What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

Is the silhouette on the cover real?

More than I can answer to.

[Linz]

Dietrich Buxtehude Complete Organ Music - CD2
Simone Stella

[JBS]

Is the silhouette on the cover real?

I believe it's simply the normal shadow cast by the man and the parapet to his left.

The photographer has a Wikipedia page with links and bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Economopoulos

[brewski]

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra (WDR Symphony Orchestra / Cristian Măcelaru, recorded November 15, 2024 in Cologne). Marvelous. The dynamic range is huge; the opening is almost too soft, but never mind, that quickly changes. Măcelaru is the incoming music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and I think his time there is going to be part of a great era.

[AnotherSpin]

Piping in.

Richard Wagner / Hansjörg Albrecht
Der Ring – An Organ Transcription



Warming my ears for another deep dive into the depths of the Ring that I'm planning for August.

Are you off to Bayreuth? Or perhaps hosting your own virtual festival at home? Not a bad idea, come to think of it. I might follow suit and revisit The Ring in some fine interpretations over the coming weeks.

Many thanks for the recommendation of the Hansjörg Albrecht album. I don't believe I've listened to his recordings before. I rather enjoyed his Wagner transcriptions on the whole. While I did miss the full aural magnificence of the original, there were moments when the organist managed to capture the ineffable spirit of the great music.

[Madiel]

Today's OperaVision excursion is Carmen. An opera I've actually seen on stage a mere 4 years ago.

The production I'm currently watching is consciously old-fashioned but there's nothing wrong with that (EDIT: In fact the intention is to recreate the original sets and costumes from 1875). Act One could do with a bit of editing in my opinion, but maybe Bizet just wants to emphasise how interesting Carmen is compared to everyone else by being a little boring before she arrives. She's stealing the show, as she should.

The extra bonus since I last saw the opera is that I've now visited the actual cigarette factory in Seville. 

EDIT: The soprano playing Carmen, Deepa Johnny, is really excellent. Someone to look out for.

SECOND EDIT: Don Jose is also very good. Stanislas de Barbeyrac

[Que]

Rekindling my old passion for recorder ensembles (consorts):

 

I guess the Brisk Recorder Quartet is the natural successor to my 1st favorite, the Loeki Stardust Quartet. Lovely recording, nicely programmed.

[Que]

For some inexplicable reason, volume 11 is missing on Spotify.... So I guess my journey through this set ends with volume 12.



For now... 

[vandermolen]

Reger: 4 Tone Poems after Arnold Bocklin

[hopefullytrusting]

Symphonies 1, 2, and 3 from this set:

[Que]

This recording has now arguably been superseded by the set (vol. 1 of a complete series) by Igor Ruhadze (Brilliant), but it is always a pleasure to listen to Enrico Gatti.

[Madiel]

Mozart: A couple of his best songs, and then Eine kleine Nachtmusik.



...which, to be honest, I'm not sure quite deserves its outsize fame. I mean it's good, but I personally don't think it's Mozart's best even in the serenade genre. I suspect part of the reason for the fame is that it's kleine, and easily digestible.

[Mister Sharpe]

Petibon's singing is as capricious as her elfin-like cover photo suggests, playful and fun-loving.  Her crystal-clear diction registers as "thin" on the ears of some reviewers - but I'd bet it's in keeping with period practice. Inclusion of Grandval's "Rien du tout" ("je ne chanterai rien du tout...") serves to show that everyone concerned had fun producing this disc. Assuredly not half as much fun as I have listening to it.

[Mister Sharpe]

Mozart: A couple of his best songs, and then Eine kleine Nachtmusik.



...which, to be honest, I'm not sure quite deserves its outsize fame. I mean it's good, but I personally don't think it's Mozart's best even in the serenade genre. I suspect part of the reason for the fame is that it's kleine, and easily digestible.

Couldn't agree with you more. Many moons ago I was in a classical CD shoppe (there were such things back then!) and a fellow customer regaled the weary proprietor with a peroration on how it was the greatest music ever composed. For nearly half an hour he droned on about it. I thought the owner looked at me to try to save his life, but I could not be sure. After that experience, I liked Eine lange Nachtmusik even less. 

[Que]

Couldn't agree with you more. Many moons ago I was in a classical CD shoppe (there were such things back then!) and a fellow customer regaled the weary proprietor with a peroration on how it was the greatest music ever composed. For nearly half an hour he droned on about it. I thought the owner looked at me to try to save his life, but I could not be sure. After that experience, I liked Eine lange Nachtmusik even less. 

A simple & catchy tune is all it takes... 

[hopefullytrusting]

Liszt's Piano Sonata from this disc:

[Harry]

Second rerun, of which I wrote a full review on 21th of July 2025.

Pictures from Finland.
Orchestral Works by Palmgren, Madetoja, Kajanus, Sibelius, and Raitio.
Oulu Sinfonia – Rumon Gamba.
Recorded at Madetoja Hall, Oulu · Chandos · FLAC 96kHz/24-bit · PDF file attached.

This is a concise version of the full review.

A luminous programme tracing Finland's musical landscape beyond Sibelius, this album pairs the elegance of Palmgren and the folkloric flair of Kajanus with Madetoja's haunting Okon Fuoko suite and Raitio's exquisite miniature The Swans. Sibelius's rare Cassazione adds a touch of brooding intensity.

Rumon Gamba leads the Oulu Sinfonia with clarity and restraint, allowing each work to breathe in its natural voice. The recording is balanced, warm, and true to Chandos's high standards. A quiet but captivating journey into Finland's poetic orchestral tradition.

[Madiel]

Mozart: Violin sonata no.35 in A, K.526



My first listen to what is regarded as the last of Mozart's 3 great later violin sonatas. And it did not disappoint. An exceptionally sparkling work in its outer movements.

K.526 > K.525 

[DavidW]

Continuing in Op 33, but with a different ensemble:

[Lisztianwagner]

Carl Nielsen
Symphonic Rhapsody
Helios Overture
Saga-Drøm

Herbert Blomstedt & Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra