What are you listening to?

[Ralph]

For the past week at work, this disc has been happily spinning a number of times



To paraphrase "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In": Suk it to me, Suk it to me, Suk it to me

*****

Asrael is a fascinating work, both musically and historically. I'm not familiar with this recording but I have several and try to listen to "Asrael" ev ery few months.

[jserraglio]

In Columbia's Fab Philly series . . . Ormandy conducts Ravel, Massenet, DeFalla, from the '70s. As advertised, fabulous.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Beginning a Seiji Ozawa Festival on LP vinyl:
  
  CSO
  Beethoven Fifth
  Schubert Unfinished
  Bartok & Kodaly, Concerto for Orchestra and Galanta Dances
  Scheherazade
  
  SFSO
  New World Symphony
  Eroica Sym
  
  BSO
  Petrouchka & Firebird Ste
  
  Orchestre de Paris
  Nutcracker & Sleeping Beauty Stes
  
  Toronto SO
  Takemitsu

[johnQpublic]

My vinyl explorations today were of the American variety:

Harbison - The Flower-Fed Buffaloes (Nonesuch)
Sessions - Concertino for Chamber Orchestra (Desto)

[karlhenning]

Harbison - The Flower-Fed Buffaloes (Nonesuch)
Sessions - Concertino for Chamber Orchestra (Desto)

Say more, I entreat you.

Cheers,
~Karl

[paulb]

Pettersson sym 14. A work that I and Chris Forbes came to Pettersson, with Comissiona. I sold the Comissiona and bought this CPO recording.
This is how I number P's syms, 2-11(12 is a choral poem) 13-15(16 is a "saxophone sym").
I hear these as 13 parts to a extended symphonic cycle. Other Pettersson fans have seriously considered this idea.

[pallas]

I WAS WATCHING A SCI-FI MOVIE ALIEN , WHEN I HEARD A BEAUTIFUL SYMPHONY AT THE END OF THE MOVIE. HOWARD HANSON A MAGNIFICENT COMPOSER WHO WROTE THE SYMPHONY Nº2 " THE ROMANTIC ".
I HAVE NO WORDS FOR SUCH A GREAT COMPOSITION, HAIL TO HOWARD HANSON !!!! .

[karlhenning]

Sibelius
Scene with Cranes, Opus 44 No. 2
Tapiola, Opus 112
En Saga, Opus 9
Segerstam / Danish National Radio

[hautbois]

Brahms
Piano Concertos - Overtures - 'Haydn' Variations
Claudio Arrau, piano
Bernard Haitink
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Philips Duo)

[Sapphire]

A Liszt evening for me:

Liszt Piano Sonata in B Min - Daniel Barenboim

Liszt Totentanz - Boris Berezovsky

Liszt Piano Con 1 - Van Cliburn/Ormandy/Phil'..ia

Liszt Piano Con 2 - Van Cliburn/Ormandy/Phil..ia

[PJME]

Tonight, on France Musique : Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher - the "dramatic oratorio" by Arthur Honegger , live performance from Montpellier (taped during a festival in summer). An all French cast ,the Montpellier orchestra under Alain Altinoglu.
there's much very good & gripping music in it.
No horns in the brass section - but 3 saxes.
I can understand that some dislike the "elevated,lofty" tone, the histrionics..., the theater...But I kept listening - it has the qualities of good, verismo opera .The heroin dies, the chorus murmurs ...Curtain.

Honegger knew his Bach & Händel. I'm listening to Bach's Magnificat. (Herreweghe).

[jserraglio]

Brahms, Complete Symphonies, Ansermet/OSR. London 4LP set.



now my Brahms of choice, a glowingly recorded labor of love. Where has this been hiding?--never even knew these recordings existed till early this month.

[lmpower]

I have just acquired the Brahms horn trio with Peter Daum, Josef Suk and Werner Genuit. I purchased this version because it is paired with the clarinet sonatas with Dieter Klocker. The only version I had of these sonatas was with Pinchas Zukerman on viola. I wanted to experience how Brahms felt the sonatas with Richard Muhlfeld's clarinet playing. I had never heard the horn trio performed, probably because it is such and odd combination of instruments. It deserves a place with Brahms other chamber masterpieces, though not one of the very greatest.

[hautbois]

Is it Peter Damm or Peter Daum? Just to confirm. Peter Damm is in my opinion of the greatest horn players alive right now and can be compared to greats such as Hermann Baumann and Dennis Brain. I would love to check out that recording! I suggest a hearing of his Strauss and Mozart Concertos - really something.

