What are you listening to?

val · Post by **val** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 4:15 am

Tchaikovsky, 3rd and 4th Suites for orchestra, by Dorati with the New Philarmonia.

karlhenning · Post by **karlhenning** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:49 am

About to plunge into the Bernstein/NYPhil Sibelius set.

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:43 am

A recent trip to Everyday Music in downtown Portland (OR) netted a few interesting discs. One was a top-of-the-list recording of the Brahms Concerto with Shlomo Mintz accompanied by Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic on a Time-Life CD with material licensed from DG. Mintz's tone is breathtakingly beautiful. I can't keep up with all the new recordings of standard violin repertoire, but at thsi price ($2.50), I'll keep buying them.

On the LP side, and early Epic recording of Phillippe Entremont (LC-3316) playing music of Chopin. I've just istened to the Nocturne in D-Flat, Op. 27, No. 2 (one of my favorite pieces) and this recording shows the clarity of line and inner detail I enjoy in Chopin. Good sound and dynmamic range on this mono recording. I don't have enough Entremont in my colection. I'll report on the rest of the disc tomorrow.

ANother LP was a c. 1952 recording of the Dvorak New World with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra (Columbia ML-4541). Exquisite slow movement. Snappy, taut playing in the quicker movements.

John

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 4:58 am

Brahms, Piano Concerto #2, Schnabel / Boult on Naxos. Paired with Schumann's Kinderszenen.

Magical performance in 1930's/1940's mono, thanks to engineer, Mark Obert-Thorn's astonishing transfer.

karlhenning · Post by **karlhenning** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:14 am

Sibelius
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opus 42
Bernstein / NY Phil

An excellent account of this old favorite of a symphony; I'm still making my way (most enjoyably) through this set, but this is the clear high point so far.

david johnson · Post by **david johnson** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 9:49 am

4'33" by john cage. ...but the soloist now performing is taking longer.

dj

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:41 pm

Sondheim, OC album of Sunday in the Park with George.

Sibelius, The Origin of Fire, Sandels, etc. Jarvi / Gothenburg SO on BIS.

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 7:10 am

Barber, Violin Concerto. Hilary Hahn /Wolff / St Paul Chamber Orchestra. Outstanding! I listened to the Buswell / Alsop a while back but it made nowhere near the same impact. The orchestra plays extremely well too.

Ginastera, Violin Concerto. Ricci / Herrera de la Fuente on 1-11.

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 4:32 pm

Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (Kegel/Dresden Phil.)
Beethoven's Seventh (Szell/CO)
John Powell's Rapsodie Negre & John Alden Carpenter's Chanticleer (Dean Dixon/VSO)
A new CD I got of Paavo Jarvi/Cincinnati doing Debussy
Mahler's Second (Ormandy/Minnesota)

Haydnseek · Post by **Haydnseek** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 3:24 pm

It's been a weekend for Brahms and Bebop. I've listened to all four Brahms symphonies played by Bernard Haitink and the Boston Symphony. Now for a change of pace I'm listening to "Der Rosenkavalier" with Haitink again, this time conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden. The cast includes Kiri Te Kanawa, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Barbara Hendricks and Kurt Rydl. Interesting to think that Strauss was still alive in the late 1940's when most of the Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie recordings I've been listening to were made.

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:58 pm

Listened to the entire Chopin recital of Phillippe Entremont from the Epic Lp mentioned above. This may be a case where the parts are greater than the whole. I could see listening to each of the seven pieces individually, but as a whole the disc seems to lack contrast. I would have liked a bit more spice in the Op. 43 Tarantelle.

I traditionally play a recording of Beethoven's 9th on New Year's Eve, but the evening passed without the opportunity, so I listened to two recordings today. The first was Karajan's 1962 recording. This is a pretty energetic performance, with lots of slashing strings and fairly brisk tempi. The other performance is Mehta's New Youk recording from 1983 on RCA Silver Seal. If anything, it is more sharply etched than the Karajan. Mehta does an excellent job of contrasting sections of the work and the climaxes are very satisfying. The tympani are well captured (actually highlighted) in the first movement recapitulation and the chorus sings with vigor. Like Ormandy, I feel that Mehta is one of those underrated conductors.

Being in the mood for high-octane recordings I also listened to the 7th and the 9th sumphonies of Dvorak. The 7th was with Kertesz and the London Symphony, part of the 6-CD set of all the sympahonies and the 9th was with Giulini and the Chicago Symphony. I now have a this recording on CD and the lower strings seems richer. But the winds didn't sound quite so prominent. One of the things that struck me about Giulini's recording is the modern sound to the harmony and the work sounded like one written near the turn of the 20th century. It didn't quite sound that way this time.

