WAYLTL August 2021

[Lawrence Chalmers]

I'm just discovering the music of Sofia Gubaidulina through her percussion concerto(Bis), Flute and Percussion Concerto (emi) and Canticle of the Sun
(emi) the latter two conducted by Rostropovich, with him on the Canticle.
I intend to follow through with other works and would love some recommendations. Her music is other worldly and beautiful and really draws
me into her sound world. For me a MAJOR contemporary voice, a deadly serious composer right up there with Shostakovich.

[number_six]

I haven't very much from this composer, but had a favorable impression from two cds -- Offertorium and Johannes Passion.

[Chris J.]

Mozart, String Quintets K515, 593, 516 & 614 by the Salomon String
Quartet with Simon Whistler (viola) on Hyperion.
I have several recordings of these works. However, his is the only one of
K515 on my shelves with the andante as the third movement.

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDD22005

Chris

[Al Eisner]

Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet: "The Seasons", a 4-CD set on BIS
(recorded 1992 to 2001) of works by 20 composers, nearly half of them
new to me. The longest work is from one of those, Brett Dean's
"Winter Songs for tenor and wind quintet". I found this to be quite
fascinating, consisting of settings of late poems by e.e.cummings, and
following the strange structures cummings uses in some of them.

While each CD includes a work with the appropriate season in its name,
the organization seems more geographical:

1 - French (the most substantial work being Francaix's Quintet #1)
2 - The Americas (all US and Brazil, the most fun of the set)
3 - Germany (entirely Hindemith and Henze)
4 - Composers from northern/Baltic climes (including the Nielsen Wind Quintet) or influened by them (Dean)
On at least my copy, the labels on CDs 2 and 3 are reversed.

Full listing at https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8031349--the-seasons-20th-century-music-for-wind-quintet

Great variety and impressive playing. Recommended.
--
Al Eisner

[Owen]

Sibelius Karelia Suite, Etc.

Yoel Levi: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

TelArc CD-80320

Heard this (Karelia Suite) on Classical WCRB in Boston. Was struck by
the energy and particularly the exceptional horn playing. Listened to a
few performances on Spotify (they didn't have this one), and was
disappointed. I would've probably hated the piece had I heard those
performances first. As it was, I splurged for the CD used. Sounds
great! Always liked Levi in his Mahler recordings, and TelArc did the
right thing putting the sound on this disc.

-Owen

P.S. Looking forward to hearing the other works now.

-O

[JohnGavin]

Kapustin - Piano Music - Steven Osborne (Hyperion)

Again, Osborne impresses deeply. I listened to about 5 different pianists playing Kapustin (not the composer yet). Some of the players have fantastic fingers, but not much affinity for the real jazz style of the composer. It’s the 2 Hyperion star pianists who win in this music - Osborne and Hamelin. So impressive is Osborne, in many ways, especially color and sound, that I’ll automatically want whatever his next recording happens to be.

[number_six]

On Friday, August 6, 2021 at 5:28:29 PM UTC-7, Owen wrote:
>
> Always liked Levi in his Mahler recordings,

Even when Amazon gets the wrong cover art!

[Gerard]

Op 2021-08-07 om 02:28 schreef Owen:

I don't know a disappointing recording of the Karelia Suite, with one
exception: Ormandy (I had that one on a Columbia LP): too hurried.
Which disappointing recordings did you hear?

[Owen]

I found Osmo Vanska's rather tepid, compared with Levi's rendition.
Sounded like the horns were in the room behind the stage. Mariss
Janson's also rather weak. There weren't a whole lot on Spotify, so I
gave up after these two and went to buy Levi's CD.

-Owen

[number_six]

Das Gansebuch - German Medieval Chant - Schola Hungarica (Naxos)

The Other Side of Benny Golson (Riverside)

coming up = Gossec symphonies on Chandos

[Al Eisner]

Joseph Marx's Romantic Concerto and Korngold's Concerto for the left hand,
an early release in Hyperion's series of Romantic Piano Concertos,
performed by the (perhaos unlikely but successful) team of Marc-André
Hamelin and Osmo Vänskä with the BBC Scottish Symphony. The Korngold
is the better known and more interesting work, piano-dominated, with
Hamelin very effective, as expected. The Marx, new to me,
is a big retrograde work which I found highly enjoyable (especially
the last two of its three movements). A very nice CD.
--
Al Eisner

[Dirge]

Clément JANEQUIN: Réveillez vous, cueurs endormis (“Le chant des oyseaulx”) (c. 1520)
:: Ensemble Clément Janequin [HM] ~ 5½ minutes
http://www.classicalm.com/en/composition/25060/Janequin--Le-Chant-des-Oyseaulx (track 1)
Birdsong run amok. Ensemble Clément Janequin sing/chirp/coo/churr/warble/twitter/etc. the bejesus out of it.

[sci.space]

Rossini's Barber of Seville, New York City Opera, conducted by Sarah Caldwell with Sills as Rosina. This is a Laserdisc in the old 4:3 format. Video quality is acceptable, sound is pretty good. The performance is delightful. Worth keeping my Laserdisc player in good working condition. I do not know if it was ever released on DVD.

