What are you listening 2 now?

[Florestan]

[Harry]

Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826)
Orchestral Works.
See back cover for details.
Recording: March 2006 (Symphony No.1) and May 2006 (Symphony No.2) at the Tapiola Hall, Espoo, Finland;
April 2008 (bassoon works) at the Sello Hall, Espoo, Finland.

Excellent performances in SOTA sound. Probably the best interpretations I heard so far. Apart from that, Weber wrote gorgeous music, on that we all agree!

[Florestan]

Live broadcast recordings from 1938 and 1936. Unspecified orchestras conducted by John Barbirolli.

[Madiel]

Okay, but the problem with @ritter is that he doesn't like Chopin at all. 

He has many other excellent qualities to make up for the strange quirks in his musical tastes.

[Cato]

Earl Wild did the First Piano Concerto with Leinsdorf and the BSO in 1969. Raymond Lewenthal did the final movement only of the Second Concerto in 1970.





And Liberace included the Polish Dance in an album that dates to 1952

I remember the RCA Earl Wild album for sure, and maybe the Lewenthal.


That Liberace album must be a real rarity!

[Florestan]

He has many other excellent qualities to make up for the strange quirks in his musical tastes.

Oh, absolutely. I just like to tease him on the matter every now and then. 

[Madiel]

Oh, absolutely. I just like to tease him on the matter every now and then. 

Well, I've seen the purchases today thread, he deserves it this time.

[Harry]

Peter Iljitsch Tchaikovsky.
See back cover for details.
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos van Immerseel,
Recorded 2006, Palais des Beaux Arts de Bruxelles.

This is the finest recording I have of both works. SOTA sound and performance. For me it does not get better as this. The only wish left for me would be that he might record the rest of his Symphonies, and his ballet oeuvre of course! This is first class enjoyment to me.

[Florestan]

A little break from Chopin. Or is it really?

[Todd]

Another go.  Gobsmackingly good.

[Cato]

I think this is the only Scharwenka concerto that Ponti recorded for the Vox series. On CD (possibly also on LP?) it is paired with the Moszkowski, which was recorded in 1968; maybe that's why you remember late '60s?

The Medtner 3 from that series of Ponti recordings is quite special.

That is a possibility!  I recall that a good number of records of "forgotten masters" (e.g. Medtner, Moszkowski, Gottschalk, et al.) came out back then.

VOX  pushed Gottschalk.  The Gottschalk records had some fancy covers:

[foxandpeng]

Rubbra is not completely missing from my collection--I have the String Quartets, the Piano Concerto, and the Lyrita Del Mar recording of the Fourth Symphony--but this is my first encounter with his symphonies as a whole.


BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Richard Hickox conductor

Tonight the First and Second Symphonies.

The set's cover image is Samuel Palmer's A Rustic Scene, dating from 1825, and colorized by the set's designer Cass Cassidy.

These Rubbra symphonies blew me away, really, when I first heard them. I bought them blind many years ago and fell in love immediately with his music. Hopefully, you will also enjoy

[Traverso]

Bizet

Carmen

I did purchase both the DVD and the CD release..I chose the DVD because it has Dutch subtitles, I find French sung with English subtitles difficult.

I've seen clips from the Blu-Ray and it looks fantastic. I think I've only seen a film version once but have always listened to the various recordings without a feeling of missing much. I may change my mind but first I'm going to listen to the CD's.

[Florestan]

The PC.

[Harry]

Rimski Korsakov & Alexander Borodin.
Orchestral Works.
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos van Immerseel.
Recorded in 2004.

Another immense highlight in the baggage of this hugely talented and experienced conductor. It is a miracle how Immerseel succeeds time and time again to create such creative masterworks, as if they are completely new. His take makes me want to listen again and again to this wonderful orchestra. I am duly impressed. SOTA sound.

[pjme]

Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos van Immerseel The only wish left for me would be that he might record the rest of his Symphonies, and his ballet oeuvre of course!