John

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 5:12 am

--borrowed this set from the library and went on a Elgar listening spree:
The Elgar Edition, vol 1, on EMI, containing his symphonies, Falstaff, & excerpts from The Dream of Gerontius and The Music Makers, all conducted by the composer.

--also downloaded an audio eBook from the library and listened, Margaret Atwood's, Penelopiad.
After hearing a bit of it, went out and bought the book. a witty, sardonic tale, told from Hades by Penelope: "Now that I'm dead I know everything".

--wedged in a first listen to Rochberg, Symphony No. 2. The Naxos label goes from strength to strength.

RebLem · Post by **RebLem** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 4:05 pm

I am listening to the Christopher Hogwood recording of Neils Gade's Symphony #1, part of the 4 CD set of Gade symphonies, which I am just now starting to listen to.

Haydnseek · Post by **Haydnseek** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 6:54 pm

Ravel all morning and Wagner all afternoon:

Rhapsodie espagnole
Menuet antique
Ma Mere l’Oye
La Valse
Alborada del gracioso
Le tombeau de Couperin
Valses nobles et sentimentales
Bolero
Daphnis et Chloe

All conducted by Bernard Haitink with the Boston Symphony Orchestra

The two Piano Concertos played by Zoltan Kocsis with Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra

The String Quartet played by the Hagen Quartet

Parsifal conducted by Karajan – proof that not all early digital recordings sound bad.

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:17 am

Weill, Symphonies 1 & 2 on Naxos

Bax, Symphony No. 4 / Tintagel (Thomson) on Chandos

Schmidt, Symphonies No. 1 and 2 (Jarvi/DSO, CSO) on Chandos

Bridge, String Quartets 1-4 on Naxos

Dyson, Symphony in G (Naxos)

Alwyn, Symphonies 2 & 5 and Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (Donohoe) on Naxos

DanielFullard · Post by **DanielFullard** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:21 pm

Norma - Bellini

The Callas release on EMI. Superb

Haydnseek · Post by **Haydnseek** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 3:36 pm

Lehar's "The Merry Widow" - John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Vienna Philharmonic with Cheryl Studer, Boje Skovhus, Barbara Bonney, Bryn Terfel and Reiner Trost. I think this is a wonderful recording!

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 5:50 pm

Haydnseek wrote:Lehar's "The Merry Widow" - John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Vienna Philharmonic with Cheryl Studer, Boje Skovhus, Barbara Bonney, Bryn Terfel and Reiner Trost. I think this is a wonderful recording!

Better than wonderful--nearly perfect!

RebLem · Post by **RebLem** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:54 am

I am always behind in listening to new records. I buy them faster than I can listen to them. I have a couple hundred CDS (not including most of the complete Bach edition) which I haven't listened to yet.

But I do have things that I am listening to on a daily basis. Right now, I am going through three issues, and I have played part of each of them--the Abbado Berlin PO Brahms Symphony set, The Christopher Hogwood Neils Gade Symphony set, and the St. Petersburg String Quartet Shostakovich String Quartet cycle. Just finished with the Muti Brahms Symphony set a few days ago.

Volodya · Post by **Volodya** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 2:21 pm

Bruckner Symphony No. 8 in C Minor conducted by Jochum in '84.

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:48 pm

Beethoven's Fourth & Bartok Concerto For Orchestra (Blomstedt/SFSO--concert broadcast)
Tchaikovsky's Fourth (Ormandy 3--his first stereo one, not up to the level of Ormandy 2 from early 50s)
Toscanini's Jan.'45 concert with the NYP (a benefit one, w/Haydn 101, Pines of Rome, Wagner G.D. excerpts, Sibelius Swan & Euryanthe Over.)

One of these days, if I can hook up the battered old reel-to-reel, I hope to transfer to cassette some old-time radio tapes of "The Mel Blanc Show."

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:48 pm

Roussel's Fourth (Munch/Lamoureux)
Beethoven PC#2 (Gilels/Vandernoot)

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 8:23 pm

Schubert 9th: Monteux live 1960. It's a very powerful performance, but I don't think it's as good as the one I saw Sawallisch and Philly play last season. He had that orchestra so perfectly balanced and blended. And the phrasing of every section of the orchestra was just so sophisticated. This Monteux performance is perhaps a bit more aggressive at times, and it's a very virtuoso performance. But the phrasing just isn't as nuanced as the Sawallisch performance from last year.

karlhenning · Post by **karlhenning** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:27 am

Vaughan Williams
Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9
Bournemouth Symphony / Kees Bakels
Naxos

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 5:53 pm

Schoenberg's Gurrelieder--the classic '68 concert with Ferencsik/DRSO, with sololists Alexander Young, Dame Janet Baker, Niels Moller, Odd Wolstad, Julius Patzak, & Martina Arroyo.

