What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Lethevich]

I picked this up on one of my whims today. I know you can't judge a cd by its cover, but something about this was urging me to download it. I'd not heard of either Nordgren or Juha Kangas before this morning.

He's a very neat symphonist IMO - makes me wish I had the time to look into his other music. He died very recently, sadly.

[Subotnick]

Looks wonderful, doesn't it!?

Certainly does! My christmas present list is getting longer....

[Subotnick]

He's a very neat symphonist IMO - makes me wish I had the time to look into his other music. He died very recently, sadly.

I was just reading about that 

An interesting listen that was, I must say. I'll give it another listen (Symphony No. 2 that is) and the volume it deserves tomorrow.

For now, I'm on much more familiar territory.



TTFN.
Me.

[Maciek]

should be active here again before christmas.

Looking forward to that!

[SonicMan46]

Harry - well, this morning I've been listening to second/third discs in the box below - mainly, theater music w/ a lot of wonderful singing, both choral and/or soloists; this is 'new' to me, i.e. Grieg's vocal writing - wonderfully done and the BIS sound is glorious! 

Most of these discs are reviewed as 'separate' releases on ClassicsToday receiving 9 & 10 scores for sound & performance; the individual comments are indeed impressive w/ statements made about the quality of the standard stereo & SACD production; interestingly, the 'box set' including the booklet notes have absolutely no mention of SACD, so I'm assuming that the BIS engineers included just the standard stereo in this release?  Now I do not have a SACD player, but can definitely vouch for the quality of the sound - would be curious if others own this box & also have an option to listen to SACD tracts?

BTW - a listing of all of the works on the 8 CDs can be found on the BIS WEBSITE - 

Looks wonderful, doesn't it!?

Brian & Subotnick - decided to skip over discs 4 & 5 for the moment (Peer Gynt play on the two discs) - tonight went on to disc 6 - Peer Gynt Suites and other works - now listening to the suites; just unbeatable w/ dynamic sound -     Check out the links above in my quote which I provided for Harry - if you are interested in Grieg's orchestral output, both instrumental & vocal, this set is tops! (and @ a great price - my only reservation is the SACD issue, which is really not a factor for me - the standard stereo sound is a 'knockout') - Dave 

[Christo]

I also discovered Braga Santos through those Portugalsom recordings, when I was 14 or so. My brother had a couple.
It's difficult to say exactly, but my favorite is possibly Symphony # 4. The Third is very good too, though. It's a close call.
I was reading recently that indeed Braga Santos had only a passing interest in folk music, so that might explain why the theme doesn't sound so authentic.

Great to learn! BTW, did you join the thread devoted to Braga Santos (and also Luïs de Freitas Branco, especially after the start of a cycle of his symphonies on Naxos)? Your insights would be most welcome there.

Especially since you are in a position to compare the Portugalsom/Strauss recordings with the more recent Marco Polo/ Naxos recordings of Braga Santos and Freitas Branco.

[Brian]

Brian & Subotnick - decided to skip over discs 4 & 5 for the moment (Peer Gynt play on the two discs) - tonight went on to disc 6 - Peer Gynt Suites and other works - now listening to the suites; just unbeatable w/ dynamic sound -     Check out the links above in my quote which I provided for Harry - if you are interested in Grieg's orchestral output, both instrumental & vocal, this set is tops! (and @ a great price - my only reservation is the SACD issue, which is really not a factor for me - the standard stereo sound is a 'knockout') - Dave 

How is the dialogue handled in Peer Gynt? In the new Naxos album some of the actresses have unbearably screechy voices in the first-act scenes (are they supposed to be witches or hags?  ).

[SonicMan46]

How is the dialogue handled in Peer Gynt? In the new Naxos album some of the actresses have unbearably screechy voices in the first-act scenes (are they supposed to be witches or hags?  ).

Hi Brian - can't say yet; as mentioned, I 'skipped' over those 2 discs for the moment and went on to #6 - will give a listen later (and will be my FIRST hearing of the entire play w/ music); but in the meantime, take a look at Hurwitz's Review, pretty impressive for him and a 10/10 rating! 

[Brian]

Hi Brian - can't say yet; as mentioned, I 'skipped' over those 2 discs for the moment and went on to #6 - will give a listen later (and will be my FIRST hearing of the entire play w/ music); but in the meantime, take a look at Hurwitz's Review, pretty impressive for him and a 10/10 rating! 

