What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Benji]

Martinů Symphony #6, Ančerl, Czech Phil





Sarge

That is the best thing since sliced bread!

[Sid]

Is this the disc with the Hindemith op 44 Schulwerk? I think I have that on LP; it was my introduction to Hindemith and I've always wondered why it isn't heard more.

Yes, it's the 5 pieces, op. 44/4. On the back of the cd it says that this, plus everything else on the cd except the Prokofiev, is the first time it's been issued on cd. It's a fine disc and very inexpensive, so I'd recommend it to anyone into this kind of music.

Messiaen is a tough nut to crack. He's currently in my "I don't get him yet" file. I'm hoping, in time, this will change.

Speaking for myself, I immediately "got" Messiaen after hearing the Quartet for the End of Time just over ten years ago on radio. Then I got it on cd & this year saw it live. It's a wonderful work on so many levels, marrying an almost Webernian simplicity with a strong sense of spirituality. In the last two years, I have been slowly acquainting myself with some of his other works, song cycles, solo piano and orchestral. Besides the quartet, this is my favourite cd that I have so far of Messiaen:



These are simply put, radiant works. The song cycle Poemes pour Mi, must be one of the best to come out of France in the 1930's. Static & lyrical moments interspersed with drama & colour. Les offrandes oubliees is a tone poem with two slow and static sections framing a bold outburst, which oddly enough reminds me a bit of Beethoven's contrasts. Un sourire (a smile), from the '90's, is a much lighter and quite humourous work (dedicated to Mozart on the 200th anniversary of his death, but of course it's pure Messiaen). This is a disc I have treasured ever since I got it last year, and I enjoy listening to it repeatedly...

[Sergeant Rock]

That is the best thing since sliced bread!

It is a great performance.

Listening now to Edna Stern's Chopin recital. She's playing an 1842 Pleyel. This is going on my "Best of 2010" list.




Sarge

[jlaurson]

S. Rachmaninoff
Piano Concertos 3 & 4
LSO
Pappano
EMI

[karlhenning]

Believe it or not, Celi's Mozart is on the swift side. He dispatches the "Haffner" in a mere 16 minutes.

I am always nervous at the thought of any music of Mozart's as the object of the verb dispatched ; )

[Antoine Marchand]

Listening now to Edna Stern's Chopin recital. She's playing an 1842 Pleyel. This is going on my "Best of 2010" list.

Yes, count another vote for her! 

I am also considering these two discs:




Sheila Arnold (Érard fortepiano 1839)




Daniel Grimwood (Érard Piano 1851)

Samples

[Mirror Image]

Now:



A great recording. Listening to the lovely Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra right now.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Oh, this is such a ravishingly, beautiful recording. Thanks to Bruce for mentioning this recording on the Berg thread. I'm going to be listening to this one a lot.    I love all my Berg recordings, but this one is really special.

[Conor71]

Good Morning 
Bruckner: Symphonies #5 & 2 0:)

[Sid]

Got these in the past week, so have been listening to them quite intensively. Some great Australian recordings from the budget ABC Discovery series:

Haydn & Haydn (arr. Salomon) - Piano Trios


Bruckner - Symphony No. 7 (ed. Haas)

[Coopmv]

Yes, & we can give him credit for championing the works of these composers in earlier times (1960's), when perhaps they were not as popular or generally well known as they are today...

I have a good number of Philips LP's on recordings made in the 60's and early 70's by Colin Davis.   

[Daverz]

Douglas Moore, Symphony No. 2 in A major.  A really deightful work.

From Wikipedia: "One distinguishing characteristic of Douglas Moore's music is the modesty, grace and tender lyricism that mark the slower passages of his many works, especially his Symphony in A major and the clarinet quintet. The faster movements of the aforementioned compositions have a robust, jovial and a somewhat terpsichorean quality."

[Mirror Image]

Now for something completely different:



Listening to Memento mori right now. Such a gorgeous work.

[listener]

W.Friedemann BACH   "The Works" for organ
8 Fugues   4 (more) Fugues     4 (assorted) Fugues
7 Chorale Preludes
Wolfgang Baumgratz        Holzhay organ  (1797)  Kloisterkirche Neresheim
REGER 6 Burleskes, op. 58    12 Waltz-Caprices, op. 9
Introduction and Passacaglia in d (originally for organ)
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, op.132a
Yaara Tal,  Andreas Groethuysen       piano 4-hands

[Sid]

The four Sun Music(s) are my favourite works by far of Sculthorpe. They seem to capture the vastness of the Australian continent, particularly the inhospitable and dry deserts which make up 80% of the land. I have heard that recording on radio, and I must say it far surpasses in recording quality anyway of the recording I have (Melbourne Symphony under John Hopkins, from the '70's, also on ABC classics). It is also interesting how Sculthorpe's use of techniques like bowing on the wrong side of the bridge were the same as those used at the time by Penderecki, but apparently the Australian was not familiar with the Pole's work at the time...

