What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[Joseph K]

Beethoven op. 59 no. 2 - Tokyo Quartet

[jayne lee wilson]

Pierre Boulez. cumming it's der dichter, 2nd version. 1986. Livre pour cordes. Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna.

This is Disc 7 of Deutsche Grammophon's COMPLETE WORKS OF PIERRE BOULEZ.

Very unpredictable music. The problem is, for me, is that if one lets the disc play then the works just run into one another, although the tracks between the works are so short I wonder if that's what the recording company wants.

Don't Quad do track programming then...?
I do love the Cummings piece - perhaps the Boulez work I feel fondest of among many glittering, sweeping creations; this one hangs in space so beautifully... (in a cosmic mood today...)....
Lovely story about how it got its name too.

[pastoralguy]

Don't Quad do track programming then...?
I do love the Cummings piece - perhaps the Boulez work I feel fondest of among many glittering, sweeping creations; this one hangs in space so beautifully... (in a cosmic mood today...)...
Lovely story about how it got its name too.

Oh yes! However, if I take my glasses off and close my eyes I can't read the display. I'm trying to persuade Mrs. PG that this music bears careful listening but she's not having it! What I love is the sheer, apparent, randomness of it.

[Joseph K]

Oh yes! However, if I take my glasses off and close my eyes I can't read the display. I'm trying to persuade Mrs. PG that this music bears careful listening but she's not having it! What I love is the sheer, apparent, randomness of it.

The orchestral Notations are dazzling and kaleidoscopic.

[Stanfordian]

Verdi Arias - Renata Scotto - Ileana Cotrubas
La battaglia di Legano, Othello, I vespri siciliani, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Nabucco, I Lombardi, La forza del destino
Renata Scotto (soprano)
London Philharmonic Orchestra / Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Recorded 1974 St. Peter’s Church, Morden, Surrey
Ileana Cotrubas (soprano)
New Philharmonia Orchestra / Sir John Pritchard
Recorded 1976 Henry Wood Hall, London
Sony Classical

Stravinsky
Symphony in Three Movements
Symphony of Psalms
Symphony in C
Rundfunkchor Berlin (Psalms)
Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded 2007, Philharmonie, Berlin
EMI Classics

[cloughie]

Pierre Boulez. cumming it's der dichter, 2nd version. 1986. Livre pour cordes. Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna.

This is Disc 7 of Deutsche Grammophon's COMPLETE WORKS OF PIERRE BOULEZ.

Very unpredictable music. The problem is, for me, is that if one lets the disc play then the works just run into one another, although the tracks between the works are so short I wonder if that's what the recording company wants.

Was it what Boulez wanted?

[pastoralguy]

Was it what Boulez wanted?

Alas, I suspect we'll never know. I suppose it's our privilege to listen to Boulez's music as we wish. Listening with scores or doing ironing, that's our choice.

[pastoralguy]

The orchestral Notations are dazzling and kaleidoscopic.

Thanks. I'll put them on tonight.

[BBMmk2]

Jacques Ibert
Escales
Ravel
Rapsodie Espagnole
Alborada del Gracioso
Pavane pour une Infante Défunte
La Valse; Le Tombeau de Couperin
Detroit SO, Paul Paray

[Stanfordian]

Pierre Boulez. cumming it's der dichter, 2nd version. 1986. Livre pour cordes. Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna.

This is Disc 7 of Deutsche Grammophon's COMPLETE WORKS OF PIERRE BOULEZ.

Very unpredictable music. The problem is, for me, is that if one lets the disc play then the works just run into one another, although the tracks between the works are so short I wonder if that's what the recording company wants.

Last September I attended a concert at Berlin that included Boulez's 'cumming it's der dichter' performed by ChorWerk Ruhr, Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by George Benjamin. Although not without its challenges 'Cummings ist der Dichter' feels like one of Boulez’s most approachable works and I thought it was stunning.

[BBMmk2]

Jacques Ibert
Escales
Ravel
Rapsodie Espagnole
Alborada del Gracioso
Pavane pour une Infante Défunte
La Valse; Le Tombeau de Couperin
Detroit SO, Paul Paray

Paul Paray conducts Dances of Death
Liszt Mephisto Waltz No.1
Weber invitation to the Dance
Saint-Saens Dance Macabre
Richard Strauss Dance of the Seven Veils
Florent Schmitt Tragodié de Salomé
Detroit SO
Paul Paray.

[pastoralguy]

Last September I attended a concert at Berlin that included Boulez's 'cumming it's der dichter' performed by ChorWerk Ruhr, Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by George Benjamin. Although not without its challenges 'Cummings ist der Dichter' feels like one of Boulez’s most approachable works and I thought it was stunning.

I'll certainly be looking out for performances of Boulez's works in the future. I did hear him conducting the Ensemble Intercomtemporan at the Edinburgh Festival circa 1988/89. I was more impressed with the playing than the music but it was still terrific to see Boulez in the flesh.

[DublinJimbo]

BEETHOVEN

Fantasia in C minor for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra op. 80 (Choral Fantasy)
Bertrand Chamayou (piano), Sandrine Piau (soprano), Anaik Mirel (contralto), Stanislas de Baerbeyrac (tenor), Florian Sempey (baritone), Accentus

Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C major op. 56 (Triple Concerto)
Alexandra Conunova (violin), Natalie Clein (cello), David Kadouch (piano)

Insula Orchestra / Laurence Equilbey

Superb! Another release to add to the best-of-year list. Wonderfully characterful sound from the restored 1892 Pleyel piano, and tremendously committed contributions from all the soloists and the always wonderful Accentus and Insula Orchestra. Issued as part of the Insula Orchestra's preparations for the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth in 2020.

[Stanfordian]

Delius
Brigg Fair - An English Rhapsody
In a Summer Garden
Appalachia - American Rhapsody
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
Summer Night on the River
A Song Before Sunrise
Intermezzo and Serenade from Hassan*
La Calinda from Koanga
Late Swallows (arr. Fenby)
Intermezzo from Fennimore and Gerda (arr. Fenby)
Walk to the Paradise Garden from A Village Romeo and Juliet (arr. Beecham)
Irmelin Prelude
A Song of Summer
Alun Jenkins (baritone), Robert Tear (tenor)
Ambrosian Singers
Hallé Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli
LSO* / Sir John Barbirolli
Recorded 1955-1970, Kingsway Hall, Abbey Road, London; Free Trade hall, Manchester
EMI Classics

Holbrooke
String Quartet No. 1
String Quartet No. 2
Song of the Bottle (from Folk Song Suite No. 2 Op. 72, No. 2)
Eileen Shona for clarinet and string quartet
The Last Rose of Summer & Mavourneen Deelish for string quartet from Folk Song Suite No. 1
Clarinet Quintet Op. 27
The Rasumovsky Quartet
Richards Hosford (clarinet)
Recorded 2002 Bancroft's School, Woodford, Essex
Dutton Epoch

[visualnickmos]

Once again, prompted by the forthcoming BaL:

Brahms
Cello sonatas nos. 1&2
Emil Klein (cello) Wolfgang Manz (piano)

Rec. 1996, Arte Nova

I'm very fond of this recording; the players don't 'milk it' or over-play - the music flows at a very satisfactory pace throughout,.
I doubt it will get a mention tomorrow, but IMVVHO it is a very good performance - perhaps a tad too closely miked, but nothing to really complain about.