New releases

[Pulcinella]

This is now available to stream. Hoping to give it a listen this weekend.

Lined up in the queue for later.

[Bryn]

Lined up in the queue for later.

Good to find that it's the Sextet version of Verklärte Nacht.

[edashtav]

[…]
Also looking forward to a new Isabelle Faust CD of the Schoenberg VC and Verklarte Nacht, but its not available yet. Keeps busy, doesn’t she ?[/QUOTE]

Isabelle works night and day by the look of it.
To be serious, the world of music needs a fresh interpretation of the VC.

[Pulcinella]

...
To be serious, the world of music needs a fresh interpretation of the VC.

I need a period of total immersion in it, I think: never really got on with it.
I have Pierre Amoyal/LSO/Boulez (1986 recording, it says).

[Bryn]

[…]
Also looking forward to a new Isabelle Faust CD of the Schoenberg VC and Verklarte Nacht, but its not available yet. Keeps busy, doesn’t she ?

Isabelle works night and day by the look of it.
To be serious, the world of music needs a fresh interpretation of the VC.[/QUOTE]

As Pulcinella mentions, it's available for HD streaming (QOBUZ) already. Listened to it this morning. Now Mozart's last three symphonies (Ensemble Resonanz, Riccasrdo Minasi), also made available for streaming today.

[Bryn]

I need a period of total immersion in it, I think: never really got on with it.
I have Pierre Amoyal/LSO/Boulez (1986 recording, it says).

The Hilary Hahn was pretty spectacular but this new release is, if anything, even more to my taste.

[gurnemanz]

The Divine Muse. Mary Bevan and Joseph Middleton. The Wolf song that was previewed on Record Review was very lovely, and Mark Pullinger gives it a rave review in Gramophone. Not heard from him on the forum for a long time.

Thanks for the tip - I am always interested in thoughtfully assembled recital discs and have just listened to the Mary Bevan disc on Spotify. Beautifully done. Lovely quiet control on Wolf's superb Wie glänzt der helle Mond - a dying old woman dreams of heaven. (Wolf the atheist knew she was deluded.) I have this song sung by Mary B on another fine Wolf disc from Stone Records which I acquired in completist mode for the rarely heard early songs included.

[Barbirollians]

The Hilary Hahn was pretty spectacular but this new release is, if anything, even more to my taste.

The Hahn is marvellous ( I think I described it on here as a performance where one can hear the roses rather than just the thorns) I am not sure I need another.

Talking of new releases the Grosvenor/Chan - Chopin Piano Concertos recording living up to its plaudits on first hearing of the First Concerto. Living up to Pollini/Kletzki territory. The slow movement is stunningly beautiful.

[edashtav]

The Hilary Hahn was pretty spectacular but this new release is, if anything, even more to my taste.

I live in the sticks and can't get sufficient bandwidth to make use of QOBOZ streaming so I must wait awhile, but no,
Hilary Hahn caught me looking the other way. Thanks for the tip, Bryn.

[Pulcinella]

I live in the sticks and can't get sufficient bandwidth to make use of QOBOZ streaming so I must wait awhile, but no,
Hilary Hahn caught me looking the other way. Thanks for the tip, Bryn.

I'm listening via Deezer on my Sonos system.
Just found the Hahn for later too.

PS: Just doing some background reading, from Michael Steinberg's book The Concerto.

One sentence doesn't make sense to me:

The instrumentation is big, much bigger in fact that in most concertos somewhat idiosyncratic in distribution, but still within the framework of the "normal." [sic]

Even if 'that' is a typo for 'than' it doesn't seem right.

But the next two sentences might be interesting (though those that know the piece will no doubt know this):

One of his choices here (but not only here) is to avoid octave doublings, meaning that if, for example, middle C occurs in a chord, there will be no lower or higher C in the same chord. This gives to each single sound and to each simultaneous stack of sounds a striking sharpness and singularity of profile.

[Zucchini]

Talking of new releases the Grosvenor/Chan - Chopin Piano Concertos recording living up to its plaudits on first hearing ...

Over the past year or so, I've heard/seen the concertos played by Jan Lisieki, Rafal Blechacz and Eric Lu. I wanted to hear these three - just happened they all played Chopin.

All excellent - Blechacz CBSO/Mirga a pretty easy 'winner' - breathtakingly supple, subtle and absolutely gorgeous.(Lisieki a little stiff, Lu a prodigious talent)


PS Mirga's pregnant again; due August. What a muddle for Stephen Maddock & CBSO to sort out. There's a US tour booked for October & it's Mirga they want!

[jayne lee wilson]

"EINE EINZIGE GROSSE SYMPHONIE IN DREI EPISODEN"
A SINGLE, LARGE-SCALE SYMPHONY IN THREE EPISODES.... the notes say about this latest Ensemble Resonanz Mozart 39-41....

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/mozart-symphonies-nos-39-40-41-jupiter-ensemble-resonanz-and-riccardo-minasi/r32scmh0o5l9a

I guess its catching on....!
Small orchestra/HIPPS-moderne, sounds promising on brief sample, but there's still Savall and a Japanese issue Jacobs to....work through yet.....
...and the Bergen/Dausgaard Bruckner 6...SACD just here........amazing start to the year.

But for me its wellies on, back out in the mud....that other therapy....two large Broom Bushes, years old, just came out at the drowned roots, knives from melted butter..... and growing season is nearly here....

[ahinton]

Two major new releases of piano works by Sorabji, both world première recordings and both on the Dutch Piano Classics label:

Sequentia Cyclica super Dies Iræ (1948-49)
Jonathan Powell
7-CD box set
PCL10206

This has already attracted very positive reviews.

Toccata Seconda (1933-34)
Abel Sánchez-Aguilera
2-CD box set
PCL10205

No reviews yet as the official release date is mid-March.

Fabulous performances both!

Further information by writing to sorabji.archive@gmail.com .

[Lion-of-Vienna]

I notice that Sorabji's Toccata Seconda has just appeared on Naxos Music Library. You will need two and a half hours to spare if you want to hear it.

[Barbirollians]

The Grosvenor/Chan performance of the much maligned Second Chopin Concerto is pretty stunning too . It is as if hearing these pieces entirely anew and Chan and the RSNO make far more of the accompaniment than most. Highly recommended .