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 10:53 am

Nojima Plays Liszt (Reference Recordings). One of the most realistic sounding piano recordings I have ever heard.

And Eugene Ormandy conducting during the mono era . . .

Rachmaninoff, The Bells / Isle of Dead (ML 5083)
Sibelius, Symphonies 4 & 5 (ML 5045)

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 11:40 am

Brahms 3rd and Dvorak 8th from the recently released box of George Szell's Decca recordings. Both of these are with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and were recorded in 1951. Szell seems to have had a particular affinity for Dvorak's 8th, and this reading is similar to the early stereo recording in Cleveland, perhaps even a bit more dramatic in the first movement. The Brahms is similarly taut, direct and rich in orchestral sonority.

Also, Mozart's Divertimento K. 131 and Serenade K. 251 with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on DG, part of a 4-disc collection. Crisp, light performances on modern instruments. I listened to this disc twice.

John

Haydnseek · Post by **Haydnseek** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:47 pm

Mendelssohn's Scottish and Italian symphonies - Claus Peter Flor leading the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:32 pm

Beethoven's Third (Bohm/VPO)
Sibelius' Fifth (Jensen/DRSO)
Gade's First (Hogwood/DRSO)
Tchaikovsky's Second (Solti/PCO)

Also, I'm on a Beethoven-Seventh kick; dug out all these goodies:
Szell/CO 2
Dean Dixon (Prague SO, on Supraphon)
Koussevitzky (BSO concert)
Boult/LPO (on Vanguard)
Zinman/Zurich

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 1:14 am

Brahms' Violin Sonatas Op. 78 and 100 with Vladimir Spivakov and Mikhial Rudy on RCA. Brahms' Piano Quartets Op. 25 and 60 with Lars Vogt and others on EMI.

Hilary Hahn's recently released recital of four Mozart Sonatas on DG. Her partner is Natalie Zhu. THe two have played together since their student days and it shows. Their ensemble work is fabulous. This disc is easy to listen to over and over. I hope that DG will give Ms. Zhu the opportunity to record solo repertoire. She'd make another fine addition to their amazing group of oainists.

John

Haydnseek · Post by **Haydnseek** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 10:20 am

Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta - Boulez, Chicago Symphony
Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 3 - Jando, Ligeti, Budapest Symphony
Grieg: Lyric Pieces, Book I - Oppitz

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 5:58 am

Working my way thru Harmonia Mundi's 6-disc set, Orgues Historiques d"Europe --a great sounding set with fascinating works from the baroque era.

Haydnseek · Post by **Haydnseek** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:02 pm

Mozart: Cosi fan tutte - Bernard Haitink conducting the London Philharmonic and Glyndebourne Chorus with Carol Vaness, Delores Ziegler, Dale Duesing, John Aler, Lillian Watson ad Claudio Desderi

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 - Haitink, Berlin Philharmonic

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:16 pm

Mozart PC#9 (G. Casadesus/Paray)
Gounod's First Symphony (Markevitch/Lamoureux)
Sibelius' First (Rudel/BSO--concert broadcast)

RebLem · Post by **RebLem** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 5:20 pm

Today, I listened first the the Shostakovich String Quarter #10--St Petersburg Quartet. I listened to the two other quartets on the disc yesterday.

Then to this wonderful, Naxos issue of 2 violin concerti, one by Myaskovsky, and the other by Vainberg. Highly rrecommened.

Now I am listening to the last CD in an Abbado, BPO Brahms set--the Haydn Variations, Nanie, and the 4th Symphony.

After that, it will be on to the last volume of the St Petersburg Quartert recordings of the Shostakovich String Quartets.

Haven't decided what after that. Maybe nothing else today.

RebLem · Post by **RebLem** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 9:50 pm

Ok, see above. I did wind up listening to something else too--the Mercury Living Presence CD containing Dorati's recording of the Tchaikovsky 5th Symphony (LSO) and the March Slav, and two excerpts from Eugene Onegin with the Minneapolis Sym.

And I have laid out three stacks of "new" (previously unlistened to, though some I have had for 2 yrs--I am seriously behind in my listening) CDs for my next round of virgin auditions.

Stack 1 contains both the Neumann and Jarvi sets of the Martinu Symphonies plus the Ancerl CD of the last two symphonies.

