What are you listening to now?

[Zevy]

The slow introduction to the first movement made up for it!

True. The symphony is long enough; just perfect the way it is.

[Decrepit Poster]

During a periodic visit to YouTube to listen to Natalie Stutzmann perform Schubert's Death and the Maiden I noticed links to a few other Stutzmann Schubert renditions. One thing led to another until I found myself ordering a 3-CD set of Stutzmann singing Schubert lieder cycles and a few non cycle lieder off Amazon. I surprised myself doing so, as I fully expected my physical discs buying days were over due to hearing loss. Be that as it may, the set arrived this past Wednesday. I listened to two discs that day, the remaining disc yesterday evening.

Of the three cycles, I was well acquainted with only the last, Schwanengesang, mostly in its Liszt piano transcription. (I have of course heard bits and pieces from them all.) Another surprise, I find myself most drawn to the earliest of them, Die Schone Mullerin.

Sticking with Ms Stutzmann, I watched her conduct an impressive performance of Mozart's Symphony No.35.

[Peter]

During a periodic visit to YouTube to listen to Natalie Stutzmann perform Schubert's Death and the Maiden I noticed links to a few other Stutzmann Schubert renditions. One thing led to another until I found myself ordering a 3-CD set of Stutzmann singing Schubert lieder cycles and a few non cycle lieder off Amazon. I surprised myself doing so, as I fully expected my physical discs buying days were over due to hearing loss. Be that as it may, the set arrived this past Wednesday. I listened to two discs that day, the remaining disc yesterday evening.

Of the three cycles, I was well acquainted with only the last, Schwanengesang, mostly in its Liszt piano transcription. (I have of course heard bits and pieces from them all.) Another surprise, I find myself most drawn to the earliest of them, Die Schone Mullerin.

Sticking with Ms Stutzmann, I watched her conduct an impressive performance of Mozart's Symphony No.35.

The Liszt song transcriptions are wonderful and 'Die Schone Mullerin' was the first song cycle by any composer I became familiar with as it was set for my Music GCE back in the 70s.

[Quijote]

[...] I find myself most drawn to the earliest of them, Die Schone Mullerin.

It's a wonderful song cycle, Decrepit, and a great teaching resource for me as an obscure harmony pedagogue in a backwater music faculty in France! For what it's worth, I use the song Der Müller und der Bach to introduce 2nd year undergraduates to the N6 (the Neapolitan 6th chord) and it always goes down well ... until they hand in their homework.

[Decrepit Poster]

I've been on something of a Chopin kick these past several days, listening to a variety of his more "showy" pieces. (I must confess I've never been able to drum up much enthusiasm for either of his two piano concertos.) In the process I chanced upon a rather respectable rendition of the Revolutionary Etude performed by Umi Garrett. Her combination of youth and talent led me to seek out more of her performances. Among what I heard is a performance of the final movement of Beethoven's Piano Trio Op.1 No.1 in which she, at circa 9yrs, does a very commendable job and looks to be enjoying herself in the process. Just while ago I found a video of Her, age 10, performing a Liszt work totally unknown to me as an orchestra concert encore. (Would someone please tell me what it is?)

Listening to these, then looking back at my own long ago feeble attempts at musicianship, drives home just how pathetic I truly was. Even back then I knew myself to be a flawed mediocrity at best. Now that we have easy access to a wealth of truly talented musicians I realize I was, in comparison, even worse than I gave myself credit for. Yeesh...here I go getting nostalgic. =P

[Peter]

I've been on something of a Chopin kick these past several days, listening to a variety of his more "showy" pieces. (I must confess I've never been able to drum up much enthusiasm for either of his two piano concertos.) In the process I chanced upon a rather respectable rendition of the Revolutionary Etude performed by Umi Garrett. Her combination of youth and talent led me to seek out more of her performances. Among what I heard is a performance of the final movement of Beethoven's Piano Trio Op.1 No.1 in which she, at circa 9yrs, does a very commendable job and looks to be enjoying herself in the process. Just while ago I found a video of Her, age 10, performing a Liszt work totally unknown to me as an orchestra concert encore. (Would someone please tell me what it is?)

Listening to these, then looking back at my own long ago feeble attempts at musicianship, drives home just how pathetic I truly was. Even back then I knew myself to be a flawed mediocrity at best. Now that we have easy access to a wealth of truly talented musicians I realize I was, in comparison, even worse than I gave myself credit for. Yeesh...here I go getting nostalgic. =P

Hello Decrepit, the Liszt piece is the second of two concert studies 'Gnomenreigen' written in Rome c.1862.

[Peter]

Morten Lauridsen - O Magnum Mysterium
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO5MheI0A8o[/YOUTUBE]

[gprengel]

I'm listening to a very epic work which I just discovered recently - the 1st Trio from C. Frank with an awesome first movement! Especially I love the second theme at 4:12, so beautiful in its simplicity, and the climax at 7:30
I can't beleive it's from 1840 ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izzXp0aOL2I&t=802s

[hal9000]

That's a great piece grpengel. But from the description:

"With its budding genius, this trio (Op.1 No.1) marks an epoch in the history of musical evolution... alone at this period, the young composer ventured to plan his first important work according to ideas which Beethoven did little more than touch on in the last years of his life."

What are these ideas?

[Peter]

I'm listening to a very epic work which I just discovered recently - the 1st Trio from C. Frank with an awesome first movement! Especially I love the second theme at 4:12, so beautiful in its simplicity, and the climax at 7:30
I can't beleive it's from 1840 ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izzXp0aOL2I&t=802s

Wonderful, thank you, it was also unknown to me. I love all the interesting links there are between musicians truly showing what a small world it is. Franck was a pupil of Anton Reicha who had been a close friend of Beethoven as they both had played in the court orchestra and studied at the university of Bonn. Like Beethoven and Schubert he studied with Salieri and Albrechtsberger and also met Haydn. Amongst his other famous pupils were Berlioz, Liszt, Gounod, Pauline Viardot, and the female composer Louise Farrenc.

[hal9000]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CbCATOzug8[/YOUTUBE]

I'm on a Franck binge thanks to that link by gprengel.

[gprengel]

Im just enjoying the Adagio from Dvorak's 4th symphony - one of the most beautiful and neglected slow symphonic movements I know:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI64Tsw1zHc starting at 12:25

The beginning reminds me a bit of the Tannhauser-Overture, but then it develops in a most haunting cantabile manner how only Dvorak can do it!

[Zevy]

NYP/Bernstein
Mozart: Symphony #40
Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Mozart: Symphony #36 "Linz"

[Harvey]

Der Freischutz. Behrens, Kollo, Meven, Donath. Cond. Kubelik.

[Fidelio]

Love the new Beethoven symphonies (1 and 3) from Philipee Jordan and the wiener symphoniker. Looking forward to the rest as they get released. Could be competition to the excellent Chailly set.