What are YOU listening to today?

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 10:55 am

Classical Christmas - Day 4 (with a nod to the 1st day of Winter)

Humperdinck - Overture to "Hansel & Gretel" (Rickenbacher/Virgin CD)
Liszt - Provencalisches Weihnachtslied (Persijn-Vautz/MHS LP)
Liadov - First 2 movements (Religious Chant & Christmas Carol) from "8 Russian Folk Songs" (Sevetlanov/Melodiya LP)
Tchaikovsky - Symphony #1 "Winter Dreams" (Dorati/Mercury LP)

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:27 pm

Fergus wrote:
bombasticDarren wrote:
How does Lenny handle that work Darren? It seems like a work that would be suited to him.

A fine large scale performance but I prefer the more toned down Herreweghe and Gardiner approachs

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:28 pm

Stravinsky - 'Jeu de Cartes' (Ilan Volkov, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Hyperion)

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:46 pm

bombasticDarren wrote:
A fine large scale performance but I prefer the more toned down Herreweghe and Gardiner approachs

A bit too bombastic then

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:47 pm

Shostakovich – String Quartets Nos. 8-10 played by the Borodin Quartet....

Three more wonderful, exciting works that are full of energy and drive.

Donaldopato · Post by **Donaldopato** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:17 pm

Mahler Symphony # 1 Levine London SO RCA

arthound · Post by **arthound** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:24 pm

Munch lays on the heat here in this performance of Dvorak's 8th. I presume he recorded the 9th with the BSO - does anyone know if it has been released on CD?

Almost worth buying for the photo on the cover! The Beinum Sibelius works are remarkable - En Saga is superbly paced and has a real sense of atmosphere.

Shostakovich's 2nd VC - the sound is not as good as in the recording with Kondrashin but IMO there is an added tension to this 'live' performance that makes it worth picking up. Keep an eye out for the 4 CD BBC box set that includes this performance:

Prometheus · Post by **Prometheus** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:17 am

Mussorgsky-Khovanshchina-Leskovitch-Opera D'Oro

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:34 am

arthound wrote:

Munch lays on the heat here in this performance of Dvorak's 8th. I presume he recorded the 9th with the BSO - does anyone know if it has been released on CD?

I'm not aware of a commercial Munch recording the 9th, although there may be a broadcast performance. RCA had versions by Toscanini and Reiner that were the mainstays of their catalog into the 1970s when they released a recording with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Symphony. The Fiedler performance is quite intense.

The Munch performance is very exciting. It is one of my favorites.

John

arthound · Post by **arthound** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:03 am

CharmNewton wrote:
arthound wrote:

Munch lays on the heat here in this performance of Dvorak's 8th. I presume he recorded the 9th with the BSO - does anyone know if it has been released on CD?

I'm not aware of a commercial Munch recording the 9th, although there may be a broadcast performance. RCA had versions by Toscanini and Reiner that were the mainstays of their catalog into the 1970s when they released a recording with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Symphony. The Fiedler performance is quite intense.

The Munch performance is very exciting. It is one of my favorites.

John

Thanks for that information John. I hope that more Munch recordings from this period do surface - I would like to hear more of his Beethoven [I have 5,6 and 9] Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.

Cheers,
Justin

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:21 am

arthound wrote: Thanks for that information John. I hope that more Munch recordings from this period do surface - I would like to hear more of his Beethoven [I have 5,6 and 9] Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.

Cheers,
Justin

Munch made commercial recordings of all of the Beethoven symphonies except 2 and 4. These were available in Japan up until about a year ago and are once again available from ArkivMusic.com in the U.S. as CD-R reprints with the Japanese artwork. Noteworthy is the coupling of the 1950 7th and the 1958 stereo 8th (the original coupling of his recording of the 9th on LP). These are very difficult to find on LP so it is very good to have them available on CD again. They are both exciting performances, but the 7th suffers a bit sonically.

John

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:29 pm

Mozart - Piano Concerto No.18 & No.19 (Malcolm Bilson/John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Archiv)

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:58 pm

Classical Christmas - Day 5

Lehar - Overture to "Rose de Noel" (Bonneau/M10 CD)
Persichetti - So Pure the Star (composer/Coronet LP)
Ives - Adeste fidelis in an Organ Prelude (Ellsasser/Nonesuch LP)
Ruders - The Christmas Gospel (Rudner/Bridge CD)
Crumb - A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979 (Barone/CRI CD)
Hovhaness - Symphony #49 "Christmas" (Schwartz/Crystal CD)

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 3:28 pm

Vaughan Williams - Symphony No.2 'A London Symphony' (Vernon Handley, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, CfP)

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:58 pm

bombasticDarren wrote:Mozart - Piano Concerto No.18 & No.19 (Malcolm Bilson/John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Archiv)

You have obviously warmed to the Bilson sound Darren

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:59 pm

Buxtehude – CD 1 of the Complete Organ Works [for Advent – Christmas] played by Urlik Spang-Hanssen....

