What are you listening 2 now?

[Florestan]

  Adelson & Salvini is Bellini's first opera, his graduation work from the Naples Conservatory. It was first performed in-house with an all-male student cast. It reminded me of Haydn of all people, not because of any musical resemblance but because of its mixture of serious and comic (there is a basso buffo singing in Neapolitan dialect which would have not been out of place in Cimarosa or Paisiello). It's as if Bellini couldn't decide whether he wanted to specialize in opera seria or opera buffa so he left all options on the table. The music, while influenced heavily by Rossini both in his serious and comic vein, nevertheless clearly adumbrates Bellini's later style, sensuous, mellifluous and mesmerizing. The first performance was so successful that the opera was subsequently performed every Sunday for the whole following year.  I have two recordings: the first, contained within the Dynamic Complete Opera box, is live. And very bad live, for that matter. I could listen to the first disc only. The stage sounds are so intrusive and the voices so recessed that at times it's hard to follow who sings what. The turning of pages in the orchestral pit is more clearly audible at times than the voices, go figure! The only thing that is relatively well recorded is the orchestra. Not recommended, actually one to avoid.  The Opera Rara is quite another story altogether, superb studio recording both vocally and orchestrally --- and it has one more advantage over the other: the bass role is sung in the original Neapolitan dialect while in the other it's sung in modern Italian, thus depriving the role of all charm and significance. The main protagonists are all Italian so the diction is (almost) perfect and the understanding rate, at least for me, is 100% in the spoken dialogues (which are unaccompanied) and 80% in the sung numbers. Highly recommended.  Curiously, I noticed slight differences between the overture in the Dynamic recording and the one in the Opera Rara and I must say that the former sounded better than the latter to my ears. This is probably due to the fact that Opera Rara uses the original score, whereas the Dynamic probably uses one of the several revisions that Bellini made later. There are 4 appendix tracks with such alternative numbers on the Opera Rara recording.  All in all, a very enjoyable musical experience, showing that, while between this and I Puritani Bellini made huge steps forward, yet A & S contains unmistakable germs of his unmistakable mature style.

[foxandpeng]

Philip Glass
Complete String Quartets, Volume 2
String Quartets 5 - 7
Quatuor Molinari
ATMA Classique

Continuing to enjoy these.

[Harry]

Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev.
Symphony No.2 in D minor.
Piano Concerto, No.1, in F sharp minor.
Tamara.
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Vassily Sinaisky.
Howard Shelley, Piano.
Recorded, in 1998.

Superb, a good recording too.

[AnotherSpin]

Symphony for Cello and Orchestra

[Todd]

[Harry]

Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932).

Old Russian Circus Music, (Concerto for Orchestra No.3).
Symphony No.2 (Twenty-five Preludes for Orchestra).

BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky.
Recording venue New Broadcasting House, Manchester, 1996.

Another favourite in my book., Again a very good performance and SOTA sound.

[Harry]

Symphony for Cello and Orchestra

I like this recording quite a bit.

[Traverso]

CD 1

Musyck boexken boek 3, "Alderhande danserye", 1551 ; Mohrentanz
Musyck boexken boek 3, "Alderhande danserye", 1551 ; Sel. Pass et medio & Nachtanz Der Stoß
Musyck boexken boek 3, "Alderhande danserye", 1551 ; Sel. Allemande & Nachtanz
Tylman Susato, Jacques van Oortmerssen


Toccata voor toetsinstrument SwWV.283, S.31, "Toccata C2"
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Jacques van Oortmerssen


Susanne van Soldt manuscript ; Den 36 sallem Des boosdoenders wille seer quaet
Susanne van Soldt manuscript ; Den 16 sallem Bewaert mij Heer weest doch myn toeverlaet
Anoniem, Okke Dijkhuizen

Psalm 5
Anoniem, Okke Dijkhuizen
Psalmvariaties Lynar B7 ; Psalm 100 deel I
Psalmvariaties Lynar B7 ; Psalm 100 deel II
Anoniem, Okke Dijkhuizen

Toy made at Poole Court
Thomas Tomkins, Margreet Prinsen

In nomine nr.12, K.31, FVB.37
John Bull, Margreet Prinsen

Susanne van Soldt manuscript ; Almande brun smeedelyn
Anoniem, Margreet Prinsen

Sarabande voor toetsinstrument, "Serband"
Gisbert Steenwick, Margreet Prinsen

Fantasie voor toetsinstrument MB.10
Orlando Gibbons, Margreet Prinsen

Tiento lleno 3o tono
Anoniem, Jan Jongepier

Balletto a 4
Johann Staden, Jan Jongepier

Courante
Johann Staden, Jan Jongepier

Canzona voor toetsinstrument nr.1 in d kl.t.
Johann Kaspar Kerll, Jan Jongepier

Koraalbewerking voor orgel P.13, "Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ"
Johann Pachelbel, Jan Jongepier

Variaties voor orgel nr.1-7, "Vater unser im Himmelreich" ; Sel. versus 1
Variaties voor orgel nr.1-7, "Vater unser im Himmelreich" ; Sel. versus 2
Variaties voor orgel nr.1-7, "Vater unser im Himmelreich" ; Sel. versus 3
Variaties voor orgel nr.1-7, "Vater unser im Himmelreich" ; Sel. versus 5
Variaties voor orgel nr.1-7, "Vater unser im Himmelreich" ; Sel. versus 6
Variaties voor orgel nr.1-7, "Vater unser im Himmelreich" ; Sel. versus 7
Jacob Praetorius, Bert Matter

[Karl Henning]

[aukhawk]

Messiaen: Éclairs sur l'au-delà - Rattle, BPO

This is OK, but it doesn't displace either of the other two recordings that I know.  Maybe this music isn't really playing to the strengths of the Berliners.


