What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[Barbirollians]

Cyrille Dubois – 'So Romantique!'
French Opera Aria collection: Auber, Boieldieu, Clapisson, Delibes, Donizetti, Thomas, Dubois, Godard, Gounod, Halevy, Luce-Varlet, Saint-Saëns & Silver
Cyrille Dubois (tenor)
Orchestre National de Lille / Pierre Dumoussaud
Recorded 2021 Auditorium du Nouveau Siècle, Lille
Alpha Classics, CD

I just love this rare opera repertoire.

On my shopping list. Cyrille would make something beautiful out of singing the phone book.

[Roger Webb]

The other day I heard the third movement played on saxophone, accordion, and double bass, so, not a million miles off…

Well we've had Rite of Spring on two accordions, so anything's possible.....if not desirable!

[Stanfordian]

British Viola Sonatas – 'Idylls and Bacchanals'
McEwen
Viola sonata
Bax
Viola sonata
McEwen
Improvisations Provençales for violin & piano
Breath O’ June for viola & piano
Maconchy
Viola sonata
Jacob
Viola sonatina
Rawsthorne
Viola sonata
Milford
Four Pieces for viola & piano
Leighton
Fantasia on the name of BACH for viola & piano, Op. 29
Louise Williams (viola, violin) & David Owen Norris (piano)
Recorded 2011/12 Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton
EM Records, 2 CD set

There are some glorious works on this set. I think the Bax Viola Sonata is something special.

[smittims]

I've been spending some time comparing interpretations of the first seven Beethoven piano sonatas and have been pleasantly surprised to find how little I knew them, after hearing them on and off for fifty years, usually when I bought a new 'complete' box. Conversations I've had with music lovers suggest that people are put off by the label 'early' for the music he wrote in the 1790s. In fact it's quite mature, and while it doesn't have the heavy depth of his later music, there's much to enjoy, in particular a lyricism and freshness which he seemed to lose in his middle period. In particular I've been struck by his development of the coda as an important part of the sonata structure.

This is the sort of thing we used to hear discussed on Radio 3 (by Denis Matthews and others, for instance). Nowadays if there's a programme on Beethoven they're probably too busy talking about his sex life or whether he was 'black'.

[Barbirollians]

Brahms/Rachmaninov - Capucon/Wang/Ottensamer

[smittims]

Bax' viola sonata was one of the few of his works which did get an authoritative recording in the 78 era, by Lionel Tertis and the composer, making one of his very rare appearances. Strangely, however, it was not published for many years , until Pearl brought out an LP in the 1970s.

[Stanfordian]

I've been spending some time comparing interpretations of the first seven Beethoven piano sonatas and have been pleasantly surprised to find how little I knew them, after hearing them on and off for fifty years, usually when I bought a new 'complete' box. Conversations I've had with music lovers suggest that people are put off by the label 'early' for the music he wrote in the 1790s. In fact it's quite mature, and while it doesn't have the heavy depth of his later music, there's much to enjoy, in particular a lyricism and freshness which he seemed to lose in his middle period. In particular I've been struck by his development of the coda as an important part of the sonata structure.

This is the sort of thing we used to hear discussed on Radio 3 (by Denis Matthews and others, for instance). Nowadays if there's a programme on Beethoven they're probably too busy talking about his sex life or whether he was 'black'.

[Stanfordian]

Mascagni
'L'amico Fritz' opera in three acts
Roberto Alagna – Fritz Kobus, Angela Gheorghiu – Suzel, Laura Polverelli – Beppe,
George Petean – David
Chor und Orchester der Deutsche Oper Berlin / Alberto Veronesi
Recorded Live 2008 Deutsche Oper, Berlin
Deutsche Grammophon, 2 CD set

[smittims]

Arthur Foote: Suite for Strings. The Boston Symphony Orchestra,, Serge Koussevitzky.

Although Foote was a respected Bostonian musician for many years, he is probably hardly known in Europe. The suite is slight, if charming, and this performance is remarkable for the intensity of the interpretation. They play it as if they had known and loved it all their lives, and Koussevitzky lavishes all his skill as if it were Beethoven .Yet apparently the recording was made as a memorial tribute to Foote on the day following his death in 1937, though, of course, they may have played it in his presence on an earlier occasion.

There's a good transfer on YouTube.

