What are you listening to now - I ?

[Roehre]

Anton van der Horst: Réflexions sonores op 99
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam
Bernard Haitink (live October 1965)

What do you think of this work, Petrushka?
That was in the time that Haitink premiered approximately 12 new works ( 6 Dutch and 6 otherwise) per season with the Concertgebouworchestra , though this was not one of them. I seem to recall that this performance was In Memoriam Anthon van der Horst. This recording has been released on a non-commercial DAVS LP in the late 1960s of which I've got a tape copy.[DAVS = Donemus Audio Visual Series, an LP accompanied by study scores of the works performed on that LP]

I most likely was present at this performance of Beethoven 9 if this recording was made on a Sunday afternoon (In Amsterdam the concerts from Thursday nights were generally speaking repeated as Sunday matinees).

[Petrushka]

What do you think of this work, Petrushka?
(That was in the time that Haitink premiered approximately 12 new works ( 6 Dutch and 6 otherwise) per season with the Concertgebouworchestra , though this was not one of them)

As you will know, Roehre, this comes from the fascinating Haitink radio broadcasts box and the booklet note doesn't say much about it other than it's a very colourful score in the style of Stravinsky or Dukas. That seems about right to me. Apparently, the composer said that episodes from a long Indian 'chain story' formed the basis of the piece. I have no idea what this means and the booklet doesn't say any more. Can you shed any light? Certainly enjoyed the piece.

[Roehre]

As you will know, Roehre, this comes from the fascinating Haitink radio broadcasts box and the booklet note doesn't say much about it other than it's a very colourful score in the style of Stravinsky or Dukas. That seems about right to me. Apparently, the composer said that episodes from a long Indian 'chain story' formed the basis of the piece. I have no idea what this means and the booklet doesn't say any more. Can you shed any light? Certainly enjoyed the piece.

These are the subtitles of the movements of the work:
I Le Fleuve Godawari - Le Royaume Pratisjthana, Situé Sur Le Fleuve Godawari - Le Roi Triwikramasena
II Le Moine Mendiant - Le Singe Domestique - Pierreries
III Nuit - Le Passage À Travers Le Crématorium - Le Cercle Magique - Le Wétala
IV Danse Magique - Transfiguration - Le Roi Suivant Le Wétala

I hope this is a bit more of information than you already got, I'll see whether I've got some more somewhere. Thought there is clearly a programmatic element, this is IMO the work in which Van der Horst comes nearest to a symphony. (Let's see whether Suffolkcoastal picks this up for 1962 )

[Petrushka]

These are the subtitles of the movements of the work:
I Le Fleuve Godawari - Le Royaume Pratisjthana, Situé Sur Le Fleuve Godawari - Le Roi Triwikramasena
II Le Moine Mendiant - Le Singe Domestique - Pierreries
III Nuit - Le Passage À Travers Le Crématorium - Le Cercle Magique - Le Wétala
IV Danse Magique - Transfiguration - Le Roi Suivant Le Wétala

I hope this is a bit more of information than you already got, I'll see whether I've got some more somewhere. Thought there is clearly a programmatic element, this is IMO the work in which Van der Horst comes nearest to a symphony. (Let's see whether Suffolkcoastal picks this up for 1962 )

Thanks for this. Those titles are on the sleeve but I feel none the wiser re the programme behind it. I wonder if SC is including works that don't carry the title of symphony?

[Roehre]

Thanks for this. Those titles are on the sleeve but I feel none the wiser re the programme behind it. I wonder if SC is including works that don't carry the title of symphony?

I'll have a look at my documentation whether I can find some further information.
SC doesn't include symphonies that are symphonies in all but name - Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra an obvious example. Reflexions sonores therefore are unlikely to be included therefore.

[Alison]

Feeling a bit of a stick in the mud listening to LNOP. What a strange affair it is !

Looking forward to a re- run of the Howard Skempton piece at midnight which was cut off prematurely last year.

Good stuff Roehre and Petrushka.

[Petrushka]

Feeling a bit of a stick in the mud listening to LNOP. What a strange affair it is !

Looking forward to a re- run of the Howard Skempton piece at midnight which was cut off prematurely last year.

Good stuff Roehre and Petrushka.

The LNOP always seems strange out of context. Incidentally, the Austrian Radio broadcast the Broadway Sound Prom from Aug 27 earlier this evening.

