http://www.sequenza21.com/Turabgalila_Symph.jpg
:O
― Turangalila, Monday, 19 April 2010 10:25 (thirteen years ago) link
Since the above Beethoven discussion I've been to the Wigmore Hall to hear the Auryn Quartet play Beethoven SQs 7 and 15. I loved these especially 15 (although I had the advantage of recognising most of it from some forgotten past listening, while I only knew the opening theme from the 7th). Definitely something to follow up. It seemed to confirm it's only Beethoven's orchestral music I find tedious, although presumably the structural principles are fairly closely linked. I've never played classical music but I used to play in a jazz quartet (drums/bass/piano/sax) and although SQ playing is obviously massively different there are some similarities in the way the players interact that makes SQ playing easier for me to identify with than orchestral. I thought the Auryn's were superb, authoritative, elegant, precise, clear - but I'm no great connoisseur - I noticed that the following night's performance (more Beethoven) was lukewarmly reviewed in The Times.
I've been listening a lot to the Shostakovich Cello Concertos, Britten's Death in Venice, Strauss's Don Quixote, various other stuff. The Shostakovich I know well, the others are new to me.
― frankiemachine, Monday, 19 April 2010 11:51 (thirteen years ago) link
La création du monde, Op. 81a by Darius Milhaud
Beautiful.
― Turangalila, Monday, 19 April 2010 13:01 (thirteen years ago) link
That performance of Turangalila I have, but have not yet given it due attention. However, Antoni Wit and the PNRSO are a hidden treasure-- their series of complete Lutoslawski orchestral works on Naxos is one of the best things that label has ever done.
― I Smell Xasthur Williams (Jon Lewis), Monday, 19 April 2010 15:16 (thirteen years ago) link
Yes!
I strongly urge you to listen to this version of Turangalila which imo is, if not the best, way up there. I think I prefer this over the Myung-Whun Chung version!
― Turangalila, Monday, 19 April 2010 15:22 (thirteen years ago) link
I've been listening mainly to more "standard" material as my CD collection has been 1000+ miles away from Chicago in Florida -- though not for long, I'm now in Florida and about to drive back with a jeepful of my crap, mostly books and CDs.
Right now on the listening agenda:
Brahms/Beethoven - Violin ConcertosMendelssohn - Symphony No. 4Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky/Scythian SuiteJanáček - Katya KabanovaMussorgsky - Sunless/The Nursery/Songs and Dances of DeathBeethoven - Op. 2 Piano Sonatas
― Gesualdo Rivera (Daruton), Monday, 19 April 2010 20:52 (thirteen years ago) link
Love LvB Op. 2. He was already fucking incredible.
― I Smell Xasthur Williams (Jon Lewis), Monday, 19 April 2010 20:56 (thirteen years ago) link
LOL @ your nickname
Is this a reference to Xasthur going 'lite' aka John Williamsy? lol
― Turangalila, Monday, 19 April 2010 21:30 (thirteen years ago) link
Naw, it's a reference to Mark 'My Cousin My Gastroenterologist' Leyner's first novel, 'I Smell Esther Williams'. But I like your parsing of it.
― I Smell Xasthur Williams (Jon Lewis), Monday, 19 April 2010 21:32 (thirteen years ago) link
trying to investigate grieg's piano music having been reminded of his folksy genius on this recital by thomas ades
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/dec00/ades.htm
there's quite a lot of it
― nakhchivan, Tuesday, 20 April 2010 16:04 (thirteen years ago) link
There is indeed a lot of piano music by Grieg. Uneven stuff, but the best of it is great. In addition to Ades' picks, I recommend the Op. 54 set, which includes the well-known Notturno and the extraordinary Glockengeläute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24shW29Hv_Ahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtSbLHjW_8o
― Olivier Messiaen Control (Paul in Santa Cruz), Tuesday, 20 April 2010 16:26 (thirteen years ago) link
For starters, I would recommend the Lyric Pieces from Op. 43 and 54 (I think i'm remembering those numbers correctly) and the Slatter Op. 72. Leif Ove Andsnes is excellent in this rep. Or, there's a huge complete series played by Eva Knardahl on the BIS label. The individual volumes are cheap on amazon mp3, and Knardahl is even better than Andsnes.
― I Smell Xasthur Williams (Jon Lewis), Tuesday, 20 April 2010 16:27 (thirteen years ago) link
Anybody got a recommendation for a recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10?
