What are you listening to now - I ?

[Petrushka]

Mozart: Overture - The Magic Flute
Staatskapelle Dresden/Davis

Mozart: Piano Concerto No 12
Brendel/Scottish CO/Mackerras

Strauss: An Alpine Symphony
Bamberg SO/Stein

(I'm not surprised that EA was so bowled over by Stein's recording. I bought it when it first came out on the strength of a rave review from Michael Kennedy. Sounded better than ever tonight as I haven't heard it for many years. One of my top 3 recordings of the work alongside Karajan and RPO/Kempe).

[Parry1912]

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Ashkenazy/Cleveland)

Alain: Trois Dances (M-C Alain)

Beethoven: Symphonies 5 and 7 (Ashkenazy)

Sibelius: Lemminkainen Suite (Davis)

[Suffolkcoastal]

The latest installment of the journey through my symphonic collection.

1873
Bruckner: Symphony No 3 in D minor (1889 vers)
Dvorak: Symphony No 3 in E flat major
Goetz: Symphony in F
Raff: Symphony No 6 in D minor
Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony No 3 in C major
1874 (beginning)
Bruckner: Symphony No 4 in E flat major 'Romantic' (ed Nowak)
Dvorak: Symphony No 4 in D minor
Reinecke: Symphony No 2 in C minor
Rubinstein: Symphony No 6 in D minor 'Dramatic'

I am less 'comfortable' with Bruckner's 3rd Symphony than with his other mature symphonies. For me it doesn't quite come off, perhaps I should try listening to some of the earlier versions. The slow movement though really hit me this time, it is most beautiful.
Dvorak's three movement 3rd Symphony is a rather transitional work. Aspects of his mature style and his compatriot Smetana rub shoulders with strong Wagnerian influences, especially in the rather too long slow movement, which Dvorak doesn't always handle convincingly. The finale comes off best for me, more clearly anticipating the mature master.
Goetz came to composition rather late in his short life and sadly this is his only complete symphony. Goetz's style really isn't quite like anybody else and he convincingly handles symphonic form, so the fact this is his only complete symphony is doubly regrettable.
Raff's 6th Symphony I find one of his stronger efforts in the medium and the more one listens the more one finds that Raff does have a distinctive personal style. The finale is most engaging and actually reminds me of the earlier symphonies of Parry & Stanford.
Rimsky was never comfortable with the symphonic form one feels. The 3rd symphony is attractive enough in places, with a catchy finale and some expressive writing in places in the slow movement, but otherwise the writing isn't of the highest distinction.
The later version of Bruckner 4 with the new Scherzo and Finale really comes off for me. It is a symphony that I've enjoyed for many years and enjoyed, though he is cruel to Double Bass players (I've played in a performance)! Any further comments I'll leave to the Bruckner experts.
Dvorak's 4th Symphony is another transitional work, again the Wagnerian influence isn't fully assimilated, though there are enough ideas of some distinction to make this a more successful work than its predecessor IMO.
Reinecke's 2nd Symphony isn't too bad a work at all, though stylistically it leans towards Mendelssohn and Schumann at times, there are enough ideas of interest to make this work worthwhile, especially the expressive slow movement, the best movement IMO.
Finally Anton Rubinstein's large scale 6th Symphony, which is arguably far too long for its material and doesn't have a natural flow to it. Having said that, there are some very curious chromatic passages in the 1st movement, quite startling for the time and also a near quotation of the opening idea of Sibelius' 2nd Symphony, is this coincidence or did Sibelius know this work? The long scherzo has some curious passages, ranging from Tchaikovsky like to twice briefly introducing a folk fiddle like section, but is far too sectional overall.

[Barbirollians]

The live 1939 Ma Vlast from Talich and the Czech PO - a quite extraordinarily visceral performance .

[Roehre]

Today:

Doppler:
L’Oiseau des Bois – Idyll for flute and 4 horns op.21 (R3: TtN)

Beethoven:
Piano sonata no.29 op.106 “Hammerklavier”(with our best wishes for a speedy recorvery for Martin Helmchen following his traffic accident earlier today) (R3 live in concert [though not "live" as the concert was cancelled])

[jayne lee wilson]

Kalevi Aho, Clarinet Concerto
Frost/Vanska/Lahti SO (BIS 24-bit)

Beethoven Symphony No.2
Minnesota Orchestra/Vanska (BIS 24-bit)

Beethoven Symphony No.2
Berlin RIAS SO/Klemperer (from The Berlin Recordings 1950-58, Audite lossless)

Dvorak Violin Concerto
Tognetti/Nordic CO/Lindberg (BIS 24/44.1)

Dvorak Violin Concerto
Pienemann/Maag/Czech PO(HDTT 24/96)

I do tend to hang around areas of rep. or labels etc. for some time...
The Tognetti/Lindberg Dvorak above, is almost a parody of "Audiophile Recording" - stunning SQ, but a flatly phrased, rhythmically dead performance. I was waiting for it to end, then put on the Maag/Pienemann and lsitened straight through! The lift, the schwung, the song-and-dance in its heart, is everything the newer version is not. Really addictive, highly recommended, go get!

