Barbirolli - favourite recordings

[Tony Halstead]

I just want to expand on my point about the 'Pye' recording of 'Introduction and Allegro':
the Harold Lawrence ( producer) and Bob Auger ( engineer) team seem to have captured the 'open and airy resonance' of Manchester's old Free Trade Hall to perfection.
I will never forget, as a schoolboy of 12, playing my first ever orchestral concert as a member of Chetham's School Orchestra
in the Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1957. Although it wasn't an 'over-reverberant' acoustic it seemed to add a special depth and focus to every note that I played, so much so that from that moment I decided that I wanted to be a professional horn player !
it's so very sad that this formerly wonderful concert hall is now an HOTEL...

[Barbirollians]

I just want to expand on my point about the 'Pye' recording of 'Introduction and Allegro':
the 'Harold Lawrence' ( producer) and Bob Auger team seem to have captured the 'open and airy resonance' of Manchester's old Free Trade Hall to perfection.
I will never forget, as a schoolboy of 12, playing my first ever orchestral concert as a member of Chetham's School Orchestra
in the Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1957. Although it wasn't an 'over-reverberant' acoustic it seemed to add a special depth and focus to every note that I played, so much so that from that moment I decided that I wanted to be a professional horn player !
it's so very sad that this formerly wonderful concert hall is now an HOTEL...

Waldhorn - is that the recording on Dutton? A great set that also includes his 1947 version of both the I and a and Enigma and his 1956 Elgar 1 which is superb and only let down by the recording.

In the lovely old Monitor film about JB there is a section in which he conducts the RNCM orchestra in the finale of Tchaikovsky 4 . They play it with terrific intensity that would put many a performance to shame evidently greatly inspired by JB .

[vibratoforever]

What a pity that your favourite Barbirolli recording isn't one with his beloved Hallé...
As you are clearly an Elgar lover, I earnestly recommend that you track down the sublime Barbirolli / Hallé 'Introduction and Allegro' dating from about 1957 in 'early but excellent' stereo, originally on a 'Pye' LP but re-released several times on CD.



It's a totally breathtaking performance that IMHO knocks the later EMI 'Sinfonia of London' ( a 'pick-up band') recording 'for six'.

Of the many recordings of Enigma or Introduction and Allegro that he made, I concur in selecting the mid-fifties Halle recordings on the Pye label over and above the later EMI recordings and others. They are more characterful and expressive without, to my mind, being self-indulgent, and the sonics are certainly adequate. They have appeared on various labels and formats over the years and I am unsure about current availability but they are well-worth seeking out.

[Barbirollians]

I think there is a feeling that the orchestra was at its peak in the late 1950s but that afterwards it declined a bit as other orchestras pinched their best players with offers of more cash.

[Barbirollians]

Frankly, having listened to them both this evening - his 1947 Introduction and Allegro and Enigma Variations are to my ears the very best performances on record conducted by JB . The 1947 Enigma in particular is sublime.

[Nimrod]

Dear Barbirollians

You raise, as ever, a number of interesting points in recent threads. I have been listening to Mahler for almost 50 years and for many of those I never really appreciated the 4th, inspite of hearing Szell, Horenstein and other more recent performances until I bought the Barbirolli live BBCSO performance on BBC Legends. What a simply wonderful interpretation! JB seems to find a depth of feeling and intensity that others seem to skate over and Heather Harper is quite sublime in the final movement. This is no springtime saunter in the fields in his hands!

The V-W 4 is an eye opener indeed. I find the 4th movement enormously powerful at the chosen tempo and the whole performnce is a credit to orchestra and conductor. Finally, the Pye Enigma is the performance to have on a desert island! Wonderful playing from an orchestra in its' prime and suberbly judged tempi and orchestral balance and a very good sound from the recording considering its' age.

[Barbirollians]

Dear Barbirollians

You raise, as ever, a number of interesting points in recent threads. I have been listening to Mahler for almost 50 years and for many of those I never really appreciated the 4th, inspite of hearing Szell, Horenstein and other more recent performances until I bought the Barbirolli live BBCSO performance on BBC Legends. What a simply wonderful interpretation! JB seems to find a depth of feeling and intensity that others seem to skate over and Heather Harper is quite sublime in the final movement. This is no springtime saunter in the fields in his hands!

The V-W 4 is an eye opener indeed. I find the 4th movement enormously powerful at the chosen tempo and the whole performnce is a credit to orchestra and conductor. Finally, the Pye Enigma is the performance to have on a desert island! Wonderful playing from an orchestra in its' prime and suberbly judged tempi and orchestral balance and a very good sound from the recording considering its' age.

Missed your post Nimrod but I agree heartily with your description of the Mahler 4 performance . Whenever I listen to it the first few bars seem a bit slow but then I am swept away by it .

Talking of JB I have been mightily taken with the new ICA classics set of Schubert 4 , Britten's Serenade and Sibelius 2 from Cologne . The Sibelius does not quite have the electricity of the RPO recording to my ears but is very fine. The Schubert and Britten , however, are outstanding.

[Nimrod]

Yes, I too have been most impressed by the latest Cologne recording, the Britten is, to my ears, quite outstanding. I wonder what the reviewers will make of it?

Have you discovered the V-W 4th yet?

[Barbirollians]

Yes - a very intense experience indeed . Such a shame that he was not able to make an integral set of the VW symphonies but with this it seems we are now only missing 1,3 & 9 on disc from Sir John .