― Born In A Test Tube, Raised In A Cage (unperson), Tuesday, 20 April 2010 16:33 (thirteen years ago) link
My two favorites: Mravinsky/Leningrad SO on the Erato label. I think Erato may have been folded into Warner but this is still easy to find. Paavo Berglund/Bournemouth SO on EMI.
I'm willing to bet Mark Wigglesworth on BIS is also excellent.
― I Smell Xasthur Williams (Jon Lewis), Tuesday, 20 April 2010 16:36 (thirteen years ago) link
If you're thinking of the Shostakovich 10 and don't already have most of the symphonies it may be worth bearing in mind that there are some very decent complete cycles out there for around the price of a couple of standard price cds.
― frankiemachine, Wednesday, 21 April 2010 11:57 (thirteen years ago) link
thanks for the grieg recommendations
karajan's shostakovich #10 is good iirc, nice lugubrious string sounds.....
― nakhchivan, Wednesday, 21 April 2010 19:18 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah Karajan is good too. Plenty of tension. IIRC you want the 'Karajan Gold' edition (he recorded it twice).
― I Smell Xasthur Williams (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 21 April 2010 19:28 (thirteen years ago) link
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's recordings of Debussy's préludes & 'Estampes' sounding so magical today.
Also, Alla Pavlova's Symphony No. 3 is a thing of beauty.
― Turangalila, Sunday, 25 April 2010 00:11 (thirteen years ago) link
LOL couldn't disagree more with this review
The Symphony no.3, composed six years later, might have been by a different composer. It's written in a kind of pastiche nineteenth-century style, complete with faux-Spanish exotic syncopations, melody and harmony (falling tetrachords, augmented seconds). Some traces remain of the earlier technique - for example, both symphonies feature passacaglia, but where no.1 uses it subtly and sparingly, allowing it to hover latent in the background, no.3 does it to death.
― Turangalila, Sunday, 25 April 2010 00:16 (thirteen years ago) link
Though I do agree that Symphony No. 1 is amazing.
― Turangalila, Sunday, 25 April 2010 01:32 (thirteen years ago) link
Gmeeoorh for organ by Xenakis is sensational
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Sunday, 16 May 2010 01:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Some really powerful and surprising music there. Thanks! I always found Xenakis' acoustic music more appealing than his electronic music. Do you know who the organist is?
On a softer note, today I was really enjoying "Sunday Song Set" performed by David Starobin (guitar) and Patrick Mason (baritone). It's an arrangement (by Michael Starobin) of selections from Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. (I haven't seen the musical.) Energetic, striking, and attractive with great intricate guitaristic orchestration and dazzling playing.
― Sundar, Sunday, 16 May 2010 02:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Christoph Maria Moosmann, sir.
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Sunday, 16 May 2010 02:58 (thirteen years ago) link
Thanks!
― Sundar, Sunday, 16 May 2010 03:03 (thirteen years ago) link
That organ piece made me want to put on "Metastasis" - the first Xenakis I ever heard, actually. The guy could get seriously intense.
(Also, I see now that the organist's name is on the linked page. Sorry about that.)
― Sundar, Sunday, 16 May 2010 03:30 (thirteen years ago) link
It's ok. Are you familiar with Jonchaies?
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Sunday, 16 May 2010 03:31 (thirteen years ago) link
For 109 (!) musicians. The strings are so amazing.
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Sunday, 16 May 2010 03:36 (thirteen years ago) link
The best moments in his music are where there's just gigantic blocks of sound and you can't really tell what's going on internally.
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Sunday, 16 May 2010 03:39 (thirteen years ago) link
No. I'll look for that one. Agreed re blocks of sound. "Xas" was important to me too.
― Sundar, Sunday, 16 May 2010 03:41 (thirteen years ago) link
'along with seventy strings massed against the wind and percussion...'
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Sunday, 16 May 2010 15:00 (thirteen years ago) link
Turanga, that's amazing! Is that from Mode Records' Xenakis series?
― Felix Frankfurter, Man Of Justice (Jon Lewis), Monday, 17 May 2010 16:53 (thirteen years ago) link
Glad you liked! That 'Jonchaies' is from this release, conducted by Arturo Tamayo. Probably my favorite recording I've heard of that piece so far.
