What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? IV

[smittims]

Alice Sara Ott is Tom Service's guest on R3 later this morning.

[Pulcinella]

Alice Sara Ott is Tom Service's guest on R3 later this morning.

Which of the two will be more OTT?

[smittims]

.

[Sir Velo]

Belkis, Queen of Sheba Respighi Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra; Goetzel

Clearly Respighi's Queen of Sheba was an uninhibited kind a gal. We hear relatively little in the West of this orchestra, but all I have heard confirms the opinion that this is an exceptional orchestra which excels in orientalist repertoire.

[smittims]

Mozart Horn Concertos; Alan Civil and the RPO, Rudolf Kempe.

This utterly delightful disc was an original World Record Club recording, made , curiously, only a few years after Civil's first recording, on paper a more prestigious affair, on the Columbia label with the Philharmonia orchestra conducted by Otto Klemperer. Yet it was the WRC that got the better reviews and it was always cheaper too, when they were issued and reissued.

[gradus]

Just now on Sarah Walker, Hough in a heart-rending performance of the slow movement of Brahms 1st pf conc and Ozawa and the Boston orchestra in an astonishing performance of Alborado del Gracioso. Gosh, how did I miss that before.

[smittims]

The Paris Conservatoire Orchestra in the 1950s:

Tchaikovsky: Suite no.3, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult; and

Albeniz/Arbos: Iberia Suite condicted by Atualfo Argenta .

Everey time I hear the Tchaikovsky I am take aback by how lovely it is. Naturally this recording was superseded by Sir Adrian's glorious stereo remake on HMV, but I still enjoy this old Decca recording.Every wind solo is executed with style and elegance. This was a fine orchestra and they are at their best here. .

[Stanfordian]

Dvořák
Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, B 141
Scherzo capriccioso, Op. 66, B 131
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks / Bernard Haitink
Recorded live 1981 (B141) & Studio 1981 (B131), Herkulessaal, Munich
BR Klassik, CD

Dvořák
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B 191
Chamber works:
Lasst Mich Alein, for cello & piano, Op. 82, B 157
Rondo in G minor, Op. 94; version for cello & piano
Goin' Home, version for cello & piano
Gypsy Melodies, Op. 55, B 104: No. 4 ‘Songs My Mother Taught Me’
Silent Woods, Op. 68/5, version for cello & piano
Slavonic Dance No. 8 in G minor for cello & piano, Op. 46, No. 8
Alisa Weilerstein (cello)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Jiří Bělohlávek
with Anna Polonsky (piano)
Recorded 2013, Dvorak Hall, Prague (concerto) & American Academy of Arts & Letters, NYC, (works for cello & piano)
Decca, CD

[richardfinegold]

Belkis, Queen of Sheba Respighi Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra; Goetzel

Clearly Respighi's Queen of Sheba was an uninhibited kind a gal. We hear relatively little in the West of this orchestra, but all I have heard confirms the opinion that this is an exceptional orchestra which excels in orientalist repertoire.

I purchased their Scherazade a few years back. It generated a lot of critical praise for unusual instrumental timbres and some unusual instrumental interludes between movements. It was different but I thought that the praise was a bit OTT

[gurnemanz]

Uncharted: Korngold - Brahms - Clara & Robert Schumann
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen (countertenor), John Churchwell (piano)

I've just listened to this new recording via Spotify. Lovely Lied interpretations

[smittims]

William 'Havergal' Brian . Symphony no. 29. The New Russia state symphony orchestra, Alexander Walker. Naxos CD.

At 23 minutes this is one of the longest of the 'last ten' Brian symphonies, which, the more I listen to them , seem to be his best work. It has some of those surprising contrasts which mark his style, not least the end , which, after building up to an apparently triumphant apotheosis of the beginning of the work, suddenly veers off into obscurity, a mysterioius and fascinating passage.

[pastoralguy]

Schumann. Violin Sonatas 1, 2 & 3.

Alina Ibragimova, violin and Cedric Tiberghien, piano.

I’ve been looking forward to hearing this recording properly since it was released over a week ago. As expected, very fine playing from both musicians. My only slight reservation is the recording is a little low level so one really has to crank the volume up in order to get any sense of presence.

[pastoralguy]

Beethoven. Violin concerto.

Richard Tognetti, violin. The Australian Chamber Orchestra conducted by Anthony Halstead. Recorded 1999

[Stanfordian]

Georges Bizet
Carmen Suite No. 1 (arranged by Ernest Guiraud)
Symphony No. 1 in C major
Charles Gounod
Petite Symphonie in B-flat major (aka Nonet for flute and pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns & bassoons)
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / François Leleux (oboe / conductor)
Recorded 2019 Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland
Linn, CD

Sonya Yoncheva – ‘Paris, Mon Amour’
Opera arias by Massenet, Puccini, Gounod, Offenbach, Verdi, Messager, Lecocq
Sonya Yoncheva (soprano)
Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana / Frédéric Chaslin
Recorded 2014 Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia, Spain
Sony Classical, CD

[Stanfordian]

Donizetti – ‘Roberto Devereux’
Lyric tragedy in 3 acts (1837)
Elisabetta, (Queen of England) Nelly Miricioiu (sop); Roberto Devereux, (Earl of Essex) José Bros (ten); Sara, (Duchess of Nottingham) Sonia Ganassi (mezzo); Duke of Nottingham, Roberto Frontali (bar); Lord Cecil, Robin Leggate, (ten); Raleigh, Graeme Broadbent (bass)
Chorus & Orchestra of Royal Opera House, London / Maurizio Benini
Recorded 2002 Royal Opera House, London
Opera Rara, 2 CD set