What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Kullervo]

[Brian]

Still my favorite release of 2007.

[bhodges]

Pettersson: Symphony No. 12 "The Dead of the Square" (1974) (Honeck/Swedish Radio and Eric Ericson Chamber Choirs/Swedish Radio SO) - After stumbling across this disc, and since I like choral music in general--and these two groups in particular--it seemed like a good bet.  (It's my introduction to this composer.)

Inspired by events in Chile, the work is part political protest with texts by Pablo Neruda, and (at least on first hearing) very Mahlerian in scope, but Pettersson freely mixes more dissonance with his tonality.  From the review on MusicWeb: "...often touched with desperation as the deaths and injustices perpetrated in Chile are tracked as emblematic of social injustices on an international stage."  The overall effect is agitated, tormented, bleak.  The performances by Manfred Honeck, the two expert choirs and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra are all marvelous, and the sound effectively captures what must be a stage crammed with musicians.

--Bruce

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Pettersson: Symphony No. 12 "The Dead of the Square" (1974) (Honeck/Swedish Radio and Eric Ericson Chamber Choirs/Swedish Radio SO) - After stumbling across this disc, and since I like choral music in general--and these two groups in particular--it seemed like a good bet.  (It's my introduction to this composer.)

Inspired by events in Chile, the work is part political protest with texts by Pablo Neruda, and (at least on first hearing) very Mahlerian in scope, but Pettersson freely mixes more dissonance with his tonality.  From the review on MusicWeb: "...often touched with desperation as the deaths and injustices perpetrated in Chile are tracked as emblematic of social injustices on an international stage."  The overall effect is agitated, tormented, bleak.  The performances by Manfred Honeck, the two expert choirs and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra are all marvelous, and the sound effectively captures what must be a stage crammed with musicians.

--Bruce

Good write-up, Bruce! I have listened to/survived symphonies 6 & 7 so far, and will proceed with no. 8. So this one is still a way off in the future for me, especially as I find it impossible to listen to Pettersson with any frequency. Pettersson is, as Brahms once said of Wagner, a 'too intensive pleasure'...

[bhodges]

Good write-up, Bruce! I have listened to/survived symphonies 6 & 7 so far, and will proceed with no. 8. So this one is still a way off in the future for me, especially as I find it impossible to listen to Pettersson with any frequency. Pettersson is, as Brahms once said of Wagner, a 'too intensive pleasure'...

Thanks!    I can see what you mean; a little of this composer will go a long way.  The Twelfth is pretty intense, and while I liked it, it is pretty much nonstop stormy.  (Great choral singing, I must add.)  I'm curious to hear the others, of course, after comments from you and others here. 

Up now:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (Giulini/Wiener Philarmoniker) - Already I can tell this is an extraordinary recording. (Just listening to the first movement now.) The performance is slowish--weighty without being too ponderous--and coupled with an audible clarity in the textures.  Some of the brass and woodwind figures, especially, emerge "just right" in the balance.

--Bruce

[rubio]

I think recording has very good sound, and Andsnes' pianism cannot be faulted. However, I think the orchestra can sound a bit too prominent at times. If one part in a Mozart piano concerto should be spotlighted, it rather should be the pianist IMO. But I certainly like this CD.

[Valentino]

Barenboim, Schiff, Solti and the ECO in Mozart's K.242 triple concerto. Absolutely delightful.

[Solitary Wanderer]

[SonicMan46]

Well, stimulated by a new Handel thread, listened to some of my oboe works of this composer:

Trio Sonatas w/ Convivium; Wallfisch on violin & Robson on oboe; there are 7 'sonatas' on this disc, which include works from HWV 380 to 393; BOY, you really need to pay attention to these HWV numbers, esp. some transcriptions to other instruments are considerations! 

Oboe Concertos & Sonatas w/ Sarah Francis & the London Harpsichord Ensemble - a wide variety of works w/ HWV numbers mainly in the 300s - both of these CDs are excellent! 

 

[Haffner]

From a famed GMG Humphrey Poster:

Haydn String Quartets op.20 (Tatrai)

I really like how this is recorded (often very clear, decent separation), but I'm almost positive there's a slight tuning problem with the instruments. Or maybe I'm plain tone deaf.

[PerfectWagnerite]

From a famed GMG Humphrey Poster:

Haydn String Quartets op.20 (Tatrai)

I really like how this is recorded (often very clear, decent separation), but I'm almost positive there's a slight tuning problem with the instruments. Or maybe I'm plain tone deaf.

Don't know about that but the overall artistic merit of the Tatrai Haydn SQ is vastly overrated. Some pretty thin and unconvincing readings in not so good sound.

[FideLeo]

Goebel and MAK (and Telemann) at their absolute prime.  Simply superb playing and interpretation.  Handel had subscribed to the first published edition by the composer himself.

[Wanderer]

Good morning, everyone! 

Listening to:


Schreker: Die Gezeichneten (Cochran/Schmiege/Cowen/Oosterkamp/van Tassel/Dutsch RPO & Chorus/de Waart).

Tasos, we need to deal with HDS (Henningmusick Delivery Strategy) 

Most certainly, Karl. Check your PMs.

[Que]

Diderik Buxtehude - Complete Organ Works Vol.3
Harmonic Classics

Jean-Charles Ablitzer, historical organ Schnitger (1685-1687)
Sankt Martini und Nicolai Church, Steinkirchen, Niedersachsen, Germany

Q

[rubio]

Interesting music in these operas. It would have been even better if it came with a libretto.

[Que]

Interesting music in these operas. It would have been even better if it came with a libretto.

Yes, issues without libretto is a very anoying habit of record companies these days.

Currently listening to this. Which, to my big surprise, comes with libretto - but translation into French only!   Fortunately I read French better than Italian. 



Q

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Arnold Bax, First Symphony (Handley/Chandos) - I am blown away by this performance. Tremendous.

[rubio]

CD 13 from the below box set. Richter's great account of the Schubert D850 and Weber's Piano Sonata no. 3. The Schubert is the best I've heard of the piece, and I also enjoyed the first-time meeting with the Weber sonata.

[rubio]

La Valse and Daphnis et Chloé performed by Boulez/NYPO. It seems like Boulez' style suit this music like hand-in-glove!

[johnQpublic]

LPs

Penderecki - Violin Concerto (Stern/Columbia)
Lutoslawski - 3 Poems of Henri Michaux (Krenz/Muza)