What are you listening 2 now?

[VonStupp]

You're certainly correct in saying that Prokofiev had a wide range. That he did! Whether symphonies, ballets, solo piano, chamber music, operas etc., he always put his own unique stamp on the music. The only aspect of his oeuvre that I'm not familiar with are his operas. I have the Gergiev box set on Decca, but I haven't listened to any of these works. I continuously read that The Fiery Angel is one of his in this genre. I should give it a listen at some point.

I didn't traverse his sonatas or operas this go around, although I was enchanted enough with the Suite from War and Peace to maybe have a peek or dip a toe.

VS

[Harry]

No.4 is my particular favourite - a very moving and fine work.

Mine too.

[Mirror Image]

Now playing Alwyn Symphony No. 2 with Hickox/LSO:



If I'm not mistaken, this symphony was Alwyn's own personal favorite.

[VonStupp]

Sergei Prokofiev
Scythian Suite, op. 20

NY Philharmonic - Leonard Bernstein (rec. 1964)

VS

[SonicMan46]

Saint-Saëns, Camille - Violin Concertos & Sonatas w/ performers on the cover art below - finishing up my listening to this long-lived, prolific and versatile French composer; reviews attached for those interested. - Dave

 

[Brian]

Vers la voûte étoilée is kind of interesting, like a loud version of Debussy's Faun. The Seven Stars, however, I had to turn off on star #5. Intolerably aimless meandering in a language that borders on easy listening, like romantic dances but without structure or rhythm. Things are probably not helped by the coarse, crude sound, which makes every member of the orchestra sound like they are trying to blare out everyone else. I assume that is largely the responsibility of the high-level, low-dynamic-range recorded sound, which is more pop albumish than the authentic concert hall acoustic you will hear on BIS or Chandos.

[Justice Roberts]

Saint-Saens: Bacchanale. Barenboim.

[Todd]

I decided to try more Delucchi, this time in some Bach transcriptions.  He plays them well enough, but these types of transcriptions rarely truly get me going.  I was happy enough with a well-done one and done recording until the Passacaglia in C Minor BWV582 started playing.  Delucchi saves the best for last.

[Mirror Image]

Vers la voûte étoilée is kind of interesting, like a loud version of Debussy's Faun. The Seven Stars, however, I had to turn off on star #5. Intolerably aimless meandering in a language that borders on easy listening, like romantic dances but without structure or rhythm. Things are probably not helped by the coarse, crude sound, which makes every member of the orchestra sound like they are trying to blare out everyone else. I assume that is largely the responsibility of the high-level, low-dynamic-range recorded sound, which is more pop albumish than the authentic concert hall acoustic you will hear on BIS or Chandos.

You couldn't be more wrong about Koechlin, but that's okay. We're not supposed to like the same things. I think he's a brilliant composer and he's been a favorite of mine for more than a decade now. I find nothing wrong with the recorded sound either.

[Lisztianwagner]

On youtube:

Erwin Schulhoff
String Sextet

https://www.youtube.com/v/TQoQI5f_O_s&list=OLAK5uy_kJO0RENMfbQc9LZScI1c_lPaZ5Gp-KQfc&index=6

[Karl Henning]

Vers la voûte étoilée is kind of interesting, like a loud version of Debussy's Faun. The Seven Stars, however, I had to turn off on star #5. Intolerably aimless meandering in a language that borders on easy listening, like romantic dances but without structure or rhythm. Things are probably not helped by the coarse, crude sound, which makes every member of the orchestra sound like they are trying to blare out everyone else. I assume that is largely the responsibility of the high-level, low-dynamic-range recorded sound, which is more pop albumish than the authentic concert hall acoustic you will hear on BIS or Chandos.

Thanks for the report. I'm a big fan of Vers la voûte étoilée. I have been only mildly curious about the Symphony. And I think we now need to downgrade that mild curiosity a couple of steps ....

[Florestan]

Vers la voûte étoilée is kind of interesting, like a loud version of Debussy's Faun. The Seven Stars, however, I had to turn off on star #5. Intolerably aimless meandering in a language that borders on easy listening, like romantic dances but without structure or rhythm.

Looks like something I might greatly enjoy. Will give it a try, thanks for the tip.

[Karl Henning]

We call this composer lineup a murderers' row:

Gary Powell Nash is an acquaintance on Facebook. Good for him! And there is an Adolphus Hailstork piece on a concert to which I'm going Sunday.

[Mirror Image]

Thanks for the report. I'm a big fan of Vers la voûte étoilée. I have been only mildly curious about the Symphony. And I think we now need to downgrade that mild curiosity a couple of steps ....

