What are you listening to now?

[Quijote]

No, that was Elgar's '3rd' the sketches of which he explicitly requested be destroyed. His 2 completed symphonies are very fine.

So, we have reconstructions of Elgar's "Third", Beethoven's "Tenth" and Bruckner's "Ninth" (finale). I know that on this forum some are irritated (shall we say?) at the notion of "completing" works by composers after their deaths. Personally, it does not bother me in the least, as I know what we are offered is speculative, but this in no way impedes my enjoyment of hearing "what could have been". Here's a quote that better expresses what I want to say:

"Just a simple remark – if you don't approve of performing versions of composer's unfinished sketches, no one is holding your hand to the fire forcing you to listen. In the meantime, those of us with intellectual curiosity, although we know such things as this and other performing versions can never really exist as the composer would have completed them, would still rather hear the sketches in some way rather than having them remain mute in archive drawers. Again: no one is forcing you to listen …"
[Bruckner-Fan Dace Gisclard, Houston/USA, 26. 8. 2003, www.amazon.com]

[Hofrat]

We also have reconstructions of Schubert's 7th and 10th by the renowned Schubert scholar Brian Newbould. He did a wonderful job with them.

[Megan]

Elgar's Cello Concerto, op.85
A beautiful piece, beautifully played by, Jacqueline du Pré .


.

[Sorrano]

Caught some of Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 on the way to work today. I don't know who was performing it, but it was the most ridiculously fast performance of it I have ever heard.

Those that do conduct Bruckner excessively fast are the same that do not understand the aural architecture in which the symphonies were conceived. Remembering that Bruckner was first, and foremost, a great organist, helps to understand better the sound concepts which make up the symphonies. Some take the tempi much to slow; I think Bruckner is a difficult composer to conduct.

[Sorrano]

So, we have reconstructions of Elgar's "Third", Beethoven's "Tenth" and Bruckner's "Ninth" (finale). I know that on this forum some are irritated (shall we say?) at the notion of "completing" works by composers after their deaths. Personally, it does not bother me in the least, as I know what we are offered is speculative, but this in no way impedes my enjoyment of hearing "what could have been". Here's a quote that better expresses what I want to say:

"Just a simple remark – if you don't approve of performing versions of composer's unfinished sketches, no one is holding your hand to the fire forcing you to listen. In the meantime, those of us with intellectual curiosity, although we know such things as this and other performing versions can never really exist as the composer would have completed them, would still rather hear the sketches in some way rather than having them remain mute in archive drawers. Again: no one is forcing you to listen …"
[Bruckner-Fan Dace Gisclard, Houston/USA, 26. 8. 2003, www.amazon.com]

And don't forget Mozart's Requiem.

[Sorrano]

We also have reconstructions of Schubert's 7th and 10th by the renowned Schubert scholar Brian Newbould. He did a wonderful job with them.

I used to have a recording of the 7th (that is the E Major, isn't it?) I quite liked it, but it went out with the rest of my vinyls.

[Megan]

Bruckners 9th, Fragment of the 4th movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz3o3...eature=related

[Roehre]

Today:

Reger:
Böcklin-suite op.128 (1913)

Britten:
Sinfonia da Requiem op.20

Honegger:
Symphony no.3 „Liturgique“

Liszt:
Héroide funèbre S.102 (1850)

Henkemans:
Bericht aan de Overlevenden (Message to the Survivors) (1965)

Henze:
Requiem- 9 sacred concertos (1990/’93)

Ferneyhough:
String quartet no.6 (premiere performance [YouTube])

[Megan]

Grieg, Edvard (1843-1907)
Lyric pieces - book 1 for piano (Op.12)
Zoltán Kocsis (piano)


Gabrieli, Giovanni (c.1553-1612)
Exaudi me, for 12 part triple chorus, continuo and 4 trombones
Danish National Radio Chorus, Copenhagen Cornetts & Sackbutts, Lars Baunkilde (violone), Soren Christian Vestergaard (organ), Bo Holten (conductor)


Schumann, Robert (1810-1856) arr. Agnieszka Duczmal
Cello Concerto in A minor (Op 129)
Karolina Jaroszewska (cello), 'Amadeus' Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra in Poznan, Agnieszka Duczmal (conductor

.

[Megan]

Henry Purcell - Abdelazar Rondeau .
BBC Symphony Orchestra.

The piece I am learning this week!

[Roehre]

Today:

Last night’s Hear & Now

Ferneyhough:
String quartet no.6 (R3: H&N)

Legley:
Before Endeavours fade (1978)

Strauss:
4 Letzte Lieder

De Leeuw:
Invocations (1983)

Ligeti:
Requiem (1961)

Tansman:
Stèle (1972)

Brahms/Glanert:
4 Serious songs (1896) with prelude, interludes and postlude (2005)

Kurtag:
Stèle (1994)

[Megan]

Bartok - Violin concerto 2.
Violinist, Gil Shaham.

Quite brilliant!!!

[Roehre]

Today:

Balakirev (R3: CotW):
Islamey (1869/’70, orch. Lyapunov 1916)
Octet opus 3 (1855)
Piano concerto no.1 (1856)

Julius Harrison:
Worcestershire-suite (1916) (R3: Ao3)

Foulds;
Darby and Joan op.41/1 (1916) (R3: Ao3)

Bainton:
Symphony no.3 in c (1955) (R3: Ao3)

Schubert:
Quartettsatz in c D.703 (from this month’s BBC MM CD)

Shchedrin:
Beethoven’s Heiligenstadt Testament (2008) (R3: Po3)

Beethoven:
Symphony no.2 op.36 (R3: Po3)

[Quijote]

Two "reconstructed" versions of the Finale of Bruckner's Ninth :
a) Samale-Phillips-Cohrs-Mazzuca (hereafter referred to as SPCM);
b) Carragan (1st version!).

I can only offer superficial first impressions for the moment; hence, I'm going to say that I find the SPCM version more convincingly "Brucknerian". It is ironic that even Carragan has revised his first reconstruction. Have SPCM jumped on this band-wagon too?

[Quijote]

All this talk of reconstruction makes me think of Cage's First Construction (in metal) (1939), Second Construction (1940), and Third Construction (1941). I'm not listening to these right now, but I will be tomorrow.
I heard these performed live in Strasbourg during the Musica contemporary music festival some years ago. They are superb pieces for percussion instruments, musically convincing and visually fascinating, even though they are not intended as "theatre" pieces.