What are you listening to now?

[AeolianHarp]

I haven't read it thoroughly, but that's a rather big oversight IMO, especially when discussing the spirituality of a composer whose music speaks to many. At least it's not as bad as when some call him misanthropic. I did notice some inaccuracies when reading, and like Schiff, he can be a bit hyperbolic at times, but it still makes for an interesting read.

Yes, how could Beethoven write such music that affects so many people if he didn't understand humanity? He did ( as much as we can understand ourselves...)
True, Sullivan doesn't accuse him of misanthropy! I don't mind the hyperbole as it is well meaning in general.
What inaccuracies did you notice?

I already own it thanks to you

Great!

[AeolianHarp]

The Ruins of Athens ( on my Overtures CD). Gosh it is beautiful! So dramatic and affecting...the feeling of tragedy at the beginning, then bassoons and woodwinds ( I think they are anyway..) signal hope..then the music rises and the orchestra rises to an exultant feeling of hope! Then that beautiful uplifting melody. Back to the bassoons, carrying on that feeling, but more tentatively and gently, then strings..and the melody again, so gently this time..then rising and rising as the other instruments join in..then woodwinds feeling like voices of hope..then the orchestra again- like all the people joining together!!! It ends so triumphantly!
Forgive my less than musical terms- I am not great at describing music I can really only describe the moods it evokes and how it makes me feel.
I've listened to it 4 times already!
Of course, I've listened to it before but tonight it has really hit me, funny how that happens.
His overtures are brilliant.

[Harvey]

The Ruins of Athens ( on my Overtures CD).

Now you have to listen to the entire work. Here are clips.

[AeolianHarp]

Now you have to listen to the entire work. Here are clips.

Thanks Harvey, I was thinking the very same thing. I have heard some of the others on his now defunct () Beethoven Only radio st. The Consecration of the House is also on the CD.I'd love a CD of the whole Ruins of Athens. I also have The Turkish March on a 78!
I am listening to it for about the 7th time now! It really really moves me. I have shivers- you know how his music does that? I bet you do...

[Harvey]

Thanks Harvey, I was thinking the very same thing. I have heard some of the others on his now defunct () Beethoven Only radio st. The Consecration of the House is also on the CD.I'd love a CD of the whole Ruins of Athens. I also have The Turkish March on a 78!
I am listening to it for about the 7th time now! It really really moves me. I have shivers- you know how his music does that? I bet you do...

Three that I like a lot are the entire works of Ruins of Athens, Egmont, and Creatures of Prometheus.

Right now listening to all nine symphonies. The Fifth just began. Had to take a break from la Sonnambula, need to watch the DVD more until I can picture each part as I lsten to the CD.

[Decrepit Poster]

I'd be interested to read what you thought of Ronald's playing- I have heard many recordings of Hammerklavier and he just is far far above them all to my ears.

I meant to respond to this sooner, but in truth can think of little to say, beyond that I like Mr Brautigam's interpretation as well as the sound of the fortepiano. It's a recording I could easily live with.

I've likely not heard nearly as many Hammerklaviers as you. The Pollini set of late sonatas I own is an all too rare instance where I am so content with individual performances I never bothered to hear others...until relatively recently. Well, that's not entirely true, but close enough so as not to matter.

I do prefer Ms Lisitsa's wider dynamic contrast in the last movement. But that's an advantage modern concert grands possess over fortepianos. Too, it might be due partly to interpretive differences, recording technique, or even the uploads themselves. In any case, I don't hold it against Mr Brautigam that he plays to the strengths of his instrument of choice.

The Ruins of Athens ( on my Overtures CD). Gosh it is beautiful! So dramatic and affecting...
<snip>
Of course, I've listened to it before but tonight it has really hit me, funny how that happens.
His overtures are brilliant.

Now you have to listen to the entire work. Here are clips.

Your talk reminded me that I have not heard Ruins in its entirety in many years, possible not since the '70s. I had totally forgotten that it includes chorus and vocal solos. I don't consider it top drawer Beethoven, but it is certainly enjoyable, and further proof that B could write popularistic, readily understood music when he so chose. (I listened at YouTube, having began before the above link materialized.)

ADDENDUM: Me being me, I listened to a second performance of Ruins at YouTube. O my! I've revised my opinion of the work. It is very nice indeed! Very very nice. This recording brings our the music's exotic, ersatz eastern flavor (where appropriate) better than the first. Great fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPJzdYskZ58 (I'm not overly impressed with Beethoven's visual representation in the video's opening drawing, but it vanishes from view soon enough. Otherwise, a number of fine images accompany the music.)

[Harvey]

Well, I went back and listened to Ruins and it was a bit on the exotic side for my Beethoven tastes. A fine work, but very different, I think i much more like Creatures of Prometheus (this one with the score displayed during the you tube) which is much more symphonic sounding. The opening of Creatures reminds me of the opening of the Third symphony. Creatures actually is to me like a huge 10th symphony. In fact I will now listen to Creatures of Prometheus.

