What are you listening 2 now?

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Respighi
Concerto gregoriano
Lydia Mordkovitch, violin
BBC Philharmonic
Downes

[kyjo]

Excellent piece, indeed, Cesar!

+1 That Elegia slow movement is absolutely heart-rending.

[JBS]

Oh dear, I can't agree with this at all! Oh well, at least you tried. I thought P-B would've been right up your alley!

Now comes the big question: have you yet explored the music of an arguably greater Swedish composer, my beloved Kurt Atterberg?

My general feeling about that P-B set is the same as Florestan's, but oddly enough I thought the VC was the one good thing.

TD
Olivier Vernet playing Bach:  the Schubler and Leipzig Chorales

[springrite]

Rouse: Flute Concerto

This is a sensational work. Rouse wrote truly heartfelt music, and this piece has lots of it. It should be counted among the greatest flute concertos ever.

Would be better to have a flautist on the cover.

Well, the cover photo is like a random shot...

[Mirror Image]

Would be better to have a flautist on the cover.

Well, the cover photo is like a random shot...

Yeah, you think they could've at the very least took a shot of the woodwind section.

[kyjo]

Lalo: Piano Trio no. 3 in A minor



Perhaps Lalo's greatest work, and certainly one of his most serious and dramatic (it's a far cry from the Symphonie Espagnole, for instance). The middle two movements are particularly striking - an agitated scherzo with an instantly memorable main theme and a profoundly beautiful slow movement. This deserves to be counted amongst the great Romantic piano trios.


Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Concerto for 2 Guitars

I: https://youtu.be/duwsyE3RObg
II: https://youtu.be/3G7sTghrBCc
III: https://youtu.be/hQCkOGpVGNg

A late work from the 1960s, you'd hardly guess it as it's as sunny and tuneful as ever with C-T. A really delightful and truly catchy work! Interestingly enough, I prefer both this and his 2nd Guitar Concerto to his more famous 1st Guitar Concerto.


Delius: Double Concerto for Violin and Cello



A rapturously beautiful work in a magnificent performance. In the wrong performance, some of Delius' later music can sound rather "sleepy", but not so here - it sounds tremendously vibrant and purposeful. This was a most wonderful rediscovery!


Schoeck: String Quartet no. 2 in C major



The opening of this quartet immediately earned my affection with its gloriously open-hearted, idyllic melody that almost sounds like Finzi, of all people! The remainder of the quartet is more playful and fantastical in mood and chromatic in harmony, reminding me a bit of Hindemith's splendid first three SQs in its general style. A rewarding work by a composer who is quite difficult to pigeonhole stylistically.


Prokofiev: Symphony no. 7 in C-sharp minor



I can't speak highly enough of the recordings Andrew Litton has made with the Bergen Phil for BIS, particularly their revelatory Prokofiev discs. Honestly, the main star of the show might be the phenomenally clear and bold BIS engineering, which allows one to hear each and every strand of Prokofiev's fascinating orchestration in its full glory. I'd love to hear this team do, say, a Martinu symphony cycle, to name some repertoire that demands really high quality sonics (and performance) due to its complex orchestration. Anyways, needless to say this whimsical and melodic work is a great favorite of mine. Both endings of the finale are provided here. In some ways, I almost prefer the zany alternative ending (written to please the authorities!) for its sheer wit - though of course the original valedictory ending is quite moving.

[Mirror Image]

This entire recording:

[vandermolen]

Lalo: Piano Trio no. 3 in A minor



Perhaps Lalo's greatest work, and certainly one of his most serious and dramatic (it's a far cry from the Symphonie Espagnole, for instance). The middle two movements are particularly striking - an agitated scherzo with an instantly memorable main theme and a profoundly beautiful slow movement. This deserves to be counted amongst the great Romantic piano trios.


Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Concerto for 2 Guitars

I: https://youtu.be/duwsyE3RObg
II: https://youtu.be/3G7sTghrBCc
III: https://youtu.be/hQCkOGpVGNg

A late work from the 1960s, you'd hardly guess it as it's as sunny and tuneful as ever with C-T. A really delightful and truly catchy work! Interestingly enough, I prefer both this and his 2nd Guitar Concerto to his more famous 1st Guitar Concerto.


Delius: Double Concerto for Violin and Cello



A rapturously beautiful work in a magnificent performance. In the wrong performance, some of Delius' later music can sound rather "sleepy", but not so here - it sounds tremendously vibrant and purposeful. This was a most wonderful rediscovery!


Schoeck: String Quartet no. 2 in C major



The opening of this quartet immediately earned my affection with its gloriously open-hearted, idyllic melody that almost sounds like Finzi, of all people! The remainder of the quartet is more playful and fantastical in mood and chromatic in harmony, reminding me a bit of Hindemith's splendid first three SQs in its general style. A rewarding work by a composer who is quite difficult to pigeonhole stylistically.


Prokofiev: Symphony no. 7 in C-sharp minor



I can't speak highly enough of the recordings Andrew Litton has made with the Bergen Phil for BIS, particularly their revelatory Prokofiev discs. Honestly, the main star of the show might be the phenomenally clear and bold BIS engineering, which allows one to hear each and every strand of Prokofiev's fascinating orchestration in its full glory. I'd love to hear this team do, say, a Martinu symphony cycle, to name some repertoire that demands really high quality sonics (and performance) due to its complex orchestration. Anyways, needless to say this whimsical and melodic work is a great favorite of mine. Both endings of the finale are provided here. In some ways, I almost prefer the zany alternative ending (written to please the authorities!) for its sheer wit - though of course the original valedictory ending is quite moving.

