What is the last piece of classical music you listened to?

[Loert 2,510]

 

Very unusual piece, especially for something written almost 200 years ago!

[KK 3,307]

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I've been really into Carl Vine's String Quartet No. 3 for the past day or so.  The middle slow section is so gorgeous.  I love how the solo instrument leading the melody moves from the cello to the viola to 2nd violin back to viola over the course of the movement.  And the finale is absolutely righteously infernal.  The whole thing plays like some mythical battle between Heaven and Hell.  Really cool piece.

 

I suggest listening and following along with the online perusal score here:

 

https://www.fabermusic.com/music/string-quartet-no-3-2467/score

 

 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Ionisation by Edgar Varese

_(see link in EMPIRE OF THE SUN thread)

[blondheim 1,157]

On 7/28/2020 at 7:03 PM, gkgyver said:

I don't care how talented you are, 28 minutes is too long for one piece of music. 

 

I cannot begin to explain how wrong this statement is.

[Loert 2,510]

 

A truly "cosmic" piece of music. Largely based on Scriabin's Prelude No.2, Op.74.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

On 8/3/2020 at 2:31 AM, KK said:

 

 

Nice! The music isn't bad either.

[karelm 2,903]

On 8/6/2020 at 10:53 AM, Loert said:

 

A truly "cosmic" piece of music. Largely based on Scriabin's Prelude No.2, Op.74.

I was at the world premiere! 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I have made the official and inarguable decision that "Solid Men to the Front" is the best lesser known Sousa march.  Every strain is a winner.

 

 

[blondheim 1,157]

I don't go down for patriotism, but Sousa is great. I have the Fennel albums from Mercury Living Presence. I highly recommend them and every other MLP recording you are able to get your hands on. There are some great discs of circus marches as well.

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

This is so beautiful and lovely - I'd argue better than the famous vocal version as it delineates the melody so much better.

 

 

[Fabulin 3,510]

How Tchaikovsky mastered the art of "End Credits" before film even came to exist.

These descending figures in the melody together with a comforting bassline feel like a true happy ending after a bittersweet journey.

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

I've been on a Joaquín Rodrigo kick this week and have just nabbed the remaining volumes in the Naxos recordings of his orchestral music. The Concierto de Aranjuez is undoubtedly his most famous work for guitar (if you like Elmer Bernstein's guitar concerto, you should definitely check out the Rodrigo) but for sheer bravado, I highly recommend his piano concerto which is just the right mix of modern and traditional, with all the ballsy drama of a great, golden age film score. Also looking forward to the harp version of the Concierto de Aranjuez which I gather is even more effective than the guitar original due to the harp's greater range.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

On 12/29/2019 at 1:46 AM, Marian Schedenig said:

First time I've heard it. Overall it's surprisingly close to Jochum's, but with reservations. On Rilling's recording, you can hear the choir more directly, and he certainly has the better choir (no wonder given his version is a few decades newer). But, as so often happens with Bruckner, I think Rilling gets the tempo changes wrong. He frequently slows down extremely and stems the flow of the music, which not only is annoying on its own but pretty soon makes the whole thing drag quite a bit. He does some more natural tempo changes that would be more appropriate than the extremes, but those happen in places where the tempo isn't supposed to change at all - compare the bar just before letter B to Jochum (0:55 in the following video):

 

 

Overall, I've certainly heard worse Bruckner interpretations, but I'll stick to Jochum.

 

I just got aware that Haitink recorded the Te Deum in the 60s. Are you familiar with that recording?

[blondheim 1,157]

I am:

Haitink is more of a median interpreter than most. I would say he is about halfway between someone with a detached point of view and someone with an interventionist opinion. Another way to put it I guess would be a nice mixture of head and heart. Jochum is more heart, Boulez would be more head. Klemperer more head, Walter more heart, etc. Haitink finds it right about in the middle. His Concertgebouw from the 60s and 70s is absolutely gorgeous, and comes highly recommended from me if 'rich' or 'warm' or 'elegant' or 'masterful' are words you like hearing said about your orchestras. I would never pull this Te Deum out as my only recording if I could only have one, but perhaps someone else would like it more than I do. It fits in well with his other Bruckner from the period, if you grab a complete set. He's consistent, I will give him that. Also, not aggravating by putting too much of a stick about in it. Hope that helps. A little bland if you have heard better recordings but not totally devoid of its own character. I heartily recommend any Bruckner piece in multiple recordings if you aren't overly familiar. The phrase 'cathedrals of sound' was not given, but earned.

 

 

[karelm 2,903]

 

 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

He should have scored WATCHMEN#!

[blondheim 1,157]

4 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

He should have scored WATCHMEN#!

 

I stand by this comment.

[Omen II 1,235]

Today marks the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.  As well as John Williams' Hymn to the Fallen, another of the pieces performed at today's memorial service at the National Memorial Arboretum was Only In Sleep by the contemporary Latvian composer Eriks Esenvalds.

 

This performance by Rachel Ambrose Evans with the choir of Trinity College Cambridge is stunningly beautiful.

 

 

[Maglorfin 196]

 

[Loert 2,510]

 

 

3:16

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Ah, that Pierre.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Poulenc's piano music is perfect weekend morning music.

 

I love the second improvisation here, in A-flat:

 

 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

On 8/15/2020 at 12:47 PM, Omen II said:

Today marks the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.  As well as John Williams' Hymn to the Fallen, another of the pieces performed at today's memorial service at the National Memorial Arboretum was Only In Sleep by the contemporary Latvian composer Eriks Esenvalds

 

"Threnody For the Victims of Hiroshima" by Penderecki

 

" Prelude to 49th Parallel(The New Covenant") by RV Williams

 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

My boy Hetty V:

 

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Geez, playing with her fingers? Hasn't she heard of pianos, with hammers?

