What are you listening two?

[Aleg]

Because it just came out on top during a blind panel comparisson on our classical radio station. And indeed it is a very good performance.

Cheers

Aleg

[Seán]

A sample of this weekend's musical treats to follow:


Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No, 25, 29 & 30
Prague Chamber Orchestra
Charles Mackerras conducting.
For the past month or so I have listened to the 29th on a daily basis and have, on occasion, included the 25th & 30th as well. This is gorgeous music.


Another current favourite but not nearly to the same extent is Dvorak's Fifth Symphony:

Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 5
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Mariss Jansons conducting.


A perennial favourite of mine is Prokofiev's Third and this is a magnificent performance:

Sergei Prokofiev
Piano Concerto No. 3
Vladimir Ashkenazy - piano
London Symphony Orchestra
André Previn conducting.



Franz Schubert
Octet D. 803 in F Major
Schubert Ensemble, Budapest

[Seán]

Franz Schubert
Octet D. 803 in F Major
The Gaudier Ensemble

[Seán]

Franz Schubert
Octet D. 803 in F Major
Berliner Solisten


Franz Schubert
Octet D. 803 in F Major
Melos Ensemble
Gorgeous music-making.

[Jose Echenique]

I prefer period instruments for the Octet, the natural horns especially do make a difference.

[Seán]

I prefer period instruments for the Octet, the natural horns especially do make a difference.

I have several recordings of the lovely Octet in my collection but none are on period instruments.

[fergus]

For the past month or so I have listened to the 29th on a daily basis and have, on occasion, included the 25th & 30th as well. This is gorgeous music.

Interesting Seán; Mozart's 29th has been a particular favourite of mine for a long time. You are correct; it is gorgeous music and that particular Symphony has something special to it.

[fergus]

This evening, on vinyl, Bartok's String Quartets 1 & 2....

[Jose Echenique]

I prefer period instruments for the Octet, the natural horns especially do make a difference.

I have several recordings of the lovely Octet in my collection but none are on period instruments.

If you love the Octet dear Seán, (and obviously you do), you should add a period version to your collection. There are several, as far back as the 70´s members of the Collegium Aureum recorded it for DHM, and then came versions with members of the Academy of Ancient Music and others, but L´ Archibudelli is the one I like best. Viktoria Mullova and friends also made a very curious recording for ONYX, some use period instruments and others don´t, but the feel is still very HIP.

[Jose Echenique]

This is Maurizio Pollini´s third recording of Brahms´ glorious Second Piano Concerto over 4 decades (70 years old when he made this recording in the Semperoper in January 2013), and maybe, it´s his best. He has the measure of the score, and there is a genuine Brahmsian feel to it, this is "Grand Brahms" as it should be. Of course he has excellent support from the wonderful Staatskapelle Dresden, who present their Brahms credentials with the exquisite horn solo that opens the concerto.
DG recorded the First Concerto with the same team before, but they sell separately and at full price, I don´t know if they are going to be competitive with DECCA´s offering with Nelson Freire, the Leipzig Gewandhaus and Riccardo Chailly, since they offer both concertos for the price of 1, and that is also a quite wonderful recording.