What are you listening 2 now?

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E Major, 1885 Version. Ed.Leopold Nowak
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi   

[Symphonic Addict]

Henze: Barcarola and Versuch über Schweine

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

And now I've reached the end of the Arnold symphonies --- now playing Symphony No. 9, Op. 128

[Symphonic Addict]

Rochberg: Variations on an original theme

The kind of variations that enthralls me the most with its varied moods and kaleidoscopic character. I was expecting something darker, but it is quite gentle for the most part.

[André]

Symphonies 2 and 5.

No 2 is played by the MDR Sinfonieorchester, Leipzig and conducted by Christoph Altstaedt. Recorded in 2007.

No 5 is played by the NDR Sinfonieorchester, Hamburg. Conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt. Recorded in 1960 (mono).

Bot works are absolutely terrific. No 2 is 46 minutes long, cast in 5 movements. Late or post-romantic with hints of Prokofievan bite and accent on wind colourings. Great central movement (Adagio), where gravitas and sadness mingle with anguish.

Symphony no 5 is frankly modern-sounding. The first movement uses a 12 notes tone row but it's not at all ugly or forbidding. 4 movements, of which the 2nd (Lento) really raises the hair with its incessant harsh biting fortissimo ostinato chords. Despite the mono sound the sound picture is wide-ranging and everything is heard clear as a bell.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now streaming via Presto Music --- Gál Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 46



A beautiful, tuneful work. Not entirely backwards looking, but I can certainly hear bits of Brahms, Dvořák and perhaps Schumann as well.

[JBS]

And by complete they mean complete: the two surviving concertos for solo violin, the two concertos for solo violin reconstructed from solo harpsichord concertos, the concerto for two violins, the concerto for flute violin and harpsichord, the concerto for oboe and violin reconstructed from one of the concertos for two harpsichords, and the concerto for three violins reconstructed from the concerto for three harpsichords--eight works in all, four concertos per CD.

Ehnes is the (principal) soloist in all of the concertos; Luc Beausejour is harpsichord soloist in BWV 1045, but apparently did not partipate in the continuo for the others (if a harpsichord was used for continuo, which I'm not sure it was). The other soloists are section principals of the orchestra.

Recording dates were 7 July 2023 and 11-12 January 2024, at "Southam Hall, Canada's National Arts Centre", which is according to the liner notes "located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishanabe Algonquin Nation". Are they afraid to say it's in Ottawa?

[brewski]

Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 (Ormandy/Philadelphia). Though I love recordings from Blomstedt, Gilbert, and others, this relatively early recording is marvelous, too.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Shostakovich Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok, Op. 127

[steve ridgway]

Ligeti - Atmosphères

More Ligeti, but this is not a bad thing .

[steve ridgway]

Scelsi - Krishna E Radha

[steve ridgway]

Ligeti - Ramifications

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Last work for the night --- Brahms Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25

[steve ridgway]

Ligeti - Ricercare - Omaggio A Girolamo Frescobaldi

More good stuff from Ligeti but he might not have liked that red flag over his head  .

[steve ridgway]

Crumb - A Haunted Landscape

The sound of mysterious things going on in the world, sometimes dramatic but not really frightening.

[steve ridgway]

Webern - Two Songs For Mixed Choir, Accompanied By Celesta, Guitar, Violin, Clarinet And Bass Clarinet, Op. 19

The celesta made some nice sounds, especially in the second piece .



(A good thought there from the cover artist August Macke - "The most important thing for me is the direct observation of nature in its light-filled existence.")

[Harry]

Antonin Dvorak.
Complete Works for Violin and Piano. (2 CD'S)
See back cover for details.
Jiri Vodicka (Violin), David Marecek (Piano)
Recorded: 2023 at the Dvorak Hall  of Rudolfinum, Prague

It is nice to have all these works together on 2 CD'S. A great variety in styles and expression, for Dvorak fans a must. Energetic performances, passionate and played with compassion. No rest for the wicked though, the musicians are out to make their mark. The recording could have used a bit more warmth, and the performance a bit less energy.

[AnotherSpin]

Yesterday was a good day. First, I selected the trio sonatas from Koopman's set and listened to them separately. Then I played all six albums, one after another. And then — the trio sonatas again.

At some point around sunset, there was a loud explosion from a Russian ballistic strike just a few kilometers away — but even that didn't break the spell.

In the morning, when I woke up and remembered yesterday's Koopman, a quiet, bright mood settled in at once.

[AnotherSpin]

I started with the last one — album 20 — and for now, I'll just keep going backwards.

[Harry]

Robert Schumann.
Complete Piano Works. (19 CD'S)
Florian Uhlig, Piano.
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Christoph Poppen.

I have played this set up and down at least 5 times in about 4 weeks, and my admiration grew with every listen. Uhlig plays this microcosm of inexhaustibly imaginative little things with a sensitive touch. With a wide spectrum of color values and a broad dynamic scale, he penetrates into the finest ramifications of Schumann's music with ease. He also plays rhythmically freely, un-academically compressing some passages to the point of being rushed, but occasionally surprising with extremely slow tempi, a restlessly idiosyncratic Schumann playing that certainly provokes some contradiction, but is never uninteresting. I can only recommend it, in this I have no choice, this is Schumann pur sang.