What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[Haydn]

Christian Gerhaher, baritone
Gerold Huber, piano
Schumann: Frage
Sony, 2018
I think they are planning a series of Schumann songs.

[bart]

Górecki - String Quartet No. 3 '... songs are sung' - Sonata for Two Violins
Tippett Quartet
Qobuz 24/96




As always, intense works from this composer.
The sensation of angst is never far away, but there is sheer beauty iin the melodies at the same time.

The Sonata for Two Violins is one of Henryk Górecki’s earliest acknowledged works—its contrasts, instrumental rivalries and sophisticated technique a worthy rounding-off of his formative period. The Third String Quartet with its evocative subtitle ‘…songs are sung’ represents a culmination of Górecki’s preoccupations with elaborate and emotive melodic shapes and closely intertwined harmonies, its final minutes recalling the beauty and poignancy of the composer’s Third Symphony. © Naxos

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Cecilia Bartoli - Farinelli
Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini
Qobuz 24/96




La Bartoli does it again!
What a performance...

There are no current voices that can equal the castrates of Farinelli's era.
For the Belgian motion picture 'Farinelli' that got an Academy Award in the 90s, they had to combine a counter tenor and a female voice.

I have to say that Cecilia Bartoli comes very close here. Wow!

This is an absolutely great album.
Although I'm not always fan of this diva, I have to admire the control over her voice.
The Porpora works are very enjoyable, and Bartoli makes it a feast!

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Cecilia Bartoli: Sacrificium - "The sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of boys in the name of music"
In 78 minutes of music Cecilia uncovers the extraordinary world of the "castrati" and sings arias inspired by the castrati superstars of Naples such as Farinelli and Caffarelli - including some of the most virtuosic music ever written for the human voice.
"Farinelli" by the way is an excellent movie (please do look at the extras in which they show how they made the recordings: by ingeniously pasting the voices of a top contratenor and mezzosoprano they brought Farinelli back to life!)

I decided to stay with Cecilia Bartoli.
And I see I made the same reference 9 years ago (the Farinelli movie).

[bart]

Sergey Malov - 13 Strings, Vol. 1




Cello Suite I & VI (Bach) on the violoncello da spalla; and he's a virtuoso on it.
Bartók's Sonata for Violin Solo completes this set.
It's a very good one.
We saw this programme some years ago in the Chamber Music Hall of the Concertgebouw Brugge.
A concert to remember!

[bart]

Sergey Malov - 13 Strings
via Qobuz




Staying with this fantastic musician.
Bach's Cello Suite II and Violin Partita No. 2, and Ligeti's Viola Sonata.
Very well recorded.
This stream sounds even better than the CD I played before.


What the deuce may Sergey Malov have in mind with “13 stings” ? Quite simple: it’s the sum of individual strings on the three instruments he plays for this album – since one of them has not the usual four, but five strings. That instrument is none but the violoncello da spalla, to wit a shoulder cello which is, as the name implies, held against the shoulder, like a violin or a viola. Malov uses it for Bach’s Second Suite, usually played on a cello, but the soloist considers that since Bach’s Sixth suite – note recorded here – is to be played on that violoncello da spalla, why not try it for other suites. The sonority seems more streamlined, less broad, more virtuoso and “easy” than the cello. For the Second violon partita, Malov remains true to the originally intended instrument, the violin. Finally, he plays a viola for Ligeti’s Sonata for solo viola, composed some 250 years later than the Kantor’s two masterpieces. It should be noted that in the first movement (deliberately intended to be “out of tune” by the composer, who borrows micro-intervals from Romanian folkmusic), Malov adds two low drone notes, which he overdubs using his own cello da spalla, these notes being the fundamental notes for several groups of the melodic line that sproing from the natural harmonics of said drones. No, Ligeti did not write or even suggest the idea, but Malov remains very, very discreet, and these two drones sound more like some faraway primeval rumbling, absolutely natural with the viola lines. A rather fascinating idea ! Sergey Malov, a worldwide star on the current music scene, won major competitions on two instruments: the violin (Heifetz 2008, Mozart 2010, Michael Hill 2011) and the viola (Tokyo 2010). His interest in historically informed performance practices led him to study the Baroque violin and more recently the violoncello da spalla. Today he successfully combines all these instruments in recitals, concerts, and recordings.© SM/Qobuz

[bart]

While cooking, I listened to more Malov:

Sergey Malov - Hommage à Ysaÿe
Qobuz 24/44.1




Works of Bach, Ysaÿe, Enescu, Kreisler and Tartini.
Again well recorded and oh boy, this man plays so well!
I've put all his albums into my favourites.

[bart]

I cooked for a full table, so plenty of time to play this also:

Sergey Malov - Hommage à Paganini
via Qobuz




Works by Paganini, Gabrielli, Locatelli, Vieuxtemps, Corigliani, Christoskov, Knox, Widmann and Schnittke.
Interesting choices, played on the violin, baroque violin, viola and violoncello da spalla.

[bart]

Now winding down with thiis:

Shostakovich
Rachmaninoff - Sonatas for cello and piano
Alexander Warenberg
Guiseppe Guarrera
trptk
Qobuz 24/96




Very beautiful sonatas.
If you're in a rather mellow mood, don't be afraid, this is very 'sweet' music!
Wonderfully recorded, as always with trptk.

[bart]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

Introductio - works by Telemann, CPE Bach, Kleinknecht & de Boismortier
Postscript ensemble
TRPTK (2019)

A lovely new recording of baroque chamber music from the label introduced to us by Bart.

Listening again to this fantastic album.
Harpsichord, cello and two traversos.

Streaming it via Qobuz, but planning to buy the 5.1 download later on.