What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Conor71]

Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 1

Ahhh, Brahms Chamber Music is such a delight!  0:)

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD1 from this twofer, which arrived over a month ago for a first listen ...

[Lethevich]

.[asin]B000NOIWU8[/asin]

I am not in love with this music, but it's well-crafted if unmemorable and I feel the need to replay it every now and again. It falls in the middle of the Sumera/Vasks soundworld, with intriguing hints towards Tchaikovsky in the waltzing strings. I don't like dissing composers too hard (mostly because it reflects more poorly on myself than them), but it is more negatives than positives that offer themselves to me when I hear the music. It tends towards being rather square and straightforward, and also overly long and unvaried. I am okay with minimalism that goes places but often this does not - the relative quietness doesn't produce Vasks-type of wonderful arches of sound, it sort of lumbers on until the composer decides to finish it. In this sense it reminds me a bit of Hovahness' shorter suites such as Mystery of the Holy Martyrs, which I enjoy a fair bit, but that work greatly benefits from short movements which tick over at a steady rate. With Pavlova sometimes the movement divisions can feel arbritrary, which is one of the most alarming criticisms anyone could level at a composer.

I finished listening to the Schnittke symphonies, and my favorites are #7-8.

Awesome! Glad to hear this Those works contain the keys to even his most inaccessable soundworlds, such as the second cello concerto.

[prémont]

Both discs are highly recommendable, Premont. Superbly recorded and performed. I would say that both of them are mandatory for every Bachian...
And these two discs are excellent to suggest all these ideas. La Reveuse is an excellent ensemble, totally in style, with perfect musicians, but also deeply passionate and a bit more alert than Mortensen and Co... And Celine Frisch: Well, I loved this disc, IMO she should listen to it many times in order to avoid hurries in her future discs... BTW, those two suites by Rei(n)ken are truly excellent ..

Since I heard Walter Kraft perform Reinken´s G-Major organ Toccata in Vor Frelsers Kirke in Copenhagen (incidentally my avatar) I have tried to get hold of some recordings of Reinkens music, and I own a few, among which are one complete and one half complete recording of Hortus Musicus. But his surviving output is small and recordings sparse, so some well performed Reinken CDs would be most welcome.

Some of my recent listening is

Johann Mattheson: Suites for harpsichord
played by Cristiano Holtz
Ramée

This is friendly music marked by a kind of immediate and ingratiating invention and with a notable amount of originality, and the movements are not longer than the invention can stand. There are some hints at Händel and one hint at Bach, but since Mattheson´s suites were published as early as 1714 it must surely be the other way round. Not even Bach could have written a gigue more attractive in its expression than
Mattheson´s gigue from the d-minor suite built upon an ear catching short chromatic subject which is inverted in the second section. Highly recommendable and a must for every Bachian.

[mc ukrneal]

Now playing CD1 from this twofer, which arrived over a month ago for a first listen ...

Funny - I ordered this soon after the Bruckner 8th listening thread in order to get a more modern sounding version. Still haven't gotten to it either, but as soon as I rip it, it will get a listen! Hope you like it and that that means that I will like it too!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Funny - I ordered this soon after the Bruckner 8th listening thread in order to get a more modern sounding version. Still haven't gotten to it either, but as soon as I rip it, it will get a listen! Hope you like it and that that means that I will like it too!

I think it's terrific...

[Coopmv]

Funny - I ordered this soon after the Bruckner 8th listening thread in order to get a more modern sounding version. Still haven't gotten to it either, but as soon as I rip it, it will get a listen! Hope you like it and that that means that I will like it too!

CD1 so far has been an excellent sonic treat and the performance was first rate.  It was a live recording Wand made in 2001 with the BPO ...

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD2 from this twofer for a first listen.  CD1 is excellent ...

[Drasko]

Sloppy's not what came to mind when I listened the first time; there are a couple places where he separates left and right hand for (presumably!) artistic effect, but it didn't seem unprepared at all. A little bit uninspiring in places, perhaps: I'd have to choose Ivan Moravec's live B flat minor sonata and Berceuse, and Kemal Gekic's live polonaise Op 53, over Barenboim's. Mostly solid, a little slow and patricianly.

