The Classical Music Recommendation Thread

[Gnome in Plaid 219]

On 8/22/2016 at 6:48 PM, karelm said:

Falling somewhere between John Adams and Arvo Part lies Lepo Sumera.  This whole CD is very fine but I especially love Symphony No. 2 with his powerful and chaotic ending.  I find the gradually intensifying ending of that symphony extremely effective.  Reminds me a bit of a modern version of the last movement of Scheherazade in its constant build.  Very unstable and extremely effective.  Like Scheherazade, it is full of tam-tam smashes, harps, and ends with cataclysm in the low brass followed by near silence.  I absolutely love how after the ferocity and that final high B flat on the trumpets, we are left with the most delicate harp that was playing throughout the devastating tumult.  To me, No. 3 has a somewhat sci-fi feel with the overlapping polychords.  An interesting piano+vibraphone mid section followed by extreme stillness in the finale.  A wonderful composer who tragically died way too young.

 

 

That's a great album.  I never fail to be impressed by Sumera's versatility.  Have you heard his 5th symphony?  Parts of it are almost reminiscent of early Penderecki.

[karelm 2,903]

57 minutes ago, Gnome in Plaid said:

That's a great album.  I never fail to be impressed by Sumera's versatility.  Have you heard his 5th symphony?  Parts of it are almost reminiscent of early Penderecki.

 

Yes, I have the entire BIS set.  I was a big fan of his.  Each of his symphonies were unique.

[KK 3,307]

One of my favourite cello concertos:

 

[karelm 2,903]

I think this is quite beautiful.  Music from Danny Elfman's ballet.

 

 

[karelm 2,903]

 

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

 

[nightscape94 965]

Szymanowski - Mythes

 

 

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,178]

Today marks the 100th anniversary of my absolute favourite opera, Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos.

 

It was originally written in 1912 as a hybrid work that was part stage music for a Moliere play, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, part opera based on that play, and a massive failure at the time in that form. Strauss would later rework the stage music into a suite. With a reworked one act opera part and a newly composed 45 minute prologue (which still features a prominent speaking part), the version that is common today premiered on 4 October 1916 at the Vienna State Opera.

 

Although comparatively short (2 hours all in all) and scored for an orchestra for just 37 players (but still including harmonium, celesta, piano, two harps and an array of percussion), its scope is ultimately quite vast, and matched by Strauss' brilliant orchestrations - it starts out as semi incidental music during the prologue and culminates in a full scale finale that doesn't have to hide behind a Wagner set piece. Hoffmansthal's libretto is as insane, meta* and profound as a Charlie Kaufman script. The central clash between "art" and "entertainment" should be of particular interest for film music fans. *) The prologue covers the writing of the opera and preparations of its premiere performance, while the opera itself represents that performance.

 

Here's a version from the Vienna State Opera from the 70s, featuring the incomparable Gundula Janowitz in the lead role and a young Edita Gruberova as Zerbinetta. That same staging would stay on until just a few years ago - I discovered the opera in 2008 and have seen this staging numerous times, at least twice with Gruberova who, if anything, was even more accomplished than 30+ years earlier. The old production was finally retired in 2012 and replaced with a new staging, with Daniela Fally brilliantly taking over as the regular Zerbinetta. I like the new staging well enough, but to me, the old one perfectly captured the many layers. In 2014, Thielemann conducted a series of outstanding performances, probably the best I've heard of the opera. It was streamed live and may perhaps be floating around somewhere on the net. I very much hope that it is released commercially someday; until then, my favourite version on CD remains Kempe's, also with Janowitz in the lead role.

 

 

The opera is still performed very regularly at the Vienna State Opera - since discovering it 8 years ago, I've pretty much seen it at least once each year. All the more disappointing that it's not on the programme for this season.

[publicist 4,643]

 

7 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Today marks the 100th anniversary of my absolute favourite opera, Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos. It was originally written in 2012 as a hybrid work

 

A busy body, that Strauss...and probably with a prized Delorean in tow!

[Marian Schedenig 8,178]

Fixed. It still boggles my mind though that stuff like this is a mere 100 years old (and Strauss lived for several decades after that).

[nightscape94 965]

Had the pleasure of seeing Ariadne live.  Great score.  An opera that balances its comedic and touching aspects nicely.

[Loert 2,510]

I am really liking the 3rd movement from Alban Berg's Lyric Suite:

 

 

Interesting how Berg shifts between smooth and spiky textures. It's almost like tuning a radio on some kind of alien planet!

[KK 3,307]

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,178]

Nice. Some bits in the first part reminded me of Nyman more than of Kilar.

[karelm 2,903]

Scheherazade.2 by John Adams.  Yes, yes, I know I already posted this but this is the brand new recording and its gorgeous!

 

.

