What are YOU listening to today?

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:18 pm

Book 1: The Rose & The Ostrich Feather.

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:06 pm

An unlikely pairing, but it works. Isabelle Faust is a marvelous violinist who deserves to be ranked with the likes of Mutter and Mullova. The Beethoven has period manners and therefore can be compared with the admirable Mullova/Gardiner version in Philips. I would say that if I wanted a period version of the Beethoven Violin Concerto I would stay with Mullova (or Thomas Zehetmair and Brüggen), but Faust and Abbado make wonderful sounds and certainly have the measure of the score, this is music making of the highest calibre of course. In certain ways the Berg is even more satisfying, very classical, superbly beautiful. As usual, time will tell if these versions become classics, but I certainly enjoyed them.
By the way, it´s great to see Claudio Abbado recording in Harmonia Mundi, pity that the late Bernard Coutaz didn´t live to see it, he would have been so proud.

Guitarist · Post by **Guitarist** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:15 pm

Weinberg Symphony No.17--or I'm about to!

nut-job · Post by **nut-job** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:37 pm

josé echenique wrote:By the way, it´s great to see Claudio Abbado recording in Harmonia Mundi, pity that the late Bernard Coutaz didn´t live to see it, he would have been so proud.

I'd say the opposite, a shame to see Harmonia Mundi pander to that overrated fool.

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:42 am

Lortzing - Overture to "Der Waffenschmied" (Guhl/Marco Polo)
Reger - Intermezzo, Op. 45, No. 3 (composer/Intercord)
Weingartner - Symphony #5 (Letonja/cpo)

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 11:53 am

nut-job wrote:
josé echenique wrote:By the way, it´s great to see Claudio Abbado recording in Harmonia Mundi, pity that the late Bernard Coutaz didn´t live to see it, he would have been so proud.
I'd say the opposite, a shame to see Harmonia Mundi pander to that overrated fool.

Claudio Abbado overrated?

I don´t think so.

ravel30 · Post by **ravel30** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 12:06 pm

Yesterday:

Piano Trio by Ernest Chausson from

Schumann Symphony no. 1 from

Today:

Pulcinella conducted by Stravinsky from

Matt.

ravel30 · Post by **ravel30** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:14 pm

Wow! I have just made a discovery of a new work thanks to

The ballet Orpheus by Stravinsky. The performance from the box set is conducted by Stravinsky himself with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
I used to think that there wasn't much else to Stravinsky other than the main three ballets, his 3 "symphonies", pulcinella, and l'histoire d'un soldat. But now I realized how wrong I was. It is indeed a beautiful piece. I never thought that Stravinsky could compose such calm, relaxing and light music. So much to discover!!!

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 11:10 pm

Kodaly's Dances of Galanta (Rodzinski)
Sibelius' Tapiola (Koussevitzky)
Rachmaninoff's Second (Rodzinski)
Dohnanyi's Ruralia hungarica (Dohnanyi)

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:08 am

Glinka - Overture to "Prince Kholmsky" (Svetlanov/Regis)
Scriabin - Symphony No. 1 (Muti/EMI)

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 12:22 pm

josé echenique wrote:An unlikely pairing, but it works. Isabelle Faust is a marvelous violinist who deserves to be ranked with the likes of Mutter and Mullova.

Pepe, I'm sorry but I don't own any Mullova, but if I might be so bold, Faust is one of the very finest violinists performing anywhere in the world today, and is interpretatively streets ahead of present day Mutter, whose brash, cold technicality only seems to be successful in her 20th Century performances... I'd also like to include Alina Ibragimova with Faust, and I'm very fond of Janine Jansen's work, too...

Book V: The Voices of Angels... and indeed they are.

oisfetz · Post by **oisfetz** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:12 pm

Arkady Fillipenko SQ Nº1
Otar Taktakishvili violin concerto Nº1
Glazunov 5 early pieces for string quartet

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:51 pm

3 of these recordings never made it to CD, AFAIK:

Kalinnikov: Symphony 1 - Fabien Sevitzky-Indianapolis SO (Victor 78s) - Great perf by Koussevitzky's nephew.
Tchaikovsky - Symphony 4 - Rodzinski-NBC 1939 (W.G.Music 78s) - in Carnegie Hall by the orch AR trained for AT. exciting perf.
Tchaikovsky - Symphony 6 - Philippe Gaubert-Paris Conservatoire O (Columbia 78s)

Beethoven_Symphony 7 - Steinberg-Pittsburgh SO (Command LP) [also on MCA CD set with 2 & 4, now OOP]

