What are you listening 2 now?

[Harry]

ANTONIO VANDINI, BOLOGNA, 1691 – BOLOGNA, 1778.
COMPLETE WORKS.
Sonatas
Elinor Frey Cello, Federica Bianchi Harpsichord, Patxi Montero Viola da Gamba.
Recorded, 2019 at the Sala della Carità, Padua (IT).

Don Antonio Vandini's fame as a cellist went far beyond Veneto and Padua. Even Vivaldi wrote Cello concertos with Vandini in mind, that surely says something about the composer Vandini was. Unfortunately we know nothing about his upbringing or his musical training. The first document that mentions him as a cellist is dated 3 April 1720, and tells us that he came from Venice, and that he had been hired in the musical chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. Scholars have claimed that Vandini may have been a student of the famous Giuseppe Maria Jacchini, one of the cellists in San Petronio in Bologna, but that claim is unfounded. In terms of style, all of Vandini's compositions for cello can be situated within a general galant-style idiom typical of Northern Italy between roughly 1720 and 1780. He was one of the last cellists to use the bow in the gambist's underhand style.
A fine recording and able performances. Well worth exploring.

[Irons]

British Violin Sonatas.
Volume 2.
Frank Bridge, Sonata for Violin and piano in E flat major.
John Ireland, violin sonata, No.1 in D minor.
Arthur Bliss, Violin sonata, F 192.
Vaughan Williams, Romance and Pastorale.
Lloyd Webber, The Gardens at Eastwell.

Tasmin Little, Violin.
Piers Lane, Piano.
Recorded 2015 at Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk.

This series is dear to me. Volume II is as refreshing as the first volume, and well performed. For years I underestimated these chamber works, but I know better now. Tasmin Little is a excellent Violinist, and Piers Lane has a fine reputation worldwide. SOTA sound.

Ireland's 1st Sonata a firm favourite.

[Irons]

Roussel: String Quartet.



A good one. Stamp of originality within a traditional four movement framework - a symphony for small forces.
Possibly a caveat in that I enjoyed Loewenguth's measured approach very much indeed. Not so a second recording by the Novak SQ on Supraphon.

[Harry]

JEAN BAUR, BOUZONVILLE, MOSELLE, 1719 – PARIS, AFTER 1773.
Cello sonatas & Harp Sonata.
Accademia de'Dissonanti.
Elinor Frey Violoncello.
Antoine Malette-Chénier Single action pedal harp, crochet mechanism.
Octavie Dostaler-Lalonde Violoncello.
Mélisande McNabney Harpsichord.
Recording Domaine Forget (Québec, Canada) 2022

JEAN BAUR, HARPIST AND COMPOSER IN PARIS.
Born in 1719 in the small town of Bouzonville, France (less than 10 km from the present-day German border), Jean Baur is the first in a family of harpists who participated in the development of the harp and its music. He composed and published various collections of chamber music including two books of sonatas for the cello, sonatas for harp (both unaccompanied and accompanied by a keyboard or violin), violin sonatas and duos, as well as music involving the flute and harp that is now lost.
Another delightful production with Eleanor Frey on the cello. I rather enjoyed the Vandini disc, and so it was logical that I would move to another CD with her. Also a fine recording with for me unknown music but again, well worth the listen. Music with a happy expression, in which the whole ensemble do not disappoint.

[Harry]

Ireland's 1st Sonata a firm favourite.

Agreed, I found it to be a marvelous work too!

[vandermolen]

Happy birthday to William Alwyn!

Alwyn: Symphony #5, "Hydriotaphia"
Hickox: London

In about 1980 I heard Alwyn conduct Symphony No.5 on the radio and sent him a letter (c/o Lyrita Records) telling him how much I had enjoyed it (and his other recordings of his symphonies). I received a really nice reply from him.

[Harry]

Wunderkammer.

