What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[The new erato]

This afternoon:

A selection of Mozart piano concretoes, Curzon with Britten and Kertesz variously conducting - sublime performances.
Vol 5 of Gardiners Bach pilgrimage, some very fine cantatas on this double, particularly BWV 45 & 102
Rachmaninov Symph no 1, Janons/St Petersburgh. Very fine.

[Christo]

This afternoon:

Some Léon Orthel again, especially the Second Symphony 'Piccola sinfonia' (1940) and the Scherzo No. 2 per orchestra (1957). The latter - a gem acoording to Dundonnell and Jezetha - to be found on this CD:

               

     

[rubio]

Excellent performances of Bruckner's 8th and 9th by Knappertsbusch/BPO. This is also majestic, mysterious in the right places and with caring attention to details.

[Christo]

Now continuing the series with Léon Orthel's Third Symphony (1943):

                     

[rubio]

Bruckner's 7th by Böhm/WP. This reading seems fine to me, but I haven't really cracked the 7th yet (the only one of 4-9). A bit strange that is. The slow movement is of course lovely.

[rubio]

"Little Polish" is probably my least favourite of Tchaikovsky's wsymphonies, but I think Jansons/Oslo Po has one of their best moments in this work. Sound-wise it's good and Jansons keeps it under tight control, carefully balanced but still played with vigour.

[Christo]

Safely arrived at Léon Orthel's Symphony No. 4 `Sinfonia concertante' for piano and orchestra (1949) - with the composer at the piano.

`On the occasion of the premiere (by the Residentie Orchestra conducted by Willem van Otterloo in 1950) Wouter Paap wrote in the periodical Mens en Melodie (vol. 5, no. 12): `The attractiveness of this overwhelming piece of music actually lies in the numerous, often unexpected impulses in which a predilection for virtuosity and a need for dramatic release fight for priority, and frequently come to an impressive agreement. (...) Numerous times it seems that in Orthel a new Rachmaninov has arisen.' Some weeks later Eduard Flipse introduced the work in Rotterdam. Jean Fournet, who also conducts the performance on this CD, gave the Amsterdam premiere with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1951.'
                           
                         

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Léon Orthel, Symphony No. 4 `Sinfonia concertante' for piano and orchestra (1949)

My first listen... I am only 2 minutes in, and I already know this is a winner.

Orthel is one of this year's great discoveries, thanks to you, Christo!

[M forever]

Why is there a picture of a film projector in the cover? It's hard to say from the little that can be seen, but this looks like a Philips projector from the late 30s.

[Novi]

Good afternoon everyone .



The picture isn't very clear, but this is a disk of Prokofieff goodies with Ančerl : PC1, Scythian Suite, Symphony 1, and Seven, They are Seven.

I think I prefer Ančerl with Moravec in the PC1 here to Richter on Supraphon. Richter, as I recall, is more explosive and a smidgeon faster, but I like the sense of rhythmic acuity in Moravec's version. On the other hand, I prefer Ancerl's 'Classical' on Supraphon.

What I'm really enjoying though is Seven, They are Seven. This isn't a piece with which I'm familiar, but I love the primitivism of the drums and the overall savage, earthy feel of it.

[Christo]

Léon Orthel, Symphony No. 4 `Sinfonia concertante' for piano and orchestra (1949)

My first listen... I am only 2 minutes in, and I already know this is a winner.

Orthel is one of this year's great discoveries, thanks to you, Christo!

  Still, I find it hard to "place" the Sinfonia concertante, as it so obviously differs from the Second and Third Symphonies. And the lyrical passage around 1'40-2'00 min. underway so much resembling Rachmaninov, that Orthel's own trademark (the symphonic writing starting at 2'05) comes as a welcome relief.

If it is a winner, than mostly as a proof of Orthel's own pianistic skills (the recording is with Léon Orthel himself at the piano, and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra under Jean Fournet, in a studio recording from 1965) and of his ability to write a rather brilliant concertante showpiece, clearly aiming at a direct public appeal.