[Gordon]

Peple may like to know that Pristine have a couple of 1950s Barbirolli Elgar recordings, one claimed to be an Enigma recorded by Mercury [they were affiliated to Pye which was Barbirolli's label back then] that had been "lost". The review is very positive. There is also a mono S1 but not reviewed well.

[Barbirollians]

I trust Gordon that the review of the Elgar 1 relates to the sound quality alone ! It isn't very good even with Mike Dutton's best efforts. The performance is very special though and had it been recorded at the highest fidelity available at the time I imagine it would be long established as a classic .

[Barbirollians]

The Schubert 4 on the ICA Classics set I cannot stop playing - what a thrilling performance especially the finale !

[slarty]

I have only recently joined the forum so there are many posts on this thread to comment on. maybe too many.
First my favourite JB concert, is one which I saw in Manchester in 1966 -Bach . Berg . Beethoven The Bach double concerto with Evelyn Rothwell and Henryk Szering preceded the Berg Violin concerto also with Szering and the concert began and ended with Beethoven -Egmont overture and the fifth symphony.
I'd like to see someone programme that concert today - it was outstanding and I have the broadcast recording to prove it.
I saw JB intermittently through the sixties, it was difficult to get time off work, playing in a different orchestra, but I must have seen more than a dozen of his concerts.
However one of his great Sunday concerts that I did see was issued on BBC legends - Mozart 36 and Ein Heldenleben with the LSO in fine stereo. The Strauss is so much better than his commercial version. (the part of the concert not issued was Strauss Vier letzte lieder with Schwarzkopf - problems with EMI probably - pity)
As for the Dream of Gerontiius - I have a special place in my heart for the live performance from Rome 1957 as a papal concert with Constance Shacklock , Jon Vickers and
Marian Nowakowski with the Rai orchestra Rome. Sound is good considering the age and provenance.(Archipel ARPCD 0403)
I always found JB and Furtwängler the most satisfying of all , so that declares my colours to the mast.
A tremendous Prom performance (issued on Guild GHCD 2320 Brahms 1st symphony with two Haydn items, the Overture "The Uninhabited Island" and from the Creation the Tenor recit and aria "and god created man - in native worth" all in superb sound for the 24th August 1954.
I too have just purchased the ICA issue with the Schubert and Britten - pure gold.
Lastly, I went to the concert of Mahler sixth with the NPO and the difference between it and his studio recording are as different as night and day. The live performance was electrifying. I found the studio recording dragged terribly.
The problem with JB in the studio was only that he came to his peak physically and mentally later in the evening (concert time and beyond)and some of the studio recordings made late in the sixties suffer a little from this.
His greatest period of recording was the time that HMV stupidly let him leave, and he signed a contract with Pye to record whatever he wanted. Some of these were engineered by the Mercury team and they stand the test of time so well that they can stack up against any of the modern equivalents.
STUDIO Rarity (and a favourite of mine) DELIUS IDYLL "Once I passed through a populous city" Sylvia Fisher, Jess Walters Halle O. Pye June/December 1956

I will come back to this
slarty

[antongould]

Wonderful post slarty thank you.

[amateur51]

I have only recently joined the forum so there are many posts on this thread to comment on. maybe too many.
First my favourite JB concert, is one which I saw in Manchester in 1968 -Bach . Berg . Beethoven The Bach double concerto with Evelyn Rothwell and Henryk Szering preceded the Berg Violin concerto also with Szering and the concert began and ended with Beethoven -Egmont overture and the fifth symphony.
I'd like to see someone programme that concert today - it was outstanding and I have the broadcast recording to prove it.
I saw JB intermittently through the sixties, it was difficult to get time off work, playing in a different orchestra, but I must have seen more than a dozen of his concerts.
However one of his great Sunday concerts that I did see was issued on BBC legends - Mozart 36 and Ein Heldenleben with the LSO in fine stereo. The Strauss is so much better than his commercial version. (the part of the concert not issued was Strauss Vier letzte lieder with Schwarzkopf - problems with EMI probably - pity)
As for the Dream of Gerontiius - I have a special place in my heart for the live performance from Rome 1957 as a papal concert with Constance Shacklock , Jon Vickers and
Marian Nowakowski with the Rai orchestra Rome. Sound is good considering the age and provenance.(Archipel ARPCD 0403)
I always found JB and Furtwängler the most satisfying of all , so that declares my colours to the mast.
A tremendous Prom performance (issued on Guild GHCD 2320 Brahms 1st symphony with two Haydn items, the Overture "The Uninhabited Island" and from the Creation the Tenor recit and aria "and god created man - in native worth" all in superb sound for the 24th August 1954.
I too have just purchased the ICA issue with the Schubert and Britten - pure gold.
Lastly, I went to the concert of Mahler sixth with the NPO and the difference between it and his studio recording are as different as night and day. The live performance was electrifying. I found the studio recording dragged terribly.
The problem with JB in the studio was only that he came to his peak physically and mentally later in the evening (concert time and beyond)and some of the studio recordings made late in the sixties suffer a little from this.
His greatest period of recording was the time that HMV stupidly let him leave, and he signed a contract with Pye to record whatever he wanted. Some of these were engineered by the Mercury team and they stand the test of time so well that they can stack up against any of the modern equivalents.
STUDIO Rarity (and a favourite of mine) DELIUS IDYLL "Once I passed through a populous city" Sylvia Fisher, Jess Walters Halle O. Pye June/December 1956

I will come back to this
slarty

A wonderful post slarty, many thanks - Barbirolli & Szeryng in Berg! **swoon**