What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[Stanfordian]

‘Neil Shicoff - Live’
Opera arias from Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Gounod, Bizet, Halévy, Puccini
Neil Shicoff (tenor)
Münchner Rundfunkorchester Fabio Luisi / Marcello Viotti / Frédéric Chaslin /
with baritone Vladimir Chernov (Bizet)
Recorded Live 1996 Bad Kissingen, Regentenbau, Bavaria; 1999 Philharmonie, Munich; 2001 Prinzregententheater, Munich
Orfeo

Berliner Philharmoniker – Sir Simon Rattle – Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 6
Mahler
Symphony No. 6
Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded Live June 2018 Philharmonie, Berlin
Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings - recent release

[BBMmk2]

‘Neil Shicoff - Live’
Opera arias from Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Gounod, Bizet, Halévy, Puccini
Neil Shicoff (tenor)
Münchner Rundfunkorchester Fabio Luisi / Marcello Viotti / Frédéric Chaslin /
with baritone Vladimir Chernov (Bizet)
Recorded Live 1996 Bad Kissingen, Regentenbau, Bavaria; 1999 Philharmonie, Munich; 2001 Prinzregententheater, Munich
Orfeo

Berliner Philharmoniker – Sir Simon Rattle – Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 6
Mahler
Symphony No. 6
Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded Live June 2018 Philharmonie, Berlin
Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings - recent release

Hiya Stan! what's your verdict on the Mahler?

This is my favourite recording to date:-

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No.6 in A minor.
Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado

[pastoralguy]

Elgar

Froissart Overture. Op.19

The Hallé Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder.

Gorgeous music making.

I remember a fiddle teacher of mine who'd played this work under Boult in the SNO telling me that he'd remarked 'This bit was obviously written by Elgar's char lady so we have to help it along a bit!'

[Stanfordian]

Hiya Stan! what's your verdict on the Mahler?

This is my favourite recording to date:-

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No.6 in A minor.
Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado

I love it. Outstanding music making. I place in the top rank of Mahler 6 performances.

[Joseph K]

Varese - Amériques, Ionisation, Arcana - NYPO/Boulez

[vinteuil]

.

Mozart Symphony no 38 'Prague' in its arrangement for flute, violin, cello, piano by Hummel.

Pure joy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HFDKSM0

.

[Pulcinella]

Varese - Amériques, Ionisation, Arcana - NYPO/Boulez

Looks like you're being true to your word, Joseph, and working your way through the big Boulez box.
Have you tried the Handel Water Music yet?


Where do you find all the time?

[Bryn]

Looks like you're being true to your word, Joseph, and working your way through the big Boulez box.
Have you tried the Handel Water Music yet?


Where do you find all the time?

I think you must be right. I find it hard to conceive of an alternative rationale for taking time our to listen to these particular recordings of the works concerned.

[Joseph K]

Looks like you're being true to your word, Joseph, and working your way through the big Boulez box.
Have you tried the Handel Water Music yet?


Where do you find all the time?

Yes, I have tried the Handel Watermusic. It's not really Boulez's repertoire, let's put it like that...

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) I not only don't work, but am relieved of the necessity to look for work, for the time being at least (I do volunteer at the local library for a couple of hours a week though).

I've just finished Amériques and enjoyed it more than I ever remember doing before.

Thanks for enquiring...

[jayne lee wilson]

Nielsen Symphonies. No.1; No.2…. BBCPO/Storgårds. Chandos 24/96. 2015 release.

Unusually probing, thoughtful approach, with expressively varied tempi, - a fresh view or vista around each musical corner. Still quite rugged enough and rhythmically firm, but the moderate tempi and rubato, with the detailed, well-resolved sound warmer than most other Nielsen cycles, (a lovely softness to the lyrical passages) create a very distinctive impression.
Subtly compelling especially if you know the works already.

So it goes with No.2 - striking variety and subtly of tonal colour, phrase and attack; unusual light and shade, and that tendency to moderate tempo variabile again, lending to it an almost Brucknerian feel sometimes. It may not seem cholerico enough at the start, but the coda to (i) is quite angry enough!
...And have the BBCPhil ever sounded more beautiful on record than this? A wonderful warmth and softness to the strings in lyrical and delicate passages (e.g. the coda to the andante), but springy resilience when things get livelier. Rounded, refulgent brass and sweetly blended winds. Lovely!

[Joseph K]

Ligeti - Lontano, Atmospheres, Apparitions, San Francisco Polyphony, Romanian Concerto - BPO/Nott

[MrGongGong]

Ligeti - Lontano, Atmospheres, Apparitions, San Francisco Polyphony, Romanian Concerto - BPO/Nott

Smashing

[Joseph K]

Smashing

These are nice pieces. But the Romanian Concerto isn't so great...

[teamsaint]

Stasis.
Rebecca Saunders.

[pastoralguy]

Prokofiev. Violin concerto no.2

Cho-Liang Lin, violin.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

A predictably superb performance!