What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[not edward]

A couple of very fine Riccardo Chailly recordings with the RCO. Berio's Sinfonia followed by Mahler's Fifth.

[Homo Aestheticus]

[Homo Aestheticus]

New Years Day Concert - 1991

Claudio Abbado conducts Vienna Philharmonic

[PaulR]

There's a peculiar rightness to listening to this on New Year's Eve, isn't there? 

yes......very peculiar indeed.......then again, something has to welcome the new year.....or something.

[Brian]

Last thing I listened to in 2008 was Dvorak's Cello Concerto (Jean-Guihen Queyras; Prague Philharmonia; Jiri Behlohlavek). Haven't decided the first tune of 2009.

[imperfection]

Brahms: Sextet in B-flat major, op.18
Amadeus Quartet, DG
2nd movement, Thema con Variazioni  9:00

This track's play length spans a year, from 2008 to 2009.

[Que]

A very good morning and a happy new year to all.

Q

[Harry]

All good wishes for the new year, and a very good afternoon to you all my friends.
What better than the Welcome Songs of Purcell to begin with?
From this Box CD IV, with the usual suspects. Simply marvelous stuff.

Welcome Songs for James II.
"Ye Tuneful Muses.
Ode for a performance at Mr Maidwell's School.
"Celestial music did the gods Inspire".
Ode for the wedding of Prince George of Denmark and Princess Anne.
"From Hardy Climes and Dangerous toils of War".
Recorded in 1990.

Gillian Fischer, Tessa Bonner, James Bowman, Jonathan Kenny, Rogers Covey Crump, Charles Daniels, Michael George, Charles Pott.
The Kings Consort, Robert King.

[Harry]

From this great box CD VII & VIII.

"La Resurrezione"
Emma Kirkby, Patrizia Kwella, Carolyn Watkinson, Ian Partridge, David Thomas.
The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood.
Recorded 1981.

A well recorded and performed opera as I like to hear it.
I like opera, but it really depends on the performance, preferably on authentic instruments, and with sopranos with natural vibrato.
Then all is well. And this is well!

[jlaurson]

Updated

Karl Richter - 75 Cantatas - Archiv
Again, I started my day with one disc from this set (Jachzet Gott in allen Landen BWV 51, Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan BWV 100, Wer weiss, wie nahe mir mein Ende! BWV 27, to be specific.)

Since then I've been doing listening for a review:

Mainly Barbirolli - Mahler, Sy.6 (+ R.Strauss' Metamorphosen - EMI GRoC  -

but also this:

Haitink CH, KBE - Sy.6 - CSO resound (boring)

and


Gergiev - Sy.6 - LSO live (flaccid)

Later I'll wind down with the Desprez set that came through the door, yesterday

[Harry]

This is on all accounts a marvelous recording and ditto performance. Sensitively done, and with real punch, for instance in the second movement of the first Symphony, "Scherzo: Molto Allegro".
Alsop has a tight grip on the Bournemouth musicians. So clean and tight are the strings, that every stroke is as effective as one could wish for.
State of the Art recording by all means.

[Que]

Continuing with my listening stock of operas conducted by Rousset.

Q

[SonicMan46]

Shostakovich, Dmitri - Symphonies w/ Barshai - my first 'complete' set by one conductor! Just arrived, so starting off the New Year (and the first weekend of '09) w/ this Brilliant box set; unfortunately, did not come w/ a booklet! (did a BITCH post in the Brilliant thread, already); however, I own the 'The Symphony' book by Michael Steinberg, which covers half of these works; also found a 3 part writeup by Paul Serotsky on MusicWeb, which should be of help; in fact, copied into Word to print out - came to 48 pages! 

[Bogey]

Beethoven
Trio No. 5 in D major, op. 70 no. 1 "Ghost"
The Beaux Arts Trio
Philips 468 411-2
Recorded 1981

Good morning and Happy New Year.

[Harry]

Shostakovich, Dmitri - Symphonies w/ Barshai - my first 'complete' set by one conductor! Just arrived, so starting off the New Year (and the first weekend of '09) w/ this Brilliant box set; unfortunately, did not come w/ a booklet! (did a BITCH post in the Brilliant thread, already); however, I own the 'The Symphony' book by Michael Steinberg, which covers half of these works; also found a 3 part writeup by Paul Serotsky on MusicWeb, which should be of help; in fact, copied into Word to print out - came to 48 pages! 

Dave, my friend read my answer to your Bitch post if you please.

[Harry]

I played this CD again to be sure what I felt about it.  Well it is reasonable well composed, but it will not be in my player again I am afraid.
It must be said that the orchestra plays well, and the conductor does his utmost to make this music to a success, but what is not in it, will not come out, whatever the excellence of the performance.
The Fantasia is a nice piece, fun to listen at. Some fine Brass writing in the first movement of the D minor Symphony "Adagio-Allegro appassionato", and a not unattractive second movement "Andante con moto espressivo" with some good string and wind writing, but it does not convince entirely. The third movement "Presto" is the best of them all, with really good ideas, but sometimes knitted together by some banal  piece of pseudo Bizet, but overall I enjoyed the writing for strings and wind, a bit like Schubert & Brahms mixed together, without the drama. It is a dapper try, but I think to many ideas, and to little orchestral experience putting it together.

[Renfield]

A very good morning and a happy new year to all.

Q

Quite a way to star the year!


With still a big pile of unlistened-to recent purchases to go through, I'm starting with this highly promising all-Karajan lineup, myself:

[George]

Opus 2 from:

[not edward]

Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony; Jansons conducting the St. Petersburgers. Possibly my favourite performance on the set; the performers perfectly capture the blend of colour, rhythmic vitality and lyrical nostalgia that is at the heart of the work.

[George]

Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony; Jansons conducting the St. Petersburgers. Possibly my favourite performance on the set; the performers perfectly capture the blend of colour, rhythmic vitality and lyrical nostalgia that is at the heart of the work.

Hey Edward. I got that set about a year ago. I still need to crack into it.

Have you heard his set with Rudy of the Concertos on Brilliant/EMI? Great, expansive performances IMO.