I have revisited this music with a view to recommending to an organ playing friend what specific pieces by Buxtehude I like and what pieces that he should consider learning to play. Of the music on this particular disc these are what I would pay to hear performed live:

Praeludium in G BuxWV 163: this, to me, resembles a conversation going on between the different keyboards which ultimately gets swept away by a whirlwind at the conclusion.

Herr Christ, der einig Gottes Sohn BuxWV 191: has a lovely melody and counterpoint.

Canzonetta in G BuxWV 171: a lovely, busy little piece.

Canzona in G BuxWV 170: had a very nice pace and flow to it.

Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern BuxWV 223: this was a fine, engaging work that required a bit of effort on my part to follow the canon but was rewarding nonetheless.

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:54 pm

GOSH, this is really beautiful music, it is infectious, such wonderful singing and playing:

Johann Sebastian Bach
Markus Passion
Ring Ensemble
European Union Baroque Orchestra
Roy Goodman - recording

I don't know if our Bach aficionados like this particular recording?

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 6:10 pm

In complete contrast:

Firebird
Scherzo à la russe
Scherzo fantastique
Igor Stravinsky
Columbia Symphony Orchestra

I haven't listened to Stravinsky for awhile now and I had forgotten how wonderfully good the Firebird is, I must listen to it more often.

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:38 pm

Fergus wrote:
bombasticDarren wrote:Mozart - Piano Concerto No.18 & No.19 (Malcolm Bilson/John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Archiv)

You have obviously warmed to the Bilson sound Darren

It took many years for Gardiner and Bilson to complete the cycle and there is a huge difference in quality between the first concertos to be recorded and the last. I often hear mixed opinions about these recordings and they usually have to do with recording dates. The latter recordings are very stylish and enjoyable.

Donaldopato · Post by **Donaldopato** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:38 pm

Tchaikovsky Symphony # 6
Vaughan Williams Symphony # 4

Bernstein NYP Sony Bernstein Symphony Edition

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 10:34 pm

Unusual repertoire save for the inevitable Corelli concerto. Very beautiful music here.

Prometheus · Post by **Prometheus** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 12:31 am

A Festival of Carols-Robert Shaw-RCA.

The only seasonal music I've heard recently has been in stores so I figured I'd give this disc a spin.

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:54 am

Classical Christmas - Day 6

Telemann - Overture to "Suite a la Pastorale" (Nemeth/Hungaraton CD)
Galuppi - Arietta Pastorale (Kwon/Arte Nova CD)
Praetorius - Omnis mundis jocundetur (Ehmann/Nonesuch LP)
Schmelzer - Sonata Natalitia (Harnoncourtn/Telefunken LP)
Praetorius - Omnis mundis jocundetur (Ehmann/Nonesuch LP)
Anon. - In natali domini & Jure plaudant omnia (Ruhland/ABC Classics LP)
Palestrina - Missa Hodie Christus Natus Est (Ledger/Angel LP)
Manfredini - Concerto in C, Op. 3, #12 "Pastorale per il Santissimo Natale" (Remy/cpo CD)

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:57 pm

Fergus wrote:
bombasticDarren wrote:Mozart - Piano Concerto No.18 & No.19 (Malcolm Bilson/John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Archiv)

You have obviously warmed to the Bilson sound Darren

Definitely. Its nice to have a contrast from the traditional modern piano approaches. I love Mozart's PCs in most incarnations though - especially the later ones

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:24 pm

josé echenique wrote:

Unusual repertoire save for the inevitable Corelli concerto. Very beautiful music here.

I would imagine that Reinhold Friedrich plays beautifully on that recording.

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:04 pm

Mozart - Piano Sonata No.11 (Wilhelm Kempff, DG) below

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.3 'Polish' (Antoni Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Naxos)

Vaughan Williams - 'Fantasia on Christmas Carols' (Thomas Allen/Charles Tunnell/Matthew Best, Corydon Singers/English Chamber Orchestra, Hyperion)

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:07 pm

Seán wrote:

I don't know if our Bach aficionados like this particular recording?

I do not know that particular recording but you know that I have a particular liking for Goodman so I am not surprised that it is a good production

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:09 pm

Sibelius – Symphonies 6 & 7 performed by BPO/von Karajan....

