What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[M forever]

You don't have to regard or classify him at all. Just listen to the music - or not, if it does not "speak" to you. Comparison with Beethoven may be interesting, but all the ranking stuff doesn't lead anywhere. As much as they do have in common, they were also very different musicians. Schubert may have been the more "gifted" one, Beethoven the "harder worker" and more "ambitious" and he also lived a little longer. But as far as musical "depth" is concerned, Schubert is just as "deep" as Beethoven. Maybe not in the first symphonies but certainly in the last two, and Beethoven also wrote a lot of "lighter" pieces. Schubert had a lyrical gift almost unmatched by any other composer and that alone makes his music highly fascinating. I think he is one of the most "eloquent" composers, one of those whose music isn't just very nice, but it "says" a lot.

[Bonehelm]

You don't have to regard or classify him at all. Just listen to the music - or not, if it does not "speak" to you. Comparison with Beethoven may be interesting, but all the ranking stuff doesn't lead anywhere. As much as they do have in common, they were also very different musicians. Schubert may have been the more "gifted" one, Beethoven the "harder worker" and more "ambitious" and he also lived a little longer. But as far as musical "depth" is concerned, Schubert is just as "deep" as Beethoven. Maybe not in the first symphonies but certainly in the last two, and Beethoven also wrote a lot of "lighter" pieces. Schubert had a lyrical gift almost unmatched by any other composer and that alone makes his music highly fascinating. I think he is one of the most "eloquent" composers, one of those whose music isn't just very nice, but it "says" a lot.

Schubert died at 31. Beethoven at 56. 25 years is "a little longer" to you? Even if you are calculating the actual dates that they died, you would still be wrong because Beethoven didn't live "a little longer" than Schubert, as he died in 1827 and Schubert in 1828.

Not that it makes any difference to the quality of both composer's output, but seriously, LvB outlived Schubert by a long shot.

[DavidRoss]

Gee, thanks, M!

[M forever]

David: For some reasons, a lot of people think Schubert is generally lighter (in the sense of "less weighty") than Beethoven but I think his musical statements can be just as "deep" as anybody's. I don't think I know a profounder piece of music than the slow movement of the Great C Major Symphony, especially the second half of that movement and the closing moments come as close to "saying it all" as anthing I know. I am sure you are aware that Schubert also had a strong influence on Bruckner and his late symphonies foreshadow a lot of elements of the later composer's music. And then of course his role in defining the genre of the Lied can simply not be overemphasized. It is no coincidence that Mahler was a great fan of his music and studied all his Lieder.

[Wanderer]

Alkan: Grand duo concertant (Clark/Smith) & Piano Trio (Clark/Welsh/Smith).



Elgar: Violin Sonata (Mordkovitch/Milford).



Bantock: A Celtic Symphony (Royal PO/Handley).



Medtner: Violin Sonata No.2 (Mordkovitch/Tozer).

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Is it kind of Spanish?  Just a guess...

Portuguese...

Listening to Symphony No. 2:

[Harry]

What did you think? I picked this up for pennies in a charity shop but it didn't make a big impression on me.

I'm listening to Ulf Bjorlin's version of the Berwald symphonies (now on an EMI 3-for-the-price-of-1 set). Good but not great.

Really? Its on my buying list for a long time, so if you don't want it anymore, send it to me, and I am sure I find something to send back.

[Harry]

I have fond memories of this from my early classical music listening as a teenager 

And it is a good recording too, don't you think so?

[Harry]

Handel Italian Cantatas
Kirkby/Hogwood/The Usual Suspects
L'oiseau Lyre 

The president of the Dutch chapter of the Emma Kirkby Society sends his regards to the president of the Colorado chapter.

[Harry]

Good morning all!

Andreas Hammerschmidt. (1611-12-1675)

Sacred Works.
Kirchen und Tafelmusik, 1662.
Motettae unius et duarum vocem. 1649.
Weser Renaissance Bremen, Manfred Cordes.

More then 400 sacred works Hammerschmidt wrote, and a few Chamber works. they are in fourteen printed editions, and after hearing his music I think they must be worth reviving. He was a so called minor master of the seventeenth century who lived side by side with such composers as Heinrich Schutz. Little is known of him, not even who his teachers were. He was a court musician and organist of the Bunau family. His fame however was wide spread in the protestant north of Germany, and had contact with many famous writers and musicians, that esteemed him very much. And his art is well represented in this recording, the first from this composer I bought. The Weser Renaissance is known for there well researched performances, and this is no exception.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Listening to the Sinfonietta for Strings - beautiful music in a more severe modern style.