[Frank Berger]

On 8/19/2021 8:22 AM, sci.space wrote:
> Rossini's Barber of Seville, New York City Opera, conducted by Sarah Caldwell with Sills as Rosina. This is a Laserdisc in the old 4:3 format. Video quality is acceptable, sound is pretty good. The performance is delightful. Worth keeping my Laserdisc player in good working condition. I do not know if it was ever released on DVD.
>

It was on VHS and I saw a reference to a DVD-R transfer from that VHS. I don't think it was ever released on DVD.

I have exactly one Sarah Caldwell-conducted item in my collection - an aria from Don Giovanni on one of the Chicago SO sets. She died in 2006.

[number_six]

Should that have been a tweet??

I like Ensemble CJ -- have a couple of their CDs

Yes they do indeed go all in for Oyseaulx...

[Dirge]

On Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 4:36:49 PM UTC-5, number_six wrote:
> On Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 5:46:55 PM UTC-7, Dirge wrote:
> > Clément JANEQUIN: Réveillez vous, cueurs endormis (“Le chant des oyseaulx”) (c. 1520)
> > :: Ensemble Clément Janequin [HM] ~ 5½ minutes
> > http://www.classicalm.com/en/composition/25060/Janequin--Le-Chant-des-Oyseaulx (track 1)
> > Birdsong run amok. Ensemble Clément Janequin sing/chirp/coo/churr/warble/twitter/etc. the bejesus out of it.
> Should that have been a tweet??
>

As Sir Humphrey would have responded with all due sincerity to such a quip by the Minister for Administrative Affairs, “Very droll, Minister.”

[number_six]

On Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 4:51:17 PM UTC-7, Dirge wrote:
> On Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 4:36:49 PM UTC-5, number_six wrote:
> > On Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 5:46:55 PM UTC-7, Dirge wrote:
> > > Clément JANEQUIN: Réveillez vous, cueurs endormis (“Le chant des oyseaulx”) (c. 1520)
> > > :: Ensemble Clément Janequin [HM] ~ 5½ minutes
> > > http://www.classicalm.com/en/composition/25060/Janequin--Le-Chant-des-Oyseaulx (track 1)
> > > Birdsong run amok. Ensemble Clément Janequin sing/chirp/coo/churr/warble/twitter/etc. the bejesus out of it.
> > Should that have been a tweet??
> >
> As Sir Humphrey would have responded with all due sincerity to such a quip by the Minister for Administrative Affairs, “Very droll, Minister.”
> >

I gotta see that show sometime...have always heard it was very good.

[number_six]

Clara Rockmore - Lost Theremin Album (Bridge)
in her hands (literally), the instrument sings, especially in Villa-Lobos BB#5

Akutagawa - Ellora Symphony, other works (Naxos)
works are from 1948 - 71 but this composer -- recently mentioned by Nestor -- is new to me
Takuo Yuasa conducts NZ SO

[Al Eisner]

Two Schulhoff CDs:

1)

"Concertos alla Jazz", a 1994 London release with Andreas Delfs
conducting the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Aleksander Madzar (piano),
Bettina Wild (flute), the Hawthorne String Quartet, and as a bonus
(see below) Erwin Schulhoff (piano)

Piano Concerto: romantic, with a particularly nice first movement.
There's supposed to be a jazz section, but it was hard to detect.

Double Concerto for Flute and Piano: one blues section in the breezy
delightful finalebut nothing otherwise jazzy; the main influence seemed
to me to be more Ravel-like.

Concerto for String Quartet and Wind Orchestra: no romanticism or Ravel
here. The foxtrot episode of the finale does have a jazzy feel, but not
elsewhere; both there and in other places I was occasionallty reminded of
Weill. With its wonderful interplay between the quartet and the winds,
this was a truly impressive and interesting work, and surely the highlight.

The CD also includes nine, genuinely jazz-influenced, short piano pieces,
recorded by Schulhoff in 1928 - great fun.

2)

Petersen Quartet on Capriccio in a short CD consisting of the two
String Quartets amd Five Pieces. This has been recommended multiple
times on rmcr, primarily by John Wiser (has anyone heard from him
lately?) and Alan Cooper - deservedly so. I need say no more.
--
Al Eisner

[Steve Emerson]

Hi Al -- The Petersen disc is certainly some of the most compelling Schulhoff I know. John Wiser died in the summer of 2019. He'd been suffering from COPD for some time. I considered him a friend, and miss him.

best,
SE.

[raymond....@gmail.com]

Not as top notch as Shostakovich, (and who is?), but the nine symphonies of Luis Salgado are refreshing in their look at symphonic format seen through the eyes of Ecuador's chief 20th century composer. Texture and rhythm are evident of a South American background, but in nowhere as lush and exotic a manner as the 11 recorded symphonies of Villa-Lobos. I like both btw. The Villa-Lobos symphonies provide a Straussian-like sumptiousness, whereas Salgado works within a leaner orchestral palette, and more adventurous ideas. Both are well worth a place in most collections.

