What are you listening to now - I ?

[Black Swan]

Leonard Bernstein:

West Side Story, The Complete Musical
The new Michael Tilson Thomas
SF Symphony
Cheyenne Jackson
Alexandra Silber

Arthur Laurents, Libretto
Stephen Sondheim, Lyrics
Still in many ways for me one of the great Broadway Musicals and maybe the best music Lenny composed with a brilliant book by Laurents and Sondheim. I am trying to decide if it is as good as the original cast release....

[Suffolkcoastal]

Today - Leevi Madetoja:

Kullervo op15
Pievioskuvia op21
Four Songs op 2
Lyric Suite for cello & piano op51
Ostrobothnian Suite op52
Nine Songs for Male Voices op8
Symphonic Suite op4
Autumn - Song Cycle op68
Juha - Two Orchestral Interludes op74a
Seven Choral Songs op81
Pastoral Suite (orchestral version) op34
Symphony No 3 op55

Leevi Madetoja 1887-1947 was one of the leading Finnish composers of the generation after Sibelius. His early music does show the influence of Sibelius however, study in France introduced a Gallic element into his music and at times there are Russian elements and moments when his music sounds briefly English. I find his music to be generally of high quality, his three symphonies are wonderful works that ought to be heard more often. Like Sibelius, Madetoja wrote quite a lot of music for male voice choir and also a lot of songs which are beautiful written. There is little chamber music but the Lyric Suite for cello & piano is a delightfully fresh and lyrically memorable piece that coould become quite popular I feel if more cellists bothered to take it up. I've never heard his opera The Ostrobothnians, but the suite gives an enticing insight into what could be a work of great interest.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... his three symphonies are wonderful works that ought to be heard more often.

[Dave2002]

Rued Langgaard
Symphony 7, Ved Tordenskjold i Holmens Kirke, Ilya Stupel, Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra

Poul Schierbeck
Symphony Op 15, Ilya Stupel, Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra

[Blotto]

Ben Johnston's 9th string quartet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPHLS5mJrJk#t=12

Philip Glass' Piece in the shape of a square

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95FtiYizOHM

[BBMmk2]

Howells:
Take Him Earth for Cherishing.
Choir of St John's College, Cambridge,
Christopher Robinson.

Vaughan Williams:
Lento moderato, from Symphony No.3(Pastoral).
LSO/Previn.

Britten:

War Requiem. Galina Vishnevskaya, Peter Pears, Dietrich Fischer Diesaku, LSO & Chorus, Melos ensemble, composer.

Tavener:

Song for Athene. Gabrielli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh.

[Tevot]

RVW - Pastoral Symphony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KF2Kb6pIaE

[Hitch]

Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony. LPO/Haitink.

[Roehre]

Yesterday - Nothing at all


Today:

Chisholm:
Piano concerto no. 2”Hindustani”(1949)

Palestrina:
Surge propera Amica mea et veni (p.1583)

Victoria:
Missa Surge propera (p.1584)
Salve Regina (p.1583)
Missa De Beata maria Vergine (p.1576)

[Roehre]

...
Poul Schierbeck
Symphony Op 15, Ilya Stupel, Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra

How is that?

[EdgeleyRob]

Vaughan Williams - Symphony No 3.

The State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR Ministry of Culture/Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

[Petrushka]

Gurney: War Elegy
BBC Symphony Orchestra
David Lloyd-Jones

Bridge: Oration
Stephen Isserlis (cello)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Richard Hickox

Elgar: The Spirit of England
Susan Gritton (soprano), Andrew Kennedy (tenor)
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
David Lloyd-Jones

[Suffolkcoastal]

Today - Alberic Magnard:

Hymne a la Justice for orchestra op14
Quintet in D minor for Piano & Wind op8
Symphony No 1 in C minor op4
Violin Sonata in G major op13
Guercoeur - Act II (extracts) op12
Hymne a Venus for orchestra op17
String Quartet op16
Quatre Poemes for baritone & piano op15
Overture for Orchestra op10
Piano Trio op18
Symphony No 4 in C sharp minor op21

An apt coincidence of faith that I should reach the music of Alberic Magnard today, who tragically died defending his property from advancing German troops on 3 September 1914, his house burnt to the ground along with some of his scores and his body was never recovered. Magnard's output is not large but many of the works are on a large scale showing ironically the influence of Wagner and sometimes strangely reminiscent of Mahler. The main Chamber works are on a large scale mostly between 30 & 45 minutes in duration. The String Quartet is a powerful work though a little overlong for its material, the gem of chamber works is the Piano Trio with its achingly beautiful slow movement, yet another work that should be in the repertoire. The complete orchestral score of the rather Wagnerian opera Gourcoeur was lost in the fire though there was another copy of Act II in full score and the piano reduction survived, yet again there is a certain irony in that the in the final Act as the disillusioned main character Guercouer is assured by the Goddess of Truth that a golden age for humanity lies ahead, like Guercouer we are still hoping and waiting. Magnard's 4 symphonies are among the finest French symphonies of the time. The 4th Symphony completed in 1913 is among his last works, again with a slow movement of haunting beauty that is occasionally rather Mahler like. Yet again another work that deserves repertoire status.

[jayne lee wilson]

Well SC, join the Magnard fanclub! Or I'll join yours... That makes two...!
I'll make one correction to your comments... "among the finest French Symphonies of ALL time"!
And talk about unrecognised centenaries!

I do love the 4th, the finale is overwhelming, and unusually complex - ambiguous conclusion. I probably love the 2nd Symphony more though, for its sunnier, pastoral feel and most of all - that gorgeous Chant Varie slow movement......oh, and what about that cor anglais solo in the 3rd's Pastorale...... too late to say more, lots more to say...!

[BBMmk2]

Gurney: War Elegy
BBC Symphony Orchestra
David Lloyd-Jones

Bridge: Oration
Stephen Isserlis (cello)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Richard Hickox

Elgar: The Spirit of England
Susan Gritton (soprano), Andrew Kennedy (tenor)
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
David Lloyd-Jones

Very suitable, Pet! I especially like that part in The spirit of England of the setti9ng 'To the fallen'. Most moving, imo.