BPO Rattle Enigma Vars live

[gradus]

Tomorrow a live (ticketed) webcast of BPO/Rattle performing the Enigma Variations with Verklarte Nacht, Golden Spinning Wheel and Prelude a l'apres midi d'une faune.
Nice freebie of Nimrod at rehearsal:

http://send.berliner-philharmoniker.de/t/ViewEmail/r/C21DABEE05D830D9/2683AF0D39C97515F7E8006BBCB98688

[rubbernecker]

Thanks for that. Lots of portamento from the cellos! I wonder what the Berliners make of this music... In the same way, I've often wondered what Karajan thought of the Britten Frank Bridge Variations and VW Tallis Fantasia when he recorded them for Columbia in the 1950s. Do the Germans think of this as great music as we Brits do?

[gradus]

I thought it sounded subtly different with Rattle letting them phrase and play as they felt it. I imagine the Enigma Vars have secured their place in the pantheon of great orchestral pieces but I'm not sure about current German opinions of his other music - they certainly thought very highly of him when Richter was around.
It would be nice to think of EE as universally admired and loved but was it JEG that said that the VPO were scornful of the musical quality of the Introduction and Allegro for Strings. I may well be wrong about this but the story sticks in the mind.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The VPO (and BPO) were also scornful of The Planets until Karajan programmed the work with them.

The BPO also recorded the Enigma Vars for DGG back in the late '80s - under James Levine (c/w La Mer).

[Bryn]

Well, noting that the recent performance of Bruckner 9 with the latest version of the Samale et al completion of the final movement is now in the archive there, I have coughed up for a 48 hour pass. Must say I am very much less than impressed with the delivery of the data stream for the Bruckner. It stalls every few minutes, then sometimes resumes of its own accord, and other times has to be prodded into resumption via the play button.

[rubbernecker]

Well, noting that the recent performance of Bruckner 9 with the latest version of the Samale et al completion of the final movement is now in the archive there, I have coughed up for a 48 hour pass. Must say I am very much less than impressed with the delivery of the data stream for the Bruckner. It stalls every few minutes, then sometimes resumes of its own accord, and other times has to be prodded into resumption via the play button.

Bryn, how much of the archive can you plunder within 48 hrs? Is it downloadable, or do you have to watch in real time?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Karajan is believed to have regarded Elgar as second-rate Brahms.
So the great man wasn't always right.

[rubbernecker]

Karajan is believed to have regarded Elgar as second-rate Brahms.

I think I rather regard him as first-rate Brahms...

Did anyone listen to the concert the subject of this thread, btw?

[Pabmusic]

Thanks for that. Lots of portamento from the cellos! I wonder what the Berliners make of this music... In the same way, I've often wondered what Karajan thought of the Britten Frank Bridge Variations and VW Tallis Fantasia when he recorded them for Columbia in the 1950s. Do the Germans think of this as great music as we Brits do?

There certainly are enlightened Germans. I am in touch with several German musicians, who all speak of Elgar without that sense of embarrassment that we often use, as if we were making a faux-pas. There are several recordings of note currently available: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Sympho...625390&sr=8-15; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Ralph-...625730&sr=1-71; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Sympho...625810&sr=1-82; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Debussy-Elga...9626120&sr=1-1; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Variat...9626172&sr=1-3; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dvorák-Elgar...626302&sr=1-21; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Concer...9626492&sr=1-1;http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeare-...9626536&sr=1-3; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enigma-Varia...9626620&sr=1-1

The problems with Elgar's reputation stem from two things: bad timing, and a lack of national self-confidence that finds it so strange that Elgar might actually be 'great'. They are linked, and it all goes back to WW1, before which Elgar's reputation in continental Europe, especially Germany, was considerable - perhaps even more than it was in Britain. Then came the war and performances of Elgar's music were banned in Germany and Austria. After the war, Elgar's wife died and his will to compose disappeared with her. His champions on the continent were either dead (Richter, Buths) or still distant (Strauss). His reputation at home had suffered as a post-war generation turned its back on anything pre-war, so from a continental point of view even the British had abandoned Elgar. These were not the circumstances for an international revival of his reputation.

