Pieces that have blown you away recently

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Rota: Suite from 'Il Casanova di Federico Fellini'

For someone who has never watched the movie, this music has been a stupendous revelation. Rota had an incredible gift to write music with personality, spark, wit and depth, and all of that is present in this marvelous suite. The opening O Venezia, Venaga, Venusia has such bewitching simplicity, a haunting and mesmerizing quality to it that left me utterly delighted. Wonderful. One of my best discoveries of the year so far, and I yet have to hear the other suites!




Verdi: Rigoletto

I used to despise Verdi's operas with emphatic aversion. Thank God things have changed for good now. I'm not an opera expert by any means, so what I'll say is that this opera contains truly inspiring and stunning music. In my Verdi opera traversal I've detected that Verdi is more convincing (to me) with tragic or more serious plots than with the most "patriotic" ones.

I suspect that most of his next operas will have a similar effect on me.

I only have one album of Nino Rota's music but it is enjoyable.  I'll have to see if I can find a sampling of that suite on YT.

So glad to hear that you've "come over to the Dark Side" (Verdi).    Have listened to and been enthralled with his operas, thankfully, for years.  Enjoy your explorations! 

PD

[relm1]

You know what is a great, great work and recording?  Puccini's Turandot with Pavarotti, Zubin Mehta and London Philharmonic Orchestra.

[ritter]

You know what is a great, great work and recording?  Puccini's Turandot with Pavarotti, Zubin Mehta and London Philharmonic Orchestra.
...

With a big, big cover!   

[springrite]

I have the complete works of just one major opera composer, and that is Verdi.



Recently blown away by Tabakov's 8th symphony.

[Symphonic Addict]

I only have one album of Nino Rota's music but it is enjoyable.  I'll have to see if I can find a sampling of that suite on YT.

So glad to hear that you've "come over to the Dark Side" (Verdi).    Have listened to and been enthralled with his operas, thankfully, for years.  Enjoy your explorations! 

PD

Thank you! Hearing those operas with fresh ears has meant a fascinating experience thus far.

OTOH, I could say that all what I've heard by Rota has been nothing but compelling and full of spark. The ballet Le Molière Imaginaire is a must-hear for any fans of his music in my view.

[Symphonic Addict]

You know what is a great, great work and recording?  Puccini's Turandot with Pavarotti, Zubin Mehta and London Philharmonic Orchestra.

A desert-island work and recording to me. Many criticise the completion by Alfano, but I don't have any problem with it.

[Roasted Swan]

A desert-island work and recording to me. Many criticise the completion by Alfano, but I don't have any problem with it.

If we are on adjacent desert islands it will be in stereo!  I agree about the Alfano - partly because I'm used to it and partly because I'd rather have it and therefore a viable opera with 90% of glorious Puccini than worry about a slightly less inspired completion.  Do you know the "Alfano I" ending?  This is the version Toscannini rejected and Alfano then reworked into the familiar "Alfano II" ending.  I rather like Alfano I - obviusly not Puccini but neither is Alfano as 2nd rate a composer as the usual narrative would suggest.  It was recorded by Josephine Barstow here;



and I think this same version (its the last 20 minutes) has been uploaded to YouTube - just searched and here it is;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q09_thEg6AA

Spotted that conductor of this recording John Mauceri has added a comment to this upload(!);

"Glad this is being shared. There is much to prefer in this duet, like the silence surrounding Turandot's "So il tuo nome!" and the terrifying rage that follows. Just check out the harmonies of the final chorus and you'll realize how angry Alfano had to have been by giving Toscanini a plain vanilla utility orchestration of a tune to bring down the curtain. The original setting  takes us to the era of Mahler and Korngold. I always make sure we perform that version of the finale, even when singers will not learn the original duet that precedes it. Jo and Lando were such great colleagues when we recorded it, and Scottish Opera's orchestra and chorus were in fine form for its first recording ever. Decca was in the last years of its golden age of engineers and producers. Buy the whole recording to salute Barstow's astonishing artistry. Four enormous  finales in four languages ..."