[richardfinegold]

I've been spending some time comparing interpretations of the first seven Beethoven piano sonatas and have been pleasantly surprised to find how little I knew them, after hearing them on and off for fifty years, usually when I bought a new 'complete' box. Conversations I've had with music lovers suggest that people are put off by the label 'early' for the music he wrote in the 1790s. In fact it's quite mature, and while it doesn't have the heavy depth of his later music, there's much to enjoy, in particular a lyricism and freshness which he seemed to lose in his middle period. In particular I've been struck by his development of the coda as an important part of the sonata structure.

This is the sort of thing we used to hear discussed on Radio 3 (by Denis Matthews and others, for instance). Nowadays if there's a programme on Beethoven they're probably too busy talking about his sex life or whether he was 'black'.

If Beethoven had died after composing those first seven sonatas, he still would have been considered a major figure in the development of the Piano and the Classical Period. Op.7 in particularly stunning work and the Composer was still very proud of it in his later years

[richardfinegold]

Arthur Foote: Suite for Strings. The Boston Symphony Orchestra,, Serge Koussevitzky.

Although Foote was a respected Bostonian musician for many years, he is probably hardly known in Europe. The suite is slight, if charming, and this performance is remarkable for the intensity of the interpretation. They play it as if they had known and loved it all their lives, and Koussevitzky lavishes all his skill as if it were Beethoven .Yet apparently the recording was made as a memorial tribute to Foote on the day following his death in 1937, though, of course, they may have played it in his presence on an earlier occasion.

There's a good transfer on YouTube.

There are some Foote compositions scattered in some of the Mercury big box reissues, and JoAnn Falleta has recorded some more recently

[Roger Webb]

Filling in half an hour before kitchen duties call, Daniel-Lesur's Suite Médiévale for flute, harp and str. trio. I've been 'collecting' works for this combo for years and this disc (Phaedra 92012) gives us not only the D-L but Jongen's Concert à cinq and works by Westerlinck and Pelemans - the last two hardly household names!

These works were mostly written on commission from the harpist Pierre Jamet for his Quintette Instrumentale de Paris along with many others by the leading composers of the time: Roussel, Ropartz, Schmitt, Françaix, Pierné, Marcel Tournier, Cras and more.

Daniel-Lesur is best known for his membership of the 'Jeune France' movement along with Jolivet (who also wrote for the above combo) and most famously Messiaen, and this work reminds us of the return to earlier forms which was the stated aim of the group. The 'complainte' is so touching.

[Pulcinella]

Filling in half an hour before kitchen duties call, Daniel-Lesur's Suite Médiévale for flute, harp and str. trio. I've been 'collecting' works for this combo for years and this disc (Phaedra 92012) gives us not only the D-L but Jongen's Concert à cinq and works by Westerlinck and Pelemans - the last two hardly household names!

These works were mostly written on commission from the harpist Pierre Jamet for his Quintette Instrumentale de Paris along with many others by the leading composers of the time: Roussel, Ropartz, Schmitt, Françaix, Pierné, Marcel Tournier, Cras and more.

Daniel-Lesur is best known for his membership of the 'Jeune France' movement along with Jolivet (who also wrote for the above combo) and most famously Messiaen, and this work reminds us of the return to earlier forms which was the stated aim of the group. The 'complainte' is so touching.

I'm not sure of dates etc and if this is relevant, but wasn't there rivalry between harp manufacturers (Debussy's Danses being written for one and Ravel's Introduction and allegro for the other)? Which camp if any did these composers and the harpist belong to?

[pastoralguy]

Beethoven. Piano Sonatas, ‘Waldstein’, ‘Les Adieux’, No.31 in Ab, Op.110 and ‘Moonlight’.

Nelson Freire, piano. DECCA.

[Roger Webb]

I'm not sure of dates etc and if this is relevant, but wasn't there rivalry between harp manufacturers (Debussy's Danses being written for one and Ravel's Introduction and allegro for the other)? Which camp if any did these composers and the harpist belong to?

Yes, Debussy backed the wrong horse here (Chromatic harp) and although Jamet was sponsored through music school by Pleyel, he was persuaded that the chromatic had no future by Hasselmans, and to change to the double action Erard. Jamet was the most influential harpist in Paris at the time and held posts at the Opera and the conservatoire.

BTW Marie-Claire Jamet, Pierre's daughter, was Boulez's chosen harpist for his l'Ensemble Intercontemporain, probably not the easiest of gigs!