What are you listening to now?

[Decrepit Poster]

Gerd's Schubert transcription thread remains me how relatively little I know of the composer's vast output. To help remedy that I am currently listening to this work for four hand piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajBPNEf_3xM So far as I know it is my first hearing.

ADDENDUM: I just finished watching/listening to rather charming video of Cecilia Bartoli singing an excerpt from Salieri's "La fiera di Venezia" (1772). As with the Schubert, I had not previously heard it.

[AeolianHarp]

I love listening to the PianoGuys.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0tBS_IAX-M&feature=share[/YOUTUBE]

Lovely! Have you heard Beethoven's 5 Secrets by them Megan? The cello playing in it is gorgeous!

[AeolianHarp]

The Hanover Band play The Egmont on period instruments.
WOWWWWWWW!!! It is like listening in 4D! I can FEEL those drums and horns as if I was there in the audience.
The horns and drums- I have shivers! Historically informed performances are always superior! It is the emotional effect for me- they just hit harder!

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e76EgywcO_E[/YOUTUBE]

Listen to this and tell me that this is not by far the best Egmont you have ever heard!

[Decrepit Poster]

The Hanover Band play The Egmont on period instruments.
WOWWWWWWW!!! It is like listening in 4D! I can FEEL those drums and horns as if I was there in the audience.
The horns and drums- I have shivers! Historically informed performances are always superior! It is the emotional effect for me- they just hit harder!

<snip>

Listen to this and tell me that this is not by far the best Egmont you have ever heard!

I can't say it's the absolute best Egmont overture performance I've heard, but it is a decidedly good one. I wish recorded sound was less reverberant...I tend to prefer a drier acoustic that lets instruments speak with more clarity. But that is my one nit-pick here.

Speaking of natural horns and historically informed performances, I neglected to mention having recently heard a performance I revisit from time to time. It's Weber's Horn Concertina Op 45 as played by Anthony Halstead, natural horn and The Hannover Band under Roy Goodman. I've heard a number of recordings of this work by acknowledged virtuosi on modern instruments. They indeed sound more polished and "beautiful". But for my money natural horn, as heard here, possesses a flavor than seems totally "right" for the piece.

I listened to Mozart's Divertimento for string trio in E-Flat Major K. 563 as performed by Isaac Stern: violin-Pinchas Zukerman: viola-Leonard Rose: cello. This recording and I go way back. (I own it on LP.) It is one of the first chamber music works I fell for, back when I still confined myself almost exclusively to orchestra and other large ensemble music. I've heard other interpretations over the years, on both modern and old instruments. For me none hold a candle to this one.

I listened to a fascinating rehearsal and performance of Richard Strauss' "Don Juan" by Karl Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic. The man knew his business!

ADDENDUM: Now mid afternoon, I am listening to a fine performance of Haydn's "Lord Nelson Mass". Very nice.

[Michael]

SSS!
Sibelius's Second Symphony.

[Sorrano]

SSS!
Sibelius's Second Symphony.

You snake!

[Michael]

You snake!

Yesss ..... a sssuper sssymphony!

[Fredrika]

Sibelius here too - Valse Triste with Herbert von Karajan.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ls8-pk4IS4[/YOUTUBE]

This came suddenly to mind today when I was having a relatively high fever. I love this piece to death--- it brings so many memories and I have not heard this in years, it's like a whole film is suddenly weaved in my mind consisting of me playing with legos in front of our old aquarium, of all my friends back at college who have then gone to their separate ways, then how Helsinki looks like in October- all dark and wet but little lamps here and there and the dark, dark woods circling the Töölö bay...there is something breathtaking in utter darkness too, as much as I love summer best.

Our music teacher from high school, a woman in his 70s, would put this on and DANCE in class omg I swear she looked like a ballerina, the most elegant ever...or maybe it was just the story she was telling us about the piece so vividly, together with a well-placed hand gesture, that it fooled my mind to remember she was actually dancing. Either way, I owe her every single note I play and sing today. I never got to thank her, but somehow I know she knows what she gave me.

[AeolianHarp]

Sorry EP, missed your earlier posts re historical performances. Interesting what you say about Valentina- as I hear the complete opposite.

This is by means a slur upon you, but in my experience people today have become very accustomed to A440 and modern instruments, but when you predominantly listen to classical music that historically informed, your ear changes- you start to hear in the music what modern instruments and tunings leave out.


Historical tunings and instruments, sound so much more alive, colourful and the subtleties are greater.

For me the Hanover Band's Egmont is electrifying as is Ronald Brautigam's Hammerklavier.

I am not technical so unable to describe all that frequency stuff- but my goodness, I can FEEL that difference.

The reverb you describe is that 4D effect which I love!

Ronald also has recorded Haydn's piano sonatas historically informed and omg, the strings are singing! I heard sounds in it that did not come out on a modern piano/tuning.This is how it was meant to sound!

[AeolianHarp]

AMAZING pianist plays Chopin's Ballade no 1 on unequal temperament:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxiphZ7fGQ0[/YOUTUBE]

[Decrepit Poster]

Having reached that point in Jan Swafford's "Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph", this morning I listened to B's string quartet No.15 Op.132 at YouTube, an Alban Berg Quartet recording to which the score is affixed. It was an eye opener, but not in a good way. In my mind's eye, I am familiar with all of B's quartets, some more so than others. I knew going in that Op.132 was one I am less that totally at home with. To my amazement, I recognized nothing. Movement after movement sped by without a spark of recognition...until the Allegro Appassionato final movement. That clicked! I suppose my initial listenings to Op.132 occurred back when the late quartets were, as a whole, largely incomprehensible to me. For whatever reason I never bothered to revisit it, as I did most of the others, until it sank in. But is that the truth? Your guess is as good as mine.

