What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

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Me and Lethe must be on the same page tonight:

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Listening to Symphony No. 7 right now. A beautiful, heartfelt work.

[Sid]

I've got that Carter Naxos disc (SQ's 2-4). As for the Xenakis, I haven't heard that disc, but I have another recording of his solo piano work Herma. I've found it quite difficult to connect with these works, maybe except Carter's 4th quartet. If you can find any rhyme or reason in these works, or have any pointers in how to appreciate them, please let me know. Having said that, I have the earlier Naxos volume of the Carter SQ's (Nos. 1 & 5), and I can hear what's going on in them much more so than the other disc, the themes are more apparent to me, even if they're quite fragmented...

[Sid]

For a week now, have been repeatedly listening to two discs I borrowed from the library, Monteverdi's Vespers and Richard Meale's Incredible Floridas sextet, both of which I've written about during that time. Last night I revisited them, but also listend to another disc from the library in full:

BEETHOVEN
String Quartet No. 11 in F minor ("Serioso"), Op. 95
String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127
Lindsay String Quartet
ASV label

This is the first time I listened to the "Serioso" quartet, and it strikes me as in the same league as the late quartets, which were written 12 years later (in the intervening years, Beethoven wasted much time in a bitter custody battle involving his nephew and sister in law, these were his leanest years composition wise). This work strikes me not necessarily for it's seriousness, but for it's compactness (not much over 20 minutes). The unison chords that open the work are as striking as anything I've heard from Beethoven, definitely one of the most attention-grabbing openings in his output. There is a lot of fragmentation, twists and turns, but surprisingly the work comes across as having a feeling of overall unity and clarity. The slow movement is quicker than some of his other slow movements - it's an allegretto. This leads directly into the following movement, another contrast which gives you a bit of a jolt. As usual with Beethoven, the final movement neatly sums up everything that went before, ties it all neatly into a package, but it's far from predictable.

The other work on this disc is the first of Beethoven's late quartets, Op. 127. I am familiar with this work, I own the LaSalle Quartet's interpretation on the Brilliant Classics label. This was originally composed as a 6 movement work, but Beethoven revised it down to the usual 4. There are many great moments in this work which reads more like a symphony than a chamber work in it's scope and textures. On the whole, the slow movement is quite comforting and positive, but there is a very short part towards the end where Beethoven gives the listener a glimpse of the heart of darkness. I'm no musician, but this phrase sounds tonally distant from the rest of the movement, it's from another dimension. This was the longest slow movement in any string quartet composed up until that time in history.

Like all of the Lindsay Quartet's Beethoven series, this disc was recorded live. I'm simply amazed at how perfectly these guys were able to get Beethoven's music down pat in this setting. Maybe the pressure of this kind of situation makes them take more risks and play better than even they are usually capable of. It's a highly charged account with a feeling of spontaneity, warmth and directness. Their reading of the Op. 127 is less dark and edgy though than the LaSalles, the Lindsays give this music a kind of warm inner glow or aura. I'll definitely be returning to this disc many times before I return it...

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A recent acquisition. Listening to Symphonic Variations right now. Beautiful.

[Coco]

I've got that Carter Naxos disc (SQ's 2-4). As for the Xenakis, I haven't heard that disc, but I have another recording of his solo piano work Herma. I've found it quite difficult to connect with these works, maybe except Carter's 4th quartet. If you can find any rhyme or reason in these works, or have any pointers in how to appreciate them, please let me know. Having said that, I have the earlier Naxos volume of the Carter SQ's (Nos. 1 & 5), and I can hear what's going on in them much more so than the other disc, the themes are more apparent to me, even if they're quite fragmented...

Looking for logic in pieces as complex as the 3rd quartet seems beside the point to me — I just try to hear every note as it relates to the notes surrounding, and the ones immediately prior and after, and how they relate to the ever-shifting whole at any given moment. I think this music is essentially non-reflective, never referring to anything that has occurred earlier in the piece (if there is any thematic weaving, it is obscured), keeping you constantly "in the present" while you're listening. The 2nd and 4th are a bit easier to listen to — the textures aren't quite as dense and tempi are not as wild — both are rather lyrical, especially the solo movements of the 2nd.

Haven't heard the 1st and 5th yet but I look forward to it.

[Sid]

Looking for logic in pieces as complex as the 3rd quartet seems beside the point to me — I just try to hear every note as it relates to the notes surrounding, and the ones immediately prior and after, and how they relate to the ever-shifting whole at any given moment. I think this music is essentially non-reflective, never referring to anything that has occurred earlier in the piece (if there is any thematic weaving, it is obscured), keeping you constantly "in the present" while you're listening. The 2nd and 4th are a bit easier to listen to — the textures aren't quite as dense and tempi are not as wild — both are rather lyrical, especially the solo movements of the 2nd.

