What are you listening 2 now?

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Martin Cello Concerto

[Symphonic Addict]

I'm very fond of the Cello Concerto. I have only the recording with Siegfried Palm (soloist), Hans Zender (cond).
I was once a major fan of B. A. Zimmermann, though over time I've gotten less enthusiastic about the Darmstadt serialist idiom (which he often employs) and now listen less often.

I have yet to hear that work. Yes, some of his most avant-garde pieces can be off-putting. I've tried his Die Soldaten Symphony and I didn't like it that much. Too stark for my tastes.

[Traverso]

Superb!

I love it,also the acoustics are very fine.If you love Schubert than you love the Rosamunde Incidental music

[Florestan]

I love it,also the acoustics are very fine.If you love Schubert than you love the Rosamunde Incidental music

Munchinger was a very fine Schubertian. His relevant recordings are conveniently boxed here:

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Stravinsky Violin Concerto

[Linz]

Gustav Holst  The Planets
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Continuing on with the Bax symphonies --- now playing Symphony No. 2

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony no. 4 in E Flat Major, 1874 First version - Ed. Leopold Nowak
Bruckner Orchester Linz, Dennis Russell Davies

[Lisztianwagner]

Arthur Honegger
Horace Victorieux

Thierry Fischer & BBC National Orchestra of Wales

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Adams Harmonielehre



I listen to Harmonielehre at least once every month. Out of the five performances I own of it, this MTT is probably my favorite, although the Nagano/Montréal and Adams/Berliner are not too far behind. The other performances I own: De Waart and Rattle have more minuses than pluses. The De Waart is especially underpowered and lacking in visceral excitement while the Rattle seems to miss the bigger picture of the work and entirely focused too much of the inner details.

[Spotted Horses]

Revisited the Pejacevic string quartet. The second time around it penetrated my brain. A rich work in a post-Brahms style.

[JBS]

I'm surprised Four Lauds has not been taken up by more violinists. It would go well with any program devoted to solo violin. As it is, the only other recordings seem to be Chin on Centaur (apparently OOP) and Zehetmair on ECM.

[Brian]

First ever listen to Pierre Sancan, a teacher of Bavouzet who is compared in reviews to Françaix:

[Linz]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Symphonies CD 19
Symphony in B flat major, Anh. C11.03/Anh.216/K=74g
Symphony No.37 in G major, K.444/K.425a/Anh.A53
Symphony No. 40 in G minor (second version), K. 550*
The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Saint-Saëns: orchestral works.  Louis Frémaux/City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

[Brian]

First ever listen to Pierre Sancan, a teacher of Bavouzet who is compared in reviews to Françaix:

A better comparison would probably be to say Poulenc with a lesser gift for melody. The music is often light and jazzy and irreverent, with a bit of modernity to spike the mix. But it's not as frothy or miniature-sized as Françaix usually is.

[Cato]

Schubert

Rosamunde Incidental Music

Superb!

Amen! 😇

I used to play the Ballet, Part X, in my Advanced Placement European History class, to let the students hear what "Romanticism" sounded like, i.e. an evocation of life in the country, with bright and happy folk music being played by members of Das Volk, as the self-proclaimed musical genius explains it to the "Taugenichts," in Eichendorff's Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts.

Oddly, I once knew a German who subscribed precisely to that belief in music: he never went to symphony concerts, in fact he despised musical "Profis" of any kind.

"Ach, warum würde ich Profis spielen hören wollen?"

Only amateur or semi-amateur concerts were worthwhile, in his opinion, despite wrong notes etc. 

This belief in the greater worth of the non-professional led to an incident: he was himself an amateur violinist, and in a restaurant he became bewitched by a Zigeuner-Geiger, struck up a conversation with him, and eagerly asked to see the man's violin.

"Ist das denn eine echte Zigeunergeige?"

"Ja, natürlich," and the man, whose playing was in fact very amateurish, handed it over...and then quickly offered to sell it to his charmed listener.

My friend looked at me and wondered what his wife might say, if he bought it.  I (correctly, as it turned out) said that she would not be happy, even if the violin were genuinely made by den kuriosen Leuten (rf. Eichendorff), which I highly doubted.

Completely enchanted, although he did hesitate, he handed over a good sum of money to the very delighted, in fact too-much delighted fiddler. 

My friend now owned a genuine Zigeunergeige, a folk instrument made by a non-professional, played by a non-professional! 

Later, the man's completely undelighted wife took a look at some small print on the side, which her spellbound husband had not seen, where "Made in Hong Kong" was visible, albeit with difficulty. 


Anyway..

[JBS]

After Carter, Mozart

CD 1 K279-283

After Mozart, Lyatoshynsky

From here


And after Lyatoshynsky, ... Dinnertime.

[foxandpeng]

20th Century British Works for Solo Cello
David Matthews
Songs and Dances of Mourning
Rogan de Saram

Much to like about David Matthews as a composer. His symphonies and SQs are particularly valuable to me, even when they are challenging - as they often are. This Cello piece is cut from a similar cloth, and rewards multiple visits.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Some Vaughan Williams before dinner --- now playing Partita for Double String Orchestra



Even though I'm not buying CDs anymore, I would scratch this temporarily if Warner issued a Vernon Handley box set with all new remasters from Art & Son. I'm not holding my breath, because I doubt it will happen, but it would be swell if it did.