What Are You Listening To Now?

[Sorrano]

Hans Huber (1852-1921):

Symphonies 1 and 7.

I'll have to look him up. Are his recordings readily available?

[Hofrat]

Sorrano;

Yes, Sterling recorded all 8 of Huber's symphonies.

[Peter]

Last night at the proms Brahms' 3rd symphony and Shostakovich 10th with Rattle and the BPO. Tonight Mahler's 6th.

[Preston]

I have been listening to Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4, but not as you may think, . I found an Open Source program called, Audacity, sometime ago. So I decided to load the mp3 file of the concerto into Audacity. The reason I did this is because a lot of the time Beethoven's music sounds to fast for me. So in Audacity, after I open the mp3 file, I "select all", then go to "effect-> change speed", and slow the concerto down by 30%. It sounds the same, in a sense, just slower and better, to me. I can hear each note couple each note, the sounds are not as harsh, to me, the sustained notes sound great, etc., everything sounds great! Yet, it still sounds the same, in ways. It is nothing, and I mean nothing, like slowing it down in WMP, because it actually sounds good.

What is really great is to take the 2nd movement of the 9th, and slow it down. You get to hear everything double, couple, triple, etc. everything perfectly.

Which brings me to my final point, Klemperer. I like his recordings of Beethoven's music, because it is not to fast, and he really tries to bring out the individual qualities of each note, let you hear everything work together, etc.

[Sorrano]

That is interesting, Preston! Also, I have Audacity, but have been using it to record what I've been playing and haven't done anything with it's playback capacities. In regards to the slow tempi, there is always the danger of losing the intensity meant for the work and thus draaaagggging. I've not gotten too much into Klemperer's recordings, but I did find another who would be abominably slow to me except that he has the knack of stirring excitement at just about tempo, and that is Celidabache. I've not heard any recordings of Beethoven by him, but one of my favorite Tchaikowsky 5th Symphonies is his. The last movement is quite slow, but very, very exciting to me.

[Preston]

That is interesting, Preston! Also, I have Audacity, but have been using it to record what I've been playing and haven't done anything with it's playback capacities. In regards to the slow tempi, there is always the danger of losing the intensity meant for the work and thus draaaagggging. I've not gotten too much into Klemperer's recordings, but I did find another who would be abominably slow to me except that he has the knack of stirring excitement at just about tempo, and that is Celidabache. I've not heard any recordings of Beethoven by him, but one of my favorite Tchaikowsky 5th Symphonies is his. The last movement is quite slow, but very, very exciting to me.

I find it to be interesting too. You can really hear the effects! Each note sounds so, well, right and clear, even distorted when it is meant to be. If you set it to the right percentage you can hear the intensity, maybe not as fast and harsh as it would be at the regular tempo. For instance, I have listened to the first and third movements of the Apassionata at around 24%, and it sounds quite different yet very similar. I do like the slower tempi. With the Apassionata you can hear the pounding and intensity, just different.

Sorrano, have you heard of the excellent digital audio workstation, Ardour? And don't forget about Rosegarden!

[Sorrano]

I find it to be interesting too. You can really hear the effects! Each note sounds so, well, right and clear, even distorted when it is meant to be. If you set it to the right percentage you can hear the intensity, maybe not as fast and harsh as it would be at the regular tempo. For instance, I have listened to the first and third movements of the Apassionata at around 24%, and it sounds quite different yet very similar. I do like the slower tempi. With the Apassionata you can hear the pounding and intensity, just different.

Sorrano, have you heard of the excellent digital audio workstation, Ardour? And don't forget about Rosegarden!

Good finds on the software! I'll have to check them out.

On topic, I've been listening to (hearing, at least) some of Poulenc's works as well as Tchaikowsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture (on the radio).

[Michael]

Listening to Fidelio right now.

Whose? (Apart from Beethoven's.)

[Michael]

I
What is really great is to take the 2nd movement of the 9th, and slow it down. You get to hear everything double, couple, triple, etc. everything perfectly.

If you want slow, just buy Karl Bohm's last recording of the Ninth. The opening movement is nearly as long as Beethoven's entire first symphony. I like to listen to it for the same reason as you, Preston. You get to hear a lot of things that fly past in a faster rendition.

[Chris]

Whose? (Apart from Beethoven's.)

Klemperer's - my favorite recording. Christa Ludwig is truly magnificent as Leonore!

[Sorrano]

Klemperer's - my favorite recording. Christa Ludwig is truly magnificent as Leonore!

I loved her as Brunhilde in the Levine production of the Ring. I may have to look that Fidelio up.

[Michael]

Klemperer's Fidelio is generally considered the best but my favourite version is the Furtwangler, recorded in Vienna in 1953. I am usually not a fan of old recordings but the sound quality on this has to be heard to be believed. It's in mono and has no dialogue but it blasts out of the speakers as if it were recorded yesterday. Martha Modl and Wolfgang Windgassen are superb in the lead roles and the recording has the same Rocco as the Klemperer: Gottlob Frick.
I also like the Karl Bohm recording which is in stereo and includes the Leonora 3 overture (as does the Furtwangler).

[Chris]

I'm listening to Alfred Brendel play the "Hammerklavier" sonata right now. One of my favorite recordings of anything, ever.

[Michael]

What about "Maxwell's Silver Hammerklavier"?

[terry]

Now I'm listening to the songs from Woo 158 from various countries. Some I have never heard before! Pretty, but...I think If he only had the opportunity to write a Requiem instead instead of losing time and creativity...