What are you listening to?

[Seán]

for the month that's in it....

Nocturne #5.....

I like Pollini's Chopin, in fact I like Pollini full stop!

[Ivor]

Switching to a bit of classical today in the shop.... nothing taxing.

http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/various- ... collection

[fergus]

Switching to a bit of classical today in the shop.... nothing taxing.

There is some good stuff on that set Ivor....anything in particular taking your fancy?

[Ivor]

There is some good stuff on that set Ivor....anything in particular taking your fancy?

Well it's all kinda in the background, I'm not really listening as such. It's just there to perfume the air.

It's all quite well known stuff, I'm enjoying the unfamiliar ones most I suppose (Telemann, Albinoni, Scarlatti, Marcello) but it's all good. I've had this at home for ages but there was always something else taking priority. the shop is a great way to absorb unfamiliar music passively and then listen at home in more depth later.

[Jose Echenique]

I never cared for Rock & Roll :-)[/quote]

Well I for one am glad you did. How did you get such wide exposure to Classical Music?[/quote]

Big Brother is a conductor :-)[/quote]
Ah, I see, how wonderful! My big brother plays the drums, takes it very seriously, and when I was a child, had amassed a large collection of Buddy Rich LPs so I had exposure to Jazz from a very early age.
Is your brother still working?[/quote]

My brother stopped conducting on a regular basis about 10 years ago because of a serious retina problem, he now is Dean of the College of Fine Arts in Boston University.
He still conducts occasionally, for example last year he conducted the St. Petersburg Philharmonic accompanying an award winning BU student in Rachmaninov´s Third Concerto, but he has to be extremely careful with his movements.

[Jose Echenique]

It´s finally here, Leonardo Vinci´s Artaserse, one of the most popular and influential operas of the 1730´s. Leonardo Vinci was a hugely talented composer from Calabria, and though his birthplace and date of birth are still in dispute, he must have been born around 1696.
Vinci studied in the celebrated Conservatory dei Poveri di Gesú Cristo in Naples, and began his career as an opera composer when he was in his early 20´s. I first heard of him thanks to the marvelous recording of his comic opera Li Zitte N´Galera with La Cappella de´Turchini in OPUS111. Earlier this year Dynamic released on cd a live recording of La Partenope also with La Cappella de´Turchini, a marvelous opera whose libretto Handel later used for his own Partenope.
Now Virgin and not a minute too soon, do him proud with a stellar recording of his last opera, Artaserse, to a libreto by Imperial Court Composer Pietro Metastasio. Artaserse became so popular and well liked that Charles de Brosses in Paris was referring to it as "the most celebrated Italian opera". It´s really great music, with character, fantasy and endless melodic invention. Virgin has assembled a showcase of great countertenors, no less than 5, including Max Emanuel Cencic and Philippe Jaroussky.
The singing is absolutely spectacular (needless to say), and conductor Diego Fasolis left his excellent Swiss group I Barocchisti at home in favor of the legendary Concerto Köln, one of the best period orchestras around.
This is an extremely important recording because it finally makes available a much talked about masterpiece from the Baroque Era, and not only that, but a very enjoyable one too.
Leonardo Vinci like his equally talented contemporary Domenec Terradellas was murdered in Rome. There were talks of a love affair with a high born Roman lady, Vinci was reputedly very handsome, or more likely a jealous rival composer (Porpora could hardly bear hear his name), the fact is that the World was robbed of a major composer who lost his life at age 34.

[Seán]

Edvard Grieg
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46
Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55
Sørgemarsj over Rikard Nordraak
Fra Holbergs tid (Holberg Suite), Op. 40
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Noriko Ogawa (piano)
Ole Kristian Ruud - conducting.

What a gorgeous orchestrator Grieg was, I love this set. The music is superb and is beautifully performed by the Bergen Orchestra and, as always, the BIS engineers do a splendid job, highly recommended.

[fergus]

I know that you have been looking forward to that one for a while Pepe so I am delighted that you enjoyed it so much; sometimes the anticipation is greater than the realization!

[Jose Echenique]

I know that you have been looking forward to that one for a while Pepe so I am delighted that you enjoyed it so much; sometimes the anticipation is greater than the realization!

Loved it Fergus, ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT :-)

[fergus]

Loved it Fergus, ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT :-)

An enthusiastic and ringing endorsement if ever I read one LOL!!!