What Classical Music Are You Listening To?

[alankin]

Franz Schubert 
– Sonata for Piano in B flat major D.960
– 4 Impromptus for Piano D.899 Op.90/3 in G flat major
– 4 Impromptus for Piano D.899 Op.90/4 in A flat major
— Maria-Joao Pires (piano) (Erato / Warner Classics)

   

[JSngry]

[Larry Kart]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

What do you think of this one? I heard them play all six Bartok quartets without scores in front of them (i.e. by heart) this fall (over two nights) and was very impressed. Bought their Bartok Quartets CD and their Brahms Quartets CD too, also played by heart.

[JSngry]

I bought it from the band when they were here a few weeks ago, like it a lot. It's got two remixes that don't do a thing for me, but the Friedman quartts are nice, and played strongly.

[A Lark Ascending]

Especially enjoyed the Bush. Light and airy with an autumnal, English pastoral feel but with an element of Stravinsky in there too. Particularly taken by the Sinfonietta Concerto, a cello and orchestra feature.

Disc 3 of the Bach - the preludes and fugues keep on rolling. Disc 6 of the Eisler box - small scale chamberish pieces and a some film/stage pieces reminiscent of Weill. Disc 1 of the Biber - never knew anything about him until a few years back and heard some of this disc on the radio. Keep see him referred to enthusiastically in interviews - really spirited, sometimes oddball music. You don't feel you're far away from the connections with folk music. 

Edited November 1, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[Peter Friedman]

[alankin]

Now playing:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
– Concerto for Piano No.24 in C minor K 491
– Concerto for Piano No.27 in B flat major K 595
Annie Fischer (piano) – New Philharmonia Orchestra – Efrem Kurtz (Warner Classics / EMI)

 

[jeffcrom]

  

Earlier:

Music for Saxophone and Cello - The Helton-Thomas Duo (Centaur). Some wonderful playing of excellent music here; pieces by Dorothy Chang, Jonathan Elliot, Denisov, Augusta Read Thomas, Mark Engebretson, and Libby Larsen.

Ives - Calcium Light Night (Columbia LP). Short pieces for chamber orchestra, edited and sometimes reconstructed by Gunther Schuller, who conducts a studio orchestra full of distinguished players.

[A Lark Ascending]

Listened to this again a couple of songs at a time over the last fortnight whilst reading the respective chapters in Ian Bostridge's book (Schubert's Winter Journey) on the cycle. Really rewarding experience - Bostridge's knowledge of the cultural context (as well as the music and performing issues) is widespread. An approach like his runs the risk of reading onto the music from the contextual examples, something he is aware of and, I'd say, largely avoids.

So much in it. But I was particularly struck by a couple of his more general interpretations of the 'meaning' of the piece, going beyond the rejected Romantic lover or even Schubert's own despair at his deteriorating health. He relates the piece to Austria/Germany in the wake of the Congress of Vienna and the authoritarian crackdown associated with Metternich and the rulers of the region - the piece becomes a reaction to the disappointment of the hopes engendered by the war of liberation against Napoleon, a retreat into a winter landscape of political rejection (lots of references to the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, some of which reflect those ideas) .

Also some interesting observations on the piece being written at a time when the region was on the edge of major social/economic transformation with certain roles about to disappear (the charcoal burner, the hurdy gurdy man). Makes a strange comparison between 'The Hurdy Gurdy Man' and Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice' - Bostridge might look like a delicate aesthete but his references are much more worldly and all embracing than I expected. Highly recommended.  

Last two off Spotify; just the Krasa quartet from the last. Both played twice. 

Disc 2 of latter. 

Edited November 2, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[soulpope]

Earlier today .... :

[Peter Friedman]

[alankin]

Anton Bruckner – Symphony No.8 in C minor
— USSR Academic Symphony Orchestra – Yevgeny Svetlanov (Melodiya / Olympia–Disctronics)

 

[StarThrower]

[A Lark Ascending]

Disc 4 of latter. Still more preludes and fugues.

Latter is one of those rather oddball operas like "The Love of Three Oranges" or "The Adventures of Mr Broucek" - peculiar story of a quack doctor touring towns and fairs. The odd hint of Janacek though musically it was the fairground scenes in "Petrushka" that immediately came to mind.

Symph 5...and then the tone poems. Wears its Sibelius on its sleeve but very attractive. 

Edited November 3, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[soulpope]

Earlier today .... :

[l p]

 

[Peter Friedman]

[alankin]

Now playing, CD 10:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Quartet for Strings No.14 in G major K387 "Spring" ["Haydn" Quartet No.1], Quartet for Strings No.15 in D minor K421 (417b) ["Haydn" Quartet No.2]
— Paolo Borciani (violin), Elisa Pegreffi (violin), Piero Farulli (viola), Franco Rossi (cello) – Quartetto Italiano (Philips / Decca Music)

 
 

[Peter Friedman]

Symphony No.1

[soulpope]

1 hour ago, Peter Friedman said:

Symphony No.1

Excellent ....

[soulpope]

1 hour ago, Balladeer said:

 Absorbed and repeatedly spinning it since I´ve discovered this  gem:

Maria Lettberg - Erkki Melartin: The Solo Piano Works (Crystal Classics)

Disc1 and 2

Some of the most fascinating piano music I´ve heard in years.

And Maria Lettberg is a fantastic expressive pianist. Thanks for those folks at Crystal Classics for this enchanting release!

Actually Lettberg's Scriabin recordings are worth an earful too ....

[Balladeer]

Maria Lettberg plays Erkki Melartin: The Solo Piano Works (Crystal Classics)

Disc 2

Some of the most fascinating piano music I´ve heard in years

[A Lark Ascending]

Latter off Spotify. I believe the orchestrations were completed posthumously. 

VC2 off latter

Unfamiliar with Searle but enjoyed No. 2 - always had him down as a humourless 'only I really understand the true destiny of music and it certainly won't be fun' serialist; but the music here fits right in alongside the likes of Rawsthorne or Hindemith. The slow movement is not that far from Mahler. Maybe he gets tougher later - will have to explore. 

Edited November 4, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[alankin]

Ludwig van Beethoven 
– Sonata for Piano No.8 in C minor Op.13 "Pathétique"
– Sonata for Piano No.14 in C sharp minor Op.27/2 "Moonlight"
– Sonata for Piano No.18 in E flat major Op.31/3
– Sonata for Piano No.24 in F sharp major Op.78
— Annie Fischer (piano) (Warner Classics / EMI)

 

[Peter Friedman]