What are you listening to now?

[Sorrano]

Today on the radio:

From Liadov's Eight Russian Folksongs: "Cradle"

Sheynkman: Variations on Two Russian Folksongs

Balakirev: Symphonic Poem Russia

I think someone was in a hurry.

[Roehre]

Today:

Dutilleux:
Sarabande et Cortège for bassoon and piano (1942) (R3:CC)

Turnage:
Sleep On - Three Lullabies for Cello (1992) (R3: lunch concert)

Rachmaninov:
String quartet no.1 (1889, unfinished)
String quartet no.2 (1896, unfinished)

Toch:
Spiel (for wind band) opus 39 (1926)

Holloway:
Concerto for orchestra no.5 (2009/’10) (R3:Proms)

Victoria:
Dum complerentur
Lamentations for Good Friday
Officium defunctorum (Requiem) (R3:Proms)

[Chris]

Some Beethoven piano sonatas I tend to neglect:

No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 7
No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastoral'
No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 'The Tempest'
No. 22 in F major, Op. 54
No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110

[Roehre]

Today:

JSBach:
Fantasia in C minor BWV562 (trio-sonata version) (R3:TtN)

Goldberg:
Sonata a 4 in C minor (1740s) (Rs:TtN)
(which is not Sonata no.4, as announced, but a sonata a quattro, i.e. in four parts)

Schönberg:
Theme and variations for wind band op.43a (1943)

Godowsky:
Passacaglia (1927)

[Roehre]

Today:

Hamburg:
Klezmer Symphony (1998)

G.Prokofiev:
Concerto for turntables and orchestra (aka Rubbish) (R3: Proms)

Keuris:
3 Michelangelo Songs (1990)

[Peter]

Last night's prom - Mahler's 2nd symphony with Dudamel and the inspirational Simon Bolivar orchestra (a product of el sistema). The performance suffered from laborious tempi (especially the 2nd movt) - the work is long anyway, but 1hr 45mins is pushing it surely?!

[Sorrano]

Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 (Jochum conducting)

I don't listen to that one enough!

[Roehre]

Today:

Ravel:
La Valse

Mahler:
Symphony no.7 - Scherzo

JSBach:
Organ Sonatas BWV 525-530

Carter:
Violin concerto (1990)

[Peter]

Today:

Ravel:
La Valse

Mahler:
Symphony no.7 - Scherzo

JSBach:
Organ Sonatas BWV 525-530

Carter:
Violin concerto (1990)

Only the Mahler scherzo? Actually I think that is the best movement in the 7th!

[Sorrano]

The scherzo mood must be contagious:

Today:

Bruckner: Scherzo from Symphony No. 4

Dvorak: Piano Trio #3

[Roehre]

Only the Mahler scherzo? Actually I think that is the best movement in the 7th!

For me Mahler 7's scherzo and Ravel's La Valse are two very similar pieces, a kind of terrible twin.

IMO Mahler 7i and iii are the top-mvts, with both night musics not far behind.
However, 7 finale IMO is one of the weakest symphonic mvts in the whole of his output.

[Roehre]

Today:

Holloway:
Concerto for Orchestra no.5 (2009/’10) (R3: Proms repeat)
IMO an uncharacteristic piece: beautiful sounds cocooning inconsequential emptiness

Keuris:
Symphony in D (1995)

JSBach:
Brandenburg concertos nos.1-3 BWV 1046-1048

[Michael]

Opus 110 - Ashkenazy.

[Peter]

Opus 110 - Ashkenazy.

What do you make of his performance compared to others?
I'm also listening to Ashkenazy playing Chopin Mazurkas - the more familiar you are with these the more you realise they are some of his finest achievements - Op.17 and Op.59 are amongst my favourites, but there are plenty of others that reveal such originality and harmonic daring.

[Michael]

What do you make of his performance compared to others?
I'm also listening to Ashkenazy playing Chopin Mazurkas - the more familiar you are with these the more you realise they are some of his finest achievements - Op.17 and Op.59 are amongst my favourites, but there are plenty of others that reveal such originality and harmonic daring.

Of the last three sonatas, I find Op 110 the most elusive. I have about half a dozen different recordings but I keep going back to Ashkenazy for this work and Op 111- although my favourite over-all cycle is Brendel's second one.

The opening movement of this sonata is almost like an improvisation: you get the feeling it starts in the middle and doesn't quite know where to go (which is an illusion because Beethoven always knows what he's doing.)

The lines of normal sonata-form are blurred but, in what I can only describe as approximating to the development section, (I can't quote bar numbers, alas) Ashkenazy at one stage drops down to an almost inaudible pianissimo - one of those hair-raising moments. I can't recall any other pianist matching that effect at that particular moment.