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Monday, 17 May 2010 21:43 (thirteen years ago) link
Lately I have been obsessed with Håkon Austbø's recording of Janáček's 'In the mists' - <3
I like the Firkusny recordings all right but this is on another level imo.
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Monday, 17 May 2010 23:07 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm listening to Andrew Staniland tonight. Nice stuff.
― Sundar, Tuesday, 18 May 2010 00:38 (thirteen years ago) link
Austbo is a very talented dude and has recorded even more rep than most ppl know (he has stuff only on Scandinavian labels like a complete Debussy series)
Is In The Mists the set that includes 'The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away!'?
― Felix Frankfurter, Man Of Justice (Jon Lewis), Tuesday, 18 May 2010 02:01 (thirteen years ago) link
No, that would be 'On An Overgrown Path' which is also beautiful.
Austbø's 'Vingt regards' is actually my favorite btw.
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Tuesday, 18 May 2010 02:04 (thirteen years ago) link
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517D6SRSg7L.jpg
― nakhchivan, Friday, 21 May 2010 17:26 (thirteen years ago) link
never heard this but i like the cover
Slight resemblance to trolololo guy!
(mash-up idea?)
― Is it far? Is it far? Is it far? (Jon Lewis), Friday, 21 May 2010 17:29 (thirteen years ago) link
alfie schnittke feat eduard khil, 'a soviet artist's response to just criticsm: the musical'
― nakhchivan, Friday, 21 May 2010 17:32 (thirteen years ago) link
i'm not sure how it wd work tbh
― nakhchivan, Friday, 21 May 2010 17:40 (thirteen years ago) link
Use trolololo tune the same way Schnittke uses 19th century pastoral tune in last movement of that piano quintet. 'I am so happy to be going back to limbo'
― Is it far? Is it far? Is it far? (Jon Lewis), Friday, 21 May 2010 17:41 (thirteen years ago) link
Schnittke and son:
http://img3.photographersdirect.com/img/262/wm/pd649560.jpg
― y kant immanuel rite (Daruton), Friday, 21 May 2010 17:43 (thirteen years ago) link
haha why am I not surprised that the kid's all gothy?
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Saturday, 22 May 2010 17:05 (thirteen years ago) link
i have a weakness for janacek's piano music.
― henri grenouille (Frogman Henry), Saturday, 22 May 2010 17:12 (thirteen years ago) link
That's because it's gorgeous. :)
― silence is a rhythm too (Turangalila), Saturday, 22 May 2010 18:29 (thirteen years ago) link
Bought the Brilliant Classics boxed set of Alfred Brendel's early recordings some months ago. Been listening to his Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22: very impressive.
― Webern conducts Berg (Call the Cops), Monday, 14 June 2010 18:45 (thirteen years ago) link
WcB, is that a box of his Vanguard recordings or his Vox recordings?
I'm not that well versed in his Vanguard period but his first cycle of Beethoven sonatas on Vox is dynamite. There are a few sonatas in there which he didn't surpass in his later cycles (I'm thinking in particular of the Waldstein, Les Adieux and Hammerklavier).
I'm a huge fan of Brendel and have spent time on the classical newsgroup defending his ass. Ppl who are are highly wedded to the notion that great pianism = a 'singing tone' often abhor Brendel with a passion.
― Loathsome Dov (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 15:39 (thirteen years ago) link
Actually, as I understand it, the box contains both his Vanguard and Vox recordings. His entire first Beethoven cycle is in there, anyway - haven't gotten to it yet (besides a couple of runs through the Hammerklavier) but definitely looking forward...
― Webern conducts Berg (Call the Cops), Friday, 18 June 2010 05:34 (thirteen years ago) link
Listening lately:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Vr%2BhdiwXL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Very good post-70s-thaw Babbitt (both pieces are from the 80s). It'd be wrong to say that Babbitt has ever "mellowed out" but relatively speaking (compared to the pieces from the 50s and 60s) that's how it seems. There's more lingering over chord associations and attention paid to homophonic texture than the spiky counterpoint of the earlier pieces. The PC has a wonderfully dramatic scope and some winks at tonality (at one section the soloist and orchestra play tutti an almost Beethovenian chord) and beautiful orchestral textures (B. really is a great orchestrator), and The Head of the Bed has a great dreamlike clarity of textual image and instrumental interplay.
― The Bitter Tears of Petula Clark (corey), Saturday, 3 July 2010 17:35 (thirteen years ago) link