What are you listening 2 now?

[Todd]

[DavidW]

Happy Easter!

Part 2 of the St. Matthew Passion (Bach, Suzuki I).

[Spotted Horses]

Delius String Quartet, Britten Quartet



A pretty obscure release, I have no idea where I found it.

The Delius Quartet is lovely. I also listened to the Howells Fantasy quartet, which is a striking single movement work with very impressive modal (I think) sonorities.

I like everything I stumble on by Howells, almost all chamber music. I gather most of Howell's output is choral music.

[vers la flamme]

Happy Easter to everyone!

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No.2

Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic

Happy Easter! And great idea:



Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.2 in C minor, "Resurrection". Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, Collegiate Chorale, etc.

[Spotted Horses]

I suppose that's mostly true, but there's plenty of non-choral stuff, too:

Looking at my collection, I have more Howells than I remembered. I do recall enjoying his clarinet quintet and clarinet sonata, but I also have Piano Concerti, music for strings, some other orchestral works, on Chandos and Hyperion.

[LKB]

Within the last couple hours, The King's Singers: Madrigals and Songs from the Renaissance

https://a.co/d/3yxpXWq

Hearing the material after not hearing some of it for over forty years was very gratifying.

[JBS]

Marc Blitzstein - the Airborne Symphony
Bernstein/NYP

Wrong holy day. Jesus didn't fly off until the Ascension, 40 days away.

TD
Probably the closest approach to Easter music I'll make today.


The performance itself could easily fit on one CD; the rehearsal excerpts (which I don't normally listen to) are the reason it's split between two.

Going by what I've heard so far, this is a Celibadache hit.

[Lisztianwagner]

On youtube:
William Alwyn
Lyra Angelica

Rachel Masters (harp)
Richard Hickox & City of London Sinfonia


Thank you Cesar @Løvfald for this suggestion!

[Todd]

Disc one, the first four sonatas.  Exactly as expected, YES plays at the highest level.  Her touch is magnificent and her dynamic control second to none.  Her little touches, her embellishments sound spot on and perfectly realized.  In contrast to fellow Korean the great William Youn, YES plays more crisply and incisively, with strongly characterized rhythm as compared to Youn's smoother, even more tonally lovely playing.  A perfect start.

[Florestan]

Disc one, the first four sonatas.  Exactly as expected, YES plays at the highest level.  Her touch is magnificent and her dynamic control second to none.  Her little touches, her embellishments sound spot on and perfectly realized.  In contrast to fellow Korean the great William Youn, YES plays more crisply and incisively, with strongly characterized rhythm as compared to Youn's smoother, even more tonally lovely playing.  A perfect start.

SOTA sound, too.

[vers la flamme]

Arvo Pärt: Symphony No.3. Neeme Järvi, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Kind of a transitional work for Pärt; he had discovered his love for medieval music, but had not yet developed his tintinnabuli style (or at least he does not really use it here). But it's a good one, very dynamic, atmospheric, and interesting.

[vers la flamme]

Decided on another Mahler:



Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.1 in D major. Leonard Bernstein, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

The RCO sounds excellent under Bernstein here. The music sounds about as fluid, vibrant, and alive as possible, and very detailed.

[Lisztianwagner]

Continuing with Alwyn; I loved Lyra Angelica, it was an evocative, stirring piece, quite elegiac sometimes; beautiful textures with such ethereal, elegant flowings of strings; now:

William Alwyn
Oboe Concerto

Nicholas Daniel (oboe)
Richard Hickox & City of London Sinfonia

[Mandryka]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt6FFbCzrUw

Suitner Bruckner 8. What's amazing is that even though it's more than 30 years since I heard this music I kind of feel I know every note. Unforgettable music.  Not for me though, I don't have the Bruckner gene.

[vers la flamme]

OK, one more 



Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.8 in E-flat major, "Symphony of a Thousand". Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic, etc.

This is my first time hearing this recording. It sounds really, really good to me. The organ sounds a little odd (was it dubbed in?), but aside from that it's an amazing performance.

I've had the Bernstein/DG Mahler cycle for years, but have barely heard any of it. This might be a good time to go through and hear the rest of them. (Though not all today, I'm quite sure I'll be Mahlered out after this one!)

[Todd]

The Prazak deliver quite probably the best version of the Seven Last Words I've heard.  I will probably listen to it again in a year or two.

[foxandpeng]

Alexander Glazunov
Orchestral Works Volume 11
Works for Cello and Orchestra
Igor Golovschin
Moscow SO
Naxos

Fine music

[JBS]

It's Holmboe time


Opus 17 (1939)for piano, strings, and timpani
Opus 20 (1940) for flute, violin, strings and percussion
Opus 21 (1940-42)for clarinet and orchestra

[Symphonic Addict]

Continuing with Alwyn; I loved Lyra Angelica, it was an evocative, stirring piece, quite elegiac sometimes; beautiful textures with such ethereal, elegant flowings of strings; now:

William Alwyn
Oboe Concerto

Nicholas Daniel (oboe)
Richard Hickox & City of London Sinfonia

Delighted to hear you enjoyed that work very much, Ilaria! It was love at first hearing when I found that lovely composition several years ago, a sublime work that never fails to move me. Alwyn has many gems in his output which is rather consistent overall.

[Cato]

Arvo Pärt: Symphony No.3. Neeme Järvi, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Kind of a transitional work for Pärt; he had discovered his love for medieval music, but had not yet developed his tintinnabuli style (or at least he does not really use it here). But it's a good one, very dynamic, atmospheric, and interesting.

In the early 1990's, my youngest son (10 or so at the time) and I were in Germany and attended a concert of the Cologne Philharmonic - with Arvo Pärt in the audience - where his Symphonies I, II, and III were played in between all three versions of the Leonore Overture by Beethoven.

My son considered himself a Beethoven aficionado at the time.  He very much liked the Symphony 3 ( I think!), especially because part of the orchestra is supposed to have an argument with other players and leave. 

I cannot find a reference to this idea right now: maybe the argument is in the Second Symphony.

Pärt sat in the back - I had not noticed him - and modestly accepted applause from the audience at the end of the concert.