Post an image from your summer that confers peace

The best Bohème ever of course!

There are a few truly magical recordings by Kyung-Wha Chung. Her Bruch concerto is perfect. In the Adagio she produces I think the warmest sound and feeling I have ever heard from a violin.

Every time I reach the end of this thrilling Don Giovanni by Gardiner, I just want to start all over again!

The Sibelius of Ehnes is so beautiful, in great equilibrium with the orchestra. Here are some of my favorites!

Finally his only opera, Fidelio, and imperfect and idealistic work, a unique piece with no real equivalent. A modern story about a courageous woman who saves her husband from a political prison, "Meine Leonore was hast du für mich getan!". An opera with a strange mix of styles.

And let's finish on two works for voices. First the Missa Solemnis, one of his most original large-scale works. Here Gardiner manages to make this sometimes heavy and complex music transparent, helped by his period instrument orchestra and the Monteverdi choir, one of the best in the world.

Some more chamber music: I'm in a general a big fan of the violinist Isabelle Faust who often offers original interpretations. Here she forms a terrific duo with Melnikov in the sonatas for violin and piano. A real discussion, with charm and temper, that you can't stop listening to!

Concertos! Maybe a bit of an unconventional choice but for both piano and violin concertos I love the Zinman/Tonhalle recordings with Bronfman and Tetzlaff. The perfect alliance of modern instruments and historically informed practices with two very original and interesting soloists.

And of course the so popular symphonies! Here also so incredibly many versions. The one remaining closest to my heart: Harnoncourt. I can vividly remember listening to these recordings (20 years ago 😱) of works I knew by heart and having the impression to hear completely new music. Stunning!

Then, the other great experimental works: the piano sonatas. So many interesting versions, Gilels, Pollini, Richter, Pogorelich, recently Levit. But for me the best complete set is by Stephen Kovacevich. Here more on the intense side of Beethoven, perfect in works like Waldstein and Hammerklavier.

Here by the @quatuorebene.bsky.social in live recordings. Not pathos, no "towering figure", the impression that Beethoven just sits next to you and talks with you. I very often listen to the Dankgesang (#15) in the morning with my daughter to start the day in a serene way: youtu.be/-2X8kaeYEsw?...

I just made a long overdue update to microfilm guiwitz.github.io/microfilm now 0.3.0! Beyond adaptations to recent Python and Matplotlib, I added support for the great cmap library cmap-docs.readthedocs.io by @talleylambert.bsky.social for easy access to the best (and most psychedelic) colormaps!1/2

20 books that have had an impact on who you are (or mean a lot to you). One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers. #20books #20Books20Days #books #reading 3/20

Glad to see Tubin mentioned here. So rarely played but his symphonies are amazing, the 5th is particularly breathtaking. This set by Järvi father is terrific.