What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[karlhenning]

First hearing and with very divided attention, but seems well worth careful listening:

I fiamminghi are a terrific outfit!

[Haffner]

3rd Disc

My first full hearing of this, and greatly enjoying it.

I've heard the Kubelik is excellent as well.

[Harry]

Beethoven.
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, opus 67.
The London Classical Players/Roger Norrington.

For my money the introductionary movement Allegro con brio might have been faster, and the building up of the tension is somewhat slow in coming, but it is fast enough, to give the exhilarating lilt it needs.
The Andante con moto is again on the safe side, and has some slow downs in it, that are not so effective as Norrington might have thought. I have it rather a bit more con brio instead of Con moto. On the whole I think it is too slow, and rather pompous. Also the mystery is at a distance, you hear it, but not too distinctive. A bit disappointed about that, actually.
The third movement Allegro is going off rather well, but the deliberate tempi, in the beginning like a march, is rather off putting to say the least. The brass sounds marvelously, and the basses and celli also, around 1:39-2:25. There is a certain jollity to the movement, and grandeur at the same time, and I am not sure that is quite what I want in this movement.
The Allegro con Brio is also rather lame, not enough drive and stamina in the beginning, and to much on the surface of it all. Good moments abound, but I look forward what Hogwood or Zinman will make of it.
Good sound.

[Lethevich]

First hearing and with very divided attention, but seems well worth careful listening:

I like Vasks' music a lot, but for some reason the performances on this disc sounded almost uncomfortable compared to ones of the same works on the Kremer/Elektra and Rusmanis/RCA discs... The latter can be bought very cheaply, so if you ever end up enjoying the composer and eventually buying the RCA disc, if you remember this post, could you compare them to see whether I'm going nuts or not? (As the Telarc disc does seem quite well-liked by most  )

[Haffner]

Beethoven.
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, opus 67.
The London Classical Players/Roger Norrington.

For my money the introductionary movement Allegro con brio might have been faster, and the building up of the tension is somewhat slow in coming, but it is fast enough, to give the exhilarating lilt it needs.
The Andante con moto is again on the safe side, and has some slow downs in it, that are not so effective as Norrington might have thought. I have it rather a bit more con brio instead of Con moto. On the whole I think it is too slow, and rather pompous. Also the mystery is at a distance, you hear it, but not too distinctive. A bit disappointed about that, actually.
The third movement Allegro is going off rather well, but the deliberate tempi, in the beginning like a march, is rather off putting to say the least. The brass sounds marvelously, and the basses and celli also, around 1:39-2:25. There is a certain jollity to the movement, and grandeur at the same time, and I am not sure that is quite what I want in this movement.
The Allegro con Brio is also rather lame, not enough drive and stamina in the beginning, and to much on the surface of it all. Good moments abound, but I look forward what Hogwood or Zinman will make of it.
Good sound.

Terrific review, Harry. But as far as exhilirating lilt in the 1st movement...we're not comparing this to 1962 Karajan are we?

[Harry]

Terrific review, Harry. But as far as exhilirating lilt in the 1st movement...we're not comparing this to 1962 Karajan are we?

You have found me out here Andy

[Harry]

Ludwig van Beethoven.
Symphony No. 6 in F major, opus 68. "Pastoral".
The London Classical Players/Roger Norrington.

The first movement Allegro non Troppo is done rather well, with a good tempi befitting the awakening of happy feelings, with very flexible playing of strings and brass. The agility with which they turn and push forward is amazingly done. The basses around 5:00 growl liked a happy bear! Very good indeed.
The second movement Andante molto mosso is something of a puzzle to me because it says Molto Mosso, and it is certainly Piu Mosso but nothing more than that. A bit to light for my taste, but rather delicate at other times, a mixed bag here obviously A gentle Brook indeed. Well I will get used to that, but some more intensity on the strings might have done the trick.
The third movement allegro is adequate.
The fourth movement Allegro storm and Tempest is ravishing beautiful and full of raw energy. The clashes of the wooden timpani are frightening to the bone. And the tempo is fast really fast, clocks at 3:42. Very good indeed!
The fifth movement Allegro-Presto, is coming out of the egg very slowly but effective, and the Violins around 0:30 are gorgeous, singing out their joy. Basses and celli are one hell of a body that push out the message very clearly.
Happy and thankful feelings indeed.
Well all in all, this is very good.

[karlhenning]

Conlon Nancarrow
Toccata (arr. Mikhashoff)
Piece No. 2 for small orchestra
Ensemble Modern
Ingo Metzmacher, conducting

Thank you, ArkivMusic.com!

[greg]

a lot to like and a little to dislike in this one...

[karlhenning]

Conlon Nancarrow
Trio
Roland Diry (cl)
Noriko Shimada (bn)
Hermann Kretschmar (pf)

[Harry]

Arcangelo Corelli.
Sonate a Violino e Violione o Cimbalo, opus V.
Sigiswald Kuijken, violin.
Wieland Kuijken, Violoncello.
Robert Kohnen, Harpsichord.
On period instruments.

Rerun II.

As I said before, these are for me the best renditions I ever heard from the opus V. Well recorded. The Giovanni Grancino Violin from Sigiswald Kuijken, made in Milano 1700, sounds marvelously, as the Andrea Amati cello from his brother, made in 1570.

[karlhenning]

Conlon Nancarrow
Eleven Studies for Player Piano (arr. Mikhashoff)
Ensemble Modern
Ingo Metzmacher, conducting

[Don]

Listened earlier to Taneyev's Syms. 1 and 3 on Naxos conducted by Thomas Sanderling.  Enjoyed it very much, particularly in comparison to the Chandos same coupling conducted by Polyansky.  Sanderling beautifully projects the long musical lines and sweep of the music, while Polyansky tends to chop up the lines into small segments and damage the music's flow.

[BachQ]

Conlon Nancarrow
Trio
Roland Diry (cl)
Noriko Shimada (bn)
Hermann Kretschmar (pf)

Clever, catchy name for the piece ........

[karlhenning]

If it ain't broke . . . .

[Ephemerid]

Rachel Podger's recording of Bach's Partita No. 2 for solo violin. 

[Harry]

Listened earlier to Taneyev's Syms. 1 and 3 on Naxos conducted by Thomas Sanderling.  Enjoyed it very much, particularly in comparison to the Chandos same coupling conducted by Polyansky.  Sanderling beautifully projects the long musical lines and sweep of the music, while Polyansky tends to chop up the lines into small segments and damage the music's flow.

Really?
Me and a conductor from a Symphony Orchestra in our parts of the Netherlands, met each other at some social gathering not too long ago, and since he wanted to program, the third symphony by Taneyev, some time next year, he asked me if I had any ideas about it, since he knew that I am quite a avid listener, I gave him this Naxos disc, and told him not to do it like this, but rather like Polyansky did it, being nearer to the core of Taneyev as Sanderling ever will be. He took it with him, and called me 2 days later, that he found Sanderling to be boring beyond endurance, and could easily adapt to the also not perfect but immensely better performance of the Chandos issue.
Well, whatever, you cannot discuss taste, right.
I have flipped this Naxos issue far over the lake nearby, and glad to be rid of it!

[Harry]

a lot to like and a little to dislike in this one...

Tell me a little more about the music Greg, and what to expect.
Heard of him, never heard his music.

[orbital]

Pictures at an Exhibition w/ Giulini and CSO. A fine performance but it is my only point of reference really.

[not edward]

Mahler 2 (WP/Boulez, live). Practically the only performance of this work that I can get through.