What are you listening to RIGHT NOW?

[saxovocal]

Brahms String Quintet in F Major
The Nash Ensemble

This is highly recommended. Not just simple chamber music =D

[allegroamabile]

Brahms String Quintet in F Major

One of my favorite pieces. The one in G major is better though. They both have two great beginnings.

[wurlitzer153]

Wurlitzer 165 band organ - "The Triumphant Banner"
http://wurlitzer-rolls.com/6502-3.mp3
A good old E.T. Paull march

[sbeckmesser]

Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel (sung in English, unfortunately). Act 1 orchestral interlude (Witches Ride). Live performance over the internet from the MET Opera. This is one of my favorite operas and I believe the best German opera between Parsifal and Salome.

--Sixtus

[dwil9798]

Copland: Opera The Tender Land. From the Michigan Opera 1978 conducted by the composer himself. One of the better American operas, but definitely not up to Vanessa standards. Certainly some of Copland's best music, too.

[Hansel und Gretel] This is one of my favorite operas and I believe the best German opera between Parsifal and Salome.

One of my favorites as well. I'd add Tristan and Wozzeck to the list of best German operas.

[wurlitzer153]

Bach - Trio Sonata V, BWV 529 - Aarnoud de Groen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEhvEz9nBfU

[wurlitzer153]

Fairground organ "de Phoenix"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6JZ0J7tLSQ

[sbeckmesser]

Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, Act 1. LIVE performance from the MET (Renee Fleming as the Marschallin). Streamed over the internet via a link on the MET site. This is one of my top 10 operas and contains two of the climaxes I mentioned in the recent Climax thread. I'm looking forward to these.

--Sixtus

[allegroamabile]

Ottorino Respighi- Pines of Rome: IV. I pini de Giancolo

Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy

very good ending...

[aldona]

Moniuszko - "Halka" (opera).

CPO recording, Polish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

Previously I was only familiar with Halka's aria from act 2 (every Polish bathroom soprano knows this one, just as every Pavarotti wannabe can put on a rousing rendition of "Celeste Aida" in the shower), but I have finally managed to get my hands on a recording of the whole opera. I am very, very impressed by what I have heard so far. This seems to be the only opera I have encountered so far that would have any chance of knocking Schubert's "Alfonso & Estrella" from its position as my all-time favourite piece of music.

(and there is something very powerful about hearing an opera sung in a language I can understand...Moniuszko seems to be able to match the meaning and emotion of the text precisely to the music in the same way that Schubert did in his Lieder.)

aldona

[pml]

[snip]

Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, Act 1. … This is one of my top 10 operas …

That sounds like a wonderful idea for a thread – what your top 10 operas are, and maybe a summary of why in each case – but I will have to leave its creation to someone other than me, as I’m generally an operaphobe.

Listening to Strauss’ Eine Alpensymphonie streamed from Deutsche Welle – no idea who the orchestra and conductor are though! Regards, PML

@ Philidor, posting below:

Se - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e
...
...
de - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e - e
...
...
ru - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u - u
...
unt!

(And so on for the next ten minutes...)

[Philidor]

Perotin "Gradual Sederunt Principes"

[wurlitzer153]

Two very nice barrel organs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yq-JdEgpro

[sbeckmesser]

Rosenkavalier again, the Saturday MET matinee radio performance, streamed to my PC via SIRIUS. 2nd Act as the Baron is wounded. Even though this is indeed one of my top 10 operas, having heard a live performance at the MET earlier this season with mostly the same singers, and hearing a several previous SIRIUS webcasts since then plus this matinee, I think I'm going to give this opera a rest for at least a few months. There are CD's sitting on my bought-but-unheard shelf that are calling -- screaming -- to be played! And I still have yet to dig out my study score of Lulu to prep for a performance I'm seeing later this MET season. I also have to take a look at Shostakovich's The Nose, again for the MET (I wish I could upload the rare full and piano scores I have of this to IMSLP), as well as brushing off Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex that I'm going to be hearing at the NY Philharmonic (they have a great Stravinsky min-festival coming up).

--Sixtus

[KGill]

the rare full and piano scores I have of this

May I ask where you got the full score of it? I've been looking for months with no luck...