What Classical Music Are You Listening To?

[StarThrower]

1 hour ago, Chuck Nessa said:

I have always admired Szeryng's recording of the Brahms with Monteux and the LSO. 

I enjoyed this other one quite a bit. I hadn't heard the Brahms violin concerto in 20-25 years. And for anyone looking for a very inexpensive Brahms set, the Ultimate Brahms sells for under 8 dollars at importcds.com Recording info here. http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=225384

[soulpope]

[soulpope]

The overtures ....

[A Lark Ascending]

Sinfonia Concertante

Think DG were going for the "My Little Princess" market with that cover.  

Edited August 7, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[alankin]

Ludwig van Beethoven 
– Twelve Variations for Cello and Piano in F major on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" from Mozart's The Magic Flute Op.66
– Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1 in F major Op.5/1
– Sonata for Cello and Piano No.2 in G minor Op.5/2
– Seven Variations for Cello and Piano on Mozart's "Bei Männern", WoO 46
— Mischa Maisky (cello), Martha Argerich (piano) (Deutsche Grammophon), CD 27 from:

   
 

[alankin]

Johann Sebastian Bach – Partita for Violin solo No.2 in D minor BWV 1004: 5th movement Chaconne
John Dowland – Queene Elizabeth her Galliard P 41
John Dowland – Earl of Essex his Galliard P 42a
Daniel Bacheler – Mounsiers Almaine Op.40a
Niccolò Paganini – Caprices for Violin solo Op.1/24 in A minor
Mauro Giuliani – Variations for Guitar in A major on a theme by Handel Op.107
Fernando Sor – Variations for Guitar on a theme from Mozart's "Magic Flute" Op.9
— John Williams (guitar, transcriptions) – Virtuoso Variations for Guitar (Columbia / Sony Classical), CD 7 from:

 
 

[alankin]

Béla Bartók – Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1 Sz 75
Leos Janácek – Sonata for Violin and Piano
Olivier Messiaen – Thème et Variations for Violin and Piano (Deutsche Grammophon)
— Gidon Kremer (violin), Martha Argerich (piano)

 
 

Edited August 7, 2016 by alankin

[Peter Friedman]

Brahm - Cello Sonata No.1, Op.38 - Rubinstein & Piatigorsky

Anton Rubinstein - Piano Concerto No.3

[soulpope]

11 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

 

!

[David Ayers]

Next up:

 

• Arnold Schoenberg
• A Survivor from Warsaw  (8 mins)

   
• Henri Dutilleux
• The Shadows of Time  (30 mins)

   
• Gustav Mahler
• Symphony No 1 in D major  (53 mins)

   

• David Wilson-Johnson  narrator 
• Philharmonia Voices (men's voices)  
• Philharmonia Orchestra  
• Esa-Pekka Salonen  conductor

[soulpope]

Yesterday late evening .... :

[A Lark Ascending]

Yes, the Britten quartets are marvellous - stretched across his composing life you get a real sense of the way his style changed; yet it's Britten throughout.   

No 1 of the latter. It might wear Brahms and Dvorak on its sleeve but makes a very nice listen. You'd not guess where he was heading apart from the occasional hymn-like theme.  

Edited August 8, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[soulpope]

4 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

Yes, the Britten quartets are marvellous - stretched across his composing life you get a real sense of the way his style changed; yet it's Britten throughout.   

Knew the Takacs Quartet only via their excellent Brahms Q recordings - bought the Britten disc in NM condition for 3 Euros .... one of my "best buys" ever ....

Edited August 8, 2016 by soulpope

[soulpope]

[A Lark Ascending]

8 hours ago, soulpope said:

Knew the Takacs Quartet only via their excellent Brahms Q recordings - bought the Britten disc in NM condition for 3 Euros .... one of my "best buys" ever ....

I have those Brahms recordings too. Music I've yet to become properly familiar with (too many records!). 

The Birtwistle has yet to grab me...tough stuff; really liked the Matthews - two big orchestral pieces and one for small ensemble. Contemporary (as in from the last 25 years or so) but accessible. 

Disc 1 of the Hewitt - French Suites 1, 2, 3, Sonata in D minor; Six Little Preludes. 

Lovely disc by this little known composer from the north of England. The Symphony is from 2001-2 (he seems to have been writing from the 1940s) but sounds like it could have been composed in the 1930s. Wears a heavy Sibelius influence but there's Ravel and Debussy in there too. A little reminiscent of Bax - similar cragginess. Of absolutely no use to those who require music to be 'important' but a very pleasurable side path into a landscape that seems familiar but still has its own personality. 

