What are we listening to now ?

[spaceray]

It's so nice to see everyone coming back ,where is Tony? who else hasn't checked in yet? Beyond Within? Amalie's had so many different names it's hard to keep track of her.Let your voices be heard!
I'm listening to Bach's St Matthew Passion.

[Amalie]

Originally posted by spaceray:
It's so nice to see everyone coming back ,where is Tony? who else hasn't checked in yet? Beyond Within? Amalie's had so many different names it's hard to keep track of her.Let your voices be heard!
I'm listening to Bach's St Matthew Passion.

Umm, yes Spacerl, I think I've got the hang of loging in now. I think maybe we should all swap names with each other and try to recognize who the poster is.

Wonderful listening for you Space,
I have just listened to:
Dvorak's Symphony no.9, performed by, The Prague Symphony Orchestra. Beautiful

Somehow, this symphony reminds me of when I used to go walking over the Quantock Hills, and Holford Glen, in Sommerset [the Garden of England], where I used to live.
Such stunning views over the countryside.
Mind you, I still love walking, but I have given up climbing...


Welcom back Rudie, I am pleased you made it!
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~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~

[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 01-29-2005).]

[JA Gardiner]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:

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...

Well, according to Sir Roger's sleeve notes, " The sound of an orchestra over one hundred years ago was surprisingly different from today. The stringed instruments were already like modern ones but they were strung with gut instead of steel. Wind and brass instruments were significantly different fromm today's versions. Timpani still used leather heads of course.
In the 1880's string numbers were much smaller than today. Smetana had to put up with as few as six first violins in the Opera, but was delighted when he could conduct as many as the Vienna Philharmonic at the time ( forty-six strings, as here) Composers....all wrote with this balance of between strings, woodwind and brass in mind. They also had in mind the same world-wide 19th century stage layout. First and second violins faced each other across the stage. So did the brass and horns; whilst the bass instruments were as central as possible.
Of course, the way we actually play the instruments often makes them sound even more different than just their structure would imply. Brass and woodwind articulation, types of string bowing and a 19th century approach to staccato and portato all contribute to a clarity and a concern for phrasing which is very important to us. Even more evident is the search for for what players like Joachim called 'pure tone',with a rare or minimal vibrato in all instruments, so characteristic of all orchestras before before 1920."

So there you are - you say potato and I say portato??????

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Beethoven the Man!

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Henry Purcell ,the trumpet overture from The Indian Queen.John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque soloists.

[King Stephen]

Dvorak, last of the great symphonist (d.1904)
Tonight its his Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8 performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Libor Pesek. Pesek really has a handle on Dvorak, his tempi is to me just right and he brings out the best in the RLPO especially the winds and brass. Of all the recordings I have of these two symphonies I must say these are my favorite.
On to Beethoven later this evening, his Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II WoO 87, a nice way to end an evening of fine music.
Steve

Gurn, the temp. is expected to hit a high of 35 deg. F tomorrow. wow! a real heat wave in the Boston area.....



[This message has been edited by King Stephen (edited 01-29-2005).]

[Amalie]

My playlist this sunny am.

Beethoven: Variations on Bei Mannern, Welche Liebe fuhlen.

Haydn: Quartet in D, 0p. 64/5
'The Lark'
Jerusalem Quartet.

Grieg: Songs, 'My little bird: The Blueberry:

Kraus: Symphony im C minor,' Symphonie Funebre'.
Swedish C0./ Peter Sundkvist.




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

[Joy]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:

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!

I agree they should do this more often I enjoyed the music and listening to their commentary. I will miss coming home to Beethoven every evening! Monday will be the last one his monumental sonata Hammerklavier (1817-1818).

As for today Bach's Orchestra Suite #3 is coming up and later on they'll be playing Haydn's String Quartet Op. 20, #3, with The Janosi Ensemble at the Esterhazy Castle, where Josef Haydn spent nearly three decades writing music for the Prince. Also a few old folk dances which inspired Haydn's Quartet. They'll also be talking with Hungarian fiddler Barnabas Kelemen about gypsy fiddle music.




