Sir John Barbirolli

[gradus]

Very good tonight to be reminded what a marvellous Tchaikovsky conductor Barbirolli was - his Halle Pathetique is outstanding.

I have the Pye Golden Guinea Halle version and I've always thought it terrific.

[french frank]

In the unlikely event that anyone’s interested, there’s a disc-by-disc review in a possibly unlikely place by, er, me:

https://x.com/CarlRosman/status/1275...565658634?s=20

Don't do X so could only see that 2020 tweet . Could you push the box a bit closer to your bookshelf and records?

[oliver sudden]

Don't do X so could only see that 2020 tweet

Oh boo!

I’m afraid everything in the picture that wasn’t nailed down has moved from Ehrenfeld to Bayenthal in the interim, what with the population of my household having quadrupled!

[Barbirollians]

I have the Pye Golden Guinea Halle version and I've always thought it terrific.

That's the one - it's marvellous . In fact all his recordings of the last three are - for those of you who heard Barbirolli conduct any Tchaikovsky memories ?

Two other strike me - his extraordinary recording of Francesca da Rimini - in the Stoky class - and also the excerpts of him conducting the Northern College of Music students on the Monitor film - they absolutely play out of their skins for him .

[smittims]

I don't think I ever saw JB conduct Tchaikovsky, though his HMV disc of the String Serenade is superb (not Halle, though).

[Barbirollians]

I don't think I ever saw JB conduct Tchaikovsky, though his HMV disc of the String Serenade is superb (not Halle, though).

Wasn't there also a version on Pye ?

[smittims]

There was a Pye 'Golden Guinea' recording, but it was by the Little Orchestra of London and Leslie Jones, and a later Pye/Ensayo disc with the English Chamber orch/ Enruque Garcia Asensio. I can't trace a Halle verson.

[Nimrod]

That's the one - it's marvellous . In fact all his recordings of the last three are - for those of you who heard Barbirolli conduct any Tchaikovsky memories ?

Two other strike me - his extraordinary recording of Francesca da Rimini - in the Stoky class - and also the excerpts of him conducting the Northern College of Music students on the Monitor film - they absolutely play out of their skins for him .

I saw JB conduct Tchaikovsky's 4th in the FTH in September 1968. The programme was Overture to a Midsummer Nights Dream, Handels Fireworks music, Suite 2 Daphnis & Chloe and the 4th. All played with real passion, great musical 'colour' and sheer professionalism. The 4th was the icing on the cake. Exciting, the brass were tremendous and something that JB did, not often heard by other accounts....after the final plucked note of the third movement, barely time to draw breath and whoosh, straight into the 4th movement! If you'd looked away, as a friend did, it made you jump out of your skin. The lead up to the final fate motif statement was awesomely tense and exciting and came across as a release of the previous tensions. I clearly remeber being drenched in perspiration at the end!There has been a live 4th which I think was issued(?), I've got a copy somewhere. Worth the trip up from Birmingham many times over.