What are you listening 2 now?

[Florestan]

For some reason I tried to quote a post from Florestan but it came mixed up with another post and I was not allowed to post, so here's a copy:

«
Quote from: André on March 25, 2025, 05:50:20 PM
The (Graener) flute concerto is melodious and frothy.

[Florestan:]. And to think that it was written in 1945 Berlin, amidst bombardments and destruction. The last movement it's even based on a folk tune named Freut euch des Lebens, that is Enjoy your life. Gloom-and-Doom defied and conquered by la joie de vivre --- love it, one of my favorite flute concertos. An unsung testimony to the indomitable power of the individual sanity against collective madness. »

..................................................

This. Absolutely.

The fine liner notes also shed light on facts not otherwise available, either from the Wikipedia entry or the CPO liner notes and that are definitely worth noticing: although Graener was a member of the Nazi party and vice-president of the Reichsmusikkammer , he steadfastly kept commercial and personal relationships with jewish business relations (like the editor Eulenburg) and befriended and protected jewish musicians. In 1944 another jewish music publisher, Wilhelm Zimmermann (whose firm had been banned 4 years before) commissioned a flute concerto (the one on this disc) from Graener, the Reichsmusikkammer (!). The two men had been corresponding actively, damned be the ban. When the concerto was finished, Graner wrote Zimmermann « The Flute concerto is ready; the last movement - just imagine, at a time like this! - is a rondo on 'Freut euch des lebens'. I am very happy with the piece ». It was Graener's last completed work. He died  shortly after.

To equate a member of the Nazi/Fascist/Communist party with an actual Nazi/Fascist/Communist is a mistake made all too often (and I'm not sure how people making this equation almost a century after would have acted in those dire circumstances). A man is defined and must be judged not by his party affiliation but by his actions.

[Florestan]

Peculiar that they suffixed an -h to Petersburg!

Should it then be pronounced as in Edinburgh? 

[hopefullytrusting]

More Sinigaglia - his lieder

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k4GwpSUyXrN2dAVofDotsgftK9kfjNOyo

Normally, this is the genre of classical music I dislike the most, but these songs are all so lovely, especially Montanina - man, am I getting soft, or is the music getting better? High, high recommendation. (Gives me a Richard Strauss feeling, maybe Hugo Wolf, if I'm recalling correctly.)

This then led me to another composer I had never heard of: Franz Schreker (his Overture to Die Gezeichneten, which I loved, but had to table, as I didn't have the time to dedicate to listening to an opera), so I selected his Chamber Symphony instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxKWG1K29v0

And it is a gift so wonderously wrapped, the underlying (emergent?) theme has a strong fantasia (Neverending Story) element to it, and I was not expecting that from a work composed in 1916 (in a genre associated with Schoenberg), but I smiled each time that theme moved in and out. The rest of the music is light and romantic - a strong contrast with that theme, and I sort of wish it just had the theme, and not the rest, lol (probably, one of the many reasons I am not a composer - what if the Oreo was only middle - deep thoughts with Kevin).

High recommend (and I've now got two brand new composers to check out, which I am very excited for).

[Que]

 

Disc 6, Léon Berben plays on a harpsichord by Keith Hill after Iohannes (Johannes) Ruckers, 1624.

[hopefullytrusting]

Continuing down the rabbit hole, Schreker led me to another composer I had never heard of: Berthold Goldschmidt. The work I selected of his was his Cello Concerto - David Geringas (Cello) with the Magdeburgische Philharmonie conducted by Mathias Husmann:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfecfcZoRjM

... and, well, all good things must come to an end. The work is lyrical but plain, and not plain, as in functional, but plain as in boring. It reminds me of the cliche: "well-laid plans," where you set out to do something great, and end up doing something adequate. Yes, adequate is the right word or this - it is an adequate Cello Concerto. Everything is where it should be, but everyone else has done it better, so, you know, listen to those who did it better, rather, than the guy who did it adequately. I don't want to come off as dismissive or rude, but, for me, there was just nothing there. The page might have well been left blank.

I cannot recommend this work. (The recording itself is solid, nothing is wrong on the production end.)

[Madiel]

Currently listening to little fragments of Nielsen's music for Ebbe Skammelsen. Because as far as I can make out, Apple is the only company that has the only recording online, and I don't have Apple Music anymore. I can't find it on Idagio, Deezer or Spotify.



