What are you listening 2 now?

[Traverso]

Oh, I was thinking about composers, not choreographers or dancers. What ballets can rival those of Adam, Delibes, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Stravinsky in terms of fame and popularity? Maybe Minkus with Don Quijote and Falla with El amor brujo and El sombrero de tres picos. For the rest, name one single famous and popular German, Italian, English, American or whatever non French, non-Russian ballet. 

Did you finish the Schubert on YouTube ? 

[Traverso]

Winsemius is one of those organists who I admire, or rather who touches and inspires me.

Great musician !

[Florestan]

Did you finish the Schubert on YouTube ? 

Not yet. I advance rather slowly. Honestly, not understanding the dialogues proves to be a greater nuisance than I initially thought.

[Iota]

Britten: Cello Symphony, Op. 68

The extraordinary depth and subtlety of Britten's expressive imagination is on full display in this mesmerising performance. A deeply haunting score, that navigates its way to extraordinary places en route to its luminous ending. Watkins is superb, naturally breathing the music's rarefied air, and feeling symbiotically connected with Gardner's Rolls Royce direction of the BBC Phil, who play sensationally. An unforgettable performance.

 And prompted by a discussion in Tippet's Tearoom, this:



Tippett: Symphony No.1

Wonderful. Never heard Brabbins' take on Tippett's symphonies before. Clearly a grave error.

[Traverso]

Not yet. I advance rather slowly. Honestly, not understanding the dialogues proves to be a greater nuisance than I initially thought.

Try to see it as a spiritual exercise  ,really there are beautiful and even shocking moments when Schubert is in his last days The fly on the table when he is at work, the woman who lives opposite him and who shy as he is secretly watching her . The outing with his friend Schober and not to forget his deterioration, which is movingly depicted and which completely overwhelmed  me when I saw it,the deterioration was heartbreaking to see.

[pjme]

I agree, but who cares wen you get so many talented choreographers from all over the world who draw in huge crowds dancing to Beethoven, Bach, German Schlagers, Kabelac, Janacek, Indian and iranian folk, electronic soundscapes, Rameau, Chavez, hiphop, jazz, silence, ...and countless new compositions. I am really happy to see that dance/ballet is alive and kicking.
I have tickets for Hervé Koubi:

Pina Bausch cannot be forgotten:

Jiri Kylian

Maurice Béjart

Opéra de Paris

[JBS]

Oh, I was thinking about composers, not choreographers or dancers. What ballets can rival those of Adam, Delibes, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Stravinsky in terms of fame and popularity? Maybe Minkus with Don Quijote and Falla with El amor brujo and El sombrero de tres picos. For the rest, name one single famous and popular German, Italian, English, American or whatever non French, non-Russian ballet. 

Appalachian Spring and Rodeo.

[Florestan]

Appalachian Spring and Rodeo.

Are they as famous and popular as Swan Lake, Giselle or The Firebird? I don't mean on GMG but in the world at large.

[aukhawk]

Checkmate

[pjme]

..... in the world at large.

Of course not.   And time for something else! 

[Spotted Horses]

It's a 1950 recording from Abbey Road Studios in London.

Score!



I even listened to it. My notes mention "striking intensity" and "unmatched," although the audio is not idea.

[vandermolen]

Score!



I even listened to it. My notes mention "striking intensity" and "unmatched," although the audio is not idea.

Excellent!

[Spotted Horses]

Excellent!

Speaking of Martinu, look at listening notes, there is another wonderful piece by Martinu, the Sinfonia Concertante H 322, that is marvelous (my notes say a 20th century Brandburg Concerto) that has apparently only been recorded once, by Hickox. Available in this compilation:

[vandermolen]

The highlights (for me) here are Creston's 'Corinthians XIII' which I find very moving - especially the end section and, above all, Samuel Barber's 'Prayers of Kierkegaard' which I don't think that I've ever listened to properly before - what a beautiful work which I much prefer, for example, to Bernstein's 'Chichester Psalms' which, unlike many others, I find dull and pretentious:

[vandermolen]

Speaking of Martinu, look at listening notes, there is another wonderful piece by Martinu, the Sinfonia Concertante H 322, that is marvelous (my notes say a 20th century Brandburg Concerto) that has apparently only been recorded once, by Hickox. Available in this compilation:

I have that CD as well.

[springrite]

Complete Chopin Nocturnes (Pires)

My favorite set (along with Moravec and Arrau)

[Spotted Horses]

Having listened to Skrowaczewski's recording of Bruckner 7, I decided to revisit the recording that was my introduction to the piece, Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker, 1975



This time I listened to the hi-rez download (from Presto) that accompanied the blu ray reissue. I only got through the first movement so far, but the music is beautifully shaped, and the overall music argument seems more focused than Skrowaczewski. The 1970's audio is somewhat congested, as I find is typical of the era for DGG. That's a problem in these dense orchestral textures. I was hoping that the new remastering would lift a veil on the audio, but I don't find it to be the case.

[Traverso]

Fitzwilliam Virginal Book

CD 14

 

[Harry]

Jan Dismas Zelenka 1679-1745
Sei Sonate à due Hautbois, Violino et Basson con Basso Continuo, ZWV 181.
2CD'S.
Ensemble Zefiro.
CD1: recorded in February 1993 at Villa Schiarino, Mantova (Italy).
CD2: recorded in February 1995 at the Auditorium Tibor Varga, Sion (Switzerland).

Sublime performances and very well recorded to start with. Zelenka seems to have no regard for the performers here and demands dexterity and an almost superhuman breathing technique from the soloists and this on period instruments no less. I can only conclude that the music has lost none of its validity over the years. Gorgeous.

[DavidW]

The octet is an underrated masterpiece imo.  I love all these works, but my favorite is the Symphony in Three Movements.  Fantastic recording.  I forgot how much I loved Craft's Stravinsky!  I was introduced to his conducting when Karl led a discussion group on one of Stravinsky's works (not from this album) a few years back (okay maybe several).