What are you listening 2 now?

[Symphonic Addict]

Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande

Rediscovering a piece I had in low esteem. Things improved much this time. Loving it.

[Florestan]

Why is that? Hopefully we decide for ourselves how much HIP we want to include in our music listening, right?

Absolutely. As you correctly noticed, though, extended exposure can result in a negative experience which has little to with the performance per se. That is all.

[Christo]

There's some beautiful music in here.

There is. Heard it live in Amsterdam in December, paired with Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughan Williams. On that occasion I had plenty of time to peruse Tippett's own lyrics more seriously, and I didn't find it easy: suggestive drivel, if you will. Thus the whole piece, typically Tippett, hangs together from associations. By comparison, Vaughan Williams won on all fronts. With Tippett I especially appreciate the four symphonies, also often associative but in symphonic form I can appreciate that. 

[Christo]

Ruth Gipps
Symphony 2
Rumon Gamba
BBC NOoW
Chandos
I've been watching the threads, so starting with Symphony 2 in order to not completely miss the Gipps boat.

Curious about your experiences with all of her symphonies. The Second is one-movement and also in this respect differs from the other four, which are all four-movement and possess more "symphonic drama." The Second seems to stem from a unique, personal experience, a kind of diary, in other words. 

[AnotherSpin]

It seems I hadn't previously listened to Pierre Réach's recording of the Variations Goldberg. What I've heard so far, I rather liked. It's gentle, lyrical, soothing — but happily, it stops short of sending one to sleep.

I suppose I should offer fair warning: those hoping for shocks, revelations, or soul-baring intensity of the à la russe variety will, I'm afraid, be left wanting

[Que]

Missa Caput & Missa Cuiusvis Toni in Mi

[AnotherSpin]

The name Koppel is very well known in Danish musical circles. Grandda Herman is one of the best composers of Denmark. He begat sons Thomas and Anders, both composers as well as daughters Therese (pianist and piano teacher) and Lone, first soprano at Copenhagen's Royal Theatre Opera. From the 1950s on it's been hard to avoid the name Koppel in Danish musical life. The newest generation continues the family tradition.

Anders (b. 1947) made music his life pursuit early on, starting his rock group Savage Rose (brother Thomas was another member) at age 20, then writing film and ballet scores. One headline grabbing occasion occured in 1971 with the ballet Triumph of Death which was danced naked at the Royal Danish Theatre - as every 27-year old would do. He eventually focused on becoming a concert pianist and composer of 'serious music'.

I have a few discs of his works and never fail to find them pleasant and original. Anders doesn't have his Dad's penchant for angst and strife. He has an unfailingly sunny composure and the works on this disc bear that description.

The 2007 Sinfonia concertante is scored for violin, viola, clarinet, bassoon and orchestra. It's a real charmer.

The Flute and Harp concerto is a thing of beauty. It reminds me of French music by the likes of Poulenc, Françaix or Tailleferre - prepared with a slightly more modern, film-influenced sauce.

For most of the Tuba concerto's duration you could have fooled me in thinking I was hearing a bassoon or contrabassoon. Nothing like Vaughan-Williams' ultra virile brass sound taking center stage from the get go. Koppel treats the tuba so gently, it sounds like it's about to put the kids to sleep with a lullaby. It sounds grumpier in the last movement, but still quite bonhomme. This one's a real treat.

Warmly recommended.

Thank you for the recommendation — I'm listening with considerable pleasure.

Yes, the champions of the avant-garde, who proudly revel in dissonance, abstraction, and the thrill of a proper intellectual headache, will no doubt be quite cross with Koppel's unapologetic embrace of tonality and the sheer loveliness of his lyrical writing. True, the long, song-like passages may strike the atonal crowd as dangerously sweet or suspiciously accessible, lacking the fashionable tension and complexity expected of serious contemporary music. But perhaps — just perhaps — that's precisely where their charm lies

[Que]

Dramatic and very Italian, which works well with these pieces! A resounding success after Baiano's disappointing WTC.
One of the best recordings of the Toccatas available and definitely one of the most interesting.

https://www.biberfan.org/reviews/2024/6/22/bach-toccatas-enrico-baianos-harpsichord-mastery

[Wanderer]

Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande

Rediscovering a piece I had in low esteem. Things improved much this time. Loving it.

And for good reason, Karajan is superb in it. My favourite rendition by far.

[Wanderer]

[Traverso]

Dramatic and very Italian, which works well with these pieces! A resounding success after Baiano's disappointing WTC.
One of the best recordings of the Toccatas available and definitely one of the most interesting.

https://www.biberfan.org/reviews/2024/6/22/bach-toccatas-enrico-baianos-harpsichord-mastery

In my opinion it's more ADHD than Italian, I don't like it.

[Traverso]

Rameau

CD 1

[Traverso]

Bach

Vol.3 CD 6

[Que]

     

[brewski]

This afternoon at 3:00 EDT, all six of Haydn's Op. 33 quartets, with the fantastic Brentano Quartet. The marathon will be streamed live, free.

[Traverso]

Shostakovich

Song of the Forests Op.81

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra



 

[Madiel]

How music was listened to in the Baroque period does not oblige us in any way.

However, I think how music was composed for listening to in the Baroque period might be a good thing to inform ourselves with when listening to Baroque music.

I've rarely understood the desire to listen to a whole CDs worth of music when the music was not originally designed to be listened to in that length. Any decent music has a plan to its beginning, middle and end. But our culture is increasingly against endings.

[Madiel]

Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress - so far 2 Acts on OperaVision.

I'm in danger of falling down the OperaVision rabbit hole now that I've got in the habit. On this occasion I'm slightly grateful for the option of subtitles - the English of the opera is sometimes quite old-fashioned, never mind any difficulties from an operatic singing style. The word "viands" has been used which is not a word I would ever guess if it wasn't on screen.

The music is frequently gorgeous. One of the last things in Stravinsky's neoclassical period.

[DavidW]

[Traverso]

Bach