What are you listening to now?

[Quijote]

[...] "for the fallen revolutionaries” [...]

Roehre, revolutionaries may fall, but the comrades follow on nevertheless ...
Anyway, it's baking hot here in Strasbourg, I need something cool, ergo:

Giacinto SCELSI : Aion (1961), with the Orchestre de la Radio-Télévision de Cracovie, conducted by Jürg WYTTENBACH.

Now here's a thing (bearing in mind a private forum message I received recently : "He describes the work, he does not reveal it" - may the inverse always be our credo on this forum) : a 20-minute piece written in 1961 that is not serial, that deals with limited intervallic quanta - almost, one could say - on a single note "with variations", and is a mind-blower in terms of orchestration and power. Almost makes me want to convert to Buddhism.

As I type, Uruguay seem be stopping the German juggernaut. Anything "Spanish" (latinate) lording it over the Germans does it for me right now. Until tomorrow, mes amis...

[Quijote]

"He describes the work, he does not reveal it". More needs to be said : as I mention above, this is a quote from various ad hoc comments I received via private message from a forum poster. This is not a criticism of any one person here, but its pertinence is as simple as it is humbling. I listened to the above work today (SCELSI) in the presence of a retired Geography teacher with no musical training whatsoever. When he said "C'est souverain, un peu à la Webern dans sa maîtrise du timbre " I knew the fellow had ears and a brain.

"Reveal the work, do not describe it" would be a good credo for this forum.

[Quijote]

And a bit off-forum, I note with regret that Uruguay have succumbed to the Deutch juggernaut. Never mind, the "Mother country" is in the final tomorrow against the dyke-stopping, Advocaat-guzzling flatlanders (more commonly known as Holland). I say this : never trust a country without hills, let alone mountains.

!No pasaran!

No doubt we shall talk again tomorrow, on the eve of my departure to Austria and Vienna.

[Quijote]

"C'est souverain, un peu à la Webern dans sa maîtrise du timbre". Sorry, I forgot to offer a (very) rough translation : "Jeez, it's majestic; it reminds me of Webern in its handling of timbral colour".

[Quijote]

With regard to the Geography teacher above : revelation or description? For an "illiterate" consumer of music I'd say it's a pretty spot-on comment (bearing in mind he didn't know any Scelsi until he ventured into my lair today).
Would you like me to "reveal" more of Scelsi's oeuvre? Do you really care?

[Quijote]

And whilst I'm on the topic of "revelation", this is to an extent what I was attempting in my "Beethoven Piano Concerto N° 4 - the "Orpheus" thread (see elsewhere on this forum). It may well be that Jander's posit is false, but as I said in the thread in question, I am not prepared to summarise what is easily available (purchase or library loan).
If this is simply a "I love Beethoven" club without critical assessment (be that specialist or "simple" music-lover), then I think escape velocity is fast approaching. Sorry to be such a drama queen.

[Roehre]

Today:

JSBach:
Cantatas BWV 9 and 170, the two cantatas meant for today, the 6th Sunday after Trinity.

Prokofiev:
The Year 1941 opus 90 (1941/’42)

Ellington:
Harlem (1951)

Allegri:
Miserere
Christus resurgens ex Mortuis

Palestrina:
Missa Papae Marcelli

[Sorrano]

Philip, the forum is what you make of it. Not always will you have people to respond as you would like, we all have differing time constraints. However, there are people here who can and will respond on a level that will more fit your style. Frankly, I look forwards to your posts and discussions, even though I am not always up to par on the topics. They give me much food for thought and I do like food.

On topic, I've been listening to Bruckner's 3rd Symphony, performed by Osmo Vanska with the Scottish Symphony Orchestra (1877 version with the 1876 adagio).

[Peter]

If this is simply a "I love Beethoven" club without critical assessment (be that specialist or "simple" music-lover), then I think escape velocity is fast approaching. Sorry to be such a drama queen.

Well you're like my father, now on his 5th 'last' car! Sorrano has hit the nail on the head - time is often the main element in preventing the thesis you require in responses. Hopefully with the holidays approaching I will have a little more of it to spare!

[Bonn1827]

Well, I'm not sure that personal swipes are the way to go either - these don't enhance any debate. I know what Philip means, though. Threads often fizzle out and some are actually extremely thought-provoking. I'm on the fast trajectory out of here too!! And, no, I'm not on my 5th "last" car!! How many of us have promised something would be our "last" anyway - be that cigarette, drink, cake or piece of chocolate. Tolerance wanted here.

[Chris]

Listening to the Bach solo cello suites played by Paolo Beschi on a Baroque cello. Electrifying. This is the best performance of these pieces I have heard on a Baroque cello. These discs will have a place of honor on my shelf right next to the Rostropovich recordings of these pieces.

[Zevy]

These discs will have a place of honor on my shelf right next to the Rostropovich recordings of these pieces.

I like the early recording of Rostropovich playing 2 of the suites. But I gave away my copies of the most recent Rostropovich (complete) suites. I really didn't like them. I have over a dozen other recordings; I think these suites are one of the greatest accomplishments of JS Bach (or any composer).

[Roehre]

Today:

Melartin:
Symphony no.6 opus 100 (1924) (R3:TtN)

Harty:
An Irish Symphony (1904) (with the last mvt: The twelfth of July )

[Peter]

Well, I'm not sure that personal swipes are the way to go either - these don't enhance any debate. I know what Philip means, though. Threads often fizzle out and some are actually extremely thought-provoking. I'm on the fast trajectory out of here too!! And, no, I'm not on my 5th "last" car!! How many of us have promised something would be our "last" anyway - be that cigarette, drink, cake or piece of chocolate. Tolerance wanted here.

Please don't misinterpret my remarks, it was meant in jest and not intended as a 'personal swipe' - I simply meant Philip has often left but that he loves us so much he simply has to return, sometimes the bait of John Cage is needed!

[Peter]

Listening to Haydn string quartets Op.54, Op.74 and Op.76 - the wealth of invention in these works is simply staggering.