What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[BBMmk2]

I didn't know that Masdaaki Suzuki has recorded The Art of Fugue. Self recommended I am sure!

[Bryn]

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (Christine Cairns, Stockholm.s Boy Choir, Ladies' Choir of the Royal Academy of Music, Sweden, European Community Youth Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy.) 'Live' recording dating from 15 August 1991 at Stokholm's Konserthus. Sounds pretty good, so far. Minor niggle is my old bug-bear of the CD change coming after the third movement rather than the first (Part 1).

[Hmm. Not even the vaguest attempt at observing Mahler's hinaufziehen instruction for oboe and cor anglais in fourth movement. There again, I think it was not until around 5 years after this performance that Rattle re-enacted Berthold Goldschmidt's 1960 observation of the marking, so not that surprising, perhaps.]

[Stanfordian]

I didn't know that Masdaaki Suzuki has recorded The Art of Fugue. Self recommended I am sure!

Hiya Maestro,

This is the 'Musical Offering' not 'The Art of the Fugue'. For BIS evidently Suzuki is working his way through other remaining works that are appropriate to him such as the organ works. He plays the harpsichord here.

Regarding the 'The Art of the Fugue' Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin told me a few years go "I think it was Bach’s confession. I adore this work, it’s like philosophy of life, it’s unbelievable and it’s unfinished too."

[BBMmk2]

Hiya Maestro,

This is the 'Musical Offering' not 'The Art of the Fugue'. For BIS evidently Suzuki is working his way through other remaining works that are appropriate to him such as the organ works. He plays the harpsichord here.

Regarding the 'The Art of the Fugue' Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin told me a few years go "I think it was Bach’s confession. I adore this work, it’s like philosophy of life, it’s unbelievable and it’s unfinished too."

Many thanks Stan!

Although various people have tried to completer it. Thank goodness, imo, that it does remain just that.

Overtures
The force of Destiny(Verdi arr F Wright)
The Beautiful Galathea(Weber arr. G Langford)
Italian Girl in Algiers(Rossini arr Major Peter Parkes)
Light Cavalry(Suppe arr. G Langford)
The Daughter of the Regiment(Donizettti arr. G Langford)
The Black Domino((Auber arr Major Peter Parkes)
Oberron(Weber arr Major Peter Parkes)
Black Dyke Mills Band, David Hirst, Major Peter Parkes.

Bruckner
Symphony No.9.
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Claudio Abbado.

[Alison]

Richard Strauss:

Tod und Verklarung

Aus Italien

Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra
Sebastian Weigle


New orchestra and conductor to me; very enjoyably fresh and stylish performances.
I'll seek out previous releases in this Strauss series. I could imagine Domestica being a thrilling ride.

[Bryn]

I had intended to attend a concert at City University's Performance Space this evening, (Susanne Stanzeleit (violin) & Ian Pace (piano)), but when I came to it did not feel up to the 3 hour journey each way to possibly cough my way through the performances. The concert included two of my favourite violin and piano works, Bartok's 2nd Sonata and Carter's Duo. I will spin the Faust recording of the Bartok later, but for now it's Arditti and Oppens with the Carter. Surprised to find on checking out Amazon that the disc I paid all of £2.99 for commands a current price of over £50 including p&p for either new or used.

[Petrushka]

Richard Strauss:

Tod und Verklarung

Aus Italien

Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra
Sebastian Weigle


New orchestra and conductor to me; very enjoyably fresh and stylish performances.
I'll seek out previous releases in this Strauss series. I could imagine Domestica being a thrilling ride.

Looks interesting, Alison. Didn't this orchestra's predecessors give the first performance of Zarathustra or something? Weigle is a name I know from Bayreuth.

Not listening to much at the moment as a head cold has blocked my ears Took weeks for it to disappear last time round

[Beef Oven!]

Need a good rec on Aus. Suggestions?