Messiaen: Éclairs sur l'au-delà - Rattle, BPO

My preference lies with Myung-Whun Chung from 1994 - crikey, that's 30 years ago! - his Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille is spotlit with the saturation turned up to the max (a DG '4D' production, love it or loathe it) and that seems to suit this densely-textured music much better.  It is simply, a 'brilliant' recording. 
In the other recording I know, Sylvian Cambreling - also well-recorded - takes things much, much slower than either Rattle or Chung and sometimes this pays dividends, but sometimes not.
 

... this book is  worth the investment I think.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1009247670/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've just completed my first traversal of this book: Olivier Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux by Roderick Chadwick and Peter Hill.  Thanks for mentioning it, Mandryka !!
Taking it slowly and listening to some of the music as I go.  The musical examples in the text are indeed a bit indigestible for me (I can read a line, eg as a choral singer, and I can 'follow' a full score while listening to music - but reading a two-handed piano score especially by such as O.M. is a bit beyond me) but that is a minor issue - the book as a whole is a beautiful production and certainly offers great insight into Messiaen's life and thinking around the time that he became 'possessed' by birdsong and the need to set it down as music.  I'm certainly enjoying and understanding Messiaen's Oiseaux - especially the ones I have found 'difficult' - all the more even after the first read through.

One rather strange effect, after 3 weeks or so of deep-diving into Messiaen's music, is that all my other favourite music now feels a little lack-lustre.  Favourite piano composers like Debussy or Prokofiev, favourite orchestral composers like Stravinsky or Sibelius - all sounding a bit flat at the moment!

[DavidW]

[foxandpeng]

Philip Glass
Symphony 1 'Low'
Dennis Russell Davies
Sinfonieorchester Basel

I know nothing of David Bowie's 'Low' album, but I like this a lot. Glass describes the final outcome as a collaboration between the music of Bowie/Eno and his own. Whatever the low brow (no pun intended) - high brow features of this, it is 46 minutes well spent.

I feel a run at Glass coming on...

[Karl Henning]

Classic!

[Harry]

Percy Grainger.
Piano Works.
See back cover for details.
Marc-Andre Hamelin, Piano.
Recorded in St George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol, 1996.

Wonderful! Well played and recorded. Grainger at his best. Cheers one up, when feeling depressed for the lack of SUN.....................

[Bachtoven]

[vandermolen]

Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932).

Old Russian Circus Music, (Concerto for Orchestra No.3).
Symphony No.2 (Twenty-five Preludes for Orchestra).

BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky.
Recording venue New Broadcasting House, Manchester, 1996.

Another favourite in my book., Again a very good performance and SOTA sound.

Yes, but I wish that Chandos would record the far better (IMO) First Symphony.

[vandermolen]

M. Weinberg
Cello Concerto
Best performance and recording of this soulful and approachable work:

[Harry]

Yes, but I wish that Chandos would record the far better (IMO) First Symphony.

Agreed Jeffrey, but alas....

[Mandryka]

Messiaen: Éclairs sur l'au-delà - Rattle, BPO

This is OK, but it doesn't displace either of the other two recordings that I know.  Maybe this music isn't really playing to the strengths of the Berliners.


Messiaen: Éclairs sur l'au-delà - Rattle, BPO

My preference lies with Myung-Whun Chung from 1994 - crikey, that's 30 years ago! - his Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille is spotlit with the saturation turned up to the max (a DG '4D' production, love it or loathe it) and that seems to suit this densely-textured music much better.  It is simply, a 'brilliant' recording. 
In the other recording I know, Sylvian Cambreling - also well-recorded - takes things much, much slower than either Rattle or Chung and sometimes this pays dividends, but sometimes not.
 


I've just completed my first traversal of this book: Olivier Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux by Roderick Chadwick and Peter Hill.  Thanks for mentioning it, Mandryka !!
Taking it slowly and listening to some of the music as I go.  The musical examples in the text are indeed a bit indigestible for me (I can read a line, eg as a choral singer, and I can 'follow' a full score while listening to music - but reading a two-handed piano score especially by such as O.M. is a bit beyond me) but that is a minor issue - the book as a whole is a beautiful production and certainly offers great insight into Messiaen's life and thinking around the time that he became 'possessed' by birdsong and the need to set it down as music.  I'm certainly enjoying and understanding Messiaen's Oiseaux - especially the ones I have found 'difficult' - all the more even after the first read through.

One rather strange effect, after 3 weeks or so of deep-diving into Messiaen's music, is that all my other favourite music now feels a little lack-lustre.  Favourite piano composers like Debussy or Prokofiev, favourite orchestral composers like Stravinsky or Sibelius - all sounding a bit flat at the moment!

I'm very keen to see it performed, the whole thing. I doubt it's going to happen in the UK any time soon, and it's very rare in Europe too. I missed this unfortunately

https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/kerry-yong-performs-messiaen/

[Todd]