What are you listening 2 now?

[JBS]

We don't dislike the Chopin concerti, that's scarcely possible,  nor is it any question of disappointment. I suppose it's merely a sense that they don't punch their weight with their peers (unless we bend time and consider Mozart his peer here) and that his strongest work is in other genres.

For whatever reason the concertos of both Chopin and Liszt have never really appealed to me, in complete contrast to their works for solo piano (and in Liszt's case, his other orchestral works).

TD
A CD re-issue of this LP

[foxandpeng]

Arnold Rosner
Orchestral Music Volume 3
Symphony 6
Nick Palmer
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Toccata Classics

This, also, is a great listen. More Rosner required.

[JBS]

For whatever reason the concertos of both Chopin and Liszt have never really appealed to me, in complete contrast to their works for solo piano (and in Liszt's case, his other orchestral works).

Which obviously determines the rest of this afternoon's listening

[Karl Henning]

For whatever reason the concertos of both Chopin and Liszt have never really appealed to me, in complete contrast to their works for solo piano (and in Liszt's case, his other orchestral works).

Très intéressant.

[Zeffiro]

[Karl Henning]

Which are the peers of Chopin's concertos?

According to his own testimony, the Larghetto of his 2nd (actually, first composed) concerto is a portrayal of (his love for) Konstancya Gladkowska. This immediately calls to mind Mozart's Andante un poco adagio from the Piano Sonata K309, a portrayal of Rosa Cannabich.

After he played this concerto in a German city whose name I don't remember otomh, a member of the audience came to him, shook his hands and said something to the effect of "Warm congratulations, Sir, I have never in my whole life heard anything like your music!".

Thanks for affirming my parenthesis

unless we bend time and consider Mozart his peer here)

Chopin's concerti are rather more introvert than what one typically thinks of for "Romantic piano concerti," even though introspection is itself another Romantic trait. Even Brahms's concerti are athletic, outgoing affairs.

[Florestan]

Thanks for affirming my parenthesis

It was the inspiration for my post. 

Chopin's concerti are rather more introvert than what one typically thinks of for "Romantic piano concerti," even though introspection is itself another Romantic trait. Even Brahms's concerti are athletic, outgoing affairs.

Which only proves the anonymous but perceptive German listener right: Chopin's piano concerto music was nothing like anything preceding or following it. 

[Madiel]

Bach

Continuing with these Bach cantatas with unwavering joy.

And unwavering pace. You'll catch me by the end of the month.

[Madiel]

Gosh, I hope this didn't come across as denigrating this performance/recording, which my ears found most agreeably fresh.

No complaints from me Karl. I consider the 2 concertos amongst Chopin's weakest works. And amongst the things that made me used to think I didn't like concertos.

[Florestan]

Trio for piano, oboe and bassoon

"I'd give all music in the world for Mozart's" --- Poulenc

Therefore logically:



Sinfonia concertante K364

[hopefullytrusting]

Nielsen's Symphony No. 1 - love the opening gambit - unlike a lot of symphonies, Nielsen just gets straight too it - highly bright and energetic - sound is great - a lovely way to start the listening session - clean and fresh:

[Karl Henning]

CD 25
(Note the apostrophe in 'cello)

[ritter]

Roberto Gerhard's Symphony No. 4, "New York", and Violin Concerto (with Yfrah Neaman as soloist). Colin Davis conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in E Flat Major, 1878/80 Version (1880 with Bruckner's 1886 revisions) - Ed. Leopold Nowak, also the 1878 Volkfest Finale - Ed. Leopold Nowak, USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky

[André]

No complaints from me Karl. I consider the 2 concertos amongst Chopin's weakest works. And amongst the things that made me used to think I didn't like concertos.

😭

[JBS]

😭

Who would have guessed that Chopin's concertos would be controversial on GMG?

TD
Still with the Rubinstein CD posted earlier.

[Que]

[ChamberNut]

No complaints from me Karl. I consider the 2 concertos amongst Chopin's weakest works. And amongst the things that made me used to think I didn't like concertos.

I don't mind the 2nd one as much. I wish the first one was half as lengthy.

[Cato]

Arnold Rosner
Symphony 5 'Missa sine Cantoribus super Salve Regina'
National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
John McLaughlin Williams
Naxos

Despite the religious bent and ideology behind the piece (for me - YMMV), I think this is very good, indeed. Great music with lots of tuneful interest.

I should know Rosner better.

He died some years ago (2013).

Here is an excerpt about the difficulty a living composer has in getting noticed today, from a lengthy interview: (A.R. = Arnold Rosner)

(My emphasis in red)

AR: And I don't know how many times we can reasonably expect to hear, say, Mennin's Seventh Symphony in American orchestras in the course of a year, or ten years. I don't recall ever seeing a program including it. I'm sure it has happened when it first came out. My pieces haven't done that well in terms of concert performances, either. I think I get more chamber performances than symphonic.

BD: Well, as an interested observer, how much new music should be peppered into the subscription series of the big orchestras, the small orchestras, the major chamber groups, the less major chamber groups?

AR: Anybody who asks that question, or even speaks to it, clearly has an ax to grind.

BD: I'm looking for your ax.

AR: But you know what it's going to be. We don't need to hear the Mozart 39th symphony over and over again, and we don't need to hear the potboiler concertos over and over again.

There should be at least one piece of fifteen minutes or more by a living (or recently deceased) composer on every program.

You can hear that spouted by the mouths of the members of the board of directors of half the orchestras in the country. I attended the American Symphony Orchestra League Convention last year, and it was coming out of everybody's lips. Then in the other forums, when they're discussing balance sheets and corporate contributions, orchestras claim they can't survive unless they provide what the public wants.  Then you have the ethical question of whether an orchestra should survive if that's what the situation is. I'm not in a position to contribute enough money to keep a regional orchestra afloat.

BD: Are we now able to do an end run around the orchestras by having the recordings?

AR: Well, as I said, that's what I've done to some degree, and other composers have done. But it is a sad situation

The classical music composer, I think, alienated the public somewhere around Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. That's not a full orchestra piece, but sometime after the Rite of Spring we started alienating the public. I teach enough music appreciation in college to know students aren't even taught how to listen at all to a composer as palatable as Nielsen.

For the full interview:

http://www.bruceduffie.com/rosner2.html

[André]

Who would have guessed that Chopin's concertos would be controversial on GMG?

TD
Still with the Rubinstein CD posted earlier.

Explosive stuff ! 💣