What Are You Listening To Now? - II

[Alison]

An enjoyable listen, Sainty. Would sound marvellous performed by (e.g.) the Philharmonia.

Does Christopher Rouses's music owe anything to this idiom?

[Suffolkcoastal]

This evening:

Listening to my scores - recent purchases 10:

Bruckner:
Te Deum - study score

Delius:
On hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring - study score
Summer Night on the River - study score

Dvorak:
String Quintet in G major op77 - study score

[Petrushka]

I always like a Petrushka cycle!

Haven't done one for some time and spreading this one out for two or three weeks as there's plenty of other stuff to listen to. Ashamed to say there are one or of the DVD's in the Bernstein set I've never watched despite having had it since 2007!

[Colonel Danby]

Late night listening:

Debussy: Preludes

Walter Gieseking (pf)

EMI References CDH 761 004-2

The recording dates from 1953-4, but the sound is very fine, and naturally the artist is without reproach: especially when the producer for the second set was Walter Legge. The recording was given a rosette in the Penguin guide, and rightly so...

[Suffolkcoastal]

An enjoyable listen, Sainty. Would sound marvellous performed by (e.g.) the Philharmonia.

Does Christopher Rouses's music owe anything to this idiom?

Not really Alison. Rouse's style is more influenced by composers such as Bruckner, Mahler, Berg & Shostakovich in combination with the influence of rock music. Quite a heady mix, that he moulds into a very distinctive style of real impact.
With Cowell it is mainly the earlier, more experimental works, that have had the most influence on other composers as well as his interest in non-western musical forms & instruments, which continued throughout his composing career. Symphonies likes nos 4, 5, 9 & 10, which post-date his period of imprisonment, seem to draw on the world of the early American 'primative composers' for inspiration.

[BBMmk2]

Bartok:
The Miraculous Mandarin
Piano Concerto No.3*
Stravinsky
The Firebird

*Yefim Bronfmann(piano)London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev.

[Tapiola]

Great programme BBM.

I am currently on a Nielsen 5th symphony binge.

Royal Danish Orchestra/Berglund

Danish National Radio SO/Tuxen (live from the 1950 Edinburgh Festival)

New Philharmonia/Horenstein (the studio Unicorn Kanchana recording)

... and later; a first audition of LSO/Ole Schmidt!

The Tuxen I find disappointing, despite its pedigree and historic status, and in dull, murky sound.

The Horenstein is mind-blowing: it never loses its huge and at times unhinged power for me, even after many listens over the years.

[Jonathan]

Joachim Raff - Complete works for 'cello and piano on Toccata.

[BBMmk2]

Thanks Taps! I am having a Russian day today. Not doing much, so an ideal opportunity.

Tchaikovsky:
Marche Slave, Op.31
Romeo & Juliet Fantasy-Overture
Violin Concerto in D major, Op.36.
Serenade for Strings in C, Op.48
Isaac Stern(violin),
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein.

Symphony No.5 in E minor,op.64.
London PO, Vladimir Juroswski.

[Stanfordian]

Bellini
'Norma' opera in two acts
Cast:
Pollione – Gregory Kunde (tenor)
Oroveso – Raymond Aceto (bass)
Norma – Sondra Radvanovsky (soprano)
Adalgisa – Ekaterina Gubanova (mezzo-soprano)
Clotilde –Ana Puche (soprano)
Flavio – Francisco Vas (tenor)
Production:
Original Stage Director – Kevin Newbury
Revival Stage Director – R.B. Schlather
Set Director – David Korins
Costume Design – Jessica Jahn
Lighting Design – D.M. Wood
Chorus master – Peter Burian
Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
Music Director – Renato Palumbo
Video Director – Jean-Pierre Loisil
Recorded live February 2015 Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
C Major Blu-ray

[Tapiola]

Nielsen - Symphony No 5

LSO/Ole Schmidt

Wonderful performance, aided by clear and transparent recording. Great brass snarls in the first movement and due weight given to the crunching dissonances just before the end of the big adagio tune after the side drummer has been swallowed by the tutti. The cadenza ad lib side drumming itself is very impressive, and is taken at a proper, faster lick than the tempo of the rest of the orchestra, even if it doesn't supplant (what could?) Alfred Dukes' apocalyptic (and sui generis) solo in the Horenstein recording. Mighty stuff. And that second movement - dear God...

[Dave2002]

Schubert: Piano Sonatas
Ingrid Haebler

[Pulcinella]

Tippett: Symphony 1
BBCSSO/Brabbins
Catch-up on my iPad, so not the best sound, but it seemed a good performance to me.
I wonder if Hyperion are going to record/release a symphony cycle to supplement the piano concerto and Handel fantasia (coupled with the piano sonatas) that they have already done with the orchestra and Brabbins.
Would be good.

[BBMmk2]

Tippett: Symphony 1
BBCSSO/Brabbins
Catch-up on my iPad, so not the best sound, but it seemed a good performance to me.
I wonder if Hyperion are going to record/release a symphony cycle to supplement the piano concerto and Handel fantasia (coupled with the piano sonatas) that they have already done with the orchestra and Brabbins.
Would be good.

Maybe a Rubbra and Havergal Brian?

Sibelius
Karelia Suite. Bavarian RSO, Mariss Jansons.
Violin Concerto. Maxim Vengerov, Chicago SO, Daniel Barenboim
Symphony No.5, in Eb major, Op.55. Lahti SO, Osmo Vanska

[Petrushka]

Messiaen: Dieu parmi nous (La Nativité du Seigneur)
Franck: Final in B flat
Arthur Wills at the organ of Ely Cathedral

CD recorded April 1967

[interval]

Mahler: Symphony No 2 (Resurrection)
Sheila Armstrong (soprano), Janet Baker (contralto)
Edinburgh Festival Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein

DVD recorded in Ely Cathedral, September 1974