What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[Serial_Apologist]

That's right. More recently they've started a series of discs covering the concertos for one and two harpsichords and the three violin concertos (leaving out speculative reconstructions from the harpsichord concertos, but OK). The first volume is excellent.

However, I seem to be much concerned with Bartók at the moment. So far: the Piano Sonata (Kocsis), Divertimento (Boulez), Dance Suite (Fischer), and now, for the second time, the Sonata for two pianos and percussion (Kontarskys & friends). What's next? I ought really to get stuck into the piano music, most of which I don't know, but this seems like a massive task for another time.

Very interesting to compare the differences between Bartok's writing for the piano and for the strings. I would recommend Bartok's own performances of his piano music, assuming they are available.

[RichardB]

I would recommend Bartok's own performances of his piano music, assuming they are available.

I'm very happy with the way that Zoltán Kocsis plays them, and though no doubt Bartók's own performances are highly enlightening, I find it a bit laborious to listen to "historical" recordings, they don't really fire my imagination that much.

I then listened to the Four Pieces for orchestra, one of my favourite Bartók pieces, followed by the first three movements of the Concerto for Orchestra but then I got a bit restless and gave a long-promised listen to Yoel Gamzou's realisation of Mahler 10, one of the more ambitious endeavours of this kind, in that it begins to add material from the first movement onwards, which I think is entirely legitimate - even though it's more finished than the other movements, it obviously isn't finished in the form in which it's normally performed. Gamzou's realisation goes further than Mazzetti, containing some quite startling moments that will take some getting used to, although I'm not sure I will give myself the chance to do so because the way Gamzou (who also conducts) pulls the tempo around is quite distracting. I hope someone else comes along and records a better balanced and somewhat less hysterical performance of this version, which I think has a great deal of potential, apart from the climactic moment of the last movement, which adds extraneous material that seems to have nothing to do with Mahler at all. The field is still open...

[smittims]

Some of Bartok's own recordings were released in an an excellent EMI transfer in their 'Composers in Person' series, which also included some of his (underrated) songs, beautifully sung.

A more generous selection of his recordings of one-and two pianos was on the 'Magic Talent' series, though sadly the transfers here were somewhat abrasive.

My morning listening was Bruckner's seventh with our old friends the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan : 'his last recording' we are told, though no date is given. 1988 I suppose.

[frankbridge]

Cyril Rootham: Symphony No 2

Scottish Philharmonic Singers / BBC Scottish SO / Tod Handley

Lyrita Itter Broadcast Collection REAM 2118

Wonderful

[gurnemanz]

I very much enjoy the different perspective offered by Bartok's piano version of Concerto for Orchestra. It was intended for use in rehearsals for a proposed ballet in New York in 1944. The ballet never came about and the score was only discovered in 1985 by the composer's son. The Hungarian pianist, György Sandor, made an excellent recording. https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...te-dance-suite

[Bryn]

I very much enjoy the different perspective offered by Bartok's piano version of Concerto for Orchestra. It was intended for use in rehearsals for a proposed ballet in New York in 1944. The ballet never came about and the score only was only discovered in 1985 by the composer's son. The Hungarian pianist, György Sandor, made an excellent recording. https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...te-dance-suite

Yes, I got that Sandor recording around the time of its release (a review copy diverted via the old Orchesography/Ballet Books in Cecil Court, off Charring Cross Road). It really can help open the ears to detail easily missed in the full orchestral scoring. Sandor's Bartok recordings make a good complement to the Kocsis survey.

[BBMmk2]

Further listening today, from Warner’s rather good Dvorak box set.

Antonin Dvorák The Slavonic Soul
CD 8
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op104 B191
(Mstislav Rostropovich, cello
Rondo in G minor for Cello & Orchestra, Op.94 B181
(Paul Tortelier, cello,
London Philharmonic Orchestra
André Previn)
Silent Woods, for cello & Orchestra, Op.68/5 B182
(Jacqueline du Pré, cello,
Chicago Symphony Orchestra,
Daniel Barenboim)
CD 9
Violin Concerto in A minor, Op.53 B108
Romance for Violin & Orchestra Op.11 B39
(Itzhak Perlman, violin,
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim)
CD 10
Piano Concerto in G minor, Op.33 B63 *
The Golden Spinning Wheel, 109 B197
(* Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano,
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Nikolaus Harnoncourt)
CD 11
The Water Goblin, Op.107, B195
The Noon Witch, Op.108, B194
The Wild Dove, Op.105 B198
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Nikolai Harnoncourt)
CD 12
Nature, Life & Love
(Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Libor Pešek)
Slavonic Rhapsodies, Op.45, B86 No.1-3
(Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Vaclav Neumann)

[Stanfordian]

‘Shapeshifter’ – Music of Erwin Schulhoff
Concerto for piano and small orchestra, Op.43 (1913)
Five pieces for string quartet (1923)
Suite for piano, left hand (1926)
Sonata No. 2 for violin & piano (1927)
Susi, for piano (1937)
RVC Ensemble/James Conlon
Dominic Cheli (piano)
Gallia Kastner (violin), Adam Millstein (violin),
Cara Pogossian (viola) & Ben Solomonow (cello)
Recorded 2020/21 Colburn School, Los Angeles
Delos, recent CD

[JasonPalmer]

A cd of music by Schumann that is from BBC music magazine, think I found it in a charity shop. Mentions radio 3 new generation artists on the back. Can't be bothered to type up all the details like you all do.

[ChandlersFord]

Carmina Burana - NPO/Fruhbeck de Burgos: the charity shop purchase I mentioned elsewhere.

This is a very good version, indeed - at least as good as the staple recommendation Jochum, I’d say. Excellent wide-ranging stereo recording, which sounds amazing for 1965 (but then, recordings from the analogue era have held up a lot better than their equivalents from the early digital era).

[Pulcinella]

Carmina Burana - NPO/Fruhbeck de Burgos: the charity shop purchase I mentioned elsewhere.

This is a very good version, indeed - at least as good as the staple recommendation Jochum, I’d say. Excellent wide-ranging stereo recording, which sounds amazing for 1965 (but then, recordings from the analogue era have held up a lot better than their equivalents from the early digital era).

With the delectable Lucia Popp singing In trutina.

[JasonPalmer]

Enjoying afternoon concert on kitchen radio, son has arrived from home and taken over the home library to watch kids programs on iplayer. Is where I keep the CD player. Oh well. It all good, variety is good. Bit amused that they played an advert for BBC Marie Antionette on iplayer and the host said "or you can stay here and listen to classical music " teee he...wars of persuasion.

[Serial_Apologist]

Enjoying afternoon concert on kitchen radio, son has arrived from home and taken over the home library to watch kids programs on iplayer. Is where I keep the CD player. Oh well. It all good, variety is good. Bit amused that they played an advert for BBC Marie Antionette on iplayer and the host said "or you can stay here and listen to classical music " teee he...wars of persuasion.

I thought you were going to write, "... and eat cake"!

[JasonPalmer]

I thought you were going to write, "... and eat cake"!

I do that the days my wife working in the city, she works from home half the time so more active on housework and other things those days. Also currently mixing radio,cd,posting to find optimal blend. This afternoon concert is good, better than classic fm which was popular classics on repeat.

[JasonPalmer]

Enjoying "in tune", did a forum search for in tune and no thread came up...hesitant to start one after I duplicated the charity shop thread by starting a new one.

This lovely blend of music and music chat superior to those classic fm disc jockeys.