What are you listening 2 now?

[steve ridgway]

Respighi: Feste Romane

[Que]

2nd disc. It's fortunate that an important gap in my Franco-Flemish collection is suddenly filled. I have a wonderful Manchicourt recording by the Huelgas Ensemble, but that has a crosssection of Manchicourt's secular and sacred repertoire - no complete masses. The music is very impressive, marked by continuous organic shifts. Performed at unaltered (lower) pitch my a small group of male singers, it creates a wonderful mood.

[Irons]

Bax: Cello Sonata.



Kicked off listening session with George Lloyd's 11th Symphony which I did enjoy. Not star of the show though as that accolade goes to Arnold Bax! At an hour of symphonic listening my admittedly short attention span is on the wane and it would take something special to perk me up (so to speak ). Middle movement of the Bax Cello Sonata is stunningly beautiful.

[Mandryka]

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/55/000169555.pdf

Decent sound - the Brahms is "interesting" The booklet shows Pletnev to be an old reactionary, so I've completely lost respect.

[AnotherSpin]

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/55/000169555.pdf

Decent sound - the Brahms is "interesting" The booklet shows Pletnev to be an old reactionary, so I've completely lost respect.

I listened to Pletnev live back in Soviet times, some early CDs later. For some reason he seemed interesting then, maybe in comparison to the average products of the so-called "Russian" school of pianism. And I could never get rid of some kind of dreary, nauseating heaviness, viscous energy coming from him, and my invariably bad feeling afterwards. I happily got rid of my interest in him many years ago.

[Florestan]

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/55/000169555.pdf

Decent sound - the Brahms is "interesting" The booklet shows Pletnev to be an old reactionary, so I've completely lost respect.

In another thread you seem to be appreciative of "free thinkers". Well, nowadays, in the era of mass conformity to the latest "progressive" fad, especially amongst the youth, to be an old reactionary is to be a courageous "free thinker". 

[prémont]

The booklet shows Pletnev to be an OLD REACTIONARY, so I've completely lost respect.

In a political or musical sense - or both?

[Que]

Toccate e Partite - Libro Primo, Francesco Cera, harpsichord.

[Florestan]

In a political or musical sense - or both?

Judge for yourself.

[Alexei Shor] is a melodist, and being a melodist nowadays is the greatest courage. Everyone can write nonsense, and this is considered good. But no one wants to listen to this. Shor is an independent person, he writes what he wants and what he hears. That's why his music is so popular.

[Florestan]

TD



Not too late at all: the Orthodox Easter will be celebrated tomorrow. 

[prémont]

Judge for yourself.

Yes, he seems to be very critical of Mad Vlad.

[Florestan]

Yes, he seems to be very critical of Mad Vlad.

Some of his views, here:

https://www.riorchestra.org/news/pletnev-interview

[Todd]

Starting in on a proper, multi-listening session once over of this set.

[Selig]

No booklet on Qobuz, but the sound is streaming.

Booklet is here: https://www.blueheron.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/645312499656_Booklet.pdf

I've been listening to this non-stop, just some of the best songs ever written IMO.

[VonStupp]

Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Mass in B-flat Major, op. 77
Alma Virgo, op. 89a
Mass in D Major, op. 111

Susan Gritton, soprano
Collegium Musicum 90 - Richard Hickox

After going through Haydn's masses, I couldn't ignore his Esterházy successor Hummel.

Hummel is at his creative, forward-looking best during the Credo and Sanctus in both works. The Alma Virgo is a bit of high-flying soprano fun.
VS

[Florestan]

[AnotherSpin]

[Iota]

Debussy: La damoiselle élue

Already at 24 years old, Debussy's harmonies appear to be carried along in a permanent state of ecstatic suspension, supposedly Wagner-inspired yet so different. A very lovely thing.

[Keemun]

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 (Till Fellner, Kent Nagano, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal)

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Jacques Ibert: Le chevalier errant & Les amours de Jupiter. Orchestre national de Lorraine, Jacques Mercier.