What are you listening 2 now?

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing this entire RVW disc:

[Karl Henning]

Birthday Boy!

[T. D.]

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NP: Glass Symphony No. 13



I purposely skipped over the 12th symphony, because the only recording of it right now features a vocalist that I cannot stand and practically ruins the whole piece for me.

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NP: Górecki Already It Is Dusk, Op. 62, "String Quartet No. 1"

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NP: Gubaidulina Pro et contra

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NP: Pettersson Symphony No. 12 "De döda på torget"



When revisiting Pettersson's symphonies (sans Symphonies Nos. 6-8 which I know well already), I was going through the BIS box set and I figured why should I restrict myself to only the BIS recordings? I own many other Pettersson recordings --- all of the CPO recordings and most if not all the Caprice, Swedish Society and Phono Suecia releases. This particular recording of the 12th has a wonderful dingy quality to it and I mean this is best sense of the word. It has a burnished sound that is rather appropriate to the music. I own two other recordings of the 12th --- Lindberg on BIS and Honeck on CPO. They're all excellent, but this one with Carl Rune Larsson is rather special to me.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

RIP, Herr Brendel

NP: Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37

[steve ridgway]

Ligeti - String Quartet No. 2

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Last work for the night --- Reich Octet

[Wanderer]

[AnotherSpin]

@AnotherSpin See what you make of this one.

Thanks, @Mandryka — really interesting music by a composer I hadn't heard of before. It seems simple at first, but there's something quietly captivating about it. I am checking out more of his work on Qobuz — definitely worth exploring further.

And yes, the album cover seems odd at first — neon, a bare lightbulb, a strange figure. What does any of this have to do with early music album? But in fact, it fits perfectly. This isn't just a set of Baroque pieces — it's a kind of imaginary journey through southern Italy, full of street sounds, smells, voices, and life. The cover feels like a freeze-frame from that world. The photo is by Jean Marc Tingaud, taken years ago in a small fish shop in Naples. That place — Pescheria Azzurra — still exists. I found some recent photos of the exact same spot: morning market, quiet before opening, then the bustle — fish, chatter, smell — and by evening, it turns into a trattoria that stays open late.

One great detail is the old fisherman figurine in the presepio style — a traditional Neapolitan craft of expressive terracotta miniatures that combine sculpture, painting, costuming, and theater. In true Baroque spirit, the sacred and the everyday collide — ironic, theatrical, but never mocking. That's Naples, baby.

And here's something that really struck me: the street outside is paved with slabs of volcanic stone from Mount Vesuvius. Oddly enough, the old part of Odesa was once paved with the very same material. You can still spot traces of it today. Two centuries ago, ships loaded with grain would leave Odesa and return from European ports carrying ballast — lava stone, Marseille tiles, and more.

[steve ridgway]

Penderecki - Horn Concerto

[AnotherSpin]

[Que]

The abundance of new quality recordings in Franco-Flemish repertoire is a luxury for any aficionado, like myself.
Two masses for 5 voices on the 1st disc: Missa Cuidez vous que Dieu and Missa De Domina.

[Harry]

Johann Pachelbel.
Hexachordum Apollinis.
Edoardo Bellotti, plays on a Glauco Ghilardi, organ, 1699- 1992.  Newly restored.
The organ is inspired by the Flemish models of XVI century in its phonetic and technical features.
Temperament: Meantone. Pitch: 440 Hz.
Recorded: 2005, Santa Maria Assunta, Smarano, Trento (TN), Italy.

These are some of the best performances of Pachelbel's organ music I heard so far. I begin to get a high regard for Bellotti's art as an organ player. Add to that this fine sounding organ, which is perfectly recorded as to give you a good insight into the possibilities of the instrument. The Pitch is quite high for my taste and ears in some of the compositions, which you may or may not hear in the mixtures. Superb interpretations.

[Wanderer]

[Harry]

Felix Austria.
Works for Viola da Gamba Consort.
See back cover for details.
Klaus Mertens, Bass.
Hamburger Ratsmusik, Simone Eckert.
Recorded: Refektorium Münster, Heilsbronn, 2009.
There is no PDF file, so I am unable to determine what kind of Organ is used in this recording.

A multifaceted program, perfectly conveyed through sensitive phrasing and tonal homogeneity. It's a delight to hear how seamlessly the ensemble shifts between keys. The recording is superb, with wonderful detailed ensemble pieces, and nuanced solo pieces. For Gamba lovers this might be essential listening. The Hamburger Ratsmusik ensemble should not be underestimated, for they deliver pristine interpretations. Klaus Mertens I think in this oeuvre is not the right Bass, he is somewhat overpowering in his expression, which disrupts the delicacy of the Gamba consort.

[Traverso]

Locatelli

LÁrte del Violine OP.3

1-4

[Harry]

Gordon Jacob.
Viola Concerto No. 2.
Passacaglia for Stereophonica.
See for details back cover.

I was unfortunately disturbed yesterday, so I resume where I left off. Wonderful performances, excellent sound, not to be missed music.