A further realization brought about by this listening session, as if I need it, is that my ability to read printed music has atrophied alarmingly. Once upon a time, listening to a recording or, sometimes, live performance with score in hand greatly increased my enjoyment of the experience. Nowadays, I find myself constantly lost, and in struggling to find my place end up not hearing the music. About the only way avoid that is to concentrate on one instrument only (and even then I sometimes go astray), which totally defeats the purpose. Admittedly, I do better with works I'm quite familiar with, but even then it's more distraction than blessing.

<snip>

This is by [no] means a slur upon you, but in my experience people today have become very accustomed to A440 and modern instruments, but when you predominantly listen to classical music that historically informed, your ear changes - you start to hear in the music what modern instruments and tunings leave out.

Historical tunings and instruments, sound so much more alive, colourful and the subtleties are greater.

For me the Hanover Band's Egmont is electrifying as is Ronald Brautigam's Hammerklavier.

I am not technical so unable to describe all that frequency stuff- but my goodness, I can FEEL that difference.

The reverb you describe is that 4D effect which I love!

<snip>

Ye need not fear my being put off by the lower pitch of many "period instrument" performances. I've been a fan of the movement since its inception. About the only time the difference bothers me is when switching between "modern" and "period" interpretations. Takes a few seconds for my ears to adjust. From then on its smooth sailing.

In any case I do not possess perfect/absolute pitch and, despite trying, never acquired pseudo-absolute pitch. Additionally, one consequence of my deteriorated hearing is that I no longer hear subtle variants in pitch. As a listener this is sometimes a blessing, as I tend to not notice out of tune notes...up to a point. It's a blessing I would ecstatically forgo, given the opportunity.

As the the Hanover Egmont, as mentioned I find it a decidedly fine performance. A second hearing found me even more favorably impressed. I still prefer a drier acoustic, all else being equal.

AMAZING pianist plays Chopin's Ballade no 1 on unequal temperament: <snip>

I quite enjoyed this, the more so after watching it at YouTube, where it is explained that the piano is not speaking properly in softer passages. As to the joys of comparing equal and unequal temperament, that is, alas, largely denied me due to matters related above.

Sibelius here too - Valse Triste with Herbert von Karajan. <snip>

This came suddenly to mind today when I was having a relatively high fever. I love this piece to death--- it brings so many memories and I have not heard this in years, it's like a whole film is suddenly weaved in my mind consisting of me playing with legos in front of our old aquarium, of all my friends back at college who have then gone to their separate ways, then how Helsinki looks like in October- all dark and wet but little lamps here and there and the dark, dark woods circling the Töölö bay...there is something breathtaking in utter darkness too, as much as I love summer best.

Our music teacher from high school, a woman in his 70s, would put this on and DANCE in class omg I swear she looked like a ballerina, the most elegant ever...or maybe it was just the story she was telling us about the piece so vividly, together with a well-placed hand gesture, that it fooled my mind to remember she was actually dancing. Either way, I owe her every single note I play and sing today. I never got to thank her, but somehow I know she knows what she gave me.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't listened to Valse Triste in ages. High fever? As someone who has been battling a prolonged bout of potentially serious illness for some months now, I can relate! Hope you're okay!

[Peter]

Brahms symphony no.2.

[AeolianHarp]

Well I had just made some coffee and was about to watch Eroica on Proms, as it said it was on til 9.30 pm tonight, now it has been taken off! I am not pleased- was looking forward to that.
Oh well, I do have opus 130 to see live this Thursday...

[AeolianHarp]

Decrepit Poster;66026]
A further realization brought about by this listening session, as if I need it, is that my ability to read printed music has atrophied alarmingly. Once upon a time, listening to a recording or, sometimes, live performance with score in hand greatly increased my enjoyment of the experience. Nowadays, I find myself constantly lost, and in struggling to find my place end up not hearing the music. About the only way avoid that is to concentrate on one instrument only (and even then I sometimes go astray), which totally defeats the purpose. Admittedly, I do better with works I'm quite familiar with, but even then it's more distraction than blessing.

Well that is impressive that you could do that anyway DP. Did you/do you play any instrument?

Ye need not fear my being put off by the lower pitch of many "period instrument" performances. I've been a fan of the movement since its inception. About the only time the difference bothers me is when switching between "modern" and "period" interpretations. Takes a few seconds for my ears to adjust. From then on its smooth sailing.

I am glad you like the historically informed performances DP.

In any case I do not possess perfect/absolute pitch and, despite trying, never acquired pseudo-absolute pitch. Additionally, one consequence of my deteriorated hearing is that I no longer hear subtle variants in pitch. As a listener this is sometimes a blessing, as I tend to not notice out of tune notes...up to a point. It's a blessing I would ecstatically forgo, given the opportunity.

Most people don't have perfect pitch DP. I bet Beethoven did though! Oh I forgot about your hearing loss; sorry about that.
I have a CD from Beethovenhaus which plays his music showing his hearing deterioration; it's sad of course, but it gives a hearing person insight into what happened to his hearing.So many of us hearing people take our hearing for granted.To hear music truly is a gift (unless of course it is that Gaga creature in the supermarket...)
I know a guy who owns a newsagent who wears hearing aids- it is amazing how many people mumble and look down when talking to him! Then he says "Pardon?" He can hear you fine if you look at him when speaking to him and speak clearly and slightly louder.

I quite enjoyed this, the more so after watching it at YouTube, where it is explained that the piano is not speaking properly in softer passages. As to the joys of comparing equal and unequal temperament, that is, alas, largely denied me due to matters related above.

I love this Chopin performance- his Ballades are great.

I hope you enjoy full health soon DP.

[Harvey]

The opera Martha.