What are YOU listening to now?

[Geratlas]

Hi, I have been listening to the Piano Trio, Op.1 No.3 quite much recently - this led me to my premiere hearing of the one, Op.70 No.1. On experiencing it I got so unusually overwhelmed by its first movement that I actually could not find myself to listen beyond the beginning of the second movement.
If the rest of this work is but half as enchanting as this, I consider it a strong contender for my LvB top 20 list(!). However, I'm sure there's many works, presently unpresented to my ears, which will prove an greater impact still. (For ones: I haven't heard the Trio Op.97, yet.) Any thoughts, perhaps?
/ (Messa)Ger at Las(t):::_(Disc)over and out(play)

[JA Gardiner]

Well its now Proms season over here - just seen a TV broadcast of one that was full of popular overtures and arias ( William Tell, Marriage of Figaro, 1812, the Catalogue aria from Don Giovanni, Non Piu Andrai etc. etc.) Not bad, a good NZ tenor soloist, but not outstanding. In the middle of all this however was a quite extraordinary performance of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Soloist Louis Lortie ( I think that's the spelling!). TV close ups showed all the mannerisms and emoting which were a bit OTT, but the performance was magnificent, menacing and crisp in the main theme, and lyrical without getting slushy in Variation 18 ( some feat that!) and generally splendid throughout IMHO. The accompanying orchestra - Halle conducted by Mark Elder - did him proud and clearly thought it was a bit special too! After all that I'm cooling off with Mozart PC 21 K467 (Perahia) - my favourite kind of nachtmusik.

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Beethoven the Man!

[Gurn Blanston]

Geratlas,
Welcome back, haven't heard you in a long time! And you bring a great listening with you too. This is a marvelous trio. Since you ask for other things, and mention the "Archduke", I will tell you one more thing in there that you MUST hear first, and that is the second trio in Op 70, the seldom heard Eb trio. I tell you honestly that it is better, IMHO, than the Geistertrio. Honestly! Then you can go on and listen to Op 97 without having missed out on anything so important.
Happy Listening

JA,
All my favorite overtures were there, nice party! I have heard Lortie play, he is very competent as you say. I had never seen him. What are you saying, he is a French Lang Lang? You are working your way through that Perahia very smartly I see. One more and you will be at my very favorite, the great d minor (B's favorite too). I hope he plays it with B's cadenzas, they are the best!

For me, it is the Overture #3 for double orchestra - Op 18 #3 - Johann Christian Bach. It is no wonder that Amadé was so taken with the "London Bach".


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Sorrano]

Mendelssohn's 3rd and 4th Symphonies, quite the inspiration. I must say that the 4th reminds me of Mozart a lot. I've been listening to Ashkenazy's interpretation.

Ligeti's 2nd String Quartet. Not bad....

Beethoven's Sonatas 30 and 31 (Serkin--taped live performance).

Caught a bit of the last of Holst's St. Paul Suite.

[Gurn Blanston]

Sorrano,
Quite an evening of listening. We were discussing those symphonies just the other day, and I am on record in favor of the 4th. Beautiful and memorable. BTW, is that Ligeti on authentic instruments too?

For me now, to close the great day of music, it is the very rare and surprisingly excellent Concerto in A major for Cello & Orchestra - #1 - WoO (B 10) - Antonin Dvorak! Such a pity this is such a little known work, it is quite beautiful, and the Czech PO /Neumann give it their best with Sadlo on the 'cello.


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Gurn Blanston]

Such a lovely Monday, is everyone listening to music this morning? I am, it is the Concerto in Eb for Piano & Orchestra - #2 - Op 32 - Carl Maria von Weber. Another seminal Romantic, and sounds like it too!


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Steppenwolf]

Handel, harpsicord suite number 7.

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Sorrano,
Quite an evening of listening. We were discussing those symphonies just the other day, and I am on record in favor of the 4th. Beautiful and memorable. BTW, is that Ligeti on authentic instruments too?