 

 

[KK 3,307]

7 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Nice. Some bits in the first part reminded me of Nyman more than of Kilar.

 

Yeah, definitely. It's a very Nyman-esque melodic device. But the way that device gets deconstructed by the finale is classic Kilar. Great piece.

[nightscape94 965]

Chopin - Nocturne Op.48 No.1

 

 

[Bespin 8,480]

Chopin, good idea!

Here's a new set of playlists dedicated to Chopin on my Spotify Profile:
 

 

[Bespin 8,480]

Haydn this morning! It's holiday in Québec.
 

 

[Melange 446]

"I'ms gonna compose me some real woe is my ayz sheeet today" - Wolfgang Mozart, 14th August 1780

 

 

[Bespin 8,480]

Just discovered this. Fun!
 

 

[karelm 2,903]

A very fine disk of deeply introspective and solemn music:

 

Schoenberg: Kol Nidre (a late work by Schoenberg that owes much to his earlier late romanticism rather than the second Viennese school)

Shostakovitch: Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti (very late Shostakovitch which is sparse and brooding). 

 

[KK 3,307]

Came across this. It's fun and has some neat moments.

 

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Bates is an interesting composer. I appreciate the way in which he's tried to blend the symphonic world with his favored electronic trends. A former JC student if memory serves me right.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

JC?

[Marcus 390]

John Corigliano. 

[karelm 2,903]

 

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

 

[Loert 2,510]

Is it just me, or does this section (1:13:36) from the final movement of Mahler's 10th resemble Korngold's "King's Row" score? (specifically from 5:04)

 

 

Surely it's just a coincidence...

Oh, and I do recommend Cooke's Mahler 10th, if you haven't heard it already. When I first heard the 5th movement I was at a loss for words!

[Jilal 569]

Mahler was a great influence on the young Korngold, along with Richard Strauss. The former met Korngold as a ten-year-old child prodigy (I believe he performed portions of his ballet Der Schneemann on the piano) and complimented the remarkably talented young composer.

 

On an unrelated note, listening to Karajan's interpretation of The Planets. It's the form I discovered this work in and after listening to many other takes on it, this one still resonates the most with me. A very vibrant and powerful yet transparent performance. Karajan seems to be the only conductor who has the strings make a semi-violent portamento into the dramatic chord near the end of the piece (it's a stack of two intervals - a P4 and an aug4 - over a C pedal).

[KK 3,307]

It was a cantata that he performed for Mahler. Der Schneemann was written the year after I think.

 

Mahler was an idol for Korngold, and it shows in his works.

[Marian Schedenig 8,178]

1 hour ago, Jilal said:

On an unrelated note, listening to Karajan's interpretation of The Planets. It's the form I discovered this work in and after listening to many other takes on it, this one still resonates the most with me. A very vibrant and powerful yet transparent performance.

 

Which one? I love his Berlin recording from 1981, but the Vienna Philharmonic's playing on his 1961 version is so dirty it hurts my ears. Apparently, Karajan had a strong part in bringing this work to continental Europe. Perhaps the traditionally conservative Philharmonic were too appalled by the idea of playing modern British music to give a damn.

[karelm 2,903]

1 hour ago, Jilal said:

On an unrelated note, listening to Karajan's interpretation of The Planets. It's the form I discovered this work in and after listening to many other takes on it, this one still resonates the most with me. A very vibrant and powerful yet transparent performance.

 

Yes, but which Karajan Planets?  He recorded several and they are all very different.  Some Planet's concessionaires do not like his Deutsche Grammophon Berlin Phil version and prefer the Vienna recording instead.  I am of the opinion that there is no single perfect recording of the planets.  Great piece and very fun to play (especially for low brass). 

 

EDIT: Ok, Marian beat me to this point but keep in mind that many conductors change their interpretations over time with various degrees of success. 

[Loert 2,510]

2 hours ago, Jilal said:

Mahler was a great influence on the young Korngold, along with Richard Strauss. The former met Korngold as a ten-year-old child prodigy (I believe he performed portions of his ballet Der Schneemann on the piano) and complimented the remarkably talented young composer.

 

Yes, Korngold was influenced by Mahler. You can hear mahler 5th in Kings Row as well, and other similarities in adventures of robin hood etc. But when Korngold wrote Kings Row, no performing version of the 5th movement from Mahler's 10th existed. The first time that movement was realised and performed was in 1960 by Cooke. Yet the contour and harmony from that passage from Mahler's 10th significantly resembles that of the passage in Kings Row. If Korngold had actually been inspired by Mahler, he must've had access to the sketches. Or it might just be coincidence, which I think is more likely. It was just something to ponder.

 

And for the record, my favourite version of The Planets is Andre Previn conducting the LSO...

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Big fan of the Sir Charles Groves/RPO recording. Rattle and the BPO is good too.

