What are you listening 2 now?

[Traverso]

Music of the Troubadours

[Harry]

The only thing sabout this is that the recording volume is oddly low but after cranking it up, all sounds fine.

I bookmarked it too, but due to people working around my house, listening can only be done in the silent hours of the night, but then again I have probably fallen asleep.

[Traverso]

Max Reger

Some information I found.

Max Reger (1873-1916) has not aged, in that respect he is closer to Mozart and Schubert than to Bach and Beethoven. Reger (= reuring =commotion) lived up to his name: he composed like a man possessed, but was also conductor of the Meininger Hofkapelle, a quality ensemble at the time to which Brahms entrusted his premieres. As a pianist he was a renowned accompanist and could also be heard in the Netherlands on his many tours. He spared himself in no respect, and was as intemperate in his daily habits as in his composing. After a concert, he ducked into a restaurant and gave the waiter the simple order: "Jetzt bringen sie mich zwei Stunden lang Beefsteak" ("Now they're bringing me beefsteak for two hours."). Of course with the accompanying mugs of beer, powders and pills. That was very common at the time - Coca-Cola did not fall from the sky.

CD 3

[foxandpeng]

Whenever I hear a work by this composer, I try to understand the music and make by best finding interesting details or something that really attracts me. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen very often, and these are some points I constantly detect:

1. The way he developed the ideas is frequently too much spontaneous for its own sake. It seems that he didn't have a sense of structure. I don't feel his ideas lingering on the mind either.

2. When orchestration is concerned he wasn't very polished either, and something that really makes me raise an eyebrow is how he used the cymbals. It often gets tiresome to be honest. I've seen the instrumentation he employed in his symphonies and what one can think is that this man just wanted to put as many instruments as possible, but apparently without a precise use.

3. Also, most of his symphonies sound quite similar each other, there are few where I say "Ok, this one sounds more distinguishable that most of the bunch".


For now, I consider the symphonies 1-3 and 7 the ones with better and more memorable ideas. Perhaps the 8th might be included too.

I feel less like a Philistine having read this 🙂. If you aren't immediately engaged, I might not be alone in my mediocre reception of many of HB's works. I don't want to discount him, but I have my struggles!

I particularly dislike #1. But that's because it feels too long and has too many vocals. Like #5 with the baritone. Hard work.

I will keep trying 😀

[Roasted Swan]

Never heard of this recording before, and it is exceptionally good not only because of the performances themselves, but also the programme. Two works that are scarcely recorded.

Fine music for sure!!

[steve ridgway]

Takemitsu: Dream / Window

[Iota]

Britten: Young Apollo (Steven Osborne, piano / BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Ilan Volkov, conductor). Love this early Britten piece, which was scheduled to be on the Minnesota Orchestra concert the other night — until both the pianist and conductor were taken ill.

First time hearing this recording, and it's great: captures the composer's youthful high spirits, and the sound quality is typical Hyperion excellence.

-Bruce

Indeed, excellent recording. The following Diversions for Left Hand Piano & Orchestra is a real pot of delights too.

Here:



Quite an enigma, Jean-Philippe, unforgiving, withdrawn, fearful of intimacy, yet what a world of joy, warmth and energy emerges from such an unlikely exterior. A frequently blissful selection of pieces and brilliantly done by the Currentzis and crew.

[Iota]

Some conductors do the "Fate knocking on the door" as if Fate is pounding away, trying to get someone on the other end of the house to hear them. Manacorda makes it like Fate is tapping on the window pane so the person just inside the doorway will realize it's there.

Haha, well that's enough to make me want to have a listen.   

[vandermolen]

Is it safe to say that I do not have those problems with Brian at all, in fact no problems at all.
Ducks for cover.

I really like HB symphonies 6 and 16 and also Cooke's 3rd Symphony on the same CD. Great cover art as well.

[vandermolen]

Hilding Rosenberg: Symphony No.2 'Sinfonia grave'
Stockholm PO, Herbert Blomstedt
This powerfully inspiriting symphony has a wonderfully redemptive ending, which reminded me of 'the long struggle towards the sunrise' at the end of Allan Pettersson's 6th Symphony. The ending of Rosenberg's 3rd Symphony is similarly redemptive:

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 6 in A Major, 1881 Version. Ed. Leopold Nowak, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Marek Janowski

[Todd]

[vandermolen]

Frank Bridge: Oration
BBC Scottish SO
Laura van der Heijden (Cello)
Ryan Wigglesworth.
Chandos (New Release)
Also Walton Cello Concerto and Cheryl Frances-Hoad Cello Concerto 'Earth, Sea, Air'.

I asked my wife to give me this CD for my birthday (she just loves buying CDs for me  )
The performance of the Bridge work is terrific in all respects.
I realised that I have another recording of this fine, young Dutch cellist performing music by Miaskovsky and Prokofiev:

[Roasted Swan]

Frank Bridge: Oration
BBC Scottish SO
Laura van der Heijden (Cello)
Ryan Wigglesworth.
Chandos (New Release)
Also Walton Cello Concerto and Cheryl Frances-Hoad Cello Concerto 'Earth, Sea, Air'.

I asked my wife to give me this CD for my birthday (she just loves buying CDs for me  )
The performance of the Bridge work is terrific in all respects.
I realised that I have another recording of this fine, young Dutch cellist performing music by Miaskovsky and Prokofiev:

I've been listening to this disc too.  Laura van der Heijden is excellent throughout but I must admit I think the Chandos recording is far from their finest - a bit distant and lacking 'bite' - quite an issue in the Walton (solo part as well played as I have ever heard) and the Bridge.  Not sure I felt Wigglesworth has full measure of Oration - I prefer Hickox - both his recordings - and best of all Dickens/RLPO with Wallfisch on Nimbus.  Enjoyed the Frances-Hoad

[vandermolen]

I've been listening to this disc too.  Laura van der Heijden is excellent throughout but I must admit I think the Chandos recording is far from their finest - a bit distant and lacking 'bite' - quite an issue in the Walton (solo part as well played as I have ever heard) and the Bridge.  Not sure I felt Wigglesworth has full measure of Oration - I prefer Hickox - both his recordings - and best of all Dickens/RLPO with Wallfisch on Nimbus.  Enjoyed the Frances-Hoad

Haven't heard the Walton or Frances-Hoad yet but look forward to doing so. I like the Lyrita recording of Oration, which was my first encounter with the work - but also Hickox (EMI and Chandos I think).

[VonStupp]

Franz Berwald
Piano Quintet 1 in C minor, op. 5
Piano Quintet 2 in A Major, op. 6
Vienna Philharmonic Quintet

At first, I thought this cover was of ice chunks in the sea, and then sand dollars. My wife thought paint dollops, but now I am not sure why I didn't see fish right away.

Love Berwald's first Quintet in particular!
VS

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

William Walton - Varii Capricci.

[Roasted Swan]

William Walton - Varii Capricci.

Very good version of the Symphony but surprised no-one else has recorded the  Varii Capricci which is fairly typical late Walton but still rather good....

[steve ridgway]

Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Very good version of the Symphony but surprised no-one else has recorded the  Varii Capricci which is fairly typical late Walton but still rather good....

As you already know, the work was originally a guitar piece, Five Bagatelles, composed for Julian Bream. I don't remember when it was composed.