What are you listening to?

[fergus]

Speaking personally, I have always found the LvB VC & Brahms VC to be the two towering achievements of the genre; head and shoulders above the rest. I say that, with a deep love for those by Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Nielsen & Elgar among others of course... but the LvB & Brahms are structural giants for me.

I would have to agree with you there Jared. However it took me quite a long time to crack the Beethoven Violin Concerto. It was Oistrakh who finally cracked it for me and it has subsequently become my favourite violin concerto in the repertoire. I was just wondering how others felt about it as it appears to be a work that is not frequently listened to....perhaps I am wrong in that.

[Jared]

....perhaps I am wrong in that.

I can't speak for others, but I think the difference between you and me is that I still spend so much of my listening time, with music which is new to me... something which I will probably doing for at least the next couple of years, until I have the comprehensive body of a collection with which I would essentially happy to live with, which is why pieces like the LvB VC don't get as much airplay as they should.

Because you are a good few years ahead of me in this regard, although you add works and recordings to your collection, you understandably do spend more of your listening time enjoying and rediscovering that which you have built up over the years..

[mcq]

Some exciting and energetic music....





....the Frank Violin Sonata is a particular favourite of mine.

The Franck violin sonata is a lovely piece, Fergus.  I highly recommend a recording that Vadim Repin made of this a few years ago with Nikolai Lugansky (coupled with Grieg's second violin sonata and Janacek's violin sonata) for DG.  In my opinion, the CD as a whole is one of the finest chamber music recordings of recent years.  Quite superb.  I'd also like to recommend a recording that featured a transcription of the Franck violin sonata for cello.  It's featured on an excellent CD featuring one of my favourite cellists, Anne Gastinel, and her regular accompanist, Claire Desert.  The Franck work is coupled with cello sonatas by Debussy and Poulenc in beautifully expressive performances.

[Seán]

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 1
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Yuri Simonov - conducting.

Back to the start.

[jaybee]

giving this a spin and whatever you call playing a file from computer!

[Jared]

I'm playing a really rather thrilling version of Tchaikovsky's 'Souvenir de Florence' for Sextet, which was recorded live at the 1999 'La Jolla' SummerFest with:

Kyoto Takezawa & Benny Kim (violin)
Lawrence Dutton & Paul Neubauer (viola)
David Finckel & Andres Diaz (cello)

there is something marvellously vibrant and spontaneously electric about the performance; just the sort of thing you would hope for at a highly charged summer festival... just splendid!!

[DonKC]

Some Poulenc to get ready for the Organ Concerto featured in this evening's KC Symphony concert

Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani
Concert champêtre for Harpsichord

George Malcom (organ and harpsichord)
Iona Brown Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

EMI 2 disc set with the Piano Concerto, Gloria and other works.

[fergus]

I can't speak for others, but I think the difference between you and me is that I still spend so much of my listening time, with music which is new to me... something which I will probably doing for at least the next couple of years, until I have the comprehensive body of a collection with which I would essentially happy to live with, which is why pieces like the LvB VC don't get as much airplay as they should.

Because you are a good few years ahead of me in this regard, although you add works and recordings to your collection, you understandably do spend more of your listening time enjoying and rediscovering that which you have built up over the years..

Good point Jared!

[fergus]

Some exciting and energetic music....





....the Frank Violin Sonata is a particular favourite of mine.

The Franck violin sonata is a lovely piece, Fergus.  I highly recommend a recording that Vadim Repin made of this a few years ago with Nikolai Lugansky (coupled with Grieg's second violin sonata and Janacek's violin sonata) for DG.  In my opinion, the CD as a whole is one of the finest chamber music recordings of recent years.  Quite superb.  I'd also like to recommend a recording that featured a transcription of the Franck violin sonata for cello.  It's featured on an excellent CD featuring one of my favourite cellists, Anne Gastinel, and her regular accompanist, Claire Desert.  The Franck work is coupled with cello sonatas by Debussy and Poulenc in beautifully expressive performances.

Thank you for that Paul; recommendations always welcome!

[fergus]

Some Poulenc to get ready for the Organ Concerto featured in this evening's KC Symphony concert

Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani
Concert champêtre for Harpsichord

George Malcom (organ and harpsichord)
Iona Brown Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

EMI 2 disc set with the Piano Concerto, Gloria and other works.

Enjoy the concert Don. I have not listened to the Poulenc Organ Concerto in quite a long time so I must dig it out again soon.