[Jilal 569]

7 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Which one? I love his Berlin recording from 1981, but the Vienna Philharmonic's playing on his 1961 version is so dirty it hurts my ears. Apparently, Karajan had a strong part in bringing this work to continental Europe. Perhaps the traditionally conservative Philharmonic were too appalled by the idea of playing modern British music to give a damn.

 

The former.

 

6 hours ago, loert said:

 

Yes, Korngold was influenced by Mahler. You can hear mahler 5th in Kings Row as well, and other similarities in adventures of robin hood etc. But when Korngold wrote Kings Row, no performing version of the 5th movement from Mahler's 10th existed. The first time that movement was realised and performed was in 1960 by Cooke. Yet the contour and harmony from that passage from Mahler's 10th significantly resembles that of the passage in Kings Row. If Korngold had actually been inspired by Mahler, he must've had access to the sketches. Or it might just be coincidence, which I think is more likely. It was just something to ponder.

 

And for the record, my favourite version of The Planets is Andre Previn conducting the LSO...

 

I figured so, although even when not familiar with the music, Mahler's influence on Korngold might have led the latter to write something similar.

[Melange 446]

 

"Let me just say, I have the greatest respect for this work. Nobody loves this work more than I do and it's gonna be great folks" ~  Melange J Trump

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

Just found out about Adorno having done some compositions. Defintely interesting.

 

 

[Omen II 1,235]

This performance of Gustav Holst's The Planets by the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is phenomenal, given the tender ages of the musicians involved.  Edward Gardner conducts at the BBC Proms this year and as a bonus it finishes with Colin Matthews's apocryphal Pluto movement, which is good fun.

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,508]

On 22/10/2016 at 1:46 AM, loert said:

And for the record, my favourite version of The Planets is Andre Previn conducting the LSO...

 

Yes, indeed!

The LSO really sounds as though it is enjoying itself. There are better versions, sound-wise (Dutoit, anyone?), but the AP/LSO has the most heart.

Do you have the 5.1 mix?

 

[Loert 2,510]

1 hour ago, Richard said:

 

Yes, indeed!

The LSO really sounds as though it is enjoying itself. There are better versions, sound-wise (Dutoit, anyone?), but the AP/LSO has the most heart.

Do you have the 5.1 mix?

 

 

No, I do not. But I don't have a surround system anyway. I only bought this CD:

 

 

True, the sound is a little narrow, but I just love the performance! Very energetic indeed.

 

By the way, here's an interesting tidbit from a review of the album on musicweb-international. It involves John Williams conducting The Planets with the LAPhil. It's quite funny!

 

Quote

During a performance of The Planets with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Williams an incident dramatised how difficult to play are the percussion parts in Jupiter. During the movement the three percussionists had been jumping back and forth at the back of the orchestra grabbing one thing after another to make their cues. At the end of the movement two of the percussionists sank gratefully into their folding chairs while the third set off in a dead run toward the bass drum only to fumble and drop the stick. So, the conductor held the penultimate chord for what seemed like ten minutes while the humiliated man crawled on all fours under the music stands until he found the stick, placed himself at the drum and nodded at the conductor. Then they delivered the final coup perfectly together. The once distinguished Los Angeles Times music critic did not report this in his review because he held the music in such contempt that he skipped out on the concert early. When criticised for this, he responded with a two page outburst in the Sunday music supplement denouncing The Planets as an "ooze orgy" and suggesting that anyone who liked it was an illiterate imbecile fit only to watch Spielberg movies — this from a man who had recently sat still all the way through a performance of Lucia di Lammermoor! It was his last appearance in the paper.

 

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/nov02/Holst_Planets_DVD.htm#ixzz4NvovMxFg

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Digging this tonight.
 

 

[Loert 2,510]

 

Bernstein seems to be enjoying himself!

[karelm 2,903]

On 10/23/2016 at 9:55 AM, Omen II said:

This performance of Gustav Holst's The Planets by the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is phenomenal, given the tender ages of the musicians involved.  Edward Gardner conducts at the BBC Proms this year and as a bonus it finishes with Colin Matthews's apocryphal Pluto movement, which is good fun.

 

 

That's a very fine live performance and damn those kids are adorable (and talented).  They are exceptionally disciplined.  It wouldn't displace my top pics but is a very solid edition.  There is very much to enjoy about this performance.  Very musical and impressive. 

[Melange 446]

Great peformance of this classic (The Butterfly Lovers Concerto)

 

Admittedly it lacks the fullness of sound found in other renditions out there, but performance is razor sharp and clean.

 

 

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

 

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Generally not a fan of Adès, but I do enjoy that one.

 

 

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Music for 18 Musicians (Grand Valley State New Music Ensemble)

 

It fills up my senses (John Denver, eat your heart out).

[Loert 2,510]