What are you listening to now?

[Roehre]

Today:

Widor:
Piano Concerto no. 2 op.77 (1905) (R3: Ao3)

Dutilleux:
Mystère de l'instant (1989) (R3: Ao3)

Rihm:
Schwarzer und roter Tanz (1983)

Beethoven:
Symphony no.2 in D op.36

Xenakis:
A l’Ile de Gorée (1986)
Komboi (1981)

[Beef Oven]

Surprised you found it the poor relation - it did suffer from a lack of good recordings for some time. It was Klemperer's relatively brisk account that finally paced it correctly... ah, individual responses! It's the Celi adagio that gets in my way of enjoying an otherwise glorious reading. But my favourite would be the Rozhdestvensky (Adagio 16'06). What a shame it's never been widely available, like most of his Bruckner.

I don't find the 6th a poor relation, hence the inverted commas; a good many other people do.
Never heard the Rozhdestvensky Bruckner 6 - I will search it out.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Continuing my symphonic journey the last couple of nights with:

1845
Berwald: Symphony No 3 in C 'Singuliere'
Berwald: Symphony No 4 in E flat
Czerny: Symphony No 5 in E flat
Farrenc: Symphony No 2 in D major
1846
Onslow: Symphony No 4 in G major
Schumann: Symphony No 2 in C
1847
Gade: Symphony No 3 in A minor
Spohr: Symphony No 8 in G major

Some varied and interesting works here. Berwald's 3rd symphony is one of the masterpieces of the first half of the 19th century IMO. His style really is totally individual, the very opening is magical and the the scherzo is contained within the slow movement. A lot of the work sounds as if it could have been written 20 or more years later. The 4th is probably Berwald's most enjoyable symphony totally delightful, these works still do not appear on concert programmes enough.

The Czerny is a large scale 40 minute work and much better than the 1st and 2nd symphonies, still perhaps looking too much to the Beethovenian but at the same time sounding more contemporary to the 1840's. The Farrenc is less successful than her first, it looks back in places to Haydn, but the invention though fairly lightweight is most attractive.

Onslow's 4th and last symphony is worth knowing, the slow movement in particular and the scherzo are successful and in the 1st movement and scherzo one can hear the occasional influence of his compatriot Berlioz. Schumann's 2nd probably my favourite Schumann symphony and I think his best symphony, though I occasionally change my mind, again hearing it in the context of contemporary symphonies is most enlightening.

Gade's 3rd symphony is IMO his most successful symphony so far, the influence of Mendelssohn and occasionally Schumann is never far away, but like all his symphonies it has a certain openess and freshness. Interestingly the 3rd movement isn't a scherzo but moderately paced and seems to almost anticipate the Brahms's use of similarly moderate paced movements in his first three symphonies.

Spohr's 8th symphony really caught my attention, this is a strangely subdued almost resigned work. The relatively short slow movement is quite sombre almost melancholic and it is followed by a rather strange scherzo which a couple of commentators seem to have called childlike, and one can sort of agree with this. It also features a prominent part for solo violin. The finale for a while sounds like it trying to make a positive concluding statement but curiously ends quietly. Well worth seeking out I think.

[Petrushka]

I don't find the 6th a poor relation, hence the inverted commas; a good many other people do.
Never heard the Rozhdestvensky Bruckner 6 - I will search it out.

The Bruckner 6 hasn'r fared as well in either the concert hall or recording studio as the rest of the canon which is something of a mystery to me as it contains one of Bruckner's finest first movements and a terrific scherzo (those evocative horns!). I've never shared the general enthusiasm for the Klemperer recording preferring Gunter Wand's live 1995 account with the NDR SO, Bernard Haitink with the Dresden Staatskapelle (also live) and Horst Stein with the VPO. The only time I've heard it in the concert hall was when Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouw performed it in Birmingham in 1994 or 1995. It was that performance that was a real revelation to me.

[Barbirollians]

VW Dona Nobis Pacem in the BBC MM recording from 1936 conducted by the composer . Very fine and very moving it is despite the odd strange change in level .

[Beef Oven]

The Bruckner 6 hasn'r fared as well in either the concert hall or recording studio as the rest of the canon which is something of a mystery to me as it contains one of Bruckner's finest first movements and a terrific scherzo (those evocative horns!). I've never shared the general enthusiasm for the Klemperer recording preferring Gunter Wand's live 1995 account with the NDR SO, Bernard Haitink with the Dresden Staatskapelle (also live) and Horst Stein with the VPO. The only time I've heard it in the concert hall was when Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouw performed it in Birmingham in 1994 or 1995. It was that performance that was a real revelation to me.

I don't get the fuss about the Klemperer 6 either. Horst Stein and a very different Celi are the best of my bunch. Not seen it performed in the concert hall, need to put that right, but I never see it listed.

Jayne's mention of the Rozhdestvensky is interesting - will check that out.

[Beef Oven]

All this talk of Bruckner 6 has made me want to play it. Going spin Jochum Staatkapelle Dresden.

[cloughie]

Solti? That stick-waver?

I don't think it's the performance. After all, Vernon Handley was a marvellous musician - but it's a good idea to try a different recording.

I am a lifetime admirer of Sir Georg, but he is at the opposite end of the spectrum to my fave Elgar interpreters Barbirolli and Thomson. Just thought I must have a listen to JB's successor - I've on my shelves the Halle / Loughran on ASV. Those of his even later successor, Elder are also gems.

[Beef Oven]

I am a lifetime admirer of Sir Georg, but he is at the opposite end of the spectrum to my fave Elgar interpreters Barbirolli and Thomson. Just thought I must have a listen to JB's successor - I've on my shelves the Halle / Loughran on ASV. Those of his even later successor, Elder are also gems.

What people get from Solti is beyond me. I find him soulless and unmusical. His was the first Ring cycle I ever bought back in the day (needed a mortgage to buy it). I lost nearly 10 years of enjoying Wagner with those recordings. Wasn't until I had enough money to buy Karajan's cycle did things start to pick up.

[Barbirollians]

Solti's Rosenkavalier is marvellous IMO. As is his Bruckner 1 , his LSO Bartok records etc etc .