What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Antoine Marchand]

Three lovely cantatas by JSB, masterly performed by Gardiner and his gang.

Compositions, voices, tempi, instrumental forces, all is just delightful here:

[asin]B000E1P3B6[/asin]
Vol. 21

CD2: Cantatas for the Annunciation, Palm Sunday and Oculi [BWV 182, 54 & 1]

Marlin Hartelius, soprano
Nathalie Stutzmann, alto
James Gilchrist, tenor
Peter Harvey, bass

The Monteverdi Choir
The English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner

Live recordings from the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage
Walpole St Peter, Norfolk, 26 March 2000

[Que]

A gorgeous, sunny Saturday morning here.  Andrea Marcon plays the organ in the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Battuti in Treviso (Italy), built By Pietro Nacchini.

Q

[Conor71]

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39


The performance and sound on this set are beyond reproach!

[Daverz]

Now playing CD2 from the following set for a first listen ...

Hmmm, I don't seem to have any Frescobaldi (unless you include a 3 minute orchestral transcription by Stokowski).  15 discs seems a bit too much too chew on, though.

[Que]

And on to a first run Staier playing CPE - I'm going to like this one!

Q

[val]

DEBUSSY:     The Three Sonatas                    / Grumiaux, Gendron, Bourdin, Françaix  (PHILIPS)

Perhaps the best version of the violin sonata (Grumiaux/Hajdu).
The version of the Sonata for flute, viola & harp (Bourdin, Lequien, Challan) is good bur I still prefer the poetry of Laskine, Menuhin and Debost (EMI).

The Sonata for cello and piano, my favorite, by Gendron and Françaix is a sort of ideal, very simple and natural, with a sublime lyricism. Rostropovitch and Britten in their famous version are more eloquent but also more artificial.

This CD also offers the extraordinary version of the String Quartet by the Italiano Quartet and a magical moment with Bourdin playing Syrinx.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

First listen.

Already the 6th disc of this box, and its still going strong. I have no criticisms at all, not on the performance, recording, or interpretation. all things fit. This is a Victoria I never heard before, and it seems that I am discovering him anew, and what I hear sounds right. A box that should be in everybody's home. Recorded in Cambridge, Chesterton, St George's Church, 2009.

Tu es Petrus-Motet a 6.
Christe, Redemptor omnium-Hymn a 4.
Doctor Bonus-Motet a 4.
Tibi Christe-Hymn a 4.
Decendit Angelus-Motet a 5.
O, Doctor optime-Motet a 4.
O Quam gloriosum-Motet a 4.
Missa O quam gloriosum- a 4.
Lauda mater ecclesia-Hymn a 4.
O decus apostolicum-Motet a 4.
Aurea luce et decore-Hymn a 4.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Just for the fun of it, I play it again, only because its so beautiful, and since I know how much the cover art is appreciated on GMG. A must have, in my opinion. Its a perfect recording and performance.

[Lisztianwagner]

Gustav Holst
The Planets
London Philharmonic
Georg Solti

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

My feelings to this recording are such, that I would have paid full price for this, as it is, it was only 2,99 euro, I consider myself very lucky indeed.
The playing is impeccable, the interpretations warm your heart, and your speakers will love what is on this CD. Very good sound! Recommended.

[Antoine Marchand]

Ton Koopman - Complete Cantatas, volume 2, CD2

[asin]B0000AN1AH[/asin]
[BWV 172, 132, 182]

Particularly, the cantata Himmelskönig, sei willkommen BWV 182 (King of Heaven, be Thou welcome).

I prefer Gardiner's more intimate rendition here and specially Nathalie Stutzmann over Kai Wessel in the alto aria. Koopman delivers alternative versions of movements 1 and 7, with the addition of the oboe to the modest original instrumental forces. 

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

From this box CD I.

A fine sturdy box, soft cardsleeves, booklet with full texts and translations & recording data, no info at all about the composers and their works, a mini pic on the sleeve of the original cover, which is a beautiful detail. A 20 BIT recording, made in 1992 in Belgium. Despite the missing information the box has a feel of a luxury article. The sound spectrum is very good, enough space around the voices. A pleasant start of this box, very fine performances.

Music from 13th Century Spain, of the Codex Las Huelgas. (Early 14th Century)

[pi2000]

I don't really know his playing that well... what's a good introduction CD for this violinist?

For me he is somewhere between Kogan(Leonid) and Francescatti.
Try Wieniawski,Paganini concertos

[DavidRoss]

Nothing, yet...but after seeing such strong recommendations elsewhere I'm tempted to give Lady Gaga a try!

[Opus106]

Hmmm, I don't seem to have any Frescobaldi (unless you include a 3 minute orchestral transcription by Stokowski).  15 discs seems a bit too much too chew on, though.

The original sets of triples (and doubles?) are still available.

[Antoine Marchand]

Tomorrow is the 11th Sunday after Trinity, so the Cantata Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei BWV 179 doesn't seem a bad idea:

[asin]B000PSJCBU[/asin]

At first I was not very happy with this Kuijken's cycle of cantatas for one complete liturgical year. All the first volumes sounded a bit pedestrian and paltry in these ears, as if they were unable to really conveying the spiritual message of the text. Anyway, this Saturday morning this BWV 179 sounds just perfect, with all the polyphonic requirements of the opening chorus perfectly satisfied and some extraordinarily beautiful arias, in particular the aria for soprano Liebster Gott, erbarme dich, wonderfully sung by Gerlinde Sämann. 

[Antoine Marchand]

The original sets of triples (and doubles?) are still available.

... and even singles.

P.S.: I don't recall 3-CD sets on this series, but I have not collected every volume.

[pi2000]

CD3
[asin]B0057JWVKQ[/asin]

from amazon.fr

[DavidRoss]

CD3
[asin]B0057JWVKQ[/asin]

from amazon.fr

Having heard some of that set (thanks to Radio 4), I now regret not jumping on it when it was so inexpensive.  As I likewise regret not jumping on Gielen's Mahler set.  Do I really need another set of LvB quartets or Mahler symphonies?  Sometimes the answer is, "Yes!"

[Que]

At first I was not very happy with this Kuijken's cycle of cantatas for one complete liturgical year. All the first volumes sounded a bit pedestrian and paltry in these ears, as if they were unable to really conveying the spiritual message of the text.

I agree. It's weird - stylistically Kuijken's approach is right, but it doesn't come off the ground in conveying the message of the music. I also blame the singers for being generally not able to muster a probing performance. Makes me appreciate the singers (Max van Egmond, Kurt Equiluz, Paul Esswood) in the Leonhardt/Harnoncourt series all the more.

Q