Though I could buy it on iTunes for a reasonable sum. A lot more reasonable than the CD copies on Amazon... but alas, that would mean no liner notes in a case where liner notes would be helpful. EDIT: More sensible prices on eBay. Maybe one day.

[pjme]

....another composer I had never heard of: Berthold Goldschmidt.

I have vague memories of some Goldschmidt revival ,say 30 years ago.
Decca, Sony CPO...recorded several works - including an opera - with some outstanding artists. I fear it didnt do much for Goldschmidts legacy, ...

[pjme]

even the cello concerto got more than one recording... I'm sure I have 1 or 2 cds. Will listen later....

[hopefullytrusting]

I have vague memories of some Goldschmidt revival ,say 30 years ago.
Decca, Sony CPO...recorded several works - including an opera - with some outstanding artists. I fear it didnt do much for Goldschmidts legacy, ...

Reminds of that parable in Camus's Lyrical and Critical Essays about the author who killed himself to create a buzz, but that his book was still judged to be poor, lol.

[Madiel]

Nielsen: Symphony no.6



(One of various covers available for this recording.)

Heh. It's not hard to see why this would disturb people who think that Nielsen is all about blustering energy. The textures are generally lighter, with only parts of the orchestra engaged. But there sure are some bold bits, and something like the eruptions during the waltz variation sounds so very characteristic of the composer.  Thoroughly engaging throughout.

[Madiel]

Antheil



I'm a bit bewildered by this album. Not because I dislike the music - far from it - but because it's hard to understand how it ever got presented as a Netherlands Wind Ensemble album.

Putting aside the one-and-a-bit violin sonatas, it's rather hard to hear much "wind music" in the remaining 2 pieces. The Jazz Symphony probably comes the closest to qualifying, it at least has winds. The Ballet Mécanique appears to be presented in its revised shorter version, but the information that Wikipedia gives me on scoring doesn't seem to indicate any wind instruments regardless of which version is used. But the album (including the original LP) labels that work as being performed by the NWE.

Anyway, regardless of who is actually playing it, the music is a vigorous jolt. The Ballet and Symphony are live performances with applause at the end, which somehow rather suits the music. I probably wouldn't enjoy a longer stretch of this, but at 36 minutes total I had a good time.

[pjme]

poor berthold goldschmidt did get some GMG attention, wayback in 2016..;

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,25689.msg962190.html#msg962190

[Madiel]

Brahms: Violin Sonata no.1



That first movement is heavenly.

Box sets that should exist but never will: the complete Susan Tomes recordings.

EDIT: Though I believe I already own 22 of them.

[Roasted Swan]

poor berthold goldschmidt did get some GMG attention, wayback in 2016..;

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,25689.msg962190.html#msg962190

I played in the UK professional premiere of Beatrice Cenci which he attended in London - good opera!

[Harry]

poor berthold goldschmidt did get some GMG attention, wayback in 2016..;

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,25689.msg962190.html#msg962190

Over the many years I spend on GMG, I posted on a regular basis about Goldschmidt, and played his music with great pleasure. And I still do!

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B flat Major, 1878 Version Ed. Leopold Nowak, Wiener Philharmoniker, Otto Klemperer

[André]

Should it then be pronounced as in Edinburgh? 

I have visions of St-Peter wearing a bra ...

[Traverso]

Froberger



CD1:

Suite XVI in G major

01. Allemande repraesentans monticidium Frobergeri (3:00)
02. Gigue (1:08)
03. Courante (1:11)
04. Sarabande (1:52)
Suite XII in C major
05. Lamento sopra la dolorosa perdita delle Real Majesta di Ferdinando IV, Re de Romani (5:54)
06. Gigue (1:16)
07. Courante (1:25)
08. Sarabande (2:23)
Suite XXVII in E minor
09. Allemande nommee Wasserfall (3:05)
10. Gigue (1:09)
11. Courante (1:08)
12. Sarabande (2:33)
Suite XIII in D minor
13. Allemande (2:04)
14. Gigue nommee la ruse Mazarinique (1:35)
15. Gigue (dito) (1:50)
16. Courante (1:16)
17. Sarabande (2:24)
18. Lamentation in F Major faite sur la mort tres douloureuse de Sa Majeste Imperiale Ferdinand le 3e et se jouen lentement avec discretion (8:59)

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

NP:

Abrahamsen
Let Me Tell You
Barbara Hannigan
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Nelsons

[Traverso]

Messiaen/Saariaho