Harry, that is very doubtful now...
"The Board of Directors of Anima Eterna, an orchestra performing on period instruments founded in 1987, has decided to end its collaboration with its conductor, Jos van Immerseel, effective from September 16, 2024.
Despite several unsuccessful attempts to allow Jos van Immerseel to continue his journey with the Orchestra and pass on his knowledge and expertise in a spirit of respect for everyone, the Board has decided to end this working relationship due to repeated aggressive behavior and ongoing breaches of his contractual obligations. After having jointly led the artistic development of Anima alongside the Board of Directors, Jos van Immerseel is now stepping away. Regardless of any disagreements, such moral and professional conduct cannot be justified. The Board of Directors of Anima Eterna is deeply committed to upholding the values of respect and dignity in the organization's operations.
This separation marks the end of the transition period that began more than five years ago with the agreement of Jos van Immerseel. At that time, he had decided to gradually step back, opening the orchestra to other musical directors and collaborative projects capable of securing the future of the Orchestra and passing on knowledge and experience to a new generation.
Jos van Immerseel's musical influence on historically informed performance remains considerable. A true pioneer in the rediscovery of Romantic repertoires up to the early 20^th century on period instruments, Jos van Immerseel helped Anima Eterna and its musicians become one of the most recognized ensembles in Europe and around the world. The Orchestra is proud and grateful for the immense work accomplished under his musical direction for nearly 40 years, as demonstrated by the numerous concerts, award-winning recordings, and the legacy that Anima Eterna intends to carry forward.
Anima Eterna is undergoing a renewal, focusing on its musicians and the music directors who have been united for five years around collaborative projects, with a new artistic and civic vision that ensures the Orchestra's future and the transmission of its legacy, knowledge, and experience to a new generation.
This new artistic and civic project, soon to be unveiled, is driven by essential values: long-standing ones such as artistic excellence, the sharing of knowledge, the central role of research, and a continuous questioning of sources and practices far from dogmatism; but also by values defining a 21^st-century orchestra and its artistic leadership, including inclusivity, diversity, a focus on youth, and impeccable ethical behavior.
More than ever, Anima Eterna is both a witness to and an active participant in its time, ready to take on the new challenges of our society.
In the coming days, Anima Eterna and Pablo Heras-Casado, one of the guest music directors, will perform the original version of Bruckner's 3^rd Symphony, as well as works by Wagner and Mahler, in cities such as Besançon, Linz, Brugge, Lyon, Barcelona, and San Sebastián."

Source: https://animaeterna.be/geen-onderdeel-van-een-categorie/vernieuwingorkest/

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 6 in A Major, 1881 Version. Ed. Robert Haas, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan

[Harry]

Harry, that is very doubtful now...
"The Board of Directors of Anima Eterna, an orchestra performing on period instruments founded in 1987, has decided to end its collaboration with its conductor, Jos van Immerseel, effective from September 16, 2024.
Despite several unsuccessful attempts to allow Jos van Immerseel to continue his journey with the Orchestra and pass on his knowledge and expertise in a spirit of respect for everyone, the Board has decided to end this working relationship due to repeated aggressive behavior and ongoing breaches of his contractual obligations. After having jointly led the artistic development of Anima alongside the Board of Directors, Jos van Immerseel is now stepping away. Regardless of any disagreements, such moral and professional conduct cannot be justified. The Board of Directors of Anima Eterna is deeply committed to upholding the values of respect and dignity in the organization's operations.
This separation marks the end of the transition period that began more than five years ago with the agreement of Jos van Immerseel. At that time, he had decided to gradually step back, opening the orchestra to other musical directors and collaborative projects capable of securing the future of the Orchestra and passing on knowledge and experience to a new generation.
Jos van Immerseel's musical influence on historically informed performance remains considerable. A true pioneer in the rediscovery of Romantic repertoires up to the early 20^th century on period instruments, Jos van Immerseel helped Anima Eterna and its musicians become one of the most recognized ensembles in Europe and around the world. The Orchestra is proud and grateful for the immense work accomplished under his musical direction for nearly 40 years, as demonstrated by the numerous concerts, award-winning recordings, and the legacy that Anima Eterna intends to carry forward.
Anima Eterna is undergoing a renewal, focusing on its musicians and the music directors who have been united for five years around collaborative projects, with a new artistic and civic vision that ensures the Orchestra's future and the transmission of its legacy, knowledge, and experience to a new generation.
This new artistic and civic project, soon to be unveiled, is driven by essential values: long-standing ones such as artistic excellence, the sharing of knowledge, the central role of research, and a continuous questioning of sources and practices far from dogmatism; but also by values defining a 21^st-century orchestra and its artistic leadership, including inclusivity, diversity, a focus on youth, and impeccable ethical behavior.
More than ever, Anima Eterna is both a witness to and an active participant in its time, ready to take on the new challenges of our society.
In the coming days, Anima Eterna and Pablo Heras-Casado, one of the guest music directors, will perform the original version of Bruckner's 3^rd Symphony, as well as works by Wagner and Mahler, in cities such as Besançon, Linz, Brugge, Lyon, Barcelona, and San Sebastián."

Source: https://animaeterna.be/geen-onderdeel-van-een-categorie/vernieuwingorkest/

Well a dream shattered to smithereens. O, well all must end...
Thank you for this bit of info, I did not know this.

[Linz]

Matthaeus Pipelare Missa "L'homme armé" Chansons - Motets, Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel
A Secret Labyrinth CD6

[Florestan]

Too much Romantic piano music for me today. I needed something completely different and went for this:



Here's a zarzuela that even @ritter might greatly enjoy. Boccherini's sensuously mellifluous style works wonders when put to comic use. The singers are very good with respect to voices (less so with respect to diction, though, despite being an all-Spanish cast) and the orchestra sounds wonderful. SOTA sound. The only quibble I have is that they excised the dialogues and this makes the action difficult to follow --- it's more like a succession of rather disconnected arias and ensembles than a coherent whole. But with such glorious music as Boccherini's, who cares for the action, which is your typical 18th century silliness anyway? Highly recommended.