an attempt at a general "What are you currently digging re. classical music" thread

messiahwannabe, you should check out Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time," Ligeti's Violin Concerto, Schnittke's Piano Quintet, Shostakovich's string quartets (all of them, really), String Quartet No. 4 by Peteris Vasks, Dutilleux's 'Ainsi la nuit' string quartet...

The textures of "La création du monde" by Darius Milhaud are so gorgeous.

@snowy, Thanks for posting the Rautavaara concerto; there's a composer I've always ignored & will now check out...

@messiahwannabe meanwhile, another noteworthy purveyor of "dissonance and otherwordly melodies that are actually pleasant to listen to" is Henri Dutilleux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEYsu6xXWWQ

In addition to that quartet, favorites from Dutilleux include Tout un monde lointain (a cello concerto); L'arbre des songes (a violin concerto); Metaboles; and especially Timbres, espace, mouvement (go for the revision with the Interlude for cello ensemble)... I'm unfamiliar with the solo piano music.

I gave Rautavaara's Angel of Light symphony a few listens last year and thought it sounded too much like movie music with "modern" sounds tacked on (glissandi, Ligeti-style "sound clouds", etc.). FWIW I find Takemitsu pretty boring also.

Oops, apologies to Turangalila for totally missing his mention of Dutilleux a few posts before mine! Glad I'm not the only fan here...

I love my disc with the 2nd Symphony and Shadows of Time, but haven't explored anything else yet.

Been listening to some Haydn string quartets. Really liked a couple of the slow movements (one being the second movement from the Quartet in G, Op. 77, No. 1).

listening to mozart. the four flute quartets. all very lovely and spritely and all that. i could go for some haydn right about now. mozart and haydn used to jam together. they had a jam band.

what are the best classical mags w/r/t quality and trustworthy recommendations?

For me it's been Smetana - Ma Vlast and Grieg - Sigurd Jorsalfar.

now playing: william byrd - music for voice and viols (i could listen to this all day long.)

it's opera time. listening to rossini's il turco in italia. dramma buffo in two acts. sounds great. maria callas in the house.

Woah! I just learned that Charles Wuorinen is composing an opera based on "Brokeback Mountain". The composer's own website confirms that Proulx herself is contributing the libretto.

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Been (somewhat grudgingly) admitting to myself lately that Fauré's chamber music (not including solo piano, I can't completely take that stuff yet) is Really Rather Good, e.g. piano quartets.

And have dvded a couple of "minor operas" for quiztraining purposes as well, lots of fun! Händel's Tamerlano and Rossini's Comte d'Ory, to name a couple. The DVD of the former (T. Pinnock) has the coolest "subtitling" feature I've ever seen in an opera DVD, transparent overlay of the score at all times!

It's almost like an aural equivalent of those Klee paintings that are just regular grids of colors with varying hues and brightnesses.

Loving this comment abt late Webern.

Also loving thread!

Fauré's late chamber music is fucking genius! Seek ye the 2nd violin sonata, the string quartet (one of my favorite pieces ever, period) and the two piano quintets (the quartets are weak in comparison imo). Some of the most magical and pleasantly unpredictable music I know.

listening to Bruckner's 7th symphony (on naxos) a lot. My first Bruckner. I got the 8th too but it hasn't clicked with me.

Mozart's String Quartet No. 19, K. 465 (the last of the "Haydn Quartets") is incredible.

I second Daruton's Faure SQ & Piano Quintet reccs. Gorgeous music.

That arpeggiated intro in the 1st piano quintet is :O

can anyone give me a yes/no on a Beethoven symphony box with George Szell/Cleveland Symphony? Columbia/RCA pressing I think.

xxxxxpost to Omar Little-- the only classical mag I spend money on every time is Fanfare. It's bi-monthly and very thick. Layout is totally basic and zine-like. It's invaluable for its massive review section, which takes up about 80% of every issue-- the articles at the front are relatively lightweight. But the reviewers are not kept on any leash at all in terms of tone, style or review length, and they range from brilliant to douchebag. You can subscribe to just the online version for a little less than a print subscription, and that includes the online archive of the last 10 years of reviews.

sleeve-- I blow hot and cold on Szell in classical-era music. He can sometimes be too tight-assed whipcrack in Beethoven and Mozart. The further you get into Romantic, late-romantic and early modern stuff, the better Szell's recordings are. He's amazing in Schumann and Strauss and Mahler, for instance. But if the price on that box is not too high then buy it.

