What are you listening to?

[Jared]

Gesualdo's a Renaissance composer I've yet to really get my teeth into Fergus, save for short snippets. One for the future, certainly.

[bombasticDarren]

Beethoven - Symphony No.4 (Roger Norrington, The London Classical Players, EMI)

[bombasticDarren]

Tallis - Why Fum'th in Fight? (Atlanta Chamber Chorus, Telarc)

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Telarc)

[Seán]

My wife and daughter were very pleased that I stopped listening to my Jazz collection and that I have had the Schubert Fest play throughout the house all afternoon, they really enjoyed it too:

Great relief finally in the Seán household LOL!!

Ah, they don't really hear the Jazz music as I am away in my own room. But they sure did enjoy Schubert including his Mass.

[bombasticDarren]

Vaughan Williams - Symphony No.5 & Serenade to Music (Jessica Rivera/Kelley O'Connor/Thomas Studebaker/Nmon Ford/Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Telarc)

[fergus]

I have been playing this set recently and finished it today. It contains wonderful playing that is full of expression. This set is a real treat!





Pepe: This version of K515 finally opened the window for me and let in lots of light on this particular work. You will be glad to know that I have made some real progress here!!

[Seán]

I have been playing this set recently and finished it today. It contains wonderful playing that is full of expression. This set is a real treat!

I don't have any of their recordings but I do know that Chalkie swears by the Griller String Quartet.

[bombasticDarren]

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.5 (Andrew Litton, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Virgin Classics)

[fergus]

I don't have any of their recordings but I do know that Chalkie swears by the Griller String Quartet.

I have two or three of their recordings Seán and they certainly are worth listening to.

[fergus]

In the formal music structure sense a serenade is a light piece with extra movements in simple form specifically designed to entertain. However, Mozart being Mozart, he lends all of his unfathomable creative powers to everything that he wrote and this work is no exception. This serenade has seven movements and lasts all of 41 minutes which is longer than most Classical symphonies! The work is scored for full orchestra, including trumpets and timpani, and as such has the usual wonderful kaleidoscope of Mozartian colour and texture, especially provided by the woodwinds. Although specifically designed to be background music and to purely entertain this work is well worth paying attention to. It is a very charming and aurally interesting work and in terms of quality I think it is easily on a par with Mozart’s later symphonies. Bohm being the great Mozartian that he was also gets inside the work.
Incidentally, the posthorn which gives this serenade its nickname (illustrated in the album artwork) enters in the second part of the sixth movement and lasts for all of one minute!