More Beethoven in the works for today--the Sonata #32 (Serkin) and perhaps I will get to Brahms piano and cellow sonata as well.

Ligeti was performed with period instruments-it's best that way!

While I enjoyed the Italian Symphony I think the No. 3 is more to my liking.

[Pastorali]

Pretty relaxed here after a bit of Haydn today.
Joseph Haydn - Symphonies 34-37
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra - Adam Fischer.

[Gurn Blanston]

Sorrano,
Yes, well that was the nub of the discussion, and while I concede readily that the "Scottish" is a more substantial work, and most likely one more deserving of frequent playing, my taste is for the "Italian". Either way, can't lose. Oh, I meant to mention those Serkin sonatas before, Serkin is in my top 3 list of dead pianists (!), the only B I have him playing is the cello sonatas with Casals, but he is great in those, I will enjoy to get his solo sonatas. I agree about the Ligeti. You have to hand it to Rod, he has started an authentic instrument revolution here. When he's right, he's right!

For me, it is the mighty 7th, Philharmonia Orchestra/Zander. Interesting tempi for a non HIP performance, very nice indeed.


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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Pastorali:
Pretty relaxed here after a bit of Haydn today.
Joseph Haydn - Symphonies 34-37
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra - Adam Fischer.

P.
We posted at the same time. Scary . Let me know soon you will reach #39 (g minor?) and I have heard some good things about this work. Let me know what you think.
For me now, it is the Symphony in Bb - #85 - HAydn - "La Reine" after the lovely Marie Antoinette, who still had her head on her shoulders at the time, but not for much longer!


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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Pastorali]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:

P.
We posted at the same time. Scary . Let me know soon you will reach #39 (g minor?) and I have heard some good things about this work. Let me know what you think.
For me now, it is the Symphony in Bb - #85 - HAydn - "La Reine" after the lovely Marie Antoinette, who still had her head on her shoulders at the time, but not for much longer!

Hey man! Keep your hands off those Symphonies - this is my stuff this week! Reached now #36 in E flat major, #39 is not that far away, just behind the Echo and before the "A" and "B" Symphonies. any idea about this termation? After these two comes #40, so there are at least 106 Symphonies and not 104...



[This message has been edited by Pastorali (edited 07-26-2004).]

[Gurn Blanston]

P.
All I know about A & B is that they were either unknown or else not thought to be by Haydn at the time that the symphonies were numbered, so when they showed up they were just called A & B. I don't know where they fit in, maybe it really is as # 37 & 38??? Anyway, I can't help it, I have to listen to Haydn too, it is only fair

And right now, it is the # 86 in D, Paris #5. These are the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. HIP, I think.


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Pastorali]

Gurn
#39 in G minor is really another outstanding one! Superb. I heard it for the first time. Up from #37, this is actually a hot corner!

[Geratlas]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
[...] the second trio in Op 70, the seldom heard Eb trio. I tell you honestly that it is better, IMHO, than the Geistertrio. Honestly!

MANY THANKs/GURN!
This is indeed gold fore my eyes, since I regard your musical taste as, at the least, equivalent to my own.
I believe I will agree with you when I come to hear it. To be honest, myself, I chose not to listen to it for the time being, despite I own a recording of both trios (Opp.70[No.2] & 97). I simply won't rush in to these things, partly because I'm still of relatively young age and afford to wait until 'maturance' and partly because I think highly of digesting one work before moving to the next. --- Moreover, I has had my share with the genre a month or so already. --- However, it's mighty fine of you to bother with me, and I wish to let you, and 'gutigster Herrn Pastor Ali' as well, know that I enjoy to read your internal correspondence on this 'topic'. Great fun!
Your F. Geratlas
(PS. Now listening to LvB's traduction of the trio Op1 No.3 for string quintet,Op.104. Neat escape, don't you think?DS)


[This message has been edited by Geratlas (edited 07-26-2004).]