Barbirolli - favourite recordings

[Barbirollians]

There is a very striking performance of the Martinu Oboe Concerto with Rothwell coupled with that Tchaikovsky 4 on the Barbirolli Society CD.

[Rolmill]

I forgot about the Dvorak 8th. That is really special and I heard JB conduct it live.

Luck you . I have the last three Dvorak symphonies on a double CD set coupled with the Brahms double concerto mentioned earlier - all are wonderfully warm, loving performances, though I agree that no.8 is special.

[Barbirollians]

Luck you . I have the last three Dvorak symphonies on a double CD set coupled with the Brahms double concerto mentioned earlier - all are wonderfully warm, loving performances, though I agree that no.8 is special.

It was awarded a Penguin Guide Rosette for many a year and rightly so . It is a magnificent performance . I always think it rather a tragedy that they did not get Barbirolli and du Pre to record the Dvorak Concerto after the Elgar - he was just as fine a conductor of the former as the latter and by the time she came to record it with Barenboim not only was the recording ropey but she was already in difficulties with the undiagnosed early stages of her MS - the two extant concert performances with Celi and Groves have their drawbacks .

[Barbirollians]

The Barbirolli Dvorak 8 was coupled with the excellent Tortelier/Previn Dvorak Cello Concerto recording on HMV Classics . I see second hand copies are going for as little as 23p on Amazon !

[Ferretfancy]

What an interesting thread!

I was lucky enough to see Barbirolli conduct on numerous occasions, and have happy memories of the first London performance of RVW's eighth at the Festival Hall, and another occasion at the Proms, standing right on the rail in the Arena for a splendid La Mer.

There have been so many great performances listed already by others on this thread, I've looked at just the orchestral part of my catalogue, and absolutely endorse so many recommendations.
Here are just a few favourites, some less well known,

Arensky Variations on a theme of Tchaikovsky

Bax Tintagel and The Garden of Fand ( coupled with Colin Horsle's performance of the John Ireland Piano Concerto )

Debussy La Mer ( Orchestre de Paris )

Lehar Waltzes

Sibelius Pohjola's Daughter The best since Koussevitsky, I think.

Strauss Rosenkavalier suite and the Symphonic Fragments from Der Liebe der Danae

Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini

There are so many more, but could I also recommend the 2 disc set from Dutton entitled Glorious John, which includes a fascinating interview with him.

It seems entirely apt that both Barbirolli and Beecham recorded Das Heldenleben just before they died. Heroes both!

PS Dutton have just added some new titles to their sale, this may be the last chance to catch some of them.

[amateur51]

PS Dutton have just added some new titles to their sale, this may be the last chance to catch some of them.

Could you work out which the additions are, Ferret? I have a dreadful feeling one is expected to trawl back through the entire list again

[Dave2002]

Bax Tintagel and The Garden of Fand ( coupled with Colin Horsle's performance of the John Ireland Piano Concerto )

There are so many more, but could I also recommend the 2 disc set from Dutton entitled Glorious John, which includes a fascinating interview with him.

It seems entirely apt that both Barbirolli and Beecham recorded Das Heldenleben just before they died. Heroes both!

PS Dutton have just added some new titles to their sale, this may be the last chance to catch some of them.

I think the Bax pieces were on an LP coupled with VW8.

Putting Barbirolli in as a search term on the duttonvocalion site - http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/search.asp - shows some unusual items, such as Butterworth's 4th symphony and viola concerto, a Chopin concerto (Cortot) and Vieuxtemps with Heifetz.

The Viennese CDs are still showing at £1.99.

[richardfinegold]

You may have gathered that I am a great admirer of the late Sir John B . I was unfortunately only a nipper when he died and never saw him conduct.

His recordings are to me an endless treasure trove - from Elgar to Mahler , Tchaikovsky to Beethoven ,Bruckner to Britten, Sibelius to Mozart . What has struck me in particular over the last couple of years is the electricity of his live recordings . The BBC Legends Bruckner ( no 8 in particular )and Mahler , the Testament Brahms and some of the Barbirolli Society offerings . I am just listenining to their release of a Tchaikovsky 4 with the Halle - some scrappy playing but what a performance - it is extraordinarily moving and captivating .

I do envy any of you who heard him conduct or played for him

Don't know if it is my favorite but yesterday I was rummaging through some lps and found a Mercury lp containing Barbirolli/Halle with the Enigma Variations on side one and a Suite that Sir John had made of Purcell, including "Dido's Lament". While the Suite would of course not pass HIP standards, it was great fun.

[Ferretfancy]

I think the Bax pieces were on an LP coupled with VW8.

Putting Barbirolli in as a search term on the duttonvocalion site - http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/search.asp - shows some unusual items, such as Butterworth's 4th symphony and viola concerto, a Chopin concerto (Cortot) and Vieuxtemps with Heifetz.

The Viennese CDs are still showing at £1.99.

I'm, sorry Dave, you are quite correct, I misread my catalogue! The Bax pieces are coupled on Dutton with his 1956 VW 8, made by JB only a few weeks after the premiere

[Ferretfancy]

Could you work out which the additions are, Ferret? I have a dreadful feeling one is expected to trawl back through the entire list again

Hello Am 51!

The Dutton website has 8 pages listing its sale items. Most of the historic stuff is as listed before in the earlier pages, but some of their fairly recent English music recordings appear later. I've just ordered some items by Yorke Bowen, out of curiosity really.
Go on ! Activate you mouse !

[Ferretfancy]

Does anyone know whether he ever recorded Nielsen? I remember an electrifying account of the Fifth in Wolverhampton in 1964 (?), at a time when Nielsen wasn't much played. JB used to visit that much-maligned town at least once a year with the Hallé, also giving a memorable performance of Shostakovich's Fifth (another composer one doesn't usually associate him with), and the VW oboe concerto with his wife Evelyn Rothwell.

The BBC recorded a splendid Barbirolli Nielsen 4 at a Prom on 30th July1965, and this was issued with another Prom performance of Sibelius 5 in 1968. I have these performances on a BBC Radio Classics CD from Carlton. This was the rather poorly selected series which appeared before BBC Legends, many were routine but this coupling certasinly wasn't. I'm not sure if it has been re-issued.

[amateur51]

Hello Am 51!

The Dutton website has 8 pages listing its sale items. Most of the historic stuff is as listed before in the earlier pages, but some of their fairly recent English music recordings appear later. I've just ordered some items by Yorke Bowen, out of curiosity really.
Go on ! Activate you mouse !

Who you calling a mouse?!?

Cheers anyway, Ferret

[Mandryka]

I've been listening to his Sibelius all weekend - marvellous stuff, especially when looking out of the window! I always keep a copy of Karajan's Sibelius in the car during winter, so that I can actually live that critical cliche about Karajan's Sibelius being 'a view of the savage fjords from the comfort of an air-conditioned limousine! :)

Did Barbirolli ever record Tapiola? It's absence from the EMI set is surprising.

He never made a bad recording - or, if he did, I've yet to hear it. His Madama Butterfly is definitive, at least from an orchestral point of view, I'd say.

[BBMmk2]

An all time favourite of mine,a desert island disc.

Yes, very much so ER. Plus Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius and his Enigma Variations.

[Barbirollians]

I do recommend the Halle Centenary Concert CD - a very very fine Elgar 1 and Curzon playing the Brahms 2