What Classical Music Are You Listening To?

[StarThrower]

[A Lark Ascending]

Can't say I care much for this - conjures up visions of 'man the hunter' beating his chest in the morning before setting out to procure mammoth steaks single-handed. The lyrics are probably about something much more uplifting but my Finnish is rusty. 

Another Xmas favourite. 

[soulpope]

Fantastic performance ....

[Balladeer]

Gabriel Gorog plays Felix Blumenfeld 24 preludes (Suoni e Colori)

[StarThrower]

La Nativite Du Seigneur

[mikeweil]

After Koechlin, I played a lot of Séverac's piano music over the last two days - the Babier disc is my favourite, btw:

Next, two harpsichord anthologies - the Maurer is one of the best of its kind in recent years.

 

[soulpope]

6 hours ago, Balladeer said:

Gabriel Gorog plays Felix Blumenfeld 24 preludes (Suoni e Colori)

Interesting music ....

 

[Peter Friedman]

Dichter - Beethoven Piano Sonata No.8, Op.13 "Pathetique"

Buchbinder - Beethoven Piano Sonata No.23, Op.57 "Appassionata"

[Peter Friedman]

Violin Concerto, Op.77

[alankin]

Jean Sibelius – Symphony No.2 in D major Op.43
— Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Paavo Berglund (EMI / Warner Classics)

 

[soulpope]

7 hours ago, alankin said:

Jean Sibelius – Symphony No.2 in D major Op.43
— Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Paavo Berglund (EMI / Warner Classics)

 

Excellent Sibelius cycle ....

[A Lark Ascending]

The volume of the series that gathers up the odds and ends. Bridge wrote lots of occasional and functional music and you can imagine much of this being performed in palm courts in posh Brighton hotels in the early 20thC. There is a song from 1924 (by which time Bridge's ears were well tuned to radical musical developments in mainland Europe) where the orchestration and harmony sound rather like Zemlinsky. Otherwise, for Bridge-o-philes only. The rest of the series, on the other hand, has some astounding music.

 

18thC seasonal churchy music, absolutely awash with shepherds (and the odd angel). What Jane Austin probably sang in church at Christmas. Most agreeable. 

[soulpope]

[soulpope]

More Elgar ....

[alankin]

Frederic Delius – Florida Suite, Idylle Printemps, Schervo, Over the Hills and Far Away, La Quadroone, Koanga (final scene)
— English Northern Philharmonia – David Lloyd-Jones (Naxos)

My only Delius CD.  (Have some bits and pieces elsewhere.)  I enjoyed it (except for the last six minutes when the opera singers started in).

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by alankin

[Peter Friedman]

Haydn - Symphony No. 97

Dvorak - String Quintet Op. 97

[alankin]

Now playing, CD 2:
Emmanuel Chabrier 
– Bourrée Fantasque
– Joyeuse Marche
Maurice Ravel 
– Pavane pour une infante défunte
– Menuet antique
– Menuet sur le nom de Haydn
– Jeux d'eau
– Miroirs 5 pieces for piano
– Le Tombeau de Couperin
— Marcelle Meyer (piano) (Documents / EMI)

 

[StarThrower]

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by StarThrower

[Peter Friedman]

String Sextet No.2, Op.36

[soulpope]

5 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

Dvorak - String Quintet Op. 97

Impeccable ....

[StarThrower]

5 hours ago, alankin said:

Now playing, CD 2:
Emmanuel Chabrier 
– Bourrée Fantasque
– Joyeuse Marche
Maurice Ravel 
– Pavane pour une infante défunte
– Menuet antique
– Menuet sur le nom de Haydn
– Jeux d'eau
– Miroirs 5 pieces for piano
– Le Tombeau de Couperin
— Marcelle Meyer (piano) (Documents / EMI)

 

This woman's playing is fantastic! Such a beautiful touch, and very soulful. I'm buying this set!

[soulpope]

[Peter Friedman]

Mozart - String Quartets K.168 & K.169

Chopin - Piano Sonata No.2, Op.35

[A Lark Ascending]

18 hours ago, alankin said:

Frederic Delius – Florida Suite, Idylle Printemps, Schervo, Over the Hills and Far Away, La Quadroone, Koanga (final scene)
— English Northern Philharmonia – David Lloyd-Jones (Naxos)

My only Delius CD.  (Have some bits and pieces elsewhere.)  I enjoyed it (except for the last six minutes when the opera singers started in).

 

Get this:

Don't think it's currently in print but it's probably available s/h. 

Mostly Delius miniatures (which to my mind are where you find the best Delius) but also has the sprawling 'Appalachia' which is part Dvorak, part 'Porgy and Bess'. Most is on the big EMI Delius box but that is probably for Delius obsessives only.

   

Disc 5 of the Nancarrow. Extraordinary music - both Nancarrow and Kurtag are new to me this year, thanks to the live performances of the Ligeti Quartet. Very taken by the Kurtag. The early pieces on the Szymanowski are a bit over the top - very R. Strauss - but I like the Fourth. 

SQ 1 and 2. Went mad on these old favourites in the spring. First listen for six months - think the Kurtag set me off. 

[soulpope]

Edited December 20, 2016 by soulpope