[hal9000]

What inaccuracies did you notice?

He wrote that Beethoven met Mozart, probably apropos that famous meeting where Beethoven played Mozart the opening of the C minor piano concerto and Mozart proclaimed that, "One day he will give the world something to talk about", but as far as I know there is no evidence for this (I would like it to be true). I should have said inaccurac(y) really, and it is a small romantic one so I don't really mind.

I'm listening to Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546 by the Hagen Quartet

[AeolianHarp]

He wrote that Beethoven met Mozart, probably apropos that famous meeting where Beethoven played Mozart the opening of the C minor piano concerto and Mozart proclaimed that, "One day he will give the world something to talk about", but as far as I know there is no evidence for this (I would like it to be true). I should have said inaccurac(y) really, and it is a small romantic one so I don't really mind.

I'm listening to Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546 by the Hagen Quartet

Yes, even Classic FM relates that meeting (obviously written by John Suchet):

http://www.classicfm.com/composers/b...en-and-mozart/

Czerny claimed Beethoven did meet Mozart.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=N...mozart&f=false

[Decrepit Poster]

Not in the mood for anything overly profound this morning, I returned to my roots and heard several of B's military marches. I think them as fine as most other works of this sort being written at the time:

• March and Trio in C, WoO 20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVhpdYgpAho
• March WoO 24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdhVkuGUPkk
• March No.1 for military band in F WoO 18 "Yorckscher": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow5BbhGd5Mw

(Note that WoO 18 sounds to be performed in an updated instrumentation. The several "original instrumentation" versions I heard for some reason jettisoned the trio.)

Having heard those, I decided to revisit what I consider one of the premier European military marches from a somewhat later era: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg4AHoBJgvY

A confession. During the long ago days of my misspent youth (as opposed to my misspent adulthood and misspent old age) marches were the first stage in my metamorphosis from "pop" music to classical. Fennell/Eastman Wind Ensemble LPs of Sousa Marches, Circus March, and the like were amongst the first non pop records I ever purchased, possibly the very first. (Back then such albums could be readily found in the record bins of small town USA department stores.)

[Michael]

Schubert's Ninth. It has never been a favourite of mine and I still don't know why. Beautiful tunes, marvellous orchestration - it even quotes the "Ode to Joy" in the finale. I don't actively dislike it but ........it does go on a bit, doesn't it? Heavenly length?

[Peter]

Schubert's Ninth. It has never been a favourite of mine and I still don't know why. Beautiful tunes, marvellous orchestration - it even quotes the "Ode to Joy" in the finale. I don't actively dislike it but ........it does go on a bit, doesn't it? Heavenly length?

I'm listening to one of the longest symphonies - Mahler's 3rd which coincidentally quotes Schubert's 9th!

[Michael]

I'm listening to one of the longest symphonies - Mahler's 3rd which coincidentally quotes Schubert's 9th!

There must be a symphony out there somewhere that quotes Mahler's 3rd.

[Decrepit Poster]

There must be a symphony out there somewhere that quotes Mahler's 3rd.

Not a symphony but something relatively mundane. I once read that Liberace's theme song references the final movement. Indeed, it's fairly obvious. Whether deliberate or sheer happenstance I've no idea. (I'm no follower of Liberace, so likely came across the remark in some long ago discussion of the third.)

Just prior to lunch I dug out my old LP of the piano trio adaptation of B's second symphony and gave side one a spin. Time didn't allow me to hear movements three and four. Just as well. The disk hasn't fared well. Lot's of crackles and pops. Several mistracks. Nor is the recorded sound all that great, though I become more and more convinced my living room audio system is in some way defective. (On the other hand, my lesser quality computer audio system sounds amazingly good...for what it is.) Album notes state that Ferdinand Ries might or might not have had a hand in the adaptation.

I listened to a snippet from Gottfried Huppertz' score to Fritz Lang's 1924 silent era "Siegfried". I've long admired this music, the more so since so little original silent film music survives. Plus, it's nice to hear non Wagnerian Nibelungen music every now and again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxN2fXCkh2o (I own both "Siegfried" and its follow up "Kriemhild's Revenge" on DVD.)

Searching for more things Nibelungen, I noticed a link to the Nibelungen Marsch and gave it a listen. It...well, I gave it a listen.

ADDENDUM: Now late afternoon, I just finished revisiting what I consider an out and out great performance, Natalie Dessay's rendering of the "Mad Scene" from Lucia di Lammermoor, L'Opera National de Lyon 2002. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZictSugEgxw

[Harvey]

Here is a very nice piece I am listing to at the moment:
You tube Paganini violin music