What are we listening to now ?

[Sorrano]

Les Preludes, at the moment. I haven't heard that one for a bit.

[spaceray]

Ravel's 'Vocalise'

[King Stephen]

This evening its the music of Georges Onslow a French composer who lived from 1784 to 1853. His symphony No.4 in G Major Op.71, a beautiful work composed in 1846. The work has for its third movement a wonderful andantino molto cantabile with a truly uplifting melody. This symphony is coupled with his Symphony No. 2 in D minor Op.42. This composers music is a well rewarding listening experience. Top Notch
Steve

[Gurn Blanston]

Sorrano, spacerl, King,
what is this, French music day? What happened to our beloved Austro-German music? Hmphh! I don't know, where is the loyalty? That's all I have to ask!

For me, it is Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso by Camille St Säens - Jascha Heifetz.

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

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Sorrano, spacerl, King,
what is this, French music day? What happened to our beloved Austro-German music? Hmphh! I don't know, where is the loyalty? That's all I have to ask!

For me, it is Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso by Camille St Säens - Jascha Heifetz.

Fret ye not - I at least remain at the feet of the master at his superlative best. LVB String Quartets op 130-135 played by the Lindsays - just limbering up for "our film". Wonder which version Mr Rivele will use or whether he will go for a completely new recording.

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Beethoven the Man!

[King Stephen]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Sorrano, spacerl, King,
what is this, French music day? What happened to our beloved Austro-German music? Hmphh! I don't know, where is the loyalty? That's all I have to ask!

For me, it is Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso by Camille St Säens - Jascha Heifetz.

Gurn, Ok, I am back on track with Austro-German music. This morning its another "Who is he?" composer. Friedrich Ernst Fesca 1789-1826. His music is late classical and extending into the early romantic period. Spohr and CM von Weber thought very highly of his chamber works. (I think that maybe of interest to you Gurn) Right now its Fesca's Symphonies Nos.2&3. It seems that the 2nd symphony was the favorite of the audiences of his day. Both works have a bright side to them and are pleasant listening. From the ashes of obscurity slowly these forgotten composers are getting their due. With all this wonderful music being recorded we can even more appreciate what Beethoven did and why he is at the top of the music world.

[This message has been edited by King Stephen (edited 02-05-2005).]

[Gurn Blanston]

Judith,
How do you like the Lindsays in Beethoven? I have them in a bit of Mozart which I think they do quite nicely, but I have heard mixed reaction to their Beethoven, always nice to get another opinion. As for the film, I understood Steve to say that he is trying to get a quartet there in Europe to do a new recording for the movie, which would be very nice, as I think he is looking for a HIP ensemble.

King,
Fesca sounds a treat. I will be looking into him soon, as I ran across his name just recently and was intrigued. And if he has any recorded chamber music, it will end up in East Texas soon, too!

For me, also back to the Austro-Germanic legacy, right now it is the Quartet in d minor, Op 42, Franz Joseph Haydn. Man, where would we be without Haydn??

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

[spaceray]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:

what is this, French music day?

Gurn,
Nothing whatever wrong with a little French Music,after all they seemed to have adored Beethoven,Saint-Saens himself played his first professional concert at aged 16 with the Societe Ste.Cecile ,he played Beethoven's Triple Concerto and The Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra,to great acclaim.
spacerl

[Gurn Blanston]

OK, no one was amused by my little joke, so I carry on, chastened.

It is still Haydn, still the SQ's, now, the one in C major )- Op 50 #2. By the time of Op 50, Haydn really hit his stride in this medium, and that particular opus is my favorite.

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

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
OK, no one was amused by my little joke, so I carry on, chastened.

It is still Haydn, still the SQ's, now, the one in C major )- Op 50 #2. By the time of Op 50, Haydn really hit his stride in this medium, and that particular opus is my favorite.

After the French music I went to far east and now I'm stuck in Russia (Shostakovich's 10th and Tchaikowsky's 1st Symphonies, not to mention the last part of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto). Now I have to go back west!

[Geratlas]

Attention mes amis! Plus un Francais:
Berlioz ~ Les francs-juges (ouverture).
...........Marchent enfants, marchent!

[JA Gardiner]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Judith,
How do you like the Lindsays in Beethoven? I have them in a bit of Mozart which I think they do quite nicely, but I have heard mixed reaction to their Beethoven, always nice to get another opinion. As for the film, I understood Steve to say that he is trying to get a quartet there in Europe to do a new recording for the movie, which would be very nice, as I think he is looking for a HIP ensemble.