Like you, Karl, I'm keen on Vers la voûte étoilée, but The Seven Stars' Symphony hasn't quite won me over yet. I haven't listened to this new performance on Capriccio, but I imagine it being better than the Judd performance from decades ago and not to mention the one on EMI (I forget the conductor and orchestra names). The more immediate sonics will hopefully bring out more color in the score that I haven't previously heard thanks to Capriccio's excellent audio engineering.

[Karl Henning]

On youtube:

Erwin Schulhoff
String Sextet

Me, too:

[Mirror Image]

Now playing Bax Harp Quintet with The Nash Ensemble:

[listener]

JANÁČEK Glagolitic Mass  (September 1927 version),l  Sinfonietta
Strasbourg Philharmonic O.  Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno   (fingers want to type Bern)
WEINBERG Piano Quintet in f op. 18   Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes op. 47/2  Violin Concerto op. 67
David Oistrakh, vn (Rhapsody)   Leonid Kogan, vn  (Concerto)

[Karl Henning]

R. Strauss (arr. Rudolf Leopold)
Metamorphosen for 2 vn, 2 va, 2 vc & cb

from the Boosey & Hawkes score:

In 1990 a short score of Strauss's late masterpiece Metamorphosen was discovered in Switzerland and acquired by the Bavarian State Library in Munich. It is headed 'Metamorphosen. Andante (für 2 Violinen, 2 Bratschen, 2 Celli[,] Contrabass) Richard Strauss'. This gives rise to the assumption that the composer had clearly conceived the piece as scored for seven strings and then changed his mindon receiving a commission from Paul Sacher to write a work for a larger string group. The short score bears the date 31 March 1945 at the end, the full score for twenty-three strings having already been started on 13 March. Rudolf Leopold, concert cellist and professor of cello at the University of Music, Graz, prepared the septet performing version of Metamorphosen, of which the study score was published in 1996. He explains that, for the most part, the 23-part version consists of doublings. "In the realisation of the 'original version' for string sextet and double bass I have made use of both the short score and the final score so that the complete tonal image appears in a chamber music format whilst retaining certain interesting details from the short score (for example the original closing modulation)."

[Florestan]

Currently: Famous Chinese Ethnic Minority Singers (https://www.amazon.com/Famous-Chinese-Ethnic-Minority-Singers/dp/B000QZR5IE)


Came across this while doing research at work ... well research, technically, is my work.

Any Uyghur singers and songs on this CD?

[ritter]

First listen to this new acquisition:


Brilliant Classics seem to be intent on turning Arrigo Boito's Italian translation of Wagner's Wesendonck-Lieder into a staple of the repertoire. Some years ago they recorded it with the original piano accompaniment, sung by soprano  Michela Sburlati accompanied by Marco Scolastra (the release also included the original setting in German and other songs). Now we get the Boito translation with Henze's orchestration (already recorded —in German— among others by Marjana Lipovšek and Wolfgang Sawallisch). The Boito version is very pleasant, and it's nice to have these lieder translated by one of Wagner's greatest Italian apologists (and a leading cultural figure of his time). I must admit that Henze's scaled-down scoring sounded really beautiful to me this time around —I've never much cared for Mottl's heavier orchestration, I'm afraid—.  Marco Angius and his Padua forces perform it very convincingly, while  Sara Mingardo's plush, mature contralto delivers the goods. All in all, a very engaging performance of this music.

I've never been a fan of Salvatore Sciarrino (or, more exactly, the little of his I've listened to hasn't prompted me to explore his music further). Here we get a work, Languire a Palermo (Wagner, melodie ultime),  based —as the title says— on melodic sketches Wagner jotted down in the winter of 1881/82 in Sicily. So, it's a sort or "Reliquary for Wagner", to paraphrase Charles Wuorinen. This is what Sciarrino has to say of his piece: "The fascination of a distant melody, without accompaniment, of one who plays for himself and relies on the wind"..."[corresponding] to the sonic stimuli that in Sicily amaze the ear"..."In the throat of every street vendor springs the Mediterranean enchantment"..."What ornamentation did those voices flourish in Wagner's years? Come and hear if the echo of the Sirens remained in the wind". I must revisit this piece (which, truth be said, has some interesting use of orchestral colour) to make up my mind as to whether it (just like the composer's comments I've quoted) is sublime or pure kitsch.

The CD also has a very beautiful take in the Siegfried-Idyll. It starts out slowly and nostalgically, gains momentum and force in the middle section, and then recedes into intimacy and an almost dreamlike atmosphere. What an extraordinary piece of music this is!

To close the CD, we get another relative rarity, Träume (the last of the Wesendonck-Lieder) in Wagner's own version for solo violin and chamber orchestra. The violin solo doesn't really IMHO prove a suitable substitute for the female voice, and somehow the piece (one of the studies for Tristan) loses much if it's undeniable beauty in this transcription. No wonder it's not performed more widely.

In any case, an interesting disc of rarities (more or less) by Wagner (more or less  ), beautifully performed.