Recordings of the composer as performer

[Nick Armstrong]

Nobody's mentioned my three favourites (unless I have Saturday brain fade):

Dr Strauss - I bought this when it came out http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/...rd+Strauss.htm

Rachmaninov playing his concertos (his No 2 is my favourite, my folks had the LP at home; I prefer others in No 3)

Elgar!

PS I would give anything to see a video clip of Mahler conducting anything. There must have been some early film taken of him, esp in New York, surely. Hope something comes to light some day

[PJPJ]

Just acquired Kodaly conducting his Peacock Variations with the Philadelphia in 1946. He left quite a few studio recordings of his own music.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have all the Elgar conducts Elgar and Britten conducts Britten recordings, some of Rachmaninov's recordings and some of the Strauss conducts Strauss, but I would very much like the earlier (1936) of his two Eine Alpensinfonie recordings, but I don't know when this was last available.

[gurnemanz]

The EMI Classics Composers in Person Box is definitely worth getting and great value. Many unfamiliar items and too many gems to go into detail. I enjoyed the Pfitzner songs with Gerhard Hüsch (never heard them before) and there's a fascinating London Les Noces in English from 1934.

Presto list some of the the contents but Amazon is cheaper atr £36.97

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/2175752

Review and full details at MusicWeb:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2008/Dec08/Composers_2175752.htm

[Roslynmuse]

Poulenc playing Poulenc. :)

[Serial_Apologist]

Poulenc playing Poulenc. :)

Yes indeed - wonderful.

I do recall many years ago, the last but one time Frank Bridge wass COTW, they played the second of his Two Poems on Richard Jefferies, conducted by Bridge. Not sure if there were enough recordings by Bridge of his own works (or of others' folr that matter), but although the recording was very crackly, and from the '20s, the music sparkled, every detail was clearly audible, and, Bridge being the professional conductor he was, I don't feel there couild be better versions.

[Nick Armstrong]

I have all the Elgar conducts Elgar and Britten conducts Britten recordings, some of Rachmaninov's recordings and some of the Strauss conducts Strauss, but I would very much like the earlier (1936) of his two Eine Alpensinfonie recordings, but I don't know when this was last available.

How could I have forgotten Britten!!

And Poulenc (on DVD - wonderful, esp that very drôle, slightly lithping, camp interview )

I have the EMI box of Walton doing his own stuff too... good to have but not top flight performances...

[Serial_Apologist]

I have the EMI box of Walton doing his own stuff too... good to have but not top flight performances... [/COLOR]

You think so? For me the Walton version from about 1960 of Belshazzars Feast has no equals.

[salymap]

I have Walton conducting excerpts from his Troilus and Cressida, with Schwarzkopf and Richard Lewis. She, of course, never sang in a performance ofthis rather unlucky work. although I enjoyed seeing the first or second performance.

[makropulos]

Poulenc playing Poulenc. :)

Yes, Poulenc is quite wonderful in his own music. My favourite of all his recordings is the first (1945) recording of "C" with Bernac which is sublime.

As for others, this is a fascinating subject... Most of my favourites have already been mentioned. They include:

Kodály: the "Peacock Variations" mentioned by PJPJ is on an incredibly elusive set issued in 1999 for the Philadelphia Orchestra centenary - I hope someone else will reissue it one day. Psalmus Hungaricus, the Te Deum, Missa brevis, Concerto for Orchestra and Summer Evening are all on a Hungaroton set which I've been listening to a lot recently. The lovely track of Kodály reading the words of "Psalmus Hungaricus" that used to be on the LP version of this set is now on CD with a different (Dorati) version of the work.

The earlier Copland recordings are fascinating and most enjoyable, as is the rehearsal and recording of the original "Appalachian Spring".
Gershwin playing piano transcriptions of songs on the Rudy Valee Radio Hour (issued on a CD a while back) is stunning, and this CD also has him conducting extracts from "Porgy".
Bernstein's Age of Anxiety with Lukas Foss as soloist springs to mind - either the very early Columbia recording of the first version, or the DG one. (Foss is extraordinary in this piece, I think).
Bartók playing the "Contrasts" with Szigeti and Goodman
Vaughan Williams conducting the Fifth Symphony and Dona Nobis Pacem (Somm)
Millhaud and Marcelle Meyer playing Scaramouche.
The Mahler piano rolls already mentioned are really fascinating
Strauss can be a bit variable in his recordings of his own music, but some of them have a wonderful straightforwardness.
Elgar conducting the First Symphony is a marvellous performance.

But this list could stretch to infinity, so time to stop.

Quite a few of these are in the big box of "Composers in Person" (EMI) - it was on sale ridiculously cheaply at the Oxford St HMV shop a year or so ago and I'm glad I got it - all sorts of interesting things in there.

[PJPJ]

British composers conduct their music - acoustic recordings, sounding better than expected....

http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDBP9777

[Nick Armstrong]

You think so? For me the Walton version from about 1960 of Belshazzars Feast has no equals.

I will give it another spin, ta S-A. Whose the soloist again...?

[makropulos]

I posted before putting in the last sentence:
One composer whose recordings are almost all in excellent sound and which are stunningly good from a musical point of view - Britten. It helped that he was such a wonderful conductor and pianist, and I can't think of another composer who has made more consistently fine records of his own music.

[makropulos]

You think so? For me the Walton version from about 1960 of Belshazzars Feast has no equals.

Agreed! It's a wonderful performance, and I love Donald Bell's solos. The mono First Symphony's pretty good too.

[makropulos]

I will give it another spin, ta S-A. Whose the soloist again...?

Donald Bell.