What are you listening 2 now?

[SonicMan46]

Martinů - continuing listening to my collection with the recordings below:

Orchestral Works, Piano Concertos and Solo Piano x 3 - the latter w/ Paul Kaspar on piano; there is some competition, i.e. Giorgio Koukl on Naxos x 7 volumes and Emil Leichner on Supraphon x 3 disc box - reviews attached of all recordings for those interested.  Dave

 

[Spotted Horses]

I think it was Cato who mentioned the original version of Rachmaninoff's 4th Piano Concerto, recorded by Ghindin with Ashkenazy conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic.



I like it, although I can't say I am familiar with any version of the 4th concerto, sufficiently to compare. Consulting Wikipedia, it seems like the original version as only been published relatively recently and is also available in recordings by Sudbin and Alain Lefèvre. Maybe I'll listen to the final version, perhaps Hough, perhaps one of the big guns like Ashkenazy on piano.

I figured the time was ripe to listen to the final version (the one almost always recorded) and chose Hough/Litton. I recall the set being hyped as sort of non-bombastic, which seems right. In any case, I was left feeling the Ghindin recording was more effective. I can't say I have a good enough mental map of the music to recognize where cuts or significant revisions were made, and I don't know if my preference fro Ghindin is due to the version, or the performance. Even though the forth concerto deviates from Rachmaninoff's stereotypical dark romanticism, it still has the big tunes, and blazing passage work. My taste tends to screw towards the neoclassical in 20th century music.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I used to have one of those GEC metal-coned speakers mentioned on page 2 of that article.  Housed in a bulky octagonal bass-reflex cabinet that I (aged about 15) proudly placed in the corner of my parents' living room.  (Google image search:)  It was willed to me by a favourite uncle so my parents could hardly say no.


Ported in the bottom, and filled with long-fibre wool, the speaker very soon became home to a family of mice.

Oh, noooo!

Here:  a CD by Kim Kashkashian of Ligeti and Kurtág of music for solo viola on ECM.

PD

[Lisztianwagner]

I've been listening to a lot of the third quartet recently, op 30. I find their recording of it particularly congenial.

Agreed, that's an incisive and brilliant performance, absolutely beautifully thrilling, involving playing; although I've listened to several recordings of Schönberg's SQ No.3, the Schoenberg Quartet remains my favourite along with the Leipziger Streichquartett. Same speech for the other String Quartets.

[Lisztianwagner]

Maurice Ravel
Shéhérazade

Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano)
Sir John Barbirolli & New Philharmonia Orchestra

Claude Debussy
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Sir John Barbirolli & Hallé Orchestra

[AnotherSpin]

Op. 106

[VonStupp]

CM von Weber
Horn Concertino in E minor, op. 45

Barry Tuckwell, horn
AoSMitF - Neville Marriner

I certainly wasn't expecting multiphonics here, but it ramps up the virtuosity Weber requires from the instrument.
VS

[Linz]

Mozart Symphony No. 32 in G major, K.318
Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major, "Titan", Seiji Ozawa, Saito Kinen Orchestra

[ritter]

Roger Sessions' Symphonies No. 4 and No. 5, and Rhapsody for Orchestra. Christian Badea conducts the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

[Linz]

Hermann Nitsch für Anton Bruckner on orgamn
Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major, 1878 Version Ed. Leopold Nowak, European Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Jan Marthe

[Spotted Horses]

Roger Sessions' Symphonies No. 4 and No. 5, and Rhapsody for Orchestra. Christian Badea conducts the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

I have loved all of the Sessions I have heard. I have a release with Symphonies 6, 7, 9 conducted by David Russel Davies and No 2 by Blomstedt. I should have this release too.

[Mandryka]

Agreed, that's an incisive and brilliant performance, absolutely beautifully thrilling, involving playing; although I've listened to several recordings of Schönberg's SQ No.3, the Schoenberg Quartet remains my favourite along with the Leipziger Streichquartett. Same speech for the other String Quartets.

I think I'd agree with you about the Leipzig Quartet. I've never heard these quartets in concert here in London. I could well have missed something - if they get played at all I suspect it's very rarely.

[ritter]

I have loved all of the Sessions I have heard. I have a release with Symphonies 6, 7, 9 conducted by David Russel Davies and No 2 by Blomstedt. I should have this release too.

I too very much like all the Sessions I have listened to. I have the Dennis (not David  ) Russell Davies disc you mention, but not the Blomstedt CD. I know Symphony No. 2 from this multi-conductor disc, where the work is conducted by Mitropoulos.



I feel very attuned to Sessions' style...

[SonicMan46]

For the afternoon and early evening, more Martinů - Piano Trios & Quintets and the 3-disc set of the String Quartets (first 2 CDs) - Dave 

   

[Florestan]

On MEZZO TV

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5

Lahav Shani, Orchestre de Paris

Superb performance of one of my top 3 Romantic symphonies.

[VonStupp]

CM von Weber
Oboe Concertino in C Major, ICW 13

Lajos Lencsés, oboe
Berlin RSO - Hans E. Zimmer

VS

[Linz]

Mozart Piano Concertos 9 E flat major. K 271 and Piano Concerto No.17 inG major, K453, Andreas Staier, Concerto Koln

[Todd]

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, 1894 Original Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak, Wiener Philharmoniker, Zubin Mehta

[classicalgeek]

Great piece - Berglund's early/1st ever recording of Kullervo in Bournemouth remains my favourite of all - it has the zealous spirit of discovery!

I've been trying to find his Bournemouth recording for a while now - and my best bet is to get it from Japan, it seems. Of course, it's also in the just-released Berglund box, but as I have two of his Sibelius cycles (Bournemouth [which doesn't include Kullervo] and Helsinki) as well as some of his other recordings, I've been on the fence about buying it.