What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? IV

[pastoralguy]

ODTAA presumably a reference to John Masefield's adventure novel - One Damn Thing After Another

(When as a youngster I saw ODTAA on the spine of a Masefield novel I assumed it was some South Pacific thing - like Melville's Omoo ... )

Yes! Apologies. I should have specified that!

[CallMePaul]

Mahler - Symphony no5 in c# minor
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Sir John Barbirolli

From the Warner classics set of all JB's Mahler recordings from the 1960s

[Ein Heldenleben]

Just been listening to the York Bowen Viola Concerto on Saturday’s Through The Night . Not heard it before - it deserves a peak time outing.

[smittims]

Mahler: Symphony no.10. Deryck Cooke's performing version of the sketch. The Berlin Radio S.O. , Riccardo Chailly: a Decca recording from 1988.

I thought this was splendid, and possibly better than Berlin/Rattle on EMI. The percussion at the transition from IV to V comes out wonderfully. But I did feel that Mahler would/ should have re-written the finale. I don't think it is satisfactory as it stands.

[Pulcinella]

Released last Friday:

Britten: Canticles
Rainier: Cycle for Declamation

James Way (tenor), Natalie Burch (piano), Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo), Annemarie Federle (horn), Hugh Cutting (countertenor), Ross Ramgobin (baritone), Alis Huws (harp)

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9747869--benjamin-britten-canticles#related

[smittims]

Glad to see even a tiny piece by Priaulx Rainier is getting another recording. It was written for Peter Pears, who recorded it for Argo in the 1960s.

My last listening:

Dvorak: Symphony no. 9 in E minor ('from the new world') . Really top-notch performance and recording from 1955 I think ,not showing its age at all. The Vienna Philharmonic, Rafael Kubelik.

Delius: In a Summer Garden. The Royal Philhamonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham.

Earlier, I heard the Walk to the Paradise Garden, played by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anthony Collins, a marvellous Decca recording made in Kingsway Hall by Victor Olof and Kenneth Wilkinson. It reminded me of the discussion we had some weeks ago about whether the 'Paradise Garden' is a pub or a garden. Collins' intense performance emphasises that the music itself is not about either, but about the tragedy of Sali and Vreli. It's one of only seven recordings Collins made of Delius, but they had a good run , being reissued in Ace of Clubs, and then Eclipse .

[Barbirollians]

Beethoven Cello Sonatas- Piatigorsky/Solomon - I rather like the way Solomon very much is at the very least an equal partner- as I imagine was originally intended rather than a piano accompaniment to the cello.

[DoctorT]

Mendelssohn
Octet
Hausmusik

[vinteuil]

Mendelssohn
Octet
Hausmusik

... I love that recording

.

[DoctorT]

... I love that recording

.

Tremendous, isn’t it? Richard Morison has an article in the BBCMM on the Octet which inspired me to listen to it

[pastoralguy]

Stravinsky. Le Sacre du Printemps.

Seiji Ozawa conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Recorded in 1968.

20p charity shop find.

[Pulcinella]

Stravinsky. Le Sacre du Printemps.

Seiji Ozawa conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Recorded in 1968.

20p charity shop find.

And you get Fireworks too, I think.

[pastoralguy]

And you get Fireworks too, I think.

Absolutely! As well as The Fairy’s Kiss and the Suite from The Firebird.

Actually, it’s rather a dim recording that made me wonder if the connections on my system needed tightening. Apparently not since I’m listening to another charity shop cd entitled Musical Banquet which feature music by Robert and John Dowland performed by Monika Mausch and Nigel North. There’s something about the austerity of this music I find very appealing.

[Pulcinella]

Absolutely! As well as The Fairy’s Kiss and the Suite from The Firebird.

Actually, it’s rather a dim recording that made me wonder if the connections on my system needed tightening. Apparently not since I’m listening to another charity shop cd entitled Musical Banquet which feature music by Robert and John Dowland performed by Monika Mausch and Nigel North. There’s something about the austerity of this music I find very appealing.

I have it (c/w Fireworks) in the Sony Reference recordings set of The rite: must listen again and see how it sounds.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8029396--stravinsky-le-sacre-du-printemps-10-reference-recordings

[smittims]

Constant Lambert: Romeo and Juliet: The English Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones : a Hyperion CD.

This was Lambert's first success, written for Diaghilev at the age of twenty. At that time he must have felt he was destined for a glittering career, but barely ten years later he told Humphrey Searle that he had failed as a composer , and he died at only 46. I felt sure that had he lived he would have been a major figure on the British musical scene the second half of hcentury, conducting the Proms, etc. His slender body of masterpieces are all very special and individual. Fortunately most of his music has been available on CD .