What are you listening to now?

[Quijote]

Yes, I got that email from Ries too. We must be on his same address list, hey? Ries also told me that he's sure the horn part at the opening of the recap in the Eroica was wrong. No wonder Beethoven wanted to box his ears (read : kick him in the crotch).

[Michael]

Sorry, Philip, more thread confusion. I edited out my message while you were posting. It's all on "Harmony Quiz", folks!

[Preston]

Listening to certain movements from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

Other than this, Night on Bald Mountain, and Boris Godunov does anyone have another Mussorgsky work they recommend?

I do think Mussorgsky is profound. Not as profound as Beethoven, but, who is. Mussorgsky really moves me. His music is so deep, and, I like that.

To my mind, he seems to be one of the greatest of all composers and is overlooked too often? He knew of the suffering in the world, and, bellowed it out through his music- much like Beethoven. When I listen to Mozart or Haydn, etc., I do not feel the same depth in their music that is in Mussorgsky's. Perhaps the fault is mine, probably so. I do think that Mozart reached an unimaginably profound and spiritual level with his Requiem Mass.

[Michael]

For the past couple of days, I have been happily trawling through Beethoven's sets of variations for solo piano. Today, I have been listening to three different recordings of WoO 68, 12 variations on the "Menuet a la Vigano". Yesterday, I listened to three different versions of the earliest known work of Beethoven's that has survived: Wo,O 63 - Nine variations on a march by Dressler, in the prophetic key of C minor. Very few sets of variations were written in the minor key at that time, so even at the age of twelve, Ludwig was breaking new ground.

[Chris]

Listening to some Mozart Litanies and Vespers today. A practically ignored area of his output, but I find they set the mood for Monday properly...

[Preston]

Listening to The Ruins of Athens, .

[Chris]

Listening to Bach's "other" 4 settings of the Latin Mass today, BWV 233-236. It's too bad this fine music is constantly overshadowed by the B minor Mass.

[Preston]

After the pot, a lot of fags, a few glasses of wine, and watching a professional orchestra- it was quite an enjoyable evening, lol!

Sorry to bring this back up, although, I wanted to apologize for saying this disgusting and derogatory comment. I have been thinking about this comment and wanted to apologize for this sickness.

I just could not get it off my mind that I wrote that and felt bad about it! I hope I caused no one offense.

Listening to the three Agnus Dei movements of the Missa Solemnis.

[Michael]

Sorry to bring this back up ..........

Well, after the pot, fags and wine, what did you expect, Preston?

Not to worry! No offence was taken by anybody. Look at the things I get away with! For your penance, listen to the rest of the Missa Solemnis.

I have been listening to two sets of piano variations by our onlie begetter. Firstly, the totally amazing 1791 work, "24 Variations on Venni Amore". There are parts of this that could have been written around the time of the last piano sonatas. In fact, this work stands out so much in early Beethoven, that it was believed for many years to have been revised in 1802, the earliest known edition. Then the original edition was discovered and it proved everybody wrong - it was indeed completed, as we know it, in 1791.
His "10 Variations on a tune by Salieri" dates from 1799 and I think it's one of the most hilarious works that B ever wrote. Maybe I'm conditioned by the movie "Amadeus", where Mozart starts to send up Salieri by playing a grotesque, lurching tune on the piano with appropriate facial contortions. I keep thinking of this when I hear Salieri's theme but Beethoven must have found the tune funny too because he really sends it up. However, he was no slouch himself at creating off-the-wall, skeletal themes.

[Peter]

Brahms's 2 clarinet sonatas - glorious. Both Mozart and Brahms produced some really nostalgic and inspired music for this instrument in the autumn of their lives.

[Chris]

Listening to Mozart's Mitridate today.

[Preston]

Listening to the Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem, for the first time. I have never heard his Requiem before and now that I have I do not understand it, but, I do not understand much. Although, I can tell that it is very powerful. Those strong articulations and the bass drum slamming.

[Sorrano]

Listening to the Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem, for the first time. I have never heard his Requiem before and now that I have I do not understand it, but, I do not understand much. Although, I can tell that it is very powerful. Those strong articulations and the bass drum slamming.

My favorite part of this Requiem is the Agnus Dei.

[Peter]

Listening to the Brahms string quintets - some lovely music but overall I find them inconsitent. The first movement of the G major is wonderful - any thoughts as a cellist Philip?

[Quijote]

Listening to the Brahms string quintets - some lovely music but overall I find them inconsitent. The first movement of the G major is wonderful - any thoughts as a cellist Philip?

I must confess to never having played this work. I have only vague memories of the work as a listener, so I will have to listen to it again before I can make any meaningful comments regarding "inconsistency".
On the other hand, the Schubert string quintet is a God-send to 'cellists; I have played it often (both as 1st and 2nd 'cellist), and it is without doubt a masterwork. Poor Schubert often had to toil under Beethoven's "shadow", but the man (Franz) can hold his own.