Jump to content

What Classical Music Are You Listening To?


StarThrower

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 21.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • soulpope

    7649

  • Peter Friedman

    4602

  • Referentzhunter

    2563

  • HutchFan

    1025

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Johannes Brahms – Tragic Overture Op.81 – Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Robert Schumann – Fantasie for Violin and Orchestra in C major Op.131 — Thomas Zehetmair (violin) – Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Franz Schubert – Symphony No.9 in C major D.944 "Great" – John Eliot Gardiner
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra  (RCO Live)

MI0003229800.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
 

Edited by alankin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Peter Friedman said:

MI0000962061.jpg

One of my earliest CDs - lovely music.

71S2yCPBO6L._SY355_.jpg

Disc 1 - you can't beat a few Chopin Nocturnes at 10 a.m. 

American Classics: Charles Ives

Wonderful disc of songs and shorter instrumental pieces. I love Ives...there's never anything remotely precious about his music. 

Edited by A Lark Ascending
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, StarThrower said:

71%2BzLL1dAVL._SY355_.jpg

Finzi-Intimations Of Immortality

One I've never really made sense of. One of those gargantuan choral pieces we Brits were so fond of in the 19th and early 20thC. Have to give it another go (I think I have the same recording in its initial CD transfer).

Aho, K.: Symphony No. 9 / Cello Concerto

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, StarThrower said:

Re: Finzi Intimations of Immortality

I'm enjoying this quite a bit. I think the music is beautiful!

I'm sure it is. Problem is mine...I generally have to work at English choral music of that era. Even Holst and RVW sound a bit stodgy to my ears in that area (although the RVW pieces on the set you mention have a nice lightness of touch; I especially like the 5 Mystical Songs, Flos Campi and the Mass in G Minor; Holst's 'Hymn of Jesus is a marvel whereas his later Choral Symphony and Choral Fantasia have yet to fully grab me [I think it might be the high poetry of these things as much as anything else that alienates me]). One of the reasons I like Britten is that his choral music seems (to my ears again) to be so much more translucent.

I'll have another crack at 'Intimations' - might get the more recent Hyperion version which couples it with Dies Natalis which I do like.

Someone else from that era you might like who wrote a lot of choral music is Herbert Howells. Very influenced by RVW:

   51Pl-vXg7mL._SY300_.jpg

And this is an absolutely gorgeous choral disc from that same time period:

R-6256136-1414923419-1791.jpeg.jpg

The Bliss piece is a real favourite.

Sorry. I'm a bit obsessed with that era. 

******************************

Early morning music:

14504682?wid=480&hei=480

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't find the Finzi work stodgy at all. So far it's the most impressive piece I've listened to in this 5 disc set. I also enjoyed Holst's Egdon Heath. But you're probably better off with a modern recording. This set is mastered too loud, and there are some rather harsh sounding passages, which kind of ruins the beautiful choral singing. The same is true for the Adrian Boult Complete RVW set I have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...