What are you listening to?

[Diapason]

Fergus, I think one of the Simon Preston discs was recorded at Soro Abbey, and if I recall I really like the sound of that instrument. Of course, it could have been rebuilt between the 2 recordings and may be completely different in each!

[Jose Echenique]

I have some 30 recordings of the Vespers, including all of the famous names, and none is less than excellent. In fact I have a special affection for the old Hans Martin Schneidt recording in Archiv because it was the first that I bought, it has the glorious Regensburger Domspatzen as the chorus, and the marvelous Bruno Turner-trained, all-male members of the Pro Cantione Antiqua London as the soloists, including such luminaries as Paul Esswood, Ian Partridge and Christopher Keyte. It was a gorgeous recording and it has aged well, now that it´s 40 years old.
The live San Marco Gardiner recording is also a landmark, and the Gabrieli Consort´s is of course, also excellent. The Herreweghe is lovely and intimate, and perhaps the difference between this and the Alessandrini is clearly exemplified in the difference between Agnes Mellon and Guillemette Laurens in the former and Roberta Invernizzi and Sara Mingardo in the latter, if you know the voices you get the meaning.
There is something special about the Italians doing their own music, it´s like listening to Di Stefano or Bergonzi singing Donizetti, it can´t be duplicated even by the likes of Alfredo Kraus or José Carreras, it´s something that is in-born.

[Seán]

Earlier today, I listened to the Easter and Ascension Oratorios, oh wow:

[fergus]

I did manage to get the Harnoncourt through JPC as soon as it was in the market, but Elias "The Jew" was not so lucky, by the time he ordered it, which was shortly after I did, it was already unavailable, so he had to order it at an outrageous price through Amazon Japan.

Another one over on your friend Elias LOL!!!

[fergus]

CPE Bach´s The Resurrection and Ascention of Jesus has had 3 recordings, the oldest with Hermann Max and Das Kleine Konzert in the Capriccio label, then another with Herreweghe conducting the Orchestra of the Age of Elightenment in Virgin, and this, the newest, with Sigiswald Kuijken and La Petite Bande. All 3 are excellent.

I have the Herreweghe version Pepe. I might give it a spin this morning!

No, on second thoughts, I will wait until Ascension Thursday to listen to it LOL!

[fergus]

Herreweghe's version is one that has grown on me significantly over the last few years.  Perhaps the more outwardly expressive approach of Alessandrini, Jacobs and Savall is closer to what the composer intended but the great glory of classical music is the sheer diversity of interpretative approaches that is available to the listener, each of which opens a window into the composer's inspiration.  What Herreweghe achieves in his recording is a sense of liturgical devotion that is intensely private as opposed to a more public theatrical expressivity.  (And I believe that Paul McCreesh had something similar in mind with his undervalued version of the 1610 Vespers.)  Both approaches are perfectly valid, in my view, and aid immeasurably in the listener's appreciation of this great music.  Just as I firmly believe that truth is, ultimately, subjective, and that the ideal of objective truth is an illusory pursuit, there is no one "right" way to approach a work of art.  Each interpretive vision that a conductor brings to bear has intrinsic value and our subjective responses as listeners are subconsciously pre-conditioned by  versions that we have favoured in the past.  When I first heard Herreweghe's version of the Vespers, I was disappointed because, on one hand, I had been so very impressed by his Bach recordings, and, on the other, I was hearing Herreweghe's personal response to Monteverdi in the light of my earlier exposure to Gardiner, Jacobs and Savall in this repertoire.  Over time, I realised that the "failings" that I had perceived in Herreweghe's version were my own failings as a listener and my critical judgement was being impaired by my blind adherence to other conductors' interpretations.  What I learned from this experience was to approach each interpretation as a blank slate without recourse to any other version I may have in my collection and to hear the recorded performance on its own terms and to simply ask myself, "am I moved ?"

What a very simple and valid approach to listening to music of any genre!!

I have enjoyed the erudite comments between you and Pepe on this matter Paul. I have sent you a PM.

[mcq]

Many thanks, Fergus. That's very kind.

[Diapason]

Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead currently spinning here. I really like Rachmaninov, his sweeping melodies and background melancholy really appeal to me. I really should listen to his works more often.

[Jared]

^^ Isle of the Dead is one of my favourite Rach pieces... very atmospheric...

I've had a Tchaikovsky day here today... Suite for Orch No.4 'Mozartiana' playing here at the moment... these suites really are very moreish, to be fair...

[DonKC]

Our local orchestra is doing Rachmaninoff's "The Bells" this weekend.

Gianandrea Noseda "The Bells"

BBC Philharmonic

Chandos