What are you listening to now?

[Enrique]

One of the most terrific codas ever written.

[Enrique]

Brahms: Piano quintet.
Beethoven: Fifth symphony (Toscanini).

I used to play the cello, in an orchestra, just in front of one bass who enjoyed, locally, great fame. I once commented him: "what a beautiful intrument the fagot is". He mocked me, saying it is not an instrument; the doublebass is. I say this because of the prominent role it has in the 5th third movement. And IT's really beautiful, though I do not know any instrument who/which is not.

[Sorrano]

Brahms: Piano quintet.
Beethoven: Fifth symphony (Toscanini).

I used to play the cello, in an orchestra, just in front of one bass who enjoyed, locally, great fame. I once commented him: "what a beautiful intrument the fagot is". He mocked me, saying it is not an instrument; the doublebass is. I say this because of the prominent role it has in the 5th third movement. And IT's really beautiful, though I do not know any instrument who/which is not.

Enrique, you might want to use the English word Bassoon in place of fagot; that has a rather negative connotation for some people in the US. I agree; it is a beautiful instrument. Stravinsky's Rite has some great passages for it, as well.

The Beethoven 5th with Toscanini was my first record and one of my all time favorite performances of just about any work.

[Enrique]

I'll use a word nobody uses in this forum. God! To me there are few which can rival it (Toscanini's perfomances of the 5th), perhaps none. Maybe because I must have listened to it (by the Maestro) as a child, but to me it is the just tempo and, tempi, unfortunately, may radically change the character of a piece of music. I don't know, but, in the last two bars of the 1st mov., the tempo seems to accelerate by 1/100 of a second. Pritty sure, a product of my imagination, and it depends on the time when Toscanini recorded it, though if you could ask him, he would say he always used exactly the same tempi. Thanks for your advice. I did not know that.

[Sorrano]

Language is a funny thing, even within ones own country, how one word can easily be misconstrued for another, let alone words in one language that sound very similar to words in another language.

The Rite has been a favorite of mine for years; I've particularly liked it for its raw savagery. But it does have very melodic parts, as well, yes, whistleable (if I may be permitted to use that as a word), as well. In the past few weeks I've spent some time with the music of Stravinsky and have really grown to admire and appreciate his compositional styles. Now that I am finished with that I've been listening to Schubert's symphonies (including the incomplete, unorchestrated, and fragments). This is a great listen, as well.

(And yes, Enrique, I do have a number of orchestral scores in my home.)

[Enrique]

Beethoven: Sonatas nos. 23, 24, 25 (If the 24th is the Apassionata).
Brahms: Piano quintet, slow movement.

I'm in love with this movement. Know the work since fifteen years ago, and I now see I've never listened to this with the attention it deserves. Believe me, I have heard it hundreds of times.

[Enrique]

Language is a funny thing, even within ones own country, how one word can easily be misconstrued for another, let alone words in one language that sound very similar to words in another language.

The Rite has been a favorite of mine for years; I've particularly liked it for its raw savagery. But it does have very melodic parts, as well, yes, whistleable (if I may be permitted to use that as a word), as well. In the past few weeks I've spent some time with the music of Stravinsky and have really grown to admire and appreciate his compositional styles. Now that I am finished with that I've been listening to Schubert's symphonies (including the incomplete, unorchestrated, and fragments). This is a great listen, as well.

(And yes, Enrique, I do have a number of orchestral scores in my home.)

Sorrano, you must have been writing when I edited the post. I was just curious about one of the habitués of this select site. Do you not think there is enormous lyricism in the opening of the second part? And the orchestral texture is so dense! It's lyric but at the same time so weird! I specially like the section begining with the three descendent notes in the kettledrum, ta, ta, tammm.

[Megan]

Hildegard von Bingen
O Splendidissima Gemma

Performer: Sequentia. Performer: Benjamin Bagby

[Enrique]

Bach, Bach and more Bach:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JQm5aSjX6g

These people know what to make music is about (I heard up to 0:13:37).

[Sorrano]

Sorrano, you must have been writing when I edited the post. I was just curious about one of the habitués of this select site. Do you not think there is enormous lyricism in the opening of the second part? And the orchestral texture is so dense! It's lyric but at the same time so weird! I specially like the section begining with the three descendent notes in the kettledrum, ta, ta, tammm.

Enrique, when you submitted your original post I received it in my email as it was posted. You had questions and I did not mind answering them.

When I was much younger I did not care for Stravinsky's music, outside of the "romantic" compositions, such as The Firebird. The Rite, however, has always been a favorite of mine. In recent years my tastes have expanded and my interest in 20th (and 21st) Century music has grown and I thought it a good time to come to terms with his later works. And I was not disappointed. While his music can be very lyrical I find one of the most appealing parts is his intricate rhythms. Seems I read an article on that some years ago, but my attention was drawn to that in the many other pieces that I've listened to recently.

[Michael]

Mozart's Piano Concertos No. 9 (Jeunhomme) and No. 22.

(Both in E flat, I realised later. Must have been subconsciously impelled by Quijote's post!)

[Quijote]

Yeah, right! And I was impelled to listen again to the "Harp" quartet recently. I had forgotten what a yonking stonking quartet this is! An absolute delight.

[Michael]

Yeah, right! And I was impelled to listen again to the "Harp" quartet recently. I had forgotten what a yonking stonking quartet this is! An absolute delight.

Absolutely right! It's stuck in the middle of B's quartet output and always seems to be overshadowed on both sides by the Razumovsky's and the Late Quartets. But this is as good as any of them. I really like the links to the 5th symphony: the scherzo in C minor with its quiet repeat leading into the finale. Brilliant!
I'll have to go and have a listen now.

[Quijote]

Absolutely right! It's stuck in the middle of B's quartet output and always seems to be overshadowed on both sides by the Razumovsky's and the Late Quartets. But this is as good as any of them. I really like the links to the 5th symphony: the scherzo in C minor with its quiet repeat leading into the finale. Brilliant!
I'll have to go and have a listen now.

I don't know about you Michael, but I find the "Harp" almost at times more of a "near late quartet" that the "Serioso". Yeah, you're right about those driving "scherzo" rhythms. I'm left breathless after listening to this (and sore after playing it).

[Quijote]

Bach, Bach and more Bach:

We can never have enough Bach! Just recently:
Cello Suite N° 6 with Anner Bylsma. I really like this performance: rough 'n ready, far from perfect (intonation, even though using a 5-stringed instrument - a violoncelle piccolo), but passionate and mature.