Interesting what Mauceri says about Decca too.....

[Symphonic Addict]

If we are on adjacent desert islands it will be in stereo!  I agree about the Alfano - partly because I'm used to it and partly because I'd rather have it and therefore a viable opera with 90% of glorious Puccini than worry about a slightly less inspired completion.  Do you know the "Alfano I" ending?  This is the version Toscannini rejected and Alfano then reworked into the familiar "Alfano II" ending.  I rather like Alfano I - obviusly not Puccini but neither is Alfano as 2nd rate a composer as the usual narrative would suggest.  It was recorded by Josephine Barstow here;



and I think this same version (its the last 20 minutes) has been uploaded to YouTube - just searched and here it is;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q09_thEg6AA

Spotted that conductor of this recording John Mauceri has added a comment to this upload(!);

"Glad this is being shared. There is much to prefer in this duet, like the silence surrounding Turandot's "So il tuo nome!" and the terrifying rage that follows. Just check out the harmonies of the final chorus and you'll realize how angry Alfano had to have been by giving Toscanini a plain vanilla utility orchestration of a tune to bring down the curtain. The original setting  takes us to the era of Mahler and Korngold. I always make sure we perform that version of the finale, even when singers will not learn the original duet that precedes it. Jo and Lando were such great colleagues when we recorded it, and Scottish Opera's orchestra and chorus were in fine form for its first recording ever. Decca was in the last years of its golden age of engineers and producers. Buy the whole recording to salute Barstow's astonishing artistry. Four enormous  finales in four languages ..."

Interesting what Mauceri says about Decca too.....

Thanks for the interesting info. I can't have enough Turandot to indulge myself.

[ritter]

.... I can't have enough Turandot to indulge myself.

In that case, this might interest you, César.

At your humble service,

[relm1]

If we are on adjacent desert islands it will be in stereo!  I agree about the Alfano - partly because I'm used to it and partly because I'd rather have it and therefore a viable opera with 90% of glorious Puccini than worry about a slightly less inspired completion.  Do you know the "Alfano I" ending?  This is the version Toscannini rejected and Alfano then reworked into the familiar "Alfano II" ending.  I rather like Alfano I - obviusly not Puccini but neither is Alfano as 2nd rate a composer as the usual narrative would suggest.  It was recorded by Josephine Barstow here;



and I think this same version (its the last 20 minutes) has been uploaded to YouTube - just searched and here it is;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q09_thEg6AA

Spotted that conductor of this recording John Mauceri has added a comment to this upload(!);

"Glad this is being shared. There is much to prefer in this duet, like the silence surrounding Turandot's "So il tuo nome!" and the terrifying rage that follows. Just check out the harmonies of the final chorus and you'll realize how angry Alfano had to have been by giving Toscanini a plain vanilla utility orchestration of a tune to bring down the curtain. The original setting  takes us to the era of Mahler and Korngold. I always make sure we perform that version of the finale, even when singers will not learn the original duet that precedes it. Jo and Lando were such great colleagues when we recorded it, and Scottish Opera's orchestra and chorus were in fine form for its first recording ever. Decca was in the last years of its golden age of engineers and producers. Buy the whole recording to salute Barstow's astonishing artistry. Four enormous  finales in four languages ..."

Interesting what Mauceri says about Decca too.....

