photo linked to CSO
I have the habit of tuning into the weekly broadcasting of Chicago Orchestra Symphony (CSO) and New York Philharmonic (NY Phil) whenever I can. Like some folks would do in the days before digital music I often make a recording of the entire program using minidisc.
I have now may be over a hundred minidisc recordings. Very often if I don't have the time to listen to the entire program live, I would just let the recording run its course and listen to it in a later day - like a low tech time-shifting. I don't bother to mark the details of the performance, but just play my collection randomly. Any programs that I don't like I would place the minidisc in a pile to be used for future recordings again. Over time my pile of "to be record again" minidiscs would dwindle to zero. I would have to go through my recordings and find programs I grew tired and recycle the disc.
Today I picked up this disc that I recorded recently but have not play. It is a recording I made recent of the Finnish conductor Susanna Malkki conducting the CSO of the work by Sibelius, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Adès. I was blown away by all the pieces. Most except Debussy's la mer (forever one of my all time favorite) are new, or seldom heard to me. I love every piece and cannot stop listening to them all day.
I am pretty familiar with all the composers in this concert except Thomas Adès, so it go shows how symphony orchestras have the tendency of performing the played-to-death work and many of the more obscure but yet wonderful work are left untouched.
Up until today, I have not heard about Thomas Adès. I especially love this amazing work of "but All Shall be Well" based on TS Eliot's poem. This was composed when he was only 21 in 1993!
As I went online to find out more about this performance, I found that you can still listen to this CSO performance until the end of 2016. This is very rare such great performance has such long shelf live on CSO or NY Phil.
Here is the link to the performance on CSO for your enjoyment:
Susanna Mälkki conducts Sibelius, Stravinsky and more
Please note the first track on the top is the entire broadcast programme as it contains the most enjoyable discussion by the host, conductor, and the soloist performer.
