What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[ChamberNut]

Stravinsky

Jeu de cartes

Claudio Abbado
London Symphony Orchestra
DG

*Doing some major toe tapping.    Wonderful piece!

[Brian]

Rice professor alert! Karim Al-Zand teaches and composes right here on campus.   (Well, maybe he composes at home. I don't know. ) Listening to the "Pattern Preludes" for piano solo right now - the first one is a surprising and very intriguing rearrangement of the super-famous Bach C major prelude from Well Tempered Clavier, and the whole set is instantly likable, six miniatures which, as advertised, are founded on basic little rhythmic or melodic patterns. I hope the rest of the music is as interesting, and that this album finds a large, welcoming audience!

[Lethevich]

[Antoine Marchand]

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
SÄMTLICHE STREICHQUARTETTE (complete string quartets)
Bartholdy-Quartett
Pilz Acanta
3 CDs, 1973

Bartholdy-Quartett
Joshua Epstein, 1. Violin
Max Speermann, 2. Violin
Jörg-Wolfgang Jahn, viola
Annemarie Dengler, Violoncello

Enjoying the first disc of these old performances, which includes the superb String Quartet No.2, Op.13.  

I recalled this set because yesterday I found it remastered (24bit/96kHz) by the German label Arts.

More information and samples here:

http://www.artsmusic.de/templates/tyReleasesD.php?id=833&label=red+line&topic=arts-database-search

[Franco]

Machaut: Le Lay de la Founteine & Un Lay de Consolation
The Medieval Ensemble of London

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

It's strange how I go through a near identical set of revelations to this each time I listen. I always turn it on with faint memories of the Celtic symphony's unique moods and tonality, and with a thought that the Hebridean symphony was fine too, although I remember nothing of it. Then I am immediately knocked out by both the sound quality, and the occasional genuine heft of the music. This reaches a peak when the disc arrives at the Sea Reivers, which I tend to end up repeating multiple times. That little tone poem is remarkable. This style of heady, evocative music cultivated from Bantock onwards is rather love/hate with many people, and yet this is one of the few of these pieces I've heard that even detractors would find difficult to claim it could be cut-down. No getting lost in fields, just amazing and concise drama which genuinely does leave me wishing there were more, even at my most critical.

You entice me back...

[Brian]

Listened to this 2CD set this afternoon. Now playing it again. Due for release in America on September 29, this 2-for-the-price-of-1 might be one of my favorite new CDs of the year. The most exciting account of No. 1's finale I've ever heard makes me almost think that movement isn't too long, after all. Glorious playing.

[Fëanor]

Erich Wolfgang Korngold:  Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35
Samuel Barber:  Violin Concerto, Op. 14
William Walton:  Violin Concerto
-- James Ehnes & Bramwell Tovey / Vancouver Symphony

Very nice performances of all these works, I should say.

[Brian]

Listened to this 2CD set this afternoon. Now playing it again. Due for release in America on September 29, this 2-for-the-price-of-1 might be one of my favorite new CDs of the year. The most exciting account of No. 1's finale I've ever heard makes me almost think that movement isn't too long, after all. Glorious playing.

Wow - the slow movement of "Winter Daydreams" is perfectly paced. The music has a real sense of unfolding; there's a balletic lightness, and a seductiveness, and a chill and warmth all at the same time that I haven't encountered anywhere else. 

[DavidW]

Wow - the slow movement of "Winter Daydreams" is perfectly paced. The music has a real sense of unfolding; there's a balletic lightness, and a seductiveness, and a chill and warmth all at the same time that I haven't encountered anywhere else.  

Howdy I love that symphony.

I can immediately recall that wonderful opening melody, it's so charming. 0:)

[Brian]

DavidW - I love that piece too. Can still remember the first time I heard it, on a Greyhound bus ride heading back home, late at night after darkness had set in, just shutting my eyes and escaping into the snowy world within the headphones. Mmmm...

(that first recording was with Gergiev, actually)

Thread duty: A Naxos new release that looks interesting.

[Franco]

Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4
Missa Mi-Mi (Missa Quarti Toni) a 4
Johannes Ockeghem

The Hilliard Ensemble
Paul Hiller

[SonicMan46]

Sara - what do you think? I ended up buying all of his discs of this music (he also has an inexpensive box of Ravel's piano works which is wonderful) - Dave 

[MN Dave]

Apologies to anyone who saw my inappropriate comment earlier in this thread. It has been deleted.

Bach: Mass in B Minor - Harnoncourt

[Antoine Marchand]

Beaux Arts Trio
Philips Recordings 1967-1974
Philips - Original Masters - Limited Edition
4 CDs

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Recordings-1967-1974-Limited-Frederic/dp/B0000B0A0R

CD2:

Robert Schumann
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 63
Piano Trio No. 2 in F major, Op. 80

Clara Wieck Schumann
Trio for piano, violin & cello in G minor, Op. 17

Recorded in Switzerland, August 1971

Great music, measured performances, natural sound.

[Que]

Disc 1 - Louis XIII, Les Salons Précieux Du Premier Baroque
Antoine Boesset (1587-1643): Airs de Cours
Robert Ballard (1520-1588): Lute pieces
Anonymus: Lute pieces

With Monique Zanetti, soprano, and Claire Antonini, lute.

Q

[Harry]

J.S. Bach.
Cantatas Volume 44,

Wir mussen durch viel trubsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen. BWV 146.
Siehe, ich will viel Fischer aussenden. BWV 88.
Gott, fahret auf mit Jauchzen. BWV 43.

Soloists: Rachel Nicholls, soprano, Robin Blaze, Counter, Gerd Turk, Tenor, Peter Kooij, Bass.
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki.

As ever excellently done.

[Harry]

The third hand on this recording is Chiara Solari. Many world premieres again, delightful pieces, a shame they where not earlier recorded. Its not because of their lack of quality, for they are genuine gems every one of them. They have in Koukl a excellent musician, so far this series has been outstanding. I forgot to order Volume V, but remedied that. It will be at my home this week.

[Harry]

Disc 1 - Louis XIII, Les Salons Précieux Du Premier Baroque
Antoine Boesset (1587-1643): Airs de Cours
Robert Ballard (1520-1588): Lute pieces
Anonymus: Lute pieces

With Monique Zanetti, soprano, and Claire Antonini, lute.

Q

I have this box on my radar Que, may I inquire what price you paid for it? And where you ordered it?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Beautiful.