What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[AudioNut]

My boy Bart gimme this record (CD), told me it was one of the most well recorded and best performances he'd ever heard.

Man was he ever right. This thing is amazing. If you can find a copy for less than $600 you should definitely spring for it.

And, in addition to giving me the CD, Bart and Meta cooked me and my WAY, WAY, better half, one heck of a fine dinner. (Mountain catfish a la Kortrijk, dun come to the hills of East Tennessee)

Man, oh Man, Bart you are a generous soul! (but Meta is 300 times better looking!).

So, I'm listening to . . . . . Domenico Gabrielli - La Nascita del Violoncello -

Bruno Cocset
Les Basses Réunies


And I ain't never heard a Cello sound so good, (or all them other instruments mixed in neither)

[cma29]

Nice to see Julian again posting his usual pithy and witty musings

In the meantime I'm dedicating time to the 10 piano concertos that Gramophone highlighted in its August 2016 edition by asking 10 pianist to provide a one-page essay on one of the ten concertos.



First...

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83
Nelson Freire (piano)
Gewandhausorchester, Riccardo Chailly



A superb interpretation of this four-movement 50-minute masterpiece. I enjoyed listening more closely to the third movement that Nicholas Angelich highlighted a duet between the piano and the principal cello. Very nice.

[cma29]

Originally Posted by cma29

Nice to see Julian again posting his usual pithy and witty musings

In the meantime I'm dedicating time to the 10 piano concertos that Gramophone highlighted in its August 2016 edition by asking 10 pianist to provide a one-page essay on one of the ten concertos.

Next...

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Krystian Zimerman (piano)
Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez



In his essay Pierre-Laurent Aimard says the best "French" orchestra is the Cleveland Orchestra

[Toccata]

If one listens to this trio version on its own merits, then it's a perfectly fine piece of chamber music, but it certainly loses a lot of the richness and polyphony of either the sextet or full string orchestra versions. Very good playing and sound.

[bart]

Rachmaninoff 3 - Tchaikovsky 1
Martha Argerich
RSO Berlin, Riccardo Chailly & Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Kirill Kondrashin



Very good performances here.
Good remaster also.

[bart]

Originally Posted by AudioNut

My boy Bart gimme this record (CD), told me it was one of the most well recorded and best performances he'd ever heard.

Man was he ever right. This thing is amazing. If you can find a copy for less than $600 you should definitely spring for it.

And, in addition to giving me the CD, Bart and Meta cooked me and my WAY, WAY, better half, one heck of a fine dinner. (Mountain catfish a la Kortrijk, dun come to the hills of East Tennessee)

Man, oh Man, Bart you are a generous soul! (but Meta is 300 times better looking!).

So, I'm listening to . . . . . Domenico Gabrielli - La Nascita del Violoncello -

Bruno Cocset
Les Basses Réunies


And I ain't never heard a Cello sound so good, (or all them other instruments mixed in neither)

Haha!
Hope to cook for you in Belgium very soon!!

[Toccata]

The Etudes are fine, but the Trio is a little too abrasive for my taste. Sound is superb.

[bart]

Monsieur de Sainte Colombe - Pièces de viole
Paolo Pandolfo, viola da gamba
Thomas Botsen, theorbo & baroque guitar



Superb album with touching music from this mysterious composer.
The playing is really excellent.
Good recording (Belgium, 2005).

[Toccata]

Guy's recording of the last 3 Sonatas made an interesting contrast to Michael Korstick's recording that I listened to yesterday. Guy is just as powerful in the forte passages, but he doesn't seem to bang as hard as Korstick, and the quiet passages sound more ethereal than with Korstick. Guy also has far better sound, which just goes to show that SACD audio is not a guarantee of good sound, as there are so many other variables, such as mics, the room, the instrument, the player...

[cma29]

Originally Posted by bart

Haha!
Hope to cook for you in Belgium very soon!!

Julian - I can attest that Bart does cook very nice meals. His poached salmon entrée is superb.