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:51 pm

Wiren - Concert Overture #2 (Dausgaard/cpo)
Groven - At Evening (Engeset/Naxos)
Valen - Symphony #3 (Ceccato/Simax)
Janson - Wings (composer/Norwegian Composers)
Hillborg - Violin Concerto (Lindal/Ondine)

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:39 pm

Faure's Violin Sonata #1 (Francescatti/Casadesus)
Schubert's Piano Sonata #21 in B-flat, D.960 (Schnabel)
Bartok's Divertimento for String Orchestra (Dorati 1)

maestrob · Post by **maestrob** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:59 am

Chopin: Polonaises: Samson Francois

Beethoven: Piano Concerti II & III: Russell Sherman/Czech Philh.

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 12:06 pm

J. C. Smith - Overture and March from "The Fairies" (Terey-Smith/Dorian)
Parry - Symphony #1 (Boughton/Nimbus)

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 12:08 pm

This is my favourite recording of the Merry Wives of Windsor in spite of it´s closet Nazi Falstaff.
Did you know that Karl Ridderbusch was originally scheduled to record Die Meistersinger with Solti, but someone spread the word that he had a HUGE Nazi memorabilia collection and Solti dropped him for Norman Bailey?
A great pity that this otherwise magnificent basso had such nostalgia for mass murderers.

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 3:03 pm

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5
Weiner Philharmoniker
Leonard Bernstein - conducting.

This performance doesn't really do it for me to be honest.

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 5:24 pm

Seán wrote:

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5
Weiner Philharmoniker
Leonard Bernstein - conducting.

This performance doesn't really do it for me to be honest.

Why Sean?
Next to the Abbado/BPO I think it´s one of the finest 5ths.

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:02 am

I wonder how many of you guys know the Hérold piano concertos. They are utterly charming and shamelessly tuneful, rather like a belcanto aria. If you like the Chopin concertos you will love Hérold.

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:17 pm

LPs

Chagrin - Helter Skelter [A Comedy Overture] (Pritchard/Lyrita)
Howarth - 2 Processional Fanfares (Philips Jones Brass Ens/Argo)
Birtwistle - Ring, A Dumb Carillon (Thomas/Mainstream)
Bainbridge - Viola Concerto (Trampler/Unicorn)

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 12:52 am

These Italian rarities--

Bellini's Norma Act I Prelude & Druid's Chorus
Boccherini's Quartet in D, Op. 6 #1 (string orchestra amplification)
Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Fairy Tale and Taming Of The Shrew overtures
Franchetti's Cristoforo Colombo Act II Nocturne
Giordano's Dance of the Moor and Siberia Act II Prelude
Rieti's Symphony #4 (1944)

--all conducted by Toscanini

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:38 am

LPs

Berlioz - King Lear Overture (Smetacek/Parliament)
Ravel - Le Tombeau de Couperin (Browning/RCA)
Debussy - Nocturnes (Boulez/Columbia)

maestrob · Post by **maestrob** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:59 am

Petrenko is the new Kondrashin, with a better orchestra. Five enthusiastic stars! So far, I've heard this and VIII: can't wait to hear the rest. He should tackle Prokofiev next: we haven't had great recordings of those symphonies since Ormandy and Rozhdestvensky (Gergiev and Ozawa just don't make the grade for me.).

Sean:

I agree with you regarding Bernstein's Vienna CD of Mahler V. His Vienna DVD, OTOH, is fabulous, recorded about a decade earlier. Along with that, I'll recommend Solti & Abbado, but you probably already have the latter in Berlin......

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 1:38 pm

This live 2011 recording marks Villazón return to the stage (and recordings) after his surgery. The voice still sounds young and attractive, though under pressure it tends to spread. Thank God there´s nothing catastrophic in his performance, and he can stand comparison with Domingo (DG), Carreras (Philips) and Ramón Vargas (RCA), but maybe not with Georges Thill or Alfredo Kraus (EMI) for sheer elegance. He is good at portraying young Werther´s nervous, immature hysteria, but in spite of living in Paris his French still leaves something to be desired, an obvious strong point of Alagna´s version (EMI).
Sophie Koch is a strong, idiomatic Charlotte, but vocally von Stade is incomparably more lovely and touching and Tatiana Troyanos more individual and interesting.
Antonio Pappano conducts magnificently, just as expected, and the forces of the Royal Opera House are very fine.
The sound, recorded by the BBC rather than DG itself, is acceptable but hardly glamourous (especially after listening to the superbly recorded 36 years old Kubelik version of Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor).

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:43 pm

Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons
Europa Galante
Fabio Biondi - conducting.

