Blomstedt

[BBMmk2]

He is scheduled to return here next year, and Nielsen 5 is on the program. I was hesitant about purchasing those tickets—what if something happens to him, he will be 93 years old, etc—but after this concert I went ahead and did so.

His first Nielsen Symphony cycle, with a Danish Orchestra, was a budget priced 3 lp set and my first exposure to Nielsen. His complete Beethoven and Schubert Symphony cycles with the Dresden Staatkapelle weren’t released here at the time of their recording, but eventually as really inexpensive Brilliant reissues. My favorite SFSO recordings were his Richard Strauss, Carmina Burana, and the Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis.

I’ve always admired his performances of Nielsen. Hope he does him proud.

[richardfinegold]

Some more archival Blomstedt from this side of the pond, specifically the Fabulous Philadelphians, a WRTI broadcast tomorrow at 6 PM UK time (I think):

https://www.wrti.org/post/philadelphia-orchestra-concert-wrti-901-blomstedt-ohlsson-brahms-mozart

This program, of Mozart's Concerto No. 25 and Brahms 3, makes a for an interesting complement to the Chicago concert of Mozart 23 / Brahms 2 that RF mentioned at the start of this thread. I just found from the CSO's page that they've made audio of that Mozart / Brahms concert available very recently:

https://csosoundsandstories.org/cso-...rand-chamayou/

The CSO concert at the top of the thread was broadcast here recently. I had turned on the radio without knowing this after the start of the Mozart and after a few minutes realized that it was the concert, and enjoyed it all over again. I had purchased a Blu Ray of Menachem Pressler playing this and the final Mozart PC with Paavo Jaarvi and his Bremen Orchestra, which are excellent performances as well but a bit sedate as might might expect from a 95 year old soloist, so it was good to hear the Concert again, although I missed the visual element of the nonagenarian Conductor being impatient with the millennial Pianist. It would be fun to pair Pressler and Blomstedt and have that on video as an inspiration as I age...

[Cockney Sparrow]

Through the Night - Sunday night late I was listening and:
"Herbert Blomstedt conducts the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg, performing Haydn's 'London' Symphony and Bruckner's Sixth Symphony".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p6dg

Sounded pretty good, to my inexpert ears.

There was also a performance of Bruckner's 3rd in January 2018:

https://www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/archive/ndr-elbphilharmonie-orchestra-herbert-blomstedt/7866

Which has been broadcast on Afternoon on 3 (April 2018) - perhaps it will come around again :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09y3y9x

I never managed to find that Leipzig GO Bruckner cycle set at a reasonable price, but I do have cycles from others, and as I say, I'm not an expert (one day maye I'll have a crack at getting a handle on all those editions and their respective merits, upgrading from my patchy awareness).

[Keraulophone]

Some months ago, Blomstedt gave a deeply affecting interview on the BerlinPO’s DCH website, but I can’t recall the work he was extolling; it was probably Bruckner. (I’ve cancelled my subscription after three years, so can’t check.)

He first came to my attention conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden in those superb Denon releases of the early 1980s, notably the Bruckner 4 & 7 and several R. Strauss orchestral works, Also Sprach and Heldenleben in particular. I’d recently bought my first CD player, a Denon 1500, and it seemed a good idea to try it out with recordings made by the same company, who professed to make recordings with a more natural concert hall perspective using a ‘one-point recording’ technique thus avoiding the spotlighting caused by multi-miking. Whatever they did, the combination of my favourite orchestra and repertoire in a gloriously natural sound perspective emanating from my first CD player sent me to musical heaven at the time. A MusicWeb review reckons the Bruckner 7 ‘is one of the greatest performances of anything ever to be caught on tape’ - assuming that the PCM-digital recording went to tape rather than hard disk!

[richardfinegold]

Some months ago, Blomstedt gave a deeply affecting interview on the BerlinPO’s DCH website, but I can’t recall the work he was extolling; it was probably Bruckner. (I’ve cancelled my subscription after three years, so can’t check.)

