What classical music are you listening to?

matt49

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Posts on the 'What are you listening to?' thread seem to be mainly pop/rock etc., so I thought there might be some interest in a separate thread for classical music. Or maybe this will bomb. Still, worth a try. This week I've been enjoying Brahms, Lieder, Bernarda Fink/Roger Vignoles (Harmonia Mundi HMG 501926). Nothing insightful to say about it, but the music and performances are ravishing and the recording's excellent.

:cheers:

Matt
 
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CnoEvil

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This: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Puccini-Bohème-Giacomo/dp/B000002RXE/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1381688681&sr=1-6&keywords=la+boheme+beecham
 

Tear Drop

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On a bit of Karajan kick at the moment. Mozart's Requiem (DG Karajan Gold), Beethoven 9th (DG, 70s cycle) and Wagner's Ring (DG Originals).
 

James7

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Listening to Janacek's Second String Quartet as I type - utterly heart-breaking I think. Was listening to the Pletnev / Maisky version of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante for the first time in a long time a day or two ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sinfonia-Concertante-Orchestra-Miaskovsky/dp/B000001GXV

Exhilirating playing from Maisky. And the Miaskovsky cello concerto also on the disc is haunting too. I really would recommend this disc.
 

James7

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Listening to Janacek's Second String Quartet as I type - utterly heart-breaking I think. Was listening to the Pletnev / Maisky version of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante for the first time in a long time a day or two ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sinfonia-Concertante-Orchestra-Miaskovsky/dp/B000001GXV

Exhilirating playing from Maisky. And the Miaskovsky cello concerto also on the disc is haunting too. I really would recommend this disc.
 

matt49

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James7 said:
Listening to Janacek's Second String Quartet as I type - utterly heart-breaking I think. Was listening to the Pletnev / Maisky version of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante for the first time in a long time a day or two ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sinfonia-Concertante-Orchestra-Miaskovsky/dp/B000001GXV

Exhilirating playing from Maisky. And the Miaskovsky cello concerto also on the disc is haunting too. I really would recommend this disc.

I adore Janacek. The chamber music is, as you say, really powerful. All the operas are great: for some reason -- I think it's the blend of angular modernism, Slavic folk melodiesand seat-of-the-pants drama -- From the House of the Dead kills me every time. I've never managed to hear it in performance. One day ...

I'll check out the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante. Good tip.
 

James7

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matt49 said:
James7 said:
Listening to Janacek's Second String Quartet as I type - utterly heart-breaking I think. Was listening to the Pletnev / Maisky version of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante for the first time in a long time a day or two ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sinfonia-Concertante-Orchestra-Miaskovsky/dp/B000001GXV

Exhilirating playing from Maisky. And the Miaskovsky cello concerto also on the disc is haunting too. I really would recommend this disc.

I adore Janacek. The chamber music is, as you say, really powerful. All the operas are great: for some reason -- I think it's the blend of angular modernism, Slavic folk melodiesand seat-of-the-pants drama -- From the House of the Dead kills me every time. I've never managed to hear it in performance. One day ...

I'll check out the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante. Good tip.

I remember seeing Jenufa about ten years ago and being mesmerised. Not familiar with From the House of the Dead though - i will check that out.

I know what you mean about Janacek- in fact, I find myself attracted to a lot of early twentieth century Easter European music for that Bartokian combination of traditional folk and modernist experimentation. Have you listened to much Szymanovski? The rhapsodic first violin concerto is pretty extraordinary stuff - check out the Zehetmair / CBSO / Rattle version on EMI.
 

James7

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matt49 said:
James7 said:
Listening to Janacek's Second String Quartet as I type - utterly heart-breaking I think. Was listening to the Pletnev / Maisky version of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante for the first time in a long time a day or two ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sinfonia-Concertante-Orchestra-Miaskovsky/dp/B000001GXV

Exhilirating playing from Maisky. And the Miaskovsky cello concerto also on the disc is haunting too. I really would recommend this disc.

I adore Janacek. The chamber music is, as you say, really powerful. All the operas are great: for some reason -- I think it's the blend of angular modernism, Slavic folk melodiesand seat-of-the-pants drama -- From the House of the Dead kills me every time. I've never managed to hear it in performance. One day ...

I'll check out the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante. Good tip.

I remember seeing Jenufa about ten years ago and being mesmerised. Not familiar with From the House of the Dead though - i will check that out.

