What are you listening to now?

[Karl Henning]

William Schuman, Sixth Symphony

https://www.youtube.com/v/j__9i8bE0yA

Cheers! I am quite a fan of the Schuman symphonies.

[knight66]

Two quintessentially English works, though somewhat different in tone. The Coronation Ode was written for, but never performed at, the coronation of Edward VII, and the words are, not surprisingly, hopelessly imperialistic and jingoistic. It also contains the choral setting of the big tune from Pomp and Circumstance March no 1, Land of Hope and Glory and is enjoyable enough if approached in the right spirit of Last Night of the Proms bonhomie.

By far more interesting is The Spirit of England, a setting of poems by Lawrence Benyon, and dedicated "to the memory of our glorious men, with a special thought for the Worcesters. It's tone is mostly reflective, its patriotism less overt.

Performances are excellent, with Teresa Cahill's soprano soaring over the orchestra and chorus in The Spirit of England.

As was mentioned, a favourite of Alan's. He knows Teresa Cahill. She provides something very special in the Spirit of England. I think it is the favourite of the discs that I was involved in, within the chorus. Gibson was very hit or miss, but he usually produced something special for Elgar, Sibelius and Berlioz. The setting was Paisley Abbey near Glasgow and it provides a good spacious acoustic for each work, enabling them to breathe.

Mike

[Madiel]

First-Listen Fridays!

Tubin
Symphony № 6 (1953–1954, revised 1956)
Swedish Radio Symphony
Järvi

[asin]B000027RYW[/asin]

Reminds me that my Tubin exploration has been stalled... as my Nielsen, and Sibelius, and Szymanowski... taken over by Shostakovich and Debussy...

No wonder I keep these lists!

[Cato]

I caught this on the radio last night:  a barn-burner of a performance by James Conlon and his Rhinelanders:

https://www.youtube.com/v/M63S3GHAyiE&list=PLq0oZhQCW9kV2N80GXasPsWtumVyYaZZx&index=4

[Wanderer]

.[asin]B000007NKV[/asin]

One of my favorites of anything. It is one of my favorite 10 discs/sets in my collection.

Extraordinary, indeed. I'd send flowers to the Haydn-worthy pianist who'd begin a recital of Chopin's op.10 by hitting the audience with Godowsky's No.1 instead.

[Monsieur Croche]

William Schuman -- 'Cello Concerto, 'Song of Orpheus.'
...imo, if not his finest, one of his finest works.
https://www.youtube.com/v/E3FdppWLMJQ

[Monsieur Croche]

Cheers! I am quite a fan of the Schuman symphonies.

He was certainly a conservative / 'conservationist' when it came to using the form, which suited him very well;  with his modern harmonic vocabulary he still used the orchestra in the more traditional way, treating the three instrumental families as bloc sections while here and there thinning it down to a chamber ensemble of a few mixed instruments.

His sixth symphony is perhaps the densest texture he wrote, and that may make it less 'accessible' [near to hate that word when discussing music, but there it is] to some. It has all his signature lyricism, counterpoint, rhythmic drive... Schuman is sure one definitive kind of a ''Very American Sound,'' lol.

...anyone who hasn't tried'em should take'em for a spin 

[Brian]

What wonderful works, yes? I find her music to have such beautiful flow. I wish she were programmed more too...

Farrenc is absolutely wonderful, and all of her chamber music is worth a place in anybody's collection. I love this stuff, and the Sextet too.

Now, a CSO/Barenboim party:

[SonicMan46]

Brian - I've been a Louise Farrenc fan for a number of years and own about a half dozen discs - enjoy the Piano Quintets and have the Linos Ensemble recording shown below - just checking Amazon to see 'what new' may be available of her works - another PQs CD 'popped up' w/ an Italian group recorded in 2013 (below right; review from MusicWeb reprinted HERE - impressed w/ the comments, so just ordered from Amazon, $10 Prime) - otherwise, not a whole lot new since my last perusal - Dave

 

[SonicMan46]

Schumann, Robert - Violin Sonatas - up now a new arrival w/ Isabelle Faust & Silke Avenhaus, which will be followed by a recording already in my collection - Ulf Wallin & Roland Pöntinen on BIS - Dave

 

[Tsaraslondon]

As was mentioned, a favourite of Alan's. He knows Teresa Cahill. She provides something very special in the Spirit of England. I think it is the favourite of the discs that I was involved in, within the chorus. Gibson was very hit or miss, but he usually produced something special for Elgar, Sibelius and Berlioz. The setting was Paisley Abbey near Glasgow and it provides a good spacious acoustic for each work, enabling them to breathe.

Mike

I remember seeing Teresa Cahill as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier with Scottish Opera in Newcastle. There too she floated and soared in Sophie's high-lying phrases.

It was a memorable night, with Dernesch quite special as the Marschallin and Anne Howells a dramatically superb Octavian. It was the first time I'd heard or seen the opera, and I was so overwhelmed that I went back to see it for its next and last performance in Newcastle.

[aligreto]

Vanhal: Sinfonia in C major....

[Que]

Yes, I recall you have been for years the strongest supporter of this version here. I think Hengelbrock has a special touch in vocal sacred works. His version of Die Schöpfung is still my favourite.   

Funny that you mention Die Schöpfung.
I had a very similar experience with that piece - many trail and errors and my quest ended with Hengelbrock (pointed in the right direction by you  ).

Q

[kishnevi]

Farrenc is absolutely wonderful, and all of her chamber music is worth a place in anybody's collection. I love this stuff, and the Sextet too.

Now, a CSO/Barenboim party:

And a symphony #3 party, as well.

TD

First listen to a newly landed recording
Janine Jensen violin
Sir Antonio Pappano conductor
Brahms Concerto in D Op. 77
W/ Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Bartok Concerto No. 1. BB 48a
W/ London Symphony Orchestra

[king ubu]

.[asin]B000007NKV[/asin]

That's such an awesome performance of Beethoven's mass!

[Brian]

Wow. This goes in the shortlist of Top Five Saint-Saens Recordings for me.

Why don't I work up the list!

- Organ Symphony + stuff. Daniel Barenboim (DG)
- Piano Concertos. Anna Malikova (Audite)
- the final sonatas for woodwinds. Canada's National Arts Centre (Naxos)
- hmmmm...probably need the cello concertos and Carnival of the Animals here...?

[Karl Henning]

William Schuman -- 'Cello Concerto, 'Song of Orpheus.'
...imo, if not his finest, one of his finest works.

https://www.youtube.com/v/E3FdppWLMJQ

Listening here.

[Monsieur Croche]

Lucas Foss -- pieces using other composer's music, some more, some less, re-worked....

Measure for Measure for tenor and orchestra; texts from Shakespeare with music of the Italian-Jewish renaissance composer Salamone Rossi
https://www.youtube.com/v/7sGlzIr13uo

Symphony of Chorales [Symphony no.2, 'materials' from J.S. Bach in final movement.]
https://www.youtube.com/v/IU1p4Em0hzQ

Baroque Variations, Handel, Scarlatti, and J.S. Bach.
https://www.youtube.com/v/AtQ9XZ7f_Rg

[NikF]

Prokofiev: 7th Symphony - Martinon/ORTF

[asin]B000001K1T[/asin]

Martinon's take on Prokofiev is perhaps less robust than what I prefer, but it certainly doesn't lack charm - and that's a nice alternative to hear.

[Karl Henning]

William Schuman, Sixth Symphony

https://www.youtube.com/v/j__9i8bE0yA

And listening here, too.