Recorded in 1978, in cooperation with VEB Deutsche Schallplattern Berlin/DDR. The wonderful Staatskapelle Dresden-an orchestra I have discovered fairly recently the recordings of which I have been exploring. This is included in the Berglund Warner box.
César Franck: Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV 8 Guillaume Lekeu: Violin Sonata in G major Christian Ferras, Violin Pierre Barbizet, Piano
I will come back to Pollini, for now I am listening to Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 4 in G major, Elly Ameling soprano, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra • André Previn conductor, recorded 1978, Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh Wonderful performance. Love this symphony so much
I am fine with 22 CD's as it is a very manageable size. I have many much bigger boxes and they take forever to go through ...
PP Messiaen: Catalogue d'oiseaux & Petites esquisses d'oiseaux Hakon Austbo (piano) I found it in my local library. I tried, but it's just so outh there that I couldn't get through even the Petites esquisses. Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto & Sonatina No. 2 "Fröhliche Werkstatt" Alexei Ogrintchouk (oboe), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, Alexei Ogrintchouk (dir.) Great recording quality, but can't say I found the works interesting enough for repeat listening. I was wondering: "Why have I never heard of Strauss's Sonatina No. 2 before?". Now that I've heard it, I know: it's sweet, light music. Nothing like his tone poems. Kalevi Aho: Works for Solo Piano Sonja Fräki (piano) The Preludes are wonderful, though a few are more difficult than the rest. They are well-worth hearing, and are actually quite classical, Chopin-esque, by moments. The other works are definitely more modern, more dissonant, more difficult. The list for today: Scenes from the Kalevala Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Dima Slobodeniouk Very nicely recorded. I have high hopes for this one... Villa-Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras Volume 1 (Nos 2-3-4) Jean Louis Steuerman (piano) São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), Roberto Minczuk ...and this one as well Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck And one of the best discs from last year.
Now listening to Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, Pina Carmirelli violin, I Musici, recorded 1982 La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland
Now playing: Christoph Graupner - Das Leiden Jesu: Passion Cantatas II - Ex Tempore, Mannheimer Hofkapelle, Florian Heyerick - recorded 2017
Listening to "Taverner / Browne / Carver - Masterworks From Late Medieval England And Scotland" performed by the Taverner Choir conducted by Andrew Parrott on EMI Reflexe. O Maria Salvatoris Mater – John Browne Quemadmodum – John Taverner O Bone Jesu – Robert Carver Gaude Flore Virginale – Robert Carver Stabat Mater Dolorosa – John Browne O Splendor Gloriae – John Taverner
Returning to Pollini, now listening to ROBERT SCHUMANN, Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor op. 11 - Fantasie in C major op. 17, Maurizio Pollini piano, recorded 1973
Now playing: Anton Rubinstein - Cellokonzerte - Werner Thomas, Bamberg SO, Yuri Ahrnovitch - recorded 1989
At 80 minutes it might outstay its welcome, but there's some wildly inventive and virtuosic writing, which Kaya handles with apparent ease.
Now playing: Luís de Freitas Branco - Symphony No. 1; Scherzo Fantastique; Suite Alentejana No. 1 - RTÉ NSO, Álvaro Cassuto - recorded 2007
A gray, rainy day here in Virginia. Playing some Sibelius on the turntable this afternoon... Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7. Colin Davis / Boston Symphony Orchestra. Philips LP / 1975 / Holland All of the drama and beauty of these works is fully captured by Davis and the BSO. I just love their entire cycle of these Symphonies. Philips, too, did a terrific job of capturing the sonic magic in Boston. The cover painting by Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch, was created in 1900 --about 15 years before fellow Norwegian, Sibelius, introduced his Symphony No. 5 at a Helsinki concert on his 50th birthday. The somewhat expressionist landscape painting is titled "Train Smoke," referring to the white puffs seen between the trees in the foreground, coming from the train which is barely visible in the lower right. The overall view is from Ljan in Nordstrand, looking out across Oslo fjord. I love to gaze at this when listening to this LP. So much of Sibelius' music reminds me of the rugged beauty of the outdoors.
Claude Debussy: Première Suite d’Orchestre, L. 50a (world premiere recording) La Mer, L. 109 François-Xavier Roth, Les Siècles
Now playing: Joachim Mendelson; Roman Padlewski; Simon Laks - String Quartets - Silesian String Quartet - recorded 2009
Okay, here's an interesting experience: Earlier today, I went to AMC to see the Met Opera broadcast replay of Gounod's Romeo and Juliet. The performers were excellent. The music was lovely. The sets and costumes were great. The Juliet, Nadine Sierra (new to me), was delightful. She was wonderfully expressive. And I was so bored, I left before the intermission. I was afraid if I didn't, I would be asleep any moment. Maybe it was a lame performance or just an opera I didn't know I don't like. Or perhaps I don't like opera as much as I tell myself I do. It's one thing to let it play as background music - quite another to sit and watch it for 3 hours. Possible I just like Divas. And I can get those from Broadway.
Weird bank aside. I once bought a car (financed 2 years, loan officer was a friend of mine and my late Grandmother). The bank went through 3 mergers by the time the car was paid off. Began as City & County Bank, became AmSouth, then became Regions Bank. The "Which name is the bank going to be called today"
For me it's the other way around. I've seen some great operas in concert halls, even a few (such as Philip Glass' "Waiting for the Barbarians" which are only libretto), but I get bored listening to them at home. I need the visuals with opera.
