What are you listening 2 now?

[Spotted Horses]

@Pohjolas Daughter @Spotted Horses The most accessible Pfitzner I've heard is the op 50 string quartet

I will put Pfitzner on my mental queue as the next installment in my survey of 20th century string quartets. I'm probably not looking for the most accessible. With Pfitzner I seem to find the works too accessible, I tend to like the more thorny music. Is there a better alternative to the cpo series of Pfitzner chamber music?

[Florestan]

Superb music, humorous libretto, very good performance. A peach of a sleeper, bearing Florestan's Stamp of Approval.

[Linz]

Franz Schubert Octet in F Major, D. 803, Nonet, D. 79, Consortium Classicum, Dieter Klöcker

[Daverz]

NP:

Janáček
Glagolitic Mass
Elisabeth Söderström, František Livora, Drahomíra Drobková, Richard Novák
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic Choir
Mackerras

From this OOP Japan issue -

It's now in one of the "Life with Czech Music" sets, which Presto still lists in stock

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7990958--life-with-czech-music-janacek-martinu



First listen:

Steve Elcock: Violin Concerto & Symphony No. 8

Rather dark and pensive music. 

[SonicMan46]

More Quantz for the afternoon and evening - Flute Sonatas & Quartets - he wrote so much of this music that there is virtually no repetition!  Dave 

   

   

[Bachtoven]

Here is Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez played as a guitar trio. Sure, it loses some color and weight compared to the original, but at least the solo guitar part is clearly audible, played here by master guitarist Marcin Dylla.

[Que]

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major, 1878 Version Ed. Leopold Nowak, Eugen Jochum, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

[foxandpeng]

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen
Complete String Quartets Vol 1
SQs 1 - 6
Nordic String Quartet

Long overdue revisiting of these works. Good to reacquaint before volume 2 comes out...

[Karl Henning]

Vincent Persichetti: Mass
William Schuman: Carols of Death
William Bolcom: The Mask
Irving Fine: The Hour-Glass
Lukas Foss: Psalms

Dwight Bigler, piano
University of Texas Chamber Choir
James Morrow

What wonderful finds! The Persichetti, Bolcom, and Foss were new to me; the Persichetti is notable for its chant-like solemnity ala a Duruflé or Bruckner motet, the Bolcom for its mix of ragtime and topical seriousness, and Foss for its Bernstein-like rhythmic profile.

I might have preferred Volume 1 for its orchestra, but this 2nd Volume is quite fine too.
VS

Very nice!

TD:

[Karl Henning]

Amy Beach (1867–1944)
Quartet for Strings, Op.89.
Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op.34.
Pastorale, Op.151,for Woodwind Quintet.
Dreaming, Op.15 No.3 from Four Sketches for piano.
Ambache.
Recording venue, St Michael's Church, Highgate, London 2002.

What a lovely release, artistically and soundwise top notch. Beach is one of my favourite  female composers.

Looks very nice, Harry!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Scriabin symphonies. Kitajenko/Frankfurt.

[Symphonic Addict]

The whole CD, which includes: Clarinet Sonata, Divertimento for solo flute, Crepuscule for harp, Oboe Sonata, Flute Sonata and Sonata-Impromptu for violin and viola. A most compelling programme of Alwyn's chamber works. The Clarinet Sonata is terrific, one of the most impressive ones I've heard. The Oboe Sonata also stood out, so did the Sonata-Impromptu for violin and viola and the little Crepuscule. The works with flute didn't grab me to the same degree, but they were nice too.

[Mapman]

Weinberg: Sinfonietta #2
Chmura: National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Weinberg's music continues to impress me. I'm also looking forward to seeing this orchestra perform Mahler's 2nd next week!

[Spotted Horses]

Scriabin symphonies. Kitajenko/Frankfurt.

I bet that's fantastic.

[Symphonic Addict]

Tchaikovsky: String Quartet in B-flat major and String Quartet No. 1

The finest cycle of Tchaikovsky's quartets hands down. I hadn't paid much attention to the famous slow movement from the SQ 1 and this time I'm obsessed with it and this performance does it right with the correct pacing. That simple yet effective melody on it manages to convey an irrepressible sense of longing I find quite endearing and poignant to some extent. The power of music never ceases to amaze me.

[JBS]

Doing a 2 hour stretch of Haydn tonight

Number 55 in E Flat "Schoolmaster"
Number 56 in C
Number 57 in D
Number 63 in C "Roxelane".

[Le Buisson Ardent]

It's now in one of the "Life with Czech Music" sets, which Presto still lists in stock

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7990958--life-with-czech-music-janacek-martinu

Ah yes, but the iteration I own is OOP.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Continuing on with Svetlanov's Glazunov on Melodiya --- now playing Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 33:

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Last work for the night:

Schnittke
Symphony No. 4
Dmitri Pianov (tenor), Elena Adamovich (harpsichord), Evgeniya Khlynova (celesta), Iaroslav Zdorov (counter-tenor), Igor Khudolei (piano)
Russian State Symphonic Cappella, Russian State Symphony Orchestra
Valery Polyansky

From this OOP recording -