What are you listening to now?

[Daverz]

Copycatting.

Bork, bork, bork!

Pettersson: Symphony No. 7

[asin] B079P95KCC[/asin]

Nystroem: Sinfonia Shakespeariana,

[asin] B0006IGQ18[/asin]

Stenhammar: Symphony No. 2

[asin] B07J35GDB1[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Debussy
En blanc et noir
Stephen Coombs & Christopher Scott, pianos

[Mirror Image]

Debussy
Images, Livre I & II
Zoltán Kocsis

[Mandryka]

After a disappointing concert experience with this mass, I'm reminding myself how good the music can be when performed correctly. This is one of my favourite Dufay recordings, if not my favourite recording of masses by him.

[Que]

After a disappointing concert experience with this mass, I'm reminding myself how good the music can be when performed correctly. This is one of my favourite Dufay recordings, if not my favourite recording of masses by him.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Maletto use trumpets, trombones and sackbutts and stuff?

Q

[San Antone]

I created a Spotify playlist of these four recordings of Cipriano de Rore:



While I am still assimilating the differences, I feel myself leaning towards the Schmelzer.

[Que]

I created a Spotify playlist of these four recordings of Cipriano de Rore:



While I am still assimilating the differences, I feel myself leaning towards the Schmelzer.

Nice project! 

Q

[Mandryka]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Maletto use trumpets, trombones and sackbutts and stuff?

Q

Yes. And they greatly enhance the music.

[Mandryka]

I created a Spotify playlist of these four recordings of Cipriano de Rore:



While I am still assimilating the differences, I feel myself leaning towards the Schmelzer.

I like the Rooley, it's the difference between lieder and opera. Between warm and fluffy and sharp like a cactus. (Do you know the song Le monde entier est un cactus?)

[San Antone]

I like the Rooley, it's the difference between lieder and opera.

Yes, I do too.  Which surprised me since I was predisposed not to; thinking it would sound old-fashioned, or hooty, or something.      The only one of these four that I can say I will not revisit is the Eric Van Nevel.  The recitations were an immediate turn-off.

[Que]

Yes. And they greatly enhance the music.

I thought so... I recall some of his Glossa recordings. To each his own... 

Q

[Mandryka]

The recitations were an immediate turn-off.

I cut them out immediately with audacity -- you can have the files if you want, I listen to it often (but maybe because I put so much work in.) There's another Rore CD by Nevel/Currende consort.

My thought when I listened again to the Rooley yesterday was that he's something of a one trick pony . . . it's very similar to the approach he takes in Monteverdi (and I like his Monteverdi too.)

[Mandryka]

I thought so... I recall some of his Glossa recordings. To each his own... 

Q

I think you're wrong to reject it on those grounds, there are so many interesting things going on there, the style of voice production, the tactus, the harmonies, and the brass is very well done.  I appreciate that without downloads/streaming it's hard for you to hear things before judging, but you could easily correct that you know . . .

[San Antone]

I cut them out immediately with audacity -- you can have the files if you want, I listen to it often (but maybe because I put so much work in.) There's another Rore CD by Nevel/Currende consort.

My thought when I listened again to the Rooley yesterday was that he's something of a one trick pony . . . it's very similar to the approach he takes in Monteverdi (and I like his Monteverdi too.)

Okay, after nearly an hour of listening to these recording, I can make some initial judgments:

Graindelavoix: most expressive, the vocal embellishments give these interpretations an emotional core that is not as evident in the other recordings.  Also, the male group appeals to me more than the mixed ensembles (the single female voice fooled me; I thought it was a high male falsetto).  Captivating.  The solo cornetto adds some color but is not overbearing.  Possible con, tempi on the slow side and if listening to the entire recording it might take on a heaviness and begin to drag.

La Campagna del Madrigale: also expressive, but somewhat less so.  Very pleasing, and easily my second favorite.  Minimal instrumental accompaniment.  Tempi generally quicker than Schmelzer, but a loss of intensity as a result.

Rooley: Almost plain sounding compared to the other two, but not bad.

Van Nevel: Out of the running because of the recitations, but also because of excessive instrumental intrusions.

Of course, YMMV.

[vandermolen]

I love them all for different musical reasons and personal tastes. I like the Nystroem for the poetic yet brooding atmosphere. The Stenhammar is a Late-Romantic masterpiece, IMHO. It's a combination of swashbuckling heroics and gorgeous lyricism. The Petterson 7th (my favorite from him) is by turns ominous and foreboding but not without moments of heart-rendering emotionalism.

I was just about to ask you the same question as Cesar but I see that you've answered it already John! Those are three great recordings although the Dorati holds a special place for me in Pettersson's 7th Symphony. I'm tempted by the new Blomstedt recording of the Stenhammar Symphony 2 that Daverz posted as I read an excellent review about it.

[Mandryka]

Graindelavoix: .  Also, the male group appeals to me more than the mixed ensembles.  Captivating. 

That's like those people who forgot to mention that Rosalind Franklin discovered DNA. Don't forget to mention Anne-Kathryn Olsen, who's my favourite singer in the ensemble.

[vandermolen]

Wonderful arrangements/transcriptions. They sound like whether they were originally intended for orchestra.

Looks most interesting. I know that they are not necessarily approved of but I like works like Stokowski's 'Symphonic Synthesis' of Boris Godunov (although it's one of the few operas I like) and his Bach transcriptions.

[vandermolen]

I've listened to the second symphony 3 more times, and 3 times to the 5th symphony. I just can't get over how impressive and original the second symphony is. It is a perfectly symmetrical 5 movement structure, its kernel being an incredibly moving slow movement. In its intensity and role as the work's emotional pivot it reminds me of the adagio of Elgar's second symphony.

The fifth was written some 20 years later, so both works bookend the beginning and end of WWII by some 7 years. It's a totally different work, much more modern, acerbic, with atonality used to surprisingly emotional effect. This performance is a mono studio recording (excellent 1960 sound but perforce older-sounding than the sumptuous 2007 recording given the other work on the disc). However, I hasten to say it's given a crackerjack performance under Schmidt-Isserstedt. Orchestra and conductor are on fire. Schmidt-Isserstedt is usually considered a solid conductor, but not an emotional one. Here, he and the NDR Hamburg orchestra leave the listener breathless.

I look forward to hearing the rest after my vacation. The other performances are a 1950 Titania Palast performance of the 4th symphony under Celibidache, a 2003 MDR Leipzig performance of the 5th and finally a 1965 BRSO performance of the choral symphony under Michael Gielen. The set (3 discs) sells under 10€ at JPC.

Have ordered this from JPC Andre and it looks great value.

[San Antone]

That's like those people who forgot to mention that Rosalind Franklin discovered DNA. Don't forget to mention Anne-Kathryn Olsen, who's my favourite singer in the ensemble.

While he uses female singers on some of his recordings, I thought the high voice was a male falsetto; but I suppose I could be mistaken. 

[rickardg]

Romantic Residues
Alec Roth, music
Vikram Seth, lyrics

James Gilchrist, tenor
Alison Nicholls, harp

A very enjoyable setting for harp and tenor of Seth's poems, contemporary music for people who don't like contemporary music (and I mean that as the highest praise... )

[asin] B001AYAKU0[/asin]