What are you listening to now?

[Quijote]

Charming wind music? With the best will in the world, it is a rare wind ensemble indeed that ever manages to sound completely in tune.

[Quijote]

Talking of which, this may be an idiosyncratic configuration of my own brain and listening ability, but even with the greatest orchestras I often feel let down by the ... clarinets !!

[Quijote]

And I will go further : there is a "pitch hierarchy" at work. At the summit, the piano (though its equal temperament makes for some unpleasant sounding intervals, I find [precise details on request]), though it is an imperial imposition because of its inflexible tuning; next, the strings, the saviours of musical flexibility and rapid-response adaptability; now comes the brass (fairly pure) and limping behind, the "wind".
I am no conductor (even though I studied it for one year), but there must be no greater dismay than trying to blend in the wind section in an orchestra. Thoughts?

[Chris]

Charming wind music? With the best will in the world, it is a rare wind ensemble indeed that ever manages to sound completely in tune.

True, but this music played by wind players of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich is as close as they can get, I think!

[Quijote]

Alright Chris, I take your point! But mixing the terms "wind" and "charming" struck me as incongruous! Hey, we're string players you and I, you know what I mean!

[Quijote]

Though if I may refer to the "Food" thread elsewhere on this forum, a bit of wind after a good meal is a pleasure indeed. At least in certain Arab cultures.

[Quijote]

About the clarinet (nothing I've been listening to recently, rather a couple of decades of listening experience) : why is it that (to my ears, at least) this quite lovely-sounding instrument - in terms of the warmth of its timbre - strikes me as often "out of tune"?

[Roehre]

Today:

Copland:
Billy the Kid (complete ballet 1938) (R3: Ao3)

Stanford:
Ballata and Ballabile opus 160 (1918) (R3: Ao3)

Gombert:
Regina Coeli (1534)
In te Domine speravi (1549)
Media Vita (1539)
Tous les Regretz (1544)
Je prens Congie

Rheinberger:
Etude and Fugato op.42 (1862/’70)
3 little concert pieces op.5 (1864)

Ligeti:
Artikulation for Tape (1958)
8 pieces from Musica reservata (1953)
Sonata for cello solo (1953)
The Big Turtle Fanfare from the South Chinese Sea
Ballad and Dance after Romanian Folksongs (1950)
Old Hungarian Ballroom Dances (1949)

[Quijote]

And all the above makes me think about HIP performance. Here's a recent example: with Bruckner, one often hears complaints that the brass is too overpowering, the flutes too strident, and so on. Until quite recently, I have always bought into that argument. After a bit of HIP research (many thanks to Julian Horton, Benjamin Cohrs et al) into the issue, it has been pointed out to me that in fact the brass instruments in Bruckner's day had a much narrower bore and hence less impact, and that the flutes were less strident (being made of wood). In addition, it is not at all sure that the Vienna Phil strived for equal temperament, and that many of Bruckner's enharmonic spellings (which are strictly neutral in equal temperament, but highly characteristic in unequal temperament) take on a greater clarity.
If we accept for a moment the above for Bruckner, surely we can extend it backwards to Beethoven. I know that Chris isn't keen on HIP instruments (though it seems to be purely the "timbral" and balance aspects that irk him), but if we apply the same notions (essentially, enharmonic spelling not being neutral), it does rather open up the field.

[Chris]

Alright Chris, I take your point! But mixing the terms "wind" and "charming" struck me as incongruous! Hey, we're string players you and I, you know what I mean!

Usually I would agree, but in this case I am forced to make an exception.

And in any case, the violin is hardly charming in my hands either!

[Chris]

I know that Chris isn't keen on HIP instruments (though it seems to be purely the "timbral" and balance aspects that irk him), but if we apply the same notions (essentially, enharmonic spelling not being neutral), it does rather open up the field.

No, I quite like period instruments for some things. In fact, it pains me to listen to Bach on modern instruments, with a few exceptions (the pieces for solo violin and cello for example). Mozart is about 50/50. But for Beethoven and later, my preference really is for modern instruments. It's really only the fortepiano that I find terrible in itself, though.

[Chris]

Why don't we move the tuning discussion to a new thread so as not to sidetrack this one?

Some Beethoven piano music now:

Rondo, WoO 48
Rondo, WoO 48
Rondo, Anh 6
Rondo, Op. 51, No. 1
Rondo, Op. 51, No. 2
Rondo a capriccio, Op. 129
Andante Favori, WoO 57
"Fur Elise", WoO 59
Fantasie, Op. 77

This CD by Ronald Brautigam is very good. I bought it for Anh 6, which is a piece I really love, having been introduced to it through our "Rare Beethoven" project some years ago (from this very CD, I believe). It has surprisingly been rarely recorded, probably because of its lack of certain authenticity, although in listening to it I see no reason to doubt it is by Beethoven. When it is recorded it seems to usually be on the dreaded fortepiano, but luckily Brautigam is not playing a fortepiano here! As a bonus, though, this recording of "Fur Elise" is excellent - perhaps the best I have ever heard. In my rather large Beethoven collection I have several recordings of the piece, but really none of them I would consider great, even by masters like Brendel. I don't know why it is so difficult to get such a famous and simple piece right, but it almost always seems played too slowly and with too much rubato. Here it comes in at just about 2 minutes, giving a very satisfying effect, with middle sections that sound just right.

[Preston]

I pretty much listened to Beethoven's Triple Concerto all night. Philip, I cannot agree with your thoughts, . I love this piece. It is loose, unrestricting, pleasant, etc. For me, it feels good to listen to. I love the looseness of this piece.

As a side note but still relative, Philip, I do hope to have a surprise coming for you. And one I cannot stop laughing about! Though, it is secret.

[Michael]

Today I am listening to a lost Beethoven work, the 5th symphony, conducted by Kurt Sanderling.

(When I say "lost", I mean I mislaid the CD for some years and was prompted by the recent death of the conductor to look for it. Obviously, I found it.)

[Chris]

Haydn: 8 violin sonatas

These sonatas, contained in a single Peters edition volume are almost all arrangements of other Haydn works, such as piano sonatas and string quartets. Whether they are arrangements by Haydn himself, were approved by him, or were just done without his consent, no one seems to know. This recording by Elena Denisova and Alexei Kornienko is supposedly the first recording of them. All I know is, the lack of fortepiano here is sweet music to my ears.