What are we listening to now ?

[spaceray]

I celebrated Woferl's birthday a day early,oh dear,this is the sort of thing that happens when one becomes a doddering old woman,don't even know what day it is.Nevermind,there's still some cake left.

I don't think Mozart would mind me listening to Beethoven's Variations in F major on 'Se Vuol Ballare'WoO 40.
Splendid!

[Gurn Blanston]

Bona Noxrl,
That is a lovely little adagio. Don't really know if it is good to celebrate with, but we shall let you get by with it this time...

Ur,
Generally I like the Takacs recordings. Perhaps someone was having an off day. Probably the second add-in guy who really wanted the first viola part! Pity it ruins the recording though, with technology today, you would think they would clean that up pre-release.

Joy,
A wonderful piece for a birthday party!

Amalie,
A nice lineup of listening, although I think you are just a bit light on the Mozart! On that Brahms, the Gould Piano Trio, is that the late Glen? Never heard any of his ensemble work, if so. Tell me, does he play well with others? I never did, you know!

King,
You're too easy, a little sun means not much when it is still -10°F. ! But that's OK, you seem less restless today, you must have got out and shoveled snow for a while! I have to admit, Fesca is totally new to me, I shall be interested to read your post-listening debrief.

Spacerl,
We always just thought that you had chosen your name particularly well... I don't think Wolfrl would mind you listening to the Beethoven even a little, given that the theme is his, from La Nozze de Figaro! So that's alright then, you pulled it out just in time.

For me, it's all Mozart, all the time, I am listening to the complete works from K 246 to K 300, right now the Serenade in D major, K 250 - "Haffner", one of the absolute great works of the Salzburg years.

------------------
Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[spaceray]

I do hope Wolfie doesn't mind a lovely piano sonata of Muzio Clementi opus 25 no 5.

[Gurn Blanston]

Spacerl,
I think Clementi was a sore spot, best not touched! Wonderful sonata though, and much admired by his contemporaries (including B).

For me, it is the Octet (Double String Quartet) in e minor - #3 - Op 87 - Ludwig Spohr. Super works, all 4 of them. Other than Mendelssohn and Gade (and Bruch, much later), I think Spohr was one of the very few composers to tackle this difficult genre. Pity really, it makes a lovely sound!

------------------
Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[spaceray]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Spacerl,
I think Clementi was a sore spot, best not touched! Wonderful sonata though, and much admired by his contemporaries (including B).

For me, it is the Octet (Double String Quartet) in e minor - #3 - Op 87 - Ludwig Spohr. Super works, all 4 of them. Other than Mendelssohn and Gade (and Bruch, much later), I think Spohr was one of the very few composers to tackle this difficult genre. Pity really, it makes a lovely sound!

Could you be wrong about the Clementi/Mozart rivaly? Wasn't all that just PR? Mozart said he liked nothing better that another musician who knew his stuff,and as far as I know Clementi admired Mozart's compositions.
Mozart made a few rash statements in his life like"I hate the flute"It wasn't true as the music for flute clearly indicates.
Gurn,don't believe everything you read!

[Amalie]

Lunchtime Concert.

Beethoven's Piano Trio, Eb, 0p.70, no.2

Haydn's Piano Trio, in C,

Performed by, Kungsbacka Piano Trio.


------------------

~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~

[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 01-28-2005).]

[Joy]

For the continuing Beethoven piano sonatas series it's Louis Lortie performing the famous "Pathetique," also known as Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 13(1798) with commentary from the pianist himself and Beethoven scholar Elaine Sisman. Should be interesting!

Also this morning Mendelssohn's 'Midsummer Night's Dream'! Nice!

------------------
'Truth and beauty joined'

[King Stephen]

Right now its Hector Berlioz, his orcestral music to Romeo et Juliette. As I have said before, Berlioz was a great orchestrator,
for someone who really only played the guitar with a decent understanding of the instrument, that is not to say that he couldn't play other instuments, only that the guitar seemed be the one he favored. I think with Beethoven's 9th Berlioz knew that a 'new' direction would have to be taken in the matter of symphonic composition. The path he took certainly was a good one.

Gurn,
You will be happy to know that at 7:30 am it was -01 Deg.F, it has climbed all the way up to 14 deg as of 11:30 am

[This message has been edited by King Stephen (edited 01-28-2005).]

