What are you listening to now?

[Quijote]

Today:

Mendelssohn:
Fingal’s Cave (op.26)
The first version (1930) of the Hebrides-overture (1832).
Listening to this piece I am far from convinced that it is inferior to the Hebrides as we know it [...]

Do you know why Mendelssohn revised it, Roehre? (Not a quiz, I don't know).

[Bonn1827]

Tonight:

Biber "The Mystery Sonatas" Tragicomedia/Davitt Moroney

This is the most fabulous music!! These works occupy a unique place in the history of music for being the most extreme example of the application of scordatura tunings, in which the strings of the instrument are deliberately 'mistuned' to unusual notes. This involves phenomenal mental gymnastics for the violinist, since what is notated on the page bears no resemblance to the sound which comes out of the instrument.

Perhaps Philip can better explain, in layman's terms, all about scordatura.

[Chris]

Listening to some miscellaneous vocal and instrumental pieces by Thomas Tallis this morning.

[Roehre]

Do you know why Mendelssohn revised it, Roehre? (Not a quiz, I don't know).

He was simply not happy with it.

[Roehre]

Was this a test of my proof-reading skills, Roehre? Or did Felix work out the time-space problem? [Add the smiling icon thingy]

My proof reading skills seem not to be up-to-scratch looking at this sentence, do they? No. it was Mendelssohn using Doctor Who's Tardis to time travel .

[Zevy]

Mozart PC #23 in A Major, Geza Anda. Middle movement - breathless!!!

[Preston]

Listening to the very powerful final movement of Dvorak's 9th.

Also, PDG, if you are reading this please check your private messages, .

[Michael]

A perfect summer's afternoon: birds singing, sun shining and the lawnmower broken.
Sitting out, surrounded by trees, with my wireless headphones and Beethoven's 2nd and 7th courtesy of Mr L Bernstein. Whoever said the 7th is more pastoral than the "Pastoral" was spot on.

[Preston]

...and the lawnmower broken.

[Michael]

Continued my alfresco concert with Beethoven 8, again with Leonard Bernstein and the NYPD. An arresting experience.

[Zevy]

Mozart PC #22 in Eb, Geza Anda. Heavenly wind ensemble writing on the part of our hero, and the performance is great.

[Roehre]

Today:

Liszt:
Zigeuner-epos S.695b (1848)

Sibelius:
13 piano pieces opus 76
A once-in-a-lifetime-is-enough experience I’m afraid

Po3:
Wolf:
Italian Serenade

Mendelssohn:
Violin concerto in d (1823)

Woolrich:
7 Italian Songs by Wolf
Ingeniously crafted arrangements. But I am afraid the power of the original Wolf songs is lacking here.

[Michael]

About two o'clock this morning, when all God-fearing folk were asleep in their beds, I happened to turn on the Sky Arts channel and caught a riveting performance of the "Eroica" from the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, from the Beethovenhalle in Bonn. These young musicians are amazing.
I think it's being repeated on the same channel as I write (3pm) but no doubt everybody will be watching the World Cup.

[Roehre]

Today:

Mathias:
Choral pieces, a.o.
Festival Te Deum op.28 (1964)
Magnificat et Nunc dimittis op.53 (1970)
Missa brevis op.64 (1973)
Unmistakingly Mathias. Fingerprints are audible within seconds

Grace Williams:
Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes (1940)
Ballads for Orchestra (1968)
Unmistakingly Williams. Fingerprints are audible within seconds here as well.

Mathias and Grace Williams are immediately recognizable (Welsh) composers.
Hoddinott isn’t IMO, or am I missing something?


Martinu:
Concerto for violin, piano and orchestra H.342 (1953)
Concerto da Camera H.285 (1941)

Liszt:
Concerto sans orchestra S.524a (1839)

Sibelius:
Piano pieces opus 85 “Flowers”
Piano pieces opus 94

[Peter]

Beethoven's 6th symphony with Zinman and the Tonehalle orchestra - not sure about this performance.