What are you listening to now?

[Sergeant Rock]

Sarge could you please tell me what you like about Lloyd's music? Would you say he's a unique composer? I have many of these Lloyd recordings on Albany but haven't listened to any of them in years. Thanks in advance.

I think he is unique. I can't think of any other symphonist who sounds quite like him (although you can hear Holst's influence, occasionally Sibelius, some Korngold). He was a Romantic in an un-Romantic age. His music is unabashedly emotional (sometimes sounding like Hollywood in the golden age), chockfull of gorgeous, often haunting melodies, and brilliantly orchestrated. Keep an open mind and give him another try.

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

I think he is unique. I can't think of any other symphonist who sounds quite like him (although you can hear Holst's influence, occasionally Sibelius, some Korngold). He was a Romantic in an un-Romantic age. His music is unabashedly emotional (sometimes sounding like Hollywood in the golden age), chockfull of gorgeous, often haunting melodies, and brilliantly orchestrated. Keep an open mind and give him another try.

Sarge

Will do, Sarge. Thanks for the feedback. Looking at my Lloyd collection --- I own more than I thought.

[Todd]

[North Star]

*Pounds the table!    Enjoy, Karlo! 

Yes I did, Ray, and will. 

First Listen
Rakhmaninov
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31
Alexander Ranne, Sergey Tsipcalo, Natalia Kornieva
St. Petersburg Chamber Choir
Nikolai Korniev

[The new erato]

That looks interesting, The new erato. Do you know the Markus Becker recording?

The Hyperion disc? No. I have the cpo recording, Glenn Gould (I think), as well as this. I plan on revisiting more of the discs in the MDG series.

[André]

A great compilation of contemporary, modern polish music (not all contemporary music is modern).



A big, full voice (she sings Aida, Leonora (Trovatore), Gioconda, Rezia (Oberon). From middling to thrilling. Aida calls for more delicacy, Elvira (Ernani's) more fluency in the coloratura, Leonora for more disciplined passion. At her best (Tannhauser, Oberon) she trumps the competition.

The recital is completed by 10 American songs with piano (Edward MacDowell, Ernest Gold etc) where she is perfect.

[Mirror Image]

Now:





Listening to En Saga, Op. 9 (Original Version, 1892). Great stuff.

[SimonNZ]

The last Planets recording to really impress me was John Eliot Gardiner's. One of those discs that, for me at least, made an over-familiar work fresh and new again, while still being respectfully done.


playing now:



Telemann Overtures, Sonatas, Concertos - Musica Alta Ripa

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Now:





Listening to En Saga, Op. 9 (Original Version, 1892). Great stuff.

Sibelius forever!

(I love the cover.)

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

CD number fifteen:



Elisabeth Schwarzkopf as innocence and light.



Ludwig as intriguing darkness.

They yin and yang beautifully.

Chiaroscuro Wagner that I can 'believe' in.

Elsa and Ortud never sounded so dramatically perfect to me anywhere.

[Todd]

First listen to Anne Schumann and Sebastian Knebel's take on the Mystery Sonatas.  What sets this set apart is two things: 1.) this is the first disc of a three disc set of the complete works, and comes in at only 40 minutes, and 2.) this is a duo recording, featuring violin and church organ only.  This is the first recording of these works I've heard that take the duo approach.  It creates a more somber, serious tone for the pieces.  It works pretty well, though it does not rival established faves.  Schumann plays quite nicely, and the heft of the organ sounds impressive.  The recording is geared toward optimal organ sound, which means the violin sound is much more resonant than normal.  The disc starts with some bells pealing and ends with an organ piece by Buxtehude.  An intriguing disc.

[listener]

HARTMANN: Concerto funèbre    STRAVINSKY: Concerto in D,
PENDERECKI: Capriccio   SCHNITTKE: Suite in the Old style
PROKOFIEV: Overture on Hebrew Themes
Moscow Virtuosi     Vladimir Spivakov, violin and cond.   
Alexei Utkin oboe (Penderecki)
CHARPENTIER:  Te Deum   Missa 'Assumpta est Maria'   Litanies de la Vièrge
Les Arts Florissants     William Christie, cond
MILHAUD: La creation du monde    STRAVINSKY: Ebony Concerto   BERNSTEIN: Prelude, Fugue and Riffs
GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue
Michael Collins, clarinet     Peter Donohoe, piano    London Sinfonietta. Simon Rattle, cond.
+ some jazz with Harvey and the Wallbangers

[André]

From that excellent box, symphonies 1, 2 and 5. The First is small brew, but pleasant to the ear.  There's a nice, striding theme in the finale.v4 movements.  The second symphony is beautifully self-contained in a 2-movement form , in which the second acts as andante, scherzo and finale. He then appended a third movement (another 'real' finale), overlong, slightly bon-bonbastic and not really related to the preceding material. Nice try. The 5th is a masterpiece, comparable to the best of Alfvén and Stenhammar.

[aligreto]

Brahms: Symphony No. 3...





Another great opening for a symphony here. We have, once again, lyrical melodies and wonderful orchestral textures in this work and I particularly like the woodwinds.

[Todd]

From the big box.  A most impressive Carnegie Hall debut by a teenager. 

[Turbot nouveaux]

Grażyna Bacewicz
Complete String Quartets Vol. 2
String Quartet no. 4 (1951)
String Quartet No. 2 (1943)
String Quartet No. 5 (1955)
Lutosławski Quartet [Naxos, 2012]

A nice selection of Bacewicz's finely crafted quartets which seem to demonstrate her engagement with and absorption of developments elsewhere in European modernism.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to the Violin Concerto, Op. 15. Still the best performance of this VC that I know. Awesome sonics as well.

[Todd]

From the big box.  Some lovely chamber music. 

[Mookalafalas]

volume 2 of this series. Wispelway and Giacometti.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Job, A Masque for Dancing. Awesome work and performance.