What are you listening 2 now?

[Olias]

Thanks for the feedback, Mekel. You said pretty much what I've read from various reviews of the set. I agree with your opinion of Bělohlávek in that he was such an affable person. I'm eternally grateful for all the work he did for one of my composers, Bohuslav Martinů.

He certainly championed a lot of Czech composers and their music.

[Karl Henning]

Continuing with this release. The Sinfonia del zodiaco is in 12 sections divided into four parts (spring, summer, autumn, winter). I listened to the first part, spring.



Interesting that Malipiero begins with what sounds like a standard classical/romantic pastorale, although Malipiero's musical voice gradually comes through and the second two sections are more characteristic of Malipiero's quirky style. Nicely done, overall.

I'm in!

[Karl Henning]

Malipiero
Symphony № 9, « Dell'ahimè » (1966)
Symphony № 10, « Atropo » (1967)

Man, do I love this!

[JBS]

Bruckner 4 with Enoch zu Gottenbrug & the KlangVerwaltung Orchestra

How is he in Bruckner?
The only recordings by him I have are of the big Bach choral works.

[Mirror Image]

More Novak!

Vitezslav Novak
In the Tatra Mountains
Lady Godiva
Of Eternal Longing
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta
(on Qobuz)



Some Novak's works for a larger orchestra (yesterday I listened to some of his pieces for chamber orchestra.) I heard echoes of Richard Strauss in In the Tatra Mountains (which also brought Sibelius to mind) and Lady Godiva, and Delius in Of Eternal Longing, but Novak is not in any sense derivative! His style is hard to pin down, but no less enjoyable for that. I have mixed feelings on the performance; Falletta and the Buffalo Phil certainly give it their all, but the performances are missing something I can't quite put my finger on. I remember feeling the same way about their performances of Florent Schmitt.

Falletta is no match for Šejna and I haven't even heard that disc to reach this conclusion. She's a fine conductor, but Czech music needs more tanginess and edge, especially in the woodwinds and Šejna certainly provides this in Eternal Longing and In the Tatra Mountains.

[Mirror Image]

Some back-to-back Adams (John Adams that is):

Common Tones in Simple Time
San Francisco SO
Edo de Waart

Naive and Sentimental Music
LA Philharmonic
Esa-Pekka Salonen



In Common Tones in Simple Time we hear Adams get rather close to John Luther Adams aesthetically and I have to say John Adams does it better. Sorry JL Adams! Naive and Sentimental Music has long been a favorite Adams work of mine. The first movement alone gets my heart racing when it reaches that highly rhythmic climax.

[Operafreak]

Vivaldi, Leclair, Locatelli: Violin Concertos -Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Les Ombres

[Mapman]

I think you are right; happiness is the key here. I also see you play clarinet, so I understand the appeal; I love the clear, woodsy tone of that instrument.

I look forward to progressing to the Tragic 4th. If I didn't do so before, welcome to the forum Mapman!

VS

I am a bit biased about the clarinet (and towards woodwinds in general)! You've inspired me to listen to Schubert's 4th again, to a recording that's new to me. I think that Tragic isn't the most appropriate nickname for this symphony, but it was given that name by Schubert.

Schubert: Symphony #4
Harnoncourt: Berliner Philharmoniker

[Symphonic Addict]

Lately I've been in the mood for chamber music:

Chausson: Piano Quartet

Ravishing piece. Chausson excelled in this stuff. Passion, good melodies, suggestive harmony... what's not to love?





Berg: String Quartet

I rather enjoyed this. If compared with anything by Webern or Schoenberg, this sounds more accesible to me.

[Mirror Image]

Berg: String Quartet

I rather enjoyed this. If compared with anything by Webern or Schoenberg, this sounds more accesible to me.

Pounds the table! This and the Lyrische Suite are masterpieces.

[Symphonic Addict]

Pounds the table! This and the Lyrische Suite are masterpieces.

The Chamber Concerto is intriguing too.

[Symphonic Addict]

Malipiero: Cello Concerto

The 1st movement sounded like the weakest one to me, whilst the next ones displayed more engaging ideas. The heart of the piece is the pensive and soulful 2nd mov. The performance is more than serviceable as well.

[Mirror Image]

The Chamber Concerto is intriguing too.

The Second Viennese School are hugely fascinating to me in general. For better or for worse, they created a unique musical universe that was completely their own.

[Operafreak]

Shostakovich: Piano Concertos

Alexander Melnikov (piano), with Isabelle Faust (violin), with Jeroen Berwaerts (trumpet)- Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Teodor Currentzis

[vandermolen]

Suk: 'Asrael Symphony'
Helsinki PO/Ashkenazy

[Roasted Swan]

Falletta is no match for Šejna and I haven't even heard that disc to reach this conclusion. She's a fine conductor, but Czech music needs more tanginess and edge, especially in the woodwinds and Šejna certainly provides this in Eternal Longing and In the Tatra Mountains.

I find Falletta curious as a conductor.  Her 3 Naxos discs in Ulster - the 2 x Moeran and 1 x Holst are genuinely very good indeed.  But clearly something didn't work there between her and the orchestra and she didn't stay long or record anything else.  In contrast her orchestral relationship in Buffalo is stable to the point of near-dullness.  I can't think of a disc of hers there that is anything except very well played, sensibly conducted but frankly a bit boring.  Her Ilya Murometz is a case in point - much praised in some circles but to my ear lacking musical thrills.

[Harry]

An oldie now, from the beginning of the CD era, well almost.

Franz Ignaz Beck.

Symphonies. Opus 12, No. 2 & 4. Opus 10, No. 2. Opus 13, No. 1.

B flat major/D major/G major/D major/E major.

Northern Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas Ward.

This CD came with a clipping out of Gramophone, a review by H.C. Robbins. He is very positive about performance and sound, no quibbles there, and indeed it is well. What he is basically saying in that one will look in vain for a violent and visionary Beck amongst the symphonies presented on this disc. And of course he points as a case not lost to the CPO recordings and in this he is right. But not about the interpretations on Naxos, for he clearly did not listen to the opus 4 symphonies recorded on CPO, you could say the same about them as he does with the Naxos disc. What I am saying is that this review holds no water, and in that light, given the shortage of Beck's music, it is more than adequate. Considering the recording dates (1996) its very good.

[Que]

Morning listening is disc 2 of The Magic of Polyphony:

[Harry]

Morning listening is disc 2 of The Magic of Polyphony:

That's on my list too.! Good morning Que!

[Mandryka]

This is very nicely done, wonderful in fact, with the enormous deal breaking reservation that Flott sounds like Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins. Schreier is a bit past it too, though it only shows when he sings loud - it becomes slightly harsh. When he doesn't sing loud, he's great. But those things aside, it is a wonderful CD.