What are you listening to now?

[Peter]

Speaking of "Dark Horses" of music, we all wonder about Mozart.
What about Beethoven? He was only 56 when he died. His last string quartet in F, Opus 135, was never intended to be his final work. Mozart, on the other hand, was convinced his "Requiem" was his last and he was only 35. It's all in the mind.

(Bear in mind that this is being posted by someone who is approaching 70, is trying to keep a young mind, and has yet to compose a symphony. )

And of course the assumption is being made that had he lived into his 70s or 80s he would have continued to compose, yet there are examples such as Rossini, Elgar and Sibelius who ceased creating long before their deaths.

Working my way through the Brahms symphonies (in no particular order) - no.1 at the moment.

[Decrepit Poster]

Not a heck of a lot of listening here...too many medical appointments. (Being decrepit ain't all it's cracked up to be.) Mostly I've listened...and listened and listened...to the complete performance of Mendelssohn's octet linked at the tail end of this thread's predecessor. There, I said I felt that the final movement sacrificed a bit of musicality for raw speed. Repeated hearings have convinced me that this is not the case. The problem was with me rather than the interpretation. My feeble mind simply could not absorb the notes as fast as the Heifetz led group produces them. I've heard the movement often enough now to have assimilated it even at its breakneck speed. This must surely be one of the great Octet recordings of all time, if not THE greatest. (I continue to enjoy my other linked interpretation of the finale equally well in its different way.)

I heard and enjoyed this interpretation of Schubert's Drei Klavierstücke -- D946 as performed by Alfred Brendel.

I heard two renditions of my favorite of those Schubert piano sonatas known to me, D960. Both take the first movement exposition repeat, which I had not heard taken before. It introduces music not otherwise heard. Brendel is said to disfavor this linking passage, finding it musically inferior and a distraction. The first of the two interpretations led me to side with Brendel. The second however, by Lazar Berman, is another matter. For him it works!, but the repeat does make an already long movement that much longer...not that I mind.

I listened to a fine performance of B's second piano concerto with Wilhelm Backhaus from 1959.

[AeolianHarp]

And of course the assumption is being made that had he lived into his 70s or 80s he would have continued to compose, yet there are examples such as Rossini, Elgar and Sibelius who ceased creating long before their deaths.

I think he would have done had his health allowed it.

[Harvey]

Furtwangler Beethoven's 3rd, 4th, and 5th WWII era recording (6, 7 and 9 coming up). Before that it was Joshua Bell, symphonies 4 and 7, and Zinman, symphonies 3 and 4.

[hal9000]

Brahms' 3rd symphony. His best, I think.

[Peter]

Brahms' 3rd symphony. His best, I think.

Listening to this as well, hard for me to choose a favourite out of the 4.

[thesunlover]

Almost everyday, 2+ times:

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, Op. 111 the "Eternity Sonata".

[Sorrano]

This morning:
Tchaikovsky: "Sleeping Beauty," Op 66 Suite

[Decrepit Poster]

Last night I listened to / watched a very nice performance of the Brahms Double Concerto by Julia Fischer and Daniel Müller-Schott with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie under Christoph Poppen at YouTube. On my living room audio system I heard Pollini play B's Op.101 & 109 piano sonatas. Such a shame that that audio setup, which should produce stellar sound, instead sounds like crap. Those Pollini late B sonatas are, for whatever reason, one of very few recordings that sound halfway decent over it. I attempted to listen to some Mozart violin sonatas after the Pollini, but they reproduced so poorly I gave up after only one movement.

Addendum:
This afternoon I watched / listened to Mahler's 4th symphony as performed by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. Besides being a fine interpretation it comes across as being very well recorded (by YouTube playback standards) and looks surprisingly sharp seen full screen at 480p on a 1920x1080 monitor. Good camera work too. I'll seriously consider buying it on DVD if and when I solve my living room audio system issues.

[Harvey]

This evening:
Appassionata piano concerto
Choral Fantasy
Liszt piano transcription of the 4th movement of Beethoven's Ninth
Violin concerto next

[Peter]

Russian Divine Liturgy / Novospassky Monastery Choir - beautiful.

[Sorrano]

Russian Divine Liturgy / Novospassky Monastery Choir - beautiful.

That does sound nice! Have you ever listened to Tibetan Buddhist chants?

[Harvey]

Bellini's La Sonnambula featuring Mariella Devia as Amina.

[Peter]

That does sound nice! Have you ever listened to Tibetan Buddhist chants?

I have, but they've not made quite the same impression on me - I don't feel the same depth of spirituality, though I'm not saying it isn't there! The Russian Basso profundo is so moving -

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBOMVLd7wYg[/YOUTUBE]

[Sorrano]

This morning:
Hurlstone: Fantasie-Variations on a Swedish Air

@Peter
I will have to watch that when I get a minute. I do enjoy Russian liturgical music.