What are you currently listening to (Classical)?

[Bachtoven]

I discovered Idagio today (just signed up for a free trial membership to use on my desktop computer). Here is the first album I discovered. Couldn't help myself with all the accordion jokes.
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Decades ago I had a bumper sticker that stated, "Play the accordion, go to jail. It's the law."

 

[Andrew S.]

Unfortunately, Hyperion does not allow streaming of their recordings. Someone has uploaded a decidedly lo-fi excerpt of the Medtner work on Youtube.

Bugger. You are right! Don't tell me I might have to buy something....

This is a very fortunate find that is sensational in my view. I had had the Haydn quartets op. 33 played by the Eybler Quartet for quite a while now, which I immensely enjoyed, and based on that had explored a number of their other recordings. This US American-Canadian ensemble specializes in music from the first century of string quartet writing, and plays on period instruments, with details of their makeup, including choice if strings, also based on their own research. Their recordings of Beethoven's early string quartets op. 18 are fantastic, and they have recorded lesser know composers as well. The string quartets of Vanhal and Asplmayr are very charming and really good, enjoyable music.

But the quartets by the composer Eybler, after whom the Quartet Ensemble named itself, are something else. About 45 seconds into the beginning of this CD (string quartet op 1/2) I said a big "Wow!", as I knew right then that this was the music of a genius, and I have been sold and ever deeper involved with this music ever since. Fantastic melodies and transitions between them, great melodic/thematic developments and wonderful harmonic and contrapuntal work.

Eybler was a close friend of Mozart, who entrusted him with training his singers for his opera Cosi van Tutte. After Mozart's death, his widow Constanze asked Eybler to finish his Requiem, but Eybler, perhaps out of respect, could not bring himself to do the job, so Suessmayer eventually did it. Beethoven's teacher Albrechtsberger said, before Beethoven broke onto the scene, that after Mozart the greatest genius you could find in all of Vienna was Eybler.

Music history is sometimes cruel in its choices of whom to elevate for prosperity. Eybler fell through the cracks. But no wonder that the Eybler Quartet would choose just this name for itself.

Great Post. Thanks Al. Learned something today.

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Oh this is very interesting. Thank you.

 

[Bachtoven]

 

[rando]

 

[rando]

Tribute in this case referring to small selection of the 100+ works transcribed by Heifetz for use as encores.

 

[Forte]

Streaming on tidal

 

[Drikus]

 

[jandl100]

Recent discovery for me, Castelnuovo-Tedesco. 20thC Italian, moved to America midlife.
Excellent mainstream classical.

The piano quintets are both lovely works.

 

[Bachtoven]

It's hard to beat the Alpha label for great Baroque recordings. Anyway, yes, the organists are not using some puny Baroque organ, but they don't turn these works into Louis Vierne, either!
24/96 FLAC...Qobuz has it, too.

 

[Bachtoven]

Beautiful music (Violin Concerto No.2, Cello Concerto, Viola Concerto), great playing, and exemplary sound. DSD 128. (It's also available as an SACD on the 2L label.) More info and samples at https://www.nativedsd.com/catalogue...18139b-cce6fbb293-165817570&mc_cid=cce6fbb293

 

[Andrew S.]

Beautiful music (Violin Concerto No.2, Cello Concerto, Viola Concerto), great playing, and exemplary sound. DSD 128. (It's also available as an SACD on the 2L label.) More info and samples at https://www.nativedsd.com/catalogue...18139b-cce6fbb293-165817570&mc_cid=cce6fbb293

Great stuff. Do not know Stale Kleiberg at all - never heard of him (or her).

I've got quite a few 2L DSD - they make great recordings.

What do you use to play back your DSD mate? The Esoteric?

 

[Andrew S.]

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Now that is one cool cover...

 

[bonzo75]

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Are you listening to this on a MCH system?

 

[Bachtoven]

Great stuff. Do not know Stale Kleiberg at all - never heard of him (or her).

I've got quite a few 2L DSD - they make great recordings.

What do you use to play back your DSD mate? The Esoteric?

Kleiberg is male. He was born in 1958 in Norway. I have another recording of his music titled "Treble and Bass--the Violin Concerto No.1 and the String Bass Concerto--another excellent recording from 2L.

If it's an SACD, yes, but for DSD and FLAC files I play them from an HP laptop into the DAC on my Oppo 205. I was using a Chord Qutest DAC, but it wouldn't play DSD files at all from my HP laptop--had terrible distortion. I could sort of play DSD via my MacBook Pro, but that new Kleiberg DSD recording had lots of popping noises through the Mac/Chord, so I took the Chord out of my system, and I'm sending it back. I'm on the lookout for a new DAC. (The DAC in my McIntosh amp causes my Audirvana software to crash when I use it--dang, I can win for losing!)

 

[Bachtoven]

Are you listening to this on a MCH system?

No, 2-channel.

 

[jandl100]

Stale Kleiberg, he's new to me, many thanks for that Bachtoven. Listening to album of violin concerto and double bass concerto atm. Lovely stuff.

 

[jandl100]

Mozart's piano quartets.
Walter Klien and the Amadeus string quartet on an old stereo DG album.

Marvellous music, this Oldie is far from the most transparent and natural recording of them, but for me the exuberant fluidity of the playing really brings out all aspects of the the music's perfection and hits the spot nicely.
It's a slightly 'sturdy' style that is of its time, but then what performances aren't?
Superb musicianship imo.

 

[rando]

 

[Addicted to hifi]

It's hard to beat the Alpha label for great Baroque recordings. Anyway, yes, the organists are not using some puny Baroque organ, but they don't turn these works into Louis Vierne, either!
24/96 FLAC...Qobuz has it, too.

View attachment 80647

It's hard to beat the Alpha label for great Baroque recordings. Anyway, yes, the organists are not using some puny Baroque organ, but they don't turn these works into Louis Vierne, either!
24/96 FLAC...Qobuz has it, too.

View attachment 80647

Great organ cover And hall.

 

[Addicted to hifi]

Living stereo classic.