What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Scarpia]

From this release:



the quintets by Frankel and Maconchy.  Both very interesting, spiky works with lots of dissonant harmonies, built mostly on the interplay of catchy little motifs.  I got this disc mainly because of the Cooke, but now I'm looking for more Frankel and Machonchy recordings.

[Franco]

From this release:



the quintets by Frankel and Maconchy.  Both very interesting, spiky works with lots of dissonant harmonies, built mostly on the interplay of catchy little motifs.  I got this disc mainly because of the Cooke, but now I'm looking for more Frankel and Machonchy recordings.

I only have Thea King on this disc:



And I'm not sure I'm a fan - how do you like her playing?

[Conor71]

Bach: Cantata No. 36, BWV 36, "Schwingt Freudig Euch Empor"

[Franco]

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Leonard Bernstein, Los Angeles Philharmonic



The other pieces will follow.  I really enjoy the program on this disc.

[Scarpia]

I only have Thea King on this disc:



And I'm not sure I'm a fan - how do you like her playing?

She would probably not be my first choice for any of the well known pieces where there are many options.  This is obscure repertoire and I don't know of alternative recordings.  Her tone is perhaps not as milky as de Peyer, for instance, but not an obstacle to enjoying the music.

[Sergeant Rock]

Mahler 1, Maazel, Vienna. This listen dedicated to Scarpia and Jens:




Sarge

[Harry]

First listen.

As I am a huge admirer of this composer, this latest issue in the ongoing series with CPO did not disappoint me.
Gorgeous late romantic music.

[The new erato]

She would probably not be my first choice for any of the well known pieces where there are many options.  This is obscure repertoire and I don't know of alternative recordings.  Her tone is perhaps not as milky as de Peyer, for instance, but not an obstacle to enjoying the music.

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet obscure? The world is spinning...must.........lie.........................down.

[Franco]

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet obscure? The world is spinning...must.........lie.........................down.

You misunderstood him - the obscure material he refers to was the disc he posted of some clarinet quintets by other composers (English, I think) not Brahms.

[Scarpia]

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet obscure? The world is spinning...must.........lie.........................down.

I was referring to the disc that I was initially discussing.



If you have 30 recordings of the Frankel Clarinet Quintet, then I stand corrected.   

[bhodges]

Do you have any personal favorites I might check out if I were going to add to my very short list of 4ths?

Another vote for Gergiev's Shostakovich 4th, and I'm also quite impressed with the Haitink/Chicago version that came out in 2008.

--Bruce

[Brian]

GERSHWIN | Piano Concerto
Sviatoslav Richter, piano
SWR Radio Symphony; Christoph Eschenbach

I just can't believe this. Sviatoslav Richter played Gershwin's Piano Concerto!!!!! Is this something everybody else knew already that I shouldn't be so surprised about?

[jlaurson]

This symphony is not well represented in my collection, I only have one other recording, Ormandy/Philidelphia, and think Jarvi's is recorded beautifully by Chandos but I probably prefer the Ormandy performance.  Their takes are different enough, though, it is hard to make a meaningful comparison.

Do you have any personal favorites I might check out if I were going to add to my very short list of 4ths?

DSCH 4th -- the most impressive recording I've ever heard of this is Jansons' with the BRSO: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/04/mariss-jansonss-dsch-4.html

Gergiev is good, too (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/01/shostakovich-symphony-no4-gergiev.html), but Jansons does all that, and then loads more. Riveting.

[bhodges]

Thanks for that rec, Jens.  I have been very impressed with Jansons and the BRSO when they've been at Carnegie the last few years, so I'd be inclined to get this soon (since I love the piece). 

--Bruce

[The new erato]

I was referring to the disc that I was initially discussing.



If you have 30 recordings of the Frankel Clarinet Quintet, then I stand corrected.   

No, but I have that disc. Is that compulsive/obsessive enough? 

[bhodges]

Last night heard a really brilliant recital by flutist Claire Chase, who is also the Executive Director of ICE (the International Contemporary Ensemble).  She really put herself on the line with challenging works by Bach, Donatoni, Saariaho and Takemitsu, and then did the Boulez Sonatine, a real beast of a piece.  But just when you thought that was exhausting, along comes the U.S. premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino's arrangement of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor, an athletic event if there ever were one.  And then, she even had energy left for her own transcription of one of Paganini's Caprices. 

--Bruce

[kishnevi]

It is Que.

Another "small choir" recording is Minkowski's on Naive.  I'm not sure if you can get a smaller chorus than his:  The soloists (10 of them) are the chorus.

[Harry]

Third listen.

A remarkable composer, quite modern, but with a very effective musical language.

[jlaurson]

Hans Rott
Symphony No.1
Orchestral Prelude
Julius Cesar Overture

The Rott-article is now up on WETA. Dominated by a poem about the composer (not by me!).
Rott in Frankfurt: Tantalizing 'What-Ifs' of Genius, Plagiarism, and Madness with Paavo Järvi & Frederick Pollack

[Franco]

Varese: Ionisation
Percussionsklasse Klaus Tresselt



I'm wondering how important melody is in this work ...