What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Coopmv]

Now playing this CD, which I bought quite a number of years ago for a second listen ...

[SonicMan46]

Ives, Charles - Symphonies et al w/ Litton & Dallas SO - on 2 separate Hyperion discs; always fun to listen to his first symphony from his student days followed immediately by the 4th one! My second listening to these works - Litton & the Texans are just superb and the sound is glorious; live recordings but virtually no audience noise! - excellent review from MusicWeb HERE - 

 

[Leo K.]

Ives, Charles - Symphonies et al w/ Litton & Dallas SO - on 2 separate Hyperion discs; always fun to listen to his first symphony from his student days followed immediately by the 4th one! My second listening to these works - Litton & the Texans are just superb and the sound is glorious; live recordings but virtually no audience noise! - excellent review from MusicWeb HERE - 

 

Thank you for reminding me of these recordings, I've been meaning to check them out!

More and more, Ives' 1st and 2nd are becoming my most listened to of Ives's Symphonies. I still love the others though

[not edward]

It's been quite a while since I listened to any Lachenmann, so it's time to revisit a couple of discs:

[asin]B000066IDM[/asin][asin]B00005NGFE[/asin]

Good clean fun: an extension to the Austro-German symphonic tradition executed in a most untraditional manner.

[admiralackbar]

Listened to the Ballades and Scherzi from this yesterday.

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[Coopmv]

Listened to the Ballades and Scherzi from this yesterday.

[asin]B000026OW3[/asin]

An excellent set I hope I can find time for a second listen ...

[Coopmv]

Now playing the following CD, which arrived last week for a first listen ...

[bhodges]

Last night, fantastic performances of Xenakis--Pléïades (1979) and Persephassa (1969)--by Les Percussions de Strasbourg. Pléïades was so raw and primitive-sounding that at intermission, a female friend said, "When do they bring out the sacrificial virgins?" 

--Bruce

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Last night, fantastic performances of Xenakis--Pléïades (1979) and Persephassa (1969)--by Les Percussions de Strasbourg. Pléïades was so raw and primitive-sounding that at intermission, a female friend said, "When do they bring out the sacrificial virgins?" 

Man do I envy you. Pleiades was the piece that convinced me Xenakis was a genius. And it was a recording by those very same "Percussions of Strasbourg."

[bhodges]

Their recording of that piece was one of the first CDs I ever bought, well before I heard any other Xenakis (and I actually haven't heard it in probably a dozen years or more). I would agree with you; hearing it makes you realize what an extraordinary talent he was.

PS, my friend and I couldn't exactly identify one of the instruments, until we read the program notes and realized that the musicians were using a specially designed instrument--the six-xen--for the first section, "Métaux." It sounded like some kind of wild church bells.

--Bruce

[listener]

DVOŘÁK Theme and Variations, op. 36     Silhouettes  op. 8
3 Poetic Pictures from op. 85
Rudolf Firkusny, piano

[Coopmv]

Now playing the following CD, another new acquisition that arrived last week for a first listen ...

[SonicMan46]

Martinu, Bohuslav - Symphonies w/ Jarvi & Bamberg SO; 1987-88 recordings in great sound - going through these for the first time - well recommended - my other recording of these works is on Chandos (also shown below) - will do some comparisons - 

 

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD6 from this set for a first listen ...

[Scarpia]

An entire oratorio devoted to farts?  And they say Bach didn't have a sense of humor.   

[Mirror Image]

Ives, Charles - Symphonies et al w/ Litton & Dallas SO - on 2 separate Hyperion discs; always fun to listen to his first symphony from his student days followed immediately by the 4th one! My second listening to these works - Litton & the Texans are just superb and the sound is glorious; live recordings but virtually no audience noise! - excellent review from MusicWeb HERE - 

 

Yes, I own both recordings and both are excellent. Litton did a bang up job for sure with these works. He doesn't clear my mind of Bernstein or MTT, but he is still quite good in this music.

[Mirror Image]

Now:

[asin]B000001QAP[/asin]

Listening to Villa-Lobos' Uirapuru, which has one of the strangest plots for a ballet I've heard. This is taken from the Villa-Lobos Museum website:

"Uirapuru" is the first masterpieces of Villa-Lobos, and initiates an orchestral language typically villa-lobian. The score reflects the environment of the Brazilian rainforest and its native inhabitants - the Indians - with an impressive wealth of details. The argument that formed the basis for the composition of this symphonic poem is written by the author himself, and tells the story of a bird (uirapuru that in Indian mythology is considered the "god of love ') that turns into a beautiful Indian , played by the Indian women who find it. An Indian jealous, not withstanding that worship him deadly arrow. Upon returning to their status as bird becomes invisible and you hear him singing it just disappears into the silence of the forest.

Please excuse the translation from Portuguese to English. I used Google's translation function.

[mahler10th]

Good morning all.
Haven't posted for a wee while because...well, becuase I have nothing interesting to say at the moment.
Listening to...
[asin]B000BLI3TI[/asin]
What is it with Muti?  His style is very Classical, he's really missing something with his 'gentle' Tchaikovsky.
Rating:  6/10   

[Conor71]

Borodin:String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2, String Sextet
Elgar: String Quartet
Walton: String Quartet

0:)

[Conor71]

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 71 & 74
Borodin: String Quartets, String Sextet (again!)