[Demetrius]

To cap off the day (been busy ignoring my town turning into Beirut at war, like every year around this time for some reason), the 3rd Symphony of Roy Harris in a recording that slightly predates my father; it was way more than passable considering. The Symphony gives of a strange asiatic feel, especially in the beginning. sc called it one of the best known american symphonies, its one of at most 3 I encountered; another field to explore (It just doesn't stop )

[Dave2002]

Today:

Mathias:
A Babe is born op.55
Magnificat and Nunc dimittis op.53

Honegger:
Une Cantate de Noël

Arnold:
Song of Simeon op.69

Perotinus:
Viderunt Omnes

Leoninus:
Viderunt Omnes

I just wonder how you got on with the Honegger piece. Last month I was looking for some Christmassy pieces to play to a small group, and came across the Cantate de Noël - Honegger's last work I think - but in the end I found it rather long and maybe tedious. At least it doesn't seem a work to immediately win over many into the "Christmas spirit" - though I recall a rather intricate working of several simultaneous themes at one point. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Chris...ata_(Honegger)

I didn't use it in the end, but we did listen to Charpentier's Midnight Mass and Ryba's Czech Christmas Mass, both of which went down rather well, as did Janáček's Glagolitic Mass which nobody else knew.

[Stanfordian]

Silent Noon - English Songs
Stanford, Quilter, Gurney, Keel, Elwyn-Edwards, Vaughan Williams,
Somervell, Head, Britten, Warlock, Parry, Dunhill;
Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone), Malcolm Martineau (piano)
Recorded 2003/04 Henry Wood Hall, London
On Deutsche Grammophon

Holst:
The Planets, suite for large orchestra
Berliner Philharmoniker/Sir Colin Davis
Recorded 1998 Philharmonie, Berlin
On Philips Classics

Today I’m serving up a day of English music. I have a number of excellent versions of Holst’s The Planets but this will be my first hearing of this account by Sir Colin Davis. A very kind Christmas present off a friend who managed to track me down a used copy.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV248; Part 4 ("For New Year's Day"); Bach Collegium Japan/Suzuki.

Happy New Year, everyone!

[Roehre]

I just wonder how you got on with the Honegger piece. Last month I was looking for some Christmassy pieces to play to a small group, and came across the Cantate de Noël - Honegger's last work I think - but in the end I found it rather long and maybe tedious. At least it doesn't seem a work to immediately win over many into the "Christmas spirit" - though I recall a rather intricate working of several simultaneous themes at one point. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Chris...ata_(Honegger)

It personally took some time to get "into" the work. I think it was the third time that I listened to the Cantata that the Penny dropped. I like it very much, it is since the early eighties "staple" in my Christmas listening. The "problem" IMO is the use of melodies which are very "Christmassy" (with the obvious exception of the De Profundis with which the cantata starts), but with the exception of Es ist ein Reis entsprungen and Silent Night are not very well known nowadays.
The Laudate Dominum has disappeared from (Catholic) services since Vaticanum II e.g. This in combination with the ingenious elaboration and counterpoint make it a "difficult" piece at first hearing. As far as the closing pages are concerned, the hinting at the melodies heard before gives me the feeling of a Hollywood-kind of ending a film, the music accompanying the end titles of a film.
I like the piece very much, but I do appreciate that it is not giving away its intricacies at first hearing(s).

[Thropplenoggin]

Shostakovich:
String Quartet No. 4 - Pacifica Quartet

A new work to me (as is all of Shostakovich), but I've had this on repeat for several days now. What AMcG would call "incisive" playing - "vibrant", "fizzing", "deeply lyrical", etc. The sound is superb, too. A future purchase for February, since January is set to be a purchase-free month.

Great artwork, too:

[Stanfordian]

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 4 played by the Pacifica Quartet. A new work to me (as is all of Shostakovich), but I've had this on repeat for several days now. What AMcG would call "incisive" playing - "vibrant", "fizzing", etc. The sound is superb, too. A future purchase for February, since January is set to be a purchase-free month.

Great artwork, too:

Happy New Year Thropplenoggin,
I've been enjoying the two volumes of the complete Shostakovich cycle of string quartets from the Pacifica on Cedille. I like the way they have been including a quartet in each volume by a Shostakovich contemporary. I have enjoyed their complete Mendelssohn quartet cycle on Cedille from 2005 and the Elliott Carter quartet cycle on Naxos. The Pacifica has become an exceptional quartet on the world stage.

[Bryn]

Happy New Year Thropplenoggin,
I've been enjoying the two volumes of the complete Shostakovich cycle of string quartets from the Pacifica on Cedille. I like the way they have been including a quartet in each volume by a Shostakovich contemporary. I have enjoyed their complete Mendelssohn quartet cycle on Cedille from 2005 and the Elliott Carter quartet cycle on Naxos. The Pacifica has become an exceptional quartet on the world stage.

I have much appreciated their Carter recordings, so in the light of recent comments here have just placed orders for Volumes 1 and 2. What reviews I have found have been very positive.