[Mirror Image]

The four Sun Music(s) are my favourite works by far of Sculthorpe. They seem to capture the vastness of the Australian continent, particularly the inhospitable and dry deserts which make up 80% of the land. I have heard that recording on radio, and I must say it far surpasses in recording quality anyway of the recording I have (Melbourne Symphony under John Hopkins, from the '70's, also on ABC classics). It is also interesting how Sculthorpe's use of techniques like bowing on the wrong side of the bridge were the same as those used at the time by Penderecki, but apparently the Australian was not familiar with the Pole's work at the time...

I can't say I'm wholly impressed with Sculthorpe's Sun Music, Sid. I mean some parts sound interesting, but, in opinion, it is ultimately directionless and just doesn't contain much music or should I say anything of substance. Obviously, it's an experimental work, but I find Sculthorpe particularly fascinating when he can take those influences from Australia and Europe and combine them into something musically cohesive like, for example, The Fifth Continent or Earth Cry. These are works I thoroughly enjoy. I just bought the James Judd recording on Naxos, which I've heard good things about, so I look forward to hearing that CD as it contains the spiky, turbulent Piano Concerto, which is a work by Sculthorpe I've been wanting to hear for quite some time.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Cello Dreaming right now. Gorgeous!

[Sid]

I can't say I'm wholly impressed with Sculthorpe's Sun Music, Sid. I mean some parts sound interesting, but, in opinion, it is ultimately directionless and just doesn't contain much music or should I say anything of substance. Obviously, it's an experimental work, but I find Sculthorpe particularly fascinating when he can take those influences from Australia and Europe and combine them into something musically cohesive like, for example, The Fifth Continent or Earth Cry. These are works I thoroughly enjoy. I just bought the James Judd recording on Naxos, which I've heard good things about, so I look forward to hearing that CD as it contains the spiky, turbulent Piano Concerto, which is a work by Sculthorpe I've been wanting to hear for quite some time.

Well, perhaps the four Sun Music(s) don't sound cohesive to you for the reason that they were composed as separate pieces, and combined into a suite of pieces later. I can understand that. I wouldn't say that they are "directionless," more that they don't adhere to a linear structure or 'grand narrative' like some of his other works do. It's more episodic. Parts of it make me think I'm in the desert, parts of it make me think of South East Asia & there are also Aboriginal influences in there. The piano concerto that you mention is also a work I enjoy by him - very dark but also quite lyrical. The Fifth Continent or Earth Cry grab me less, but I think that Kakadu is amazing - this time he perfectly conjures up images of the rainforest. I think that he's an interesting composer, and another composer of that generation (who just died last year) was Richard Meale, who also did some great stuff back in the '60's & '70's...

[Mirror Image]

Well, perhaps the four Sun Music(s) don't sound cohesive to you for the reason that they were composed as separate pieces, and combined into a suite of pieces later. I can understand that. I wouldn't say that they are "directionless," more that they don't adhere to a linear structure or 'grand narrative' like some of his other works do. It's more episodic. Parts of it make me think I'm in the desert, parts of it make me think of South East Asia & there are also Aboriginal influences in there. The piano concerto that you mention is also a work I enjoy by him - very dark but also quite lyrical. The Fifth Continent or Earth Cry grab me less, but I think that Kakadu is amazing - this time he perfectly conjures up images of the rainforest. I think that he's an interesting composer, and another composer of that generation (who just died last year) was Richard Meale, who also did some great stuff back in the '60's & '70's...

I like many Sculthorpe works: Cello Dreaming, Memento mori, Sun Song, Quamby, Nourlangie, Little Suite, Kakadu, Djilile, Lament, among others. I've been reading a lot about Australian culture and history on the Internet and you live in a very interesting country. Thankfully, there are recordings available of Australian classical music, so someone, like myself, who obviously doesn't live there can enjoy the composers of your homeland.

It's interesting that I seldom listen to American composers, because, to be honest, I identify more with music from the outside. I've always seen myself as an outsider to the United States. I was born here and I'm proud of that, but I'm not always proud with the decisions this country makes, which is a whole other topic altogether. I think, to be quite blunt with you, that Americans, not all of them, are the most selfish, inconsiderate people on the planet. Anyway I'll shut up now as I've opened up a whole can of worms...

[Brahmsian]

Good Morning 
Bruckner: Symphonies #5 & 2 0:)

Love that set, Conor.  Especially # 5, # 8 and # 9