[Gurn Blanston]

Spacerl,
No, I am not in the habit of being wrong! Actually, from Clementi's POV, he was a much more gracious man that Amadé was, and ungrudgingly gave credit where it was due. Wolferl, however, never said anything nice about Clementi that has ever been documented, and said several things that were NOT nice, so I am thinking that it went beyond PR and into the realm of having his feelings hurt by Clementi's virtuosity. So it goes.

Amalie,
Oh, 2 of my favorites! The Eb is the top of the heap in B's trio output, IMHO. Either one of the Haydn C majors (he wrote 2 of them among his last 4 trios, both very nice) is fine listening too. Very good!

Joy,
You must be nearly at the end of the line on that sonata series, yes? You certainly got a variety of good performances, and some nice background material too. They should do that stuff more often, even have ME listening to radio!

For me now thogh, it is 4 of the 6 String Quartets of Joseph Kraus. Composed in the early 1780's, these show a lot of Haydn's influence (from Op 20). They are really quite nice, certainly worth a listen.

------------------
Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[spaceray]

Alright Gurn, if we must have Mozart annoyed with Clementi, so be it.You say there isn't documentation that Wolferl had anything nice to say.What did he say about Clementi that was derogatory?

I'm listening to Serenade Melancolique in B minor op 26 by Tchaikovsky.

[Gurn Blanston]

Spacerl,
well, I don't have the books here at work, but if memory serves, it was along the lines of "he is merely a showoff technician, doesn't play with any feeling at all, no left hand technique, &c., &c., &c.". You know the sort of stuff. Being labeled a "technician" back then was a great insult, so to speak, like "all technique, no emotion", which was a big deal. Of course, this doesn't mean that it was true about Clementi, it is just what Wolfrl said. Most people thought quite highly of him, including Beethoven, so we should strive for balance! I like that Tchaikovsky piece, good choice!

For me, it still Kraus. These quartets are really good!

------------------
Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[spaceray]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
"he is merely a showoff technician, doesn't play with any feeling at all, no left hand technique, &c., &c., &c."


[/B]

Yes Yes I know but this was all apart of the Buzz they wanted to get going for the big showdown,they wanted a full house of bloodthirsty musiclovers ,it was all about seeling more tickets? No?

Now playing ... Romance in F minor op11 Dvorak

[JA Gardiner]

Well whilst we're in that neck of the woods its Ma Vlast - Smetana - Roger Norrington and the London Classical Players. Authentic Instruments (Boy those woodwind are shrill ) and historically aware performance. Extremely interesting but surprisingly slow tempi in some parts -from Norrington!!!! The Moldau here is stately rather than sprightly even in its upper reaches - nicely spooky for the moonlight swimming and ruined castles though!

------------------
Beethoven the Man!

[Gurn Blanston]

Spacerl,
Tickets? No, it was a command performance for the Emperor, and a surprise for Wolferl at that, he didn't know in advance about it. Uncle Joe just said "Hey, come on over and spend Christmas Eve with me and the family" and that was that.

Judith,
Shrill? Oh, you probably have a cold. Woodwinds are never shrill in HIP performance! Rod wouldn't allow it, and neither would I. That is a very nice bit of music though. I am curious though, since it dates from the late 19th century, what can be different about the instruments? Hmmm...

For me, it is the Quartet in Bb for Strings, #3 - Op 67 - Johannes Brahms. Excellent!


------------------
Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Rudie]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Well, his starling died just a few days after his father did, and there has always been a bit of spec on how much of that was transferrence. Here is the little eulogic poem he wrote for the "funeral":

Here rests a bird called Starling,
A foolish little Darling.
He was still in his prime
When he ran out of time,
And my sweet little friend
Came to a bitter end,
Creating a terrible smart
Deep in my heart.
Gentle reader! Shed a tear,
For he was dear,
Sometimes a bit too jolly
And, at times, quite folly,
But nevermore
A bore.
I bet he is now up on high
Praising my friendship to the sky,
Which I render
Without tender;
For when he took his sudden leave,
Which brought to me such grief,
He was not thinking of the man
Who writes and rhymes as no one can.

Don't give up your day job, Amadé! D

lovely poem indd...soo..what have I been listening too??what HAVEN't I been listening too lately...Brahms sonata in F minor and the one in C major, rach's 2nd pianoconcerto in c minor *klara würtz* chopin ballads and impromptu's and nocturnes, mozart sonatas by klara würtz, his *mozart's* 4e main works on pianoforte's performed by ursula dütschler and Bart van oort..and well..that's pretty much it...My first "meeting" with brahms' pianomusic has been a fine one

Greetz,

der rudie,
aka ruud