Tír Na HiFi

Beethoven: Spring & Kreutzer Sonatas....





....played by Yehudi Menuhin and his sister Hephzibah.

Sibelius is never very far away here....

Listening tonight to two recent releases.  First up was Karl Stobbe's recording of the brutally difficult Ysaÿe sonatas which always sound to me like a very personal response to the Bach unaccompanied sonatas and partitas in much the same way as the Britten cello suites are a response to the Bach cello suites.  What all of these works have in common is a utilisation of instrumental virtuosity solely as a means of communicating something of probing insight and intellectual profundity.  Stobbe delivers a performance that is searingly intense yet also very personal.  Just like Thomas Zehetmair's benchmark performances for ECM, you sense the musician inwardly ruminating on the music and its meaning.




And then I listened to pianist Joyce Yang's recent recording for Avie, entitled Wild Dreams.  This is a simply wonderful and quite varied recital, encompassing works by Hindemith, Bartók, Schumann and Rachmaninov.  Yang impresses as someone who is unwilling to flaunt her virtuosity.  This music is simply presented to the listener without any undue affectation.  She approaches this music in an assertive way but there are no intrusive grandstanding overtures of virtuosity, nor is there any glossing over the music's quieter, more reflective moments.  This is a deeply rewarding performance that I find very satisfying.

Arrived today....first listen....absolutely wonderful!

Some lovely guitar music....

Polish music tonight.  First up was Witold Lutoslawski's wonderful symphonic cycle.  These are extraordinary works -  bursting with rhythmic life and vividly scored with a bright tonal palette - which immediately grab the listener's attention yet which resonate in the mind. The sheer invention and emotional depth of this music really becomes apparent on repeated listenings.  Very rewarding music.



And then music by Karol Szymanowski, beginning with Valery Gergiev's recent versions of the man's four symphonies and the Stabat Mater.  The first two symphonies are beautiful, and very reminiscent of the music of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner.  The third symphony and Stabat Mater are among the man's finest works, incorporating much of the tonal sensuousness and harmonic ambiguities of Debussy, Ravel and Scriabin.  Finishing off the evening with the man's work for violin and piano.  The masterpiece amongst these gems is the extended Mythes, a treasure trove of evocative magic.  Utterly gorgeous music.

fergus wrote:


Arrived today....first listen....absolutely wonderful!

Of course it is, Jommelli was one of the most celebrated and famous composers of his time. The Ghislieri
Consort is an admirable group, and so far their recordings, besides the Jommelli, include Galuppi and Perez, are all mighty interesting and rewarding.

First up this evening, Debussy: Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien....





[Apologies for the image; it was the only one that I could find.]


I know some guys have spoken about the music of Debussy recently but for me, what I really like about it is the fact that it is based in the Romantic tradition, but one constantly hears the effort and struggle to break free of those shackles particularly in the harmonies/dissonances and key modulations.

The wonderful String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 by Borodin....





I really like this music. It is well written and constructed, beautifully melodious, straightforward and accessible music. For anyone wanting to get a start into the world of String Quartet music these works would always be one of my main recommendations.

Finishing up with a clarinet recital by Emma Thompson....