What are you listening to now?

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

I used to have a Job - not much time for dancing I'm afraid.

[Mirror Image]

Late last night and early this morning:



The Oceanides, Op. 73
The Tempest Suites 1 & 2
Night Ride & Sunrise, Op. 55

[Richard]

Long time Lurker. Read my way all the way through the "What Are You Listening To Now" threads and several others. Decided it was time to start posting.

Making my way through the new box of Sweelinck's Complete Keyboard Works on Glossa:

http://www.amazon.com/Jan-Pieterszoon-Sweelinck-Complete-Keyboard/dp/B015HNXT02/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449666590&sr=8-1&keywords=complete+keyboard+sweelinck

Apologies for the link... I think I need moderator clearance before I can start posting images.

[Florestan]

In the last hour-and-a-half, on repeat multiple times, a little waltz suite:

Joseph Lanner - Die Schoenbrunner, Iosif Ivanovici - Valurile Dunării (Waves of the the Danube)*, Juventino Rosas - Sobre las ollas (Over the Waves)
played by the Wiener Volksopernorchester conducted by Franz Bauer-Theussl. Such mesmerizing, good ol´belle epoque soundworld that I couldn´t have enough of it. 

* Published 1880 in Bucharest; at the time Ivanovici was a self-taught bandmaster who eventually became Inspector General of Military Music.

Now playing



CD 2 - A sonata, various suites and miscellaneous pieces

Sibelius must have really, really loved the violin.

[Mirror Image]

Now playing



CD 2 - A sonata, various suites and miscellaneous pieces

Sibelius must have really, really loved the violin.

Considering he had dreams of becoming a concert violinist, I would definitely say yes he did.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

I used to have a Job - not much time for dancing I'm afraid.

^ That Handley Job has the most powerfully-engineered organ I've ever heard. Its right up there in ferocity with the organ in Handley's EMI Sinfonia Antarctica.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Late last night and early this morning:



The Oceanides, Op. 73
The Tempest Suites 1 & 2
Night Ride & Sunrise, Op. 55[/i]

The Oceanides- <ping!>

Why aren't there more performances of this?

Limpid exotic beauty, terrifying climaxes, bittersweet swelling emotion- suprême Sibelius.

[Florestan]

Considering he had dreams of becoming a concert violinist, I would definitely say yes he did.

As I wrote above, had he pursued that path he would have vastly outdone Kreisler in composing charming little pieces and even in attributing them to composers of the past --- this box has them in scores (charming and attributable to composers of the past, I mean...  )

I don´t share the opinion that juvenilia and early WoO of a great composer are not worth one´s time. On the contrary, even if they bear little or no resemblance at all with his mature works and style(s) --- as is the case here --- they provide a glimpse into his youthful years, and what period of a man´s life is more full of life, hope and dreams than youth? (except childhood, that is... )

EDIT: For instance, Suite in E Major, JS 188 which is playing right now --- a sonatina in all but name, and exquisitely crafted for that matter.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Day Two of my VW-athon.  Vaughan Williams was the 'victim' of one of my favorite bits of musical invective:  Arnold Bax pointing out to VW that he didn't even write his 'greatest hit,' Fantasia on Greensleeves [/i].

[asin]B000005GJK[/asin]

^ I love that cd!!!

"The March of the Three Kings" from RVW's Hodie cantada is pure MGM-epic-awesome:

From kingdoms of wisdom secret and far come Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar; they ride through time, they ride through night led by the star's foretelling light.

Crowning the skies the star of morning, star of dayspring calls, lighting the stable and the broken walls where the prince lies.

Hickox plays it so nobly that its something that could have been tracked to Quo Vadis or Ben Hur (no disrespect to Miklos Rozsa).

Its just 'that' epic.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Inspired by Karlo, I squeezed in a listen to "Malinconia" (Isserlis/Mustonen). Of the chamber music I've heard today, I think I like "Malinconia" by far the best.

Almost no piece, by anybody, begins as enchantingly as "Luonnotar". And yeah, venturing outside my Isokoski zone here was worth the risk - Gibson's version with Phyllis Bryn-Julson is pretty freakin' awesome. Gibson is in general one of the most underrated Sibelius interpreters ever...

And now, the big one!



The desert island performance of the Fifth!!!

Gibson really does pull a rabbit out of the fjord with that Luonnotar of his- and the brass in his En Saga is the most majestic and powerfully-engineered that I've ever heard, although its a bit slow for my taste.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Sibelius Scènes Historiques Suites 1 & 2[/i], Gibson conducting the SNO

Sarge

I want to get that Gibson Scènes Historiques for the "Festivo."

How is that by the way?

I love that music.

[Mirror Image]

The Oceanides- <ping!>

Why aren't there more performances of this?

Limpid exotic beauty, terrifying climaxes, bittersweet swelling emotion- suprême Sibelius.

Yes, Sibelius performances like this one from Segerstam don't grow on trees. Electrifying performances all-around.

