What are you listening 2 now?

[Harry]

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688–1758).
Overtures & Symphonies:
D major FWV K: D1, D major FWV K: D2, F major FWV K: F4, G major FWV K: G21, G major FWV K: G5.
Les Amis de Philippe, Ludger Rémy.
Recorded: 2013, Katharina-Saal der Stadthalle Zerbst/Anhalt, Germany.
Streaming: FLAC 44.1kHz/16 bit, CD quality. PDF file attached.

Among the more unjustly shadowed names in the baroque constellation, Johann Friedrich Fasch shines as a quietly radiant figure—celebrated in his time, admired by J.S. Bach, and yet for long decades eclipsed in modern memory. His music, however, tells a different story: one of lively invention, generous melodic grace, and refined structural intelligence. These overtures and symphonies, drawn from Fasch's orchestral output in Zerbst, offer a delightful glimpse into a composer who straddled the stylistic cusp between late baroque grandeur and early classical clarity.

Each overture unfolds like a miniature suite, full of affective contrasts and elegant surprises. The D major FWV K:D1, for example, opens with a confident flourish, its festive dotted rhythms giving way to gracefully arched melodies and contrapuntal interplay. There is French elegance here, to be sure—Fasch clearly admired the Lullist model—but also a Germanic seriousness that roots the music in deeper soil. The G major FWV K:G5, by contrast, is lighter on its feet, a dance-like conversation where winds and strings flirt and entwine.

Les Amis de Philippe, under the always-intelligent direction of Ludger Rémy, deliver performances of admirable clarity and refinement. There is no overstatement, no attempt to romanticize; rather, they allow Fasch's lines to breathe and shine on their own terms. The playing is crisp and poised, textures are carefully shaped, and the rhythmic articulation brings buoyancy without brittleness.

And yet it is not only brilliance one hears here, but something intimate and inward, too. Fasch's music does not storm the heavens; instead, it draws us into a gentler radiance—measured, poised, yet quietly affecting. In this, one might recall Shakespeare's line from The Merchant of Venice:

"How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears; soft stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony."

The recording itself is warm and clear, if not quite reference-level, capturing the hall's acoustic with an appropriate balance of space and detail. Instruments are well-placed in the soundstage, the winds particularly benefiting from a rounded, natural tone.

If there is one slight reservation, it lies not with the music nor the ensemble, but perhaps with the interpretive temperature. A touch more daring in the allegros, a bit more expressive freedom in the slower dances, might have brought even greater fire to these pages. Still, this is a finely wrought, elegant presentation of music that deserves far wider attention.

Fasch may not seek the limelight, but he rewards the attentive ear with craftsmanship of the highest order — architecture wrapped in lyricism, dance infused with thought. In this recording, his voice speaks clearly across centuries: civil, poetic, and eminently musical.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Suite No. 2.

[brewski]

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2 (Jonathan Swensen, cello / Hugh Wolff, conductor / NEC Philharmonia). A friend who has been obsessed with this piece asked if I had heard it, and though I have, for some reason the first cello concerto has shown up more often in performances.

In any case, he pointed me to this version, which is quite fine.

[Harry]

Johann Wilhelm Hertel (1727–1789)
Con spirito.
Works for Bassoon and BC.
See back cover for details.
Capriccio baroque Orchestra, Dominik Kiefer.
Sergio Azzolini, Bassoon.
Recorded: Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Arlesheim 2010, Germany.
Streaming: FLAC 44.1kHz/16 bit. CD quality.

Sergio Azzolini is an absolute master on the bassoon, there is no doubt about that. This fantastic disc with music by Johann Wilhelm Hertel (1727–1789) is not only sublime but also a treasure in the repertoire. Make no mistake: such excellent bassoon players are rare and far between. It is a notoriously difficult instrument to master—its voice at once noble and capricious—and Azzolini is the man to fulfill all expectations.

Hertel, a court composer at Schwerin and a contemporary of the early classical movement in Germany, crafted music that blends the elegance of the galant style with lingering shadows of the Baroque. His writing for the bassoon is natural and graceful, lyrical and light on its feet, yet never lacking in rhetorical depth. This is no academic display, no dry court duty, but music with heart, charm, and a gentle wit.

The works presented here—concertos and sinfonias alike—fit like a glove around the voice of the bassoon. Hertel grants it room to breathe, to sigh and dance, to sing its full song. These are warm, embracing pockets of music that stir the imagination into a poetic flow of dreamy character. There are no bombastic gestures here, only a kind of luminous intimacy.
The playing is alert and affectionate. The tone of the bassoon and orchestra alike are in fine spirits—con spirito indeed!—and the recording captures it all with warmth and clarity. The acoustics offer a stage that flatters both music and musicians: the breath of the wind instruments, the tickle of the continuo, the round, chestnut-hued resonance of Azzolini's bassoon—all are rendered with loving care.

