What are you listening 2 now?

[Todd]

My first experience with Mexican Mahler.  The soloists are not the best, the choir is not up to snuff in many places, the orchestral execution is not the tightest, the overall tempo kind of sags in places, yet all is not lost.  Savin makes the whole work sound more operatic than normal.  The first part sounds like Die Meistersinger in places, and the second part sounds Italianate in some spots.  Not the best, certainly, but not the worst. 

[André]

Just a wow from me.  An exceptional performance of both symphonies.

+ 1 

[André]

4th or 5th go at this exceptional disc.

[André]

Frankly, it doesn't come any better than this. The Octet is not a virtuoso work, so ensembles of moderate technical accomplishment can perform it - provided they boast a particularly good solo horn though. What's needed is a sense of intimacy, of close-knit ensemble spirit and camaraderie, an audible relish for Schubert's gutsy harmonies, the work's melos and its sheer joie de vivre. ensemble acht (Ensemble 8 ) perform the work beautifully and manage to make it sound short even though it's over an hour long. They communicate the Octet's flow unerringly - tempi and phrase pulsation are gauged to perfection.

[Karl Henning]

TD:

CD 48

Elgar

P&C Marches, Op. 39
N^os. 2 in a minor, 3 in c minor & 5 in C
Sospiri, Op. 70
Elegy, Op. 58
Falstaff, Op. 68

I do love Falstaff, even above all Elgar else.

Now:

CD 49

Elgar
Symphony № 2 in E^b, Op. 63

Wagner
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg—Overture

[Bachtoven]

[JBS]

I noticed that one yesterday at Presto. Any opinion you would like to give?

TD

CD 1

Coupled with


This is the second recording of Opus 73 I'm listening to today.

[JBS]

Returning to the Warner Leonhardt Edition

This is the one recording in this set never issued on CD until now
Coupled with Bach's Non sa che sia dolore BWV 209 from here (the other cantata, BWV 203, doesn't appear in the set at all)

[Operafreak]

[JBS]

I have the whole set, and think it's done well, solid musicianship.

TD
Another CD from the Warner Leonhardt set
Mondonville
Pieces de Clavecin en Sonates aka Six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord
Lars Fryden violin
G Leonhardt harpsichord

I can find no trace of the original recording on Amazon.

[classicalgeek]

Pounds the table! I love Bacewicz. Do check out her Piano Sonata No. 2, the SQs and the Piano Quintets. She wrote some top-drawer works.

I heartily recommend this disc for the Piano Quintets, including Alexandre Tansman's astonishing Musica à cinque for the same forces. A self-recommending disc.

Thank you so much for your Bacewicz recommendations, John and Cesar! I'm definitely looking forward to exploring more of her music.

Kinsella: Symphonies 6 and 7, Prelude and Toccata for string orchestra, Cuchulainn and Ferdia: Duel at the Ford



My favorite disc devoted to the late Kinsella's music. Really stunning stuff, actually; I'd say some of my favorite music composed within the last 30 years. The spirits of Sibelius and Nielsen hover over this sweeping, organic music, but never to the point of it becoming too derivative. Kinsella is a fantastic orchestrator, and he writes particularly imaginatively for the horns and timpani. Only the Prelude and Toccata for strings is rather less compelling, because Kinsella feels more comfortable with the full orchestra at his disposal.

Groven: Symphony no. 2 The Midnight Hour



Despite its subtitle, there is nothing dark or nocturnal about this symphony. I was a bit disappointed with it to be honest - Groven's musical language feels a bit "anonymous" - though I did really enjoy with the finale with its Braga Santos-like modal joyousness.

I'd be curious to know what you think of Kinsella and Groven in general, Kyle. Heard of both of them, though I'm not that familiar with their music. I'm always on the lookout for more 20th/21st century composers of orchestral music!

Hausegger: Natursymphonie



A late-romantic bona fide extravaganza if there ever was one! I consider the most compelling movements to be the two middle ones - the second an extended lament with a shattering funeral march at its core, and the third a brilliant and colorful scherzo with an unmistakable Star Wars moment about a minute in. Though there's much to enjoy in the outer movements as well. Rasilainen brings all his Atterbergian credentials to the fore here!

I just listened to a few minutes of this on Spotify - and my goodness, it's like Mahler and Richard Strauss had a love child!   Just pure orchestral decadence. And I kind of love it...

TD: returning to some slightly more familiar repertoire:

Walton
Symphony no. 1
London Symphony Orchestra
Andre Previn



An intense, thrilling Walton First; I can see why it's the performance of choice for many! The climaxes in the outer movements are absolutely volcanic, and the inner movements are quite well done. The performance is a bit "rough around the edges" - not the best-played or the tightest in ensemble, but that's a minor quibble when it's this exciting.

Mahler
Symphony no. 4
Judith Blegen, soprano
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
James Levine



An excellent Mahler 4 on the whole, with a ravishing slow movement (the gates of heaven really do feel like they're opening up in the E major outburst near the end!), and some exquisite singing and playing in the finale. A really good first movement too, and though I could use a little more eeriness in the Scherzo, the playing (great work from the solo violin, clarinet, and horn) is immaculate.

[Operafreak]

[Papy Oli]

Good morning all,

Johann Stamitz - Symphony in G
Christian Cannabich - Symphony in E Major
Carl Stamitz - Cello Concerto in C Major


(Concerto Köln)

[Que]

Morning listening:

 

Constanzo Festa (1485 - 1545) was the first major native Italian polyphonist after composers from the Netherlands dominated the musical scene in Italy, and combined both styles. Festa is said to be the beacon for his successors, notably Palestrina.

[aligreto]

Bach: St. John Passion [Bruggen] - Part I

[aligreto]

Just a wow from me.  An exceptional performance of both symphonies.

Jochum was always a favourite for me in Bruckner.

[Operafreak]

Brahms & Schumann: Works for cello & piano

[Papy Oli]

Ignaz Fränzl - Symphony No.5
(Concerto Köln)


[/quote]

[SimonNZ]

[Que]

 

From Christie's set Grand Motets Français