Interesting impressions, coco - you've actually kind of put into words how I've been approaching & thinking about these works. Someone said a similar thing about Schoenberg's music - he kind of constantly pushes the listener to be "in the present" not looking back as much as in more traditional music.

Haven't heard the 1st and 5th yet but I look forward to it.

Carter's 1st SQ wasn't too hard for me to appreciate when I first heard it. Much of the work is based around a jagged and fragmented cello solo that opens up the 40 minute long work. It's epic and symphonic in scope, a c20th echo of Beethoven's late quartets. The final movement, marked "variations" opens with a violin solo echoing the opening cello solo - it now is less dark, it almost feels Schubertian and song-like. The 5th SQ is a different beast altother, in 12 movements that flow into one another without breaks. It's not as linear as the 1st SQ, far from it. Carter has stated that he was aiming for a divertimento like lightness in this work, and it does come across as less heavy than the previous four. I have enjoyed both of these Naxos discs very much, they were my introduction to Carter's music...

[DavidW]

Alot of listening:

Schnittke's 1st-- okay I didn't care for this,
Schnittke's 2nd-- wow, atmospheric singing really does it for me.  Nice.  And check out that dynamic range! Holy cow!

Beethoven's 2nd-- Harnoncourt, delivers a powerful performance.

Bach's Trio Sonatas for Organ, Stockmeier-- (my jpc order came in) ah such tuneful music, and such a rich sounding organ.  I think that even those that don't like overly complex German baroque sounding music would like these works.  Such a sweet balance between melody and tricky counterpoint between the three voices.  I can't believe he wrote this for his son (WF) to play!!

[listener]

CARTER   Brass Quintet  (1974);  A Fantasy About Purcell's Fantasia upon One Note
     American Brass Quintet
              Eight Pieces for Four Timpani (one player)
    Morris Lang, timpani
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS    Concerto for Two Pianos and Orch.
    Vronsky & Babin, pianos
                                   Symphony no.8
London Philharmonic Orch.       Sir Adrian Boult, cond.
I see that I snapped this one up at a good price when it was being deleted.

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A new acquisition. Taking it out for a test drive. So far, so good.

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Got through with La Mer, which was a very good performance from Gergiev/LSO. Now I have a hankering for some Ein Heldenleben. A great performance. I've always enjoyed Kempe's performances of Strauss. I like Karajan and Jarvi as well. These are probably my to-go-to Strauss conductors, though Zinman has done some good recordings as well on Arte Nova.

[Conor71]

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op. 2

This box-set is amongst my favourite music in my collection - I have listened to Brendel and Kempff in Beethoven's PS's and still prefer these readings from Barenboim.
Currently listening to the Op. 2 Sonatas, even these early works are masterpeices!

[Conor71]

Now Playing:

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Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 74 & 76

[Florestan]

[Conor71]

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op. 10 & 54

Continuing on with Disc 02 from this Beethoven Cycle 

[karlhenning]

For a week now, have been repeatedly listening to two discs I borrowed from the library, Monteverdi's Vespers . . . .

This is an obsession I completely understand!

[karlhenning]

Alot of listening:

Schnittke's 1st-- okay I didn't care for this

Maybe that performance/recording is a dud . . . .

[karlhenning]

Got through with La Mer, which was a very good performance from Gergiev/LSO. Now I have a hankering for some Ein Heldenleben.

The mischief-maker in me wants to say, if after hearing La mer you have a hankering to listen to R. Strauss — it cannot have been a good performance of the Debussy ; )

[Sid]

This is an obsession I completely understand!

Yep, MONTEVERDI ROCKS!!!

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Maybe that performance/recording is a dud . . . .

If he has the BIS recording, and I assume he got the set from MI, this performance of the first is actually very good, in terms of sonics, and as a interpretation. But is is by no means a easy work, you actually have to work for it, to find the real treasure in this work. I will not do listening to it once and say it doesn't do anything, your mind has to be open to it, and you really have to follow the score in minute detail and connect the strands together, that way you get a warm blanket that covers you in the same sphere as the second Symphony.

[Sergeant Rock]

Maybe that performance/recording is a dud . . . .

I bought the BIS recording last week but haven't heard it yet. Gramophone says:

"Leif Segerstam and his Stockholm musicians do not always match the sheer belief in the music conveyed by the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra under Rozhdestvensky on Melodiya...but the Swedish jazz soloists certainly catch the manic spirit of their cadenza and Segerstarn keeps a firm grasp on every aspect of this colossal, overwhelming and infuriating orchestral extravaganza. This is still a superbly full-blooded performance and in many ways more faithful than its Russian counterpart to the letter of the score, while the recording, despite reproducing at a lowish dynamic level, lets us hear rather more of the music's teeming strands and layers."

I assume then it's not the performance that's troubling David but perhaps because "This is not so much a "what if?" piece as a "what the hell?" one."   


Sarge