What Classical Music Are You Listening To?

[StarThrower]

7 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

Keep your eye out at your local cinema - there's a Met broadcast of 'L'Amour De Loin' on Dec 10th (think that's worldwide). If they are showing it in the backwater where I live I'm sure it won't be far away from most places. 

I haven't heard of any of those in my town, but I know they have showings 90 miles west in Rochester, NY. Anyway, i've been listening to many Saariaho pieces on YouTube, and so far i like Circle Map, 6 Japanese Gardens, and Laterna Magica. And her viola work, Vent Nocturne.

Edited November 20, 2016 by StarThrower

[alankin]

Now playing, CD 13:
Robert Schumann – Concerto for Piano in A minor Op.54
Evgeni Kissin — Wiener Philharmoniker – Carlo Maria Giulini

Robert Schumann – Arabeske for Piano in C major Op.18
Franz Liszt – Die Forelle (Schubert 2nd version) for Piano S.564, 9 Soirées de Vienne after Schubert S.427/6 Valse Caprice, Erlkönig (Schubert) for Piano S.558 No.4
Edvard Grieg – 3 Pictures from life in the country Op.19/3 Carnival Scene, Six Piano Pieces Arranged from Songs Op.41/3 "I love thee"
Evgeni Kissin (piano) (Sony Classical)

 

[soulpope]

Earlier today .... :

Segerstam + DNRO perform miracles with Sibelius ....

[Peter Friedman]

String Quartet Op.18/4

Violin Sonata Op.23

[A Lark Ascending]

Starthrower wrote : I haven't heard of any of those in my town, but I know they have showings 90 miles west in Rochester, NY. Anyway, i've been listening to many Saariaho pieces on YouTube, and so far i like Circle Map, 6 Japanese Gardens, and Laterna Magica. And her viola work, Vent Nocturne.

(Can't get quote to work!)

I'm not sure if I'll go - I have a video of the piece and it is visually very static. There's a good CD with a sort of suite from the piece. I like the sound worlds that Saariaho creates and have a few records by her. But have yet to connect with a piece that makes me say 'this is wow!' But that's my unfamiliarity. Someone worth coming back to.

I'm a bit late celebrating the Feast of the Reformation this year - 79/192/80 from disc 47. Trying to listen to these in vaguely calendar order from 3/4 through. Next week I get aligned with Advent.

  

Both the Schoenberg pieces are very enjoyable - I've known the Chamber Symphony a long time and would nominate it as a good candidate for the 'so you think you don't like Schoenberg, well try this' award. The Suite is new to me.

Apart from the interest value of the Partch disc it also indicates where Carla Bley and Paul Haines were coming from in the late 60s/early 70s.

Disc 6 of the organ - various relatively short pieces.

This morning:

 

Just the symphony - a bit Strauss, a bit Brahms in their sunny, genial moods. 

Edited November 21, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[soulpope]

Beautiful Elgar, stupendous Wagner ....

Edited November 21, 2016 by soulpope

[Peter Friedman]

Mozart - Piano Concerto No.18, K.456

Sibelius - Symphony No.3

[Peter Friedman]

Disc 7 - Mazurkas OP. 6, 7, 17, 24, 30, 33

[A Lark Ascending]

All thoroughly engaging music from relatively recent times. Especially enjoyed the Mary Wiegold Songbook - a range of songs by contemporary (for 1990) British composers (including Keith Tippett!), interspersed with arrangements of John Dowland. 

And some shorter things off various discs - Birtwistle 'Refrains and Choruses' and 'Tragoedia'; string quatets by Nicholas Maw and Judith Weir. 

This morning:

Extracts disc. 

[soulpope]

Edited November 22, 2016 by soulpope

[soulpope]

[soulpope]

[soulpope]

[alankin]

Now playing, CD 12:
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No.2 in D major Op.36
— San Francisco Symphony Orchestra – Pierre Monteux (RCA Victor Red Seal Records / Sony Classical)

 
 

[StarThrower]

I listened to a bunch of Ravel pianists on YouTube, and I own recordings by Louis Lortie, and Thibaudet, but this Bavouzet set is just about the finest overall performance I've heard for piano sound, phrasing, and feel.

Edited November 22, 2016 by StarThrower

[soulpope]

2 hours ago, StarThrower said:

I listened to a bunch of Ravel pianists on YouTube, and I own recordings by Louis Lortie, and Thibaudet, but this Bavouzet set is just about the finest overall performance I've heard for piano sound, phrasing, and feel.

Superb performances .... regarding Ravel IMO close to Vlado Perlemuter on Nimbus ....

[Peter Friedman]

Beethoven - Violin Sonata No.6, Op.30/1

Sigismond Thalberg - Piano Concerto Op.5 - Michael Ponti

[A Lark Ascending]

Nicholas Maw string quartet again.

No 4 of middle one.

Really taken to Johnston's very strange quartets - often reminiscent of Bartok, Ives and even Beethoven but employing microtonal and other effects that take them to other places. On an earlier disc he does strange things with 'Amazing Grace' in one quartet; hear we get a 'Danny Boy' after one too many Guinnesses.

  

Watched the video over the last three days an act at a time. I've been through this one about six times over the years (on CD and then video) and can't really warm to it. Opulent Strauss score as ever with some gorgeous sections but nothing quite sticks in mind (I played the suite afterwards to see if I could fix the main tunes but they still seem a bit Strauss-generic). Don't care for the plot at all - a strange fairy tale full of symbolism that moves between a fantasy land and the world of humans (in this production, a particularly ugly launderette). Strauss apparently thought very highly of it. I'm missing something. 

[soulpope]

Perennial favourite ....

[soulpope]

 

Priceless performances by both sensational Ida Haendel and the superb Czech Philharmonic Forces led by Karel Ancerl .... (IMO) a must have ....

[soulpope]

[soulpope]

[Peter Friedman]

[A Lark Ascending]

No. 4. Since hearing a live performance earlier this year, the 4th has shot up my personal RVW hot 100, up there with 2, 3, 5 and 6. Never noticed the similarity between the slow movement and Britten's Peter Grimes Passacaglia before, not composers I usually associate with one another. 

Just 'Twinkly Night' off the last. Disc 9 of the Eisler - vocal and orchestra pieces that range from the agit-prop to almost Richard Strauss. And who can resist a requiem entitled 'Lenin'?

This morning:

Edited November 24, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[soulpope]