What classical music you listening to, luv?

Randy · « **Reply #260 on:** 21 Aug 2010, 02:45 am »

Pettersson's symphonies can be a tough nut to crack. I have some older recordings of them from Swedish labels, but haven't listened to them in years. You certainly have to be in the right mood. They're mostly dissonant, but tonal, and extremely somber. I haven't heard the more recent Hamburg recordings, but they got very mixed reviews when they came out. If I am not mistaken, I think his 2nd and 5th symphonies are his most approachable for first time listeners.

Nice to see a recommendation of music off the beaten path. Thanks. I may sample this series.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #261 on:** 21 Aug 2010, 05:07 am »

I have his 8th on DG. Don't remember much else accept that it's passionate and the surfaces are not quiet. Back to you after I've listened to it, tonite.

Later- Awfully somber and really didn't get musically interesting for me until about 3/4 of the way.

Tyson · « **Reply #262 on:** 21 Aug 2010, 05:13 am »

I'm always surprised at how non-dissonant and beautifully lyrical Bartok's 1st Violin Concerto is:

Feanor · « **Reply #263 on:** 22 Aug 2010, 12:25 pm »

Quote from: Randy on 21 Aug 2010, 02:45 am

Pettersson's symphonies can be a tough nut to crack. I have some older recordings of them from Swedish labels, but haven't listened to them in years. You certainly have to be in the right mood. They're mostly dissonant, but tonal, and extremely somber. I haven't heard the more recent Hamburg recordings, but they got very mixed reviews when they came out. If I am not mistaken, I think his 2nd and 5th symphonies are his most approachable for first time listeners.

Nice to see a recommendation of music off the beaten path. Thanks. I may sample this series.

In fact I have heard only the above, 7th synphony, so I can't comment on the others, but based on this one, you comments ring true. For my part this isn't all that unapproachable, but then I'm personally tolerant of dissonance and somberness.

I think it's good thing to reach beyond the standard fare quite often. Yesterday I listened to the following, another Symphony No. 7 ... this is pleasant and doubtless more approachable by most people than Pettersson's.

Einojuhani Rautavaara: Symphony No. 7, Angel of Light ~ Leif Segerstam / Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

Randy · « **Reply #264 on:** 22 Aug 2010, 04:35 pm »

That Rautavaara disc was a best seller when it came out, and he followed it up with a few other "Angel" compositions, most notably a violin concerto.That sort of "New Agey" music was a fad for a while back then. Some composers from the former Soviet block were the main proponents. Silvestrov's 5th symphony, the version that came out on Sony, was another hit of the same era, very similar in style to Rautavaara's music of the time. Kancheli is another one who comes to mind, and of course Pärt. I have enjoyed many of their works, but never did like Pärt very much, for some reason. Some of this music can get monotonous as it just sort of drifts along. Kancheli will occasionally wake you up with a few gigantic fortissimos. BTW, I love Silvestrov's chamber music and his music for solo piano. Beautiful stuff. Look for a couple of discs with pianist Jenny Lin.

etcarroll · « **Reply #265 on:** 22 Aug 2010, 09:53 pm »

Shostakovich* - National Symphony Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich - Symphony No.5

Feanor · « **Reply #266 on:** 23 Aug 2010, 12:17 am »

Quote from: Randy on 22 Aug 2010, 04:35 pm

... Silvestrov's 5th symphony, the version that came out on Sony, was another hit of the same era, very similar in style to Rautavaara's music of the time. Kancheli is another one who comes to mind, and of course Pärt. I have enjoyed many of their works, but never did like Pärt very much, for some reason. Some of this music can get monotonous as it just sort of drifts along. Kancheli will occasionally wake you up with a few gigantic fortissimos. BTW, I love Silvestrov's chamber music and his music for solo piano. Beautiful stuff. Look for a couple of discs with pianist Jenny Lin.

I'll have to check out Valentin Silvestrov since I've heard nothing by him ... perhaps some chamber music.

I have a number of recordings from Arvo Pärt, but I wouldn't say I was a huge fan either. This is a good recording, though, and I'm a fan of the work of Paul Hillier & The Theatre of Voices ...

etcarroll · « **Reply #267 on:** 24 Aug 2010, 12:19 am »

Hmmmmmmm...............

Since New Years I've gone from having no classical, to a tidy start of a collection. Along the way I've begun to collect different versions of works. Today the mail brought 9 SACDs I won on Agon, including the 3rd or 4th version of this I now own;

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Prelude to Khovanshchina [Hybrid SACD]
Modest Mussorgsky (Composer), Charles Mackerras (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), New Philharmonia Orchestra

etcarroll · « **Reply #268 on:** 26 Aug 2010, 05:51 pm »

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 [Hybrid SACD]

zybar · « **Reply #269 on:** 27 Aug 2010, 01:42 pm »

Two from Mozart:

George

etcarroll · « **Reply #270 on:** 27 Aug 2010, 07:41 pm »

My first taste of Bartok, very nice............

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Hungarian Sketches by Bela Bartok, Fritz Reiner, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Hybrid SACD).

etcarroll · « **Reply #271 on:** 31 Aug 2010, 07:42 pm »

Serenade for String Orchestra, Op.48 (Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich)

Feanor · « **Reply #272 on:** 1 Sep 2010, 01:29 pm »

Aulis Sallinen: Symphony No. 2 "Symphonic Dialogue" ...

Feanor · « **Reply #273 on:** 1 Sep 2010, 01:37 pm »

Quote from: etcarroll on 27 Aug 2010, 07:41 pm

My first taste of Bartok, very nice............

Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Hungarian Sketches by Bela Bartok, Fritz Reiner, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Hybrid SACD).

The Concerto for Orchestra is a great piece by any measure; I have this version which I can recommend, both performance and sound ...

However it's Bartok's string quartets that I most enjoy of his music -- an they are generally consider truely great examples of that genre. I have couple of versions, but like this one best ...

etcarroll · « **Reply #274 on:** 1 Sep 2010, 02:24 pm »

^^^ Thanks, I'll look for them my next trip to the store.

BobMajor · « **Reply #275 on:** 1 Sep 2010, 02:39 pm »

Re Bartok,
For the Concerto for Orchestra I like the Georg Solti version very much. I haven't heard the Ivan Fischer version but other recordings of his of Bartok have been excellent.
I highly recommend the Emerson Quartet's version of the Bartok Quartets also. These quartets completely mesmerized me 35 years ago when I first heard them and they don't loose their appeal (although they are completely modern).
Other modern string quartets of excellent quality are the Janacek and some of the Zemlinksy.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #276 on:** 1 Sep 2010, 03:25 pm »

Shostakovich no.6 with Berglund and the Bournemouth Sym (EMI) and no.14 with Rostropovich and the Moscow Phil (Melodiya).

aragon63 · « **Reply #277 on:** 1 Sep 2010, 04:51 pm »

etcarroll · « **Reply #278 on:** 2 Sep 2010, 02:10 pm »

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

aragon63 · « **Reply #279 on:** 2 Sep 2010, 04:39 pm »