucky in this respect.

Steve Gerber
Premiere recordings.

Symphony No. 1.
Dirge and Awakening for Orchestra.
Viola Concerto.
Triple Overture.

Russian PO, Thomas Sanderling.
Lars Anders Tomter, Viola.
The Bekova Sisters.

The first movement of the symphony opens up in such a balance and equilibrium, and inward drama, delicately furnishing a tapestry with emotion that left me somewhat in awe. And when the Brass comes in in the beginning of the second movement, I am utterly stunned with Gerber"s insight when it comes to effective scoring, sparse but adequate. The third movement sostenuto firmly cementes this Russian sounding music in my mind as quite an achievement.
And it does not stop here, for the Dirge and Awakening for orchestra, engenders the same enthusiasm, as does the rest of his compositions.
I am truly happy with the music, performance and sound.

[Biffo]

Martinu: Violin Concerto No 2, H293 - Frank Peter Zimmermann violin with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam conducted by Mariss Jansons - live performance from January 2010

[Florestan]

Bashful.

Thanks. Still not applicable to Beethoven, though.

[Roasted Swan]

Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story 
    Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic Orchestra

One of the great versions of this piece but still a mystery why the NYPO don't shout "mambo" as indicated in the score and done in just about every other performance.  Perhaps not the "done thing" for serious orchestras circa 1962?!

[Florestan]

[Traverso]

Mozart

Symphony No.40 & 41

[Roasted Swan]

Unfortunately, I imprinted on that fairly awful recording of the whole thing with Kiri Te Kanawa and José Carreras, so hearing this suite done 'properly' has really cheered my ears up, shouted mambos or not! As you say, even on first listening, it's a superb version.

If ever an example of hubris-even-when-a-genius were needed surely that re-recording of West Side by Bernstein was it.  Stunning orchestra and some great back-up/ensemble singing but no-one including surely Bernstein could ever think that Te Kanawa & Carreras (great singers in other rep) let alone Tatiana Troyanos or Marilyn Horne wobbling their way through the numbers were "right".  I can only assume some kind of insecurities whereby the presence of "great" singers legitimised the work and the genre in Bernstein's mind.  I wish I had the tiniest scintilla of Bernstein's talent but I'm glad I don't have his ego!

[Harry]

Franz Berwald.
Symphonies and Overtures.
CD II.

Symphony in A major, fragment 1820, completed by Duncan Druce.
Symphony No. 1 in G minor.
No. 4 in E flat major.
Swedish Radio SO, Roy Goodman.

Perfect performances in State of the Art sound.

[Que]

[Harry]

Love that CD

[Harry]

Charles Gounod.

Symphony No. 1 & 2.

Beethoven Academie, Herve Niquet.

[Florestan]

[San Antone]

Robert Schumann | Piano Trios | Trio Parma

[Mirror Image]

That's one of my very favourite works by Delius along with the Piano Concerto and the Requiem.

I enjoy those works, too, Jeffrey. Another favorite is Songs of Sunset.

[Florestan]

Robert Schumann | Piano Trios | Trio Parma

That looks tasty.