What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Bulldog]

Madien spin and I am already impressed!

Yes, the Pogorelich is very impressive; he gets better and better as the work progresses, concluding with an industrial strength no. 24.  The only thing that bothered me a little is that I sensed a formula in use - the faster preludes are played much faster than the norm, the slower ones played much slower.

[Brian]

For the birthday boy!



A really fabulous recording, in my opinion. Some of the best sound quality Naxos produced pre-2000, and really superb singers in almost all of the parts. Georg Tichy, as Papageno, is especially delightful: you can almost hear him smiling from ear to ear as he sings! Herbert Lippert, our Tamino, is certainly earnest if a little boring (not in terms of singing but as a person). Maybe that is how he's supposed to be. Great orchestral performance, too. MDT is now selling this set for $8 US. If it is of interest, do not hesitate!

[George]

Yes, the Pogorelich is very impressive; he gets better and better as the work progresses, concluding with an industrial strength no. 24.  The only thing that bothered me a little is that I sensed a formula in use - the faster preludes are played much faster than the norm, the slower ones played much slower.

Good points! I did notice at first that I wasn't too impressed, but by the middle I was awestruck. If the slower tempos resulted in boring readings or the faster ones sounded like showing off, I would have been bothered by his formula, but since this wasn't the case, I enjoyed his interpretation.

I hope that DG assembles a box for him as they have recently done for Martha Argerich.    

[karlhenning]

How was the following Karl?

Vesperae solennes de confessore, K.339

I'm a great fan of this 'un, Bill.

[Homo Aestheticus]

[Harry]

Handel.
"Saul", Part two.

Very well performed and recorded. No complaints here.

[val]

LUTOSLAWSKI:      4th Symphony                / Los Angeles Philharmonic, Salonen

The 4th is a beautiful work, one of his most lyrical compositions. The orchestration, in special the strings, is superb. Lutoslawski uses aleatoric technique in some moments, in special in the sort of cadenza in the last part.
This is the only interpretation I have, and it seems pretty decent.

[Harry]

I live dangerously, so I played the third and last Part of "Saul"too!

[jlaurson]

J.S.Bach, Mass in B-Minor, Marc Minkowski, Les Musiciens du Louvre

Surprisingly strident and feels--without direct comparison--rather on slow side compared to Veldhoven. Then again, anything is slow, compared to Veldhoven.

A lot of the singers I've not heard of, before. Lucy Crowe, Joanne Junn, Julia Lezhneva, Blandine Staskiewicz, Nathalie Stutzmann, Terry Wey, Colin Balzer, Markus Brutscher, Christian Immler, Luca Tittoto. Stutzmann, of course, is a known quantity.

Holy cow--is that an agressive Gloria. Like a Missa in Tempore Belli.

[Bogey]

I live dangerously, so I played the third and last Part of "Saul"too!

The REAL Harry getting ready to go to work:

[Harry]

The REAL Harry getting ready to go to work:

Where ever did you find that picture of me?

[Harry]

Mikis Theodorakis.

Liturgy No. 2 "For the young Killed in Wars".
Dresdner Kreuzchor, Martin Flamig.
Recorded in 1985.

I think this is a very impressive work, that touched me deeply.

[ChamberNut]

Mendelssohn

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 107 Reformation

Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
Deutsches Symphonyie-Orchester Berlin
Decca

[George]

My first impression of this was so poor that I didn't make it past the second prelude. Today I brought it to work, knowing that I would have to hear the whole thing once it was playing and zipped inside my coat. Aside from a few inspired moments, I don't get why this has received good reviews. I haven't heard a version of the preludes that I enjoyed less.

[aquablob]

I haven't heard a version of the preludes that I enjoyed less.

Well then you obviously haven't heard me play them! You'd enjoy that very little—I can't play a single one of them at the moment. 

[Harry]

Mikis Theodorakis.

Symphony No. 3, for Soprano, Choir, and Orchestra after a text by Dionysios Solomos, a Byzantine Hymn and a stanza by Konstantinos Kavalis.
Live recording of the first performance in Berlin 29 April 1982.

Els Bolkestein Soprano.
Rundfunkchor Berlin.
Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin, Heinz Rogner.

I like this work also very much.

[DavidRoss]

Yup.  Silver and black here.  I believe ours is an earlier pressing.

So I presume you're not a Broncos fan, else it would have already been used to line the bird cage.

Now in rotation:  Barber & Britten cello ctos, Ma/Zinman/Baltimore

[bhodges]

Tonight, this concert at Zankel Hall:

Peter Eötvös, Conductor and Pianist
Barbara Hannigan, Soprano
Brandon Ridenour, Double-Bell Trumpet
Ensemble ACJW
Jeremy Geffen, Series Moderator

PETER EÖTVÖS  Shadows 
PETER EÖTVÖS  Encore (US Premiere) 
PETER EÖTVÖS  Octet plus (US Premiere) 
PETER EÖTVÖS  Psy for Flute, Cello, and Piano (US Premiere) 
PETER EÖTVÖS  Derwischtanz (US Premiere) 
PETER EÖTVÖS  Snatches of a Conversation

--Bruce

[ChamberNut]

Mendelssohn

Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 107 Reformation

Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
Deutsches Symphonyie-Orchester Berlin
Decca

Ah, this was a reminder to me that the long introductory theme of the 1st movement is still one of my favorites of all music! 

[Opus106]

Celebrating a birthday today too!

Disc 3 of The Chopin Collection
Mazurkas Opera 6, 7, 17, 24, 30, 33, and Op. 41 No. 1