Hertel may not be a household name, but in this performance he is brought forward as a composer of fine sensibility and imagination. The marriage of his idiom with Azzolini's artistry is one of those felicitous encounters where time, taste, and talent align.

"A light broke in upon my soul—it was the light of reason."
—Mary Wollstonecraft, though it might well be Hertel speaking softly through the reed.

[Lisztianwagner]

I'll follow @Symphonic Addict in listening to works from this recording:

Bohuslav Martinů
Overture for Orchestra
Rhapsody for large orchestra

Jiří Bělohlávek & Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E Major, 1885 Version. Ed.Leopold Nowak
Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim

[Linz]

Feiedrich Kiel Missa solemnis Op. 40 for soli chorus and Orchestra
Joseph Leopold von Eybler Omnis de Saba venient for soprao and orchestra
Terra treuit for chrus and orchestra
Offertorium for chorus and orchestra
Briitte Linder soprano, Lenneke Ruiten for Eybler, Regine Röttger mezzo soprano, Elisabeth Graf alto, Thomas Dewald tenor Karl Fäth bass
WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, WDR Rundfunkorchestra Köln, Helnuth Froschauer

[Linz]

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Inge Borkh, Soprano, Ruth Siewert, Contalto, Richard Lewis,Tenor, Ludwig Weber, Bass, The Beecham Choral Society
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, René Leibowitz

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, 1889 Version (aka 1888/89) Ed. Leopold Nowak
Richard Wagner Tannhäuser Overture
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Manolis Kalomiris.

[DavidW]

Mahler's 7th

[JBS]

My most recent Presto order landed today. This is the first one into the CD player: three contemporary concertos.  Each concerto with a different conductor and orchestra.


First impressions:
Thierry Picou: Cara Bali Concerto  Orchestra National de Lyon/Jonathan Stockhammer

As the name suggests, a lot of inspiration from Gamelan music. Two movements, both marked Vivace.

Ramon Lazkano: Mare Marginis (nouvelle lune) WDR Sinfonieorchester/Sylvain Camberling

Really noisy and percussive, in one movement. Probably the one I will like least of the three.

Alex Nante: Luz de Lejos Orchestre National de Lille/Emilia Hoving

A concerto entitled "Light from afar" is reminding me of Vasks in terms of style as well as title.

I'm not going to recommend or decommend any of the three. They are stylistically rather diverse, and I do feel they are all worth at one listen.

[Symphonic Addict]

I'll follow @Symphonic Addict in listening to works from this recording:

Bohuslav Martinů
Overture for Orchestra
Rhapsody for large orchestra

Jiří Bělohlávek & Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Cool, Ilaria. A wondrous disc, mostly for The Parables, which is a terrific concoction of moods and captivating sounds. An incredibly kaleidoscopic and unpredictable work.

[Symphonic Addict]

Prokofiev: Cello Concerto in E minor, op. 58

[Karl Henning]

Malcolm Arnold
Return of Odysseus, op. 119

Darius Milhaud
Suite Française, op. 254

Ralph Vaughan Williams
Toward the Unknown Region

City of Glasgow Chorus
Scottish Opera Orchestra - Graham Taylor

A most curious cantata from Malcolm Arnold; I am not quite sure what to make of it. The recording itself almost sounds like it comes from a 60s/70s film soundtrack, but it was actually set down in 2005. Maybe the combination of Arnold's music with the sound engineering of the chorus and orchestra?

I never took to RVW's Toward an Unknown Region, even though I very much enjoy its sister composition A Sea Symphony. Nothing different here; I probably should have passed.

I actually thought this was Milhaud's Suite Provençale, but no, it was his Suite Française. Both are fun orchestral works either way.
VS

Curious that Vers la région inconnue fails to sing to you!

[Cato]

Cool, Ilaria. A wondrous disc, mostly for The Parables, which is a terrific concoction of moods and captivating sounds. An incredibly kaleidoscopic and unpredictable work.

Amen!

[Symphonic Addict]

The three late triptychs are Martinu's orchestral crown jewels. Glad that the motoric and hectic rhythms from his neoclassical period don't appear on these works because one does feel a tad overwhelmed by them at times.

[Symphonic Addict]

Händel: Concerti grossi, op. 6 (seven to twelve)

It was a very rewarding experience to have given these pieces a listen again after many years.

[Symphonic Addict]

Berwald: Symphony No. 3 'Sinfonie singulière'

Singular it is indeed, particularly because of the freshness of the thematic material and how it is developed. No heavy Austro-German influence in here. Moreover, I think it is the first symphony in three movements that combines the slow movement with a scherzo.

[Roasted Swan]

Händel: Concerti grossi, op. 6 (seven to twelve)

It was a very rewarding experience to have given these pieces a listen again after many years.

Joyful music wonderfully performed