Whoops, misunderstood you. At any rate, I just ordered the set from ArkivMusic, where it is on sale at $50 (Amazon lists it for fifteen dollars more). 

[SonicMan46]

Whoops, misunderstood you. At any rate, I just ordered the set from ArkivMusic, where it is on sale at $50 (Amazon lists it for fifteen dollars more). 

GREAT!  Can't wait for your comments - best @ high volume -    BTW - paid about the same on the Amazon Marketplace, i.e. $45 + $3 S/H - but for 8 CDs!  Hope that you enjoy - 

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Donwyn, if I recall Grisey wrote the six pieces separately, and then put them together as a whole.  In performance, the sections are definitely played as discrete pieces (i.e., with slight pauses between them).  The number of musicians increases with each piece.  The first is for solo viola, the second for 7 musicians, then 18, then 33, and then a gigantic orchestra for the fifth (and arguably greatest) and sixth sections, Transitoires and Epilogue.

Stylistically the works are unified by their microtonal explorations, i.e., taking a note's "spectrum" of overtones and using that as a compositional tool.  Here is how Christopher Culver describes the third movement, Partiels:

Using a device called a sonogram in the days before computers, Grisey "decomposed" the sound of a trombone playing an E into its constituent parts, comparing their amplitudes (the fundamental is rather quiet, while the fifth and ninth partials are loudest), and then distributing these parts to string instruments playing harmonics. What you have, then, is successive trombone intonations being imitated by a team of other instruments, but in slow motion. This may sound gimmicky, but the result is really a glorious halo of sound.

The rest of Culver's write-up is here, if you're interested.

It really is fascinating stuff, one of those works that makes you think about music differently.

--Bruce

Thanks Bruce! Fascinating reading. Not your everyday method for composing music. But kudos to these guys for coming up with something so innovative.  

[mn dave]

The Tempest

by that hack Sibelius

(marriner/asmf)

[Kullervo]

The Tempest

by that hack Sibelius

(marriner/asmf)

Second-fiddle music for second-fiddlers. 

[mn dave]

Second-fiddle music for second-fiddlers. 

Well, those with mediocre minds have to listen to something.  0:)

[Brian]

You want to see second-fiddle... 

BEETHOVEN | Piano Concerto No 5, "Emperor"
Ursula Oppens, piano
Barbara Schubert, conductor
Dupage Symphony Orchestra of Naperville, Illinois

[Dancing Divertimentian]

The new(well-actually recorded in 1985/88) Supraphon release of Martinu's early vocal and choral music.

It is not great music but it is splendidly uplifting and joyous

Dundonnell,

If you have an inkling, you can find some of Martinu's best choral writing in this grand oratorio:





It's hugely powerful and dramatic. Very subtle, too, in places. I'd say it ranks as one of the peaks of his enormous output, right alongside the opera Julietta.

[springrite]

You want to see second-fiddle... 

BEETHOVEN | Piano Concerto No 5, "Emperor"
Ursula Oppens, piano
Barbara Schubert, conductor
Dupage Symphony Orchestra of Naperville, Illinois

Oppens is one of the best. I'd say the roster represents first fiddle, third fiddle and... well... fiddle


Now listening: Salmanov: String Quartets

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Nice to see you back-even if only briefly

Glad to hear that Rautavaara's lovely music is being of solace to you.

Seconded!!

[Harry]

Seconded!!

Yes John I second that too my man, you have been missed sorely!

[Harry]

GOOD MORNING TO YA ALL MY FRIENDS, HAVE A GOOD TIME TOWARDS CHRISTMAS, THE TIME OF NEW LIGHT INTO THIS WORLD.


I took a oldie from my collection this morning, simply because I felt like doing something very adventurous. 

Handel.
Concerti Grossi opus 3.
ASMF, Iona Brown.
Hanssler Records 1995.
Last listened to on January 2003

Thinking this would be a old fashioned big boned Handel is quite mistaken. I enjoyed this thoroughly. Such lightweight approach, yet very much to the core of Handel. Ideal music for the morning, and well recorded by that wizard engineer John Timperley, Brilliant reissued this fine box for a price that is unbeatable. A fine performance it is.