What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? IV

[smittims]

I agree with you, MasterJaques. The continual move towards precision, which characterised 20th-century performance, was not all gain. As early as 1948 critics were noting that something was being lost. A good example , I think, is the 1967 Klemperer EMI recording of Petrushka, which was not issued by EMI at the time because of imprecisions in the playing. Since then Testament editors have re-examined all the takes of it and produced a CD which is , to my ears, closer to the spirit of the work than some of the needle-sharp renditions I've heard, impressive though they may be. And let's not forget that Stravinsky publicly praised the early recordings of the work by Monteux and himself as being examples of how he wanted his music played, even though, to modern ears, they are very slack in ensemble.

My choice this mornig: Debussy: La Demoiselle elue
Berlioz: Les Nuits d'ete.

Victoria de los Angeles, the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch, 1955 RCA Victor.

These are very beautiful performances which so far as I am aware have had very little circulatuon since their first issue in the USA.

[Dave2002]

Having spotted a "bargain" [see Bargain thread] at Presto, I noticed some CDs by composers and artists I'd never heard of.

One is Rhené-Baton - so I might buy that collection.

However here is Rhené-Baton's Op 31 Trio - which is rather good:

https://youtu.be/Bwut9_NmPkQ?si=eMn6usAiEdOtD4b_

[richardfinegold]

Brahms
Piano Trios 1-3
Renaud Capucon, Gautier Capucon & Nicholas Angelich
Recorded 2003 Auditorium de la Cite dea Arts, Chambery
Virgin Classics, CD

Magdalena Kožená – Handel – Arias
Arias from Alcina, Hercules, Agrippina, Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Joshua,
Ariodante, Theodora, Amadigi di Gaula, Orlando, Ariodante & Rinaldo
Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano)
Venice Baroque Orchestra / Andrea Marcon
Recorded 2006, Gustav Mahler Saal, Kulturzentrum Grand Hotel, Toblach
Archiv Produktion, CD

I'm surprised that this (Brahms) recording dates back to 2003. Did these same forces make a more recent recording?

[Stanfordian]

I'm surprised that this (Brahms) recording dates back to 2003. Did these same forces make a more recent recording?

Hiya richardfinegold,

The information I gave is correct. It was recorded in 2003 and the Virgin Classics CD was released in 2004. PM sent.

[Serial_Apologist]

G.F. Malipiero: Violin Concerto (1932)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5zWH09MTrI

My favourite work by a very favourite composer, the severe archaisms and modal idiom has surprisingly much in common with some of Vaughan Williams' folk song settings, eg Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, notwithstanding the aesthetic gulf between the two composers. The unaccompanied cadenza near the end, alternating plainsong and folk-type gestures, and the subsequent sequence of modulations, are especially moving, I think.

[edashtav]

G.F. Malipiero: Violin Concerto (1932)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5zWH09MTrI

My favourite work by a very favourite composer, the severe archaisms and modal idiom has surprisingly much in common with some of Vaughan Williams' folk song settings, eg Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, notwithstanding the aesthetic gulf between the two composers. The unaccompanied cadenza near the end, alternating plainsong and folk-type gestures, and the subsequent sequence of modulations, are especially moving, I think.

I must follow your link.

[Dave2002]

How on earth does one perform this piece?

Curious - but I'm listening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpbxxbQccIY

[Dave2002]

Maybe this explains some graphic scores - see

https://youtu.be/oGxS6YnYmfg?si=di4t8QWB6fIyMnsI

[smittims]

I think one is supposed to study the diagram, think about it and use one's imagination. I know it's easy to scoff, but it wasn't so unusual at the time. There's a lovely story about Stockhausen rehearsing the BBC Symphony Orchestra in one of his 'Seven Days' pieces ('Set Sails for the Sun' perhaps) . The score consisted of an instruction, something like (I'm quoting from memory) 'hold a note until you are making it in the rhythm of the universe'. One of the players asked him 'how will I know when I am making the note in the rhythm of the universe?' and Stockhausen said 'I will tell you'.

I was interested in Haubenstock-Ramati in the 1970s and would have liked to study with him. I ran a music improvisation group at the time and we had a lot of fun playing this sort of music.

Thanks, Dave for the link to the Spock video. I found that useful.

[Stanfordian]

Marcelo Álvarez – '20 Years on the Opera Stage'
Arias from Giordano, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Puccini, Gomes, Halévy, Cilea, Zandonai, Massenet
Marcelo Álvarez (tenor)
St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra / Constantine Orbelian
Recorded 2014, Studio No. 5, St. Petersburg Radio, Russia
Delos, CD

Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K459
Piano Concerto No. 18 in B flat major, K456
The Cleveland Orchestra / Mitsuko Uchida (piano & direction)
Recorded Live, 2014 Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Decca Classics, CD

[oliver sudden]

One of the players asked him 'how will I know when I am making the note in the rhythm of the universe?' and Stockhausen said 'I will tell you'.

Perfect Stockhausen! I didn't know that quote, many thanks.

The Sieben Tagen pieces are nicely presented here:

https://stockhausenspace.blogspot.com/2015/03/aus-den-sieben-tagen.html#Anchor%201

[Stanfordian]

Georg Frideric Handel – 'Enchantresses' – Sandrine Piau
Arias from operas Lotario, Rinaldo, Giulio Cesare, Amadigi di Gaula, Alcina and cantata Lucrezia
Sandrine Piau (soprano),
Les Paladins / Jérôme Correas (direction)
Recorded 2020 Théâtre de Poissy, France
Alpha Classics, CD

[smittims]

Matthew Taylor: Viola Concerto .

Malcolm Hayes: Byzantium

...two living (at least, I hope they're still living!) composers who in my opinion don't get enough air-time, but whose music is far better in my view than that of the BBC darlings who are on almost every week.

Matthew Taylor is also a conductor, among other things of the Hyperion CD of Bob Simpson's last symphony. He too has written a fine symphony .
The Hayes is a symphonic poem based, presumably , on Yeats' poem . Very atmospheric and beautiful .

[Stanfordian]

Gioacchino Rossini
'Elisabetta regina d’Inghilterra' – opera in two acts
(prem. 1815 Teatro San Carlo, Naples)
Jennifer Larmore, Bruce Ford, Majella Cullagh, Manuela Custer, Antonino Siragusa, Colin Lee
The Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra / Giuliano Carella
Recorded 2002 St, Clement's Church, London
Opera Rara, 3 CDs

[AuntDaisy]

"English Royal Funeral Music", Lionel Meunier, Vox Luminis - a glorious selection of music, esp. the Purcell.
I was listening to a play called "A Sad Pavan for these distracted Times" and wanted to hear the Tomkins again...