What Classical Music Are You Listening To?

[soulpope]

5 hours ago, alankin said:

Now playing, CD 80 from:
Ludwig van Beethoven – Sonata for Violin and Piano No.8 in G major Op.30/3
Johannes Brahms – Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1 in G major Op.78
— Henryk Szeryng (violin), Arthur Rubinstein (piano) (RCA Victor Red Seal / Living Stereo – Sony Music)
   

Beautiful ....

[A Lark Ascending]

Violin concerto. And t'flute. 

Edited September 28, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[soulpope]

Sublime ....

[soulpope]

The Hyperion Schubert Lied Project unearthed a couples of wonderous performances and this is for sure one of them .... :

 

[alankin]

Ludwig van Beethoven 
– Sonata for Piano No.17 in D minor Op.31/2 "Tempest"
– Sonata for Piano No.18 in E-flat major Op.31/3
– Sonata for Piano No.26 in E flat major Op.81a "Les Adieux"
Murray Perahia  (CBS Records Masterworks – Sony Classics)

 

[alankin]

Now playing - CD 33 from:
Ludwig van Beethoven – Concerto for Piano No.5 in E flat major Op.73 "Emperor"
— Murray Perahia (piano) – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – Bernard Haitink (CBS Records Masterworks – Sony Classics)

[A Lark Ascending]

Off Spotify. Only previously heard Sessions 4 and 5 (Berg came to mind there) and by reputation as an educator. Found this disc really engaging - the 1st is very much in thrall to neo-classical Stravinsky; 2 + 3 reminded me of those central European composers of the 20s/30s like Schulhoff. Recordings are old (sorry...'classic') - the first particularly ropy. Music deserving of modern recording. Come on Seattle - no-one needs 'your' Beethoven.

 

Such touch, such tone on the sirens on the latter. 

No 1. First time I've really got into this despite having listened a dozen or more times over the years. Used the first chapter of Robert Simpson's book on the composer as a guide. A lot there that was too technical for me - he's mainly interested in tracing the way the harmony progresses through the music. But there was just enough for me to hang on to - helped to indicate where sections were changing and I even followed some of the technicalities of how Nielsen manipulated the keys...could have done with a few more references to the instruments at the transitional key points. I can hear harmonic changes but only have a very woolly idea of how they relate (X being the subdominant of Y etc) and certainly can't label them or hear his labels. 

Disc 1: BB 5, 4 (piano version), 6 and 1

Edited September 28, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[soulpope]

[soulpope]

[alankin]

Johannes Brahms – Quartet for Piano and Strings No.1 in G minor Op.25
— Murray Perahia (piano) – members of the Amadeus String Quartet (CBS Records Masterworks – Sony Classics)

   

[soulpope]

Earlier today .... :

[alankin]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
– Symphony No.40 in G minor K 550
– Symphony No.41 in C major K 551 "Jupiter"
Berliner Philharmoniker – Carlo Maria Giulini (Sony Classical), CD 2 from:
 

[Balladeer]

Claudio Santoro - Love Songs & Popular Songs, Preludes and Paulistanas for solo piano :
Rosana Lamosa (soprano) & Marcelo Bratke (p) (Quartz Records)

[StarThrower]

Just discovered this composer/pianist.

Edited October 1, 2016 by StarThrower

[jeffcrom]

An old Remington LP from 1953:

Henry Brant - Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra; Sigurd Rascher/Cincinnati SO/Thor Johnson

Peggy Glanville-Hicks - Gymnopedies & Dane Rudhyar - Sinfonietta; RIAS SO/Jonel Perlea

[jeffcrom]

Henry Cowell - Symphony #5; American Recording Society Orchestra/Dean Dixon. From a 1951 American Recording Society 10" LP. It seems to be old classical record night around here.

[JSngry]

2 hours ago, jeffcrom said:

 - Symphony #5; American Reco rding Society Orchestra/Dean Dixon. From a 1951 American Recording Society 10" LP. It seems to be old classical record night around here.

Whoa, I got that record too! Love the boxy sound, makes It all Communist and shit for no real reason at all.

Where will the comprehensive Listing Of ARS Output be found?

[rostasi]

The first non-profit record label in the US.

[Ted O'Reilly]

13 hours ago, rostasi said:

The first non-profit record label in the US.

Maybe you mean "not-FOR-profit" -- there must have been dozens of labels that were (unintentionally) non-profit... ;-)

[A Lark Ascending]

Beautiful new disc. The Harris concerto sounds as you'd hope - tuneful, atmospheric, suggestive of wide open spaces. Should appeal to RVW fans as well as those who enjoy Copland and that era of American composers. Would have preferred something more unusual than the Adams concerto (which I like) - it has already had several recordings - but can see it is probably a marketing decision. A popular composer to balance up someone who doesn't get recorded much these days. Don't know much about Waley-Cohen but she seems to have off-the-beaten path instincts - already had a fair few contemporary pieces written for her. 

No 2. Using the Robert Simpson book again as a guide. He writes assuming you have a score in front of you but you can still make out the gist of his argument. He's a terrible snob (and barely contains his contempt for atonality/serialism etc) but I got more from listening to this piece than ever before. The reappearance of the main theme of the third movement just towards the end is a spine-tingling moment. 

  

The Szymanowski concertos have taken their time to worm their way into my affections (20 years!). Think the recording might be the problem - one of those with a wide dynamic range that has to be turned up for the quiet parts. You then get blasted in the loud bits. The first concerto in particular reminds me of the Korngold - that rather lurid, bejewelled style that prefigures the Hollywood scores of the 40s. Suits me just fine.  

Edited October 2, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[rostasi]

2 hours ago, Ted O'Reilly said:

Maybe you mean "not-FOR-profit" -- there must have been dozens of labels that were (unintentionally) non-profit... ;-)

Yes, you're right!

[jeffcrom]

John-Edward Kelly (alto sax) and Bob Versteegh (piano) playing 20th-century music on a Col Legno CD:

Maurice Karkoff - Sonatina (1985)
Henk Badings - La Malinconia (1949)
Miklos Maros - Undulations (1986)
Werner Wolf Glaser - Allegro, Cadenza e Adagio (1950)
Otmar Macha - Plac Saxofonu (1968)
Ernst-Lothar von Knorr - Sonata (1932)

I've been listening to a lot of classical saxophone lately, but haven't posted about most of it. This one deserves some attention, though. I hadn't spun it for awhile - I go through periods when Kelly's very dark sound annoys me. Not today - the quality of the playing is very high, and the compositions are excellent, even if the composers are not likely to be familiar to most listeners. Miklos Maros' "Undulations" is stunning; it uses polytonality, quarter tones, and the natural overtone series..

[soulpope]

[soulpope]

[A Lark Ascending]

Especially liked 'Star-Child' off the Crumb. An eerie, static, atmospheric theme (not unlike the quiet part of 'Central Park in the Dark') threads through the whole piece, interrupted by vigorous choral and fanfare sections (not unlike Britten of all people!).

I was really struck by the third Nancarrow quartet in a live performance earlier in the year. The quiet parts are utterly beautiful. First time hearing the other pieces on the disc. A couple of his player piano pieces were on the radio a few days back. One had me spellbound - one 'hand' playing slow, the other impossibly fast (nor real hands); then gradually the slow one sped up and the fast one slowed down and they crossed over. Seems like a simple thing but it was gripping.