What classical music are you listening to?

[Covenanter]

This morning, before the apartment gets uncomfortably hot, the Shostakovich PC 2, Leonskaja and the St Paul Chamber Orchestra on Apex. Lovely playing and a beautiful (bright) recording.

Chris

PS This is a great thread for picking up recommendations. Keep it up guys.

 

[Covenanter]

This afternoon a return to the Previn - Vaughan Williams cycle - A London Symphony and the Wasps Overture.

Chris

 

[Covenanter]

Haydn's piano concertos 3, 4 and 11: the wonderful recording by Leif Ove Andsnes and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra (EMI).

Bought this on your recommendation and have just listened to it. I agree that it is very fine. Thank you.

Chris

 

[matt49]

Bought this on your recommendation and have just listened to it. I agree that it is very fine. Thank you.

Chris

Cheers, Chris, glad to be able to add something decent to the mix.

Matt

 

[matthewpiano]

One of my favourite Tchaikovsky discs. Pappano really seems to understand this music and his orchestra play with superb attention to dynamic and textural detail and plenty of passion. The choral version of the 1812 is much preferable.

 

[matthewpiano]

Ashkenazy in the Tchaikovsky 1st Concerto and Ogdon in Liszt's 1st. This was supposed to be the first in a series dedicated to the competition, but sadly further issues never seemed to materialise.

Ashkenazy's playing in the Tchaikovsky leavess the recently rave-reviewed recording by Matsuev irrelevant as comparison only exposes how much subtlety Matsuev misses.

 

[matthewpiano]

 

[Covenanter]

I see DG are issuing the "Complete" recordings of Ferenc Fricsay. Volume 1 is nearly £100 though, albeit it is 45 CDs. I know some of the performances of course but does anybody have a view on the whole package?

CD 1 Bartók: Piano Concertos 1 – 3 (Anda)

CD 2 Bartók: Violin Concerto 2; Dance Suite etc. (Varga)
CD 3 Bartók: Konzert für Orchester; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

CD 4 Bartók: Divertimento; Piano Concerto 3; Rhapsody (Haas; Anda)

CD 5 Beethoven: Piano Concerto 3; Triple Concerto (Fischer; Anda, Schneiderhan, Fournier)

CD 6 Beethoven: Symphonies 1 & 8

CD 7 Beethoven: Symphony 3; Leonore III; Handel: Harp Concerto (Zabaleta)

CD 8 Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7

CD 9 Beethoven: Egmont Overture; Symphony 9

CD 10 Orchestral Works by Berlioz, Borodin, Gounod, Mussorgsky

CD 11 Bizet: Carmen Suite & Ballet Music, Rossini: Overtures

CD 12 Blacher: Paganini Variations; Rondo for Piano & Orchestra (Herzog) , Liebermann: Furioso von Einem: Ballade; Piano Concerto op. 20

CD 13 Brahms: Piano Concerto 2; Double Concerto (Anda; Schneiderhan, Starker)

CD 14 Franck: Symphonic Variations (Weber), Brahms: Haydn Variations; Symphony 2

CD 15 Bruch, Dvořák, Glasunov: Violin Concertos (Morini; Martzy)

CD 16 Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune etc.

CD 17 Dvořák: Symphony 9 (1959), Liszt: Les Préludes, Smetana: Vltava (Má vlast) (1960)

CD 18 Dvořák: Symphony 9 (1953), Smetana: Vltava, From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields (Má vlast) (1953)

CD 19 Egk; von Einem; Henze; Fortner & Liebermann

CD 20 Falla; Francaix; Honegger; Tcherepnin; Rachmaninov (Weber)

CD 21 Prokofiev: Symphonie classique, Glière: Symphony 3 “Ilya Murometz”

CD 22 Hindemith: Symphonic Dances, Hartmann: Symphonies 2 (excerpt) & 6 von Einem; Martin

CD 23 Haydn: Symphonies 44, 48 & 95

CD 24 Haydn: Symphonies 98, 100 & 101

CD 25 Kodály: Háry János (1961); Symphony in C

CD 26 Kodály: Dances of Marosszék; Dances of Galánta; Háry János (1954)

CD 27 Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto (Schneiderhan) Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies 1 & 2 Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen (Zacharias)

CD 28 Mozart: Symphonies 29 (1961) & 39; Maurerische Trauermusik; Adagio & Fugue

CD 29 Mozart: Symphonies 40 & 41 (1961); Eine kleine Nachtmusik

CD 30 Mozart: Symphonies 29 (1955), 35 & 41 (1953)

CD 31 Mozart: Clarinet Concerto; Piano Concerto 20; 2 Rondos (Geuser; Haskil; Fischer)

CD 32 Mozart: Piano Concertos 19 & 27 (Haskil)

CD 33 Rossini-Respighi: La boutique fantastique Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade

CD 34 Schubert: Symphony 8, Schumann: Symphony 1, Weber: Clarinet Concerto 1 (Geuser)

CD 35 J. Strauss: Waltzes (Stereo, 1961)

CD 36 J. Strauss: Waltzes (Mono, 1949-52)

CD 37 R. Strauss: Don Juan; Till Eulenspiegel etc.

CD 38 Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Pétrouchka etc.

CD 39 Stravinsky: Capriccio etc.; Weber: Konzertstück etc. (Haas; Weber)

CD 40 Tchaikovsky: Symphony 4; Ballet Selections

CD 41 Tchaikovsky: Symphony 5; 1812 Overture etc.