He first came to my attention conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden in those superb Denon releases of the early 1980s, notably the Bruckner 4 & 7 and several R. Strauss orchestral works, Also Sprach and Heldenleben in particular. I’d recently bought my first CD player, a Denon 1500, and it seemed a good idea to try it out with recordings made by the same company, who professed to make recordings with a more natural concert hall perspective using a ‘one-point recording’ technique thus avoiding the spotlighting caused by multi-miking. Whatever they did, the combination of my favourite orchestra and repertoire in a gloriously natural sound perspective emanating from my first CD player sent me to musical heaven at the time. A MusicWeb review reckons the Bruckner 7 ‘is one of the greatest performances of anything ever to be caught on tape’ - assuming that the PCM-digital recording went to tape rather than hard disk!

I am not sure that those Denon CDs were available here at the time. I was financially strapped at the dawn of the CD era and rarely bought anything but I would at least frequent the shops and gaze longingly at the unobtainable luchre. At any rate those Staatkapelle recordings weren’t on my radar until they began showing up on budget labels such as Brilliant.

[LHC]

Some months ago, Blomstedt gave a deeply affecting interview on the BerlinPO’s DCH website, but I can’t recall the work he was extolling; it was probably Bruckner. (I’ve cancelled my subscription after three years, so can’t check.)

He first came to my attention conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden in those superb Denon releases of the early 1980s, notably the Bruckner 4 & 7 and several R. Strauss orchestral works, Also Sprach and Heldenleben in particular. I’d recently bought my first CD player, a Denon 1500, and it seemed a good idea to try it out with recordings made by the same company, who professed to make recordings with a more natural concert hall perspective using a ‘one-point recording’ technique thus avoiding the spotlighting caused by multi-miking. Whatever they did, the combination of my favourite orchestra and repertoire in a gloriously natural sound perspective emanating from my first CD player sent me to musical heaven at the time. A MusicWeb review reckons the Bruckner 7 ‘is one of the greatest performances of anything ever to be caught on tape’ - assuming that the PCM-digital recording went to tape rather than hard disk!

I see the Denon Bruckner 4 & 7 have recently been reissued under license by MDG as a double CD set. Apparently MDG will be releasing more of Denon’s recordings.

[jayne lee wilson]

Through the Night - Sunday night late I was listening and:
"Herbert Blomstedt conducts the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg, performing Haydn's 'London' Symphony and Bruckner's Sixth Symphony".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p6dg

Sounded pretty good, to my inexpert ears.

There was also a performance of Bruckner's 3rd in January 2018:

https://www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/archive/ndr-elbphilharmonie-orchestra-herbert-blomstedt/7866

Which has been broadcast on Afternoon on 3 (April 2018) - perhaps it will come around again :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09y3y9x

I never managed to find that Leipzig GO Bruckner cycle set at a reasonable price, but I do have cycles from others, and as I say, I'm not an expert (one day maye I'll have a crack at getting a handle on all those editions and their respective merits, upgrading from my patchy awareness).

Do you know which version of the 3rd they played here? Blomstedt has been a heroic supporter of the magnificent 1873 original, IMV the best of all....
Keep looking for that late Leipzig set, or the separate releases.... some of the best Bruckner I ever heard, of the first three especially (all in their original versions...)...

[Cockney Sparrow]

I've checked - the 1873 original version (according to Penny Gore....). Additionally, I have to admit that after the Blomstedt/Leipzig 3rd won the Buildin a Library (incidentally by Tom service) - I think in January 2017 - I bought the individual disc (Nowak,1977 / 1873 it says on the case).

I decided against assembling the rest of the set from the individual discs - enthusiastic recommendations for other readings of the symphonies fly around these boards so I keep to what I have (e.g. Wand - the NDR plus a couple of RCA live, Jochum). I'm also aware of the wealth of versions and performances available on Naxos Music Library* including a lot of the more recent issues mentioned on threads here.
* As ever, to mention free via my local library - at the least "try before I buy" http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...-library/page2

[Keraulophone]

I see the Denon Bruckner 4 & 7 have recently been reissued under license by MDG as a double CD set. Apparently MDG will be releasing more of Denon’s recordings.

