What are you listening 2 now?

[LKB]

Richard Strauss
Tod und Verklärung, op. 24

Cleveland Orchestra - George Szell

I don't know how I missed it before, but there is a direct crib by John Williams for his Superman (1978) 'Love Theme' (Can You Read My Mind) that really took me out of this work anytime that motive appeared. No fault of Richard Strauss, of course, and luckily that theme doesn't appear full force until the midway point, so there is much to enjoy without that distraction...

Actually, Williams' theme is slightly different than Strauss', being ( in F Major ) F A C ( up a major 6th ) A G, as opposed to ( again in F Major, for simplicity ) F G A ( up an octave ) A G by Strauss.

But it is nonetheless a strong resemblance, and possibly an intentional one...

[Todd]

Definitely the best Saint-Saëns recording I own, which places it in the Top 2000 category.

[Klavier1]

[Karl Henning]

Again:

Nielsen
Symphony № 4, « Det uudslukkelige » Op. 29 FS 76
Hallé Orchestra
Sir Jn B.

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No.6

[Carlo Gesualdo]

I received this morning a wonderfull Lyricord Label LP of Renaissance of Burgundy kingdom of Guillaume Dufay but it's not a Capella Cordina, this time: The Berkerley Chamber Singers directed by: Alden Gilchrits an Ensemble and Director I was not aware existed.

How doses it sound, good so far, it's a Lyricord. Anyone heard this or has this, want to shared sometime on the particular ensemble and director?

[Que]

[VonStupp]

Richard Strauss
Aus Italien, op. 16
Metamorphosen, TrV 290

Scottish National Orchestra
Neeme Järvi

Aus Italien: New to me. I wonder how many works can be attributed to the love of Italy, particularly from musical visitors who thereafter compose something programmatically or stylistically as a result of their visit. I found this work fresh and vital, even if the final movement (of 4) seemed a bit of hokum to me. Very enjoyable amongst his early symphonic poems.

Metamorphosen: The emotional intensity of this work is almost overwhelming to me. I could see this music being confounding to listeners, not just for its emotional depth, but the thick solo string textures and the fact that there is so much going on all at once among those textures.

VS

[SonicMan46]

Onto another composer to end the perusal of my 'C's:

Czerny, Carl (1791-1857) - born the year of Mozart's death and a pupil of Beethoven; composed over a 1000 works as stated in the synopsis below, but is primarily remembered as a piano pedagogue (and probably disliked by piano students till this day?) - I own 14 discs of his works (6 CDs are Martin Jones doing piano sonatas) - being selective and listening to the ones shown below; will do some Jones later this afternoon.  Dave

P.S. I started a thread on Czerny HERE but never made it past the first page - 

Carl Czerny (1791-1857) was an Austrian composer, teacher, and pianist of Czech origin whose music spanned the late Classical and early Romantic eras. His vast musical production amounted to over a thousand works and his books of studies for the piano are still widely used in piano teaching. He was one of Ludwig van Beethoven's best-known pupils. (Source)

     

[Linz]

Sibelius Symphonies 2 and 6 from CD 2 from this set

[André]

[listener]

Ferdinand RIES    Symphony no. 4 in F  op.110     Symphony no. 6 in D  op.146
Zurich Chamber O.     Howard Griffiths, cond.
John RUTTER: Suite antique   Philip GLASS: Concerto for Harpsichord & Chamber O.,   
Jean FRANÇAIX: Concerto for Harpsichord and  Instrumental Ens.
Christopher Lewis, harpsichord   West Side Chambner Orch.,   Kevin Mallon, cond.

[Linz]

Raff's symphonies 8 & 10 on CD1

[Todd]

Disc one, at an impolite volume.

[foxandpeng]

Matthew Taylor
Symphonies 4 & 5
Kenneth Woods
English SO
BBC NOoW

Also at an impolite volume.

[Karl Henning]

John RUTTER: Suite antique

I saw the cover first, and thought: from a Rutter Harpsichord concerto, dear Lord, deliver us ....

[kyjo]

TD: better acquainting myself with Aulis Sallinen.

*Songs of Life and Death
The Iron Age: Suite
*Jorma Hynninen, baritone
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Okko Kamu



Symphony no. 2 'Symphonic Dialogue'
Symphony no. 4
*Horn Concerto
*Esa Tapani, horn
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra
Ari Rasilainen
(both on Spotify)



The two choral works on the earlier disc are just gorgeous... exquisite choral writing and fine orchestration; the Songs of Life and Death are particularly moving. I quite enjoyed the Fourth Symphony and the Horn Concerto; these works are in a thornier, more dissonant voice than the choral works, but still quite approachable. I was less fond of the Second Symphony; it seemed thin on thematic material and long on percussive effects. Sallinen is definitely a composer I want to keep exploring, though.

Nice!! You couldn't have picked a better place to start with Sallinen than with that Ondine disc of choral/orchestral works and the 4th Symphony, which are some of his strongest works IMO. His Cello Concerto is also a fine work well worth hearing. The rest of his output is quite variable - in some of his other symphonies besides the 4th, he's more interested in creating atmosphere than creating memorable themes and developing them convincingly.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Nino Rota's Il Gattopardo 
    Franco Ferrara

Great movie!

[vandermolen]

Peterson-Berger Symphony No.2 (CPO version)

[SimonNZ]