What are you listening 2 now?

[SonicMan46]

Myslivecek, Josef (1737-1781) - String, Wind & Piano Works on the recordings below; some more of Il Boemo for the afternoon - not always easy to match these works to his composition listings, such as HERE, but for the String Quintets, the first quote shows that he wrote a dozen - the key sequences match the group in bold. For the Wind Quintets, the second quote is the match w/ 2 oboes, 2 horns, and bassoon. Finally, the piano music is easy, i.e. solo works in the third quote plus 2 KB concertos.  Dave

String quintets: VI Sinfonie concertanti o sia quintetti per due violini, due viole, e basso, Op. 2. Paris: Venier; Lyon: Castaud, c. 1767. [B-flat major, E major, G major, A major, D major, C major] and 6 string quintets in an undated manuscript in the Biblioteca Estense in Modena [G major, E-flat major, C major, A major, F major, B-flat major]

Wind quintets: 6 quintets for 2 oboes, 2 horns, and bassoon in undated manuscripts in the Santini-Bibliothek in Münster, probably composed in Rome in 1780 or 1781 [D major, G major, E-flat major, B-flat major, F major, C major]

Works for solo keyboard: Six Easy Divertimentos for the Harpsichord or Piano-Forte. London: Longman & Broderip, 1777. [F major, A major, D major, B-flat major, G major, C major]
Six Easy Lessons for the Harpsichord. Edinburgh: Corri & Sutherland, 1784. [C major, B-flat major, A major, G major, F major, D major]

   

[JBS]

Finishing this set with the Seventh (Opus 52, 1967/68) and Eighth (Opus 54, 1969/70) Symphonies.
Both are definitely music of their eras.



The Seventh is for Reciter and Orchestra, with texts (in Czech) taken from both the Gospel of and Apocalypse of St John.
Reminded me in a general way of Schönberg's melodramas. I would not be surprised if the Prague Spring and the Soviet invasion that followed influenced Kabelac as he wrote it.
The Eighth ("Antiphons") is for soprano, percussionists (the original performers were the group that we know as Les Percussions de Strasbourg), chorus, and organ. The text is from the Book of Daniel and scattered words of the Bible (again, in Czech); the performers are meant to be placed in various positions around the performance space (Kabelac had churches in mind), hence the name. The last movement in particular reminded me of Ligeti's Requiem.

I can't say I "liked" the entire set, but it certainly impressed me and will definitely be listened to again.

[Todd]

Jed Distler's review piqued my interest, so I gave Kasakh pianist Alim Beisembayev's Liszt recital a shot.  This is fresh evidence that we live in a Golden Age of pianists, at least in terms of executive brilliance.  Beisembayev is right up there with Trifonov or Chamayou in terms of hitting the notes in the main work.  It almost sounds easy in places.  In terms of interpretation, he falls short of Chamayou, my personal fave, or Jorge Bolet in his first recording (which reminds me I need to hunt down his 1970 Bloomington recording), but this is nothing to sneeze at.  Warner released a recording after his win at the 2021 Leeds Competition, so I will have to check that out.  Here's another young pianist for me to keep tabs on.

It's also noteworthy that he is the fourth pianist from a Central Asian country that I recall having heard, and all four are tip-top: the others are Yefim Bronfman, Michail Lifits, and Behzod Abduraimov.  Sure, they are all Russian School pianists, but maybe something magic leached into the water in the vast region. 

[Lisztianwagner]

Great! Hope you like it.

I'm just starting with this (prompted by your recent posts, Ilaria  ).

Luigi Dallapiccola: Quaderno musicale di Annalibera, played by Lya De Barberiis.



...to be followed by the Variazioni per orchestra (BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda).



EDIT:

More Dallapiccola. Due Cori di Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane and Canti di liberazione, from this CD:

Thank you, Rafael, I appreciated it immensely, such an impressive work, with great tensions! It has a very particular orchestration, mostly percussion, but it beautifully combines with the vocal part, as a matter of fact, the fullness and the continuity of sound of the voices create a splendid contrast with the percussion instruments, which fade more swiftly after striking. Very nice use of the Dies Irae too. The first section is glacially solemn, almost spectral; the second section has an energetic, demoniac introduction of piano, very captivating, before abruptly changing into a more and more rarefied atmosphere; the third section is intense and dramatic, especially in the first part, which bursts out powerfully, and then like in the second movement, transfigures into an ethereal dimension before growing in two gorgeous climaxes at Quoniam Tu altissimum and quietly descending. I have to say the more I listen to Dallapiccola, the more I enjoy that music.

