What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[bart]

Jean de Sainte-Colombe - Une sélection de Concerts à deux violes esgales
Les Voix Humaines
via Qobuz




You can consider this as a "best of".
These ladies from Québec recorded 8 CDs with works from the composer a bit more than a decade ago.
This album gives us the most well-known pieces.
Fabulous music that never bores me.
If you buy just one album with Sainte-Colombe's music, this could be the one.
I regard them as being on the same level as Bach or Beethoven classics.

[bart]

Josquin Desprez - Josquin - Adieu Mes Amours
Dulces Exuviae
Qobuz 24/96




Wow... what a beautiful, intimate album...

A composer admired by his contemporaries, Josquin Desprez (ca 1450-1521) was a solitary artist who sublimated in his chansons the melancholy character and the elegance emblematic of the Renaissance. For their first recording, Dulces Exuviae explore the intimacy of these chansons in a fresh light: the sweet melodies are embellished by ornaments and accompanied on the lute, leaving ample room for improvisation, and thus allowing music to come out all the more alive, delicate and filled with emotion. © Ricercar

[Antonmb]

Strauss: Concertante Works - Burleske; Romanze; Duett-Concertino; Violin Concerto

Michael Collins, BBC Symphony Orchestra
Chandon (2019), 24/48 files

Nicely performed.

[bart]

Friedrich Gernsheim - String Quartets Vol. 1
Diogenes Quartett
via Qobuz




A newly discovered composer for me.
He was also a talented musician.

On 5 May 1850 he gave his concert début in Frankfurt City Theatre at the age of eleven, playing Hummel’s A-minor Piano Concerto as a pianist and the Mendelssohn Concerto as a violinist, followed by the première of an overture from his own pen.

I read his biography in the CD booklet.
Wow!

These are nice pieces, that I'm going to revisit.

[bart]

J.S. Bach - J. Hotteterre - S.L. Weiss - A. Vivaldi - C.P.E. Bach - J.Chr. Fischer - Solo pour la flûte traversière
Barthold Kuijken, flute
via Qobuz

[bart]

Offenbach
Raphaela Gromes
Julian Riem, Wen-Sinn Yang
Qobuz 24/96




Album of the month for our classical station Klara.
We know Offenbach for his 'light' operettas (which I have learnt to appreciate lately, at least some of them).
But this is very agreeable chamber music.
Offenbach himself was a cellist, and you can hear he understands the instrument.
Recommended.

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas Hob. XVI:6, 20 & 48
Kristian Bezuidenhout, fortepiano
Qobuz 24/88.2




I don't know how this stayed under my radar in February, when is was released.
Bezuidenhout plays these wonderful sonatas in a very subtle way, really delicious to hear.
I know not everybody loves the fortepiano, but give this at least a try... (John ).

My second listen already.
I adore this album!

We've attended 2 concerts with him, one with a tenor (Padmore - Schubert), and one with an orchestra (Mozart). Each time delightful.

[bart]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

Bach: Concertos for Pianos
Anna Vinnitskaya, Evgeni Koroliov, Ljupka Hadzi Georgieva pianos
Kammerakademie Potsdam
Alpha Classics (2019), 24/96 files

This is a very nice set. Koroliov and Georgieva are husband and wife and Vinnitskaya was Korloiov’s student. They play beautifully together.

Tony, thank you for the recommendation.
Very enjoyable indeed.
But I still prefer these pieces played on the harpsichord...

[bart]

Boris Tishchenko - Sonata for Cello Solo - Sonata for Piano and Bells
via Qobuz




Rough!
No details, no booklet provided with the stream.

[bart]

BACH
Heinrich
Johann Christoph
Johann Michael
Johann Sebastian - Kantaten
Vox Luminis - Lionel Meunier
Qobuz 24/96




Interesting album, with 3 generations of Bach, J.S. being the youngest.
To call it a must hear, no.
Only our J.S. is a top piece imho, and without him, the others would have been long forgotten.

This ensemble is allied to our Brugge Concertgebouw.
We've seen them a couple of times, and their performance goes from so-so to excellent.