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'Truth and beauty joined'

[King Stephen]

Right now its Carl Stamitz, four of his symphonies. Stamitzs was born in Mannheim in 1745, he studied and composed most of his music there which include over fifty symphonies and nearly forty sinfonia concertantes. It has been said the Stamitz over a period of ten years brought the Mannheim Orchestra to such a peak of perfection that Dr. Charles Burney said that it was like 'an army of generals'. His last symphony was composed in 1791 the year of Mozarts death.
Although Stamitz is from the Mannheim school you can hear a likeness to Haydn's music, a good example is his Symphony in F major Op.24, No.3 composed in 1784, his writing for the horns in the last movement is typically Hadynistic. Good listening from the classical period.

[This message has been edited by King Stephen (edited 01-29-2005).]

[spaceray]

Sonata for piano and violin in A major op 47.
by Beethoven.Oh and with fire engine obbligato,a couple of police cars and an "advanced life support"rescue truck.Must be an accident somewhere.I live on a busy corner in the middle of the city.
I think perhaps the sirens are in another key,they sound a bit sharp.
It going to be a sunny but cold and dry day for a change on the west coast of Canada.

[JA Gardiner]

Fabulous Schubert
Trout Quintet - Clifford Curzon and mebers of the Wiener Oktett - Willi Boskovsky et al
Sonata in A for arpeggione and Piano, D821 -Mstislav Rostropovich on cello, Benjamin Britten on Piano
Fantasy in C maj, D934 - Szymon Goldberg(violin), Radu Lupu (piano)
Octet in F maj,D803 - Wiener Oktett

That's some Double Decca for £7.99!

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Beethoven the Man!

[Pastorali]

A bunch of Mozart's Overtures, actually 'Der Schauspieldirektor' KV.486

[Gurn Blanston]

Hey, Rudie is back, and Pastrl too! Looks like Christsomo has been busy again! Thanks Chris. And hello to ya'll. Looks like a lot of good listening going on today. King, I listened to 4 Stamitz symphonies last night, and was equally impressed. I thought about the irony of the fact that Carl's father Johann was a great influence on Haydn, but Haydn was a big influence on Carl. They all touch each other in some way back then. Judith, that was most interesting info about the orchestra. As I understand it, that arrangement of instruments remained the norm until well into the 20th century when the current arrangement was devised by none other than Leopold Stokowski. And you are right, I DO say portato ! And Amalie, that list from this morning is super! What do you think of Kraus? I am really quite keen on him, now I have a variety of his music. Quite original within the confines of the style. Joy, I fully expect some info on gypsy fiddle music from you here soon. I love that, can scarcely hear too much of it. Spacerl, perhaps you can get a petition up, I understand it is the Canadian way when something is a bit off. Here we just shoot them!

For me, it is the 3 Electoral Sonatas, WoO 47, Mikhail Pletnev. This 13 year old Beethoven kid shows a lot of potential, we should keep an eye on him!



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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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On the radio Symphony no 7 of Bruckner .The presenter says it is the first recording on period instruments but I didn't catch what band it was.

[Hollywood]

I just bought a 4 CD package called "Meisterwerke des Barock" for only € 5! CD #1 has Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Strings and Harpsichord, Sym. No. 4 in E minor Op.98 and Hungarian Dances Nos. 1 and 2.
CD #2 has Händel's Music for the Royal Fireworks, and the Concerti Grossi Op. 6 Nos. 1 and 2.
CD#3 has works by Tomaso Albinoni, Arcangelo Corelli, Pietro Antonio Locatelli, Allessandro Stradella and Antonio Vivaldi.
CD#4 has Concerto Grossi from Vivaldi, Corelli, Locatelli and Albinoni.

The performances are by different orchestras wich include the Süddeutsche Philharmonie, the London Festival Orchestra, Camerata Romania, Solisti Di Zagreb, Norddeutsche Philharmonie and the Nürnberger Symphoniker.

A great collection for € 5. It's not often you can find a lovely collection like this for so little here in Vienna, but when I find them I snap them up.

[spaceray]

Originally posted by spaceray:
On the radio Symphony no 7 of Bruckner .The presenter says it is the first recording on period instruments but I didn't catch what band it was.

It was Philippe Herreweghe and the Ochestre des Champs Elysees

Now playing ,Mendelssohn's Songs without Words.