Samuel Capricornus Sonata a8 in A Minor.
Adam Drese Sonata a6 in C Major.
Johann Philipp Krieger Sonata a4 in F Major.
Andreas Oswald Sonata a3 in E Minor.
Antonio Bertali Sonata a2 in A Minor.
Daniel Eberlin Sonata a2 "La Eminenza" in E Minor.
Philipp Jakob Rittler Sonata a5 in F Major.
Georg Piscator Sonata a7 in A Minor.
Alessandro Poglietti Sonata a8 in A Minor.
Clemens Thieme Sonata a8 in C Major.

ACRONYM
Edwin Huizinga; violin, Johanna Novom; violin, Beth Wenstrom; violin, Adriane Post; violin and viola,
Kyle Miller; viola, Loren Ludwig; treble viol and bass viol, Kivie Cahn-Lipman; tenorviol,violoncello, and lirone, Paul Dwyer; violoncello, Doug Balliett; violone, Daniel Swenberg; theorbo, Elliot Figg; harpsichord and organ.
Recorded at St. Paul's School, Concord, NH, 2015.

Superb performances and SOTA sound to start with. Interesting composers, most unknown to me. They use beautiful instruments, well tuned. A booklet illustrated with amazing pictures and really worthwhile information about all the unknown and unrecorded music, It was a fine read in which I learned a lot about Adam Drese, Daniel Eberlin,  Philipp Jakob Rittler, Georg Piscator, Alessandro Poglietti, Andreas Oswald  & Clemens Thieme. All composers of which I knew nothing.

[JBS]

În a "Slavic Edition" Enescu is surely the odd man out. 

In this set it would have to be Gazarossian

Koharik Alis Gazarossian (Goharik Alis Łazarosian, Armenian: Գոհարիկ Ղազարոսեան) (21 December 1907 – 29 October 1967) was an Armenian composer and pianist. She was born in Constantinople (Istanbul) and entered the Paris Conservatory in 1926 where she studied with Paul Dukas and Lazare Lévy. After completing her studies, she performed as a concert pianist in Europe and worked as a composer. She died in Paris.

[vers la flamme]

Robert Schumann: Carnaval, op.9. Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

One of the best. Very weighty.

[Harry]

Domenico Dall'Oglio, (c1700-1764)
Sonatas for violin & basso continuo (1738), from: XII Sonate A Violino e Violoncello, o Cimbalo,
dedicate a Sua Eccellenza il Sig. Conte Rinaldo Lowenwolde, Gran Maresciallo di Corte di sua Maesta Imperatrice di tutte le Russie. (Paris 1738).

Sonata 1/4/8/9/12.

Maria Krestinskaya violin, (Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Brescia 1627).
Grigory Krotenko, bassetto, (Giovanni Paolo Maggini Brescia 1600, restaured by Alexey Vorobyev, Moscow 2016).
Imbi Tarum, harpsichord, (after Giusti by John Byron Will, Portland 1983), organ (Norbert Kirchner 1995).
Recording: 2017 at Augustiner Chorherrenstift St. Florian, Sommerrefektorium (Austria)

The works are wonderfully balanced, poetically and virtuosically played and accompanied by a professional and varied continuo. A pleasant ambiance in which it is recorded!

[Florestan]

In this set it would have to be Gazarossian

Yes, I saw that name too, but I presumed, without bothering to check, that the composer was born in "Russian" Armenia, which would have made for at least a nominal Slavic connection. Obviously a Romanian and a "Turkish" Armenian have no place in any Slavic context.

[Todd]

[Roasted Swan]

Domenico Dall'Oglio, (c1700-1764)
Sonatas for violin & basso continuo (1738), from: XII Sonate A Violino e Violoncello, o Cimbalo,
dedicate a Sua Eccellenza il Sig. Conte Rinaldo Lowenwolde, Gran Maresciallo di Corte di sua Maesta Imperatrice di tutte le Russie. (Paris 1738).

Sonata 1/4/8/9/12.