Stack 2 contains 2 twofers of the complete Saint-Saens concerted violin music, one with Ulf Hoelscher and the other with Jean Jacques Kantorow plus a 5 CD set of the complete Saint-Saens solo and 4 hand piano music.

And "Stack" 3 consists of the Yale Quartet set of the Beethoven late string quartets.

If I decide I want more in the round, and just those 3 stacks gets a little monotonous, I think I may listen to one of the opera recordings I haven't listened to yet, and one of the sets I have there is the complete D'oyly Carte Gilbert and Sullivan.

Keep on truckin'.

Haydnseek · Post by **Haydnseek** » Sun Jan 22, 2006 1:49 pm

Nielsen: Symphonies 4 and 5 - Schonwandt, Danish National Radio Symphony

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 - Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic

Mozart: The Magic Flute - Michael Halasz conducting for Naxos

Mozart: Symphonies 40 and 41 - Josef Krips, Concertgebouw Orchestra

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:54 pm

Nielsen's Third (Ahronovich/DRSO)
Dvorak's Eighth (Chung/Gothenburg)
Edwin Fischer doing Schubert's Impromptus & Moments Musicaux
Scriabin's Second (Rozhdestvensky/Stockholm Phil.)

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:41 am

Delius, The Delius Collection vol 3, on Unicorn. wonderful choral works--had to listen thru 3 or 4 times they were so involving. bought it even tho the CD suffers from bronzing damage.

soon to follow . . .

Enescu, Oedipe (Naxos)
Bolcom, Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Naxos)
Goldschmidt, Der Gewaltige Hahnrei (London)

Ralph · Post by **Ralph** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 9:17 am

Don Isler playing Beethoven on one of his own, fine private releases. And they should be highlighted at Tower.

AntonioA · Post by **AntonioA** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 2:23 pm

Just listened to : Pretres recording of Massenet`s Werther from 1969.
Victoria de los Angeles voice and interpretation is marvellous.

Ralph · Post by **Ralph** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 5:51 pm

"The Yellow River Concerto" on NAXOS. Goes well with the scallops in black bean sauce I'm eating.

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:16 pm

Verdi, Falstaff with Toscanini. One helluva performance!

Yo-Yo Ma, The New York Album. The Bloch work (Schelomo) knocks me out every time.

Hilary Hahn playing Barber and Elgar.

Harvested Sorrow · Post by **Harvested Sorrow** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:23 pm

Beethoven's Trio for Piano, Clarinet, and Cello, Op. 11

greg_h · Post by **greg_h** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 3:18 am

Tristan with Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic. The Philharmonic in great form in this recording...the Barenboim and Karajan perhaps have the best orchestal playing of any recording I've heard and in Wagner that is a plus in my view.

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:13 pm

Well, even though I listened to it just a few weeks ago, in commemoration of her passing, I'll be hearing again Coretta Scott King as the speaker on Copland's Lincoln Portrait, with the composer leading the National Symphony during the Lincoln birthday concert--in Feb. '69.

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 4:53 am

Zuckerman playing works by Saint-Saens, Vieuxtemps, and Wieniawski (Columbia LP MS 7422). Very nice record.

Yo-Yo Ma, Simply Baroque (Bach and Boccherini)

Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra--all mono Columbias:
Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (ML 4467)
Hi-Fi 3/4: Waldteufel and Lehar (CL 849)
Virtuosi ((ML 5129)
Tchaikovsky, Symphonies 5 and 6 (ML 4400 and 4544)

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 4:07 pm

Munch's Wagner LP with the BSO (RCA VICS-1065).....quite better than one would think.

Haydnseek · Post by **Haydnseek** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:41 pm

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 - Barshai, WDR Symphony
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 - Pollini, Böhm, Vienna Philharmonic
Beethoven: Violin Concerto - Francescatti, Walter, Columbia Symphony
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 - Monteux, Vienna Philharmonic

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 1:02 pm

Beethoven Quartets No. 12, Op. 127 and No. 15, Op. 132 with the Hagen Quartet (DG 00289 477 5705 GH).

I find this a wonderful and amazing recording. One might say it is "historically informed" in the best sense of the word, as tempi are generally brisk, phrasing well articulated and vibrato is almost nil. But the quartet plays with rich tone, attention to inner detail and precise intonation. The combination of these last three make for extraordinary sounding harmonies and (as with Hilary Hahn's recordings) these performances can move by sheer beauty of sound. Interpretively, these are well thought-out readings. For example, the final two movements of the Op. 132, which often sound to me like they have been tacked on after the beautiful Adagio here sound integral and quite melodic.

John

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