Two more wonderful versions of these symphonies with No. 6 being especially noteworthy.

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:43 pm

Mozart - Clarinet Concerto (Charles Neidich, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, DG)

Chung · Post by **Chung** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:11 pm

This arrived today, and I'm loving it. It's amazing how well the CSO and Reiner worked together considering how much of an a$$hole with a capital A he could be.

planet_jake · Post by **planet_jake** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:47 pm

Quite great. I have a limited vocabulary for articulating these things (having only started listening to classical music 8 months ago) but having listened to the two W.F. Bach discs that Naxos offers (Robert Hill, Julia Brown), I feel that Mrs. Gratton has lent this music a texture and color which suits its jaw-dropping complexity really, really well. After listening to the Naxos discs of W.F. Bach, I think I silently decided that his music was challenging but "worth it". After listening to this disc, I felt less challenged and more exhilarated. Keep in mind I haven't heard Camerata Köln's W.F. Bach disc, which I've heard is quite lovely. For those who love the "Mirare sound" as much as I do (I have no idea if that's a real thing), this disc sounds as good as any of the Hantai's I've heard from the label.

Nice sampler from the Paradizo label. Enjoyed most of the music on here, especially Sempe's own. The two Scarlatti pieces are really wonderful. Though I thought some of the tracks featuring the recorder and cornetto were overly decorative and sounded dull (Tracks 3 and 4, respectively). For anyone who's interested, it's available for free on Paradizo's official website.

There's a limber sort of grandness on this recording that I'm not experienced enough to identify as idiosyncratic. I've been listening to it pretty steadily and have decided that I think it's breathtaking.

My positive reaction to the above recording led to my purchasing this one, which is equally great. Both violin and harpsichord are recorded beautifully and the Sonata in b minor is absolutely luscious. It left me wondering about the recordings of Emlyn Ngai, who doesn't merely "keep up" with Watchorn, but rather becomes half of an extraordinary whole. No small feat.

What the hell?! Don't let the album art fool you, this disc is NO JOKE! In many ways it's my favorite of the bunch I've been listening to this week. Pletnev has such a unassuming and subtle (sometimes jolly) approach to this music that I was disarmed at first. After more listens though, a directness and focus revealed itself and the music poured into me in ways I wasn't prepared for.

Yes.

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:50 pm

Seán wrote:
josé echenique wrote:

Unusual repertoire save for the inevitable Corelli concerto. Very beautiful music here.
I would imagine that Reinhold Friedrich plays beautifully on that recording.

He does, and everyone else as well. It is a beautiful recording.

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 5:13 am

I am starting off my (hopefully calm) day with LvB's piano concerto no. 3....

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 8:30 am

Charpentier – Noels & Christmas Motets....

This was the first disc of Charpentier’s music that I ever bought and it still remains my favourite; with gorgeous singing, beautiful instrumental textures and a lovely recording it is easy to see why it remains a perennial favourite.

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:02 am

This is another treasure in my Christmas music collection. There are only 2 recordings credited to Bernard Aymable Dupuy, but he certainly deserves better, his is gorgeous music. He was a contemporary of Rameau, but maybe because he worked in the provinces instead of Paris he remained little known. All the works in this recording are marvelous and the performance is excellent, with baroque violinist Daniel Cuiller leading the orchestra. Warmly recommended, this disc should be far better known.

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:05 am

BBC Radio 3 have really come up trumps this afternoon with a series of concerts inspired by Gustav Mahler. So far I have listened to:

Katie Derham looks at the last years of Mahler's life, the influence he had on some of his younger composing contemporaries, and the repertoire he conducted while in New York.

c. 14.00
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra
Stuttgart, Pietari Inkinen (conductor)

c. 14.50
Scharwenka: Piano Concerto No. 4 in F minor
Stephen Hough (piano)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Lawrence Foster (conductor)

This Scharwenka Piano concerto is a grogeous piece of music.

maestrob · Post by **maestrob** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:16 am

Seán wrote:In complete contrast:

Firebird
Scherzo à la russe
Scherzo fantastique
Igor Stravinsky
Columbia Symphony Orchestra

I haven't listened to Stravinsky for awhile now and I had forgotten how wonderfully good the Firebird is, I must listen to it more often.

That's because, frankly, Stravinsky's own recording (prepared by Robert Craft) is simply the best one out there, IMHO. Nobody else comes close. Now try his Petroushka and Rite of Spring......