[Subotnick]

How was the 1st, Subotnick?

I love how Solti builds the tension in the coda of the finale and maintain a neck-breaking momentum right to the set-up of the final brass chorale. His orchestra plays very in remarkable unity and it gives me adrenaline rushes everytime I hear that part. The more lyrical passages are handled with great care and subtlety, too.

Only heard it the once so far. But I'll definitely be remedying that!  The thing that struck me most is the finale. A spine tingling moment to say the least. I'll be finishing that set later today. I have just revisited the 1st from this set:



It's better than I remember  I'm currently listening to the following disc which gets better with every listen:



TTFN.
Me.

[Subotnick]

Oops! Forgot to say "good morning"! All this Santos you're listening to Jezetha, looks very interesting indeed. Oh how I love last.fm, because they have his symphonies, the disc you're currently listening to and the cello concerto all ready for me to stream!  Where would you suggest I start?

TTFN.
Me.

P.S.

Just noticed the thread. I'll pop on over there...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Oops! Forgot to say "good morning"! All this Santos you're listening to Jezetha, looks very interesting indeed. Oh how I love last.fm, because they have his symphonies, the disc you're currently listening to and the cello concerto all ready for me to stream!  Where would you suggest I start?

TTFN.
Me.

Morning, Subotnick, Harry, and others!

Re Braga Santos: that Sinfonietta I just listened to is an excellent example of his more modern later style, and the Fourth Symphony is in his earlier, more romantic one, and simply wonderful music. I listened to the Second Symphony yesterday, which didn't completely convince me - it made all the right noises, but I didn't feel a guiding intention, if you know what I mean. I'll have to listen again to see if I can discover it. I still have the Third ahead of me. And my very positive experience with that late Sinfonietta makes me curious to hear the two last symphonies too, written in the same, more 'advanced' idiom.

[Harry]

Morning, Subotnick, Harry, and others!

Re Braga Santos: that Sinfonietta I just listened to is an excellent example of his more modern later style, and the Fourth Symphony is in his earlier, more romantic one, and simply wonderful music. I listened to the Second Symphony yesterday, which didn't completely convince me - it made all the right noises, but I didn't feel a guiding intention, if you know what I mean. I'll have to listen again to see if I can discover it. I still have the Third ahead of me. And my very positive experience with that late Sinfonietta makes me curious to hear the two last symphonies too, written in the same, more 'advanced' idiom.

Well I tried to get all the recorded work of Santos together, and I will order it this week.

[Subotnick]

Morning, Subotnick, Harry, and others!

Re Braga Santos: that Sinfonietta I just listened to is an excellent example of his more modern later style, and the Fourth Symphony is in his earlier, more romantic one, and simply wonderful music. I listened to the Second Symphony yesterday, which didn't completely convince me - it made all the right noises, but I didn't feel a guiding intention, if you know what I mean. I'll have to listen again to see if I can discover it. I still have the Third ahead of me. And my very positive experience with that late Sinfonietta makes me curious to hear the two last symphonies too, written in the same, more 'advanced' idiom.

Thanks! I think I'll go the romantic/modern route then. I am intrigued though to hear the 2nd movement of the 2nd symphony.

TTFN.
Me.

P.S.

And if I find I do like him, there are a few discs on Amazon for under £4! 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Well I tried to get all the recorded work of Santos together, and I will order it this week.

I don't doubt you'll fall for him, Harry. There are too many things there that are right up your alley...

[Harry]

Joseph Eybler.

String Trio opus 2.
String quintet opus 6, No.1.
Deutsches Streichtrio.

I say unto you, this disc is fabulous. Music performance recording alike! 0:)
Re for the third time, and its getting better all the time.

[rickardg]

Antonín Dvořák
String Quartet No 9 in Dm
The Prague String Quartet

[Christo]

Well I tried to get all the recorded work of Santos together, and I will order it this week.

Great you do! But beware: the MP cycle is often, but not always, first choice.

Mine would be:
First, Second, Fourth and Sixth symphonies: Cassuto, Marco Polo
Third: Cassuto on Portugalsom (with the LSO)
Fifth: also one of the older Portugalsom recordings.
Sinfonietta, Divertimento no. 1 : also Portugalsom recordings, not the Marco Polo's

&c. So for a real encounter with the Third and Fifth, especially, you will have to look further, imho.