What classical music are you listening to?

[SiUK]

Woke at 5.15am today, had a brown brew and then slipped Disc 08 of the Living Stereo box set into the CD tray.

Disc 08 is a George Gershwin disc! :? It contains:

Rhapsody in Blue

Concerto in F

An American in Paris

Variations on "I Got Rhythm"

Cuban Overture.

To be honest, I've never actually been one to voluntarily listen to Gershwin; not my particular flavour of music. Nevertheless, this is Disc 08 on my journey through the Living Stereo box set, so shouldn't be skipped. Besides, the recordings are so good that you can't help but pay attention to the music. And whilst I'm still not a convert - even after this morning's session - I can appreciate why people like Mr Gershwin and his rambunctiousness. One thing is for sure, it woke me up pretty sharpish. :O Good goodness!

 

[SiUK]

Mussorgsky, Pictures At An Exhibition

I've been listening to Mussorgsky, Pictures At An Exhibition from Disc 09 of my Living Stereo set. I am familiar with this piece of music (the Ravel orchestration), and have played it a heck of lot over the years, and that's why I immediately sat up and exclaimed, "Eh! What the frick?" when it began. I'm not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to classical music, even though I listen to a lot of it and always have, right from early childhood. That said, I am very familar with certain pieces of music and this is one of those. So the slow tempo for the opening of Promenade caught me immediately. And I mean it is unusually slow. As the trumpets start up and the rest of the brass falls in, it resembles the sound of the old Hovis bread advert it is so laid back. From what I remember reading, it is supposed to depict Mussorgsky wandering through an exhibition stopping and starting, slowing down, and speeding up as he spots a picture he particularly likes, and at the same time reflecting on the loss of a dear friend. This just doesn't sound right. Once you get past the opening Promenade it does get better, but still seems somewhat 'smoothed out'. Anyhow, I compared it with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra version I've got, and the BBC Philharmonic (conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier) version and it's definitely slooooower than both of them. The BBC Philharmonic Promenade opening is actually crazy fast (I kid you not) and you'd be forgiven for thinking that monsieur Tortelier must have had a full bladder they way he speeds through it. The Russian State Symphony Orchestra version however falls smack bang in between both and is (IMO) excellent. Not that I'd know what was good and bad or how it is really supposed to sound but I like it; the varying pace feels just right, all the way through, and you get taken on an up and down journey right to the climactic end. To me it isn't supposed to roll easily from one scene to the next. Anyhow, the Living Stereo disc is a very good sound quality, but I'm just not taken by the particular recording. Different times I suppose.

 

[matt49]

Good to see some great contributions to this thread. Keep it up guys!

This is quite left-field: some baroque viol consorts. The composer is William Lawes, the performers are Phantasm, led by Lawrence Dreyfus, formerly a colleague of mine. It's an arresting, complex and intricate soundworld. Check it out!

http://www.phantasm.org.uk/discography/william-lawes-consorts-four-and-five-parts

And on Spotify:

William Lawes – Lawes: Consorts in 4 and 5 Parts

:cheers:

Matt

 

[steve_1979]

Today I've been listening to Mozart and Vivaldi concerto's played by Giuliano Carmignola.

:boohoo:

 

[DocG]

La Tarantella: Antidotum Tarantulae by Christina Pluhar and L'Arpeggiata.

Not sure it qualifies as strictly 'classical' music (though definitely more so than Red Hot Chili Peppers ). It's somewhere between classical and traditional Italian folk music. Excellent musicians and expressive singers. First class recording too!

http://www.allmusic.com/album/la-tarantella-antidotum-tarantulae-mw0001007084

And for the Spotify listeners: http://open.spotify.com/album/1DENvEEEzXXFSLziUXjwcr

 

[matt49]

La Tarantella: Antidotum Tarantulae by Christina Pluhar and L'Arpeggiata.

Not sure it qualifies as strictly 'classical' music (though definitely more so than Red Hot Chili Peppers ). It's somewhere between classical and traditional Italian folk music. Excellent musicians and expressive singers. First class recording too!

http://www.allmusic.com/album/la-tarantella-antidotum-tarantulae-mw0001007084

And for the Spotify listeners: http://open.spotify.com/album/1DENvEEEzXXFSLziUXjwcr

Ooh, I really like this Italian "folk" stuff. A colleague at work once gave me a super CD of traditional Neapolitan music. I'll try to dig it out.