SPEAKING OF MAHLER I just listened to a download of a captured radio broadcast of Mahler's 1st with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orch led by their new conductor Manfred Honeck. HOLY SHIT this is a crushingly powerful, shit-hot performance of this piece. Do a little googling for Honeck Mahler R@p1dsh@re and you'll find the DL link for this. It will blow you away. An audiophile Japanese CD is available of the same concert, and the broadcast version was so good I just went on Amazon and spent 30 bucks on that.

Coincidentally, I see Honeck/Pittsburgh will be playing this symphony in NYC soon-- I'll probably have to go.

Listening to the Boulez Conducts Stravinsky box set. I've heard some of these performances before but it really adds to the impact getting all of the Boulez performances together in one box. Wonderful stuff.

It's a box of all his Sony stravinsky or all his DG?

It's the DG stuff. Amazon UK link here.

http://tinyurl.com/yb8suyn

can anyone give me a yes/no on a Beethoven symphony box with George Szell/Cleveland Symphony? Columbia/RCA pressing I think.

I would go for this btw

I meanwhile am listening to this a lot and it is one of the most remarkable performances and recordings - just unbelievable. I got it blind offa emusic, didn't know anything about it except new Bach concert on Telmarc, sounds cool, turns out Dinnerstein is kind of a from-nowhere superstar about whom some commentators are suspicious because of the backstory that's getting pushed ("she produces her own records!") but seriously what an incredible ear for Bach she has.

Shostakovich Piano Trio No 2 - Beaux Arts Trio. Very beautiful. Bartok String Quartets - Vermeer Quartet. I have to be in the right mood, otherwise they're too intense. I also need a new version because I'm creeped out by the audible breathing on the Vermeer's recording. The music is already eerily unsettling and then you get some guy breathing in your ear.

ah! i would hate that.

heh. i find that can sometimes add something to the music...especially on viol music, as that kind of feels like breathing to me anyway. actually a lot of seventeenth century chamber music reminds me of breathing.

second timellison's love for the mozart 'haydn' quartets. they are truly incredible. dissonance qt ftw possibly.

currently digging: ligeti's piano violin and horn concertos by boulez and ensemble intercontemporain. undoubtedly the best ligeti i've heard so far (i've ha some trouble appreciating elements of the chamber music i've heard so far, packed with interest though it is, and i'm afraid i found the elektronische Komposition's difficult to enjoy).
Beethoven's late piano sonatas by Schnabel....good god. does it get more exciting than this?
Manchicourt's Missa and Motets...I've liked Manichicourt's horn music before so thought I'd try this. Overriding purpleness of texture...

I've got this MHS label box of Boccherini symphonies. Realized how much I liked it the last time I was listening to it, but just heard Symphony No. 5 on the radio - really great.

Handel's Op. 3 Concerti Grossi. Five of the six are fairly early pieces from the 1710s. Don't have a recording of the Op. 6 set (written in 1739).

Listening to Igumnov's mesmerising recordings of Tchaikovsky's Seasons. YouTube here.

Going to see the Takács quartet play some Beethoven late string quartets tonight, including I think (I hope) the wonderful A Minor (15).

^ ha, i'll be there!

and yes it is op.132, no 15. other two works are two from the 0p.18 set

Scelsi, Radulescu, Saariaho, Dumitrescu, James Tenney... and Feldman. always Feldman.

Bein' digged currently, by me, a Toru Takemitsu CD, Quotation of Dream.
Compos's from 1985-1993. Deutsche Grammophon. London Sinfonietta, Oliver Knussen. & Paul Crossley, Peter Serkin, pianos.

Takács Beethoven was good - although strongly feel that a concert hall is too big for chamber music, also their interpretation seemed a little glib at times I guess, cd've done with a bit more Sturm und Drang for me, tho I'm an ignorant peasant.

Henri, how was it for you?

Quotation of Dream is gamazing. another great one is I Can Hear the Water Dreaming (or something like that)

now playing: Messiaen - Petites Liturgies De La Presence Divine

loving it. i'm a fan. onde martenot! love olivier's all caps liner notes too. BIRD SONG HELPED HIM TO RESIST EVIL.

i've been enjoying some kickass Vivaldi lately! again, i'm a fan. i have this album...it's at home. but man does it rule. can't remember now what all is on it. i'll report back.

can i have some classical recommendations? i wanna listen to some, but i have no clue what to listen to

listen to some bach. any old bach. bach was the shit.

listen to bach's cello suites. no, really, any bach. just find some.

xxpost OMG scott Trois Petites... is one of my favorite pieces *ever* :D

I've been digging Mieczysław Weinberg's string quartets and chamber music in general. Hugely overlooked composer tbh.