playlist ~ Previn's opera, "Brief Encounter"

Recent musical encounters at home, some new and old CD's in my collection:

~~ The Music Lover's Grainger: Music of Percy Grainger performed by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band and the Choral Arts Society of Washington. Thanks very much to a friend at the Percy Grainger House in White Plains, New York, for sending this marvellous CD to me.

~~ "Brief Encounter", a new opera by Andre Previn with libretto by John Caird; based on the Noel Coward play and movie (which you can find in a fine Criterion Collection DVD release). Elizabeth Futral and Nathan Gunn; Houston Grand Opera Orchestra conducted by Patrick Summers. Deutche Grammophon, 2011. Recorded at the world premiere in Houston, May 2009. (Audience noise is minimal, and sound engineering artfully includes some of the audience's laughter at appropriate moments and applause at the end of each act.) This is another new American opera that would be great to see in performance at an opera house near us.

~~ Georgy L'vovich Catoire (1861-1926): a piano trio, elegy for violin and piano and piano quartet played by Room-Music on Hyperion, recorded in 2004. If you respond well to Chausson or Hahn, I think you would like Catoire. Room-Music also released a CD of chamber music by Hahn on Hyperion.

~~ piano pieces by Carl Nielsen played by Leif Ove Andsnes. Virgin Classic, 1996.

~~ Harald Saeverud (Norwegian, 1897-1992): "Fanfare og Hymne", Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 9 (fourth movement is called "Klokker i fjellet" -- Bells in the Mountains). Alexander Dmitriev conducts the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra with Noriko Ogawa in the concerto. Bis, 1998.

~~ Sibelius: The Complete Tone Poems. Sir Alexander Gibson conducts the Scottish National Orchestra. Listening to several of these works together is quite a musical odyssey. Listening to just one of them is also a musical odyssey. Phyllis Bryn-Julson is the soprano in "Luonnotar". Chandos, 1977/1985.