In Germany itself, the rise of nationalism and its terrible outcome effectively ensured that Elgar could not get a look-in (his music was banned again in WW2 - as if anything might have been played anyway). Thus an entire generation (two, perhaps) of Central European conductors grew up with very minimal knowledge of Elgar. It didn't help that figures such as Karajan and Klemperer (who never conducted any Elgar to my knowledge) were rude about his music, for there were many British musicians in the 1950s and 60s prepared to listen. Elgar was very unfashionable (Elgar is not 'relevant', he's hardly played anyway and appeals only to old reactionaries living in the past; he's dead, along with the empire). It's been the musicians and writers of the last 30-40 years who have freed his reputation from that attitude. To have had conductors such as Previn, Haitink, Rosdhestvensky, Svetlanov, Slatkin, Sinopoli, Zinman and Ashkenazy programme large chunks of Elgar's output is a healthy sign, although they are only following solitary figures such as Pierre Monteux and Eduard van Beinum, let alone the British conductors who never abandoned Elgar - Boult, Barbirolli and Sargent first, but many others besides.

There is one obstacle to having Elgar universally thought of in the same breath as Mahler or Strauss, and that is that it takes a very great effort to admit that we could have got it wrong consistently since 1914. I think that's too great a hurdle, so it's likely Elgar will have to rely on champions for a bit longer yet.

[Bryn]

Bryn, how much of the archive can you plunder within 48 hrs? Is it downloadable, or do you have to watch in real time?

It is intended that one watches/listens in real time. I'm sure that software is available which would facilitate capture of the stream. Probably best that you read the Digital Concert Hall's terms and conditions. I had two days off work and made good use of them. I intend to take out an annual subscription in due course. However, that will not be until the 'live' playing of the concerts becomes more consistent. There were far too many pauses with some of them. Watching/listening in the early hours gave the least interruptions. My current available broadband rate is a pretty consistent 10 Meg download, so the problem is not at my end of the line.

[rubbernecker]

Thank you both Pab and Bryn for those fulsome responses. It's disappointing that the server is failing to deliver.

Much food for thought in what you say, Pab. I need to read and digest properly when I'm wider awake!

[Petrushka]

Excellent post, Pabmusic. In the past couple of years Gerontius has been programmed by Sir Colin Davis in Dresden, Rattle in Vienna (VPO) and Barenboim in Berlin (BPO) so there is some definite movement going on with Elgar's music once again being heard on the European mainland. I would love to hear the VPO in the symphonies; their special sound would be a joy to hear in this music. I would suggest Barenboim as being the right conductor to do it.

[Pabmusic]

Thanks, Petrushka. It's good to hear of the Gerontius performances.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

... so there is some definite movement going on with Elgar's music once again being heard on the European mainland. I would love to hear the VPO in the symphonies; their special sound would be a joy to hear in this music. I would suggest Barenboim as being the right conductor to do it.

I was hopeful that this might happen when JEG recorded a full CD of Elgar's music with the VPO, but that was not to be as Philips cancelled the conductor's contract soon afterwards.

[Spatny]

It is intended that one watches/listens in real time. I'm sure that software is available which would facilitate capture of the stream. Probably best that you read the Digital Concert Hall's terms and conditions. I had two days off work and made good use of them. I intend to take out an annual subscription in due course. However, that will not be until the 'live' playing of the concerts becomes more consistent. There were far too many pauses with some of them. Watching/listening in the early hours gave the least interruptions. My current available broadband rate is a pretty consistent 10 Meg download, so the problem is not at my end of the line.

I have a 30 day pass ( a Christmas present ) and watch the archives using the app on my Sony TV. I have never suffered any streaming problem. My broadband rate is around 8MB. I only wish I could watch the live concerts using this method.