What are you listening to now?

[NikF]

Landowski: Symphony No. 2 - Martinon/ORTF.

My second time of listening and it's now revealing itself to be a piece of music that I find increasingly interesting.

[Todd]

[(poco) Sforzando]

When it's HJ Lim playing Beethoven sonatas

Touché, though I haven't yet had the honor and hope never to change that situation.

So much of it is achingly beautiful - and while I don't know the individual Bach cantatas, when you posted that mini-discussion about the similarities yesterday, it didn't altogether shock me. Certainly, this is a more conservative and calm Requiem than Dvorak's dramatic and ultra-romantic interpretation (to say nothing of a certain Italian). Brahms keeps his grief a little more buttoned-up. I do look forward to hearing it again soon, probably right after returning, but it is quite a time investment, especially since much of the music is pretty similar in tempo/dynamics.

I see it's kind of earlyish - to the extent that you can call the 1860s early for Brahms; he found his voice very quickly, which was the point I was going to make with this sentence before the structure fell apart.

I agree with that latter point, though the very early opus numbers tend to exhibit somewhat more diffuse and prolix writing than you find already in works like the first string sextet of op. 18 and the orchestral serenades. But you seem to be overlooking the fact that Brahms drew his German texts from the Lutheran Bible rather than the Roman Catholic requiem as used by Mozart, Cherubini, Berlioz, Dvorak, Britten, Stravinsky, and that certain Italian. (Even so, all those works interpret the more-or-less same Latin text very differently, including the quite gentle version by the quite gentle Fauré.)

[Que]

Trying to make a dent in this:

[asin]B00DT2322E[/asin]

CD 19:
Bizet: Symphonie in C major; Jeux d'enfants Op. 22; La jolie fille de Perth, suite.
Offenbach: overtures Orphee aux enfers; La Belle Helene.

Q

[Brian]

But you seem to be overlooking the fact that Brahms drew his German texts from the Lutheran Bible rather than the Roman Catholic requiem as used by Mozart, Cherubini, Berlioz, Dvorak, Britten, Stravinsky, and that certain Italian. (Even so, all those works interpret the more-or-less same Latin text very differently, including the quite gentle version by the quite gentle Fauré.)

You're right, I am overlooking that fact, because (1) I embarrassingly thought it was just in German, (2) I don't know how it translates into the musical language/identity being different. If you have any comments on (2) they would be welcome. (Maybe we could take this to the Brahms thread? Lotta noise in here.)

First-ever listen to this Pulitzer Prize winner: Caroline Shaw's Partita for 8 Singers.

WOW. I feel like a revolution just happened in my ears.

I mean, the Partita isn't exactly revolutionary. It uses a lot of techniques that have been pioneered and gimmickized elsewhere: nonsensical spoken-word text, bustling conversation alternating with vocalise, gasping, eerie vocal effects (in mvt. 2 the men become a didgeridoo). Except that here, after the prologue math lecture (!) ends, the next 24 minutes are sheer magic, a carpet ride through a sound-place that I didn't know could exist. It's joyous, exultant, unhinged, bewitching. Wow, did I love that listen. Might be the most exciting new thing I've heard this year. (Sorry, Brahms  .)

Searching GMG, it looks like Rinaldo, GSMoeller, and a couple other people are fans of this work. Ken B had the best description of all, one I can't top:

TD, Caroline Shaw, Partita for 8 Voices

Which I really like.  It's like Philip Glass and Virgil Thomson got together and rewrote Stimmung.

P.S. On the CD, the movements are separated and rearranged, which is a pain in the butt. Took some effort to get the listen right.

[(poco) Sforzando]

You're right, I am overlooking that fact, because (1) I embarrassingly thought it was just in German, (2) I don't know how it translates into the musical language/identity being different. If you have any comments on (2) they would be welcome. (Maybe we could take this to the Brahms thread? Lotta noise in here.)

I would be happy to, but not today as that's not something I can do OTTOMH and I am trying to get some other work done. Check back when you return from Seattle. But perhaps I will order your Caroline Shaw in the meantime.

[SonicMan46]

Someone was raving about this set here at GMG, and I decided to get them. Then I found out I already had them in the super cheapy Sony complete LvB box.  And then I forgot all about them.
  Finally actually playing them, and they are stellar.  The playing, the sound. It's like they are in the room.  Worth the price of the box on their own (and actually, everything in that box is really good--I've really fallen for Zinman's symph cycle as well).