 

[matt49]

I thought I'd give this a go:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Janacek-House-Dead-Czech-PO/dp/B000023YXI/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1384300366&sr=1-5&keywords=from+the+house+of+the+dead

Janacek's From the House of the Dead done by Vaclav Neumann (good conductor) and a Czech band. But I can't help thinking it's utterly awful: plodding, clumsy, hammy singing. Oh dear!

So back to the canonical Mackerras VPO recording:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jan%C3%A1cek-House-Dead-L-Janacek/dp/B00DI5E6MC/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1384300837&sr=1-1&keywords=from+the+house+of+the+dead

which is most wonderful: a superb recording of one of the 20th century's greatest operas.

:cheers:

Matt

 

[matt49]

A familiar old favourite, and even if it's just too familiar, I'd still recommend having a listen to the John Ogdon/Sir John Pritchard/Philharmonia Orchestra recording from 1962. It's available on the EMI John Ogdon 70th Anniversary 4-disk set:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Ogdon-70th-Anniversary/dp/B000Q7ZIKO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1385513713&sr=1-1&keywords=john+ogdon+70th+anniversary

And on Spotify:

John Ogdon – John Ogdon - 70th Anniversary Edition

I think it's now generally acknowledged that in his pomp Ogdon was one of the greats. The recording may not be absolutely pin sharp, but the power and dynamism of the playing more than makes up for it.

The performance of the Liszt B Minor Sonata is also great.

:cheers:

Matt

 

[gpi]

Beethoven's Triple Concerto, Violin Concerto and the piano version of the latter, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. All on CD.

 

[steve_1979]

...Not sure it qualifies as strictly 'classical' music (though definitely more so than Red Hot ChiliPeppers ).

'One Hot Minute' by the Chili Peppers may not be classical but it is a classic.

 

[steve_1979]

Delibes - Flower Duet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kij_hHB_hyY

Beautiful.

 

[Covenanter]

Just home from hearing Ex Cathedra/Fretwork performing Elizabethan music at Birmingham's Town Hall (they are a wonderful choir) and I've put my old Byrd - The Great Service - King's College Choir/Cleobury CD on. I have to admit I've not listened to this for many years but it is a great performance. Not sure if it is still available but it was EMI CDC 7 47771 2.

Recommended if you like 16th century polyphony.

Chris

 

[matt49]

Just home from hearing Ex Cathedra/Fretwork performing Elizabethan music at Birmingham's Town Hall (they are a wonderful choir) and I've put my old Byrd - The Great Service - King's College Choir/Cleobury CD on. I have to admit I've not listened to this for many years but it is a great performance. Not sure if it is still available but it was EMI CDC 7 47771 2.

Recommended if you like 16th century polyphony.

Chris

Nice one. I'll check that out. I have a couple of King's/Cleobury recordings. The Bruckner Te Deum etc springs to mind -- obviously miles away from the Byrd ...

:santa:

Matt

 

[matt49]

Britten, 3rd String Quartet -- a late work, hugely complex, in one of BB's favourite genres, with lots of nods to the Austro-German tradition.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Britten-Complete-Quartets-The-Quartet/dp/B003BLFZFU

This really is in the top flight of 20th-century chamber music.

:santa:

Matt

 

[Covenanter]

John Taverner (c1490-1545) "Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas" - The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips recorded in the Chapel of Merton College, Oxford. This was recorded to celebrate the 40th anniversay of the Tallis Scholars and is simply beautiful, geat singing in a great acoustic. Gimell CDGIM 045

Chris

 

[Crossie]

Piano Sonata, Fantasy & Fugue on the theme B-A-C-H by Marc-Andre Hamelin and Franz Liszt

 

[matt49]

Puccini -- La Rondine (Gheorghiu/Alagna/Pappano/LSO)

Puccini La Rondine

Relatively little known, this has some ravishing tunes in it, and the performances are outstanding. And the sound quality ... oh boy! If you want to hear the dynamic range your system's capable of, put this on and crank up the volume.

:cheers:

Matt

 

[James7]

I thought I'd give this a go:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Janacek-House-Dead-Czech-PO/dp/B000023YXI/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1384300366&sr=1-5&keywords=from+the+house+of+the+dead

Janacek's From the House of the Dead done by Vaclav Neumann (good conductor) and a Czech band. But I can't help thinking it's utterly awful: plodding, clumsy, hammy singing. Oh dear!

So back to the canonical Mackerras VPO recording:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jan%C3%A1cek-House-Dead-L-Janacek/dp/B00DI5E6MC/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1384300837&sr=1-1&keywords=from+the+house+of+the+dead

which is most wonderful: a superb recording of one of the 20th century's greatest operas.