As I wrote above, had he pursued that path he would have vastly outdone Kreisler in composing charming little pieces and even in attributing them to composers of the past --- this box has them in scores (charming and attributable to composers of the past, I mean...  )

I don´t share the opinion that juvenilia and early WoO of a great composer are not worth one´s time. On the contrary, even if they bear little or no resemblance at all with his mature works and style(s) --- as is the case here --- they provide a glimpse into his youthful years, and what period of a man´s life is more full of life, hope and dreams than youth? (except childhood, that is... )

EDIT: For instance, Suite in E Major, JS 188 which is playing right now --- a sonatina in all but name, and exquisitely crafted for that matter.

A fair point indeed. I do need to get those Sibelius Edition chamber sets at some juncture, but, at the same time, I'll continue to pursue what my heart and mind desires to hear and, unfortunately, Sibelius' chamber music hasn't yet fallen under my radar just yet even though I've heard two very good works already: The Lizard and one of the Piano Quintets.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

About my previous message on Miss Buniatishvili's cover, I just want to add two things:

1) Take it easy, pals! I never used the word "wrong" about it.

2) Things (covers in this case) just exist or not; but they aren't right or wrong, true or false.

Maybe her cover isn't representative of a certain prevailing mentality in the industry these days, and my assertion it's false, who knows; but I sincerely think it's true.

How many chances of being recorded for the first time today would have people like Tatiana Nikolayeva under these parameters. Well, fortunately we still have small labels and internet.

In all honesty, I can say I've never heard Miss Buniatishvili, and maybe I'm just imagining that her covers and advertising photos are openly sexual. But if I listen to some of her disks in the future, I'm sure, her sex appeal won't be the reason.

Performer's physical beauty is totally irrelevant to me in music, but it doesn't bother me at all. What strikes me is that some companies seem to consider it an essential asset to sell disks. That's all. 

Beauty is its own excuse.

[mc ukrneal]

Too much Sibelius, so turning to another northerner (and just as good). The Lumbye series on Naxos/Marco Polo is very good if there is interest. Listening to volume 3:
[asin]B00001NTO1[/asin]

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

I have his recording of nos 1 and 3, and find them very good indeed. I haven't heard the others.

I like those performances but I love the aurora borealis cover art more.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Too much Sibelius, so turning to another northerner (and just as good). The Lumbye series on Naxos/Marco Polo is very good if there is interest. Listening to volume 3:
[asin]B00001NTO1[/asin]

Sorry for the Hurricane Blair, ballistic barrage of Sibelius- but I'm just playing catch-up.

It was his one-hundred-and-fiftieth birthday yesterday- and I missed the party.

- I'm going to hell.

Well. . . no, I'm not.

If I were in Finland, I'd put the biggest bouquet I could find on his grave.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

A disc you put me onto, if I remember correctly and I live it immensely. My standard too, whilst I acknowledge that there may be other ways of doing it. Flagstad recorded it, and there is also a very interesting version on youtube, sung by Schwarzkopf, which is so utterly different, it could almost be a different work. Initially I thought her dramatic take on the music all wrong, but I've come round to thinking that both the Bryn-Julson and the Schwarzkopf versions have their own validity. Incidentyally, though a severely self-critical artist, Schwarzkopf herself was reportedly rather pleased with this performance. Great music can of course withstand more than one interpretation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FyTAGwyRCM

I'm so thrilled you like it!

The Bryn-Julson/Gibson Luonnotar is absolutely sacred to me. . .

I totally agree with what you say about the Schwarzkopf: Valid in a Duchess way, definitely.

It's not how I'd like to hear the piece, ideally- but its so gorgeously sung that my own inflexible standards just go out the window with her.

[mc ukrneal]

Sorry for the Hurricane Blair, ballistic barrage of Sibelius- but I'm just playing catch-up.

It was his one-hundred-and-fiftieth birthday yesterday- and I missed the party.

- I'm going to hell.

Well. . . no, I'm not.

If I were in Finland, I'd put the biggest bouquet I could find on his grave.

Oh - 150? I didn't realize that. No wonder everyone lost their mind!

[North Star]

Sorry for the Hurricane Blair, ballistic barrage of Sibelius- but I'm just playing catch-up.

It was his one-hundred-and-fiftieth birthday yesterday- and I missed the party.

- I'm going to hell.

Well. . . no, I'm not.

If I were in Finland, I'd put the biggest bouquet I could find on his grave.

It's a close call, but yeah, probably not. Just be careful about what you say of Vänskä from now on!
By the way, having read some reviews of the Kamu & Lahti performances that were recently released, that set looks mighty fine.

Yeah, going to Ainola again and visiting the grave would be nice, but so is this picture of Stravinsky putting flowers on it.



Thread duty

Rakhmaninov
Aleko
Sergei Leiferkus, Ilya Levinsky, Anatoli Kotscherga, Maria Guleghina, Anne Sofie von Otter
Gothenburg Opera Chorus, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi

[Mandryka]

A variety of recordings of Mozart's String Quintet K. 516, piecemeal.

Ensemble 415 is probably the group that comes off the best, but I am also really impressed with whoever was sound engineer for the Kuijken Quartet & Ryo Terakado. (And the performance, I guess.)

I remember doing exactly the same years ago and coming to similar conclusions, from commercial recordings. If you want the Leipzig Quartet's recording PM me and I'll upload it.