What are you listening 2 now?

[SonicMan46]

Gade, Neils (1817 - 1890) was a Danish composer, violinist, and conductor, who founded the Romantic nationalist school in Danish music; he became acquainted with Danish poetry and folk music. Both Mendelssohn and Schumann, his friends, were attracted by the Nordic character of his music. Gade conducted in Leipzig from 1844 to 1848 and became conductor of the Copenhagen Musical Society in 1850. In 1866 he became a director of the new Copenhagen Conservatory. Gade's early works, reflecting the spirit of Danish folk tunes, were among the first 19th-century examples of the use of native musical idioms and nationalist themes (Source).

Just pulled out my Gade's collection of 14 CDs - shortened bio above (don't believe there is a dedicated thread?) and my recordings attached. List of his compositions show a moderate oeuvre with a variety of works, including 8 Symphonies, a variety of Chamber Music, Piano Works, and much vocal output of all sorts.  I'm starting with the recordings below which includes two versions of his Octet - Dave

   

[André]

I'm not usually a fan of "big boxes" - if they are artists or composers I like there is likely to be too much duplication even at discount prices.  But I was tempted by this box;



50 discs celebrating the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liege.  Repertoire-wise of course there is duplication with other recordings I already have but there is so much unusual/rare/interesting music here. Today I was listening to (not unlucky) disc 13:

Hymne a Venus by Alberic Magnard
Macbeth - paraphrase symphonique by Sylvain Dupuis
Tapiola - Sibelius
Nocturne Symphonique Op.43 - Busoni

A really interesting programme - not sure I know anything else by Dupuis.  A good brooding Tapiola fits in well - similar overall mood to the Busoni and Dupuis using different musical palette.  The orchestral playing is perfectly good and likewise the recording.  I think we are getting so used to "supercharged" playing and engineering that occasionally anything that isn't as obviously dynamic can seem 'less'.  A bit like adding MSG to all your food and loosing the sense of subtle flavours perhaps.

Partly why I enjoy this kind of box is to "lucky dip" into it which is what I did here.  The result was a genuinely enjoyable but unexpected musical journey.  More dipping to come I reckon....!

Oops!! - disc 44 in this box is all Dupuis including a 2nd/different performance of the Macbeth - paraphrase symphonique - that is my next stop....

One of the best impulse purchases I've ever made. It's a treasure trove of goodies.

[André]

Varied and stimulating program. No hint of sameness as all these pieces differ wildly from one another. The Haas quintet is a nice find (for me).

[nico1616]

Apparently Serkin did not want this one to be released during his lifetime, I can't hear anything wrong with it. Great sound!

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, 1887 Original Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Eliahu Inbal

[Bachtoven]

A most apt title! Spectacular playing and very good but rather distant (or too reverberant) sound.


Tracklist

01. Toccata in D Major, BWV 912
02. Prelude & Fugue in E Minor, Op. 35 No. 1: I. Prelude in E Minor, MWV U 116 - II. Fugue in E Minor, MWV U 66
03. Prelude & Fugue in D Minor, Op. 87 No. 24
04. 12 Études in All the Minor Keys: No. 12 in A-Flat Minor "Prelude & Fugue"
05. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier": I. Allegro
06. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier": II. Scherzo. Assai vivace
07. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier": III. Adagio sostenuto
08. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier": IV. Introduzione. Largo - Fuga. Allegro risoluto

[Linz]

Girolamo Frescobaldi Messa della Madonna, Canticum, Lorenzo Ghielmi organ, Christoph Erkins

[VonStupp]

Luigi Cherubini
Mass in A Major,
     for the Coronation of Charles X
Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus
Riccardo Muti

Surprisingly gentle for the occasion of a coronation.
VS

[Karl Henning]

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

My Armenia.  Sergey Khachatryan (violin) & Lusine Khachatryan (piano).

[SonicMan46]

More Niels Gade for the afternoon - String Quartets & Octet w/ the Kontra Quartet et al - he composed 4 SQtrs (see list below) over nearly a 50 year period; note that the second CD below has the early SQ, plus the Octet along with some string movements - not much competition except the Copenhagen String Quartet in an older analog transfer.  Dave

Gade String Quartets - Source
String Quartet, F Major (1840)
String Quartet, F minor (1851)
String Quartet, E minor (1877)
String Quartet, D Major (1888)

 

[Henk]

👌

[Peter Power Pop]

Grétry: Suites & Overtures (Orchestre de Bretagne / Stefan Sanderling)

[Bachtoven]

Wonderful playing and superb sound on this DSD256 download.


https://www.nativedsd.com/product/euddr2406-mysterium/

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, 1894 Original Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak, ewandhausorcheste, Herbert Blomstedt

[Karl Henning]

[brewski]

Tonight's offering from the Bowdoin Festival. I don't know the first two at all.

Arensky: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 32
Sergiu Schwartz, violin • David Ying, cello • Tao Lin, piano

Dai Fujikura: Cosmic Breath (2022)
Fellow, flute • Fellow, oboe • Fellow, clarinet • Fellow, horn • Fellow, bassoon*
*All fellows TBA

Brahms: Trio in A Minor, Op. 114
Stephen Williamson, clarinet • Amir Eldan, cello • Elinor Freer, piano

-Bruce

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Scarlatti Chopin Moussorgski : Anastasya Terenkova.

[foxandpeng]

Miloslav Kabeláč
Complete Symphonies
Symphony #5
Marko Ivanovic
Prague RSO


Nope. Symphony #5 isn't for me. I don't believe in Purgatory, but if I did, this would be the soundtrack.

[Symphonic Addict]

Wellesz: Symphonies 3 and 4

Two more superb symphonies by Wellesz. I like how he handled the contrapuntal element to not make them too academic and give them cohesion and propulsion when needed.