What are you currently listening to (Classical)?

[Bachtoven]

Aaah...much better!

 

[NorthStar]

I like plenty of modern music...Penderecki, Schnittke, Gubaidulina, et al, but their music has at least a shred of melody and recognizable structures. I suppose parts of the 2nd movement of that Violin Concerto are almost tolerable!

It's coincidence that you've said that; @ first listen my first thought was it's not very musical.
But I went further in my listening and it changed that first quick impression.
Then came the fantasy world of movie soundtracks magic. With the proper subject I can see a spotlight somewhere ... a darker tone for sure.

 

[Bachtoven]

Maybe it deserves a third chance because it is such an affront to the senses! Anyway, it's on Qobuz, so I'm not making a lifetime commitment.

 

[NorthStar]

John, in my opinion with certain music genres we don't push the envelope. Meaning that no amount of listening force is necessary...we usually like after couple listening or not.
But one thing is absolute; no two people like or hate the exact same music pieces exactly equally.
My exposition was too brief so far, but I sure appreciate that you posted it ... an album that you particularly don't like.

Why? Because even if I understand and agree and respect 100% your impression, for me I can still close my eyes and see a dark fantasy movie playing in front of my eyes, a dramatic and a little scary @ times one. It's not all that bad in the proper "melancholic" context.

But yes, I won't listen to more of it right now; I got enough of my dose for today.
That classical guitar sounds much more "melodic".

* Question: What is ultra modern music?

 

[accwai]

Scarlatti: Sonatas, Kk 410—427
Scott Ross

[...] Bill [Christie] was a year ahead of me in college, but had not yet attained any fame.

I think his fame probably has much to do with association with French Baroque music. This is quiet easy to understand as soon as one has tasted something like the Lully petits motets album above. But the Lully Atys video takes things up to another level. And the Lully Amide video goes even higher. Wow...

[...] The forte pianist and musicologist Robert Levin was a year behind me and lived across the hall.

Levin's Well-Tempered Clavier in the Hänssler Edition Bachakademie was done on a mix of single/double manual harpsichord, clavichord, church organ and fortepiano. Truly a special reference set.

By the way, what did you study at Harvard? I thought you're an astronomer...

I like plenty of modern music...Penderecki, Schnittke, Gubaidulina, et al, but their music has at least a shred of melody and recognizable structures. I suppose parts of the 2nd movement of that Violin Concerto are almost tolerable!

Probably the intention sometimes is to not have any recognizable structure at all. Check this out:

Anton Webern: Variations for piano, Op. 27
Glenn Gould

I'm not a Glenn Gould fan at all, but this is one of the few times he's actually making sense...

 

[Manesp]

Another road trip tomorrow...or is it just an excuse for leaf looking...

Bringing some Bach along for the ride. ...( and as I am sure many will agree...some of his best)...

 

[Bachtoven]

Disc one. Fantastic playing, and very good mono sound (rather surprising since the concert was in 1973).

 

[rando]

I chose a mono disc this evening as well. The composer conducting selections from his own works in 1929, 1934, 1940, and 1942. Very well recorded and preserved.

 

[astrotoy]

Scarlatti: Sonatas, Kk 410—427
Scott Ross





I think his fame probably has much to do with association with French Baroque music. This is quiet easy to understand as soon as one has tasted something like the Lully petits motets album above. But the Lully Atys video takes things up to another level. And the Lully Amide video goes even higher. Wow...

Levin's Well-Tempered Clavier in the Hänssler Edition Bachakademie was done on a mix of single/double manual harpsichord, clavichord, church organ and fortepiano. Truly a special reference set.

By the way, what did you study at Harvard? I thought you're an astronomer...


Probably the intention sometimes is to not have any recognizable structure at all. Check this out:

Anton Webern: Variations for piano, Op. 27
Glenn Gould

I'm not a Glenn Gould fan at all, but this is one of the few times he's actually making sense...

I studied astronomy. However, I did take a few music courses, no courses for music majors. I took the year long general music history course and two one semester courses - one on Haydn and Mozart String Quartets and one on Beethoven Chamber music. At our graduation ceremony in June 1967, Bernstein received an honorary degree, and he marched at the head of the commencement procession, leading the 1600 students who were graduating that year. Boston was a very rich center of classical music and I was able to attend many concerts each year, something that became a habit for the rest of my life.

Larry

 

[Bachtoven]

The C minor Fantasy and Sonata from this excellent set. The SACD audio is superbly life-like.

 

[rando]

Cantatas for the sixth (July 21..), twelfth (September 1..), and eighteenth Sunday (October 20..)after Trinity Sunday (June 16, 2019). Liner notes were engaging enough I felt compelled to look the dates for the current year up.

 

[Bachtoven]

 

[Manesp]

Some vinyl I have overlooked, as it were, for too long...was on the turntable last evening ...



Pristine...all I can say.

And I have a busy day ahead ( like all of us ...) so I wanted to start it out right, if you like, so into the Kyocera CD player ( about 4 1/2 hrs ago) went this:



My God ...Mozart Symphonies No. 38 Prague and No.39 ...Sir Yehudi Menuhin...Sinfonia Varsovia...made in West Germany for Virgin Classics.
I would venture it is an okay way to start the day. ( I did my due diligence ( so to speak) on Sir Yehudi Menuhin while I was listening... Had no idea he was a pupil of George Enescu...what do you know ...)

