What are you listening 2 now?

[steve ridgway]

More Tier 136 for @coffee -

Berio: Sequenza XIII for accordion

May be notable as evidence that the instrument can be used to produce relatively gentle, drifting music - although that's not really a recommendation.

[Que]

This is not your standard musical diet. How do you like it?

I've returned to Classical and Romantic piano music more, lately. Beethoven, Chopin and particularly Schumann.
I picked this set not because it is the best Grieg on piano around: that honor goes to Leif Ove Andsnes and his recording on Grieg's own piano. But it comes close, despite the fact that the piano used (probably a modern Steinway) sound way to big for these mostly "miniatures", but Austbö manages to apply restraint.
If I wanted more that a single disc selection of the Lyric Pieces, an option was the get a complete set by either Steen-Nøkleberg (Naxos) or Eva Knardahl (BIS). Of those I like Knardahl the best, but I missed that little bit extra top rate pianism... Not that Knardahl sounds like an amateur, but it is all quite down-to-earth.

This set by Austbö, with a good selection on 7 discs, seemed the best compromise and I'm happy with my choice.

[Florestan]

I've returned to Classical and Romantic piano music more, lately. Beethoven, Chopin and particularly Schumann.
I picked this set not because it is the best Grieg on piano around: that hour goes to Leif Ove Andsnes and his recording on Grieg's own piano. But it comes close, despite the fact that the piano used (probably a modern Steinway sound way to big, but Austbö manages to applyrestraint.
If I wanted more that a single disc selection of the Lyric Pieces, an option was the get a complete set by either Steen-Nøkleberg (Naxos) or Eva Knardahl (BIS). Of those I like Knardahl the best, but I missed that little bit extra top rate pianism... Not that Knardahl sounds like an amateur, but it is all quite down-to-earth.

This set by Austbö, with a good selection on 7 discs, seemed the best compromise and I'm happy with my choice.

Nice. I too enjoy Austbo's set.

For complete Lyric Pieces, beside the ones you mentioned there's also the sets by Gerhard Oppitz and Aldo Ciccolini.



Beside Grieg, the Ciccolini box has Schumann's Faschingschwang aus Wien, Waldszenen and Sonata in F minor and Chopin's complete Nocturnes, so given your renewed interest in this music, I highly recommend it.

Btw, neither Austbo's nor Oppitz's sets, both at 7 CDs, are complete. Einar Steen-Nokleberg's at 10 CDs is more complete. The most complete ones are Eva Knardahl's and Geir Henning Braaten's, both at 12 CDs.

[Madiel]

Tier 136

Which, by my understanding, means there are many thousands of other pieces you are supposed to consider more worthy of your time.

[vandermolen]

NP:

Rachmaninov
Three Russian Songs, Op. 41
London PO & Choir
Jurowski

From this set -



Such an underrated work within Rachmaninov's oeuvre. Nobody ever talks about it and that's a shame. A stunning piece, especially this performance from Jurowski of which I've listened to several times now.

Great work!
Jurowski is the only conductor whom I have met - he was delightful and very friendly.

[vandermolen]

Moross
Upbeat and heart-warming compared to the gloomy, doom-laden music that I usually listen to:

[Traverso]

Bach

Musikalisches Opfer

[Madiel]

Ravel

Ballade de la reine morte d'aimer
Sérénade grotesque
Un grand sommeil noir
Menuet antique
Sainte




It will come as no surprise to anyone that knows me that I've decided the way to listen to the newly arrived Poizat set is by embarking on a Ravel chronology - something that really doesn't take a lot of time compared to most composers.

So here are the earliest Ravel works available to be heard (there are a few that simply aren't available). And gosh, surprises for me already. I'm not sure I've ever heard the Ballade before, and straight away you can hear that Ravel's attraction to bells started extremely early. Some parts of the accompaniment are very light and delicate (at least in Poizat's hands - his lightness of touch was a huge reason for buying this set), some are rather heavy handed though.

Un grand sommeil noir sounds somewhat less clunky at a slightly faster pace than the Finley/Drake recording. It's still hardly Ravel's greatest work but much more listenable in this performance.

The only work in this bunch that I'm really familiar with is the Menuet antique, but this performance is so much more dance-like than the one by Pascal Roge that I've previously owned. It's a revelation.

[Madiel]

Ravel: La Parade



Poizat doesn't do this... piano score? Tharaud strikes me as the best of the versions I sampled a couple of weeks ago.

Not only does it not sound like mature Ravel, it doesn't even sound like the other youthful Ravel. It's a bit of a pastiche. And amusingly, it's by far the longest Ravel work to date.

[Florestan]

[brewski]

Morning coffee, Mozart, and Ligeti, thanks to the International String Quartet Competition at Wigmore Hall

Now: Quartet Integra (first time hearing them)

Mozart: String Quartet No. 14 in G K387 'Spring'
Ligeti: String Quartet No. 2

[Madiel]

Ravel

Violin Sonata no.1
Sites auriculaires



I already have an excellent version of the works for violin and piano, but I've no objections to having another.

This recording of Sites auriculaires doesn't convince me it's particularly notable music. "Entres cloches" just kind of bangs a bit. It's okay.

And that might be enough Ravel for one evening.

[Roasted Swan]

Moross
Upbeat and heart-warming compared to the gloomy, doom-laden music that I usually listen to:

A generous/valuable re-release.  The original KOCH disc  did not include "Biguine" or "A Tall Story" - no idea what scale/how good those 2 works are!

[Madiel]

Villa-Lobos: Choros no.3



I'm sneaking in one choros per night, which is pretty easy with the first 5 that are all quite short. Number 3 is certainly a curious little thing, kind of fun.

[Madiel]

Stravinsky: The Firebird



One of my other new purchases was a disc of Stravinsky ballets, motivated in part by @Der lächelnde Schatten reminding me (without meaning to!) that it would now fill a gap in my collection perfectly.

But I'm not starting with the new disc. Instead, I'm going to... go through Stravinsky's ballets chronologically! And for the first half of the genre that's probably going to be by revisiting this fine box. For The Firebird it's Ozawa and the Boston SO.

[Que]

[...] and Geir Henning Braaten's, both at 12 CDs.

Will definitely give him try! 

[vandermolen]

A generous/valuable re-release.  The original KOCH disc  did not include "Biguine" or "A Tall Story" - no idea what scale/how good those 2 works are!

All v enjoyable RS. The CD makes for a nice programme to listen to from beginning to end.

[brewski]

More from the International String Quartet Festival. The first round continues through Friday, and so far, the quality of the playing is so high, I have no idea how the judges will choose among them. There are 11 ensembles, and at the moment, the ones I have heard are in top-flight mode.

Myriade String Quartet

Haydn: String Quartet in C Op. 74 No. 1
Judith Weir: String Quartet No. 2 'The Spaniard'

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

NP:

Mendelssohn
Lieder Ohne Worte Vol. 5, Op. 62
Howard Shelley

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Listening to Nielsen's 5th yet again, but this time with Salonen at the helm: