What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Concerto for Two Pianos. Lovely work.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Stravinsky's ballet, Agon.

[Sid]

First movement of Barraque's epic piano sonata (on youtube) played by Pi-Hsien Chen - this sounds even more complex than the Boulez 2nd or Carter sonatas - will have to get it on cd at some stage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJqQk3mgpYY

[Sid]

Sean Chen plays Elliott Carter's Caténaires (2006) - what amazing virtuosity! Breath-taking!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdPW8oMwjoY&feature=related

[Wanderer]

Thread duty:  after a suitable interval to clear my palate of RVW's 4th's bombast, it's time for:

Any good?

[Harry]

Classical Music from India.

Pandit Vishnu Prasanna, playing on the Shehnai, the following pieces:  A Raga "Gujri Todi" a beautiful morning melody with a sober and meditative mood, followed by an evening Raga of the Bilawal That, "Maru Behag" both set to Teental. The last two pieces are a bit lighter, Dhun is a composition based on a folk tune from Benares set to a rhythmic cycle of eight beats Keherwa tal followed by what I think the most beautiful piece on this cd, Bhairawi set to Dadra tal six beats. 

Pandit Vishnu Prasanna belong to the famous Shehnai Gharana of Benares, educated by a maestro on the instrument Ustad Bismillah Khan. Funny enough he is no known widely, but among his peers he is much venerated for his art. The musician on this disc that accompany him are not mentioned, only by worthy musicians. I can find no image of this CD, nor can I find any info about the label, a Dutch based company SI,  Sounds of India. No recording date either. The sound is top notch and the playing leaves nothing to be desired.

[springrite]

Mahler 7 (Abbado)

Good, but does not top the Tennsdedt and Boulez. Now I want to try to Gielen.

[Lisz]

We all fail, Harry; our affection for you is undimmed.

Agreed, Karl.

[mc ukrneal]

Mahler 7 (Abbado)

Good, but does not top the Tennsdedt and Boulez. Now I want to try to Gielen.

Which one? The CSO or BPO? (referring here to the Abbado)

[springrite]

Which one? The CSO or BPO? (referring here to the Abbado)

The BPO in this case.

Mahler 7, previously the mercurial stepchild has slowly become my favorite. I only have Schurict, Boulez, Tennstedt and Moderna (and the Lenny DVD). Need more.

[Harry]

Music of the World.
Turkey.
Traditional Music used at the Derwish Ceremonies.
Most arrangements by Kudsi Erguner.
Tanbur players are: Fahreddin Cimenu & Ishan Ozgen.
All other musicians are not mentioned on this disc.
Recorded in 1998 on a label called Herisson.

Naat )Louange)
Peshrev. (Prelude)
Niyaz Ayin. (La danse Cosmique)
Hay <Zirk> (Invocation)
Son Peshrev. (Postlude)
Bayati Semai. (Interlude)
Nukte (Humeur)
Ferahfeza (Trad)
Yayli Tanbur.
Bishnev ez Ney.
Odes de Ney.
Tanbur.

A beautiful disc, very well performed and recorded. A lack on info on this disc is regrettable.  No mention of the singers, percussion and other instruments used on this disc. Could not find a image either. This is one of the discs I bought yesterday in a shop who had them for years just waiting for me. 

[Conor71]

Music of the World.
Turkey.
Traditional Music used at the Derwish Ceremonies.
Most arrangements by Kudsi Erguner.
Tanbur players are: Fahreddin Cimenu & Ishan Ozgen.
All other musicians are not mentioned on this disc.
Recorded in 1998 on a label called Herisson.

Naat )Louange)
Peshrev. (Prelude)
Niyaz Ayin. (La danse Cosmique)
Hay <Zirk> (Invocation)
Son Peshrev. (Postlude)
Bayati Semai. (Interlude)
Nukte (Humeur)
Ferahfeza (Trad)
Yayli Tanbur.
Bishnev ez Ney.
Odes de Ney.
Tanbur.

A beautiful disc, very well performed and recorded. A lack on info on this disc is regrettable.  No mention of the singers, percussion and other instruments used on this disc. Could not find a image either. This is one of the discs I bought yesterday in a shop who had them for years just waiting for me. 

Interesting listening (as usual) Harry! - I must admit to having listened to very little World Music as I am still exploring the European composers.

Now listening:
Some recently aquired old-school Bach performances - I like these a lot and will be playing the St. John Passion for the second time today.

[AndyD.]

This Solti 2-CD set is very fine. I also own the other Solti 2-CD set which contains more orchestral works like Concerto for Orchestra, Dance Suite, The Miraculous Mandarin for example. My obsession with Bartok has led me to purchase almost all available recordings of his orchestral works from Boulez, Solti, Fischer to Ozawa, Jarvi, Alsop.

The thing that is interesting is that even though Bartok is highly regarded, there seems to not be that many recordings of his music as say Strauss or Dvorak for example. I wonder why this is? I suppose Bartok's music is extremely difficult to play? I'm not sure, but he sure is incredibly fun to listen to!

Here is what that other Solti set looks like:



By the way, have you checked out Boulez's or Fischer's recordings of Bartok yet? They, like Solti's, are fantastic performances in my opinion.

Solti, Boulez, and Fischer are on my short list of favorites, so I'll have to check those recordings out.



Bach Partita in DM (Milstein)

[Benji]

That recording (which I like, BTW) includes a section of Appalachian Spring which is not normally included in the orchestral suite as frequently programmed.

It does indeedily - a short(ish) but significantly darker section. It totally puzzles me why this music was removed to make a suite (and one just a few minutes short of the entire work) as the transition back to the 'light' really enhances the feeling of hope and well-being (trying to think of a better phrase than that but I can't right now). I don't know the reasons for the cut, whether it was Copland's idea or not. But, in this instance I hold his first thoughts much more valuable. Incidentally the same applies to the complete versions of Billy the Kid, the suite for which is missing tons of great stuff and the Rodeo suite which is missing the honky tonk piano solo at the beginning of the 3rd part and is a total hoot. Slatkin is your man for the complete Billy and Rodeo!

OT, but similar - I can't fathom the point of Bartók's Miraculous Mandarin 'Suite', which in my opinion and, hell i'm going to be extremely OTT because i'm in the mood, castrates the piece. I do of course appreciate the reasons for this when it comes to a concert performance - it can't be economical to have a choir to hand for just a few minutes of work - but why do so many conductors on record chop off the best bit on record? I'm less happy to accept the economy argument when it comes to recordings - if you've spent x amount to record the orchestra you may as well spend a little more and have the whole thing, right? I mean, can you imagine a publishing company would ever release a book missing the concluding chapter?!

Rant over.

[Benji]

Now:



Listening to Concerto for Two Pianos. Lovely work.

That's a favourite of mine - can't say I've never heard this described as lovely before though. I love the drama of the first movement, and the total opposite carefree whimsy of the final movement. In such a short work it manages to contain a microcosm of Arnold's personality, typified by that juxtaposition of contrasting seriousness against a total lack of it. It is also extremely English. 

[Sergeant Rock]

Aye.  Who else but the dastardly knave would dare suggest that the finest orchestra in the greater Akron metropolitan area could manage the sunny gaiety of the Italian Symphony under the direction of an antique sewing machine!

 

And what better conductor to bring out the singing quality of Mendelssohn than an old Singer!

Sarge

[Benji]

I, too, am much tuned into Copland's sound-world. He reminds me of an American Stravinsky of sorts, especially in the way he constructed rhythms and shifting meters.

I have many favorite Copland works: Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring, Red Pony Suite, Symphony No. 3, Rodeo, Quiet City, Our Town, Concerto for Clarinet, Harp, and Strings, among others.

Copland was one of the first composers I got into and his music has resonated with me ever since.

Yeah, I was introduced to him via Rodeo and the usual suspects and moved onto all the works you mention above, which are mostly the earlier mature works. Then I left Copland alone for a good few years until the other year I picked up the disc of MTT conducting the Piano Concerto, which i'd heard on the radio. That triggered a frenzy of exploring Copland's early works, and then his much later and last works, that is still ongoing. His concerto is now one of my all time favourites in the genre - it is big and bold and confident. I read that to one reviewer it conjures up images of the sun shining on gleaming glass skyscrapers, and I can't help but agree (how much of that is due to the power of suggestion...who knows!) - I guess you can read the work as a metaphor for a vibrant, confident America, by a vibrant young and confident Copland.

A few months ago I also picked up a total gem - a disc of the complete ballet Grohg, from which the music for the Dance Symphony was extracted. It is superb in every respect - the playing, the music. The music in it's true context makes much more sense than it ever does in the Dance Symphony. It's on the Argo label - the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Oliver Knussen - can't recommend it highly enough.

[Marc]

Marvelous performance, and that old Gallaria issue is the best sounding release of it, IMO.  Later there was an SACD release which was supposedly remixed from the master tapes.  Through the magic of digital technology, they made all of the bass go away and created a sound stage in which the BPO sounded like the a flea circus orchestra.

Yes, the Galleria is a spectacular one, both as performance and recording. But the end did not really move me. That's my main problem I've had with Von Karajan almost 'all my life': if humanity is wanted or asked, he's not really responding IMO.

Right now, listening to a very beautiful and human recording of Beethoven's Pastorale by Kapellmeister Sawallisch and the Koninklijk Concertgebouw Orkest, still one of my favourites.

[Harry]

World Sounds.

Classical vocal art of Persia.
Recorded 1993 on Victor.

Mahur.

This piece based on the Dastgah, employs as its text poems by Sheykh Bahai, a poet of the Safavi dynasty (1502-1738) and the lyric poet Hafez, performed by Fatemer Vaezi Prisa, and instrumentalists.


Segah: from Masnavi by Rumi.

Masnavi was originally a distinctive Iranian form of epic poetry. The poet and mystic Rumi borrowed the form of this genre for his Masnavi to express hid profoundly mystical ideology.

Mahur Tasnif.

This piece represents the Tasnif section from a performance of Mahur by Razavi. The poem is Rumi's masterpiece, the anthology Divan-e-shams-Tabrizi. A very distinctive strong five beat rhythm to which the music is set. Performed by Seyyed Noureddin Razavi, a fine singer.

Homayun.

This piece has for me a high sensual beauty. Hafez's lyric poetry in the Ghazal genre is mystical and romantic, at the same time. Many symbolic expressions, and is used for many centuries as a means of divination. Sung by Priza, and really beautifully done.

This is a gem of a disc, well performed and recorded although only 42 minutes of music. Again as so often the instrumentalist are not named, I heard amongst others, the Tar, Santour, Zarb, and the second male voice in the third piece, and so on. Thats a pity for they play well and deserve to be named.

[Marc]

There's music all over the world!
Harry, you're inspiring!

http://www.youtube.com/v/VldKoqgDvoI