Maria Krestinskaya violin, (Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Brescia 1627).
Grigory Krotenko, bassetto, (Giovanni Paolo Maggini Brescia 1600, restaured by Alexey Vorobyev, Moscow 2016).
Imbi Tarum, harpsichord, (after Giusti by John Byron Will, Portland 1983), organ (Norbert Kirchner 1995).
Recording: 2017 at Augustiner Chorherrenstift St. Florian, Sommerrefektorium (Austria)

The works are wonderfully balanced, poetically and virtuosically played and accompanied by a professional and varied continuo. A pleasant ambiance in which it is recording.

That's a beautiful-looking Maggini she's playing on.  My viola is a modern Maggini copy and I love it!!

[ando]

Johannes Brahms Complete Works L'Oeuvre Intégrale Gesamtwerk (2008, Brilliant Classics)

Nice find at the Record Exchange yesterday. I'm impressed with the level of playing on the set given its budget value; but just because BC media has little to no trade value doesn't preclude fine material to which this 60 CD set can obviously attest. The YT poster above grouped them into nice batches but I'm glad to have the individual discs at my disposal. Makes a fine intro/gift set. YouTube playlist

[Harry]

British Violin Sonatas, Volume 3.

York Bowen (1884– 1961) Sonata, Op. 112 (1945) in E minor, for Violin and Piano, To Peggy Radmall.
John Ireland (1879– 1962) Sonata No. 2 (1915– 17) in A minor, for Violin and Piano, To Albert Sammons.
James Francis Brown (b. 1969) The Hart's Grace (2016) for Piano and Violin, To Tom Hammond.
William Alwyn (1905– 1985) Sonatina (1933) for Violin and Piano.
Eric Coates (1886– 1957) premiere recording in this version, First Meeting (1941, revised 1943)
Souvenir for Violin and Piano, To Austin on his twenty-first birthday.

Tasmin Little, Violin, Piers Lane, Piano.
Recording venue, Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk, 2019.

Fine performances and ditto sound.

[Linz]

Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D Major Sir John Babirolli and Songs of a Wayfarer William Steinberg, Dietrich Fischer-Deskaau, baritone New York Philharmonic

[Spotted Horses]

Toch String Quartet No 11, Bushberger Quartet



Now we are getting into avant garde material. The first movement strikes me as the most effective, a turbulent affair. The second movement (assuming the role of quick scherzo) is also impressive. I found myself a little lost in the slow movement, which is followed by a brief, bracing finale.

[Spotted Horses]

Johannes Brahms Complete Works L'Oeuvre Intégrale Gesamtwerk (2008, Bri;;iant Classics)

Nice find at the Record Exchange yesterday. I'm impressed with the level of playing on the set given its budget value; but just because BC media has little to no trade value doesn't preclude fine material to which this 60 CD set can obviously attest. The YT poster above grouped them into nice batches but I'm glad to have the individual discs at my disposal. Makes a fine intro/gift set.

I had that set (which is collected from some obscure sources, some very famous sources from major labels) but I have no idea what I did with it or why.

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, 1894 Original Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak, Riccardo Chailly

[vers la flamme]

Johannes Brahms Complete Works L'Oeuvre Intégrale Gesamtwerk (2008, Brilliant Classics)

Nice find at the Record Exchange yesterday. I'm impressed with the level of playing on the set given its budget value; but just because BC media has little to no trade value doesn't preclude fine material to which this 60 CD set can obviously attest. The YT poster above grouped them into nice batches but I'm glad to have the individual discs at my disposal. Makes a fine intro/gift set.

Damn! Great find.

For me:



Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.4 in G major. Rafael Kubelík, Bavarian RSO, Elsie Morison

First listen. Main thing I'm noting about this recording is that Kubelík seems to have strongly brought out a certain bass clarinet (?) line that I never noticed before in the second subject of the first movement. (Right around the 2 minute mark if anyone wants to hear what I'm talking about.) Otherwise all I can say is that it's a strong performance of one of my favorite Mahler symphonies.