[Brian]

Brahms' Second and Third Symphonies on PentaTone SACD Hybrid: the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Marek Janowski. A new benchmark recording; one of the very best releases of 2008, for sure. I can't wait to get my hands on the new Fourth Symphony under the same forces.

Simply staggering that these are live recordings. The Pittsburgh Symphony are perfection itself. From the Audiophile Audition review:

Is this a reference recording? Yes, absolutely! I like Janowski's way – the classical way! ... A few words about the PSO and this recording now are necessary out of respect for all those dedicated musicians who gave it all for our benefit. I believe that in those performances (and by extension in this SACD) they did what they do best, that is, play to the best of their abilities, which are enormous. ... Incidentally, as far as I know, one of the viola players mentioned in the booklet played for the PSO and Steinberg's recordings of the same for the Command label back in 1961/62 (the sound engineer for those recordings was none other than C. Robert Fine!), his name is Raymond Marsh and that was 45 years ago! Six other players listed in the present booklet also played with the PSO and Steinberg, which shows the current depth of this great orchestra....This recording is a joint labor of love and we pray that would never cease as an example of what can really be done artistically and technologically if an orchestra and a recording label are in synch.

[marvinbrown]

Dmitri Dmitriyevich
String Quartet No. 7 in F# Minor, Opus 108
The Emerson String Quartet

Dmitri Dmitriyevich
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Opus 110
The Emerson String Quartet

 Alright I get it!! You win!!  You keep posting like this Karl   and you're disrupting my whole listening schedule.  I really was planning on getting back to Sibelius' symphonies, however as per the influence of Karl   I am now playing this:

 String quartet no.2 (Oh how I love this piece), String quartets 3 and 4 to follow 0:):

 

  Edit: Thanks Karl I really did need a push in the right direction  !
 
 marvin

[mozartsneighbor]

This afternoon:
A selection of Mozart piano concretoes, Curzon with Britten and Kertesz variously conducting - sublime performances.

Sublime is indeed the right word for those performances -- Curzon+Britten especially are amazing.

[M forever]

Anton Josefovich
Symphony No. 5
Orchestre Natinal de France
Lovro von Matacic


A somewhat odd performance with a number of strange detail changes, apparently by Matacic, and a lot of small and not so small interpretive idiosyncracies, but still interesting to listen to, if maybe not much more than that. It is also interesting to hear the Orchestra National de France with its at that time still very traditionally French sound play the music, although the somewhat boxy and dry recording does not do the orchestra full justice.

Now I am putting this on

Johan Christianovich
Symphony No. 7
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Paavo Berglund

[Christo]

Arnold Cooke, Symphony No. 3 in D (1967), Nicholas Braithwaite conducting the London PhO. Reviewers tend to refer to Hindemith as an influence, but - `but' - it's very much the rather individual lyricism of Cooke's style that wins me over:

                     

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Anton Josefovich
Symphony No. 5
Orchestre Natinal de France
Lovro von Matacic



Johan Christianovich
Symphony No. 7
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Paavo Berglund

(Decipher that, Karl! I know I can...)

[Brian]

HOLST | The Planets
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Herbert von Karajan

I suppose I am somewhat lucky, in that I really was not exposed to this piece all that much as a kid, so discovering this CD earlier this week has been not an exercise in trying to revive interest in a warhorse but in finally getting to know a work after only being familiar with the "highlights".

[Daverz]

Sibelius, Symphony 5 - Rozhdestvensky and his Large TV & Radio Orchestra.  I was turned off by the sound of this when I listened on headphones sometime last year, but while it's still a little harsh and tinny, listening now over speakers it's enjoyable enough and the balance is quite natural (no mixing board shenanigans that I can hear, but is that some gain riding I hear at the climax of the last movement?)

[Christo]

Camille Saint-Saëns' French WWI victory parade showpiece, Cyprès et Lauriers (1919) - complete with triumphant trumpet fanfares and his only `other' piece for organ and orchestra. (Coming after an evening spent with Fauré's notorious and rather eunuchlike Requiem):