What are you listening 2 now?

[Mapman]

Haydn: String Quartet in G, Op. 17/5
Festetics

Yet another wonderful quartet. The adagio is remarkably operatic, and the finale is quite interesting in how Haydn treats the repeats; it's one of the few Haydn movements where the repeats seem essential to the musical structure.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Kodály piano music. Kornél Zempléni.

[VonStupp]

Dmitri Shostakovich
From Jewish Folk Poetry, op. 79a

Tatiana Sharova, soprano
Ludmila Kuznetsova, mezzo
Alexei Martynov, tenor
Russian State SO - Valery Polyansky

I kind of like the over-emoting of Orgonasova, Stutzmann, and Langridge I heard the other day, somewhat more than the straight and narrow here. These singers are obviously more intimate with the language, however.
VS

[foxandpeng]

Mats Larsson Gothe
First listen
Autumn Diary
So far so good. One brief section reminded me of Malcolm Arnold's 6th Symphony

Lovely stuff. This is potent and emotional music that I really recommend 😁

[JBS]

First listen

To be clear, this is a selection from LoW, plus one by Alkan

Included are
Book 1 op 19b
No 1 in E
No 2 in A
No 4 in A
No 6 in g minor [Venetian Gondola Song]
Book 2 op 30
No 1 in E Flat
No 3 in E
No 6 in f sharp minor [Venetian Gondola Song]
Book 3 op 38
No 2 in c minor
No 6 in A Flat [Duetto]
Book 4 op 53
No 4 in F [Abendlied/Sadness of Soul]
No 5 in a minor [Folksong]
Book 5 op 62
No 3 in e minor [Funeral March]
No 5 in a minor [Venetian Gondola Song]
Book 8 op 102
No 1 in e minor
Alkan Chanson de la folle au bord de la mer op 31/8 [Song of the Mad Woman on the Sea Shore]

[classicalgeek]

Alfred Reed
*El Camino Real
*#Divertimento
%Armenian Dances
%Praise Jerusalem
*Senzoku Gakuen Wind Orchestra
%Otonowa Wind Symphony
#Akuko Kamoi, flute
Alfred Reed
(on Spotify)



More wind ensemble stuff - most of it is really excellent! The only issue here is the Otonowa Wind Symphony is (I'm assuming) a student group, so there are some flubs, clarinet squeaks, intonation issues... but there were (and are) some really top-notch composers who write primarily for wind ensemble! Reed was definitely one of them.

[DavidW]

Seems like I'm not the only one feeling in the mood for some Shostakovich lately?   

Oh I'm so tired I missed the NOT.  

[brewski]

Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (Boston Symphony Orchestra / Andris Nelsons, conductor, Kristine Opolais, Brenden Gunnell, Peter Hoare, Günther Groissböck, and others, plus the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, live recording from Jan. 27, 2024).

Listen to it on WCRB here.

I so wish I could have made it up to Boston to hear this live, but oh well. The performance is stunning, with Opolais in outstanding form in the title role. According to this press release, the performance will be released as part of the orchestra's ongoing Shostakovich cycle for Deutsche Grammophon.

-Bruce

[Peter Power Pop]

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (Sydney Symphony / Vladimir Ashkenazy)

[Mapman]

Alfred Reed
*El Camino Real
*#Divertimento
%Armenian Dances
%Praise Jerusalem
*Senzoku Gakuen Wind Orchestra
%Otonowa Wind Symphony
#Akuko Kamoi, flute
Alfred Reed
(on Spotify)



More wind ensemble stuff - most of it is really excellent! The only issue here is the Otonowa Wind Symphony is (I'm assuming) a student group, so there are some flubs, clarinet squeaks, intonation issues... but there were (and are) some really top-notch composers who write primarily for wind ensemble! Reed was definitely one of them.

I played Armenian Dances Part 1 and (an arrangement of) El Camino Real in high school. It was a lot of fun to play, especially Armenian Dances. This performance on YouTube is excellent:

[JBS]

CDs 3 and 4



The first of 8 CDs devoted to Johann Christian Bach. By number of discs, JCB is the third most important composer in this set; only Mozart (28 1/2, roughly half of the box) and Schubert (10) bulk larger. (The mighty Beethoven only has 5 1/2, Papa Bach 2, Chopin and Haydn one each, while Franck and Schumann share the final CD.)

The JCB recordings might be called first generation HIP: Ms. Haebler played a fortepiano built for her in 1956 for the Mozart bicentennial by J C Neupert of Bamberg, based off 18th century originals by Stein, Walter, Graf, and Konnicke. The instrument appears in some of her Mozart recordings and her recording of Haydn piano sonatas.

[SimonNZ]

[steve ridgway]

Ives: String Quartet No. 1

[vandermolen]

Martinu: Double Concerto for Strings, Piano and Timpani to be followed by Janacek's Sinfonietta:

[Irons]

Eric Coates: The Three Elizabeths.

Adrian Boult conducting BBC Concert Orchestra.



A strange decision by BBC MM to programme a work by Eric Coates coupled with Walton and not bother to include the information on the face cover of CD, seems an afterthought. The attraction of Walton  does not replicate to Coates, not for me anyway. However, to my surprise, I enjoyed 'The Three Elizabeths' very much indeed and without doubt the second suite 'Springtime in Angus' is a beautiful piece of music.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I have this one. The Sibelius was the less impressive of the two concertos.

There seems to be one other recording. I don't know what it's like.

And, importantly, I realized it's now his First Violin Concerto.
Franz Peter Zimmerman has recorded the Second Concerto.

So that's on the shopping list now.
TD
Appropriately, another Violin Concerto

Thanks for the info and your thoughts.  I've found movements from all three and the complete No. 2 with Zimmermann on youtube.  Will listen to them later.

PD

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Kodály piano music. Kornél Zempléni.

I'm not familiar with the pianist, but I do enjoy Kodaly's music and Hungaroton was a fine label.

PD

[Harry]

No BIS recordings anymore on Qobuz, it makes me sick, and really angry.    

Go From My Window.
English Renaissance Ballad Tunes For The Lute By John Dowland & Contemporaries.
Nigel North, Lute.
See back cover for details.

Recorded at National Centre for Early Music, York, UK 2001.

A balm, this music, to calm my shattered nerves. Linn made a fine recording, and Nigel North assures quality.

[Que]

After the successful Cantiones Sacrae (1775), I had high expectations. It's nice but quite mellow... I've heard performances of these masses that were more expressive (edgier) and insightful.

I'm realising that cherry picking this series would be better than a completist approach. One favourite recording sofar....

A similar sentiment expressed by Amaxon's Gio:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1JMF942WHFOM2/

https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-5167/

[vandermolen]

John Kinsella: Symphony No.7
RTÉ National SO
Gavin Maloney (cond.)
National Chamber Choir of Ireland