What Are You Listening To Now?

[Peter]

Working my way through Saint-Saens Symphonies - there are some enjoyable works here aside from the famous Organ symphony.

[Quijote]

Well, perhaps not surprisingly, the following CD :

Johann Gottlieb GRAUN (1702-1771), Konzertante Musik mit Viola Da Gamba, Concerto for Viola da Gamba in A minor (exact date of composition unknown). Now, a viola da gamba is clearly not a 'cello. I will refrain from making any further comments.

[Quijote]

And well, another CD that seems to have jumped into my hand : Johann Paul von Westhoff (1656-1705), Sonatas for Violin and Bass Continuo. What can I say about these sonatas (without reading the sleeve notes)? The 'cello part is primordial, that's for sure.

[PDG]

I'm listening to the Greatest Bass Continuo Hits! On K-Tel! With very informative sleeve notes....

[Quijote]

I'm listening to the Greatest Bass Continuo Hits! On K-Tel! With very informative sleeve notes....

And I am listening to a lost Beethoven canon that I have only now just discovered on a manuscript fragment covering a jampot in my loft : strangely enough, it has the same rhythm as the Allegretto of B's 8th Symphony (2/4 time, the semiquaver is the 'reference' value, at quaver = 72; hence, ta-ti-taa, ta-ti-taa, ta-ti-taa.... etc). It is a little hard to make out the text, but I have managed to decipher part of it :

P-D-G, P-D-G, P-D-G.....
Oh why do you try, try me so?....

The rest seems to be a long list of expletives in a German (Bonn) dialect unknown to me, but it seems to be very rude. Keeps referring to "onions" or something.

[Hofrat]

I thought that canon was actually written by Anton Schindler and not Beethoven.

[Sorrano]

This morning I listened to Beethoven's Egmont Overture (Toscanini--a very well done remaster), Sibelius' Symphony No. 1, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 (same Toscanini album). That made for an excellent concert.

[PDG]

P-D-G, P-D-G, P-D-G.....
Oh why do you try, try me so?....

To reveal the weaknesses in your lyric writing, perhaps...?

[Kevin Ward]

This morning I listened to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in Cm, not just as background music, but really sat down and LISTENED like I used to when there seemed to be a lot of time in the world. I need to do that more often!

I had not paid much attention to this concerto, focusing more on the 4th and 5th and the violin concerto. So, this is almost like a first hearing for me.

I couldn't help noticing in the Largo, about exactly halfway through the movment, there is a beautiful conversation between a flute and maybe a bassoon. They alternate a descending four note motive beneath piano arpeggios. If it's a bassoon, it brought to mind the alleged storming out of Saint-Saëns during the opening of Rite of Spring over a hundred years later for misuse of the instrument. Though not quite in the octave range of The Rite of Spring, it certainly got my attention. Was this orchestration choice considered normal in Beethoven's time?

This recording was of Kurt Sanderling and the Royal Concertgebouw with Mitsuko Uchida as soloist. Overall a very enjoyable morning.

[Peter]

This morning I listened to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in Cm, not just as background music, but really sat down and LISTENED like I used to when there seemed to be a lot of time in the world. I need to do that more often!

I had not paid much attention to this concerto, focusing more on the 4th and 5th and the violin concerto. So, this is almost like a first hearing for me.

I couldn't help noticing in the Largo, about exactly halfway through the movment, there is a beautiful conversation between a flute and maybe a bassoon. They alternate a descending four note motive beneath piano arpeggios. If it's a bassoon, it brought to mind the alleged storming out of Saint-Saëns during the opening of Rite of Spring over a hundred years later for misuse of the instrument. Though not quite in the octave range of The Rite of Spring, it certainly got my attention. Was this orchestration choice considered normal in Beethoven's time?

This recording was of Kurt Sanderling and the Royal Concertgebouw with Mitsuko Uchida as soloist. Overall a very enjoyable morning.

Yes the dialogue is between flute and bassoon with piano arpeggios accompanying - I believe I'm right without checking that this passage used to be presented as an example of Beethoven's miscalculation in orchestral writing, when in fact it is usually the pianist who is guilty in refusing to act as accompanist!

[Peter]

After last night's prom featuring the excruciatingly affected Nigel Kennedy in what was a fine performance of Elgar's violin concerto, I'm listening to his 2nd symphony.

[PDG]

Peter, I didn't know Kennedy had written any symphonies...

[Peter]

Peter, I didn't know Kennedy had written any symphonies...

Well there you are - Symphony in 2 movements John Brodin Kennedy (1966)!


This thread has to close as it's reached the 5 page limit and Joy has kindly anticipated this with a new thread!