What are you listening 2 now?

[Madiel]

I ended up listening to the whole 2-CDs of this volume of Le Sage's Schumann



And very good it was too.

[Roasted Swan]

You could be right. I gather that in the BBC archives there are Boult recordings of one or more Bax symphonies - I would love to hear them!

One of those little tantalising bits of information.  Bax ultimately dedicated his Symphony No.6 to Boult - ultimately because originally it was to Szymanowski(!)  Was the amended dedication in the spirit of friendship amongst colleagues or was Bax trying to curry favour with a very important conductor on the British musical scene? 

Of course Boult gave the world premiere of No.7 in America in 1939 and the UK premiere the following year (No.7 was originally dedicated to Basil Cameron and amended to "the people of America"" which is a more obviously 'politically expedient' decision).

[Cato]

Nikolai Tcherepnin: The Fisherman and the Fish

This performance does not have a narrator, who would read the poem by Pushkin between each part of the musical commentary.


From the notes on YouTube:

Prokofiev, in his detailed diaries, mentions hearing his friend and fellow student, pianist Boris Zakharov, perform piano music by Tcherepnin on 3 January 1915, at an Evening of Contemporary Music. On that evening, he notes, "Boris Zakharov played The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish indifferently, and some pieces from the same composer's marvelous Alphabet very well indeed."

Tcherepnin's son Alexander also reports on "An Evening of Nikolai Tcherepnin's Compositions" presented at the Georgian Musical Society* around 1920: "The performance by the composer himself of "The Fairy Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" caused great excitement.

In six sketches, Tcherepnin embodied in music the brightest motifs of Pushkin's marvelous tale. This work, though deeply Russian, shows at the same time an absolutely new approach to the subject, and is a big step forward against the cliched Kuchkism**."

* The Tcherepnin family had escaped the predation of the Communist Revolution by going to Georgia: eventually they had to migrate to France.

** Referring to the "Russian Five" and their musical philosophy.

[Cato]

Sibelius: Lemminkainen Suite (Four Legends)
Toronto SO, Sarasate

'Lemminkainen in Tuonela' has always been my favourite section and it is very fine on this recording - full of mystery:

I see that the recording also has Night Ride and Sunrise.

In the 1960's, there was a recording which had a Sibelius symphony plus that work: I misread the title as "Night Ride and Surprise."

After listening, I thought: "Where was the Surprise?" 

Later I looked more carefully at the title!      THAT was the surprise!   

A fine work also!

[Harry]

Johannes Frederik Fröhlich.
Symphony Opus 33.

Niels Wilhelm Gade.
Symphony No.4.

Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Hogwood.
Recorded: 1197 at the Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen.

[Madiel]

Haydn: Piano sonata no.50 in D major



What a piece. An absurdly cheeky Allegro is followed by a Largo that sounds like it comes from the Baroque era... which leads back into a Presto finale that's nearly as bright as the opening was.

[Iota]

Prokofiev: Symphony No.7

Something of a dream-like journey quality to this symphony, a quality highlighted by the resonant acoustics of the recording, and one I find very appealing. I wonder if an awareness of impending mortality caused a softening of the angularity of his compositional way, the Seventh has an altogether softer and more reflective mood to it compared to the previous six.
 

[Traverso]

Further with "the parley of Instruments"

[Madiel]

Albéniz: Iberia, Book 3

El Albaicín, El Polo and Lavapiés



Well I spent the best part of a day in Albaicín and it was marvellous. There was a guitarist attempting to annoy us during lunchtime** but I don't think he played anything this good... I think it's one of my favourite pieces in the whole set.

And I did at least dabble in the northern edges of the Lavapiés district. Who knows, maybe it helped, because this has always been the piece that has sounded like a mess of notes to me in the first section, and tonight I could feel the rhythm of it.

The polo is not in my dance repertoire. But no matter.

**Lunch was at a tiny little cafe on a square and it was excellent. Message me before your next trip to Granada.

[vandermolen]

I see that the recording also has Night Ride and Sunrise.

In the 1960's, there was a recording which had a Sibelius symphony plus that work: I misread the title as "Night Ride and Surprise."

After listening, I thought: "Where was the Surprise?" 

Later I looked more carefully at the title!      THAT was the surprise!   

A fine work also!

LOL Excellent Leo!

[vandermolen]

Prokofiev: Symphony No.7

Something of a dream-like journey quality to this symphony, a quality highlighted by the resonant acoustics of the recording, and one I find very appealing. I wonder if an awareness of impending mortality caused a softening of the angularity of his compositional way, the Seventh has an altogether softer and more reflective mood to it compared to the previous six.
 

Shostakovich apparently greatly admired Prokofiev's 7th Symphony

[Harry]

 

[vandermolen]

One of those little tantalising bits of information.  Bax ultimately dedicated his Symphony No.6 to Boult - ultimately because originally it was to Szymanowski(!)  Was the amended dedication in the spirit of friendship amongst colleagues or was Bax trying to curry favour with a very important conductor on the British musical scene? 

Of course Boult gave the world premiere of No.7 in America in 1939 and the UK premiere the following year (No.7 was originally dedicated to Basil Cameron and amended to "the people of America"" which is a more obviously 'politically expedient' decision).

I think that it's the 6th Symphony in the BBC Archives conducted by Boult and your post explains why.

[Madiel]

After all my years on GMG the days are over that I will spontaneously post what I feel or think about music or art.

It wasn't posting what you feel or think about music that caused an issue. That's actually the point. You threw in an additional remark that was not at all necessary for a discussion of the music or the recording. The moderators are not trying to cramp your ability to discuss what you're listening to.

[AnotherSpin]

I am sorry you did. Another friend lost I guess.

I'm not sure it's worth blaming anyone for anything. The defining feature of modern times is that people don't say what they've come to know themselves, but rather what they are prescribed to say. Are they responsible for that?

[DavidW]

If MI was here he would have lost it over Hogwood conducting Martinu! I still remember how he despised just the idea of what Norrington conducting Martinu!?

[DavidW]

@VonStupp You are frequently reminding me that there is so much Villa-Lobos I'm not listening to... I need to rectify that! Hopefully today I won't have so many students flooding office hours and I can get some quality V-L listening in.

[Madiel]

The defining feature of modern times is that people don't say what they've come to know themselves, but rather what they are prescribed to say.

While I disagree with this assertion, it does in context rather read as if you're critiquing caring what other people/society at large might think.

I disagree with it because people have always cared in public spaces what society at large thinks. People have always modulated their words and actions on this basis. To pick an example, long before "modern times" people who privately didn't believe in God continued to go to church. Whether that particular example of people saying what they were prescribed to say was good or bad, my point is there's nothing new about doing it.

This is a public space. There was perhaps a time when people went for pure unfettered individualism on the internet because it was all done behind pseudonyms and there was a loss of the fear of consequences for NOT modulating, but we're beginning to understand all the reasons why that doesn't actually work so well in practice.

The modulation of speech that's been asked for here is so small and so incidental to the actual purpose of the board, and yet certain people are treating it like it's a massive imposition. It's not. It's a minor exercise of self-control that might make the board more welcoming to a considerable number of people.

[vandermolen]

@VonStupp You are frequently reminding me that there is so much Villa-Lobos I'm not listening to... I need to rectify that! Hopefully today I won't have so many students flooding office hours and I can get some quality V-L listening in.

May I recommend 'Urupuri' - a magical work.

[Harry]