[Alison]

Need a good rec on Aus. Suggestions?

This is as good as I've heard Beef. Honest!

#3590

[Alison]

I have missed your evening concerts, Petrushka.

[Beef Oven!]

This is as good as I've heard Beef. Honest!

#3590

Well, if the steer you gave me on Don Juan (uncle Bernie) is anything to go by, I'm sold!

EDIT: Can't find it as a download or CD. Where did you get it Alison?

[Richard Barrett]

Maybe I'm finished with Schoenberg for now (see Schoenberg thread). I got a few movements into Pierrot lunaire (the Boulez version with Yvonne Minton) and as usual found it a bit offputting. So I decided to spend the rest of the evening in the strange world of Charles Koechlin, with two of the CDs conducted by Heinz Holliger: La course du printemps, Le buisson ardent (one of his several orchestral pieces featuring the Ondes Martenot), La Méditation de Purun Baghat which basically consists of a single melodic line for 16 minutes, and now the more conventionally pseudoexotic/impressionistic Les heures persanes which however contains some strikingly original piece of orchestration at least every minute or two. These recordings with the SWR Stuttgart orchestra (sounding considerably less astringent than when Norrington is conducting them) are excellent, a real ear-opener, and now form part of a 7 CD set of all Holliger's Koechlin recordings with the orchestra. I guess that means the project has come to an end, which is a shame - there must be far more of CK's orchestral work that's worth exploring. There are a few other recordings of course, and some duplications, but I think in every case Holliger's come out as superior. (He is a master of unheard-of orchestral sounds himself of course.)

[Beef Oven!]

Maybe I'm finished with Schoenberg for now (see Schoenberg thread). I got a few movements into Pierrot lunaire (the Boulez version with Yvonne Minton) and as usual found it a bit offputting. So I decided to spend the rest of the evening in the strange world of Charles Koechlin, with two of the CDs conducted by Heinz Holliger: La course du printemps, Le buisson ardent (one of his several orchestral pieces featuring the Ondes Martenot), La Méditation de Purun Baghat which basically consists of a single melodic line for 16 minutes, and now the more conventionally pseudoexotic/impressionistic Les heures persanes which however contains some strikingly original piece of orchestration at least every minute or two. These recordings with the SWR Stuttgart orchestra (sounding considerably less astringent than when Norrington is conducting them) are excellent, a real ear-opener, and now form part of a 7 CD set of all Holliger's Koechlin recordings with the orchestra. I guess that means the project has come to an end, which is a shame - there must be far more of CK's orchestral work that's worth exploring. There are a few other recordings of course, and some duplications, but I think in every case Holliger's come out as superior. (He is a master of unheard-of orchestral sounds himself of course.)

This is the only CD of Koechlin that I have. Listening to 'Rage Against The Machine', anyway (The Battle Of Los Angeles)

[Petrushka]

Need a good rec on Aus. Suggestions?

Not having heard the Weigle version mentioned by Alison, my favourite Aus Italien remains the classic VPO/Clemens Krauss recording. Yes, it's 1950s mono Decca sound but you soon forget that as Krauss turns in a performance that has you thinking it's a masterpiece. It isn't quite, but it doesn't deserve the neglect it suffers in the concert hall.

I bought it as an Eclipse 'electronic stereo' LP in 1973 and loved it. I now have it in the VPO/Krauss Strauss boxed set.

[Beef Oven!]

Not having heard the Weigle version mentioned by Alison, my favourite Aus Italien remains the classic VPO/Clemens Krauss recording. Yes, it's 1950s mono Decca sound but you soon forget that as Krauss turns in a performance that has you thinking it's a masterpiece. It isn't quite, but it doesn't deserve the neglect it suffers in the concert hall.

I bought it as an Eclipse 'electronic stereo' LP in 1973 and loved it. I now have it in the VPO/Krauss Strauss boxed set.

And I'd like a more modern recording, too.