[asin]B002XDE9GI[/asin]

EDIT: turns out I am NOT listening to this set, but an earlier cycle by the same musicians.

Yes, believe that I was one of the discussants of the set shown above which is their second recording of these Beethoven SQs done in 2008 and performed on the Ellen M. Egger quartet of instruments he built in San Francisco in 1987 - below is a PDF file of several reviews, one of their earlier recording in the 90s and the other of the above Foghorn Classics production.  Also, Robert Greenberg from the Great Courses uses these second performances by the Alexander SQ in his lecture series on the Beethoven String Quartets.  Dave

[Brian]

Someone was raving about this set here at GMG, and I decided to get them. Then I found out I already had them in the super cheapy Sony complete LvB box.  And then I forgot all about them.
  Finally actually playing them, and they are stellar.  The playing, the sound. It's like they are in the room.  Worth the price of the box on their own (and actually, everything in that box is really good--I've really fallen for Zinman's symph cycle as well).

[asin]B002XDE9GI[/asin]

EDIT: turns out I am NOT listening to this set, but an earlier cycle by the same musicians.

Hate to tell you this, but the sound on the pictured (2008) set is leaps and bounds better still. In fact Foghorn Classics releases, almost all of them produced by Judith Sherman, are my benchmark for how a chamber music album should sound.

Oh yeah, and the ASQ is amazing 

[SonicMan46]

Tchaikovsky, Peter - Symphonies et al w/ Mikhail Pletnev & the Russian National Orchestra - CD 2 at the moment.

Goetz, Hermann - Piano Quartet & Quintet w/ Oliver Triendl and others shown below on the cover art - new acquisition - purchased based on a recent review in the newest issue of Fanfare, and will replace my other CD (third image below) of these same works (reviews of both attached).  Dave

   

[Brian]

Trying out this new Glagolitic Mass recording.

[Karl Henning]

Ravel
Schéhérazade
Anne Sofie von Otter
Clevelanders
M. Boulez, presiding

[asin]B007788VY0[/asin]

[aligreto]

Haydn: Trumpet Concerto....

[The new erato]

Trying out this new Glagolitic Mass recording.

Certainly nothing wrong with the orchestra! (I was at a concert following the recording).

Janet Baket singing English folksongs in arrangements by Haydn from this set:

[asin]B00BWE3HGM[/asin]

Sublime!

[Karl Henning]

Trying out this new Glagolitic Mass recording.

The Mša glagolskaja is an orchestral work, is it? 

[North Star]

The Mša glagolskaja is an orchestral work, is it? 

If Otce nás (Our Father) counts as one, then why not.  0:)

[(poco) Sforzando]

Hate to tell you this, but the sound on the pictured (2008) set is leaps and bounds better still. In fact Foghorn Classics releases, almost all of them produced by Judith Sherman, are my benchmark for how a chamber music album should sound.

Oh yeah, and the ASQ is amazing 

Oh, right, right. This was what you mentioned when we were having lunch, and my mind being its usual foghorn I promptly forgot about it. Is this the set you especially liked?

[Karl Henning]

Ravel
Le tombeau de Couperin
Clevelanders
M. Boulez, presiding

[asin]B007788VY0[/asin]

[James]

https://www.youtube.com/v/J_36x1_LKgg

[The new erato]

[asin]B00BWE3HGM[/asin]

Sublime!

It gets more sublime: Brahms op 28 - 4 Duets for Alto and Baritone with Fi-Di and Barenboim. Holy Crap - words fail me.

[Brian]

Oh, right, right. This was what you mentioned when we were having lunch, and my mind being its usual foghorn I promptly forgot about it. Is this the set you especially liked?

Yup. The only thing I dislike about the Foghorn Classics label in general is that on certain early CDs, they tacked on an actual foghorn sound at the end.

Now, it's a matter of taste. The ASQ is what I might call a "hedonist" quartet - the ensemble sound is luxurious, achingly beautiful, and they understand that strength. That does not mean they stint on excitement, nor does it mean they trade in Celibidachian self-indulgence. But at times the recordings (of Brahms, Schumann, Beethoven, whomever) can seem like a rebuttal against, say, the Alban Berg or Hagen Quartets.