CD 42 Tchaikovsky: Symphony 6 (1953); Violin Concerto (Menuhin)

CD 43 Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; Symphony 6 (1959)

CD 44 Verdi: Overtures, Preludes & Ballet Music, Ponchielli: Dance of the Hours

CD 45 Smetana: Má vlast: Vltava (rehearsal)

Chris

 

[matthewpiano]

It all comes down to how many of the recordings you already own, but any set which features so much Geza Anda, plus recordings by Clara Haskil and Edwin Fischer, is on to a winner IMO.

 

[matthewpiano]

Prompted by the mention of Geza Anda:

 

[Covenanter]

The Dunedin Consort recording of the Mozart Requiem, re-creating the original performance. This is really special, bringing out all the interplay and detail of the writing. May well end up being my preferred recording of this work, although I do occasionally miss the ethereal quality that a larger chorus can bring so the larger scale recordings (such as Barenboim's) will still get played regularly here. Linn's recording is to die for.

Ok agree the recording is fantastic. (I'm not sure if that is because I now have a SACD player or not.) Also agree that the detail comes through and it is in that sense revelatory. I have to admit I've never been a great fan of the piece but this shows it in a wonderful and new light. My only quibble is that the voices, whilst wonderfully reproduced, are not the greatest voices. Put the quibble to one side though, this is IMO the version to have. It is full of "look up" moments and the recording is to die for. (I've never been a great Linn fan but their recordings are excellent.)

Many thanks for recommending it Matthew.

Chris

 

[matthewpiano]

One of my favourite Chopin discs:

 

[matthewpiano]

Really enjoying this. Katchen, who died at 42, was a huge loss to the piano world. His complete Brahms recordings on Decca are peerless.

As usual the Audite transfers of these RIAS recordings are wonderful.

 

[matt49]

I've been horribly busy recently with examining, but this evening I made some (much needed) space for Murray Perahia's great recording of Bach's English Suites.

It's no secret that Perahia is a fine pianist. This disk is especially good. The best word I can find for it is "coherent". The architecture is there, and it's conveyed with delicacy, feeling, energy and precision.

The recording is top notch.

Matt

 

[matthewpiano]

He is one of the great Bach players IMO, for the very reasons you state. I'd much rather listen to Perahia in Bach than the much vaunted Angela Hewitt, whose playing does little for me. Perahia is one of a small number of pianists (also including Edwin Fischer, Bernard Roberts, and Alfred Brendel) who find a true sense of balance between exploiting the additional possibilities offered by a modern instrument and retaining appropriate stylistic respect. I do also have great affection for Glenn Gould's Bach, though for different reasons.

 

[matt49]

Glad you think so.

Like you, I've never really got Angela Hewitt.

And now for something completely different ...

Disclosure of interest: this disk is music by a dear old friend of mine, Ned Bigham.

He composes in post-Romantic idiom, and this has more than a touch of Vaughan Williams about it, complete with bits of Scottish folk song. You can listen to clips here: http://www.nedbigham.com/listen/

Matt

 

[matthewpiano]

Sviatoslav Richter's classic recordings of the two Liszt concertos. Before that the wonderful Helene Grimaud in Brahms D Minor.

 

[matthewpiano]

Very much into the recordings of Moura Lympany at present and I'm re-reading her short but interesting autobiography. Tonight its a newly acquired 2nd hand LP of her playing Rachmaninov 2 under the baton of Malcolm Sargeant.

 

[matthewpiano]

Bartok's exciting, colourful and beautiful Concerto for Orchestra in a Nimbus recording from the late 80s featuring Adam Fischer with the Hungarian State Orchestra.

 

[matthewpiano]

Continuing the Bartok theme, Geza Anda's legendary recording of the Bartok 1st Piano Concerto with Fricsay and the Berlin RSO on DG. For me Anda remains unmatched in this repertoire and the strength of his partnership with Fricsay really helps to bring out all the musical depth of this terrific work.

 

[matthewpiano]

After the larger scale of the Bartok works, I've had a listen to a few smaller-scale favourites:

Barber - String Serenade Op.1 (Endellion Quartet on Virgin Classics)

Barber - Solitary Hotel (Thomas Hampson/Roger Vignoles on Virgin Classics)

Barber - Sure On This Shining Night (Same artists)

Barber - On Dover Beach (Same artists)

Ades - Darknesse Visible (Thomas Ades, piano solo)

Now moving on to a disc of folk music intended to accompany Rob Young's book about the folk revival and folk-rock movement.

 

[matt49]

Coincidentally, over the last week or two I've been enjoying this Presto reissue of the Barber songs (Studer/Hampson/Browning/Emerson Quartet, originally on DG) :

 

[matthewpiano]

I've got that disc too Matt and its wonderful.

The singer on the Virgin recordings I was listening to yesterday was Thomas Allen. Not sure why I typed Hampson - possibly because I've also got the record you have. Must have been fast asleep when I typed it!

 

[matt49]

A very fine Tosca at the ROH last Thursday.

Bryn Terfel was superb as Scarpia: menacing but also strangely humane. Sondra Radvanovsky provided a barnstorming “Vissi d’arte”, which brought the house down.

Wielding the baton was a certain Senor P. Domingo.

Great stuff!

 

[matt49]

Franz Berwald, String Quartet No. 1 in G minor, and Johan Wikmanson, String Quartet in E minor, Op. 1, No. 2 (Chilingirian Quartet, CRD; CRD3361).

Two Swedish string quartets from decidedly “minor” composers around 1800. I think these really do deserve to be considered alongside Haydn and Mozart. Very rewarding and well worth seeking out.