What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by Toccata

Some people think they are too aggressive, but I don't. I enjoy their intensity. EMI did not always imbue them with warm sound, so perhaps that adds to the perceived aggression.

I enjoy their energy. Telefunken did a good job recording them. I have not heard their EMI recordings. I have the older analog recordings from Telefunken.

[ptr]

Originally Posted by RaceTripper

I was at that very Prague Spring festival for 10 days in May 1990. At the time I was a graduate student studying musicology at Washington University in St. Louis and attending a seminar on Bohuslav Martinu during the spring 1990 semester. Many of us in the seminar traveled to Prague with our professor to attend a musicological conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of Martinu's birth. The university paid for our plane fare on a grant. I stayed in an architect's home in Prague near the old town square, paying $11 for the entire time. I remember going into the square to get a great lunch of half a chicken, potatoes, and a very large glass of Pilsner Urquel for less than a dollar.

I attended so many concerts and operas in those 10 days I cannot even tell you whether I was at that one with Kubelik, but I might have been. I do recall at least one orchestral concert, several of chamber music, and three nights of opera (including Martinu) in a box at the Royal Theater (the same one that premiered Mozart's Don Giovanni in the 18th century). My professor (Michael Beckerman) was an honored guest of the state, since he is one of the foremost musicologist of Czech music. That's why we got a box. We also travelled to Polička in the Bohemian countryside to visit Martinu's birthplace.

Awesome! Would have loved to have been there even if I'm not overly exited with Martinu's music. But I'm sure his day will come to my ears as well!

/ptr

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by ptr

Awesome! Would have loved to have been there even if I'm not overly exited with Martinu's music. But I'm sure his day will come to my ears as well!

/ptr

Try Martinu's Symphony No. 6. It is really quite good.

Bohuslav Martinu, Symphony No. 6
Václav Neumann, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Supraphon 1110 3584 ZA

[ptr]

Originally Posted by RaceTripper

Try Martinu's Symphony No. 6. It is really quite good.

I believe I have the Complete Martinu Symphonies with Neumann in some pile on the floor , I'll give them a try again when My one-a-day Tchaikovsky Adventure is over!

/ptr

[Haydn]

Listened to this Schubert tonight. Christian Gerhaher is one of my favorite voices among current artists.

[AudioNut]

I just listed this in another thread as one of my two favorite Christmas recordings, and I am also now listening to . . .

A Proprius LP, recorded in 1976 in the Oscars Church, Stockholm

Cantate Domino

Oscars Motettkör (Oscars Motet Choir) - Torsten Nilsson, Director

Oscar Church Organ - Alf Linder, Organist



This is not only the finest choral Christmas recording I've ever heard, but is also one of the best choral recordings period! It has been said many times that this is probably the best coral/choir/organ recording ever made. A true audiophile classic and a real treasure.

Not typical Christmas carols and mostly not music normally associated with Christmas, sung in Swedish, so it is suitable for year-round listening by anyyone, whether religiously oriented or not.

Available in a variety of hi-res formats from Amazon, Acoustic Sounds, and other sources. I have several copies of the LP and haven't tried the CD, SACD, or K2HD Master versions, which have each received high praise.

This is a gorgeous recording and should be in everyone's collections as a "best of" and as a demonstration disc.

[ptr]

Originally Posted by AudioNut

Cantate Domino

Oscars Moteukö (Oscars Motet Choir) - Torsten Nilsson, Direcor

Oscar Church Organ - Alf Linder, Organist

Indeed a true Classic!

Julian, a small spell check of Your Swedish: Motet choir is actually spelled "Motettkör"...
I guess that Swedish is not a language that is often spoken or written down there in Dixie!

/ptr

[AudioNut]

This post is number Eight Thousand in the Classical Music Thread . . .

Thanks to all for making this one of the most valuable and most informative threads in all of Audio Aficionado.

[AudioNut]

Originally Posted by ptr

Indeed a true Classic!

Julian, a small spell check of Your Swedish: Motet choir is actually spelled "Motettkör"...
I guess that Swedish is not a language that is often spoken or written down there in Dixie!

/ptr

Noted and changed with thanks to Ptr!

[ptr]

Continuing Yesterday's Smetana Exploration.



Jean Sibelius - String Quartet in D minor 'Voces intimae' Op 56
Bedrich Smetana - String Quartet No 1 in E minor 'From my life' & String Quartet No 2 in D minor
Dante Quartet
Hyperion CDA67845 (2010)

Lovely intimate quartets in heartfelt versions by the Dante Quartet.

/ptr