Spinning Today (Classical version)

[Barry]

On vinyl:

Beethoven - String Quartets nos. 1 - 6

Maybe a little intellectual sounding, these string quartets are calming, soothing and a pleasure to listen to.

[jandl100]

Vaughan Williams 8th Symphony - Haitink LPO, EMI CD (again)

Martinu 3rd Symphony - Jarvi - BIS CD. An interesting symphonic cycle with a very distinctive sound all its own. It doesn't sound like Beethoven or Brahms or Mahler or Sibelius or, well, anyone else really .... it just sounds like Martinu! Certainly worth sampling if you haven't tried them - but I'd avoid the bargain priced Naxos series, as they don't really capture Martinu's soundworld. Try the 1st symphony by Belohlavek or Jarvi or Thomson or Flor.
Jeepers Creepers !! - you can get all 6 symphonies conducted by Neeme Jarvi in stunning sound on 3 CDs for £8 delivered! ...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Martinu-Symp...1952799&sr=1-1
Snap it up, guys. Snap - it - up !!
... or £3.24 delivered for just the 1st CD in the cycle with symphonies 1 & 2. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...condition=used

[jazzpiano]

* Bach - Tre Sonate, Concerto Italiano, Quattro Duetti, Capriccio - Sviatoslav Richter, Stradivarius label, STR 33323- very reflective late Richter
* Haydn String Quartets Opus 20, "The Sun Quartets" Schneider Quartet, Haydn Society Records LP, HS-9086
* Boult conducts Butterworth, Howells, Hadley, and Warlock - Lyrita cd, SRCD 245

[jandl100]

Ah, Barry, the Haydn Op 20 string quartets. Lovely stuff.

Yesterday for me:

Eckard - keybaord sonatas played on original instrument pianoforte on a Zigzag CD. Bracing stuff!

Mahler 9th Symphony - Tennstedt EMI CDs. The adagio finale is a bit upbeat really ... could do with a bit more angst and despair. But I guess it's as valid an interpretational approach as any.

Mahler 10th Symphony - the opening 25 minute Adagio - Mahler croaked before he completed the rest. Tennstedt again on EMI CD. Lovely lovely lovely.
Others have completed the whole symphony based on sketches that Mahler left, I have a couple of recordings in my collection, but Tennstedt's Adagio was just fine for last night.

[MartinT]

Mahler 9th Symphony - Tennstedt EMI CDs. The adagio finale is a bit upbeat really ... could do with a bit more angst and despair. But I guess it's as valid an interpretational approach as any.

Mahler 10th Symphony - the opening 25 minute Adagio - Mahler croaked before he completed the rest. Tennstedt again on EMI CD. Lovely lovely lovely.
Others have completed the whole symphony based on sketches that Mahler left, I have a couple of recordings in my collection, but Tennstedt's Adagio was just fine for last night.

Both wonderful, Jerry. As alternatives, Barbirolli's 9th is suitably doom-laden and Rattles 10th a superb realisation of an incomplete work.

[jandl100]

Ah, Barbirolli - I'm not usually sympathetic to his interpretations. Nor to Rattle's come to that!

It's been ages since I had a serious Mahler period, and I think I feel one coming on now.
Just checked my shelves for other 9ths - Bernstein DG on CD and Abbado / Lucerne on DVD. That's all. I really can't recall Lennie's 9th - I haven't heard it in ages - but seems to me there could well be a grief-laden finale to be had there!
I shall have a listen later today.
I'll check out the Barbirolli if I can find one cheap.

[MartinT]

My favourites go:
2nd - Tennstedt or Rattle
3rd - Haitink
5th - Abbado
6th - Abbado
7th - Klemperer
8th - Solti
9th - Barbirolli
10th - Rattle

[jandl100]

OK - here's mine ...

1st - Litton (leaves the rest far behind!
2nd - Tennstedt, Rattle, Solti (2nd recording), Kaplan's 1st recording (surprisingly good -and great sound!)
3rd - Tennstedt EMI
4th - meh! -who cares? Quite a few are good.
5th - Inoue
6th - Nanut (although I would like a slightly slower slow mvt), Zander
7th - Abbado
8th - I detest the work
9th - currently being investigated!

[MartinT]

2nd - Tennstedt, Rattle, Solti (2nd recording), Kaplan's 1st recording (surprisingly good -and great sound!)
...
8th - I detest the work

Yes, I have Kaplan's recording and it's very good, if a touch dry.

8th - seriously?! Perhaps you might try Solti's final half - absolutely awesome and the choir & organ really raise the rafters at the end.

[jandl100]

Mahler 8th? Nah - I've tried and tried. It sounds gruesomely falsely joyous to me. I don't believe that Mahler meant a note of it! I can't bear to listen.

Anyhoo, that's just one of my little foibles.

.... yesterday's choons ...

A Stanford-ian evening.
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford - clarinet sonata, piano trio #3, symphonies 4 & 7. All on 2 Naxos CDs.
It baffles me why this guy isn't better known! - marvellous music.

Followed by a sonata by Silvius Weiss for solo lute from Naxos's wonderful CD series.
Then off to bed, a happy lad.