What are you listening 2 now?

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

More Bach

Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21
Peter Harvey, Barbara Schlick, Howard Crook
La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent
Philippe Herreweghe

[ChamberNut]

I'm sure @ChamberNut has passed this way recently on his enthusiastic trek through the big Naxos Early Music box. And this cd from it is majorly pleasing too, mainly songs (accompanied beautifully on gittern and vielle) with some very attractive instrumental interludes interspersed. The songs and performances really draw you in, two singers, both very good, with the male singer in particular having a command of atmosphere that's hard to tear yourself away from. Excellent and inspiring music-making.

I did indeed. Disc 2 of the set. Enjoyed it thoroughly, to be sure!

[Iota]

It has been too long since I listened to the Symphony #5 of Tchaikovsky.

The first time I heard it was in the early 1960's: I had found the RCA monaural Boston Symphony recording with Serge Koussevitzky conducting.

[snip]

That's exactly what I think every time I listen to it! Which is not often these days as I risked OD-ing on it in my twenties. Like @Karl Henning, it's my favourite of the Symphonies.

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in E Flatt Major, 1874 First version - Ed. Leopold Nowak,  Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Chitaru Asahina

[Lisztianwagner]

Arthur Honegger
Horace Victorieux

Michel Plasson & Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse

[André]

Musique en Wallonie (that's the label's name) has issued 4 CDs of salon music from the jazz era. This particular one collects songs for which surrealist painter René Magritte provided posters or illustrations. The disc's cover is one such. There are 9 of them (3 singers) plus 10 instrumental pieces. The whole program is delightful. Trifles these may be, but they make for a delightful hour. All Magritte illustrations are shown in the classy hard cover booklet.

[Linz]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano variations, Daniel Barenboim, CD 7

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NP:

Glazunov
Symphony No. 8 in E flat, Op. 83
USSR Ministry of Culture SO
Rozhdestvensky

From this set -



Without a doubt, my favorite Glazunov symphony cycle with Svetlanov coming in second-place. I usually return to Svetlanov for all of the miscellaneous orchestral works that Rozhdestvensky never recorded.

One Glazunov conductor I'm rather allergic to or so it seems is José Serebrier. For me, there really is nothing special about any of his Glazunov performances. He treats this music like Dvořák and tries to be "light and airy" and, while yes, there are some occasions where this approach works, the fact is Serebrier downplays the lyrical intensity of the music. Glazunov's music has an ebb-and-flow that is unique to him with one phrase fading out and another one coming in and the music must keep moving. And the times where Glazunov's music calls for more yearning and mournfulness, Serebrier couldn't careless and completely downplays it. For goodness sake, Glazunov is a passionate Russian! Anyway, the Serebrier set is to be avoided at all costs. For a more middle-of-the-road approach, Järvi's cycle on Orfeo is pretty good, but still, for me, he can't top Rozhdestvensky and Svetlanov.

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, 1894 Original Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak, 1984 Finale Realization by Samale and Mazzuca - Early Draft 1984, USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky

[nico1616]

The Mozart clarinet quintet is one of my favorite classical works, the beauty of it is almost unbearable. Also one of the few classical LP's I own.

[André]

Francescatti's light, sweet tone is poles apart from Perlman's. He perfectly understands the role of the soloist in these works, making the music sing sweetly, intimately. The slow movements are taken like one of Mozart's concert arias. Walter's accompaniment is never obtrusive.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Frederic Chopin.
The Complete Waltzes.
Alice Sara Ott, Piano.
Recorded: Berlin, Teldex Studio, 8/2009

If you listen to her immensely elegant, highly sensitive musical and in parts  mysterious performance for just a short time,  all the old clichés dissolve into nothing: One feels,  the incredible lyrical power and depth of feeling of these miniatures , stylistic sovereignty and natural grace, with an almost girlishly capricious charm, she breaks the shell  of the noncommittally beautiful and frivolous, in order to shine deep and to feel her way into the heart of the unfaithful, into the infinitely sensitive, desolate soul of Chopin

I could not have said it better as this. She has magical hands, and creates a whole new aspect of Chopin's Waltzes. Never a showoff, her art comes easily and unforced, and her nimble fingers makes it easy to follow and enjoy the melodies Chopin wrote. They enter straight into your heart, it captures and envelops you, there is no escaping. I have my alliance with Nikita Magaloff, and Adam Harasiewicz, but Ott comes in as prominently as them. Superb recorded. Awesome!

First time I listened to the album, I thought that she was so powerless, she doesn't show any dexterity, and it was a joke. Now, I like the subtle and wabi-sabi beauty in this recording.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Johann Sebastian Bach
French Suites

Gustav Leonhardt (harpsichord)

Excellent recording!

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NP:

Chopin
Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65
Isserlis/Várjon

[Linz]

Hector Berlioz Requiem,  Keith Lewis , tenor, Chor des NDR Hamburg, Konzertvereinigung ORF-Chor
Radio-Sinfonikerorchester Frankfurt, Eliahu Inbal CDs 10-11

[North Star]

Schnittke
Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, Op. 136
Denis Matsuev
Kammerorchester Wien-Berlin
Rainer Honeck



String Quartets nos. 1 & 2
Quatuor Molinari

[André]

How are the Schnittkes, Karlo ? I've been eyeing this set for a while ...

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NP:

Medtner
Sonate-Idylle In G, Op. 56
Hamelin

From this set -



Dipping my toes into this 4-CD set --- I don't want to drown myself just yet, but I can say with great certainly that Medtner will be a composer I'm going to enjoy exploring.

[Lisztianwagner]

Franz Schubert
Three Piano Pieces, D.946

Pianist: Maurizio Pollini

[ChamberNut]

NP:

Medtner
Sonate-Idylle In G, Op. 56
Hamelin

From this set -



Dipping my toes into this 4-CD set --- I don't want to drown myself just yet, but I can say with great certainly that Medtner will be a composer I'm going to enjoy exploring.

Translation: Expect a 10 recordings binge purchase of Medtner within the next 24 hours.