What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Harry]

Harry - first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY - hope that there are many to follow! 

Second, may be we should have a separate BD thread, as I've seen in other forums?  Hard to be noticed in the 'listening thread' - just too rapid a pace!

Thank you Dave. It seems as one gets older, one is less interested in celebrating birthdays, at least thats the case with me.

[val]

WILHELM FRIEDEMANN BACH:        Sonatas, Fantaisies           / Maude Gratton (2008)

A recent recording of some of WF Bach's best works for harpsichord and fortepiano, including the remarkable Fantaisies in D minor and C minor. and the Sonatas in G and in D that announce already Haydn. The CD also includes some beautiful Fugues and 4 Polonaises.
The ideal introduction to this part - the best - of WF Bach work.

[Subotnick]

In my abscence, with some guidance from a very musical friend of mine, my previously slight interest in opera has developed into a passion. I was already an admirer of Debussy. I am now listening to Rodrigue et Chimène for the first time.

[Harry]

Chinese Music Series.

Five pieces for Orchestra and Erhu.
The Shepherd Girl.
Ballad of Yubei.
Song of Yang Guan.
Singing the night among Fishing Boats.
Dance of the Snake.
"Su Wu" Concerto for Zhonghu.


Wong On Yuen, Erhu & Zhonghu.
Hong Kong PO, Yip Wing Sie.
Recorded in 1987.

A very good recording & performance. Absolute top notch. Wing Sie is a female conductor, with a impressive resumee.  "Su Wu" is a marvelous piece composed for the Zhonghu, its the Viola of the Chinese bowed String instruments, its two strings are replaced by the strings of the Pipa, the Chinese lute. Very difficult to play, but a very fine deep sound. The Shepherd Girl is based on a Mongolian Folksong , popular in the 1950. The Ballad of Yubei was written by a very distinguish Erhu player Liu Wenjin, it depicts the countryside north of Henan. The song of Yang Guan is taken from a well known work of the Tang Dynasty written for the traditional scholary instrument, the Qin, a Chinese horizontal zither. The music is based on a poem by Wang Hei. Singing the night is based on a traditional Zheng melody. Dance of the Snake was written in the 1930, derived from the style of Shanghai and Jiejiang folk songs. Fine percussion in this piece.

[Sergeant Rock]

Sibelius Symphony #7, Szell, Cleveland




Sarge

[Brian]

Sibelius Symphony #7, Szell, Cleveland

The Sibelius epidemic is still going strong forum-wide, I see! The other day I listened to Luonnotar for the first time (!) 

[karlhenning]

Prokofiev's Second Symphony
Valery Gergiev, LSO

Just getting to know this piece. Noisy!   I was only acquainted with his First Symphony and Peter and the Wolf, so, needless to say, this was quite a shocker.

Yes! A piece that'll grow hair on your chest : )

[Sergeant Rock]

The Sibelius epidemic is still going strong forum-wide, I see! The other day I listened to Luonnotar for the first time (!) 

Amazing piece, isn't it? I think I'll listen to it right now. Berglund, Bournemouth, Taru Valjakka soprano




Sarge

[DavidRoss]

Amazing piece, isn't it? I think I'll listen to it right now. Berglund, Bournemouth, Taru Valjakka soprano

Still my favorite, due to both Valjakka & Berglund.  I'm curious to hear what Brian thought of it on first go-round.

[Sergeant Rock]

Still my favorite, due to both Valjakka & Berglund.

I love this twofer. Stunning sound and Berglund's a great Sibelius conductor (for my money, the best). Listening now to the other tone poems on the first disc: Pohjola's Daughter, En Saga and The Bard.

I'm curious to hear what Brian thought of it on first go-round.

Me too...and curious to know what performance he heard.

Sarge

[Harry]

Gian Francesco Malipiero.

Orchestral Works Volume IV.

Symphony No 7, "Delle Canzoni".

Sinfonia in un Tempo.

Sifonia per Antigenida.

Moscow SO, Antonio de Almeida.
Recorded in 1993.

Stylistically these three works lie miles apart. Were the 7th Symphony is fairly traditional, the other works stretch their legs much longer and wider. There is a huge gap between No 7 and Antigenida. Not that I disliked it, but my mind had to make a quick switch. An sich  I liked what I heard. Broad tempi, hug masses of brass at times, long lines in the strings, contemplative....some remnants of Mahler. A pity that the recordings are lackluster. Its as flat as a pancake, although it is well played. These works demand high technical skill, and the Moscow SO has it all, but are not really into the idiom of this composer. Almeida tends to overplay many genial things in the score, and seems to think there is just one emotion, in being motionless. Well no other recordings of these works, so one has to do with them. The recordings are okay, but not in any way distinctive.

[Conor71]

Hope Im not too late to join the Sibelius party! - First up some symphonies and then a few Tone Poems to finish up the night.
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 - Karajan/BPO
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 - Barbirolli/Halle
Sibelius: Tapiola - Karajan/BPO
Sibelius: Night-Ride & Sunrise - Jarvi/GSO
Sibelius: Rastakaava - Barbirolli/Halle

Love Sibelius! - Its been a few months since I last listened to him .

[karlhenning]

Maiden-Listen Mondays! (this recording)

Bartók
String Quartet № 4 (Sz. 91)
Keller Quartet

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Handel's Orlando.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Wonderful disc!

[mc ukrneal]

Wonderful disc!

I love her Kinderszenen!

[Conor71]

Yes, the disc of Argerich playing Schumann is very fine I think - great music too! .

[mc ukrneal]

Listening to some Anderson. Slatkin has done a nice, but not great job here. Sometimes, I just wanted him to 'rip the cover off the ball'. The perfromances are clean and well done, but they sometimes lack a flair and exuberence found in other performances. Still, overall a decent disc (and an interesting piano concerto at the end that makes up a bit for the rest)...


PS - Happy Birthday week to Harry!

[mc ukrneal]

A great 2-CD set. Listening to Irish Rhapsody No. 1 right now and it is delightful.

I missed this one! Great set indeed! I have been really warming up to Stanford (finally)! I've been trying to listen to a disc of symphonies at least a couple times of month. His music has been bringing me so much joy!

[Sergeant Rock]

Beethoven, Op.130, Gewandhaus Quartet:




Sarge