What are you listening to?

[fergus]

[bombasticDarren]

Lutoslawski - Chain 3 & Nouvelette (Wiltold Lutoslawski, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon)

[Seán]

I got a great night's listening off to a good start with Beethoven:



Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 23, Opus 57
Friedrich Gulda - piano.

This used to be my favourite version of the Appassionata, not any longer.

[Seán]

Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B minor
Balthasar-Neumann Choir
Gundula Anders, Mona Spägele, Ursula Fiedler, Jürgen Banholzer
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Thomas Hengelbrock - conducting.

[Seán]

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony 2 & 7
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä - conducting.

When I want to listen to the Seventh I invariably reach for the Vänskä/MO recording, I used to choose the Reiner/CSO.

[Jose Echenique]

Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B minor
Balthasar-Neumann Choir
Gundula Anders, Mona Spägele, Ursula Fiedler, Jürgen Banholzer
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Thomas Hengelbrock - conducting.

If I had to recommend a newcomer a recording of the B minor Mass this would be it. And if I had to choose my favorite recording among the 30+ I own, this would also be it.

[Seán]

Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B minor
Balthasar-Neumann Choir
Gundula Anders, Mona Spägele, Ursula Fiedler, Jürgen Banholzer
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Thomas Hengelbrock - conducting.

If I had to recommend a newcomer a recording of the B minor Mass this would be it. And if I had to choose my favorite recording among the 30+ I own, this would also be it.

Very interesting comments Pepe. I have listened to other recordings and it did take some effort on my part. I listened to all of this version tonight and it was a pleasure from start to finish, I really enjoyed it: I thought that might have been growing familiarity with this Mass but now, after reading your comments, I'm not so sure.

I am definitely a newcomer, a (very) later developer I'm afraid.

[Jose Echenique]

<I am definitely a newcomer, a (very) later developer I'm afraid.>

It´s never too late Seán, and really, any time devoted to Bach is time well spent.
Recently the B minor Mass has received perhaps too many recordings, and I say this because many of them sound too much alike. Herreweghe has made his THIRD recording this year, Kuijken and John Butt have recorded minimalist, one-to-a-part versions, Minkowski, Suzuki, Junghänel, etc.
Most of them are in fact very nice, certainly well played and sung, but one has to ask if they are needed at all, since we already have fine recordings by Harnoncourt, Leonhardt, Gardiner, Parrott and scores of others.
Of the most recent ones, the ones that have impressed me are the Hengelbrock, the second Brüggen and the Bernius.

[jaybee]

bruch: violin concerto no 1, Takako Nishizaki

[fergus]

The playing is delightful on this CD and as a chamber orchestra is used there are some lovely orchestral textures. The pacing is quick which also adds sparkle to the performances.