I asked my daughter for Litton's recording of Prokofiev's 6th Symphony for Christmas, a few year's ago Kyle. It's a fabulous performance.

[Que]

Morning listening:

[The new erato]

A great post by Kyjo there with many good observations!

Me, I'm listening to a couple of Haydns discs from this extremely fine and valuable set:

[Irons]

Lalo: Piano Trio no. 3 in A minor



Perhaps Lalo's greatest work, and certainly one of his most serious and dramatic (it's a far cry from the Symphonie Espagnole, for instance). The middle two movements are particularly striking - an agitated scherzo with an instantly memorable main theme and a profoundly beautiful slow movement. This deserves to be counted amongst the great Romantic piano trios.


Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Concerto for 2 Guitars

I: https://youtu.be/duwsyE3RObg
II: https://youtu.be/3G7sTghrBCc
III: https://youtu.be/hQCkOGpVGNg

A late work from the 1960s, you'd hardly guess it as it's as sunny and tuneful as ever with C-T. A really delightful and truly catchy work! Interestingly enough, I prefer both this and his 2nd Guitar Concerto to his more famous 1st Guitar Concerto.


Delius: Double Concerto for Violin and Cello



A rapturously beautiful work in a magnificent performance. In the wrong performance, some of Delius' later music can sound rather "sleepy", but not so here - it sounds tremendously vibrant and purposeful. This was a most wonderful rediscovery!


Schoeck: String Quartet no. 2 in C major



The opening of this quartet immediately earned my affection with its gloriously open-hearted, idyllic melody that almost sounds like Finzi, of all people! The remainder of the quartet is more playful and fantastical in mood and chromatic in harmony, reminding me a bit of Hindemith's splendid first three SQs in its general style. A rewarding work by a composer who is quite difficult to pigeonhole stylistically.


Prokofiev: Symphony no. 7 in C-sharp minor



I can't speak highly enough of the recordings Andrew Litton has made with the Bergen Phil for BIS, particularly their revelatory Prokofiev discs. Honestly, the main star of the show might be the phenomenally clear and bold BIS engineering, which allows one to hear each and every strand of Prokofiev's fascinating orchestration in its full glory. I'd love to hear this team do, say, a Martinu symphony cycle, to name some repertoire that demands really high quality sonics (and performance) due to its complex orchestration. Anyways, needless to say this whimsical and melodic work is a great favorite of mine. Both endings of the finale are provided here. In some ways, I almost prefer the zany alternative ending (written to please the authorities!) for its sheer wit - though of course the original valedictory ending is quite moving.

I like all the Delius string concertos. The "Double" is the most approachable and yet the least well known. Puzzling.

[Irons]

Miaskovsky: 14th Symphony.

Miaskovsky wrote a symphony for every mood and now in my neck of the woods summer has belatedly arrived I can think of nothing better (Beethoven "Spring" Sonata maybe) to usher in this event then the uplifting and optimistic 14th. That tune in the first movement is a brain worm!

[Florestan]

Works by the "father of modern Spanish music", Felipe Pedrell, contained in this CD:



Pedrell is a composer much more talked about and quoted (both Falla and Roberto Gerhard composed works based on themes by their predecessor) than actually performed. Be that as it may, the music by him I know is quite appealing; apart from the works on this disc, there's also—quite beautiful—extracts from his opera La Celestina, the very tristanesque tone poem Excelsior, and rather less interesting songs.

Here we have the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya under Jaime Martín performing the tone poem in three movements Lo cant de la muntanya—"The Song of the Mountains"—(with clear lisztian connotations) and the prelude to his opera Quasimodo. In both works, a remarkable melodic gift, and a true sense of form and development can be appreciated. Very pleasant listening.

I have that disc and enjoy it immensely.

[Florestan]

Oh dear, I can't agree with this at all! Oh well, at least you tried. I thought P-B would've been right up your alley!

Now comes the big question: have you yet explored the music of an arguably greater Swedish composer, my beloved Kurt Atterberg?

I plan to, but --- are you sure you want me to post my findings? 

[Florestan]

My general feeling about that P-B set is the same as Florestan's, but oddly enough I thought the VC was the one good thing.

Hah! 

[Florestan]

Lalo: Piano Trio no. 3 in A minor



Perhaps Lalo's greatest work, and certainly one of his most serious and dramatic (it's a far cry from the Symphonie Espagnole, for instance). The middle two movements are particularly striking - an agitated scherzo with an instantly memorable main theme and a profoundly beautiful slow movement. This deserves to be counted amongst the great Romantic piano trios.

Are you familiar with this recording, Kyle?

[Que]

Continuing this morning with Ablitzer's Buxtehude series:

   

Jean Charles Ablitzer plays the organ of the Sankt Cosmae und Damianikirche, Stade, Lower-Saxony, Germany, built from 1668 to 1688 by Berendt Huß and modified by Arp Schnitger, who was his cousin.

[Papy Oli]

Good morning all,

JS Bach - Suite for Cello No.1 (Starker)

[Papy Oli]

JS Bach - Suite for Cello No.1 (Queyras)

[Papy Oli]

Bach - Suite for Cello No.1 (Du Pré)