No, I wasn't trying to imply that there would be any on CD. I'm sure any sloppiness, if there was any, would be patched and edited out for official release. Inspiration it seems can't be patched in, yet.



Acts II & III

[not edward]

A third spin for the Lindberg clarinet concerto, which I'm rapidly growing to regard as about the best thing he's done.

[asin]B000ARHNHG[/asin]

I've found most of Lindberg's recent music to be unconvincing and unmemorable: for the most part I think the "mature" Lindberg seems to bland himself to death, repeating the same empty gestures time after time a la Penderecki. Fortunately, this work (like the best of recent Penderecki) shows that the composer is capable of pushing out of his comfort zone and doing so much more; unfortunately, neither does composer does it nearly enough for my liking.

[Lethevich]

.[asin]B00454U1NI[/asin]

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD1 from the following set, which just arrived yesterday for a first listen ...

[PaulR]

Pictures of an exhibition

[not edward]

Tried revisiting this disc.

[asin]http://B001HADFBS[/asin]

Meh.

Revisited this one too, with an infinitely more positive reaction.

[asin]http://B00000378D[/asin]

[DavidW]

Davis' Magic Flute, good to watch it instead of just listen!

[asin]B00142X56Y[/asin]

Loved it.

[Coco]

A first listen:

[Sid]

@ lethe - I agree with you regarding Alla Pavlova - I bought another Naxos disc of her Symphonies 2 & 4 a while back, I don't usually go for obscure composers but it was on special for $5. The 2nd symphony made me think straight away of Rachmaninov & a bit of Tchaikovsky. Yes, "well crafted" is the word, & I'd also add that it's kind of easy lisetening compared to some other contemporary composers, which is at least something different. She's clearly a Romantic at heart. The 4th symphony involves the organ, a favourite instrument of mine & it's not a bad work at all (& yes, Hovhaness does come to mind for me with this as well). I haven't invested in any of the other discs in the series, but her music can be quite relaxing so it's not bad when I want some "downtime" from the more heavy duty stuff, whether it be newer or older stuff...

@ coopmv - That Ockeghem double disc set looks very interesting. I am getting into some of the "biggies" of the choral/vocal repertoire these days & Ockeghem is definitely on my to-get list. I haven't heard any of his stuff so far, but I have read about him in music history books, and he was definitely a big figure back in his own time. I'm not buying much these days but I'll have a look on Sydney City Library's catalogue to see if they've got any of his stuff...

[ibanezmonster]

http://www.youtube.com/v/QtFPdBUl7XQ
This would be so perfect during an anime scene where they look into the distance and contemplate while the wind blows gently. 

I haven't listened to much Part (I've heard Alina and Credo and don't like them much), but this one captured my attention.

I find it a bit uncomfortable to listen to, and ultimately a depressing message in this music. It basically is giving a picture of "perfect reality" (hence the key staying in the same major key throughout) that is impossible. One youtube comment on a related video of his (not this piece) says they don't hear God in his music, but an absence of a God, and the realization of how fragile life is. Actually, I hear this, too. 

Maybe it's weird, but after listening to this, I almost feel like running away, screaming, and listening to some metal or Xenakis (positive music). But now I can't help myself and am looking for more Part... 

[Coopmv]

@ coopmv - That Ockeghem double disc set looks very interesting. I am getting into some of the "biggies" of the choral/vocal repertoire these days & Ockeghem is definitely on my to-get list. I haven't heard any of his stuff so far, but I have read about him in music history books, and he was definitely a big figure back in his own time. I'm not buying much these days but I'll have a look on Sydney City Library's catalogue to see if they've got any of his stuff...

Ockeghem was the most famous composer of the Franco-Flemish School in the last half of the 15th century.  Most of the recordings of his works I have were performed by English ensembles and some continental European members of this forum have some misgivings about their performances.  It is what it is.  Unfortunately, I do not see many choices offered by any continental European ensembles. 

[Coopmv]

Now playing CD2 from this twofer for a first listen ...