What are you listening to?

[fergus]

I had been listening a lot to the music of Berlioz a few months ago Pepe and I bought that set as a result. I was a bit reluctant to buy it at first because I am such a novice at Opera and also because of the length of this particular work. I thought that I might be overpowered by it all. However it turned out to be a really wonderful listen for me and I never regretted buying it for a moment. I enjoyed every minute of it and I thought that it was a very accessible opera for a novice like me to listen to.

[fergus]

I had bought this CD for the Beethoven Horn Sonata but there is also some very good music by Schubert, Schumann and Brahms on it.

[Seán]

Fergus has often spoken to me of the joys of listening to the Irish Baroque Orchestra because of the calibre of the musicianship and the quality of their performances and, once again, he is right, they are a marvellous outfit.

This morning's Coffee Concert on Lyric featured the Irish Baroque Orchestra under its artistic director Monica Huggett performing Haydn's 6th & 7th Symphonies. These performances were recorded in May 2011, when they performed the trio of symphonies in Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral and, of course, RTE being RTE they could not possibly broadcast all three because that would make perfect sense. Anyway, that annoyance did not detract from the sheer splendid performance of these players, it was a totally enchanting experience and one that I should have recorded for posterity, sadly I didn't.

When are they performing again? I must find out. http://www.irishbaroqueorchestra.com/

[Jose Echenique]

Since today it´s a holiday in Mexico, I treated myself to both recordings of Haydn´s Armida, one of his finest operas. The Dorati recorded in the mid- 70´s has aged well, though inevitably Harnoncourt´s in period instruments is even more stylish and up to date. Where the Dorati scores is in the singing. Great as Bartoli sings in the Harnoncourt, the young Jessye Norman is just a force of nature, what a unique and phenomenal voice she had!!!
The great Swedish tenor Claes H. Ahnsjö is another trump card in the Dorati. The tenor writing is hair-rising difficult, and he more than Christoph Pregardien solves all the problems.
Both recordings are excellent, and we are lucky to have both.

[Seán]

Since today it´s a holiday in Mexico, I treated myself to both recordings of Haydn´s Armida, one of his finest operas. The Dorati recorded in the mid- 70´s has aged well, though inevitably Harnoncourt´s in period instruments is even more stylish and up to date.

What's the ocassion Pepe? It is a public holiday in Ireland today because Saint Patrick's Day fell on Saturday this year. I must say that I am very fond of Dorati's work.

[Jose Echenique]

Since today it´s a holiday in Mexico, I treated myself to both recordings of Haydn´s Armida, one of his finest operas. The Dorati recorded in the mid- 70´s has aged well, though inevitably Harnoncourt´s in period instruments is even more stylish and up to date.

What's the ocassion Pepe? It is a public holiday in Ireland today because Saint Patrick's Day fell on Saturday this year. I must say that I am very fond of Dorati's work.

It´s because of a XIX Century president called Benito Juarez. His birthday is really March 21st, but they move it every year to the closest weekend to make long-weekends.
I of course celebrate every March 21st a fat German guy rather than don Benito Juarez.

[mcq]

For the few weeks I've been enjoying a wonderful performance of John Cage's magnum opus for solo piano, his Etudes Australes, as played by Sabine Liebner and available on the Wergo label. Inspired by maps of the southern night sky, this is initially forbidding music that requires concentration and commitment on the part of the listener. There is a wonderful sense of calmness in this music which belies its inherent complexities. A piece that really defies categorisation, my only source of comparison would be Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum which makes similar demands on the listener and which is imbued with a similar sense of inner peace. This is deeply rewarding music which repays many times over the hours and days spent absorbing it.

[bombasticDarren]

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.4 & Serenade for Strings (Andrew Litton, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Virgin Classics)

[bombasticDarren]

Elgar - Enigma Variations (Andre Previn, London Symphony Orchestra, EMI)

[bombasticDarren]

Elgar - Cello Concerto (Jacqueline du Pre/Daniel Barenboim, Philadelphia Orchestra, CBS Masterworks)