What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[bart]

Rued Langgaard - The Symphonies
Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Vocal Ensemble & Choir, Thomas Dausgaard




I am at SACD 7: Symphony no. 15 ("The Sea Storm") & 16 ("Sun Deluge") - Drapa (On the Death of Edvard Grieg) - Sphinx - Hvidbjerg-Drapa - Danmarks Radio - Res absùrda!?


I think this box will be constantly in rotation.

[bart]

Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 4 ”Det uudslukkelige” / ‘The Inextinguishable’ Op. 29 / FS76 (1914–16) - Symphony No.5 Op. 50 / FS97 (1921–22)
Hermann Stefánsson, clarinet
Daniel Kåse, side drum
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sakari Oramo




Spinning SACDs this afternoon.
I decided to stay in Scandinavia.
Wonderful music, from a somewhat lesser known composer.

[bart]

Bach - Motets
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken




Like almost every recording by Bert van der Wolf, this Challenge Classics 5.0 SACD sounds incredibly good.
But also the performance is terrific.
This is one to have when you're a Bach fan.

I can't help it, but here is once again some information about one of my heroes of classical music:

J.S. Bach's motets are the indisputable summit of his output. Traditionally the motets have been placed at the centre of his choral universe.Choirs can show off their technical brilliance, and moreover these scores are a joy to perform regardless of one's style of interpretation. However, for the last 25 years musicians and musicologists have subjected the importance of Bach's choirs to a fundamental review. The current research points out that Bach himself almost never had more than eight singers at his disposal (even for double-choir pieces). This is far away from the usual more or less large choirs for the great choral works. This research has been the source of inspiration for this production of the Bach motets to use only one singer per part. The result delivers an unusual transparency and clarity of the musical lines. (The 4-part Motet Lobet den Herren, alle Heiden has not been included in this recording because of serious doubts about authorship.)

Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor Sigiswald Kuijken (born 1944, near Brussels) studied music at the Bruges and Brussels Conservatories, where he received a premier prix for the violin in 1964. He was seven when he first came into contact with the Renaissance instruments. Like his brother Wieland, he is self-taught on the viola da gamba.. In 1969 he began to re-establish the old technique of violin playing, without using a chin or a shoulder rest and without holding the instrument with the chin at all. This technique has been adopted by many other players since then and was taught by Sigiswald Kuijken at The Hague Conservatory between 1971 and 1996. He has undertaken regular tours of Europe, the USA, Australia and Japan. He has also given countless solo recitals and has recorded most of Bach's chamber works and pieces for solo violin as well as music by Corelli, Vivaldi and Muffat. In 1972 he formed the Baroque Ensemble La Petite Bande with whom he has recorded music by Lully, Rameau, Bach, Händel, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart and many others. He also appears as guest conductor with many other Baroque and modern ensembles and made countless recordings.

[bart]

To honour the reappearance of Julian on the forum, I play this:




I have to say these 43 year old 4.0 recordings still sound very fine.
The discrete surround channels with church hall ambience add to the experience.

[eljr]

Originally Posted by bart

Bach - Motets
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken




Like almost every recording by Bert van der Wolf, this Challenge Classics 5.0 SACD sounds incredibly good.
But also the performance is terrific.
This is one to have when you're a Bach fan.

I can't help it, but here is once again some information about one of my heroes of classical music:

J.S. Bach's motets are the indisputable summit of his output. Traditionally the motets have been placed at the centre of his choral universe.Choirs can show off their technical brilliance, and moreover these scores are a joy to perform regardless of one's style of interpretation. However, for the last 25 years musicians and musicologists have subjected the importance of Bach's choirs to a fundamental review. The current research points out that Bach himself almost never had more than eight singers at his disposal (even for double-choir pieces). This is far away from the usual more or less large choirs for the great choral works. This research has been the source of inspiration for this production of the Bach motets to use only one singer per part. The result delivers an unusual transparency and clarity of the musical lines. (The 4-part Motet Lobet den Herren, alle Heiden has not been included in this recording because of serious doubts about authorship.)

Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor Sigiswald Kuijken (born 1944, near Brussels) studied music at the Bruges and Brussels Conservatories, where he received a premier prix for the violin in 1964. He was seven when he first came into contact with the Renaissance instruments. Like his brother Wieland, he is self-taught on the viola da gamba.. In 1969 he began to re-establish the old technique of violin playing, without using a chin or a shoulder rest and without holding the instrument with the chin at all. This technique has been adopted by many other players since then and was taught by Sigiswald Kuijken at The Hague Conservatory between 1971 and 1996. He has undertaken regular tours of Europe, the USA, Australia and Japan. He has also given countless solo recitals and has recorded most of Bach's chamber works and pieces for solo violin as well as music by Corelli, Vivaldi and Muffat. In 1972 he formed the Baroque Ensemble La Petite Bande with whom he has recorded music by Lully, Rameau, Bach, Händel, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart and many others. He also appears as guest conductor with many other Baroque and modern ensembles and made countless recordings.

this looks like something I need.

[Antonmb]

Rodrigo: Piano Music, Vol. 1
Artur Pizarro
Naxos (2005)

Beautiful music and well played. The sound is good overall, if a bit dry. I think Bill Evans must have been familiar with Rodrigo, there are some chords which sound very Evansesque.

[AudioNut]

Originally Posted by bart

To honour the reappearance of Julian on the forum, I play this:




I have to say these 43 year old 4.0 recordings still sound very fine.
The discrete surround channels with church hall ambience add to the experience.

Who is this "Julian"?

I do love this series of recordings. Listened to a couple of them in the past week or so.

This guy Chorzempa, playing Handel on a really old tracker organ with noisy action is something wonderful to behold.

Maybe they should have lubricated the joints and linkages in the organ before these sessions 43 years ago. Although, the extraneous noises do make the music more fun.

Sorta like Glenn Gould banging on the piano and singing along with some of his Bach stuff.

Sincerely,

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by AudioNut

Sorta like Glenn Gould banging on the piano and singing along with some of his Bach stuff.
Sincerely,

Glad you mentioned this. Digging out my Goldberg Variations and tossing on the RCM before giving it a listen. Always a joy to listen to not only GG's wonderful rendition of same, but his own, obvious enjoyment of same.

[eljr]

Disc 1 yesterday, disc 2 now.

My first listen of the circa 1500 composer's masses, a 2018 release

[eljr]

Originally Posted by eljr

this looks like something I need.

I ordered it.