I have spent more time listening to the Four Seasons ove the past few weeks than I would normally do in a year or two. I find Biondi irresistible.

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:46 pm

George Fredric Handel
Concerti Grossi Op 3
Les Musiciens Du Louvre
Marc Minkowski - conducting.

In celebration of Handel's birthday.

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:48 pm

Dmitry Shostakovich
Symphony No. 1
WDR Sinfonie Orchester Köln
Rudolf Barshai - conducting.

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:52 pm

josé echenique wrote:
Seán wrote:

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5
Weiner Philharmoniker
Leonard Bernstein - conducting.

This performance doesn't really do it for me to be honest.
Why Sean?
Next to the Abbado/BPO I think it´s one of the finest 5ths.

I find it drags, it's colourless, I don't like it, I loose interest before we get to the Third movement. My personal favourite is -- now don't laugh -- von Karajan/BPO, it's beyond compare.

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:54 pm

maestrob wrote:

Petrenko is the new Kondrashin, with a better orchestra. Five enthusiastic stars! So far, I've heard this and VIII: can't wait to hear the rest. He should tackle Prokofiev next: we haven't had great recordings of those symphonies since Ormandy and Rozhdestvensky (Gergiev and Ozawa just don't make the grade for me.).

Kitajenko's cycle then?

Sean:

I agree with you regarding Bernstein's Vienna CD of Mahler V. His Vienna DVD, OTOH, is fabulous, recorded about a decade earlier. Along with that, I'll recommend Solti & Abbado, but you probably already have the latter in Berlin......

I love Solti and Abbado in Mahler, the Barshai is very good too.

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:20 pm

Seán wrote:
josé echenique wrote:
Seán wrote:

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5
Weiner Philharmoniker
Leonard Bernstein - conducting.

This performance doesn't really do it for me to be honest.
Why Sean?
Next to the Abbado/BPO I think it´s one of the finest 5ths.
I find it drags, it's colourless, I don't like it, I loose interest before we get to the Third movement. My personal favourite is -- now don't laugh -- von Karajan/BPO, it's beyond compare.

I would never laugh, I love it and in fact it was my first Mahler 5th circa 1976 when I was 15.
At the time it was considered a revelation, for the superb orchestral performance of the Berlin Philharmonic that took Mahler to an altogether different level (Karajan´s classical restraint was welcomed by many who thought Bernstein hysterical and overbearing). I think it has stood well the test of time, but maybe Karajan´s greatest Mahler performances are his live and studio 9th Symphony recordings.

ravel30 · Post by **ravel30** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:54 pm

Lots of variety today:

Shostakovich Cello Sonata from

Sibelius Symphony no. 5 from

John Adams Grand Pianola Music from

Thanks to Darren you suggested that months ago.

Malcolm Arnold Symphony no. 5 from

Very interesting music !!!

Matt.

maestrob · Post by **maestrob** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:43 am

Seán wrote:
maestrob wrote:

Petrenko is the new Kondrashin, with a better orchestra. Five enthusiastic stars! So far, I've heard this and VIII: can't wait to hear the rest. He should tackle Prokofiev next: we haven't had great recordings of those symphonies since Ormandy and Rozhdestvensky (Gergiev and Ozawa just don't make the grade for me.).
Kitajenko's cycle then?

Sean:

I agree with you regarding Bernstein's Vienna CD of Mahler V. His Vienna DVD, OTOH, is fabulous, recorded about a decade earlier. Along with that, I'll recommend Solti & Abbado, but you probably already have the latter in Berlin......
I love Solti and Abbado in Mahler, the Barshai is very good too.

Kitaenko is not my favorite conductor: his Prokofiev is lackluster, so I avoided his Shostakovich. Unfortunately, I feel the same way about the Barshai Shostakovich cycle: IX is excellent, but the rest have too many flaws to be taken seriously when compared to, say, Kondrashin, Bernstein or Rozhdestvensky (or even Mravinsky in VIII in the BBC live release). I'm very interested in the Petrenko cycle, and will report as I get the others over time.

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:47 am

Now, THIS was a God given voice.

maestrob · Post by **maestrob** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:59 am

josé echenique wrote:

Now, THIS was a God given voice.

Yes, an amazing Bulgarian sound!

Ghiaurov was a client of mine at the NYAC. Funny, but he never brought in his wife, Mirella Freni, for a chat: perhaps she was shy about people making a fuss.

That huge sound from such an average-height man.......