:cheers:

Matt

Great call. Have listened to this recording twice in the last week. Exhilarating stuff.

meanwhile, I have also been listening to Brahms' Piano Quintet in F Minor. Brahms divides people it seems but personally I like a lot of Brahms' music and this is a not particularly well-known gem. I have a couple of versions and have listened to both this week but it is the Artemis Quartet with Leif Ove Andsnes version on Virgin that has particularly excited me. I am unfamiliar with the Artemis quartet otherwise but have been an admirer of Andsnes' incisively uncomplicated musicianship and the way he seems to so effortlessly cut to the emotional heart of the piece for years, and he is on top form here. The accompanying Schumann quintet is delivered with notable elegance too.

http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Brahms-Piano-Quintets-Johannes/dp/B000UJ2NP6

 

[steve_1979]

The Pretenders - Don't Get Me Wrong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRaO9112mco

 

[matt49]

Great call. Have listened to this recording twice in the last week. Exhilarating stuff.

You might be interested to know that I use Act I for my speaker auditions.

meanwhile, I have also been listening to Brahms' Piano Quintet in F Minor. Brahms divides people it seems but personally I like a lot of Brahms' music and this is a not particularly well-known gem. I have a couple of versions and have listened to both this week but it is the Artemis Quartet with Leif Ove Andsnes version on Virgin that has particularly excited me. I am unfamiliar with the Artemis quartet otherwise but have been an admirer of Andsnes' incisively uncomplicated musicianship and the way he seems to so effortlessly cut to the emotional heart of the piece for years, and he is on top form here. The accompanying Schumann quintet is delivered with notable elegance too.

http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Brahms-Piano-Quintets-Johannes/dp/B000UJ2NP6

Yes, big Brahms fan here, and I also have the Andsnes/Artemis version. Great stuff!

 

[Covenanter]

Stephen Hough - Brahms Piano Concertos on Hyperion.

I was really looking forward to these as I'm a great admirer of Hough but I'm slightly disappointed. There's nothing wrong with the playing and the recordings are excellent but the performances don't catch fire for me (2 is better than 1). If you like your Brahms serious then maybe these are for you. For me they are simply not as good as the recent Grimaux versions.

Chris

 

[James7]

Stephen Hough - Brahms Piano Concertos on Hyperion.

I was really looking forward to these as I'm a great admirer of Hough but I'm slightly disappointed. There's nothing wrong with the playing and the recordings are excellent but the performances don't catch fire for me (2 is better than 1). If you like your Brahms serious then maybe these are for you. For me they are simply not as good as the recent Grimaux versions.

Chris

Disappointing. I like Hough too - am listening to his disc of Chopin waltzes as I type, also on Hyperion. Beguiling performance.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chopin-Complete-Waltzes-Stephen-Hough/dp/B0053SQRHO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1389788009&sr=1-1&keywords=hough+chopin+waltzes

Have just been listening to Alexander Chaushian and Yevgeny Subdin's BIS-SACD recording of Cello sonatas by Borodin, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich - lovely and fascinating in equal measure, and like Hough's Chopin waltzes, beautifully recorded too.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rachmaninov-Borodin-Shostakovich-Cello-Sonatas/dp/B004LHOZVI/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1389788302&sr=1-1&keywords=chaushian+sudbin

 

[dexxas]

oops wrong place sorry

 

[Andrew17321]

Just back from hearing Joshua Bell with The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra playing Brahms' Violin Concerto. Really splendid.

No HiFi can compare with the real thing. Whenever I go to live concerts my upgrade-itis just disappears; small improvement in my system are just not worth the bother.

Andrew

 

[matt49]

Just back from hearing Joshua Bell with The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra playing Brahms' Violin Concerto. Really splendid.

No HiFi can compare with the real thing. Whenever I go to live concerts my upgrade-itis just disappears; small improvement in my system are just not worth the bother.

Andrew

I understand entirely, though my experience is quite different. Last night I was at the ROH for Manon. Utterly splendid, and Act II, scene 2, in St Sulpice, was dynamite. We were in the stalls, row K, so excellent seats. But listening to the Pappano/Gheorghiu/Alagna recording at home, as I am right now, the sound is actually better. OK, opera is different: live opera suffers from the orchestra being in the pit, so the high frequencies lose definition. But also sitting 10 or so rows back at the ROH is a different experience from sitting 8 or 9 feet from my speakers: which is so much more present and "real".

Matt