[lmpower]

Hautbois you caught a startling error. The box says Peter Damm on the front and spells it Peter Daum on the back. How often do you get an error like that? The label is Arts. I'm glad to know Peter Damm has a good reputation. I wasn't familiar with his name.

[hautbois]

Johann Strauss : Waltzes (Trans. Schonberg, Berg, Webern)

Igor Stravinsky : Misc chamber music

Boston Symphony Chamber Players (DG Originals)

Very enjoyable. Got this for around US$10. Also purchased a ridiculously priced opera in 2cds of Joplin - Treemonisha conducted by Gunther Schuller (DG) at US$7.

[karlhenning]

Igor Stravinsky : Misc chamber music

What pieces?

Also purchased a ridiculously priced opera in 2cds of Joplin - Treemonisha conducted by Gunther Schuller (DG) at US$7.

Was this the premiere recording?

Cheers,
~Karl

[karlhenning]

Listening now to:

Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6
Kondrashin cond.

[hautbois]

It's actually coupled in a reissue of the DG originals series with Johann Strauss Waltz arrangements by Schoenberg, Webern and Berg (Totally knocked my head off and obviously bought it out of curiosity), and of course the Stravinsky pieces - Oktett for winds, Pastorale for violin and wind quartet, Ragtime for eleven instruments, and the Concertino for twelve instruments. All so wonderfully performed, and honestly, prefer the Stravinsky works.

Yes i believe it was the premier recording (referring to the Treemonisha).

Howard

[jserraglio]

[Donaldopato]

Wagner: Prelude and Liebestod
Strauss: Tod und Verklarung
Strauss: Four Last Songs
Christine Brewer, Donald Runnicles Atlanta Telarc

Nice performances. The Liesbestod is a little cold and but well sung nonetheless. The Strauss pieces, in both cases, are excellent.

[Gary]

Puccini: La fanciulla del West




Label: London/Decca

Renata Tebaldi
Mario del Monaco
Saint Cecilia Academy Orchestra
Conducted by Franco Capuana

[jserraglio]

Downloaded it from Otterhouse's site, just for kicks. Much to my surprise, I loved it. List'ning now for the third time around. - gemütlich - fizzling - fun. The old Remington sound comes thru beautifully--Thank you, Rolf.

[Haydnseek]

This morning I engaged in the only form of multi-tasking I do well: listening to music while watching sports – in this instance both were as German as can be. Das Rheingold (Haitink’s recording) was the soundtrack to the Bayern München vs. Werder Bremen soccer match. Come to think of it Bayern’s great goal-keeper Oliver Kahn looks like he belongs in a Wagner Opera:





At 37 I’d say he’s more the Wotan type now than Siegfried. Fittingly he was a tragic figure today seeing three goals go past him, none his fault. The Norns punish weak defending apparently.

[jserraglio]

This weekend, a Colin Davis Vinyl Festival:

COA
Dvorak, Symphony No. 7

BSO
Mendelssohn, Fourth "Italian"
Mendelssohn, Music from MND
Sibelius, First, Second, Fifth & Seventh--Those Edvard Munch paintings on the LP jackets look spectacular.
Sibelius, Finlandia

Tossing in Reiner's CD of Pines, Fountains and La Mer, to hear if maybe the CSO brass and woodwinds would "make a mess" of it. I dont anticipate any surprises there.

[CharmNewton]

Tossing in Reiner's CD of Pines...

I've been humming tunes from Pines for the last three days and have listened to Maazel's recording (which I now find fussy) twice. I'll have to check to see if Reiner's has been SACDed and give it a listen. Toscanini's recording still is very satisfying too.

John

[jserraglio]

I'll have to check to see if Reiner's has been SACDed and give it a listen.

Indeed it has--a hybrid in the new living stereo series. I bought the earlier non-SACD issue today for $5 b/c with my low-end equipment, I wouldnt be able to hear any difference.

here is J Scott Morrison's Amazon review of the hydrid:

<div align="center">
</div>

• Oh My Goodness Gracious, Yes!, July 9, 2006
  Reviewer: J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA)
  
  The SACD reissues of RCA recordings from their wonderful 'Living Stereo' days is reaching full spate. The Reiner/ChicagoSO Respighi, rapturously acclaimed when it first came out, is heard here in even more glorious sound with the addition of SACD multichannel reproduction. The performance itself, along with the older and now sonically hors de combat Toscanini/NBC SO recording, are possibly the most exciting, the most 'right' I've ever heard. The Chicago was in marvelous condition in those days and the brass are especially glorious in the Pines of the Appian Way section. But lest we slight the winds and strings, they have their day, too, the latter especially deep and satiny in Pines of the Janiculum. Of more recent recordings of 'Pines' I have raved about a 2000 Cincinnati SO recording but this one, frankly, puts it in the shade both sonically and musically. This is a must-have for those who have the appropriate equipment to hear it in SACD.
  