I thought this was fantastic!  I am now going to skip CD 2 - track 10 and after of the Mehta recording and listen instead to Alfano I.  I also listened to Berio's completion and didn't like it as much as this one.  Maybe because I have a personal connection with Mauceri as he taught conducting at my uni and I saw him in masterclasses and Hollywood bowl concerts in the past.  He's amazing and I'd recommend his book too! 
https://www.amazon.com/War-Music-Reclaiming-Twentieth-Century/dp/0300233701

[Roasted Swan]

I thought this was fantastic!  I am now going to skip CD 2 - track 10 and after of the Mehta recording and listen instead to Alfano I.  I also listened to Berio's completion and didn't like it as much as this one.  Maybe because I have a personal connection with Mauceri as he taught conducting at my uni and I saw him in masterclasses and Hollywood bowl concerts in the past.  He's amazing and I'd recommend his book too! 
https://www.amazon.com/War-Music-Reclaiming-Twentieth-Century/dp/0300233701

There was a point when it seemed as if Mauceri was being lined up for quite a significant recording career - think of the Korngold "Das Wunder der Heliane" and quite a few other major Decca recordings which were excellent.  Then whether it was because of the change to Decca that Mauceri alludes to in that YouTube comment or he had some creative falling out that all stopped.  Yes there were on Phillips (as was!) an excellent series of disc with the Hollywood Bowl and also a couple of other film music collections but nothing quite on the level of his earlier discography.  I absolutely love classic film scores and show music too but this does feel "lighter" than his other stuff..... But I do recommend any of the following as excellent - they can still be found 2nd hand and often for quite reasonable prices.....

[vers la flamme]

Allan Pettersson's Symphony No.7 & Violin Concerto No.2

Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, Sea Pictures & Dream of Gerontius

[kyjo]

From current listening:

Stanford: Symphony #6
Handley: Ulster

This is a fantastic symphony! According to the liner notes, it was forgotten for about 80 years. The first movement has some themes that remind me of R. Strauss. The 2nd movement opens with a beautiful English horn solo (called the "love theme" in the notes); the opening feels like a precursor to the English Pastoral style (although the rest of the movement is more typical of a Romantic symphony). The fun (& somewhat angry) Scherzo leads seamlessly into the final movement. Near the end of the final movement (the beginning of the coda?) there is a fugato similar to the opening of Brahms' German Requiem. The love theme is transformed: the low note is now over a major chord instead of a minor chord, which brings the symphony to a gentle, warm, finish.

Nice! The 3rd and 6th are by far my favorite of Stanford's symphonies. The slow movement of the 6th is really something special; it has an emotional depth that most of Stanford's other music rarely achieves, and foreshadows Bax's Celtic, "legendary" style.

[kyjo]

It's been way too long since I've posted here on GMG! I've been very busy, and have been struggling a bit with mental health recently. I should be a bit less busy over the next few months, and hopefully I'll start feeling better mentally/emotionally soon as well. In any case, I'll make more of an effort to be active here; I've missed you all! I've been listening to some great music as much as ever lately:


D'Indy: Clarinet Trio



It's undoubtedly my favorite piece of his after the Symphony on a French Mountain Air. What an utterly inventive, inspired, and characterful piece at every turn, full of great melodies and a certain quirkiness. That third movement is just beautiful beyond words! The work receives an absolutely stunning performance here; the rest of this 7-disc set, featuring much rare repertoire, looks worth exploring as well.


Tansman: Symphony no. 3 (Symphonie concertante) and Quatre mouvements for orchestra



The more I listen to by Tansman, the more I'm impressed by his music. The 3rd Symphony (1931), which doubles as a triple concerto for piano trio and orchestra, is a hugely enjoyable and spirited work filled with the jazzy, Gershwinesque influences one finds in his ballet Bric a brac (not least in the second movement Tempo americano). The Quatre mouvements (1967-68), from much later in Tansman's career, is much darker and more dissonant in idiom, but no less compelling for that! In fact, it's thrilling in its often nightmarish dramatic intensity and imaginative use of orchestral color. This is "modernist" music I can get behind! The 2nd Symphony included on this disc is also a very fine work, with a particularly beautiful slow movement.


I'll post some more later!

[Symphonic Addict]

It's been way too long since I've posted here on GMG! I've been very busy...