As for jazz, then Eric Dolphy on Enlightenment, offers 6 cds (covering 12 albums) from the period 1959-1962. As the saxophone is perhaps my favourite solo instrument, this is a real treat.

Ray Hall, Taree

[Al Eisner]

On Tue, 24 Aug 2021, Steve Emerson wrote:

> On Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 6:31:19 PM UTC-7, Al Eisner wrote:
>> Two Schulhoff CDs:

...

>> 2)
>>
>> Petersen Quartet on Capriccio in a short CD consisting of the two
>> String Quartets amd Five Pieces. This has been recommended multiple
>> times on rmcr, primarily by John Wiser (has anyone heard from him
>> lately?) and Alan Cooper - deservedly so. I need say no more.
>
> Hi Al -- The Petersen disc is certainly some of the most compelling Schulhoff I know. John Wiser died in the summer of 2019. He'd been suffering from COPD for some time. I considered him a friend, and miss him.

Hi, Steve. Thanks for the sad news. I had suspected he might have
passed away, but was unable to find anything in a web search.

Yes, "compelling" is a good word for the entire disk.
--
Al Eisner

[HT]

Op woensdag 25 augustus 2021 om 05:42:46 UTC+2 schreef raymond....@gmail.com:

Salgado I revisit almost weekly. An exceptional composer. He deserves a far better orchestra and recording engineer.

Henk

[raymond....@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 25 August 2021 at 18:40:14 UTC+10, hvt...s4all.nl wrote:
> Op woensdag 25 augustus 2021 om 05:42:46 UTC+2 schreef raymond....ail.com:

Indeed, but the Cuenca orchestra play with a real committment, and is worth a 1000 bland refinements that lead to a sterile perfection.

Ray Hall, Taree

[HT]

Op woensdag 25 augustus 2021 om 13:06:42 UTC+2 schreef raymond....@gmail.com:

I agree. Perhaps Salgado needs only a better recording engineer - and certainly more recordings of his other works.

Henk

[Owen]

This is on Spotify at:
https://open.spotify.com/album/1wrmQZ1d8pMotBL4IMB8iN?si=w9FxWruBTmGPrqCYpxH99Q&dl_branch=1

Listening now...

-Owen

[Owen]

P.S. Scroll down to disc 3 to hear the Petersen Quartet tracks.

-O

[number_six]

Deller /Purcell box - MHS /Vanguard

[Alan Cooper]

On Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 8:31:01 PM UTC-4, number_six wrote:
> Deller /Purcell box - MHS /Vanguard

Interesting. I lost my taste for Deller a long time ago after having grown up with him. (Fine musicianship, crummy voice.) What do you think? I've been revisiting the Bis Villa Lobos box (complete Choros, Bachianas, and guitar music). Great performances and sound, and most of the music is out of the top drawer of the composer's overfilled cabinet.

Also listened to music by Paul Cooper (no relation) on all or part of 3 CRI CDs. A first-rate composer who has fallen under the radar as far as I can tell.

AC

[number_six]

On Monday, August 30, 2021 at 8:08:22 AM UTC-7, cooper...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 8:31:01 PM UTC-4, number_six wrote:
> > Deller /Purcell box - MHS /Vanguard
> Interesting. I lost my taste for Deller a long time ago after having grown up with him. (Fine musicianship, crummy voice.) What do you think?

The counter-tenor voice can wear out its welcome -- this is 6 CDs of Purcell and there are, of course, other volumes in the complete Vanguard series. But at his best -- for example, in Purcell's The Heavenly Choir -- I think Deller achieved some truly memorable recordings.

[Chris from Lafayette]

Cobra Records
Telemann: 12 Fantasias for viola da gamba, transcribed for guitar and performed by Sandro Rodrigues

These pieces were lost for a long time, and not rediscovered until 2015 (!). Portuguese guitarist Sandro Rodrigues made his guitar transcription from the viola da gamba original (thereby freeing us from having to listen to that godforsaken instrument!). 36 movements in all - OMG! The slow movements are so spare yet so profound that a single note within a phrase can send one into a vast and deep ecstasy. I never knew Telemann was capable of such transcendent writing! (Make sure you keep the playback level down, down, down though!) The engineering on the MCh (DSF64) download (available from the Native DSD site) is just as transcendent as the music - overall, this is certainly one of the greatest guitar records I've ever heard.

[George M.]

When searching for Chopin guitar transcriptions (nothing good so far, recommendations ?) I came across this post and recording, couldn't agree more, and the artist is relatively unknown...

I've added to https://musicbrainz.org/release/19f3d0a6-f622-462c-8ab7-15f99e762b6b, please update with more info if you have a booklet, I just stream it.

George M.

[Dan Koren]

Jazz

[Alan Cooper]

Vlach Quartet Janacek (1969):

#1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=388L3rov3bA
#2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgQa3JLbWho

Wonderful performances imo. Lossless d/l from supraphonline.cz (with an excellent coupling) for the equivalent of about US$4.00.

AC