CDR Critics Review of the Year

[Curalach]

Yes, Maazel, for all his qualities, is not a name that springs immediately to mind for Bruckner. That's why I was interested to hear the panel's views.

[StephenO]

Johnb - I think the author's distinguished by an 'e' on the end of Mosse (and by a number of other noticeable differences!). I was reminded of her novels too. The Cathars were a fascinating group and another example of the Catholic Church acting in a less than Christian way.

[Bert Coules]

To my ears, [the Götterdämmerung] was much too slow...

On the whole I prefer Wagner slower rather than faster -the Goodall Ring is far and away my favourite recording, though his tempi certainly aren't the only reason - but today's extract just struck me as curiously lifeless and undramatic and I don't think faster speeds would necessarily have saved it. It's hardly fair to judge from an excerpt, but it didn't have any whiff of the theatre about it at all, for me: great, world-shattering things were happening, but you wouldn't have known it.

[Black Swan]

I loved the excerpts from the Jordi Savall discs - anyone else enjoy these?

I was very intrigued by this as well. I also love to know if anyone has purchased them and what they think.

John

[Black Swan]

That explains it. I thought I had missed the Bruckner. What I heard of the Elder Gott didn't impress. I guess you would need to have been there.

Yes, I am in agreement with Hilary Finch, as I was also in the Bridewater Hall and I was very impressed with the performance. I have the discs as well and enjoy them. I also have the complete Solti Ring but really haven't tried to compare.

JW

[DracoM]

Yes, joe, loved the Savall offerings. I wish R3 would do a complete day or two of HIS recordings instead of two weeks of Mozart.

I'll get my coat.

[JoeG]

Absolutely - my heart sank when I heard there were to be 12 days of Mozart! :-( Not a happy new year! Will give me time to catch up with Savall on Spotify and listen to somme long neglected CDs though I suppose

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I haven't listened to this CD Review yet, being at work this morning. I've just downloaded it to listen tomorrow.

I don't know why Hilary Finch winds me up so much, but....

[BBMmk2]

I wish that HF could be changed. Does she speak so creatively at any time?No I do not think so!! She never does know who to behave in a critique of this nature!!

[kuligin]

I did not enjoy this as much as usual although I only heard part due to shopping commitments

Perhaps a change of personnel is needed, Hilary Finch really does not fit in, I have no confidence in Jeremy Summerly after his endorsement of Stings awful Dowland. Only Rob seems to know the the alternative versions well enough to add to the debate.

Some of the choices seemed a bit gimicky. The Magic Flute extract of Sarastro was underwhelming and the fortepiano improvisations would not bear repitition for me

The Briggs Mass seemed a pastiche of Messiaen and Widor. Did HF say she had not heard the whole piece? Certainly she gave no reason for disliking so strongly. No one raised the quality of the music.

I can not agree with others about the Savall. JS raised the question but never attempted an answer as to who it was composed by. I suspect if other Savall offerings are anything to go by it was Orchestrated, harmonised by Savall and the melodies are arranged by him. It sounded more 1980 than 1180 to me. Why were all 3 reviewers in such awe of a book of 90 pages? It can hardly do more than skim over this complex period

And why are the Cathars get such a good press, their doctrine of refusing food and water to the ill and dying always strikes me as particularly barbaric

[Barbirollians]

I tend to avoid this programme after HF and RC gave such a rave review to that self-indulgent pile of rubbish Play by Joanna McGregor a few years back and I was foolish enough to buy it as a result.

[Tevot]

Horses for courses I suppose. I heard the Halle Gotterdammerung broadcast on R3 in June 2009- and what struck me was the chorus and how gripping / chilling Act II was.
Classics Today seem to like the recording

http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=13029

and I must admit on the strength of that review and my memories of Act II above...I recently bought the CD set. Very well worth it!

Best wishes,

Tevot

[Flosshilde]

Gotterdammerung

I agree- I've heard so much praise heaped on this recording, but the excerpt we heard today was distinctly underwhelming. To my ears, it was much too slow- the Valhalla motif in particular- and I wasn't exactly blown away by what I heard of Katarina Dalayman either- the vibrato was way too wide for my taste. Obviously, by this point she was tired and I think I would like to hear more before reaching a final judgement.

Listening to the immolation scene now - yes, very slow, but it seems right - there's a feeling of exhaustion (& I don't mean that the singer sounds tired) - Brunhilde's lost Siegfried, she's tired of life, the idea of the gods is worn out, & she wants the end to come. There's no triumph - just loss & failure.

[Mr Pee]

I must admit that I warmed to the recording much more whilst listening to this morning's longer excerpt- there was some beautiful playing from the Halle, and the "Ruhe,Ruhe, Du Gott"- to me one of the most moving moments in the entire Ring Cycle- was beautifully done. Even the wobble didn't seem as pronounced as I thought.

Perhaps I was a little hasty on Saturday. I might mention the CD in my letter to Santa after all!!

[Bert Coules]

Yes, it's clear now that CD Review did the overall performance and the singer no favours by playing just the very end. I didn't care at all for what I heard on Saturday, but listening to the entire immolation scene this morning my reaction was rather different: the old magic worked its spell and I found myself caught up in the emotion and the drama, especially Brünnhilde's farewell to her father and the great moment of Wotan's death. I can understand now the enthusiasm of those who were there.

As an afterthought, I wonder if the CD Review item had to be truncated because the programme was overrunning so badly. Perhaps they intended to play to play a scene with rather more of the cast involved, either instead of or as well as the very final moments.