New releases

[teamsaint]

New Asrael , from Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Jakub Hrusa. March 6 release according to some sources.I think this may have got a preview on RR yesterday.

[HighlandDougie]

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 .

Totally concur with Barbs's recommendation. As something of a BG groupie, his poetic playing comes as no surprise but, and I hope that I may be forgiven for being heightist, as a recent convert to the charms of the elfin-like Ms Chan (her 'Pétrouchka' and 'Funeral Song', heard in January in Hong Kong, really were exceptionally good) and as it's the home team doing the orchestral honours, I'm delighted that the combination of soloist, conductor, orchestra and recording team has worked out so well.

[Maclintick]

Also looking forward to a new Isabelle Faust CD of the Schoenberg VC and Verklarte Nacht, but its not available yet.

Caught an excerpt of the sextet (sadly not the whole piece) on last Sat's RR. Absolutely stunning ! & what a line-up -- Tamestit, Queyras, Poltéra -- Waskiewicz & Schreiber new names to me but equally class acts ...Wow !

[pastoralguy]

Caught an excerpt of the sextet (sadly not the whole piece) on last Sat's RR. Absolutely stunning ! & what a line-up -- Tamestit, Queyras, Poltéra -- Waskiewicz & Schrieber new names to me but equally class acts ...Wow !

A birthday present from Mrs. PG! Absolutely superb disc!

[silvestrione]

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 .

It is 'much maligned' is it? I didn't really know that. I've always adored both of them. There's something special about a great artist's youthful, first successful works, something they never recapture even if they surpass them in other ways....

I'm pleased to hear BG has 'groupies'! (e.g. Highland Dougie in another post). There's something charming and self-effacing about him, and he's quietly intelligent and thoughtful. But a real virtuoso, and his own man in whatever he plays. And he's now the spitting image of his Dad when he was young, whom I worked with years ago.

[pastoralguy]

It is 'much maligned' is it? I didn't really know that. I've always adored both of them. There's something special about a great artist's youthful, first successful works, something they never recapture even if they surpass them in other ways....

I'm pleased to hear BG has 'groupies'! (e.g. Highland Dougie in another post). There's something charming and self-effacing about him, and he's quietly intelligent and thoughtful. But a real virtuoso, and his own man in whatever he plays. And he's now the spitting image of his Dad when he was young, whom I worked with years ago.

Yes, there's always a groan when the Chopin Concertos appear! Very uninteresting to play for the the Strings.

[DoctorT]

Caught an excerpt of the sextet (sadly not the whole piece) on last Sat's RR. Absolutely stunning ! & what a line-up -- Tamestit, Queyras, Poltéra -- Waskiewicz & Schreiber new names to me but equally class acts ...Wow !

This caught me unexpectedly on Saturday morning. Much to my surprise, found tears in my eyes

[Barbirollians]

It is 'much maligned' is it? I didn't really know that. I've always adored both of them. There's something special about a great artist's youthful, first successful works, something they never recapture even if they surpass them in other ways....

I'm pleased to hear BG has 'groupies'! (e.g. Highland Dougie in another post). There's something charming and self-effacing about him, and he's quietly intelligent and thoughtful. But a real virtuoso, and his own man in whatever he plays. And he's now the spitting image of his Dad when he was young, whom I worked with years ago.

I was thinking for example of Caliban of this parish.

[richardfinegold]

Has anyone heard the Honeck/Pittsburgh Bruckner 9? It’s received some very superlative reviews here

[Cockney Sparrow]

Has anyone heard the Honeck/Pittsburgh Bruckner 9? It’s received some very superlative reviews here

I see its available on Qobuz, Google Play Music and Naxos ML (latter has the booklet etc - label Reference Recordings). I will put it on my listening list - but apart from sound quality I'm no judge of relative Bruckner performances.

I trust the more informed board members will give you an opinion...........