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 11:39 am

I'm home early from work today; I was sitting in the front room with my lovely wife and Veronica said to me "put on something I'd like", so I did and she does and in surround sound too:

Gustav Mahler
Symphony no. 3
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Michelle DeYoung (Mezzo Soprano)
Bernard Haitink - conducting.

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 12:48 am

Oberthur's Concertino for Harp & Orchestra, Op. 175 (Bress/Chen)
Kabalevsky's Symphony #2 (Toscanini)
Roussel's The Spider's Feast (Toscanini)

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:44 am

W. A. Mozart - Overture to "La Clemenza di Tito" (Kapp/Essay)
F. J. Haydn - String Quartet #30 (Kodaly/Naxos)
Beethoven - Piano Trio, Op. 1, No. 2 (Trio Parnassus/MDG)
M. Haydn - Symphony in G, MH 144 (Nemeth/Hungaroton)

maestrob · Post by **maestrob** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 12:47 pm

This rare OOP album was Gruberova's debut recital CD (recorded in 1982), and it showcases the voice that stunned the world with her virtuosity and depth of feeling. Mighty tasty listening!

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:47 pm

Frankel - A Shakespeare Overture (Albert/cpo)
Ginastera - String Quartet #2 (Lyric Qrt/ASV)
Sallinen - Chamber Music I (Kamu/Naxos)
Varese - Offrandes (Chailly/London)

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:22 pm

Franck's Psyche (Paray)
Brahms' Second (Rodzinski)
Franck's Symphony in D Minor (Monteux 1)

maestrob · Post by **maestrob** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 12:13 pm

Beethoven Concerto V & Bagatelles: Russell Sherman/Czech Philh./Neumann

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 1:10 pm

Mehul - Overture to "Melidore et Phrosine" (SAnderling/ASV)
Farrenc - Piano Quintet #2 (Schubert Ensemble/ASV)
Duparc - Phidyle, L'Invitation au Voyage & La Vie Anterieure (Te Kanawa/EMI)

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:01 pm

Ravel's Mother Goose Suite (Deneve)
Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano & Winds (P.Serkin/Deneve)
Schumann's Manfred Overture (Giulini)
Suppe's Light Cavalry Overture (F.Slatkin)

Chalkperson · Post by **Chalkperson** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:30 am

josé echenique wrote:

This is my favourite recording of the Merry Wives of Windsor in spite of it´s closet Nazi Falstaff.
Did you know that Karl Ridderbusch was originally scheduled to record Die Meistersinger with Solti, but someone spread the word that he had a HUGE Nazi memorabilia collection and Solti dropped him for Norman Bailey?
A great pity that this otherwise magnificent basso had such nostalgia for mass murderers.

A Sleeve that is nearly as awful as the Opera itself...

josé echenique · Post by **josé echenique** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 9:27 am

Chalkperson wrote:
josé echenique wrote:

This is my favourite recording of the Merry Wives of Windsor in spite of it´s closet Nazi Falstaff.
Did you know that Karl Ridderbusch was originally scheduled to record Die Meistersinger with Solti, but someone spread the word that he had a HUGE Nazi memorabilia collection and Solti dropped him for Norman Bailey?
A great pity that this otherwise magnificent basso had such nostalgia for mass murderers.
A Sleeve that is nearly as awful as the Opera itself...

That sleeve is not too bad Chalkie, not at least as other DECCA offenders like Nilsson´s Salomé or their Boito Mefistofele with Siepi and Del Monaco. In fact, I think Helen Donath is kind of pretty

.
The Germans were not meant by Nature for opera buffa like the Italians, but the Merry Wives of Windsor is entertaining, and with a recording as superb as the Kubelik, it´s not really that awful.

maestrob · Post by **maestrob** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:14 pm

I yawned when this Beethoven set came out recently, but my curiosity was piqued, as I haven't acquired a new Beethoven set with modern players in a loooooooonnnng time. So far, I've heard I-IV and a couple of overtures, and I'm impressed by Chailly's sense of clarity and phrasing, along with his attention to detail. So far, a very fine set! Will report when I finish listening, but I wanted to get this recommendation on the board and see what others felt who have heard this.

johnQpublic · Post by **johnQpublic** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:32 pm

Kuhlau - Overture to "Three Brothers from Damascus" (Serov/Unicorn-Kanchana)
R. Schumann - Piano Quartet in E-flat (Faure Qrtt/Ars Musici)
Magnard - Hymne a Venus (Stringer/Timpani)

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:04 pm

Schreker's Prelude to Act I of Die Gezeichneten
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor ( Simon Trpčeski, piano)
Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3 in C minor, "Organ"

conducted by Edo de Waart....live w/SFSO

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