What are you listening to?

[DaveF]

Some of today's listening.

[Jared]

Schubert: Die Schone Mullerin...

... again (!)

[Seán]

A lovely day of listening included:

[Seán]

Franz Schubert
String Quartet No. 14
Quartetto Italiano

Perfection is the art of music-making.

[Jared]

^^yes, I'm really quite fond of that recording... delicate and melodic.

If I remember correctly, I think you, me & Fergus purchased that one, all around the same time...

edit: ah, my post refers to the Octet...

[Seán]

This post is about a new recording of Handel´s Alessandro just out in the Pan Classics label, but sorry, I couldn´t find a suitable cover, the picture is from American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo who sings the title role.
Alessandro was one of Handel´s most popular operas in his lifetime, only "Rinaldo" had more performances, so it´s puzzling why it´s so little performed in our time since the music is magnificent. Perhaps the extravagant vocal demands he puts in his 3 main characters explains this. The title role was sung by the famous castrato Senesino, the principal star of Handel´s company and perhaps the only other castrato in London to rival Farinelli. The 2 female leads were sung by Faustina Bordoni, a very famous soprano in Italy who was making her much anticipated London debut in this opera, and Francesca Cuzzoni, who was already a well established soprano. The public was eager to see sparks flying between the 2 prima donnas and Handel was only too happy to oblige, composing fiendishly difficult arias for them to display every weapon in their vocal armory.
Lawrence Zazzo braves valiantly Senesino´s music, though of course a castrato must have sounded completely different from a countertenor. The sopranos in this live recording are the Cuban Yetzabel Arias Fernández (I think it´s only proper that if you are a singer your last name is "Arias" LOL) and Raffaella Milanesi.
This recording was made live in February of this year during the Handel Festspiele Karlsruhe. The truly excellent orchestra is called the Deutsche Hàndel-Solisten and has many luminaries from the early music world. The conductor is recorder player Michael Form and he does an excellent job.
The only other recording of Alessandro is Sigiswald Kuijken´s for DHM but that is already more than 25 years old.
As it happens, DECCA has just announced another recording of Alessandro for October with a mouth watering cast including Max Emanuel Cencic and Karina Gauvin. Strangely they hired the Greek conductor Georges Petrou and his competent but not outstanding Patras Orchestra, well known for several recordings in the MDG label. The orchestra is good but not in the Deutsche Händel-Solisten class, so we will have to wait and see if Cencic and Gauvin justify the adding of yet another recording to the collection.

I do like your posts Pepe, they are very informative and an a joy to read, thank you.

[Seán]

^^yes, I'm really quite fond of that recording... delicate and melodic.

If I remember correctly, I think you, me & Fergus purchased that one, all around the same time...

edit: ah, my post refers to the Octet...

Yes, we did and we got them for next to nothing after a tip-off from you on your great 'Bargain Thread'.

[fergus]

On vinyl....





I spent a wonderful evening listening to this double vinyl recording of one concert. The playing is spell bindingly enchanting!

[ravel30]

Today:

Fauré's Requiem and Duruflé's requiem. CD 24 from



And then Scriabin's Symphony no. 2 and Poeme de l'extase from



A big contrast between the two different recordings. The first one is intimate, spiritual and peaceful.
The second one is egocentric, strange and near craziness.

It was the first time that I listened to Scriabin's second. Very interesting piece.

[fergus]

Some late night listening....





Wonderful playing and textures!