What are you listening to?

[bombasticDarren]

Glass - Violin Concerto (Robert McDuffie/Christoph Eschenbach, Houston Symphony, Telarc)

[bombasticDarren]

Copland - Appalachian Spring (Zubin Mehta, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Decca)

[fergus]

This was a very fine M2. It is a live, mono performance and there is a very good atmosphere throughout. The Urlicht is really lovely and the conclusion is particularly fine; the singing is hushed and refined and the accompaniment is very sensitive gradually building up to a fine climax. Thoroughly recommended!

[bombasticDarren]

Walton - Crown Imperial & Orb and Sceptre (Andrew Litton, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Decca)

[Jose Echenique]

I also received the Bruckner 4 with Blomstedt and the Gewandhaus (but couldn´t find a good picture, so I posted the 3rd, though the covers are almost identical save for the color).
This is also a very satisfying and musical performance, just what you would expect from this venerable orchestra and their former chief conductor. This is a long breathed and very civilized reading. It couldn´t be more different from the American orchestra´s recordings. While Americans strive for modern efficiency, and note-perfect performances, the Gewandhaus digs deeper into the meaning of these symphonies, and inhabits a very different sound world. I must say I love it. Very satisfying.

That sounds like another very tempting CD Pepe. It looks like Blomstedt and the Gewandhaus have now recorded Symphonies Nos. 3/4/6-8. They will have to do No. 9 obviously. I wonder how many more they will do after that and if a box set will be issued in time to come?

He has recorded the Ninth already for DECCA, though that´s a studio recording, whereas all the others are live. I hope they have a live Ninth for MDR of course. By the way there´s also a 5th already available, so maybe in the future there will be a box. I have liked very much almost all of these performances, save for the 7th which is unusually bland, all the others are very distinguished performances.

[Jose Echenique]

This is also a very lovely cd. It includes sonatas, most of them for oboe, found in the Pisendel library in Dresden. There are works by Torelli, Handel, Porpora, Brescianello, and an anonymous early XVIII Century sonata.
The performances are admirable, oboist Xenia Löffler who also is first oboe in the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, covers herself with glory. This is the kind of cd you just want to play ALL the time.

I wonder if that is a period oboe that he plays? I assume that it is. I am quite partial to the sound of the oboe and the period instrument in particular; quite different to the modern instrument I think.

The Batzdorfer Hofkapelle always plays in period instruments, and of course Xenia Löffler´s oboe is a sweet, gorgeous copy of an XVIII Century instrument.

[Jose Echenique]

And since we are in page "666" why not play something with the Devil in it?
Eine Faust Symphonie is one of those works I never tire of collecting, I have dozens of recordings!
But this is my favourite recording. The playing of the Dresden Staatskapelle like the Gewandhaus is wonderfully old fashioned, aristocratic even, and Sinopoli is imaginative and impassioned as ever.

[Seán]

And since we are in page "666" why not play something with the Devil in it?

Very good Pepe, I like it.

Eine Faust Symphonie is one of those works I never tire of collecting, I have dozens of recordings!
But this is my favourite recording. The playing of the Dresden Staatskapelle like the Gewandhaus is wonderfully old fashioned, aristocratic even, and Sinopoli is imaginative and impassioned as ever.

I don't have many recordings of the Staatskapelle more's the pity nor do I have enough Sinopoli either, I do like him too.

[Seán]

This was a very fine M2. It is a live, mono performance and there is a very good atmosphere throughout. The Urlicht is really lovely and the conclusion is particularly fine; the singing is hushed and refined and the accompaniment is very sensitive gradually building up to a fine climax. Thoroughly recommended!

That's interesting, I could do with another Resurrection or Two.

[Diapason]

Walton - Crown Imperial & Orb and Sceptre (Andrew Litton, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Decca)

Probably wildly unpatriotic to say it, but I really enjoy this music!