What are you listening to now - I ?

[Hitch]

Beethoven - Fruhling/Spring Sonata. I feel better already.

[Petrushka]

Giving myself a rest from VW, so starting out on my first hearing of Elgar’s 1^st Symphony, with Barbirolli.

What a “nobilmente” theme! I understand that Elgar had originally intended a dedication to General Gordon, but I understand that this symphony is not it.

Still a great theme to open a work with, though!

Mario

Not only is it a great theme to open the symphony it also permeates the entire work with just about every theme in the piece derived from it. If you are new to the Elgar 1 you will be astonished and enthralled to find those transformations. My own favourites are the theme of the scherzo gradually slowing down to form, note for note, the wondrous theme of the slow movement while one of the most enthralling transformations in all music is that of the opening 'stalking' motive of the finale becoming the glorious string melody later on. Both are, of course, variants of the opening nobilmente theme.

Elgar considered a symphony about General Gordon but never composed it. Most of the material for it appears to have found its way into the 2nd Symphony.

[Roehre]

Today:

Liszt:
Mélodies hongroises d’après Fr. Schubert S.425

Schubert (arr.Liszt):
Die Rose op.73/D.745 S.556 (1822/1833)
Der Gondelfahrer op.28/ D.809 S.559 (1824/1883)

Schubert (arr.Zender):
Der Gondelfahrer op.28/ D.809 (1824/1986)

Maxwell Davies:
Naxos-string-quartet no.3 „Iraq-invasion“ (2003)

[Auferstehen2]

Not only is it a great theme to open the symphony it also permeates the entire work with just about every theme in the piece derived from it. If you are new to the Elgar 1 you will be astonished and enthralled to find those transformations. My own favourites are the theme of the scherzo gradually slowing down to form, note for note, the wondrous theme of the slow movement while one of the most enthralling transformations in all music is that of the opening 'stalking' motive of the finale becoming the glorious string melody later on. Both are, of course, variants of the opening nobilmente theme.

Elgar considered a symphony about General Gordon but never composed it. Most of the material for it appears to have found its way into the 2nd Symphony.

Thanks for this Petrushka! I've just obtained the score, so I'm going to follow your analysis meticulously.

Mario

[BBMmk2]

A niece of mine plays with the Kensington SO, and they gave a superb concert last Monday,apperrantly. Anyone heard of the composer Richard Ayres?

[Roehre]

Anyone heard of the composer Richard Ayres?

A work of his was selected at the Gaudeamus festival in 1992 (IIRC a work called [A] Penny o'[FA] ).
His work untitled appeared on a CD of the (Dutch) Ives Ensemble.
Haven't heard any more recent works of his, but definitely an interesting composer.

[EdgeleyRob]

Brahms sextet no1 / Mendelssohn Octet (radio 3 now).
Later some loud rock music(maybe Black Sabbath) as I have a day off today and the house to myself (joy).

[BBMmk2]

Brahms sextet no1 / Mendelssohn Octet (radio 3 now).
Later some loud rock music(maybe Black Sabbath) as I have a day off today and the house to myself (joy).

Oh, how I wish!!

[Roehre]

Liszt:
Sorées de Vienne – Valses-Caprices d‘après Fr.Schubert S.427 (1852)

Maxwell Davies:
Naxos-string-quartet no.4 (2004)

[BBMmk2]

Thank you Roehre for that information!!!

I didnt have time for music yesterday!! A busy day at work! Prize Giving!

Today I hope to have on:-

Haydn: Symphonies, Nos 96, "Miracle"; No.102; 103, "Drum Roll". Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis.

'The Three Elizabeths': Golden Jubilee Edition.Featuring music from Elikzasbeth's 1st time to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and our present Queen Elizabeth II. (From the Naxos label)

Zelenka: Tri Sonatas Nos.3-6. CoE Soloists.

[EdgeleyRob]

Beethovwn op 31 sonatas / Kempff

Shostakovich 4th symphony / NSO Rostropovich (only just getting to know nos 1 to 4 and what great pieces they are!)

[Ventilhorn]

What Are You Listening to Now?

This afternoon (rather than suffer the screams and groans of Ladies' Tennis)

Rachmaninnof Piano concerto Nº 2. in C minor

Alexis Weisenberg with the Berlin Philharmonic cond. Herbert von Karajan on Sky Arts 2 (1974 performance)

Ravishing string sound, far superior to the present day Berlin Symphony Orchestra. (I didn't notice any ladies in the orchestra but times have moved on since then)

Earlier today:

Brahms: Violin concerto.

Gil Shaham (my favourite) with Claudio Abbado conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. On a video cassette recorded off Sky Arts 2 in around 2007.

Beautifully played and with excellent camera work in close-ups. (Watch the perspiration running all over that valuable Stradivarius)

[Roehre]

Today:

JSBach:
Goldberg-variations BWV 988
Freddy Kempf / this month’s BBC MM CD. Not really a bad performance , but why those accelerations? Overall not an example of clarity either. Looks a bit unbalanced and unripe to me.

Rachmaninov:
Transcriptions (RimskyKorsakov/Schubert/Kreisler/Bizet/Bach/Mendelssohn/Tchaikovsky)

Maxwell Davies;
Naxos-string-quartet no.5 “Lighthouses of Orkney and Shetland” (2004/’05)

Mason:
Lighthouses of England and Wales (1988)

[Dave2002]

Langgaard Symphony 16 Sun Deluge Dausgaard.

Hard to describe this. Quite full orchestration, and sounds a bit like Strauss in places, but not heavy. I guess not much happens. The elegy movement (4) provides a welcome change from the themes used in the first few movements. Odd titles for the movements. The 3rd movement is called Punishment Dance, but doesn't sound too strenuous, and uses the themes already stated.

Some other pieces by Langgaard may be more effective, such as Sfinx and the dramatic Hvidbjerg-Drapa which also features a choral contribution with organ, and Res Absurda!?

[salymap]

Last night Schubert Piano Sonata in Bb, D960 and three Impromptus, D946 played by Alfred Brendel

That sonata never loses its magic for me.