What are you listening to now?

[Peter]

To kick off the new thread I'm in devout mode at the moment listening to Schubert's last mass in Eb. The Kyrie from this work in particular I find very moving. Then I'm on to William Byrd's Masses.

[atserriotserri]

About to start with Bruckner 8th symphony; I'll listen to Karajan directing the Wiener Philarmoniker live on 1957 and after, the Berliner Philarmoniker on 1975.

[Quijote]

About to start with Bruckner 8th symphony; I'll listen to Karajan directing the Wiener Philarmoniker live on 1957 and after, the Berliner Philarmoniker on 1975.

Ah, good to see another Bruckner fan on this forum (not forgetting Sorrano, of course). The 8th, possibly Bruckner's magnum opus. If you have the chance, please do listen to this symphony conducted by Pierre Boulez / Vienna Philharmonic (1996). An extra point of interest : recorded live in St. Florian's !!

I have also recently been listening to Bruckner's 4th, the earlier 1874 version (not the one usually programmed - 1878/80). I have to say, I prefer the latter, as it strikes me as much more "satisfying".

[Quijote]

And now, three new CD purchases (this time not from the women warriors missing one breast) that I hope to be listening to soon :

a) JS Bach, Goldberg Variations, Gustav Leonhardt (a performer admired by Taruskin);
b) Antonio Salieri and Joseph Anton Steffan, Concertos for fortepiano, Andreas Staier, Concerto Köln;
c) Luigi Cherubini, Missa Solemnis in E, Ricardo Muti, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

I'll post my comments later.

[Peter]

Ah, good to see another Bruckner fan on this forum (not forgetting Sorrano, of course). The 8th, possibly Bruckner's magnum opus. If you have the chance, please do listen to this symphony conducted by Pierre Boulez / Vienna Philharmonic (1996). An extra point of interest : recorded live in St. Florian's !!

I have also recently been listening to Bruckner's 4th, the earlier 1874 version (not the one usually programmed - 1878/80). I have to say, I prefer the latter, as it strikes me as much more "satisfying".

I'm far from being a Brucknerian because I find him repetitive and quite frankly laborious. However there are exceptions such as the entire 7th symphony, some of the 4th, the glorious slow movement from the 8th, the exciting finale of the 5th and the scherzo from the 3rd. I have the 8th in a fine recording with Karajan and the VPO.

[Peter]

Listening to CPE Bach's Prussian sonatas and later the Wurttemberg sonatas. Also Schubert's beautiful Tantum ergo.

[Chris]

And now, three new CD purchases (this time not from the women warriors missing one breast) that I hope to be listening to soon :

a) JS Bach, Goldberg Variations, Gustav Leonhardt (a performer admired by Taruskin);

I'm sure he skips all the repeats, the infuriating thing about Leonhardt's otherwise excellent recordings.

[PDG]

I'm sure he skips all the repeats, the infuriating thing about Leonhardt's otherwise excellent recordings.

But Chris, if you want to hear - so badly - the music repeated, then why don't you just play the pieces again? I'd like to know how much Bachian music 'demanded' the observation of repeats...

[Chris]

But Chris, if you want to hear - so badly - the music repeated, then why don't you just play the pieces again? I'd like to know how much Bachian music 'demanded' the observation of repeats...

Some things just sound incomplete without a repeat. You are sitting there wondering what happened to the rest of the music. For example, Variation 5 of the Goldberg Variations just begs to have the repeats observed. Especially if you play it as fast as Gould, when it's over almost before it begins!

[Chris]

This evening I am listening to Beethoven's The Creatures of Prometheus, conducted by Harnoncourt.

[Michael]

Today I am listening to the Missa Solemnis, cond. by Otto Klemperer.
Beethoven considered it his greatest work and after a performance like this, one is inclined to agree with him. It could be described as his tenth symphony because so much of it is symphonic and I have often wondered how Beethoven would have arranged the five movements, if he were not constricted by the Catholic liturgy of the mass. The last movement has always been considered a bit of an anticlimax -even with the instrumental military interruptions - but B was tied to the latin text: "dona nobis pacem" (grant us peace) and could not supply a huge affirmative fugue as he did at the end of the Credo.
The whole work is rather unbalanced because of the strict liturgical order of:
Kyrie, Gloria,Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei. As a result, there are two mighty movements following each other, the Gloria and the Credo, and I often wonder how the singers are able to perform the remaining two movements.
Would it be heresy if I suggested that the Credo be moved to the end? The Catholic church would certainly excommunicate me but would it make more musical sense?
And remember, towards the end of his life, Beethoven was toying with the idea of adding more movements to the work - such as a Gradual - all, of course, in the correct order.

[Chris]

Well, the Missa Solemnis is totally unsuitable for actual use at a Mass, so I'm not sure how constricted Beethoven really felt by the form! I think he would have used other text for this music if he felt it was limiting him.

[Michael]

He originally began writing it for the Archduke Rudolph's entronement - even though he was very, very late. But if he did mess about with the order of movements, he wouldn't have been allowed to call it a setting of the mass.

[atserriotserri]

Beethoven's Piano Concertos 1 & 2 played live by Glenn Gould, Toronto SO (Ernest McMillan) for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC)
A record company named Membran may (hopefully ) have bought rights for CBC recordings and is releasing "Glenn Gould Plays (whatever)" records of his huge number of sessions and concerts for such radio.

[Michael]

Well, the Missa Solemnis is totally unsuitable for actual use at a Mass, so I'm not sure how constricted Beethoven really felt by the form! I think he would have used other text for this music if he felt it was limiting him.

I totally missed your point, Chris. (May need new glasses). I agree with you that if B really felt restricted he may have gone for some semi-biblical text as in "Christ on the Mount of Olives."