What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[Antonmb]

Congratulations Bart, high praise from the master. It’s always interesting to see what you’re listening to, and you often make my wallet lighter[emoji6]

[cma29]

Just got this...

1700
Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini



which includes:
Caldara: Sinfonia No. 3 'La morte d'Abel'
Durante, F: Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Galuppi: Concerto a quattro in G minor
Geminiani, F: Concerto grosso Op. 3 No. 3 in E minor
Locatelli: Sinfonia Funebre composta per l'esquie della sua Donna
Mascitti: Concerto a 6 in E minor, Op. 7, No. 2
Pugnani: Adagio for Strings in B flat major
Vivaldi: Concerto a quattro, Op. 12 No. 3, RV 124

Here is some background material:

Following on from the noteworthy album ‘1600', released in 2012, ‘1700' is a vibrant homage to Italian Baroque, in which Rinaldo Alessandrini has brought together the most outstanding Italian composers of the first half of the eighteenth century: Locatelli, Mascitti, Vivaldi, Caldara, Durante, Galuppi and Pugnani. All of these composers went into exile, serving prestigious foreign courts. They each evolved the ‘Italian style,’ based either on their own tastes or those of the country in which they had taken refuge. Each composer created his own share of wonders, to which Maestro Alessandrini’s intelligent and re-fined interpretation brings a passionate fresh perspective.

“Throughout the eighteenth century, and to a considerable extent, the fate of many Italian composers was to emigrate, and serve at courts and chapels far from home. Many of them broke away from the rules governing the legato style of their home country, developing a completely independent personality through the mingling of musical languages and the superimposition of tastes and fashions. Accordingly, in their works national styles lose their sharply-defined con-tours, as they undergo a process of personal and subtle assimilation of the most striking aspects of their host country’s musical culture.

In particular, the Italians exported their taste for melodic cantabile, their elegance, and a certain kind of histrionic individualism inherited from the opera stage and the great instrumental virtuosi. The encounter with musical Europe often caused a realignment of those elements, though they remained one of the multiple components of the composers’ personalities.”

A joy of a disc, glowingly recorded by the Naive label. Selected by the Gramophone as one of its ten Editor's Choices for June 2018.

[bart]

Thank you my friends!

Since I subscribed to Tidal and Qobuz, I promised myself to buy no more than one album per month.
It's (often) difficult, but I succeeded so far (sometimes I cheat a little, by purchasing 'albums' containing more than 1 CD ).

But I have hundreds of favourites in my Qobuz account now, and dozens in my Tidal account.

What a wealth of great music there is to be found: new releases as well as older ones.
Great time to be a music lover nowadays, also with the excellent gear available.

[bart]

Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Benda - Viola Concertos 1-3
Jean-Eric Soucy, viola
SWR Sinfinieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Bernard Labadie
via Qobuz




Excellent on all accounts.
Wonderful, light way to start the day.

[bart]

Haydn - Piano Sonatas, Vol. 7
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
via Qobuz




Our most underrated composer?
These are wonderful pieces and Bavouzet is a dedicated Haydn player.
Recorded (and well done so) on a Yamaha piano.

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by bart

Haydn - Piano Sonatas, Vol. 7

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano

via Qobuz









Our most underrated composer?

These are wonderful pieces and Bavouzet is a dedicated Haydn player.

Recorded (and well done so) on a Yamaha piano.

Thanks Bart. I love this series and didn’t realize #7 was out.

[Antonmb]

Focus Cello
A variety of cello concertos from 4 cellists and Kremerata Baltica conducted by Heinrich Schiff. From ClassicsToday.com:
“four young cellists–outstanding students of Germany’s famed Kronberg Academy–perform “Italian or Italian-inspired cello music from three centuries” (actually four–18th-21st), featuring both solo and duo cellos with orchestra.”

The performances and sound are quite good, most of the pieces are interesting, and it mostly hangs together. There are a couple of slow movements that seem to lack energy and drag a bit, but overall this is a very nice disk.

Streaming via Qobuz

[aardvarkbark]

Originally Posted by bart

Our most underrated composer?.

I think he gets the credit he richly deserves for string quartets and symphonies, but his piano sonatas never seem to have reached the acclaim of those of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert.

I enjoy Jando's set on Naxos.

[bart]

Originally Posted by aardvarkbark

I think he gets the credit he richly deserves for string quartets and symphonies, but his piano sonatas never seem to have reached the acclaim of those of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert.

I enjoy Jando's set on Naxos.

I'll play some more of his keyboard works.
I already had this played on a grand piano, but I immediately prefer this version.


Haydn - Harpsichord Concertos in F and G - Divertimento in F
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken
Ewald Demeyere, harpsichord




Sound quality is also excellent! (Listening in 5.0)

[bart]

Sergey Rachmaninov - Symphony no. 2 un E minor, Op. 27 - Vocalise no. 14, Op. 34
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer




Listening in surround.
First time I hear this disc, but I do like it.
The more romantic Rach for sure!