[JBS]

[Karl Henning]

Listening again myself as a very nice message just came in from a conductor friend:

[Symphonic Addict]

Remarkable works. The more I listen to his chamber music, the more I am amazed.

[Mapman]

Beethoven: String Quartet #16, Op. 135
Cleveland Quartet

The 3rd movement's opening is a lot like the Finale to Mahler's 3rd. I guess they both just go down and up a scale, though.

[SimonNZ]

Op.111

(his Philips, 1973)


followed by:



Op.111

[Operafreak]

Beethoven Trilogy 1: Fantasia

See Siang Wong (piano), ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra

Wiener Singverein, Leo Hussain

[Harry]

Nicolas Gombert.
Masses.
CD II.
Missa Philomena Praevia a 5.
Beati Omnes a 5.
Missa Beati Omnes a 4.
Beauty Farm.

Had to play this second disc again since yesterday, so good it is.

[Que]

Myslivecek, Josef (1737-1781) - String, Wind & Piano Works on the recordings below; some more of Il Boemo for the afternoon - not always easy to match these works to his composition listings, such as HERE, but for the String Quintets, the first quote shows that he wrote a dozen - the key sequences match the group in bold.   Dave

 

Have that recording, love it! 

[Que]

Morning listening on Spotify:

[Harry]

Joseph Haydn.
Complete Symphonies.
CD 9.
No. 16/40/72.
The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood.

It is not often that an integral project comprising all of a composer's symphonies is as impressive as Hogwood's journey through these compositions. The orchestra sounds polished but never flat, polite but never without a creative impact that keeps you focused. The woodwinds make a big impression, as do the flashy strings, which effortlessly storm the sky. This set is a creation that never loses its fascination, and always remains surprising and convincing without exception. Every symphony is a work of art in itself. The sound is perfect.

[Papy Oli]

Thanks for listening. Oli! a centime for your thoughts....

Good morning Karl,
I struggled to get into it (my usual limitations towards modern, slightly atonal music onwards) but I ended up enjoying the second half, it felt more flowing maybe. Thank you for sharing this work. I shall revisit.   

[Papy Oli]

Well, yesterday I listened to my very first Rota ever:



and I was absolutely blown away. I enjoyed everything a lot.

Anyway, this is 20th century music right up my alley and I have just stumbled upon a composer who might rapidly become one of my favorites.

Adding my name to the Rota    I had never heard a note of his (knowingly that is) and was intrigued enough by the Cesar's comments about the symphonies to bookmark them on Idagio. I am now listening first to the Chamber music CD above and you are correct, Andrei, this is a delightful fun. I am foot tapping along!

[Madiel]

My first listen to this oratorio. I'm not sure what to think. There's majestic music for sure, the choral writing is quite effective, but I wouldn't put it among his most outstanding works. It was a bit overlong too.

Quite. In my view it has dated worse than almost any other composition.

[Madiel]

Johann Sebastian Bach's
Cello Suite BWV 1008

David Watkin (cello)
My old fellow tenor from St. Catz! Hasn't he done well?!

One of my 2 top picks for the suites.

[Madiel]

Earlier today:



Not, in my view, as enjoyable as her Debussy and Faure albums. It gets tiring on the ears quite quickly.

[Florestan]

Adding my name to the Rota    I had never heard a note of his (knowingly that is) and was intrigued enough by the Cesar's comments about the symphonies to bookmark them on Idagio. I am now listening first to the Chamber music CD above and you are correct, Andrei, this is a delightful fun. I am foot tapping along!

His blending of bittersweet nostalgia and unbuttoned merriment in an eminently melodic, lyric style is indeed fascinating. Upon re-listening to that disc, my favorites are the Piccola offerta musicale and the Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano.

Yesterday I've been listening to the Dance Suite from Il Gattopardo. Fantastic music. I should re-watch the movie asap.