What are you listening to now?

[Quijote]

Or sins. Strewth.

[Michael]

Just listened to Beethoven's entire ballet works - and it only took me an hour.
His "Ritterballet" is probably his first work for orchestra - all ten minutes of it -and of course, "The Creatures of Prometheus" which contains some very fine music. It's a pity that details of the actual dance have been lost - apart from a vague outline. It would be nice to see it staged.

[Quijote]

Just listened to Beethoven's entire ballet works - and it only took me an hour.
His "Ritterballet" is probably his first work for orchestra - all ten minutes of it -and of course, "The Creatures of Prometheus" which contains some very fine music. It's a pity that details of the actual dance have been lost - apart from a vague outline. It would be nice to see it staged.

Noted, Michael, and most pertinent. Have another listen to Louis van B's 4th piano concerto again, when you get a moment (preferably on "original" instruments - that's an important aspect for what's coming). We shall talk later.

[Bonn1827]

What's an extra "l" between friends? What a question! It means the difference between barbarianism, philistinism, cretinism, mental dwarfism, dilletantism, as opposed to
refinement, cognizance, taste, elegance, perceptiveness, musicality...
so there IS a difference, PHILIP!!

Are you related to Philip 2 of Spain? Perhaps he was another small "l" liberal!

[Quijote]

What's an extra "l" between friends? What a question! It means the difference between barbarianism, philistinism, cretinism, mental dwarfism, dilletantism, as opposed to
refinement, cognizance, taste, elegance, perceptiveness, musicality...
so there IS a difference, PHILIP!!

Are you related to Philip 2 of Spain? Perhaps he was another small "l" liberal!

Strewth, Boney 1829! Perhaps you are a Republican? If so, you may call me Your Majesty. Hmm ..., King Philip. Yes, I'd like that. Curious coincidence, my mother was indeed Spanish, so maybe there is some blood connection.
You may leave, our audience is over.
Next peasant, por favor.

[Peter]

The piano trio arrangement of Beethoven's 2nd symphony and his piano trio Op.70/2.

[Roehre]

Today:

Janacek:
Piano trio "Kreutzer Sonata"

Beethoven:
Piano trio after Symphony no.2

Stravinsky:
Petrushka (1911 version)

Louis Andriessen:
Flute Sonata (1956)

Daniel Ruyneman:
Sonata da camera (1942)

Richard Strauss:
Eine Deutsche Motette op.62 (1913)
Die Göttin im Putzzimmer AV120 (1932)

[Quijote]

Beethoven, Piano, Concerto N° 4 (because of the Owen Jander book mentioned elsewhere on the forum), Melvyn Tan, London Classical Players, Roger Norrington.
Does anybody here have these following performances?

Paul Badura-Skoda, Maier directing the Collegium Aureum (1972);
Steven Lubin, Hogwood dir. the Academy of Ancient Music (1988);
Anthony Newman, Simon dir. the Philomusica Antiqua (1988);
Jos van Immerseel, Weil dir.?? (1997);
Robert Levin, JE Gardner dir. the OR & R (1998);
Arthur Schoonderwörd, Ensemble Cristofori (2005).

[Peter]

Beethoven, Piano, Concerto N° 4 (because of the Owen Jander book mentioned elsewhere on the forum), Melvyn Tan, London Classical Players, Roger Norrington.
Does anybody here have these following performances?

Paul Badura-Skoda, Maier directing the Collegium Aureum (1972);
Steven Lubin, Hogwood dir. the Academy of Ancient Music (1988);
Anthony Newman, Simon dir. the Philomusica Antiqua (1988);
Jos van Immerseel, Weil dir.?? (1997);
Robert Levin, JE Gardner dir. the OR & R (1998);
Arthur Schoonderwörd, Ensemble Cristofori (2005).

I heard Levin live in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien during the first restaging of the dec 1808 concert back in 2003. Fine performance he gave of the 4th concerto and the Choral fantasia.

[Michael]

Furtwangler's 1951 version of Beethoven's Ninth. I have to confess that this is the first time I've heard it although I bought the disc some years ago. I am not usually a fan of early mono recordings (in the classical field) and this live performance sounds horrendous when played through large speakers. But I decided to listen on a portable stereo that had a reasonable amount of wallop, and this disguised most of the sonic shortcomings (and the coughs from the audience).
A really fine performance but not, I would imagine, to the taste of today's listeners. It's extremely slow - almost as slow as Bohm's notorious performance - but none the worse for that. He does vary the tempo in the first movement so that the recapitulation comes in with overwhelming force.
It must have been quite an occasion for the audience.
Around the same time, Furtwangler recorded a magnificent "Fidelio" with much better quality sound.

[Quijote]

Furtwangler's 1951 version of Beethoven's Ninth [...]
A really fine performance but not, I would imagine, to the taste of today's listeners. It's extremely slow - almost as slow as Bohm's notorious performance - but none the worse for that. He does vary the tempo in the first movement so that the recapitulation comes in with overwhelming force. It must have been quite an occasion for the audience [...].

Richard Taruskin has written an excellent essay about this (in "Text and Act"), so I will have to get it down from my attic for you, to see how your comments tally with his (not that your critical appreciation is better or worse than Taruskin's). I can't remember the essay's title, but it was something like "Why I hate B's 9th". The trouble is, I have a veritable library in my attic (the space is larger than my apartment!), but without lighting.
I'll get back to you...

[Michael]

I found this very good website devoted to Furtwangler and the Ninth:

http://www.furtwangler.net/beethoven/lvb9-1en.html

[Quijote]

I heard Levin live in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien during the first re-staging of the Dec 1808 concert back in 2003. Fine performance he gave of the 4th concerto and the Choral fantasia.

Was it a HIP concert? Furthermore, could you suggest a CD of the 4th piano concerto that might serve as a common reference point for the Owen Jander "Orpheus" argument? Not Kempff, s.v.p.

[PDG]

The piano trio arrangement of Beethoven's 2nd symphony...

Interesting...

[PDG]

Today:

Beethoven:
Piano trio after Symphony no.2

Very interesting!

And yet this 100% authentic LvB work is not listed in this site's List of Works...