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Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 8:11 pm
by fergus
mcq wrote:First listen tonight to Teodor Currentzis' take on Cosi fan tutte. I loved his Le Nozze di Figaro last year and was looking forward to hearing his thoughts on this work. Cosi fan tutte is a work that has received its share of criticism on account of the libretto's inherent absurdities but, like all farces, there are dark undercurrents rippling underneath the surface and this opera shows its true colours, I believe, when this darkness is exposed rather than trivialised as a light, frothy ensemble comedy of manners (which it most certainly is not). Perhaps the key character is the scheming Don Alfonso who openly mocks the innocence of the young lovers. The plan he concocts, purportedly to test the fidelity of Fiordiligi and Dorabella and to reassure Ferrando and Guglielmo of their lovers' devotion, ultimately robs them of their innocence. The real tragedy of Le Nozze di Figaro is that Susanna and Figaro are doomed to grow into, respectively, the sad, unfulfilled Countess and the insecure, womanising, pompous Count, and so too will the young innocents in Cosi grow up in this way. Both operas gradually become damning indictments of a cynical and soulless contemporary society and this is where DaPonte's and Mozart's genius lies. Currentzis' interpretation of this masterpiece bristles with breathless energy and a sense of pace and drama that befits the work and yet there is no sense of the music being unduly rushed but simply a sense of onward momentum that is as mercilessly savage as the loss of innocence that the young lovers endure. I look forward to his take on Don Giovanni which is promised this autumn.
I know nothing of these forces so I went on to Amazon UK and under their listing for his Nozze di Figaro there is a promotional video that is really very worthwhile watching; I was most impressed!
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:26 pm
by fergus
I love this set! For me, Madetoja’s soundworld is set in that of Sibelius’ but he has a voice of his own. This is very accessible and lyrical music; the form is traditional and with wonderful orchestral textures. The melodies are enhanced with wonderful harmonies and counterpoint and the tone overall is bold, assertive and triumphant.
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:34 am
by Jose Echenique
Marianna Martines was the first woman ever admitted to the prestigious Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, she was a singer and harpsichord player, and among her teachers was no other than Joseph Haydn himself.
In this well planned CD we get 2 cantatas and a "scena" for mezzo-soprano, plus a charming cembalo concerto and a cembalo sonata. Charming, well-made music, marvelously performed by Anna Bonitatibus and La Floridiana. Enjoyable.
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:01 pm
by Jose Echenique
This is Fabio Biondi´s third recording with his Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. The previous one, Alessandro Scarlatti´s Carlo Re d´Allemagna sounded splendid in spite of only a few period instruments among a modern symphony orchestra. Maybe because Caldara´s instrumental writing is more exposed the density of modern instruments is more noticeable here. The performance itself can´t be faulted, under Biondi´s tutelage it´s magnificent, and the music is just so exquisite. So it can be recommended of course, but we miss the gorgeous textures of Europa Galante.
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:45 pm
by fergus
Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau....
A wonderful work and a wonderful performance.
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 10:26 pm
by fergus
JS Bach: Orchestral Suites / Pinnock....
I liked the Pinnock versions quite a lot. One gets standard Pinnock here. I thought that they were well played, the tempi were good and the performances had the requisite “lilt” in them which is appropriate given that these are Suites.
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:12 am
by DonKC
Stalin's enforcer of "Socialist Realism" Tikhon Khrennikov wrote three symphonies. An article in that insane Norman Lebrecht's "Slipped Disc" blog inspired me to break out the old disc I had of them.
not all that original, sounds like middle drawer Prokofiev or Shosty. # 1 is probably the best of the three.
Been several years since I listened to the disc... probably will not again real soon... but worth exploring a controversial figure in 20th century music.
Listed as not available at US Amazon
Scribendum SC029
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:05 pm
by fergus
DonKC wrote:Stalin's enforcer of "Socialist Realism" Tikhon Khrennikov wrote three symphonies. An article in that insane Norman Lebrecht's "Slipped Disc" blog inspired me to break out the old disc I had of them.
not all that original, sounds like middle drawer Prokofiev or Shosty. # 1 is probably the best of the three.
Been several years since I listened to the disc... probably will not again real soon... but worth exploring a controversial figure in 20th century music.
Listed as not available at US Amazon
Scribendum SC029
I have not heard of Tikhon Khrennikov; probably with good reason based on the above LOL!!
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:06 pm
by fergus
An old favourite....
....wonderful music very well played and recorded.
Re: What are you listening two?
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:51 pm
by fergus
In the realm of recorder music this is one that I return to relatively frequently. I find the music to be very satisfying; there seems to me to be a lot of substance in the music. The playing is very good as is the recording, with a good balance between the instruments with no one instrument dominating the other.