Well I'm afraid, having only ever heard one other recording of these Quartets, I don't have much of an educated basis for comparison - maybe more experienced colleagues out there would help us out. I can say that this set was a Gramophone award winner, and every review I've read, particularly of the late Quartets, rates them very highly for their imagination insight and expressiveness and for the sense of spontaneity and communication both with each other and the audience that arises from the security of their long association with each other. As they hail from my home town of Sheffield and were once quartet in residence at my alma mater - Manchester University - I also have a natural bias towards them. The other recording I have of op. 130-131 was taped for me by a beloved friend and is the classic Quartetto Italiano recording which appears to be the benchmark for judging others. I would say that to my ear the QI recording is perhaps a bit more polished and urbane -putting the chamber back into chamber music - and thus flows and sounds beautiful and very aristocratic. The Lindsays however, whilst always musicianly and, of course, technically superb seem prepared to take a few more risks and are thus a bit less comfortable (for want of a better adjective) and capture to my ear rather more of the strangeness and spikiness of these extraordinary pieces showing how they broke the mould (rather than just pushed the envelope) and set a course of which Shostakovich would be natural outcome. They, more than the QI make me want to learn and concentrate and leave me feeling challenged and disturbed (as well as entertained) in a good and inspiring way, which is surely the point.....
If Mr Rivele is looking for a HIP ensemble I think there are some good ones in Budapest - doesn't Naxos have one they use use quite often? Also have the Quatuor Mosaiques ever recorded Beethoven - now that would be worth a listen, the've certainly been outstanding when I've heard them in Haydn, Mozart and Schubert!

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Beethoven the Man!

[This message has been edited by JA Gardiner (edited 02-05-2005).]

[Johan]

Originally posted by JA Gardiner:
Well I'm afraid, having only ever heard one other recording of these Quartets, I don't have much of an educated basis for comparison - maybe more experienced colleagues out there would help us out. I can say that this set was a Gramophone award winner, and every review I've read, particularly of the late Quartets, rates them very highly for their imagination insight and expressiveness and for the sense of spontaneity and communication both with each other and the audience that arises from the security of their long association with each other. As they hail from my home town of Sheffield and were once quartet in residence at my alma mater - Manchester University - I also have a natural bias towards them. The other recording I have of op. 130-131 was taped for me by a beloved friend and is the classic Quartetto Italiano recording which appears to be the benchmark for judging others. I would say that to my ear the QI recording is perhaps a bit more polished and urbane -putting the chamber back into chamber music - and thus flows and sounds beautiful and very aristocratic. The Lindsays however, whilst always musicianly and, of course, technically superb seem prepared to take a few more risks and are thus a bit less comfortable (for want of a better adjective) and capture to my ear rather more of the strangeness and spikiness of these extraordinary pieces showing how they broke the mould (rather than just pushed the envelope) and set a course of which Shostakovich would be natural outcome. They, more than the QI make me want to learn and concentrate and leave me feeling challenged and disturbed (as well as entertained) in a good and inspiring way, which is surely the point.....
If Mr Rivele is looking for a HIP ensemble I think there are some good ones in Budapest - doesn't Naxos have one they use use quite often? Also have the Quatuor Mosaiques ever recorded Beethoven - now that would be worth a listen, the've certainly been outstanding when I've heard them in Haydn, Mozart and Schubert!

Always comparing (hm...), I remain loyal in Nr. 130 to the Lindsays.

[Gurn Blanston]

Judith,
Thanks for that. I didn't realize your strong ties to them, which is why I asked the question. One of the criticisms (even from other Brits) is that they feel as though the Lindsays are the darlings of the British Critical Press Corps, as it were, and so they are lauded to the moon when they perhaps are not deserving of it. I am not venturing an opinion here, I hav enone. I am merely trying to determine the validity of these statements. As I say, my own recording of them playing Mozart is quite nice. As a point of interest, many of those same people are quite critical of the Q I in Beethoven because of their tendency to make it sound Romantic, which is their forte. My own recordings are by the Tokyo String Quartet, and really quite marvellous, but I would like to get another set for a contrasting viewpoint, just don't want to invest my money and then decide I made a tragic error.

Johann,
I almost never compare, except when I am in a money-spending mode. Then I will compare to death to avoid the aforementioned tragic error!

For me, the Quartet for Strings Hess 34 in F major, Beethoven's own transcription of his Op 14 #2 piano sonata in E - Amadeus Quartet - the supreme quartet of the 50's and 60's.

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

[Pastorali]

W.A. Mozart - Offertorias - right now
Inter natos mulierium, KV.72