Choral music
Tue, Jan 31 2012, 8:02PM
#2
RE: Choral music
I may add Poulenc's Gloria
Wonderful music Parla along with his Stabat Mater and Sept Chansons.
Whitacre was mentioned and yes he's flavour of the month and so is Paul Mealor sung by Tennebrae. Both are beutifully recorded composers that are very easy to get hooked on.
Sun, Feb 5 2012, 11:23PM
#3
RE: Choral music
Inspired by Mark’s advocacy for the period, I listened again to Josquin’s Missa La sol fa re this morning. Very pleasant stuff, wonderfully sung and recorded (the famous Mr. Bear) on Gimell, and I think I’m slowly beginning to appreciate Renaissance music. When I put on Haydn’s Schopfungsmesse (the old Guest recording) immediately afterwards, though, it sent shivers up my spine and, not for the first time, I was impacted by the difference between music you admire/respect/enjoy, and music you love.
What falls into those two categories differs from person to person of course because we’re all wired differently, but I’m sure everyone understands that distinction.
When we got to the resurrexit of the Credo it was drilled into me, for the umpteenth time, that any claims I might make to refinement of taste are totally bogus. I can never hear the words ‘tertia die’, at least as sung by the boys of St. John’s College, without substituting Ossie Ardiles. Reminds me of that old saw about the definition of a music snob being someone who can hear the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger.
Mon, Feb 6 2012, 12:23AM
#4
RE: Choral music
A friend o mind reckons I should listen to Scarlattis stabat mater. I checked on amazon but there be two Scarlattis, Domenico and his wife Alexandra. I don't know which is the best one to go for as one has no music, that caarnt be right can it ?
Mon, Feb 6 2012, 3:53AM
#5
RE: Choral music
I too have only got into choral music relatively recently. Here are my picks:
Mozart's Requiem varies a lot by performance and recording. Kertesz's Decca recording is the best I've heard.
Mahler's Symphony No. 8. A difficult work to get right, not least in simply recording the massive forces. I recommend Bertini, from his boxset, for best sound and most consistent performance (I've also heard good things about Nagano).
Bruckner's Te Deum. Barenboim's recording is one of his best.
Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky cantata. Something a bit more modern. Abbado's recording is outstanding.
Others:
Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony. To be honest, the less original parts of this are not so interesting, but the good parts make it a lot of fun. There are many good recordings - Haitink is the most recent I own, and it's fine.
Elgar's Music Makers. If you like Elgar's Nimrod, you should hear this work for the choral version. Andrew Davis's recording is excellent.
Tue, Feb 7 2012, 10:28PM
#6
RE: Choral music
...And, if somebody wishes something original, very rare and at the same time truly interesting, give a shot for Rosetti's large-scale Oratorio Jesus in Gethsemane and the Cantata Hallelujah, both in a double CD on CPO.
An "insignificant" (unfortunately due to the vicissitudes of History and circumstances) composer of substantive skills as for the melodic ingenuity, manneristic Harmony and a good sense of originality in orchestration and the masterly use of voices in two revelatory works of truly interesting Choral Music.
Try it, for something...new...(new music is not only what is contemporary; most of the time, it's what we encounter for the first time and that's more exciting).
Parla
- « first
- ‹ previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
Igor Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms (1930)
frostwalrus