  As for 'La Mer' it too is given a good performance but it is not going to be anyone's primary reason for acquiring this disc. There are too many other La Mer recordings that are its equal or better.
  
  As of the date of this review there are no sound clips for the prospective buyer to hear, but eventually, I assume, Amazon will put up sound clips from this disc and if they have by the time you're reading this I'd urge you to listen just to the first few seconds of the opening of 'Pines.' That high frequency orchestration, so exciting in live performance and so easily compressed and messed up by sound engineers on recordings, is absolutely clear and thrilling.
  
  This is a must-have. It's that simple.

[hautbois]

I so want that, i have had very bad experiences with the Muti/Philadelphia.

[Wallingford]

Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations (Fournier/Bigot)
Enescu's Roumanian Rhapsody #1 (Danon/RPO)

[Wallingford]

AND--Sibelius' Fourth, led by Toscanini.....I never knew anyone could impart such TUNEFULNESS to this work!

[CharmNewton]

I'll have to check to see if Reiner's has been SACDed and give it a listen.

Indeed it has--a hybrid in the new living stereo series. I bought the earlier non-SACD issue today for $5 b/c with my low-end equipment, I wouldnt be able to hear any difference.

here is J Scott Morrison's Amazon review of the hydrid:

<div align="center">
</div>

• Oh My Goodness Gracious, Yes!, July 9, 2006
  Reviewer: J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA)
  
  The SACD reissues of RCA recordings from their wonderful 'Living Stereo' days is reaching full spate. The Reiner/ChicagoSO Respighi, rapturously acclaimed when it first came out, is heard here in even more glorious sound with the addition of SACD multichannel reproduction. The performance itself, along with the older and now sonically hors de combat Toscanini/NBC SO recording, are possibly the most exciting, the most 'right' I've ever heard. The Chicago was in marvelous condition in those days and the brass are especially glorious in the Pines of the Appian Way section. But lest we slight the winds and strings, they have their day, too, the latter especially deep and satiny in Pines of the Janiculum. Of more recent recordings of 'Pines' I have raved about a 2000 Cincinnati SO recording but this one, frankly, puts it in the shade both sonically and musically. This is a must-have for those who have the appropriate equipment to hear it in SACD.
  
  As for 'La Mer' it too is given a good performance but it is not going to be anyone's primary reason for acquiring this disc. There are too many other La Mer recordings that are its equal or better.
  
  As of the date of this review there are no sound clips for the prospective buyer to hear, but eventually, I assume, Amazon will put up sound clips from this disc and if they have by the time you're reading this I'd urge you to listen just to the first few seconds of the opening of 'Pines.' That high frequency orchestration, so exciting in live performance and so easily compressed and messed up by sound engineers on recordings, is absolutely clear and thrilling.
  
  This is a must-have. It's that simple.

Thanks for the posting this. The main reason for this edition in my opinion is the remastering. Some of the original Living Stereo CDs haven't been as impressive as I expected them to be. And while I wasn't happy with the orchestral sound of the Heifetz recording of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, I've heard others that were outstanding (Munch's Bolero disc in particular).

I'll have to hear that Cincinnati recording as well. To my ears, that orchestra comes closest to the full, rich brass sound of the Chicago Symphony of the 1950s and 1960s. And I cannot believe the Telarc recording doesn't sound outstanding.

John

[johnQpublic]

Just got it. Very interesting work. It's going to be on the machine at work all this coming week

[Haydnseek]

Listened to Tristan und Isolde this afternoon (Carlos Kleiber's recording with Kollo and Price.) I don't listen to this often but sometimes no other music will do.

[karlhenning]

Rakhmaninov
Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Opus 44
Royal Liverpool Phil / Mackerras

[paulb]

Rakhmaninov
Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Opus 44
Royal Liverpool Phil / Mackerras

thats right karl, dust off that rach 3rd. If you got it, might as well hear it.
Lets not allow the rach syms to fade away into oblivion. At least not before its time

my oh my us moderns sure are a sarcastic bunch.
We would not want Schnittke to overshadow rach just yet. ...thats for another day far off into the future

Schnittke, germany's greatest composer.

[johnQpublic]

Schnittke, germany's greatest composer.

Germany???

