What are you listening to now?

[Bonn1827]

Yes Peter, I can understand your antipathy towards it for the reason stated.

The Adagio is a little too fast for my taste too, but I'm prepared to "put up" with this because of the insights gained in the other movements. I just love the clarity of period instrument performances, but this has vitality and energy that many others I have heard have not. I loved Norrington's too, BTW. But I feel this symphony has, in the past, been done a disservice in the hands of great big orchestras with overblown romantic readings. Also, too slow. For many years I felt so irritated as to avoid it altogether, and Gardiner and Norrington come along and, voila, the thing is re-energized. And the symphony has been dogged by extra-musical values which I'm sure Beethoven wouldn't agree with - i.e. advertising, nationalism, "events". I want to love it on its own terms!!

[susanwen]

Today I listened to Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons." I like the sonnets that came printed with my CD. Here is a link to the words of the sonnets, in English and Italian.

http://www.baroquemusic.org/vivaldiseasons.html

[Roehre]

Today:

Tcherepnin:
Magna Mater opus 41 (1926/’27)
Symphony no.1 opus 42 (1927)
Festmusik opus 45a (1930)

[Roehre]

Today:


Last Night’s Hear and Now on R3 (An excellent concert it was !)
Birtwistle:
Five Distances for Five Instruments
Oboe Quartet
Duets for Storab
Tragoedia

Carter:
Poems of Louis Zukofsky

Further:

JSBach:
Cantate BWV 21: Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis (for the 1st Sunday following Trinity – today)


Tcherepnin:
Piano concerto no.3 op.48 (1952)

Schumann:
Konzertstück opus 92 + “Ghost”-Variations + Introduction and allegro opus 134 (R3)
Opus 92 is my favourite Schumann piano+orchestra-piece.
A pity that the horn part in the introduction wasn’t well audible.
It is thematically important in the following Allegro (btw: it plays a role in Brahms’ 1st piano concerto too).

[Quijote]

Haydn : Missa brevis in F. Quite a spiritual work I suppose, though I would be just as happy if the Mass were set to words such as "Tra la la, zing dibby dooh dooh".

[Bonn1827]

I suppose it would be OK having those lyrics if you were, say, sucking on the whacky tobakky!!

[Peter]

Yes Peter, I can understand your antipathy towards it for the reason stated.

The Adagio is a little too fast for my taste too, but I'm prepared to "put up" with this because of the insights gained in the other movements. I just love the clarity of period instrument performances, but this has vitality and energy that many others I have heard have not. I loved Norrington's too, BTW. But I feel this symphony has, in the past, been done a disservice in the hands of great big orchestras with overblown romantic readings. Also, too slow. For many years I felt so irritated as to avoid it altogether, and Gardiner and Norrington come along and, voila, the thing is re-energized. And the symphony has been dogged by extra-musical values which I'm sure Beethoven wouldn't agree with - i.e. advertising, nationalism, "events". I want to love it on its own terms!!

Do you have Jordi Savall's Eroica? The clarity in that is amazing and wonderful insights can be gained, especially if you follow with the score. However the forces used are minimal to reflect the first Lobkowitz performance and I think some purists take this too literally - we know at the later Theater an der Wien performance, larger forces were employed. So whilst I appreciate hearing Savall's version, I wouldn't say you could describe it as 'the ideal' that Beethoven would have wanted - it represents simply the forces available to Lobkowitz at the time.

[Peter]

Haydn : Missa brevis in F. Quite a spiritual work I suppose, though I would be just as happy if the Mass were set to words such as "Tra la la, zing dibby dooh dooh".

The poet in you is coming out again Philip!!

[Bonn1827]

Point taken. There is a dogmatic element, if you like, with the authentic or period instrument movement which I sometimes find hard to tolerate as well. But I think Gardiner, Norrington, Bruggen, Christie et. al have been very reliable and there is a fair amount of scholarship behind each and every decision. I haven't heard the Jordi Savall, but I guess with so many good performances out there somebody has to have an "angle" to sell a newer version.

My dream is to go to Garnier Paris Opera to a live performance of Les Arts Florissants/William Christie - either Rameau, Lully, Purcell. I dearly love the baroque and period performances really bring this to life for me. I have version of "Il Ritorrno..." by Claudio Monteverdi from Les Arts. It is glorious!! How I love this composer. My fave is "L'Orfeo", particularly the aria "Posento Spirito".

[Quijote]

The poet in you is coming out again Philip!!

You haven't seen anything yet. Try this one :

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I love Beethoven,
But feel that some of his works
(namely the Battle Symphony),
Are somewhat under par;
Not to mention the Triple Concerto,
Although I have to accept
That the 'cello part in that work
Is about the closest we are ever
Going to get to a fully-fledged
'Cello concerto
By
Our
Hero.

Fin.

I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of joining you all on the "Poetry" thread, for reasons that are less than flattering, will only serve to antagonize, and will simply create bad feeling among us...

[Quijote]

And now, if you don't mind, for something less "spiritual" that I have selected from my CD collection:
The Feast of Fools (Das Narrenfest), with the New London Consort, directed by Philip Pickett, in particular -
The Drinking Bout in the Cathedral Porch;
Mass of the Asses, Drunkards and Gamblers;
Second Vespers - the Ceremony of the Baculus.

Source (no named composers) : Sens Bibl. Mun. Codex Senon. 46A Missel des Fous of Sens.

For those of you interested, this is on the l'Oiseau-Lyre CD 433 194-2.

[Bonn1827]

Are you trying to tell us, Philip 2 of Spain, that we take ourselves too seriously? Come on, fess up!! "The Feast of Fools"? Mmmm

[Quijote]

I suppose it would be OK having those lyrics if you were, say, sucking on the whacky tobakky!!

I can't sing and smoke at the same time, Bonn! That said, I do have a little story for you (via Private Message, not here for the love of Ludwig) about a time when I foolishly had a few puffs of a fag containing the substance you mention above just prior to a concert I was playing in. Not recommended!

[Quijote]

Are you trying to tell us, Philip 2 of Spain, that we take ourselves too seriously? Come on, fess up!! "The Feast of Fools"? Mmmm

My dear Bonn, I am simply reporting what I've been listening to today. Add icon. The "smiley" one.

[Bonn1827]

I haven't heard of the work you mention, but the song of the drunkards from "The Faerie Queen" by Purcell, and "For the Honour of Old England" from "King Arthur" (same composer) always amuses!