What Are You Listening To Now?

[Sorrano]

The radio came on this morning with Schumann's 2nd Symphony. Nice way to start the day!

[Peter]

Richard Strauss Rosenkavalier Waltzes - perfect on this glorious day!

[Chris]

Some Scott Joplin piano rags today, played by Joshua Rifkin.

[Peter]

Profokiev 3rd piano concerto played by Prokofiev and Beethoven's Op.48 Gellert songs.

[Sorrano]

This morning the radio featured Appalachian Spring by Copland and Mozart's Turkish Violin Concerto.

[Joy]

This morning the radio featured Appalachian Spring by Copland and Mozart's Turkish Violin Concerto.

Both of which I enjoy Sorrano. Last night on 'Performance Today' was Beethoven's 8th symphony, always a favourite of mine!

[Preston]

Beethoven's Egmont...

"I'm thinking I'd still rather just hear Beethoven."

Interesting that you should say that, Kevin! That's how I feel and you have expressed it with exactly the words I would use, but unfortunately I don't need to be listening to only Hummel to feel that way. Alas, I listen to almost no other classical music than Beethoven. This means that my musical horizons stay where they are.... with Beethoven. This is a shame because people like Hummel were highly regarded in their day and I just am not keen to devote what little free time I have to hunting for CD's with his, or others, music.

Well said Alex! I find myself pretty much listening to only Beethoven also, when I listen to Classical, at least for now. I do listen to other composers but it is rarer. Not that I don't enjoy listening to other composers, Mussorgsky, Schumann, etc.

Been listening to the Incidental Music to the Egmont. I like this music a lot. It just shows Beethoven's mastery of literature, also seen in his songs, choral works, and other works for voice, and in his music by itself. I like how it has solo soprano and a narrator. I also like how powerful it is, both in dark and light, but what Beethoven isn't powerful, .

[Sorrano]

This morning I caught Bernard Robert's recording of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 7, one of my favorites. I liked his tempi and particularly liked the way he played the second movement.

[Peter]

Having just returned from visiting Elgar's birthplace in Worcester (at the busiest time during the 3 choirs festival!) I'm listening to Elgar's 5 improvisations for piano which he recorded in 1929 - unfortunately it's not him playing that I'm listening to, though his own recording used to be available.

[Sorrano]

On my way home from work the radio played a recording of Clementi's Sonatina in C Major; I don't believe I've ever heard a recording of that. It was interesting to listen to after the many times I've played through it.

[Hofrat]

Sorrano;

My son played this Clementi sonatina as a young piano student.

[Sorrano]

Hofrat, I, too, have played this and still do many times but I've never heard it played professionally before. It was a different perspective for me with a very familiar piece.

[Peter]

Tonight on BBC4 proms broadcast, Beethoven's Mass in C.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2008/what...8.shtml#prom43

[Hofrat]

Ferdinand Ries:
Swedish National Airs with Variations opus 52.
Introduction and Polonaise opus 174.
Piano Concerto in C# minor opus 55.

All of the above are on the 2nd volume of Ries' piano concerti by Naxos. In the above mentioned concerto, he pays homage to his teacher by refering to a theme from Beethoven's 4th piano concerto. I learned from the CD notes that Ries was an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. I wonder if Ries met Eggert when Ries passed through Stockholm on his way to and from Russia in 1812.

[Preston]

Been listening to Schubert's B Flat Piano Sonata and to some Nobuo Uematsu and Gandalf, .

I have never listened to Schubert that much, but after reading in Solomon's Late Beethoven, at the end, it mentions about how Beethoven and Schubert used music for deep healing, I thought I would listen to Schubert. It says that Schubert used music when people were put under hypnotism. I remember reading in Solomon's Beethoven, that he said something along the lines of "it is one of the greatest ironies that these two men never met", and talks about how they were similar?