What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by bart

Helena Basilova - A Fearful Fairy Tale

Qobuz 24/96









Music from Bagri, Myaskovsky, Firsova, Prokofiev, Janáček (with Maya Fridman), Schnittke, and Medtner.

Listening to Qobuz, but will certainly buy the DXD 5.0 download when my system will be ready!

I just played this this morning, it’s an excellent recording.

[bart]

Manuel Blasco De Nebra - Piano Sonatas
Javier Perianes
Qobuz 24/44.1




I recently heard a couple of pieces on the radio in my car and fell in love with them immediately.

[bart]

Lully - Muffat - Marais - The Versailles Revolution
Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Barthold Kuijken
Qobuz 24/44.1




Released in Nov. '18, this was nevertheless recording of the month on our classical radio Klara.
It evokes the rich musical culture in Versailles at the time of Louis XIV.

[bart]

Annelien Van Wauwe - Belle époque
Orchestre National de Lille, Alexandre Bloch
Qobuz 24/96




Wonderful release with the Belgian Annelien Van Wauwe.
We've seen her live, she's top!

Belgian clarinettist Annelien Van Wauwe revives the golden glow of a bygone age on her Pentatone debut album "Belle époque", together with the Orchestre National de Lille and its music director Alexandre Bloch. The programme is built around treasures of French turn-of-the-century music such as Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie, Pierné’s Canzonetta and Widor’s Introduction et Rondo (the latter two in arrangements by Jelle Tassyns). "Belle époque" also offers works that display a spiritual kinship to the age, such as Brahms’s First Clarinet Sonata, arranged by Luciano Berio, and a world-premiere recording of Paris-based contemporary composer Manfred Trojahn (Rhapsodie pour clarinette et orchestre).
Annelien van Wauwe is a former BBC New Generation Artist and winner of the renowned Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award 2018. © Pentatone

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Philip Glass - Saxophone Quartet (arr. for String Quartet - String Quartets 6 & 7
Brooklyn Rider




Ed, where are you?
Playing this (finally bought it because it's not on the streaming services).
I learnt to appreciate this composer the last years.

Having another listen.
Easily accessible yet complex and ingenious chamber music.
But like Ed wrote: probably not everybody will like this.

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Pierre Guédron - Le Consert des Consorts
Le Poème Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre



One of our favourite discs.
Claire Lefilliâtre must have one of the most beautiful and flexible voices of today.
I remember when I heard her live, she touched me deeply.

Oh my, when Mrs Lefilliâtre sings, it goes so deep!

[bart]

Streaming this again via Qobuz 24/192.
It is wonderful!

[bart]

Bach - Violin Concertos - Sinfonias - Overture - Sonatas
Isabelle Faust, violin
Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck
Qobuz 24/96




I have listened to this in my car, from my iPhone through ear buds, in my practice and now here in the living room.
It is superb!
Faust and the Berliners really breathe fresh air through these old warhorses.


After the double album of the Violin and Harpsichord Sonatas with Kristian Bezuidenhout, here is the next instalment in a Bach recording adventure that began nine years ago with a set of the Sonatas and Partitas. Isabelle Faust, Bernhard Forck and his partners at the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin have explored a multitude of other works by Bach: harpsichord concertos, trio sonatas for organ, instrumental movements from sacred cantatas etc. All are revealed here as direct or indirect relatives of the three monumental Concertos BWV 1041-43. This fascinating achievement is a timely reminder that the master of The Well-Tempered Clavier was also a virtuoso violinist! © harmonia mundi

[bart]

Comparing to one of my all time favourites of these works:

Bach - Violinkonzerte BWV 1041-1043
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken




Performances are equally top notch, but this recording clearly suffers from digititis (DDD from 1981).
I think that Faust will be my choice number one for now.

Edit: Kuijken is truly magnificent and regarding artistry he wins on the BWV 1042.

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Bach - Solo Cantatas for alto / for bass - German Cantatas before Bach
Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe



My God, are we blessed here in Flanders, with such good Bach conductors!
Kuijken, Herreweghe, geniuses with their own style.
Friday night, we attended the first night of the Bach weekend in Brugge, with 2 fantastic concerts: Collegium Vocale with Cantatas of course, in the Concert Hall, and then the 2 viola da gamba players of the orchestra doing some Bach, Schenck, and Sainte-Colombe in the Chamber Music Hall.
We drove home totally energized!
Although it was well past midnight.

This box set contains 3 CDs.
One with Cantatas for solo bass. Peter Kooy is very good here.
One with Cantatas for solo alto. Andreas Scholl is simply fabulous, and far better than Robin Blaze (Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan).
The 3rd: Before Bach: Tunder, Kuhnau, Bruhns, Graupner.

Revisiting this box set.