Just for you Paul, the following links to American's playing Schnittke:

http://www.laco.org/56Notes.html

http://www.juilliard.edu/update/journal ... es409.html

http://www.oberlin.edu/con/bkstage/1999 ... 91112.html

http://www.slso.org/update/press34.htm

http://www.cincinnatisymphony.org/PDF/P ... 9_0607.pdf

[Werner]

Now here's an oddity, Paul - and I imagine you must have googled it in the past - Schnittke is actually RUSSIAN!

Born in Russia - but his father was born in Germany into a family of Russian background - but all I've ever heard of him is as a Russian composer.

And as Schnittke - of whom I've heard some - and Petterson - whom I don't remember hearing - attain whatever ultimate status they may reach, they will not diminish the esteem in which any of their predecessors are held - and that's the great thing about the art of music.

[karlhenning]

Rakhmaninov
Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Opus 44
Royal Liverpool Phil / Mackerras

thats right karl, dust off that rach 3rd. If you got it, might as well hear it.
Lets not allow the rach syms to fade away into oblivion. At least not before its time

my oh my us moderns sure are a sarcastic bunch.

I was writing music this morning, Paul; there's nothing you can teach me about modern.

Cheers,
~Karl

[moldyoldie]

Listening to Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15...odd duck of a symphony, but kinda fun to listen to and assimilate.

Gothenburg Symphony Orch. - Neeme Järvi, cond.
Deutsche Grammophon

[paulb]

Now here's an oddity, Paul - and I imagine you must have googled it in the past - Schnittke is actually RUSSIAN!

Born in Russia - but his father was born in Germany into a family of Russian background - but all I've ever heard of him is as a Russian composer.

And as Schnittke - of whom I've heard some - and Petterson - whom I don't remember hearing - attain whatever ultimate status they may reach, they will not diminish the esteem in which any of their predecessors are held - and that's the great thing about the art of music.

Certainly a case could be made that Schnittke is russian, as I pointed out here months ago, that Alfred is neither all russian, nor all german. Neither by blood, not culture.
however as I hear his music, surely Shostakovich's influence is there, but as well Schnittke owes much to the german/ european avant garde influence. I hear Schnittke as 'german avant garde with russian influences".
Shostakovich is undisputedly russia finest composer. Which I did not wish to bring in Schnittke as second to Shostakovich, which he is not.
Schnittke is not pure russian as is Shostakovich.
Is that clear?
Argue all you wish, its the way I as an individual hear him. And this topi is about what the individual feels/believes.

[anasazi]

Let's see, Quincy Porter String Quartet, Rachmaninoff Vocalise (Anna Moffo and Leopold Stokovsky), some Beethoven Trio movements on PBS and the Copland Clarinet Concerto.

[karlhenning]

Dutilleux
Symphony No. 1
Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra
Hans Graf

What colors! What energy!

[hautbois]

Poulenc: Melodies (Naxos 8.553642)

Michel Piquemal, Baritone.
Christine Lajarrige, Piano.

[moldyoldie]

Speaking of Poulenc, just finished his Organ Concerto for string orchestra and tympani in G minor, followed by his Concert Champêtre for harpsichord and orchestra.

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, James Conlon, cond.
Marie-Claire Alain, oragan
Ton Koopman, harpsichord

Erato 2292-45233-2

[karlhenning]

Ligeti
San Francisco Polyphony
Lontano
Atmosphères
Nott / Berliner Philharmoniker

Marvelous works by a 20th-century master, masterfully executed on this "Ligeti Project II" disc.

Much more modern than the Romantic Gestapo™ could ever bear

[Wallingford]

Holst's Planets--with Schwarz & the Seattle......gonna hear it on KING-FM circa 8:45 PST when I get home tonite (those of you who've read this before then.....log onto king.org & hear it)

[BrianB]

I've been gravitating towards Sibelius, Stravinski and some of those English guys, I like Elgar, now that I've realised he wrote more than Pomp and circumstance and Enigma variations

[karlhenning]

Wuorinen: String Sextet



Because, you know, you can't always listen to the Romantics :-)

Cheers,
~Karl

[Wallingford]

On a Philharmonia Orch. comp playing on the Walkman on a busride:

Mendelssohn's Hebrides (Atzmon)
Rossini's Semiradmide (Muti)
Sorcerer's Apprentice (Markevitch)
last mvt. of Borodin's Third (Ashkenazy)
a Nutcracker excerpt (Kurtz)
.......plus a selection from that crappy album of Michael Bolton attempting opera, just for warped laffs

[miranda]

Absolutely sublime. I think i'll be listening to these discs all week.

[karlhenning]

Wuorinen: Second String Quartet
The Group for Contemporary Music



It starts out, teasing you with the seeming promise of more-or-less tonality. But then, like the Ancient Mariner, it fixes you with its glittering eye :-)

Cheers,
~Karl