Very busy by playing poll games on TalkClassical? 

Anyway, I really hope things get better for you, Kyle!

[vandermolen]

It's been way too long since I've posted here on GMG! I've been very busy, and have been struggling a bit with mental health recently. I should be a bit less busy over the next few months, and hopefully I'll start feeling better mentally/emotionally soon as well. In any case, I'll make more of an effort to be active here; I've missed you all! I've been listening to some great music as much as ever lately:


D'Indy: Clarinet Trio



It's undoubtedly my favorite piece of his after the Symphony on a French Mountain Air. What an utterly inventive, inspired, and characterful piece at every turn, full of great melodies and a certain quirkiness. That third movement is just beautiful beyond words! The work receives an absolutely stunning performance here; the rest of this 7-disc set, featuring much rare repertoire, looks worth exploring as well.


Tansman: Symphony no. 3 (Symphonie concertante) and Quatre mouvements for orchestra



The more I listen to by Tansman, the more I'm impressed by his music. The 3rd Symphony (1931), which doubles as a triple concerto for piano trio and orchestra, is a hugely enjoyable and spirited work filled with the jazzy, Gershwinesque influences one finds in his ballet Bric a brac (not least in the second movement Tempo americano). The Quatre mouvements (1967-68), from much later in Tansman's career, is much darker and more dissonant in idiom, but no less compelling for that! In fact, it's thrilling in its often nightmarish dramatic intensity and imaginative use of orchestral color. This is "modernist" music I can get behind! The 2nd Symphony included on this disc is also a very fine work, with a particularly beautiful slow movement.


I'll post some more later!

All strength to you Kyle - I hope that you feel better soon.

[Mapman]

It's been way too long since I've posted here on GMG! I've been very busy, and have been struggling a bit with mental health recently. I should be a bit less busy over the next few months, and hopefully I'll start feeling better mentally/emotionally soon as well. In any case, I'll make more of an effort to be active here; I've missed you all! I've been listening to some great music as much as ever lately:


D'Indy: Clarinet Trio

It's undoubtedly my favorite piece of his after the Symphony on a French Mountain Air. What an utterly inventive, inspired, and characterful piece at every turn, full of great melodies and a certain quirkiness. That third movement is just beautiful beyond words! The work receives an absolutely stunning performance here; the rest of this 7-disc set, featuring much rare repertoire, looks worth exploring as well.


Tansman: Symphony no. 3 (Symphonie concertante) and Quatre mouvements for orchestra

The more I listen to by Tansman, the more I'm impressed by his music. The 3rd Symphony (1931), which doubles as a triple concerto for piano trio and orchestra, is a hugely enjoyable and spirited work filled with the jazzy, Gershwinesque influences one finds in his ballet Bric a brac (not least in the second movement Tempo americano). The Quatre mouvements (1967-68), from much later in Tansman's career, is much darker and more dissonant in idiom, but no less compelling for that! In fact, it's thrilling in its often nightmarish dramatic intensity and imaginative use of orchestral color. This is "modernist" music I can get behind! The 2nd Symphony included on this disc is also a very fine work, with a particularly beautiful slow movement.


I'll post some more later!

I'm sorry to hear about your mental health. I hope it improves soon!

D'Indy is one of the composers I want to listen to (I have, but have not heard, Symphony on a French Mountain Air). If I like it, I'll also need to check out the clarinet trio!

[Florestan]

Leo Delibes - Coppelia, full ballet



First time listening to the whole thing, which is ravishingly beautiful. A magical score full of charms and delights. A masterpiece.

[Florestan]

Leo Delibes - Coppelia, full ballet



First time listening to the whole thing, which is ravishingly beautiful. A magical score full of charms and delights. A masterpiece.

Same comments about Sylvia.

[Symphonic Addict]

Same comments about Sylvia.

Oh yes, I have good memories of this one. Why there are no more recordings of these great ballets is beyond me.