What are you listening 2 now?

[Roasted Swan]

In other words, for that critic she had not one, but three strikes against her: she was a woman composer (how odd!), a lesbian (distasteful...) and claimed the same rights as men (outrageous !!!).

I have no issue with her gender, sexuality or politics - I just don't rate her at all compared to her contemporary British composers - let alone any continental comparisons.  Of course the dice were loaded unfairly against her but the quality is simply not there.  2nd tier at best for me.

[ChamberNut]

Continuing through the marvelous journey

Disc 8

Dufay

[Traverso]

Delius

[Daverz]

I have no issue with her gender, sexuality or politics - I just don't rate her at all compared to her contemporary British composers - let alone any continental comparisons.  Of course the dice were loaded unfairly against her but the quality is simply not there.  2nd tier at best for me.

That's fine with me; a lot of my favorites are second or third tier.  I was very impressed with her work The Prison.

[André]

I have no issue with her gender, sexuality or politics - I just don't rate her at all compared to her contemporary British composers - let alone any continental comparisons.  Of course the dice were loaded unfairly against her but the quality is simply not there.  2nd tier at best for me.

Fair enough. Personally I really like her opera Der Wald - found it both impressive ad engrossing.

[Florestan]

I have no issue with her gender, sexuality or politics - I just don't rate her at all compared to her contemporary British composers - let alone any continental comparisons.  Of course the dice were loaded unfairly against her but the quality is simply not there.  2nd tier at best for me.

I've only heard her Serenade, which despite the title is actually a heavy and turgid symphony devoid of any interesting idea. The very definition of note-spinning.

[Lisztianwagner]

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No.8
Piano Sonata No.14

Pianist: Vladimir Ashkenazy

[Linz]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Sonatas, Daniel Barenboim CD 3

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Debussy: Orchestral Works II. Jean Martinon & Orchestre National de France.

[Que]

Continuing through the marvelous journey

Disc 8

Dufay

It does seem by now you got the Early Music bug.... 

[ChamberNut]

It does seem by now you got the Early Music bug.... 

I'm astounded. I expected it to all sound the same and just be 100% vocal. Boy was I wrong.

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 6 in A Major, 1881 Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak, USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky

[André]

This is a totally absorbing disc. . For once the booklet notes are informative and shed useful light on the compositional process: « In Ysaÿe's view it is, in a way, the violinist who takes up the ownership of the art of composition, and not the composer who takes ownership of the violin. »

Ysaÿe wrote violin works like no one else before him did. Most of them sound disconcerting at first, because they emanate not from a classically trained composer's mind, but from his training and experience as a virtuoso. And by virtuoso I mean someone who has a total, superior command of the possibilities of his instrument. His 6 Sonatas op 27 are unlike any other violin work.

The same kind of difference can be heard in, for example, the works of Arthur Schnabel, Marc-André Hamelin, Jan Sandström or Emil Tabakov. Their works are at a different level - not higher or better, simply emanating from a different set of musical gears.

That can be heard in both concertante works on this disc.. Classical rules of composition do not apply here. The structure is more akin to a free conversation, some passages evoking stream of consciousness musings from the soloist. Chausson's Poème may give an indication of what to expect (Ysaÿe was heavily involved in the composition of his friend'S work, Chausson referring to it in a letter as 'notre Poème' ).

Graffin is the silky-toned, assured soloist. Ysaÿe is one of his pet interests, with half a dozen recordings to his credit. This is a wonderful disc.

[Linz]

Hector Berlioz Harold in Italy Op. 16, Yuri Bashmet, viola, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt, Eliahu Inbal, CD 2

[VonStupp]

George Lloyd
Symphony 11
Albany SO - George Lloyd

VS

[Karl Henning]

It does seem by now you got the Early Music bug.... 

Easily caught, never completely shaken off!

[Linz]

Fritz Brun Symphonies Nos. 5 & 10, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Adriano

[André]

Symphonies 6 and 7 are a bit tougher than the 5th but what an amazing impression both leave once they're over. It helps that both works end with terrific finales in a blaze of brass. The Moscow brass players are accurate yet play the devil out of their instruments. From no 4 onward, Brun's symphonies are as good as the best of Langgaard, Nielsen or Alwyn.

[JBS]

Puccini as the Italians did it in the 1950s.

[Que]

PS Nice, but I don't think this is a favourite... Just a bit too mellow and sweet, with relatively lower levels of energy.