What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

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Schubert: String Quartets Op. 29; Op. 125 No.1
Quartetto Italiano
Philips (1977)

Floppy mid-70s vinyl, but still sounds pretty good.

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From the Mercury Living Living Presence Box:

Brahms - Symphonies 1-4
London Symphony Orchestra & Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati




Pretty good!

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From that same box:

Frederick Fennel conducts George Gershwin
Studio Orchestra

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John Dowland - Lachrimae
Les Voix Humaines
Qobuz 24/96




Beautiful interpretations!

Contrary to what you might have expected, the ensemble Les Voix Humaines is... a viola ensemble, without a hint of human voice. That said, the often somewhat plaintive discourse of the violas does rather recall the threnodies of the Renaissance and early baroque. And who better than Dowland, with his sombre Lachrimæ, to use purely instrumental sounds to conjure up the most human of emotions and voices? With his collection Lachrimæ, or seaven teares figured in seven passionate pavans, with divers other pavans, galliards and allemands, set forth for the lute, viols, or violons, in five parts published in 1604, Dowland created a whole musical world, most likely aimed at aristocratic amateurs, but one which provided inspiration for all his musical descendants, all the way to Britain and beyond... The five violas of the Voix Humaines and Nigel North's lute have been chosen to accompany these "seaven teares" not only with other pieces from the same book but also with a few works taken from collections published between 1600 and 1612, with the addition of a very rare piece taken from a manuscript.. © SM/Qobuz

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Following a suggestion of Tim:

Mahler - Symphony No. 4
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik
Qobuz 24/96




Starting with the 4th.

[Antonmb]

A very nice recording from Freiburger Barockorchester, via Qobuz