What are you listening 2 now?

[SonicMan46]

Frost: Vivaldi. This is a great recording!

 

David - Frost and Concerto Köln -     Now, Amazon states "Performed on the mellow, songlike chalumeau" - well he's holding what appears to be a modern clarinet in the pic above, plus I inserted a replicate chalumeau which has no resemblance - however, James Manheim quoted below from AllMusic seems to clarify the 'hybrid' instrument - available on Spotify so will take a listen.  Dave

Some of the publicity surrounding the album states that Fröst plays a chalumeau, a reed instrument that was the clarinet's direct ancestor. That's not quite right: he plays a specially made boxwood instrument with characteristics of both the clarinet and chalumeau, and it's gorgeous. (Source)

[Todd]

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No, 6 in A Major, 1881 Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak, Berliner Philharmoniker, Daniel Barenboim

[NumberSix]

Liszt: Sonata in B Minor (and other solo pieces)
Krystian Zimerman

[André]

Jolivet's first symphony (1953) is a classically built work (4 movements, 25 minutes, with standard italian tempo markings). All attempts at finding anything 'classical' about it end there, I think. Its 4 movements are packed thick with ideas, mostly of the surging, motoric, acerbic kind. The orchestration is quite dense (3-3-3-3-4-4-3-1, timpani, harp, strings) and used unsparingly. Prokofiev's Scythian Suite sounds airy and balletic in comparison.

OK, I'm exaggerating a bit (barely). The fact is that this is a dense, action-packed score, full of bright colours and pounding rythms. Despite all the dissonance and drive, it is resolutely tonal and tightly held together. Just don't expect french elegance or refinement.

Conductor Georges Tzipine is an old hand at that kind of thing. He was a masterful conductor of the french repertoire of his time: Schmitt, Roussel, Honegger, Milhaud, Ibert etc. I've never heard anything by him that didn't sound totally committed. He was the kind of conductor who believed the work at hand was a masterpiece. The orchestra play like demons (great wind section) and the stereo sound is very fine.

The coupling is from an unknown french russian (or ukrainian?)émigré composer and is written in a more abstract, dissonant idiom. There is a prominent piano part. Marius Constant conducts with precision.

Worth listening to for the Jolivet symphony. This particular performance can be found on YT.

[vandermolen]

Khachaturian: Symphony No.1
This is my favourite of the three AK CPO symphony releases.
The Dance Suite is an added bonus.

[ritter]

Arturo Tamayo conducts the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchestre Berlin in late (1965-1980) works by Alberto Ginastera: Estudios sinfónicos, op. 35, Glosses sobra temes de Pau Casals, op.  48, Iubilum, op. 51, and Concerto per corde, op. 33.



An essential Ginastera programme, superbly performed.

[Linz]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Complete Clavier-Concerte
Concert 22 Es-Dur KV 482
Concert 23 A-Dur KV 488
Anima Eterna Jos van Immerseel

[NumberSix]

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto, Violin Sonata
Leila Josefowicz
Oramo, CBSO

[kyjo]

Benjamin Britten
Symphony for Cello and Orchestra
Edward Gardner
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Chandos

Britten has always been a bit of a gap in my roster of English composers (as has William Walton, really), so recs by @Karl Henning are pretty timely. I don't think I really 'get' him, yet.

Britten's Cello Symphony is hardly one of his more immediately accessible works. Do give these more accessible (but still fully characteristic) works of his a try:

Piano and Violin Concerti
Diversions for piano left-hand and orchestra
Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes
Sinfonia da Requiem
String Quartet No. 2
Cello Suite No. 1 and Cello Sonata

I would also recommend the song cycle Les Illuminations and the Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, but I recalled that you're not a fan of vocal music whatsoever.

Also, it surprises me that you're not very familiar with Walton's music either! I can hardly imagine it disappointing you.

[foxandpeng]

Britten's Cello Symphony is hardly one of his more immediately accessible works. Do give these more accessible (but still fully characteristic) works of his a try:

Piano and Violin Concerti
Diversions for piano left-hand and orchestra
Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes
Sinfonia da Requiem
String Quartet No. 2
Cello Suite No. 1 and Cello Sonata

I would also recommend the song cycle Les Illuminations and the Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, but I recalled that you're not a fan of vocal music whatsoever.

Also, it surprises me that you're not very familiar with Walton's music either! I can hardly imagine it disappointing you.

Thank you, Kyle. Really appreciate your kindness in taking time to recommend these!

I shall poke and explore...

[Daverz]

Rouse: Bassoon Concerto

Such a cool piece.  (The war between adblock and YT seems to be heating up again, so apologies if you can't get to this.)

[Bachtoven]

[Karl Henning]

Just because I haven't listened to the piece in an age:
Richard Strauß
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40
Chicago Symphony
Fritz Reiner

[Karl Henning]

Just because I haven't listened to the piece in an age:
Richard Strauß
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40
Chicago Symphony
Fritz Reiner

And because you knew that wouldn't be the end of it:

Richard Strauß
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
Chicago Symphony
Fritz Reiner

[NumberSix]

Shostakovich: Piano Concertos (and Violin Sonata)
Alexander Melnikov (piano), with Isabelle Faust (violin), with Jeroen Berwaerts (trumpet)
Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Teodor Currentzis

[André]

Not uninteresting, but not as good as many other volumes of this series.



A fine program, beautifully played and recorded.

[JBS]

All told, the Klose is not only much longer but also more interesting than the Bruckner. Pity he didn't write more.

[steve ridgway]

And because you knew that wouldn't be the end of it:

Richard Strauß
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
Chicago Symphony
Fritz Reiner

ẞuper

NP new download from Chandos sale..

Stravinsky: Histoire du Soldat Suite



Nice clear sound and the music has just enough dissonance to keep it interesting  .

[steve ridgway]

Scelsi: Pranam II