Thread: Today I discovered...

Also, I've been trying some music by Malcolm Arnold and Arnold Bax. But I have to listen some more before passing well grounded judgement.

As I said somewhere else, get the first string quartet by Arnold Bax.

I'm trying some Raff. Thank you Manuel from bringing this up in that videogame soundtrack thread.

Originally Posted by Manuel

The exact half? Or the second movement?

Why not starting with the third? It's supposed to be the liveliest section of every violin concerto, therefore being, statistically, the most catchy.

I have to disagree with both of you.

For Violin Concertos, I believe the heart of them, and the essence lies in the colossal 1st movements. Especially considering Beethoven, Brahms' and Tchaikovsky's violin concertos, these are undoubtedly what makes them great. That's my opinion of course.

Originally Posted by ChamberNut

Grieg's 3 violin sonatas. Got the disc from the library last night.

Just finished listening to the Op. 8 in F major. 2 thumbs up Augustin Dumay on violin, Marai Joao Pires, piano.

I'll be listening to the other 2 later today.

I've listened to the other two now.

I was lukewarm on the 2nd sonata, in G major, Op. 13, but both the F major, Op. 8 and C minor Op. 45 sonatas are really fantastic discoveries for me!

Opus67, if you haven't heard these, check them out.

Originally Posted by Manuel

As I said somewhere else, get the first string quartet by Arnold Bax.

That was to me, and I wholeheartedly concur.

Originally Posted by Morigan

I'm trying some Raff.

He left a fine piano concerto if you like that genre.

I have just heard on the radio the piano quintet of Juliusz Zarebski. He was a student of Liszt's, but he died young of tuberculosis (just like Reubke). Liszt really didn't have luck with his prodigious students!
The work is quite long, but strong and harmonically daring sometimes. The piano part is, as expected, quite dominant. I would call it Lisztian, and the form too is cyclic and full of the theme-development Liszt often used.

Thanks for bringing Zarebski to our attention, Lisztfreak. I certainly knew of him but never heard any of his works... I'll check into the Piano Quintet.

Mark I have the same recordings as your wife, impossible for me to say which I like best.
I am deeply greatful to Debussy,apparently Gabriel Faure(at one time Ravels composition
teacher) thought this Quartet too long,so Ravel took it to Debussy who said "do not change one note"His uncoventional harmonies are superb!

Manual can you suggest a good recording of the Arnold Bax first String Quartet,
Thanks

Originally Posted by lmd

Manual can you suggest a good recording of the Arnold Bax first String Quartet,
Thanks

The one at Naxos is the only one I know. The Maggini quartet plays there, I think.

I list the second violin concerto of Tor Aulin as my discover for today.

I started with the first movement, which is a bit predictable, and its structure owes very much to Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps. I skipped the second movement for schedule reasons and went straight to the ferocious Tarantella that is the third movement. I'm very pleased with it.

Jan Levoslav Bella's (1843-1936) Piano Sonata in B flat minor. Here's another find of a sonata in the Lisztian mold, except this composer wasn't a Liszt disciple. He had close ties with Brahms, Bulow, R. Strauss and Dohnanyi, although Liszt approved of his compositions. The sonata itself is formally different from Liszt's Sonata, retaining the classical four-movement structure. I'm quite taken with the first movement's Lisztian grandeur and rapturous piano-writing.

Originally Posted by Manuel

The exact half? Or the second movement?

Somewhere in the second.

... That the advertising at Amazon.com also includes videos. You can watch Repin playing Beethoven's concerto here.

I was looking for a new Kreutzer.