What is your current Record of the Week ?

[Richard Barrett]

This week, volume one of the String Quartets of Jurg FREY

Very interesting, I must get that. For me Jürg Frey is really the most interesting of the Wandelweiser group of composers; some of the others can be a bit precious for my liking but his work seems to me to have real substance despite its tenuousness, if that makes sense.

[teamsaint]

here is the second Quartet.

https://soundcloud.com/quatuor-bozzini/j-rg-frey-streichquartett-ii

IIRC, Ferney ( but it may have been somebody else) pointed us in the direction of some of his other work, possibly Extended Circular Music, a while back.

[Barbirollians]

Schubert D887 Belcea Quartet

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Very interesting, I must get that. For me Jürg Frey is really the most interesting of the Wandelweiser group of composers; some of the others can be a bit precious for my liking but his work seems to me to have real substance despite its tenuousness, if that makes sense.

It does to me - I have referred in the past to the "albatross" aspect of the Music: not in the sense that it gets hung round your neck, but that a single gesture "carries" the Music over huge stretches of silence. (As contrasted to "bumblebee" composers who flap around energetically staggering from one place to another - and occasionally creating honey.)

ts - I have waxed lyrical on the Forum about Frey when I first encountered it at HCMF 2015, but not about Extended Circular Music, which wasn't featured in those concerts.

[ahinton]

Mendelssohn: String Quartet in f minor, Op 80; the Sharon 4tet; BRILLIANT Classics.

The one that starts like a cross between Schubert's Quartetsatz and the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes theme. One of Mendelssohn's best pieces in a very good performance.

One of? THE best, by a mile, methinks! OK, its roots in Beethoven's Op. 95 in the same key are not especially carefully concealed, although the Beethoven ends positively in F major whereas the Mendelssohn seems hell bent on pursuing anger and tragedy until its final bar. I know of nothing else in Mendelssohn that touches this phenomenal work (it is unique in his output), although there's no denying the exquisite craftsmanship and engaging qualities of his other quartets. I don;t know that recording but I'd give a lot more than I have to attend a live performance of that work by Quatuor Diotima! I remember a fantastic performance of it many years ago by the Mistry Quartet in their early days.

[teamsaint]

It does to me - I have referred in the past to the "albatross" aspect of the Music: not in the sense that it gets hung round your neck, but that a single gesture "carries" the Music over huge stretches of silence. (As contrasted to "bumblebee" composers who flap around energetically staggering from one place to another - and occasionally creating honey.)

ts - I have waxed lyrical on the Forum about Frey when I first encountered it at HCMF 2015, but not about Extended Circular Music, which wasn't featured in those concerts.

As yes, my bad. What it was, was, you were extolling the virtues of the 2nd Quartet, and also this, http://www.wandelweiser.de/_e-w-reco...e/ewr1507.html on another thread, and I found the CD that includes Extended Circular Music on spotty.

Is all.

Anyway, enjoyed the 2nd Quartet , so thanks very much for that.

[EdgeleyRob]

Daniel Jones

String Quartets

Delme Quartet

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Daniel Jones

String Quartets

Delme Quartet

- anyone who relishes the Maconchy 4tets and who doesn't know these works should definitely put them on their "Wish List". Fascinating, genuine works - and the way the composer's language becomes ever more compact and at the same time ever more expressive! Marvellous.

[Bryn]

Prompted by #45, a rather different Wandelweiser release, Cage's Empty Words (10 hours of 320kbps mp3 over two CDs).

[teamsaint]

Zykan Cello Concertos.

Heinrich Schiff et al.

A JLW suggestion, which she hasn’t reported back on as yet, I think.

[Richard Barrett]

Zykan Cello Concertos.

I was a bit shocked to look up Otto Zykan, thinking he would be some bright young thing I hadn't yet come across, only to find his dates were 1935-2006 (and that he died in a cycling accident). That's something else I need to listen to then.

[cloughie]

Zykan Cello Concertos.

Heinrich Schiff et al.

A JLW suggestion, which she hasn’t reported back on as yet, I think.

Listened to the opening of Beethoven’s Cello - sounds interesting!

[Edgy 2]

A couple I can’t stop listening to currently

RVW 7 & 9

RLPO/Manze

(Absolutely stonking 9th)

Prokofiev Sonatas 6,7 & 8/Richter

(Great pianists of the 20th century)

[Alison]

Working my way through the Bychkov Tchaikovsky box. A shade disappointed after the splendour of earlier releases in the series.

The Little Russian completely hangs fire :-(

[jayne lee wilson]

Zykan Cello Concertos.

Heinrich Schiff et al.

A JLW suggestion, which she hasn’t reported back on as yet, I think.

Still pondering..... shame the first is in dynamically-compressed mono (1981...)..... & first-go, I found the last movement challenged my patience...
The Prague RadioServis Martinu Piano Concertos are pretty damn good... more detail on the Martinu thread soon.... but when?
I'm afraid The Real Life is getting in the way again, business-wise and health-wise....

So that glorious adorable Bestion/Monteverdi Vespro is the chief consolation...that is my current, on-repeat everywhere, R-o-t-W... God, how do I love thee.... let me count the ways......