What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

Hat tip to ritter for bringing this to my attention.

First to the Visions Fugitives which I've never heard so entrancing or lyrical, nor ever enjoyed as much. Angelich reveals them in a whole new light. They're often played with a bright Punch and Judy theatricality, that works well, but Angelich seems to search out the poetic and finds it in abundance. This proves an unprecedentedly fruitful approach. An addictively fine recording.

The Eighth Sonata and Romeo & Juliet excerpts are superb too. Kaleidoscopic moods and colours are caught with great individuality and searching expressivity. He gives an overall impression of deep consideration in everything he does, and the results are highly rewarding. A disc that will be spinning frequently.

Interesting, thanks.

[ritter]

Your posting on the Purchases Today thread alerted me to this recording (as well as the Nicholas Angelich, Prokofiev on Erato) for which I'm much obliged.
So far have listened to Ravel's Histoires Naturelles from the above and second everything you say. A lovely arrangement by Lavendier, a real addition to the canon, and gorgeously performed by Anne Stéphany. Looking forward to the rest of the disc. (Am about to post a few words about the Angelich.)

Hat tip to ritter for bringing this to my attention.

First to the Visions Fugitives which I've never heard so entrancing or lyrical, nor ever enjoyed as much. Angelich reveals them in a whole new light. They're often played with a bright Punch and Judy theatricality, that works well, but Angelich seems to search out the poetic and finds it in abundance. This proves an unprecedentedly fruitful approach. An addictively fine recording.

The Eighth Sonata and Romeo & Juliet excerpts are superb too. Kaleidoscopic moods and colours are caught with great individuality and searching expressivity. He gives an overall impression of deep consideration in everything he does, and the results are highly rewarding. A disc that will be spinning frequently.

Thanks for your comments, Iota! And I'm glad my posts prompted you to listen to these discs, with such satisfactory results.

The Anne Stéphany / Labyrinth Ensemble disc is indeed magnificent, but I've still not listened to the Angelich / Prokofiev. After reading your comments, I better listen to it soon!   

Cheers,

[Traverso]

Deutsche Baroque Kantaten (1)

[Harry]

Joseph Lauber.

Symphony No. 4 in C minor & No. 5 in B major.

Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn, Kaspar Zehnder.

Another great composer who was forgotten but is revived by a label that saw his worth. Already the third volume and more to come. Lauber is thoroughly his own man, and has to my ears created a new and unique sound world, that is quite his own and his alone. I cannot imagine not being truly impressed at first hearing this extra ordinary human being, expressing himself in a new musical language. Lots of research went into this project, to get a complete picture of what Lauber meant in the framework of global composing.
And the result is ravishing and opens ones ears afresh. the recording is state of the Art, as to me is the performance. Do try to sample his music.

[Karl Henning]

This is right in the sweet spot!

CD 11

Debussy
Images pour orchestre (1905-12)
cond. Antál Doráti

Schoenberg
Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5 (1903)
cond. Christoph von Dohnányi

[Mirror Image]

This entire Hindemith recording:

[Mirror Image]

On youtube:

Karl Amadeus Hartmann
Symphony No.2

Nice! What did you think, Ilaria?

[Karl Henning]

This entire Hindemith recording:

Smoking!

[Mirror Image]

Smoking!

Yes, indeed! Love Hindemith.

[Karl Henning]

Richard Stohr.
Orchestral Music, Volume I.

Concert im Alten Stil for Strings, Piano and Percussion.
Suite No. 2 in A minor for String Orchestra.

Agnieszka Kopacka, Piano.
Sinfonia Varsovia, Ian Hobson.

Another fine new release from Toccata, and very welcome too. For Stohr is one of those composers who is forgotten by sheer unwarranted negligence.  Not that he did not write fine music, because he does, but by being vilified by people that think they have the right to shout nay, and feel themselves the representatives of the music loving community.
The Concert im Alten Stil shows what a skilful composer he was. The writing for the piano is phenomenal, all in balance with a superb string section and percussion. And the suite confirms that he is an essential part of the musical chain as there ever was.
Well performed and recorded. Looking out for volume II.

Most interesting, thanks!

[Karl Henning]

Sergei Prokofiev
Alexander Nevsky

Evgenia Gorohovskaya, mezzo
Chamber Chorus Of St. Petersburg
Chorus of St. Petersburg Teleradio Company
St. Petersburg Chorus Capella 'LIK'

St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Yuri Temirkanov (rec. 1993)

VS

Also smoking!

[Brian]

With all the discussion of the upcoming Ashkenazy Extremely Big Box, I went back to some of the discs in the "artist's choice" collection:



That middle one is the hard-to-find-elsewhere Mussorgsky Pictures that is NOT coupled with the orchestral version, but instead a Taneyev prelude and fugue, the Tchaikovsky Dumka, and miniatures by Liadov and Borodin.

[Linz]

Clementi: Complete Sonatas for Fortepiano, Vol. 1

[Karl Henning]

With all the discussion of the upcoming Ashkenazy Extremely Big Box ....

On one hand, I'd probably love it all. On t'other, there is The Space Problem.

[Florestan]

I'm horrified by Mesple's diction while singing. I understand everything she says in spoken dialogues or recitatives but when she starts singing it's an unmitigated disaster, I understand nothing at all. Peter-Christoph Runge, not even a Frenchman, has a much, much better diction than her. Heck, even when listening to Joan Sutherland singing in French I can understand more. 



No. 22

Brahms considered it a masterpiece and he was right.



Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor Op. 1

[Karl Henning]

Franck
Choral pour grande orgue № 2 in b minor, FWV 39
Pétur Sakari

[Karl Henning]

Well, and no surprise!
Franck
Choral pour grande orgue № 3 in a minor, FWV 40
Pétur Sakari

[Todd]

With all the discussion of the upcoming Ashkenazy Extremely Big Box, I went back to some of the discs in the "artist's choice" collection:



That middle one is the hard-to-find-elsewhere Mussorgsky Pictures that is NOT coupled with the orchestral version, but instead a Taneyev prelude and fugue, the Tchaikovsky Dumka, and miniatures by Liadov and Borodin.

Don't know the middle disc, but the other two are very fine.  Whoever goes for the Ashkenazy box can be assured of world-class playing without exception.

[Karl Henning]

RVW
Songs of Travel
Job: A Masque for Dancing

[Traverso]

Bach


CD 2