What are you listening 2 now?

[Lisztianwagner]

Do you have a redcording of Jakobsleiter ?

A spiritual journey to be experienced and meditated upon!

Yes, I have two, Boulez/BBC Symphony Orchestra and Gielen/SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg.

I remember you once commented enthusiastically about Die Jakobsleiter on the Schönberg thread; that's an impressive, striking work, no doubt!

[Brian]

First up:



Found this streaming edition of the Konzertstuck for Four Horns, recommended by a brand-new GMGer who plays the horn.

from:



Holy smokes!  So, I've heard I don't know how many versions of Ravel's orchestration of Pictures.  Qualitatively, they range from downright awful to well-played, colorful, and forgettable.  Even conductors I really like don't make it past the latter category.  This recording, on the other hand, blows all others I've heard into the weeds.  The playing is a bit scrappy here and there, and the mono sound is limited - though Sony remastering engineers did a fantastic job and dynamic range exceeds expectations - but the playing is blistering, intense, and eminently entertaining.  I was completely taken by surprise; I spun this disc as a dutiful spin, a one and done type thing.  But no, to the extent I can have a reference of this work, this is now it.  The Hopak encore is icing on the cake.  Wow, just wow.

Now copycatting your listen - found the streaming version. This is the fastest Pictures I've ever heard at 27:20, and I can't help thinking there's a correlation there.

[Traverso]

Mozart

Symphonies 41-35 & 34

[Harry]

CHRISTOPHER TYE (c.1505–1573).
Complete Consort Music.
Phantasm.
Recorded at Boxgrove Priory, Sussex, UK 2016.

A well balanced performance, with beautiful but serious music. The metrical and harmonic experiments that Tye lets us hear in his mystically-inflected instrumental works were exceedingly bold for his time, and to my ears still are. A playful, and nuanced performance, placing another piece of the puzzle in the rich world of English musical history. SOTA sound.

[Todd]

This is the fastest Pictures I've ever heard at 27:20, and I can't help thinking there's a correlation there.

There definitely is; I usually find that the piece drags on and on and on.  That can work on solo piano, but not with an orchestra.

[vandermolen]

I love that cd and it is in my modest collection!

Me too, although I prefer the 3rd Symphony 'Heroic'.

[Que]

CHRISTOPHER TYE (c.1505–1573).
Complete Consort Music.
Phantasm.
Recorded at Boxgrove Priory, Sussex, UK 2016.

A well balanced performance, with beautiful but serious music. The metrical and harmonic experiments that Tye lets us hear in his mystically-inflected instrumental works were exceedingly bold for his time, and to my ears still are. A playful, and nuanced performance, placing another piece of the puzzle in the rich world of English musical history. SOTA sound.

If you permit me to take this opportunity to add some additional thoughts..
The music is in the the notes aptly described as idiosyncratic and complex. IMO it is also very advanced for its age. The performance by Phantasm is really excellent. My usual issue with them is that they can be rather straight, matter-of-fact. But not here: I agree with Harry that they offer here a nuanced, in-depth performance. My only quible is that, considering the daring nature of this particular music, that they could have been a just bit more daring themselves - a bit bold, a bit more free.

Another afterthought: this consort music is also performed by a recorder consort and if you're into recorder music, the result in the recording below is mandatory listening:

[DavidW]

I find often the reason for low level recordings is a recording engineer who is uncompromising with regard to the dynamic range of the bass drum. There is one big thump that takes up 2/3 of the dynamic range. I wonder if that is the case here.

That was definitely the case with Adam Fischer's Mahler recordings.  I needed to turn the volume beyond 12 o'clock on high gain on my preamp to hear the quietest passages, and the loud parts would practically blow my ear drums out.

[DavidW]

Finally had a proper listen to Freiburger in Mendelssohn's 3rd and 4th.  Great!  There is room for PI in romantic era music.  Also my headphones are great, but nothing beats a pair of good speakers.

[ando]

Schubert Trout Quintet The Festival Quartet & Stuart Sankey (1957, RCA Victor Red Seal)
Nikolai Graudan, cello
Stuart Sankey, double bass
Victor Babin, piano
William Primrose, viola
Szymon Goldberg, violin

[Brian]

Time to find out what all the hype is about...



edit: wowwwwwwww, this kid has it all. it's actually almost overwhelming/too much. like I wish he'd do something at only 90% instead of 100% at all times, just because I can't often handle this level of intensity and commitment.

[Todd]

A high voltage Prokofiev 5.  Nice.

[Todd]

Time to find out what all the hype is about...



edit: wowwwwwwww, this kid has it all. it's actually almost overwhelming/too much. like I wish he'd do something at only 90% instead of 100% at all times, just because I can't often handle this level of intensity and commitment.

I've yet to listen to the whole thing, but the tonebase video of his playing, and in particular the seamless transition from Mazeppa to Feux follets makes me want to listen soon.  (Of course, tonebase shows a transition competition where Daniil Trifonov triumphs by taking a silly short break between pieces.) 

[Linz]

Mendelssohn, Rossini, Bruch - Works for Clarinet and Orchestra, Ludmila Peterková, Jirí Belohlávek & Prague Philharmonia

[ritter]

Some wonderful compositions by Luciano Berio, conducted by the composer: Voci, Requies, and Corale.

[Brian]

After that Yunchan Lim recital (including an encore play of "Harmonies du soir"), I need to calm down with something lighter and calmer and easier to process. You know...like Bruckner 9.

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, 1890 Thorough revision Bruckner with Joseph and Franz Schalk Ed. Theodor Raettig, Wiener Philharmoniker, Carl Schuricht

[Bachtoven]

Time to find out what all the hype is about...



edit: wowwwwwwww, this kid has it all. it's actually almost overwhelming/too much. like I wish he'd do something at only 90% instead of 100% at all times, just because I can't often handle this level of intensity and commitment.

Have you heard Lazar Berman's recording from the 1960s? It's at least as intense, if not more, although the sound is rather poor.

[Bachtoven]

After enjoying this on Qobuz, I bought the SACD. Very powerful works, although I could do without the sung/spoken parts in No.5.

[Madiel]

Haydn op.71/2 for breakfast. I forgot how much I like this opening movement!