What are you listening to now?

[Que]

.[asin]B002SR3Y56[/asin]
Q

[psu]

Good idea. I haven't listened to any of the Quintets for ages. My version: Grumiaux et al.




Sarge

Love that one. Love it.

[Papy Oli]

Good evening all !

Through the last handful of CD's off the Bernstein Edition with :

Mozart - Symphony No.41 K.551 "Jupiter"
Bernstein / NYPO

[Brian]

I tried the first movement of K551 today. I have never heard anything like it, including Harnoncourt's other recordings.There's a certain shock of the new that I'm feeling -- you need to have a gestalt switch to appreciate it. It's the least buffo, most expressive, most serious first movement of the Jupiter I have ever come across. In mood it reminded me of the masonic music in Act 2 of Magic Flute.

What I think what we're seeing is what the oratorio conception means. I find it fascinating.

I'm used to having opposite opinions as you, since that happens all the time, but in this case that movement sounded to me a lot like Jacobs, except that Jacobs' reading of the second subject is a little more eccentric in tempo fluctuation.

[Ken B]

Brahms, 2 and 4 HvK from

[asin]B00IDRVY6G[/asin]

[North Star]

Stravinsky
Pater noster, Credo, Ave Maria (unaccompanied)
Mass
Canticum Sacrum

The Choir of Westminster Cathedral
John Mark Ainsley (T), Stephen Roberts (Bt)
Iain Simcock (organ)
City of London Sinfonietta
James O'Donnell
[asin]B000002ZO4[/asin]

[EigenUser]

Brahms, 2 and 4 HvK from

[asin]B00IDRVY6G[/asin]

I really like the idea of this box. Usually "100 Great Symphonies" means "100 Great Symphonies Up To 1900 And Also Rachmaninoff". Including bold 20C classics like Webern's pathetic little Symphony (I mean that in an endearing way), is a great move, not to mention the inclusion of the Messiaen Turangalila-Symphonie. Who is playing the TS in that box? Chung? That's my go-to one. I didn't like Wit at all. He botched my favorite section!

[North Star]

Who is playing the TS in that box? Chung? That's my go-to one. I didn't like Wit at all. He botched my favorite section!

Yep, it's Chung's.

Have you heard Chailly or Cambreling?

[Karl Henning]

Brahms, 2 and 4 HvK from

[asin]B00IDRVY6G[/asin]

How were they? I should think that's as good as HvK gets....

[EigenUser]

Yep, it's Chung's.

Have you heard Chailly or Cambreling?

I can't remember. I've heard a few on Spotify, but I forgot which. I did remember the Wit because I thought it sounded dull (not necessarily boring, just literally dull).

[Karl Henning]

Stravinsky
Pater noster, Credo, Ave Maria (unaccompanied)
Mass
Canticum Sacrum

The Choir of Westminster Cathedral
John Mark Ainsley (T), Stephen Roberts (Bt)
Iain Simcock (organ)
City of London Sinfonietta
James O'Donnell
[asin]B000002ZO4[/asin]

I hope, dear fellow, that this disc met (high) expectations!

The three liturgical numbers are wonderful in being both modern, and steeped in the Russian Orthodox liturgical style.

[PaulR]

.[asin]B0054QZ8QQ[/asin]

One thing that makes this blu ray unwatchable is that, especially in the beginning, when there is a scene change the screen goes black to announce the scene. 

I seemed to remember this production having a fuller sounding string section (not that they sound bad, just kind of thin, especially on higher notes.  I could be hearing things though)

[not edward]

Ligeti Chamber Concerto Ensemble Intercontemporian/Boulez
.....reveals itself to be a wonderfully poetic work.
And I do not see why Nate is having such a hard time with the cello concerto.

Two possibilities. 
1)The performances in the DG box are better than the corresponding performances in the Warner box.  In which case I need to find alternate recordings of the Requiem, San Francisco Polyphony, etc.....which are not in the DG box.
2) Ligeti's orchestral music is finally clicking for me.

I suspect both. However, I do prefer the DG performances of most of the orchestral works, though that might be related to the fact that Abbado's Atmospheres and Lontano and Boulez's concerto disc were the my introduction to Ligeti.

The best recording I know of the Requiem is the Gielen on Wergo, but the CD edition is an early remaster with consequently dull, dry sound, lacking in impact... completely undesirable in a work like the Requiem, which *should* be terrifying to listen to. There are similar issues with the Wergo reissue of San Francisco Polyphony--it may sound better in its BIS incarnation, but I don't know.

[Mirror Image]

Fresh from the mailbox

Stravinsky
Symphony of Psalms
Pater noster, Credo, Ave Maria (unaccompanied)
Mass
Canticum Sacrum

The Choir of Westminster Cathedral
John Mark Ainsley (T), Stephen Roberts (Bt)
Iain Simcock (organ / pf), Martin Baker (pf)
City of London Sinfonietta
James O'Donnell
[asin]B000002ZO4[/asin]

Excellent recording, Karlo. Hope you enjoyed it.

[Mirror Image]

Now:





Listening to Bartok's Violin Concerto No. 2. Great stuff.

[Ken B]

How were they? I should think that's as good as HvK gets....

They are very fine. These are the analogs, I also have the digitals, also very fine.

[Ken B]

I really like the idea of this box. Usually "100 Great Symphonies" means "100 Great Symphonies Up To 1900 And Also Rachmaninoff". Including bold 20C classics like Webern's pathetic little Symphony (I mean that in an endearing way), is a great move, not to mention the inclusion of the Messiaen Turangalila-Symphonie. Who is playing the TS in that box? Chung? That's my go-to one. I didn't like Wit at all. He botched my favorite section!

Chung, with a brace of Loriods for authenticity.
Yes, I got the box in large part because almost none of the modern symphonies recordings were dupes for me, but I knew were great. Like Karajan's shosty 10. Plus I got it cheap

[TheGSMoeller]

Giving this another go. Saw Pat B.'s posting and just read Gramophone's review which called this recording "far batter than Brüggen's recent set" has me ready for a second listen.

[asin]B00IROIE1I[/asin]

[amw]

This is really, really good. Probably competitive with your favourites.

As in the Shostakovich et al. I heard, the Pacifica Quartet stands out less by virtue of any kind of interpretative quality than simply by their exceptionally tight and focused ensemble playing, which reminds me somewhat of 'classic' groups like the Vegh & Taneyev Quartets. (Although the Pacificas' first violinist is neither quite as expressive as Sándor Vegh or Vladimir Ovcharek, nor quite as intonationally wayward.) I'd quite like to hear them in Haydn, perhaps.

[asin]B00082ZSIY[/asin]

[Brian]

In some ways pretty generic 1890s romantic music, but there are good things here. The symphony should appeal to anybody who likes Fibich or Raff or young Dvorak, with bucolic hunting-horns and a polonaise dance. The overture is surprisingly dark, with deep snarling basses and tubas. You can hear influences of Dvorak, Wagner, and even Bruckner, or at least, I would think it was Bruckner if there was any evidence that the composer had heard his music.

Jozef Wieniawski's brother Henryk was, of course, more famous and more talented. Adequate playing and sound. Generous booklet notes.