[jayne lee wilson]

Has anyone heard the Honeck/Pittsburgh Bruckner 9? It’s received some very superlative reviews here

I said this on the Listening thread 15/09/19:

.... Qobuz Studio playback of the 24/192 stream of the Pittsburgh/Honeck Bruckner 9 [.....]
Excellent recorded sound, though the reading was too slow and steady for my current tastes - prefer something more urgent or volatile now. I missed a sense of cathartic mortality at the adagio climax/coda (very slow here...) too.

The recent Luzern/Abbado release on Accentus takes a little less time (25'16 to Honeck's 27'46) but seems to me more compellingly lyrical, urgent and varied in its expression, a lovely flow to it. Not monumental at all. Hard not to prefer those Luzern strings and the orchestral character: old-world Bruckner against new-world, perhaps.
Above all, a keener apprehension of last things... and no wonder; this was Abbado's last concert, on 26/08/13. He died on 20/01/14. The contrast between the stark cut-off of the adagio's climax, and the infinitely gentle coda after the silence, is heartbreaking, as is the sweetly sung intimacy of the 7th/8th Symphony quotes at the end.

[DublinJimbo]

Has anyone heard the Honeck/Pittsburgh Bruckner 9? It’s received some very superlative reviews here

It deserves all the praise. I've already posted about it.

[silvestrione]

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 .

I've listened to this now, and couldn't agree more! It's enthralling, poetic and thoughtful/exploratory, and some of the pianism does take your breath away, e.g. 1st movement development...I love the slow movement, and in the declamatory central section he's quite different from my other favourites, Argerich and Rubinstein/Ormandy, but no less convincing.

[BBMmk2]

I said this on the Listening thread 15/09/19:

.... Qobuz Studio playback of the 24/192 stream of the Pittsburgh/Honeck Bruckner 9 [.....]
Excellent recorded sound, though the reading was too slow and steady for my current tastes - prefer something more urgent or volatile now. I missed a sense of cathartic mortality at the adagio climax/coda (very slow here...) too.

The recent Luzern/Abbado release on Accentus takes a little less time (25'16 to Honeck's 27'46) but seems to me more compellingly lyrical, urgent and varied in its expression, a lovely flow to it. Not monumental at all. Hard not to prefer those Luzern strings and the orchestral character: old-world Bruckner against new-world, perhaps.
Above all, a keener apprehension of last things... and no wonder; this was Abbado's last concert, on 26/08/13. He died on 20/01/14. The contrast between the stark cut-off of the adagio's climax, and the infinitely gentle coda after the silence, is heartbreaking, as is the sweetly sung intimacy of the 7th/8th Symphony quotes at the end.

My favourite combination, Lucerne and Abbado.

[richardfinegold]

I said this on the Listening thread 15/09/19:

.... Qobuz Studio playback of the 24/192 stream of the Pittsburgh/Honeck Bruckner 9 [.....]
Excellent recorded sound, though the reading was too slow and steady for my current tastes - prefer something more urgent or volatile now. I missed a sense of cathartic mortality at the adagio climax/coda (very slow here...) too.

The recent Luzern/Abbado release on Accentus takes a little less time (25'16 to Honeck's 27'46) but seems to me more compellingly lyrical, urgent and varied in its expression, a lovely flow to it. Not monumental at all. Hard not to prefer those Luzern strings and the orchestral character: old-world Bruckner against new-world, perhaps.
Above all, a keener apprehension of last things... and no wonder; this was Abbado's last concert, on 26/08/13. He died on 20/01/14. The contrast between the stark cut-off of the adagio's climax, and the infinitely gentle coda after the silence, is heartbreaking, as is the sweetly sung intimacy of the 7th/8th Symphony quotes at the end.

The Honeck B9 arrived, and I’ve listened once. It is superlatively played and recorded. I didn’t find the finale as sounding slow. There are times where it feels contemplative, others appropriately powerful and mystical.