 

[accwai]

I studied astronomy. However, I did take a few music courses, no courses for music majors. I took the year long general music history course and two one semester courses - one on Haydn and Mozart String Quartets and one on Beethoven Chamber music. At our graduation ceremony in June 1967, Bernstein received an honorary degree, and he marched at the head of the commencement procession, leading the 1600 students who were graduating that year. Boston was a very rich center of classical music and I was able to attend many concerts each year, something that became a habit for the rest of my life.

Toronto isn't bad either. Over the years, we've been able to see big names like Masaaki Suzuki, Li Yundi, Lang Lang, Chan Sa, Angela Hewitt, Hilary Hahn, Jordi Savall, Khatia Buniatishvili, Seong-Jin Cho and many of the Canadian prize winners of the Chopin Competition. A concert for Murray Perahia last year was cancelled due to health reason. Too bad. And there are some not so well known specialists at not so big venues. One can walk up and talk to the likes of Daniel Taylor, Amandine Beyer, Elinor Frey, Thomas Georgi etc. And big name specialist like Peter Phillips too.

As for education, I have music theory and history up to Royal Conservatory of Music grade 10. But I did those for myself in my 50's. Way back in Hong Kong, my father was against private music lessons. I wanted to join the band in elementary school to learn trumpet after hearing the Haydn trumpet concert. The inquiry with the music teacher didn't go well. My recollection of the conversation was he used all kinds of intimidating terms like "harmony" to scare me away. So much for learning to play an instrument.

No music in university. I took the well known "Hifi Course" by a very famous academic objectivist. Direct experience with antics of hardcore objectivism laid the foundation for my audio philosophy. I'm now a NOS Dac, SET amp, single driver speaker person.

Since I've done RCM grade 10 intermediate harmony, I now know what harmony is. No thanks to the elementary music teacher. I've also sat in on ARCT counterpoint, which has since become part of RMC advanced harmony. But the real interesting part of ARCT is History 3, the only place in RCM syllabus to cover modern music. A real eye opener.

Cantatas for the sixth (July 21..), twelfth (September 1..), and eighteenth Sunday (October 20..)after Trinity Sunday (June 16, 2019). Liner notes were engaging enough I felt compelled to look the dates for the current year up.

Umm... The first two are more like Jul 21, Sept 8. Looking up is good though, most dabbling in Bach cantatas these days don't bother with trivialities like liturgical calendar. Oh, and female alto eh? Kinky

 

[rando]

The first two are more like Jul 21, Sept 8. Looking up is good though, most dabbling in Bach cantatas these days don't bother with trivialities like liturgical calendar. Oh, and female alto eh? Kinky

Thank you, I was incorrectly using Pentecost instead of Trinity which sets all the dates one week forward. Anyways, this recording wasn't quite as out there as female alto Gregorian chant or some of the others selections I've posted on AS. Where this definitely is not. So I'll clear up a second error by introducing myself to everyone else.

I was engaged in choral work from a very young age. Outside the home. My mother had an instrument forced on her to such a degree my hopes for the trumpet were also severely shot through. Dislike of Jazz, much less Jazz Choir, proved the end of any formal musical training. A void filled fully by a string of physical activities with a strong tendency towards placing one in the midst of local culture. Currently that would include awaiting chance to ride my road race bike through blizzards and below zero temps. Along with other time consuming pursuits which are slowly yielding time and concentration(!) to this little hobby. In which I got a relatively late start collecting physical recordings that has resulted in a fair amount of exploration. When accwai pointed me towards this thread I was, and remain, amazed at the depth of knowledge and libraries collected here. WBF has quickly proved to be an environment which revived my genuine interests.



This is (tempting another lash of the stick) so far as I have been able to determine the sole disc containing a work by Terry Mizesko. Encountered while investigating currently practicing US composers.

A five movement suite for symphony orchestra which reflects the uncomplicated American psyche and the simple American dream: specifically, the vision and labor of James Walker Tufts to change the land laid waste by logging, to the beauty of the now famous Pinehurst Resort.

 

[Bachtoven]

 

[Manesp]

Brahms ...Brahms ...Brahms...

probably just me ( only two years of piano training...) but I have a difficult time understanding Johannes Brahms...the whole piece.

Starting Saturday a wee bit later than normal this week.

Let’s see if Otto Klemperer...and Christa Ludwig ...blended with the Philharmonia Orchestra ( and Chorus) can lead me closer to Brahms Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68...the Tragic Overture, Op.81...and Alto-Rhapsody, Op.53.

 

[andolink]

Performances and recording are top notch.

 

[rando]

A few lesser known 'authentic' Chopin recordings were capped off by this SACD.

 

[Manesp]

A few lesser known 'authentic' Chopin recordings were capped off by this SACD.

My Kyocera CD player is conventional, so I will have to get the Hybrid SACD version of this it would appear. LINN Records...right?
I like Chopin’s music ...but have a friend who is a ‘fanatic’ about Frederic Chopin maybe ...maybe ...more than I am obsessed with the magic of Mozart... so I guess I am going to have to order two copies of your great post. BTW ... I believe I should have given you 2 “likes” ... I mean ‘ riding your road bike in a snow blizzard. ‘ Good stuff. I am certain Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas would concur!