What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[BachQ]

Shosty 5 in d minor (Barshai)

[Harry]

Mahler 9th (HvK)

The last movement tends to deeply effect me with every listen. Love the handling of the wild, 3rd movement "fugue" as well.

Don't forget the Karajan effect dear friend.

[karlhenning]

Oh, and I had managed entirely to forget the Karajan effect! 

[Harry]

Oh, and I had managed entirely to forget the Karajan effect! 

I quoted that dear Karl, because I knew you would react.

[karlhenning]

I quoted that dear Karl, because I knew you would react.

Oh, that wasn't a reaction, mijn vriend; took that one in stride, without misplacing a step 

[PerfectWagnerite]

Vaughan Williams.

In the Fen Country.

On Wenlock Edge.

LPO/Bernhard Haitink.
Ian Bostridge, Tenor.

Well the first composition is played in the same style as the Symphonies, and On Wenlock Edge, for orchestra and Tenor is not my thing. Don't like this style of singing, so English, so unimaginative IMO. It all sounds the same for me.

I completely agree with you there. What a useless CD that is. I couldn't sell that fast enough ! The recording is the worst also. The final movement of the 6th symphony is inaudible. I know it says soft but come on !

[karlhenning]

Guilmant
Symphony No. 1 for organ and orchestra, Opus 42
Ian Tracey at the Liverpool Cathedral console
BBC Phil
Tortelier

The Pastorale especially is charming!

[karlhenning]

Widor
Symphony for organ, Opus 42 No. 5
Ian Tracey at the Liverpool Cathedral console

[AnthonyAthletic]

Mahler: Resurrection, Asahina/Osaka PO 1995 Live....just startin' 

[Haffner]

Don't forget the Karajan effect dear friend.

Hi Harry, good to be back!


Of course, I never left behind my love of Karajan's Beethoven, Strauss, and Mahler.

[bhodges]

Listening to a beautiful duet recording of Stockhausen's fab piece Tierkeis (Zodiac), 12 melodies of the star signs, for a melody and/or chording instrument, here played by his son Markus (trumpet) & Margareta Hurholz (organ).

Oh now that looks interesting.  I don't know this work at all.  Thanks for calling attention to it...

--Bruce

[Thom]

What an interesting composer this Rubbra is! I hadn't listened to his violin concerto for a while but it certainly is nice music, great tune, quite melodic also. The Improvisation for Violin and Orchestra is also worth mentioning. Again a superb Naxos Disc.

[BachQ]

LvB Piano Sonata No. 29 (Charles Rosen)  0:)

[BachQ]

Hi Harry, good to be back!


Of course, I never left behind my love of Karajan's Beethoven, Strauss, and Mahler.

Hey Haffy, welcome back! 

[Haffner]

Hey Haffy, welcome back! 

Hi and best greetings to you and yours, D!

'Knew I'd be hearing from you before the day was out!


Mahler Das Lied Von Der Erde (Walter)

[Bogey]

Hi and best greetings to you and yours, D!

'Knew I'd be hearing from you before the day was out!


Mahler Das Lied Von Der Erde (Walter)

Hey Ange,
Nice to see you back in Mayberry!  This Tuesday I will treat you to the Tuesday Night Special over at the Diner. 

[Haffner]

Hey Ange,
Nice to see you back in Mayberry!  This Tuesday I will treat you to the Tuesday Night Special over at the Diner. 

Hi, Bill!

I'm there, dude 

[Lilas Pastia]

This week, a few listenings to the following piano concertos:

- Andrzej Panufnik
- Witold Lutoslawski
- Pawel Szymanski

The Panufnik concerto has the least satisfying structure, but it is still very rewarding. It has a superb slow movement, kind of a meditative nocturne (Bartok 3 comes to mind). This is the most substantial item in the work. The composer has preceded it by a short, noisy, empty 'entrata' that brings to mind Ronald McDonald on crack. The finale is not very memorable either. But that slow movement did stick with me.

Lutoslawski's concerto is recorded and widely available on DG and Naxos. This is a different recording. I'd have to put them back to back to compare, but I don't think I'd get any special insights form the exercise. It's not the kind of work that lends itself well to comparative listenings. I find myself too drawn into it to focus on the onterpretive aspects. The structure is unusual (4 short, apparently unrelated, contrasted movements), the orchestration ingenious and quite beautiful, with some surprisingly very romantic moments.

Here's what  a reviewer has to say about the Szymanski piece (a single movement, 20 minutes work): "a kind of "deconstructed" polyphony "à la Bach", something like an extravagant cross between Nancarrow's Studies for player piano and Busoni's Fantasia nach J.S. Bach. Throughout the piece, strange instrumental effects and dislocated rhythms separated by abysmal pauses create an atmosphere of dreamy, sometimes spooky suspense." I have no idea what Nancarrow's Studies sound like, but the Bach-Busoni allusion is spot on. This is a most original and musically rewarding work. Like the Lutoslawski, it wears very well on repeated listenings.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Thoroughly enjoyable works. Low on exposure but high on everything else that makes great music.

[Solitary Wanderer]

I'm especially enjoying Siegfried Idyll.