[DublinJimbo]

Dvorak Violin Concerto
Pienemann/Maag/Czech PO (HDTT 24/96)

The Tognetti/Lindberg Dvorak above, is almost a parody of "Audiophile Recording" - stunning SQ, but a flatly phrased, rhythmically dead performance. I was waiting for it to end, then put on the Maag/Pienemann and lsitened straight through! The lift, the schwung, the song-and-dance in its heart, is everything the newer version is not. Really addictive, highly recommended, go get!

I've only got a few downloads from HDTT and haven't been impressed (harsh-sounding, to my ear). This was a while ago, mind you, so perhaps things have improved technically since then. Your enthusiasm for the Pienemann/Maag performance is infectious (I agree about the Tognetti/Lindberg: heartless and uninvolving — I listened once and have never returned to it), but what about the sonics?

[jayne lee wilson]

The sonics of the Maag-led Czech Philharmonic are seductively gorgeous! Edith's violin ain't bad either. Honestly, Jimbo, you wouldn't regret the aquisition for a few dollars more...

I've only got a few downloads from HDTT and haven't been impressed (harsh-sounding, to my ear). This was a while ago, mind you, so perhaps things have improved technically since then. Your enthusiasm for the Pienemann/Maag performance is infectious (I agree about the Tognetti/Lindberg: heartless and uninvolving — I listened once and have never returned to it), but what about the sonics?

[DublinJimbo]

The sonics of the Maag-led Czech Philharmonic are seductively gorgeous! Edith's violin ain't bad either. Honestly, Jimbo, you wouldn't regret the aquisition for a few dollars more...

That's it then. Time to click on that Buy button. I'll report back.

[Panjandrum]

The latest installment of the journey through my symphonic collection.

I am less 'comfortable' with Bruckner's 3rd Symphony than with his other mature symphonies. For me it doesn't quite come off, perhaps I should try listening to some of the earlier versions. The slow movement though really hit me this time, it is most beautiful.

I think I lean more to the Deryck Cooke camp here when he described Bruckner's 3rd Symphony "as the least perfect of the nine symphonies, though not the least magnificent." For most Bruckner scholars, it seems that the 1877 text is the ideal. "It is stylistically purer," Robert Simpson has written "and though its construction leaves much to be desired, its weaknesses are exacerbated, not propped, by the crude remedies of the later version."

Looking forward to the next instalment in your traversal of the symphony!

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

What more perfect a way to celebrate J.S. Bach's birthday than with a Brandenburg Concerto or two? I'm currently spinning Café Zimmermann's marvellous survey of concertos and suites.

Here's they are in Brandenburg 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puKhoueCYDg

And Brandenburg 4 thrown in for good measure...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdZWMy1ID4Y&feature=related

[Bryn]

What more perfect a way to celebrate J.S. Bach's birthday than with a Brandenburg Concerto or two? I'm currently spinning Café Zimmermann's marvellous survey of concertos and suites.

Fine idea. Just started disc 1 of the 6 CD set spinning.

[DublinJimbo]

What more perfect a way to celebrate J.S. Bach's birthday than with a Brandenburg Concerto or two? I'm currently spinning Café Zimmermann's marvellous survey of concertos and suites.

Great idea! You've started a trend: I'm listening to Brandenburg No. 4, in the download equivalent of CD 3.

[BBMmk2]

IGI, the masters birthday today? I didnt realise that! Shame on me! There's me at the moment listening to Delius, with Sir John Barbirolli! Ah well. Will come back to bach later!(;))

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

This morning:
Bach: Cantata BWV 26 (every day is Bach's birthday in the Ferney household! )
This Afternoon:
Carter: String Quartets 2 & 3, Elegy; Ardittis.


Today is also Antony Hopkins' 91st Birthday, should anyone wish to be Talking About Music. If he, or anyone who knows him, is reading this - my very best wishes for a Happy Birthday and Thanks for many, many informative and entertaining books and broadcasts.