What are you listening to?

[Jose Echenique]

but even if you detect an almost negligible French accent in the likes of Véronique Gens and Sandrine Piau, it´s very sexy.

The one great thing that the French have going for them is a beautiful language and as a result they invariably speak English with a sexy accent.

That and great food :-)

[Diapason]

Got there before me, Jose. They're handy at wine too.

[DaveF]

[Seán]

I haven't listened to that set for some time, I know that Fergus likes it, I must play it again over the weekend.

[Ciaran]

Listened to the fascinating Quartet 11: seven short movements played attacca.

[fergus]

I haven't listened to that set for some time, I know that Fergus likes it, I must play it again over the weekend.

Indeed I do Seán. The Shostakovich string quartets along with the Beethoven string quartets should be in every collection I think.

[DaveF]

sticking with Shostakovich this evening.

[DaveF]

Symphonies No.1 & 2

[Jose Echenique]

Giovanni Simone Mayr is best remembered as Donizetti´s teacher, but he was a well known and popular composer in the first decades of the XIX Century. Born and trained in Germany, he moved to Italy where he took over from Cimarosa and Paisiello with success.
The label Oehms has recorded live 4 of his operas in small Swiss theaters with success. Demetrio is probably the last of the cycle, and we should be grateful for the opportunity to hear them.

[bombasticDarren]

Sibelius - Symphony No.1 (Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Warner Apex)