What are you listening to now?

[Zevy]

Beethoven 5th & 7th symphonies, Kleiber, VPO in a bucle.

Super!

[atserriotserri]

After a good dose of LvB's Symphony no. 3 (first Savall & then Gardiner), now daring with Schönberg's Works for Piano played by Pi-Hsien Chen (Hat[now]art label). In chronological order there are works from 1894 (without op. number) to 1931 (op. 33b).

In a passage of the Pau Casals' biography I'm reading, it is described that he was listening to the radio with some friends and, when after haing listened to Beethoven, Petruschka was announced his reaction was to turn off the radio saying: "Not now, after Beethoven one cannot listen to this", so I guess Mestre Casals would have a word or two with me...

[Peter]

After a good dose of LvB's Symphony no. 3 (first Savall & then Gardiner), now daring with Schönberg's Works for Piano played by Pi-Hsien Chen (Hat[now]art label). In chronological order there are works from 1894 (without op. number) to 1931 (op. 33b).

In a passage of the Pau Casals' biography I'm reading, it is described that he was listening to the radio with some friends and, when after haing listened to Beethoven, Petruschka was announced his reaction was to turn off the radio saying: "Not now, after Beethoven one cannot listen to this", so I guess Mestre Casals would have a word or two with me...

Schoenberg dedicated his 'cello concerto to Casals but I don't think he was too keen on it (using the excuse that it was too difficult), much preferring Tovey's.

[atserriotserri]

Schoenberg dedicated his 'cello concerto to Casals but I don't think he was too keen on it (using the excuse that it was too difficult), much preferring Tovey's.

I have looked for Schoenberg in the book, and the author mentions that Casals explained to him (after Petain signed the armistice, therefore summer 1940 I guess, so Casals was 64) that he was not sure about his playing, mentioning that he studied for years the Schumann concert, that Glazunov retired his concert from him because he thought that Casals didn't want to play it when he was studying it for years, that he refused recording the Haydn concert even though he had played it many times because he considered he never had listened to it well played... and that he didn't played Schoenberg concert due to editor's demands. But, as always, artist may want to justify himself...

[atserriotserri]

Schoenberg dedicated his 'cello concerto to Casals but I don't think he was too keen on it (using the excuse that it was too difficult), much preferring Tovey's.

What's your opinion about Tovey's music? Casals praises him so much...

[Chris]

Right now I am listening to Cyprien Katsaris play Liszt's piano arrangement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 4. This is my favorite of the symphonies, and I think it's the one that loses the most being played on the piano (yes, even more than the 9th!). Still wonderful stuff, though.

[Michael]

Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Istomin/Stern/Rose and the Philadelphia Orchestra cond. Eugene Ormandy - and old recording but hard to beat.

[Preston]

Listening to the Overture from The Abduction From the Seraglio, through Magnatune.

Also listening to the 2nd movement of Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major- so beautiful.

[Peter]

What's your opinion about Tovey's music? Casals praises him so much...

Yes I know Casals thought highly of him, and he was a very fine musician and musicologist, known to me primarily through his analysis of the Beethoven sonatas and rather dry academic writings. I'm unfortunately not familiar with his works but I see they are available on Amazon.

[Preston]

Fantasia- Clair De Lune

I happened to come across a deleted scene from Fantasia. The animation is beautiful. It is put to Clair De Lune. Let me know what you think.

Anyway, here is the link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcpam...eature=related .

[Peter]

I happened to come across a deleted scene from Fantasia. The animation is beautiful. It is put to Clair De Lune. Let me know what you think.

Anyway, here is the link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcpam...eature=related .

Very nice Preston - a wonderful film and a brilliant introduction for children to Classical music. Great to hear the orchestral version of this - every pianist should!

[Preston]

Glad that you enjoyed it Peter. The colors they used in the animation really suck me in, so to say. It looks like they put a lot of work into this scene, except for on the flamingo- where the shading and coloring just seems to not be there. The flamingo stands out in pink to much and does not really blend with the rest of the environment.

Anyway, yes Fantasia was and still is great for a child to get into. If I ever have a child, which I doubt that I will, I think I would start them on Fantasia and Classical music, teaching them piano, etc. Much like Maurice's grandchildren, if I remember his post correctly. It is such a better thing, it seems to me, to bring a child into the world the right way.

Although, one problem I have with Fantasia is their use of the Pastoral. First, they say that it is strictly program music, when Beethoven said that it was more about feelings. But, they stick to the idea that it is strictly program music and make this whole, what I would call, crappy animation to the 6th symphony. Weird horses flying, Centaur's flirting with girl centaur's. I thought it was not to good. I think they should have focused more on the nature and better quality art for the Pastoral. It would have been nice to actually see something like the quality of the environment for Clair De Lune, just with a lot more colors, in Beethoven's 6th.

But, making the animation that they used in Clair De Lune, is a much longer and harder animation process then making animation used in the 6th.