What are you listening 2 now?

[Tsaraslondon]

Disc 17 continues with French song, mostly with Gerald Moore on the piano. We have the whole of her 1970 French recital and the French items from Favourites. To finish off some more Berlioz songs with orchestra, that were included on her second recording of Les nuts d'été, recorded in 1990. I prefer her accounts with orchestra of the Duparc songs. She's oddly a little stiff here, but the other songs are all lovely. One also notes that her French has improved in the four years between the first French recital and the Favourites disc.

[vandermolen]

William Alwyn: Symphony No.3
This is one of the highlights of Hickox's Alwyn cycle, especially as it also features the astonishingly neglected Violin Concerto (thanks to Rubbra and others who rejected it on behalf of the BBC):

[Madiel]

Schumann: 3 duets, op.43



As the booklet puts it, music for comfortable domestic consumption. And none the worse for that. Two women singing sweet songs by the piano would make for a happy household.

[Papy Oli]

Good morning all,

More Hindemith:

[aligreto]

Albinoni: Sinfonie a Cinque Sonatas Nos. 1-6 [Banchini]





This recording of Albinoni's Op. 2 six Sinfonie only is a very fine presentation of this music. It is vibrant and excellently and sensitively played. I like the continuo playing and the recorded sound is excellent.

[aligreto]

Franz Schubert: Symphony No.1 in D major, D 82. Roy Goodman, The Hanover Band

I really love Schubert's early symphonies, and this cycle is really good for them. The recorded sound is quite unique so may or may not be your thing; I know a lot of people do not like the Nimbus sound. I've heard it described as "a small band recording in an airplane hangar". I find the brass and strings to have a unique sound. Good to revisit this after some years.

I also have that set and I too like it for its orchestral textures which give a different perspective on some of the symphonies.

[Brahmsian]

Franz Schubert: Symphony No.1 in D major, D 82. Roy Goodman, The Hanover Band

I really love Schubert's early symphonies, and this cycle is really good for them. The recorded sound is quite unique so may or may not be your thing; I know a lot of people do not like the Nimbus sound. I've heard it described as "a small band recording in an airplane hangar". I find the brass and strings to have a unique sound. Good to revisit this after some years.

I also have that set and I too like it for its orchestral textures which give a different perspective on some of the symphonies.

I know that Sarge @Sergeant Rock also has this set and speaks very highly of it.

[Lisztianwagner]

Luigi Dallapiccola
An Mathilde

[Madiel]

...enough samplings of 4 different editions of Schumann piano music to make my head spin. But I at least now know who has what where. Now I just have to get back to choosing which one to get, after putting aside the question for months.

[Florestan]

...enough samplings of 4 different editions of Schumann piano music to make my head spin. But I at least now know who has what where. Now I just have to get back to choosing which one to get, after putting aside the question for months.

What are your choices?

[Madiel]

What are your choices?

I'm still looking at the 4 series I was looking at quite some time ago: Le Sage (which I know you like), Ciocarlie, Uhlig, and the Claves label series which uses several different pianists.

I tried a few discs of each before and kept changing my mind a bit. They have different merits. I'm going to try again, this time with a better awareness of what everyone has on their different volumes.

[Florestan]

That's a lovely VC, thoroughly imbued with the spirit of Irish folk music.

There's no dearth of good British VCs: Elgar, Harty, Bowen, Moeran and my favorite of them all, Arthur Somervell.

His "Rachmaninoff-goes-to-Ireland" PC is even better IMO!

Well, I take your PC recs with a grain of salt...   

(sorry, Kyle, couldn't resist the joke)

[Florestan]

I'm still looking at the 4 series I was looking at quite some time ago: Le Sage (which I know you like), Ciocarlie, Uhlig, and the Claves label series which uses several different pianists.

I tried a few discs of each before and kept changing my mind a bit. They have different merits. I'm going to try again, this time with a better awareness of what everyone has on their different volumes.

Thanks. I like Le Sage, I have Ciocarlie but not listened to it yet. Uhlig has been praised no end by Harry. I don't know the Claves series.

There's also the Reine Gianoli series (variable yet never less than listenable sound, very good performance), the Brilliant Classics series and the Joerg Demus series (I have both but not listened to them in their entirety), in case you want to expand your exploration. 

[Madiel]

Thanks. I like Le Sage, I have Ciocarlie but not listened to it yet. Uhlig has been praised no end by Harry. I don't know the Claves series.

There's also the Reine Gianoli series (variable yet never less than listenable sound, very good performance), the Brilliant Classics series and the Joerg Demus series (I have both but not listened to them in their entirety), in case you want to expand your exploration. 

Given that the shortest length of any my options is 12 CDs, we are trying to shorten the exploration not expand it. 

[Florestan]

Given that the shortest length of any my options is 12 CDs, we are trying to shorten the exploration not expand it. 

I know. I was just teasing you. 

Is the Le Sage you contemplate the solo piano only series or the complete edition, solo piano and chamber music with piano? If the latter, then it's a no brainer.

[Madiel]

Is the Le Sage you contemplate the solo piano only series or the complete edition, solo piano and chamber music with piano? If the latter, then it's a no brainer.

Really looking at the solo piano - I've worked out how he separated the original releases into 2 distinct boxes - because I already have almost all the chamber music in versions I'm happy with (heck, in the case of the violin sonatas I seem to have one of the best versions available). Having said that, his "chamber" box includes all the piano duets which are not easy to come by, so that's one thing in his favour.

If everyone could stop having slightly different things in their favour, it would be very helpful...

[vers la flamme]

More Schubert on Nimbus this morning:



Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C major, D 956. Brandis Quartett, w/ Wen-Sinn Yang on second cello

First listen I think to this recording which I've had for some time. Sounds good.

[Brahmsian]

More Schubert on Nimbus this morning:



Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C major, D 956. Brandis Quartett, w/ Wen-Sinn Yang on second cello

First listen I think to this recording which I've had for some time. Sounds good.

What a marvelous work indeed.  The trio portion of the Scherzo movement never fails to move me intensely.

[vers la flamme]

What a marvelous work indeed.  The trio portion of the Scherzo movement never fails to move me intensely.

The C major Quintet has been one of my favorite pieces of chamber music. I'm a sucker for the slow movement, which moves at such a glacial pace that I kind of have to be in the right mood for it, but when I am, it knocks me out.

[Madiel]

Schumann: Volume 1 of Ciocarlie's piano works series.

Which I know I've tried before but I have a different strategy this time...

Papillons
Piano sonata No.1
Studies after Paganini caprices (op.3)