What are you listening to now?

[Sorrano]

This evening:

Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B Flat

For some reason, the orchestration (lacking trumpets and timpani) bothered me when I was first introduced to it many years ago. It has taken some time for me to warm up to it and enjoy it. Beethoven's 2nd Piano Concerto presented the same difficulty to me early on, as well.

[Enrique]

This evening:

Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B Flat

For some reason, the orchestration (lacking trumpets and timpani) bothered me when I was first introduced to it many years ago. It has taken some time for me to warm up to it and enjoy it. Beethoven's 2nd Piano Concerto presented the same difficulty to me early on, as well.

I had not noticed that. A bit opposing yours, my experience I think it was one of immediate pleasure. A naive way of listening, you might call it, maybe. But while it took for me some time to get familiar with Beethoven's more popular works, I mean to like them, that symphony I well remember having been maximum pleasure from the start. 'twas like an irresistible invitation. It can be that I was already mature enough musically speaking.

But let me tell you, for my taste trumpets and timpani are fundamental among all other instruments including violins (I mean in the orchestra).

[Enrique]

I followed the chain, thanks. '54 doesn't fit within his life. It must be a typo. What is your source?

How silly! It was an excellent oportunity to divise some joke!

[Sorrano]

This morning:
Britten: Gemini Variations, Op 73 (1964)
Geminiani: Concerto grosso in d (La Follia), after Corelli, Op 5/12

My interest in trumpets, in particular came from the fact that it was the instrument I chose to play in the school band. I've always been fascinated by the sound of the trumpet, and in earlier orchestral works they often go together with the timpani.

[Chris]

A disc called "Jean-Pierre Rampal: The Great Flute Concertos", containing:

Vivaldi - Op. 10, No. 3, RV 428 "Il gardellino"
Vivaldi - Op. 10, No. 1, RV 433 "La tempesta di mare"
Bach - BVW 1056
Bach - BVW 1055
Telemann - Suite for Flute or Orchestra in A minor
Mozart - K 313
Mozart - K 314
Mozart - K 299

I don't much care for the Baroque works with a modern orchestra, but the flute playing is still very enjoyable. The Mozart is great. My first exposure to Rampal was flipping through random channels on TV and stopping at an old film of Rampal playing the final movement of Mozart's K 314. The quality of the recording was very poor, but the playing really made an impression on me (as well as the work itself), and to this day I still prefer K 314 on the flute even though it was later discovered to be a transcription of an oboe concerto. And no one has been able to match Rampal's playing of it for me.

[Enrique]

This morning:
Britten: Gemini Variations, Op 73 (1964)
Geminiani: Concerto grosso in d (La Follia), after Corelli, Op 5/12

My interest in trumpets, in particular came from the fact that it was the instrument I chose to play in the school band. I've always been fascinated by the sound of the trumpet, and in earlier orchestral works they often go together with the timpani.

Yes, a most powerful example is 9th symphony, first movement. You've told us you were in a band, Sorrano, as a youth. but I didn't know you played the trumpet. I once asked a trombon to play some notes from the Rite for me. They were some glissandi towards the end.

[Sorrano]

This morning:

Legnani: Caprices, Op 20, #28
Mozart: Serenade #12 in c, K 388

[Chris]

Two Bach CDs today, containing violin and oboe concertos transcribed from the harpsichord versions in an attempt to recover what are believed to be the original versions.

BWV 1060r, 1056r, 1052r, 1054r - Fabiano Biondo/Alfred Bernardini/Sergio Ciomei/Europa Galante

BWV 1044, 21, 1059r, 12, 1053r - Anthony Robson/Elizabeth Wallfisch/Lisa Beznosiuk/Paul Nicholson/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Great performances on these.

[Symphony7]

The Song of Hiawatha by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is on Radio 3 now. It's rather good.

[Enrique]

Beethoven: Symphony no.7

I've heard the quality of music transmited over the internet being spoke of very badly, in the sense of it being damaged by the transmission itself. Maybe so. But this, I think, right now, is an excelent version from the audio point of view. Judge by yourselves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MqrBauptrE

[Sorrano]

The Song of Hiawatha by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is on Radio 3 now. It's rather good.

I have heard bits and pieces by Coleridge and I think his music is worth listening to.

[Sorrano]

This morning

Cimarosa: Serenade (arrangements of Clavier Sonatas) 2nd mvt, Allegro (the performer is James Galloway and I suppose the arrangement is his)
Janácek: Wind Sextet, Mládí (Youth)

[Chris]

Bach - Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin BWV 1001-1006 - Sigiswald Kuijken

This is Kuijken's first recording (the second seemed to have some odd recording choices in my opinion).

I think these are the finest performances of these works I have heard on a baroque violin. It's odd that these pieces are missing from the discographies of several of the top baroque violinists, such as Simon Standage and Andrew Manze. There is Jaap Schröder's recording, of course, but that one never appealed to me that much. And there is Rachel Podger's, which is quite good. John Holloway's would be up there with the best, because the playing is fantastic, but it was recorded in a location with so much reverberation that it is totally ruined (I see what they were trying to do, but it just didn't work for me).

In any case, Kuijken's first recording is my top pick as far as baroque violin recordings of these works.

Perhaps I should spend more time practicing them myself instead of listening, though!

[Lindegard]

LvB Second Piano Concerto in B flat major Op. 19

[Sorrano]

Perhaps I should spend more time practicing them myself instead of listening, though!

Listening is an important part of practice. I find myself heading over to Youtube when I am getting where I want to be on whatever piece I am working on at the time. It certainly helps in picking up new ideas and perhaps getting rid of others with how a piece should go.