I know what you mean about Janacek- in fact, I find myself attracted to a lot of early twentieth century Easter European music for that Bartokian combination of traditional folk and modernist experimentation. Have you listened to much Szymanovski? The rhapsodic first violin concerto is pretty extraordinary stuff - check out the Zehetmair / CBSO / Rattle version on EMI.
 

matt49

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James7

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A couple more recommendations I have been listening to this week, one a disc I have loved for years and was revisiting yesterday - another Mischa Maisky disc, his recording on DG with Daria Hovora of Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata and Songs without Words, beautifully played and recorded both; and a new disc I picked up a few weeks ago after reading about it in BBC Music - Balkan Spirit by Jordi Savali (conductor), a totally fascinating musical tour of a region whose music I am far from familiar with - some haunting tracks notable for their beautiful harmonies alongside more upbeat folk dances - really lovely and beautifully presented too.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schubert-Songs-without-Mischa-Maisky/dp/B000001GS5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382258228&sr=8-1&keywords=Maisky+schubert+songs+without

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Balkan-Spirit-Hesperion-XXI-Savall/dp/B00BU8EP7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382258309&sr=8-1&keywords=Spirit+balkan
 

matt49

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Very interesting. I love the Arpeggione Sonata.

I've just received the EMI Rattle CBSO Szymanowski set: 4 dics including the violin cons 1 and 2 and symphonies 3 and 4.. Will check this out tomorrow.

:cheers:

Matt
 

James7

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Yes, I have seen that set. I only own the single disc violin concertos from whenever it was originally released (late 90s I guess). Let me know your thoughts on the set as a whole - I am very tempted ...

Have just ordered the Mefostofele recording you suggested. Reading about it elsewhere it sounds like both a fascinating opera and brilliant recording. Very exciting!
 

matt49

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James7 said:
Yes, I have seen that set. I only own the single disc violin concertos from whenever it was originally released (late 90s I guess). Let me know your thoughts on the set as a whole - I am very tempted ...

Have just ordered the Mefostofele recording you suggested. Reading about it elsewhere it sounds like both a fascinating opera and brilliant recording. Very exciting!

Good luck with the Boito, 'Mefistofele'. My set didn't come with a libretto, but you can download a parallel italian-English text here:

https://ia600401.us.archive.org/1/items/librettomefisto01boitgoog/librettomefisto01boitgoog.pdf

The Szymanowski will take a bit of digesting, but I had a quick listen to the symphonies (3 and 4) this afternoon, and they're excellent.
 

Leeps

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If you have a good surround set-up, I'd recommend the bluray movie 'Copying Beethoven'. Smile-inducing indeed to hear the DTS-HD soundtrack unleashing the full force of the orchestras.
 

matt49

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Now this is something I haven't listened to for ages: Brecht and Weill's Dreigroschenoper (Threepenny Opera).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weill-Dreigroschenoper-Threepenny-Opera-Kurt/dp/B0000268VJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1382473679&sr=1-1&keywords=dreigroschenoper

There are other recordings; this one is of very high quality (sounding lovely through the Dev/SF system) and has the wonderful Lotte Lenya. For me this belongs alongside the very greatest musical theatre of the first half of the 20th century, up there with Puccini, Berg and Janacek.
 

SiUK

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This morning at 6:30am I woke and listened to:

Saint-Saëns 'Symphony No.3'

Debussy 'La Mer'

Ibert 'Escales (Ports of call)'

Ravel 'Daphnis et Chloe' (complete)

Straus ' Also sprach Zarathustra'

All from the Living Stereo box set I bought recently. Absolutely terrific sound quality and recordings. Wasn't expecting them to be so good! Works out at about £1 per CD. Wow!

I have quite a few ducplicate recordings so I may compare some time, but enjoying playing the music too much to ponce about with that at the moment.
 

SiUK

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This morning I woke and listened to Bartok

Concerto for Orchestra;

Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta;

Hungarian Sketches

Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Fritz Reiner. Recorded in 1955 and 1958. Sounds incredible and some truly fantastic music. Some bits reminded me if the incidental music to Alien :-D
 

steve_1979

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Red Hot Chilli Peppers - One Hot Minute

http://open.spotify.com/album/2rQ135imvelvp89D8eEZOi

How is it possible that I've never heard this album before? :doh: It great! 8)
 

Macspur

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steve_1979 said:
Red Hot Chilli Peppers - One Hot Minute http://open.spotify.com/album/2rQ135imvelvp89D8eEZOi How is it possible that I've never heard this album before? :doh: It great! 8)

Hmmm, think you've popped this in the wrong post Steve!

smiley-smile.gif


Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net
 

SiUK

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This morning, before breakfast, I listened to:

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1, Op. 23 in B-Flat Minor - RCA Symphony Orchestra, Kiril Kondrashin conducting

Rachmaninoff Piano Conerto No.2, Op. 18 in C Minor - Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner, conductor, Val Cliburn, piano

Recordings 1958, and 1962. Remastered 2004 and 2012.

This is Disc 07 from the Living Stereo box set. I'm very familiar with both of the pieces above, and these older versions are just terrific. I am so glad I got this set; the quality is superb. For what you get it is an absolute bargain!

I try and get an hour of listening in before or after I get up and then have my breakfast. So thisbox set should take 60+ days to work my way through :grin:
 

steve_1979

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Reader's Digest Favourites from The Classics - Mozart (triple CD)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Favourites-Classics-Mozart-Readers-Digest/dp/B0088E0F0K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383084297&sr=8-1&keywords=readers+digest+mozart

It's sublime. My favourite classical compilation.
:boohoo:
 

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