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Wait, that version is a different arrangement, not VL's original!  Get it the hell outta here!

 

Here's the original: no cello, and celeste instead of piano.

 

 

[Brundlefly 2,385]

8 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Geez, playing with her fingers? Hasn't she heard of pianos, with hammers?

God, I love these new reaction smileys! There's one in particular that I'm gonna use a lot.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I've been hopelessly addicted to Haydn's C major sonata (Hob. XVI:50).  Specifically the below recording by Tom Beghin.  The opening movement is just a mind-bogglingly amazing piece of music

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

That's a great sonata, although it's much more fun on a proper piano.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

9 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

That's a great sonata, although it's much more fun on a proper piano.

 

I'm definitely not someone who insists on "historically informed" performances/instruments for 18th century music, I just follow my ears.  And after listening to many different performances, this Beghin recording is by far my favorite.  I think the charms of the piece are best suited to the brighter, crisper sound of the fortepiano.

 

If I had to pick one on a modern piano, it's hard not to just go with Alfred Brendel.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Brendel's Haydn set is great! So is hos Mozart interpretations.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

6 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Brendel's Haydn set is great! So is hos Mozart interpretations.

 

For me personally, his Mozart recordings are *definitive*.  I don't need any other recordings of the concertos, I only want Brendel.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

The Brendel/Marriner set is obligatory. And the humour he brings to the sonatas is unbeatable.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 minute ago, Jurassic Shark said:

The Brendel/Marriner set is obligatory. And the humour he brings to the sonatas is unbeatable.

 

Also as part of my recent Haydn listening, the Marriner recording of the Oxford symphony is just about as perfect as it gets.  He was on fire with Philips in the 1970s.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Just now, Disco Stu said:

 

Also as part of my recent Haydn listening, the Marriner recording of the Oxford symphony is just about as perfect as it gets.  He was on fire with Philips in the 1970s.

 

Indeed, that era is a gold mine. Too bad his complete Haydn symphony recordings only exist on CD in a long OOP box that goes for $100 on the secondary market. Only about half of them were released individually. Of course, they're all available on LP and digitally.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Tchaikovsky Symphony #6

 

If you didnt know composed this, one might be forgiven for thinking the first movement was a Hollywood score by Max Steiner!

Pure ' hearts & flowers'.

Things don't pick up until the dashing  third movement when Peter ditches the schmaltz,. And of course the unforgettable fourth movement when we finally get the ' pathos'

[blondheim 1,157]

6 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

Tchaikovsky Symphony #6

 

Which recording?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

7 hours ago, blondheim said:

 

Which recording?

Don't know.

It was on radio and they didn't give that info.

[SteveMc 2,674]

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Appropriately for the beginning of the month, I've always loved this hunting march from Tchaikovky's Seasons.

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Exploring Haydn's music, you find so many wonderful pieces in less famous little corners of his massive output.

 

This piano trio in F is a pure delight.  I love his especially athletic allegros.

 

 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Philip Glass- Piano Concerto #3

 

I'm sure nos. 1 and 2 are indistinguishable.

A computer could be easily programmed to compose. a Glass piece and NO ONE would know the difference.😰

[blondheim 1,157]

The second movement Adagio from Bruckner's 7th. Haunting to listen to in isolation, given its history. I listened to a brisk reading by Lorin Maazel that's in a live concert cycle from the late nineties on the BR Klassik label. It clocks in at around 22 minutes, which is definitely too fast, but no less interesting for it, if anything more so.

[Marian Schedenig 8,174]

For the 7th, noone competes with Celibidache. In fact, I wasn't a big fan of the symphony before I heard his version.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Nobody competes when it comes to duration, you mean?

[blondheim 1,157]

I wanted to take some time and really familiarize myself with Bruckner before diving into Celibidache because I wanted them to have their proper context and impact, due to their idiosyncratic tempos. For some of his proponents, they are practically a spiritual experience and are generally always spoken of with reverence among all classical music fans, so far as I've seen. I have dipped my toe in and tried a few. I did his whole cycle once but it wasn't active listening, just background noise so it really doesn't count. I have listened to 8 a few times. I have also tried his third again as well, but I could tell even from those few listens that these were recordings I should probably wait for.

 

I am basically familiar with three cycles, Jochum's DG, Strowaczewski's Oehns, and Maazel's BR Klassik with growing familiarity with Klemperer's partial cycle and some live recordings on the BBC Legends series, most especially Horenstein and Barbirolli. I haven't deep-dived through Bruckner like I have with Mahler, but he has grown on me and I find myself slowly amassing quite a number of recordings of his symphonies.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

On 9/8/2020 at 9:09 AM, bruce marshall said:

Philip Glass- Piano Concerto #3

 

I'm sure nos. 1 and 2 are indistinguishable.

A computer could be easily programmed to compose. a Glass piece and NO ONE would know the difference.😰

 

No. 1 is of course the best, since it's the earliest.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,500]

What is the last piece of classical music I listened to?

Some after-hours, weird shit, on Radio 3. Narf good, though.

[GerateWohl 4,339]

On 9/8/2020 at 9:09 AM, bruce marshall said:

Philip Glass- Piano Concerto #3

 

I'm sure nos. 1 and 2 are indistinguishable.

A computer could be easily programmed to compose. a Glass piece and NO ONE would know the difference.😰

You know that "tribute" from The Divine Comedy? It's quite brillant, I think.