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:21 am

Beethoven - String Quartet No.12 (Quartetto Italiano, Philips)

Britten - 'A Ceremony of Carols' (David Hill, Choir of Westminster Cathedral, Hyperion) below

Mozart - Horn Concerto No.1 & No.4 (David Jolley, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, DG)

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:40 am

maestrob wrote:
Seán wrote:In complete contrast:

Firebird
Scherzo à la russe
Scherzo fantastique
Igor Stravinsky
Columbia Symphony Orchestra

I haven't listened to Stravinsky for awhile now and I had forgotten how wonderfully good the Firebird is, I must listen to it more often.

That's because, frankly, Stravinsky's own recording (prepared by Robert Craft) is simply the best one out there, IMHO. Nobody else comes close. Now try his Petroushka and Rite of Spring......

Thanks for the comments. I have to confess that I prefer Haitink's Petroushka and Boulez's Rite.

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:43 am

Seán wrote:
maestrob wrote:
Seán wrote:In complete contrast:

Firebird
Scherzo à la russe
Scherzo fantastique
Igor Stravinsky
Columbia Symphony Orchestra

I haven't listened to Stravinsky for awhile now and I had forgotten how wonderfully good the Firebird is, I must listen to it more often.

That's because, frankly, Stravinsky's own recording (prepared by Robert Craft) is simply the best one out there, IMHO. Nobody else comes close. Now try his Petroushka and Rite of Spring......
Thanks for the comments. I have to confess that I prefer Haitink's Petroushka and Boulez's Rite.

Have you sampled Muti's 'Rite' Sean? Well worth the small outlay required

For 'Petroushka' I like Abbado, and for 'Firebird' Dorati - both with the LSO

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 12:09 pm

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 12:11 pm

Classical Christmas - Final Day

Mackenzie - The Cricket on the Hearth Overture (Brabbins/Hyperion)
Herzogenberg - Die Geburt Christi (Grube/Hannsler)

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 12:16 pm

johnQpublic wrote:Classical Christmas - Final Day

I have enjoyed reading your choices John

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 12:29 pm

bombasticDarren wrote:
Seán wrote:
maestrob wrote:
Seán wrote:In complete contrast:

Firebird
Scherzo à la russe
Scherzo fantastique
Igor Stravinsky
Columbia Symphony Orchestra

I haven't listened to Stravinsky for awhile now and I had forgotten how wonderfully good the Firebird is, I must listen to it more often.

That's because, frankly, Stravinsky's own recording (prepared by Robert Craft) is simply the best one out there, IMHO. Nobody else comes close. Now try his Petroushka and Rite of Spring......
Thanks for the comments. I have to confess that I prefer Haitink's Petroushka and Boulez's Rite.
Have you sampled Muti's 'Rite' Sean? Well worth the small outlay required

Yes, I have and I do like it too.

For 'Petroushka' I like Abbado, and for 'Firebird' Dorati - both with the LSO

Abbado is wonderful, I don't have the Dorati.

bombasticDarren · Post by **bombasticDarren** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 1:53 pm

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.14 'Moonlight' & Rondo in G major (Claudio Arrau, Decca)

Britten - 'A Boy was Born' (Matthew Best, Westminster Cathedral Choristers/Corydon Singers, Helios) below

Wagner - 'Tannhauser - Overture' (Klaus Tennstedt, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, EMI)

Donaldopato · Post by **Donaldopato** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 3:18 pm

Vaughan Williams Hodie

Gale, Tear, Roberts, St Paul's Chorus, LSO Hickox

EMI

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:00 pm

Fergus wrote: I have enjoyed reading your choices John

I'm glad you did, Fergus. And I guess it's now early Christmas morn where you are. I hope it's as joyous as possible.

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:55 pm

Beautiful solo singing (Sylvia McNair, Anne Sophie von Otter, Michael Chance, Jerry Hadley and Robert Lloyd) and crisp orchestral and choral contributions. Marriner's first recording for Argo is a classic. This one, a live performance in Dublin from 1992, commemorates the 250th anniversary of the first performance.

A delightful mass that incorporates a number of French Christmas carols into the setting. This one has since been re-issued on EMI's budget series.

Reiner's recording of excerpts is a year-round favorite (the concerto is a great recording as well which fell in the cracks after Van Cliburn's meteoric rise to stardom in 1958).

John

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 6:14 am

johnQpublic wrote:
Fergus wrote: I have enjoyed reading your choices John
I'm glad you did, Fergus. And I guess it's now early Christmas morn where you are. I hope it's as joyous as possible.

Thank you John and many harry returns to you

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 6:15 am

I started off my musical day with the beautiful, joyous and celebratory strains of Cantata BWV63 for Christmas Day....

Who is online