What are you listening to?

[Jared]

You have been a bit quiet recently Jared so I thought that you must be busy with work.
I would be curious about your thoughts on the Hummel String Quartets.

You are right in your assumption there Fergus... I've been meeting myself coming back, to be fair... it's half term holidays and we are fully booked every night. I'm really tired, and opportunities for listening to music have recently been scarce.

Unlike his Masses which I consider to be hidden gems, the Hummel SQs are simply not in the same league as those of his contemporaries, Beethoven or Schubert, however they are very pleasant and very pleasingly played, with typically high sound quality you'd expect from Hyperion, on this set:



I enjoy them very much, and if String Quartets from the late Classical period interest you, then you should purchase them. They would be most akin to Beethoven's op.18, but not as accomplished...

[Jared]

I know you're not a great Chopin fan, but is this a favourite recording of yours, Fergus, or one your giving a 'last play' to, before it is cleared out?

I enjoy the Argerich and Pires versions I own; two excellent exponents of his work...

[fergus]

Unlike his Masses which I consider to be hidden gems, the Hummel SQs are simply not in the same league as those of his contemporaries, Beethoven or Schubert, however they are very pleasant and very pleasingly played, with typically high sound quality you'd expect from Hyperion, on this set:



I enjoy them very much, and if String Quartets from the late Classical period interest you, then you should purchase them. They would be most akin to Beethoven's op.18, but not as accomplished...

Thank you for that Jared....I get the idea in the analogy with Beethoven's Op. 18. They would still interest me though!

[fergus]

I know you're not a great Chopin fan, but is this a favourite recording of yours, Fergus, or one your giving a 'last play' to, before it is cleared out?

True I am not a great lover of Chopin, Jared....obviously the fault lies with me and not with him; truth is that I am not a great lover of the piano as a solo instrument....probably one one the very few on the planet that thinks that way, but there you are! However I do come back to try Chopin every once in a while and I do find that particular disc to be good. It will definitely stay in my collection!

[fergus]

Sibelius – Nos. 1-3 ....



Beautiful strings with snarling brass enhance what I consider to be really good performances.

[fergus]

I have avidly consumed 10 more discs from this wonderful set recently!

[Jared]

I have avidly consumed 10 more discs from this wonderful set recently!

as delightful as they are Fergus, don't you find they all tend to merge into one, after a while? This is where I have a problem with large box sets of similar music... it takes you literally ages to be able to distinguish one piece from another...

[fergus]

I have avidly consumed 10 more discs from this wonderful set recently!

as delightful as they are Fergus, don't you find they all tend to merge into one, after a while? This is where I have a problem with large box sets of similar music... it takes you literally ages to be able to distinguish one piece from another...

The answer is yes Jared but I still find the set delightful listening. The music is joyous and wonderfully well played and recorded.

[fergus]

[DaveF]

on vinyl...