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Current Listening Vol I

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6.6M views 63K replies 1.1K participants last post by  Krummhorn  
#1,205 ·
I'm listening to Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5. Idil Biret, piano.

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I don't know, maybe I'm grouchy today, but I'm finding too much of it in the murky timbres below middle C, even the prettier lighter parts. Maybe it's the recording. Biret does a fine job though. There are some incredibly bizarre rhythms in the finale.
 
#1,265 ·
Elaryad said:
I'm listening to Shostakovich's Symphony 11, I. The Palace Square (Adagio).

Any recommendations about other Shostakovich's symphonies?thanks
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The 11th is my favorite, probably because of sentimental associations with the Cosmos tv series. Also because it's beautiful.

I really enjoy his concertos over his symphonies, especially the frenetic Cello Concerto No. 1. The 1st movement reminds me of overdosing on caffeine, but in a good way.

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I am listening to this most excellent album of Joseph Jongen chamber music.

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#1,274 ·
Today I listened to a piano concerto I couldn't identify, but it had to be Beethoven or someone channeling him. I got up and looked at the digital readout to discover it was his violin concerto transcribed as a piano concerto. So it was the Piano Concerto no. 4 and a half. That was nice.
 
#1,460 ·
Much as I may have dissed Mozart in another thread, tonight I am listening to some Mitsuko Uchida renderings of 4 early piano sonatas. This is a relatively old recording.

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So far I am enjoying it. I am not being beat over the head with Alberti bass, and when it's present it is de-emphasized. Maybe it's the way it's performed that makes a difference. Maybe I had been listening to sub-par performers. The third movement of K.280 almost has a Scarlatti thing going on.

The No. 4 in eb, K.282 is familiar sounding. It must be very popular or else I've had it before in my collection. Uchida slows the opening Adagio down to more like a larghetto, but it's quite lovely.

The final piece No. 5 in G I've heard an awful lot of for some reason, but it too seems to be reminding me of Scarlatti tonight -- except for that awful Alberti bass that here is more pronounced. Doo dee doh dee Doo dee doh dee. Sigh . . .
 
#2,793 ·
Yesterday at work I popped in this Naxos CD of Gliere's Symphony No. 3

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I never paid much attention to Gliere before, and in truth I was unable to focus on this music much while at work, but the 4th movement made me drop everything - including my jaw! There are sections that can only be described as orgies of brass. :eek: Amazing power! I'm going to give this a thorough listen during the weekend.
 
#2,989 ·
I have been listening to these Ravel Nocturnes on my Rhapsody account, lovely pieces I'm considering purchasing, but so far I am not finding this album for sale other than the mp3 versions on Rhapsody. The pianist is Laurent Wagschal.

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I suppose there are others versions I could look into.
 
#3,043 ·
I just noticed there is an inordinate amount of the Chandos label mentioned here. I really love the few Chandos recordings I own. Maybe I should look to them before Naxos for a while. They are a step up in price, but not always.
 
#3,168 ·
I have found Eric Ewazen on my Rhapsody account and I'm intrigued enough to consider purchasing. This album from 2001 has some great chamber orchestra works. If you dislike 20th/21st century music, this may change your mind, though some of you may think it borders on sentimentality or even cheesiness. The gruff sound of a sax in a concerto is an interesting touch. This is not sax the way Debussy used it. The down side for me -- it does slide into Hollywood soundtrack territory sometimes.

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The Chamber Symphony sounds almost like a piano concerto as it has a prominent piano part. I love the often driving modern rhythms coupled with classic tonality.
 
#3,463 ·
Today at work Carl Reinecke came up more or less at random in the CD's I took with me today. The first movement of the Symphony No. 2 just slayed me! I wasn't good for getting any work done today. The melodies are so beautiful, like discovering Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture for the first time. In fact, I almost thought I had grabbed a Mendelssohn disc until I looked at the playlist readout.

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#3,492 ·
Andre said:
Ligeti's Requiem on Austrian Wergo label. Spooky, wierd & wonderful. The equal of any Requiem I have heard. Although his more experimental Adventures on the same disc is much quirkier...
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Is this work different than the Requiem for soprano, mezzo-soprano and blah blah that we all know from 2001:a space odyssey? Or was that an excerpt from the whole?
 
#4,526 ·
#5,152 ·
I'm trying to appreciate Bartok, although nothing here has quite reached out and grabbed me (except for a few passages that sound like quotes from something else, but are intriguingly elusive . . .)

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#5,545 · (Edited)
This week I have been listening again to this album of Wojciech Kilar works. It is quite satisfying on every level. I'm trying to categorize his style in my mind and all I can come up with is post-minimalist retro bombast (in the most respectful sense of the words).

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This is all I have heard by this composer that I recall. It's been too long since I watched Dracula to remember the score. I need to invest in some more from him. I'd rate all four pieces on this album very highly.
 
#5,565 · (Edited)
Having been guilty of a bit of (largely tongue in cheek) Schoenberg bashing now and then, I thought I would take the plunge and try, try, try to get something out of his music. So I am listening to these works, but found to my amazement they are mostly accessible. The 5 Pieces for orchestra, Op. 16 are particularly interesting. The Variations for orchestra, Op. 31 do come across as just plain ugly on first hearing, but I am trying to like them. (And some people think metal is ugly.) Still they don't repel as much as some of Schoenberg's offerings I have not quite endured.

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The Lutoslowski just reminds me of action movie soundtracks. This type of music unfortunately makes me want to go turn off the TV when it's not even on. The Livre pour orchestre does become interesting once it stops raging and a mysterious piano comes into play.
 
#5,589 ·
This morning I purchased a digital album through the web site bandcamp. It's the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues by Bach, BWV 553 through 560 performed by the Zagreb Guitar Quartet.

I have had the score booklet for these for a long time and I once tried to make synthesizer versions, but was never happy with my efforts. I don't much care for organ music on an organ -- I can seldom hear all the notes. So I'm always excited to find transcriptions of Bach organ music to other instruments. This is a pleasant album of music I've known a long time but never really heard. It's only $5.00 USD (though I paid a lot more because I think it's worth it).

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