Thanks for this, LHC.

It looks as though MDG has only reissued the Bruckner 2CD set (2019). Sadly, no sign of any other Blomstedt or Inbal (Mahler) Denons from MDG.

[LHC]

Thanks for this, LHC.

It looks as though MDG has only reissued the Bruckner 2CD set (2019). Sadly, no sign of any other Blomstedt or Inbal (Mahler) Denons from MDG.

The blurb accompanying the Bruckner set states “ It is with the legendary recording of Bruckner’s Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7 by the Staatskapelle Dresden under its former principal conductor Herbert Blomstedt that we are now launching a cooperative venture guaranteed to create a sensation. Licensed by Nippon Columbia, MDG will release top-quality recordings from the extensive Denon catalogue.”

So it looks as if this is the first installment, and some of the other Denon discs, including those you mention, may be forthcoming.

[jayne lee wilson]

I've checked - the 1877 original version (according to Penny Gore....). Additionally, I have to admit that after the Blomstedt/Leipzig 3rd won the Buildin a Library (incidentally by Tom service) - I think in January 2017 - I bought the individual disc (Nowak,1977 / 1873 it says on the case).

I decided against assembling the rest of the set from the individual discs - enthusiastic recommendations for other readings of the symphonies fly around these boards so I keep to what I have (e.g. Wand - the NDR plus a couple of RCA live, Jochum). I'm also aware of the wealth of versions and performances available on Naxos Music Library* including a lot of the more recent issues mentioned on threads here.
* As ever, to mention free via my local library - at the least "try before I buy" http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...-library/page2

The 1877 version is a heavily revised one and should never be described as "original". That is very inaccurate and I'm surprised if Penny Gore said that (or read it out). It is not very different from the even more drastic spatchcocking of 1889/90. Most of the structural damage was done by 1877.

1873 is indeed ed. Nowak, published in 1977. There exists an even finer 1874 Edition, by William Carragan, very close to 1873 but with greater textual and thematic elaboration and a richer orchestration. Possibly Bruckner's favourite, it has only been recorded, and very beautifully, by Gerd Schaller to date on Profil.

The BaL by Tom Service on NO.3 was excellent, and much discussed here at the time....

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?16227-BaL-31-12-16-Bruckner-Symphony-no-3-in-D-minor

One of the longest and most vigorously argued threads ever on here.....highly diverting.

[Cockney Sparrow]

I've listened to Penny Gore again and I have to apologise to her - she did indeed say 1873. (Classic case of more haste less speed.). I'm going to have to double check my facts in future........

While I'm at it, I've checked my Gunter Wand set (the one in the vinyl lp sized box) and the Bruckner symphonies there were recorded with the Cologne RSO.

[Nick Armstrong]

I see the Denon Bruckner 4 & 7 have recently been reissued under license by MDG as a double CD set. Apparently MDG will be releasing more of Denon’s recordings.

Blomstedt’s concert performance in Bonn of the 4th with the Vienna Phil broadcast on Monday evening was stunningly good:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0014g94

[gurnemanz]

New video of Blomstedt remembering the first time he heard Bruckner in 1942.

https://www.gso.se/en/gsoplay/video/blomstedt-interview/

[Barbirollians]

Just on my way home from the RFH - sensational performance of Bruckner 7 from Philharmonia/Blomstedt. I was at Haitink’s last Prom and fine and moving as that was this was to my ears much the greater performance - it was enormously cogent, everything unfolded superbly from first note to last .

And to top it off Mozart Pc23 in the first half with Maria Joao Pires in a lovely , polished gorgeously musical performance - dancing finale and a pin drop slow movement - much the best concert I have been to for a long time.