What are you listening to now?

[Peter]

IKON ll -Beautiful cd of much neglected Russian orthodox music - Holst singers/Stephen Layton.

[Sorrano]

Beethoven, Piano Sonata Opus 22 (Brendel).
One of my all-time favourites - and Beethoven was pleased with it too. "This sonata washes itself" he stated. The German idiom might translate as: "This sonata takes the cake!" (In a good sense.)

Which one is this (key)? I am most familiar with the earlier ones, but for some reason I can't place which one Op. 22 is.

[Harvey]

The Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 "Choral" - Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Otto Klemperer, Live Performance 17 May 1956, digitized from dual-track open reel tape (in Mono). You can listen to this one online and/or download the files to your computer AT THIS PAGE.

[grace65]

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 1 in C Major Op 15. The pianist is Emil Gilels with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra and recorded in 1957.

[Peter]

Which one is this (key)? I am most familiar with the earlier ones, but for some reason I can't place which one Op. 22 is.

Bb Major - I played the first movt of this when I was a teenager in a local music festival - great fun!

[AeolianHarp]

Bb Major - I played the first movt of this when I was a teenager in a local music festival - great fun!

Wow, you must be a brilliant pianist to have played that in your teens!

[Peter]

Wow, you must be a brilliant pianist to have played that in your teens!

I wouldn't say I was brilliant, just capable - I had a natural ability, but not exceptional. I remember when I was in the youth orchestra, a friend thought I meant Op.106 when I said I was playing the Bb sonata - now that would have been brilliant! The hardest Beethoven sonata I did at that time was the D minor Op.31/2.

[Sorrano]

This morning:
Vorisek: Introduction et Rondeau Brillant, Op 22
Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op 28

It's dizzy music, again.

[AeolianHarp]

Soundtrack to Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightley film) by Dario Marianelli. Dario really did a marvellous job of creating music that evokes the 1790s.

[Rocco]

Earlier today: Brahms German Requiem by Shaw

Just watched Fidelio (1978 Bernstein)

[AeolianHarp]

I wouldn't say I was brilliant, just capable - I had a natural ability, but not exceptional. I remember when I was in the youth orchestra, a friend thought I meant Op.106 when I said I was playing the Bb sonata - now that would have been brilliant! The hardest Beethoven sonata I did at that time was the D minor Op.31/2.

You are being modest there Peter. Not many teenagers can play his sonatas!

[Sorrano]

This morning:

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto #5 in G, Op 55

[Peter]

You are being modest there Peter. Not many teenagers can play his sonatas!

Kind of you to say so Aeolian, but no I'm being honest - there are plenty of young musicians out there of an incredibly high standard, especially these days from eastern countries such as China. Aside from them, there are the prodigies like Saint-Saens who could play all 32 Beethoven sonatas from memory at the age of 10!

[AeolianHarp]

Kind of you to say so Aeolian, but no I'm being honest - there are plenty of young musicians out there of an incredibly high standard, especially these days from eastern countries such as China. Aside from them, there are the prodigies like Saint-Saens who could play all 32 Beethoven sonatas from memory at the age of 10!

I know! One of my students (I was teaching EFL for 3 weeks) from Hong Kong told me he played piano and liked Mozart. I asked him what his grade is and he said 8! He is only about 14!

Saint- Saens could play all those at 10! Wow. Mind you our Maestro was a virtuoso too of course!

[Michael]

Beethoven, Opus 81a.
(Much Adieux about Nothing)