Having a go at B a L

[Alison]

Supposing you were given a slot as a Building a Library reviewer, what work would you like to consider ? And what you be your general approach to selecting a winner ?

[Thropplenoggin]

Supposing you were given a slot as a Building a Library reviewer, what work would you like to consider ? And what you be your general approach to selecting a winner ?

Excellent idea for a thread, Alison. BaL is one of my favourite things on R3. I'll give this some thought and post something later.

[Alison]

Come on Petrushka - Beethoven 9 or Mahler 2 ? ?

[Tony Halstead]

Supposing you were given a slot as a Building a Library reviewer, what work would you like to consider ? And what you be your general approach to selecting a winner ?

HAYDN 'The Creation' : TWO 'winners' ( as I have said before many times)
1) Best 'period' recording
2) Best 'modern' recording
I simply don't understand why BAL hasn't yet undertaken / instigated this 'general approach' after so many years of H.I.P.P.

[Alison]

To answer my own question I might go for an early Beethoven symphony. I'd like to establish my several key ingredients for a successful recording and judge all discs accordingly against these key measures. Sounds easy, eh?

[Thropplenoggin]

For certain composers, one could make an argument for FOUR winning categories:

1) Best 'historical' recording
2) Best 'period' recording
3) Best 'modern' recording
4) Best '21st Century' recording.

Let me explain the latter. I'm thinking here of Mahler, which benefits from the sonic clarity of SACD. Or Beethoven, where a big orchestra is used informed by period performance and with the latest in deluxe recording methods (Vänskä).

[teamsaint]

There are far too many hugely experience experts around for me to give a straight answer, so I might go for a bit of an angle.
i would go for something choral, (since I trust my judgement a bit better), and as a "one off", I would play the works on an adequate, but less than perfect system...perhaps the one in my kitchen, and judge what sounded best on that.
We can't all listen in perfect conditions all of the time, so there is a point to it, if not a too serious one.

I would choose the Monteverdi Vespers.
I expect to get thoroughly shot down for this !!

Edit, Since I posted this, have seen this angle explored over on the "American sound Quality "thread !

[Petrushka]

Come on Petrushka - Beethoven 9 or Mahler 2 ? ?

Ah, you can read my mind, Alison!

If the CD Review team approach me I would happily do either but pushed to do one I'd go for the Mahler. With so many versions available the list would have to be pruned down to about half a dozen of each in order to make a meaningful decision and those would be dealt with in detail.

[jayne lee wilson]

Honegger Symphonies - Luisi and the OSR would get their rosette at last!

[Alison]

I'd love to hear Jayne attempt Rachmaninov's Second Symphony. I love this piece without being sure I have fathomed the essence of the symphony. William Mival didn't help very much ! And what of the new Petrenko ?

[Karafan]

Each of Wagner's mature operas, with at least a 90 minute slot set aside for detailed and careful consideration.....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

When I read "having a go at ... " I thought it was the title of a Thread of criticism about recent editions! The problem with the BaL these days is that much of the repertoire has been recorded too many times to fit into a format originating at a time when there were, at most, half-a-dozen available versions of the standard repertoire. To "do", say, Beethoven 9 with its sixty and more available versions in a 45min programme means that either you miss out half-a-dozen recordings that many of the listeners would regard as "the Best", or you spend 45 seconds on each one!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I think I'd go for something with very few recordings, such as Elgar's The Apostles or The Kingdom. The wholesale dismissal of a huge number of versions seems unacceptable. (To make the point, if I were to review my namesake, I would dismiss the Karajan from the start - and that was the one that was chosen - twice!)

[Bryn]

When I read "having a go at ... " I thought it was the title of a Thread of criticism about recent editions! The problem with the BaL these days is that much of the repertoire has been recorded too many times to fit into a format originating at a time when there were, at most, half-a-dozen available versions of the standard repertoire. To "do", say, Beethoven 9 with its sixty and more available versions in a 45min programme means that either you miss out half-a-dozen recordings that many of the listeners would regard as "the Best", or you spend 45 seconds on each one!

Far too much time to spend on such a trivial work by a madman.

[amateur51]

Far too much time to spend on such a trivial work by a madman.