What are you listening to now?

[Brian]

Well this is an exciting pile o' songs from one of my favorite singers on earth.

[king ubu]

I might need that Gens disc, too, sooner or later!

Not too much classical lately, as the big Dylan box has finally landed on Friday ... I made to through half of it over the weekend, Sunday night was Barry Guy live, fascinating as always (and incorporating baroque music again, with his wife Maya Homburger on violin as well as viola player and an acoustic/classical guitar) ... anyway, need some soothing stuff right now and decided to break this in, starting with disc five (Nos. 7 & :

[asin]B0000D8HDF[/asin]

[Todd]

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

He's certainly been a favorite of mine for years now.

RVW just emanates pure cool. He was writing music that was beautiful and noble when it was fashionable to do the opposite.

I love his sense of life- and I also love that he had a cat named Foxy. 

[Mirror Image]

RVW just emanates pure cool. He was writing music that was beautiful and noble when it was fashionable to do the opposite.

I love his sense of life- and I also love that he had a cat named Foxy. 

Yes, he very much marched to the beat of his own drummer as any great composer would do.

Thread duty:



A new acquisition. Listening to Rach's Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. Sounds absolutely fantastic so far. I really haven't heard a bad performance of this symphony (yet).

[Brian]

I really haven't heard a bad performance of this symphony (yet).

Bad performances of Rach 2 I can think of:

Owain Arwel Hughes (BIS)


...hey, you're on to something! I've only heard 1 myself.

[Mirror Image]

Bad performances of Rach 2 I can think of:

Owain Arwel Hughes (BIS)


...hey, you're on to something! I've only heard 1 myself.

Yeah, I wouldn't think Hughes would be good in this repertoire. Glad you took the bullet for me here. To be honest, I'm still having a hard time finding performances that beat the Russians. Litton is great, but lacks the edginess and moodiness of Ashkenazy, Svetlanov, and Rozhdestvensky. Your mileage may vary.

[aligreto]

CPE Bach: Sinfonias....

[ritter]

The Florent Schmitt craze continues chez ritter with this new arrival:

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Listening to the composer's own reduction of La Tregédie de Salomé for two pianos. Somehow, French composer's of this period (Ravel, Debussy, Schmitt) manage to make their opulent orchestral pieces just as appealing and fascinating in "black and white", when reduced for piano duet. This is quite something! I fully understand Stravinksy exclaiming "Que c'est beau!" 

Up next, J'entends dans le lointain (from Ombres), which exists in original versions by Schmitt for solo piano, piano and orchestra, and this one for piano duet....

[Brian]

Yeah, I wouldn't think Hughes would be good in this repertoire. Glad you took the bullet for me here. To be honest, I'm still having a hard time finding performances that beat the Russians. Litton is great, but lacks the edginess and moodiness of Ashkenazy, Svetlanov, and Rozhdestvensky. Your mileage may vary.

I agree. Litton is more "cultivated", maybe. Kitajenko will be up your alley - pure energy. My top 2 is Rozh and Previn (EMI), but Kitajenko comes mighty close.

[Mirror Image]

I agree. Litton is more "cultivated", maybe. Kitajenko will be up your alley - pure energy. My top 2 is Rozh and Previn (EMI), but Kitajenko comes mighty close.

I had to turn the Litton/Bergen Philharmonic recording of Rach's 2nd off. I was not feeling that performance at all and thought it was just too polished and seemed to lack soul. I'll check out Kitajenko.

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. Yes, this is the way the symphony should be played IMHO. Brooding, slightly abrasive, and neurotic...my glass of vodka. Svetlanov knows this music well.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

RVW's Three Kings March is kind of an Anglo-version of Miklos Rozsa in Quo Vadis or Ben Hur mode.



Wordsworth's "Saraband of the Sons of God" has the most beautifully-blended and engineered strings that I've heard with any of the Jobs.



This is by far the best engineering job that I've ever heard on a Firebird. Absolutely pristine sounding; good if not great reading. For pure drama and excitement I always find myself going back to the Colin Davis/Concertgebouw performance on Philips- but this BIS recording with Litton is pure ear candy.

[Brian]

This is by far the best engineering job that I've ever heard on a Firebird. Absolutely pristine sounding; good if not great reading. For pure drama and excitement I always find myself going back to the Colin Davis/Concertgebouw performance on Philips- but this BIS recording with Litton is pure ear candy.

How do you like the Boulez DG recording? I am a total sucker for those DG "4K" recordings - the Boulez Ravel is ravishing too.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

How do you like the Boulez DG recording? I am a total sucker for those DG "4K" recordings - the Boulez Ravel is ravishing too.

I don't care for Boulez's DG Firebird at all- but I do love- 'really love'- his Daphnis et Chole and La Valse with Berlin; and his Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with Zimmerman is pure sexy playfulness.

I know: who would have thought, right?

[Brian]

I don't care for Boulez's DG Firebird at all- but I do love- 'really love'- his Daphnis et Chole and La Valse with Berlin; and his Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with Zimmerman is pure sexy playfulness.

I know: who would have thought, right?

Indeed!

[aligreto]

Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht...





Any performance of this work must have both an element of the surreptitious and emotional intensity to it for me to enjoy it. Whatever about the clandestine element this is certainly intensely emotionally infused. A thoroughly enjoyable performance.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Indeed!

Well. . . . . . Boulez isn't 'always' the poisonous, hunchbacked toad who said that he wants to burn down all the opera houses.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/3702982/Pierre-Boulez-I-was-a-bully-Im-not-ashamed.html

[Mirror Image]

Well. . . . . . Boulez isn't 'always' the poisonous, hunchbacked toad who said that he wants to burn down all the opera houses.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/3702982/Pierre-Boulez-I-was-a-bully-Im-not-ashamed.html

Thankfully, the man's horrible attitude doesn't translate to the music he's conducted.

P.S. Check your inbox --- I sent you a PM.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 3, "Sinfonia espansiva," Op. 27, FS 60. Truly spectacular performance. Blows Schonwandt away and rivals Bernstein's.

[TheGSMoeller]

Listening to Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. Yes, this is the way the symphony should be played IMHO. Brooding, slightly abrasive, and neurotic...my glass of vodka. Svetlanov knows this music well.

See HERE!