Mozart Clarinet Concerto and and Bruckner 7th Symphony tonight 11/5/12

[Guest]

Feast your ears on the concerto played on a Basset Clarinet and then luxuriate in one of Bruckner's most romantic symphonies.

HS

[Richard Tarleton]

Feast your ears on the concerto played on a Basset Clarinet and then luxuriate in one of Bruckner's most romantic symphonies.

HS

Looking forward to this. We were lucky enough to have two Bruckner 7s in St David's Hall last year, after many Bruckner-less years, the BBC NOW's quartet of Wagner tubas played their coda superbly. Do you have a favourite recorded version, HS?

[amateur51]

From the Music Hall, Aberdeen

Mozart Clarinet Concerto

8.00: Interval

Bruckner Symphony No.7 (ed. Haas)

Martin Fröst, basset clarinet
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Donald Runnicles, conductor

[Hornspieler]

Looking forward to this. We were lucky enough to have two Bruckner 7s in St David's Hall last year, after many Bruckner-less years, the BBC NOW's quartet of Wagner tubas played their coda superbly. Do you have a favourite recorded version, HS?

It has to be the one that I played with the BSO under the Romanian conductor Sergiu Comissiona (a pupil of Silvestri)

Not available as a commercial recording as far as I am aware, but it was my first encounter with the work and the thrill of playing those opening bars in the RFH has never left me.

No, I wasn't playing Wagner Tuba (in fact, I've never ever blown one) Leading the Tuba quartet on that occasion was the excellent Ronald Harris.

Hornspieler

[Richard Tarleton]

It has to be the one that I played with the BSO under the Romanian conductor Sergiu Comissiona (a pupil of Silvestri)

Not available as a commercial recording as far as I am aware, but it was my first encounter with the work and the thrill of playing those opening bars in the RFH has never left me.

Hornspieler

Wonderful stuff .

I heard the BSO a number of times in the early 70's but sadly never playing Bruckner......Not sure of your dates with the BSO, HS, might I have heard you then?

[jayne lee wilson]

It's a pity the concert consists of two works which I heard far too often early on! Often the case with one's first LP purchases. I had Solti's VPO 7th, possibly not the finest outing for the work (I recall the Penguin Guide describing the oboes as "vinegary"! Well, they were at least distinctively Viennese). Wonder if anyone else has encountered Max Rudolph's brisk but echt-Viennese sounding reading with the Cincinnati SO? On Capitol was it? Both beautiful and bracing.

What with last night's Mozart/Mahler, I'm craving a little more spice and strangeness in the live schedules, probably have to wait for the Olympic Proms. But the bassett cl. version of the Mozart might be worth an ear or two.

EDIT: turns out my Rudolph download was sourced from an American Decca open reel.

[Hornspieler]

Wonderful stuff .

I heard the BSO a number of times in the early 70's but sadly never playing Bruckner......Not sure of your dates with the BSO, HS, might I have heard you then?

No sir. I'm talking about late 1965 or early 1966. I can't recall the exact date but I do remember it was around the time that USA were mounting their successful Gemini manned space missions.

BTW For my own recommendation of a commercial recording of Bruckner 7, I would go for the VPO, especially with the Wagner tubas in mind. (The opening of the second movement).

EDIT: But not the Solti recording! Karajan's is pretty good and I believe there is a recording by Karl Bohm which should be worth looking out for.

HS

[Richard Tarleton]

It's a pity the concert consists of two works which I heard far too often early on! Often the case with one's first LP purchases. I had Solti's VPO 7th, possibly not the finest outing for the work But the bassett cl. version of the Mozart might be worth an ear or two.

(Just time before it starts ) - I had that double LP (not any longer) - recorded at the same time, and coupled with, the Siefgfried Idyll that nearly scuppered the recording of Valkyirie, acc. to J Culshaw. I think I've stopped buying records of B7, but try not to miss a live performance.

I love the basset version - T King my favourite recording, and Michael Collins played it finely in St D's Hall not too long ago, with a sort of whippy stand to take the weight of the instrument (clearly not designed to be played standing up!)

[Richard Tarleton]

No sir. I'm talking about late 1965 or early 1966. I can't recall the exact date but I do remember it was around the time that USA were mounting their successful Gemini manned space missions.

BTW For my own recommendation of a commercial recording of Bruckner 7, I would go for the VPO, especially with the Wagner tubas in mind. (The opening of the second movement).

HS

Thanks HS. I have the Vienna/HvK version, among others

It's just starting.......

[jayne lee wilson]

The engineers don't seem to have mastered the rather bright, reverberant acoustic do they? And (on HDs) the orchestra sounds - to me, now - too large and heavy for this music, reminiscent of Klemperer's Mozart in Abbey Road, which RO in the Gramophone described as "big and bludgeoning"...

On FM, the clarinet sounded more forward in the mix, the orchestra a tad sweeter but of course dynamically restricted.

I do like Frost very much, I have his Weber and Holmboe Concertos and the great Aho one; I thought his playing good tonight, if not especially distinctive.

[RobertLeDiable]

The engineers don't seem to have mastered the rather bright, reverberant acoustic do they?

The Music Hall in Aberdeen is one of the best medium sized halls in the country. The acoustic is nicely resonant and warm. I heard only the Bruckner but the sound was perfect for that, and a very impressive performance too.

[Richard Tarleton]

The Music Hall in Aberdeen is one of the best medium sized halls in the country. The acoustic is nicely resonant and warm. I heard only the Bruckner but the sound was perfect for that, and a very impressive performance too.

A fine performance. He took it at a cracking pace, I thought.

[jayne lee wilson]

As I intimated earlier, I couldn't face a complete Bruckner 7 tonight; but I lent an ear to the conclusion of the first movement and the balance anomalies of the Mozart had indeed been corrected. Smooth, spacious and powerful - nicely resonant with no excess brightness.

[jayne lee wilson]

A fine performance. He took it at a cracking pace, I thought.

Glad to hear it! I always preferred a brisk approach to the 7th, epitomised by Haitink's two Concertgebouw recordings, especially the live one from 1972 in the Q Disc Radio Recordings Box. That towering Brucknerian Knappertsbusch tended not to hang around either, for all the frequent impurity of his texts.

[Hornspieler]

A fine performance. He took it at a cracking pace, I thought.

I really enjoyed last night's performances and I envy the good citizens of Edinburgh for their opportunity to hear this concert live on Sunday.

For me, the highlight of the symphony is in the slow movement, where the choir of Wagner Tubas is playing a lingering melody and the horn suddenly crashes in over the top; taking charge of the situation. A spine-tingling moment!

Well done all!

HS