Edited August 8, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[alankin]

Now playing:
Frédéric Chopin 
– Scherzo for Piano No.2 in B flat minor/D flat major B.111 Op.31
– Nocturnes (2) for Piano B.142 Op.48/2 in F sharp minor
– Nocturnes (2) for Piano Op.27/1 in C sharp minor B.91
– Nocturnes (2) for Piano B.106 Op.32/2 in A flat major
– Mazurkas (3) for Piano B.162 Op.63/1 in B major
– Mazurkas (3) for Piano B.153 Op.56/2 in C major
– Mazurkas (3) for Piano B.162 Op.63/3 in C sharp minor
– Waltzes (3) for Piano Op.34/3 in F major B.118
Alexander Scriabin 
– Preludes (2) for Piano Op.27
– Preludes (4) for Piano Op.37
– Pieces (4) for Piano Op.51
– Mazurkas for Piano Op.25/3 in E minor
– Etudes for Piano Op.42/5 in C sharp minor
Evgeni Kissin (piano) (Brilliant Classics)

 

[Peter Friedman]

Bruckner - Symphony No.7

[David Ayers]

On 7 August 2016 at 7:47 PM, David Ayers said:

Next up:

 

• Arnold Schoenberg
• A Survivor from Warsaw  (8 mins)

   
• Henri Dutilleux
• The Shadows of Time  (30 mins)

   
• Gustav Mahler
• Symphony No 1 in D major  (53 mins)

   

• David Wilson-Johnson  narrator 
• Philharmonia Voices (men's voices)  
• Philharmonia Orchestra  
• Esa-Pekka Salonen  conductor

 

Stunning Mahler. Salonen did an amazing job. 

[alankin]

Frédéric Chopin 
– Mazurka for Piano B.89 Op.24/4 in B-flat minor
– Polonaise for Piano B.90 Op.26/1 in C sharp minor
– Polonaise for Piano Op.40/1 in A major B.120 "Military"
– Étude for Piano Op.10/6 in E flat minor
– Étude for Piano Op.10/4 in C sharp minor B.74
– Waltz for Piano Op.34/2 in A minor B.64
Franz Liszt 
– Valses oubliée for Piano No.1 S.215/1 in F sharp major
– Hungarian Rhapsodies for Piano No.6 S.244/6 in D flat major
Domenico Scarlatti – Sonata for Harpsichord in A major K 322 (L 483)
Felix Mendelssohn – Songs Without Words No.25 vol 5 Op.62/1 Andante espressivo in G major "May Breezes"
Alexander Scriabin – Étude in C sharp minor Op.2/1 
Moritz Moszkowski – Étincelles Op.36/6 (Morceaux caractéristiques)
— Vladimir Horowitz (piano) (Sony Classical / RCA Red Seal)

 

[A Lark Ascending]

[soulpope]

17 hours ago, alankin said:

Now playing:
Frédéric Chopin 
– Scherzo for Piano No.2 in B flat minor/D flat major B.111 Op.31
– Nocturnes (2) for Piano B.142 Op.48/2 in F sharp minor
– Nocturnes (2) for Piano Op.27/1 in C sharp minor B.91
– Nocturnes (2) for Piano B.106 Op.32/2 in A flat major
– Mazurkas (3) for Piano B.162 Op.63/1 in B major
– Mazurkas (3) for Piano B.153 Op.56/2 in C major
– Mazurkas (3) for Piano B.162 Op.63/3 in C sharp minor
– Waltzes (3) for Piano Op.34/3 in F major B.118
Alexander Scriabin 
– Preludes (2) for Piano Op.27
– Preludes (4) for Piano Op.37
– Pieces (4) for Piano Op.51
– Mazurkas for Piano Op.25/3 in E minor
– Etudes for Piano Op.42/5 in C sharp minor
Evgeni Kissin (piano) (Brilliant Classics)

 

Stupendous performances .... IMO Kissin was impressive in his youth (even more ?) ....

[alankin]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
– Quartet for Strings No.19 in C major K 465 "Dissonance"
– Adagio and Fugue for Strings in C minor K 546
– Quartet for Strings No.23 in F major K 590
Franco Rossi (cello), Piero Farulli (viola), Elisa Pegreffi (violin), Paolo Borciani (violin) – Quartetto Italiano (Decca Music), CD 4 (1952) from:

 

[l p]

[Peter Friedman]

Blanc - Septet Op.40

Mozart - Piano Concerto No.20

[l p]