Elgar Falstaff

[verismissimo]

I always found this piece a bit heavy handed and dated...

I always assume with programme music that it has to work first of all just as music. For me Falstaff falls at that hurdle. When I listen to it, I'm thinking now who's this?... and what are they doing? Then I get bored.

[Ferretfancy]

I always assume with programme music that it has to work first of all just as music. For me Falstaff falls at that hurdle. When I listen to it, I'm thinking now who's this?... and what are they doing? Then I get bored.

My feeling exactly. One or two versions have blow by blow accounts in the booklet notes, but I don't want it to feel like reading a libretto. There's rather a lot of that Elgarian rumty tum te tum as well, especially at the opening.

[Parry1912]

It took me some time to really get to like this piece but now I love it. I don't feel that I need to know what's going on at every point (although the snoring is pretty self explanatory, I think).

Incidentally, the fine recording by Simon Rattle can be had on the Amazon Marketplace for a penny + P&P.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It took me some time to really get to like this piece but now I love it.

- partly because the only recording I had was the Handley. The programmatic aspect I did find a problem (if I want the story, I'll read Shakespeare!) but with Elgar and Barbirolli conducting, the Music comes forward gloriously. (Barenboim is the best of the "story-tellers" that I know.) Petrushka's comparison with Strauss' Don Quixote is an exact one IMO

A great many recordings mentioned on this Thread that I haven't heard: many thanks to everyone and especially Barbi for starting it!

[salymap]

I think it's Elgar as very nearly his best. If you don't know it, it's important to read the programme or CD notes. I love the two 'dream interludes' and so much more. I have the Elgar recording and one or two others, still not listed in my files

[JFLL]

I think it's Elgar as very nearly his best.

According to Eric Fenby, Elgar himself though it his best work.

[salymap]

According to Eric Fenby, Elgar himself though it his best work.

That's interesting. I suppose Fenby met Elgar when he visited Delius in France. Elgar motored across France and wrote about it in his published letters.

[Once Was 4]

Lloyd-Jones on Naxos is excellent.

Nice to see this one getting a mention; one of the few recordings in which I took part that I re-visit from time-to-time.

As I recall, it was done over two sessions in the Great Hall of the University of Leeds - one on a Sunday evening and the other the following morning. On one of the sessions (the evening one I think) there were severe gales raging outside and the engineers had trouble with the resultant 'noises off'.

Just to start another totally useless thread: can anybody point to recordings where the world outside has intruded on proceedings? I have an LP by the Haifa Wind Quintet where the sounds of a flock of birds can be heard and the sleeve notes refer to this as an enhancement to the recording.

[pastoralguy]

Nice to see this one getting a mention; one of the few recordings in which I took part that I re-visit from time-to-time.

As I recall, it was done over two sessions in the Great Hall of the University of Leeds - one on a Sunday evening and the other the following morning. On one of the sessions (the evening one I think) there were severe gales raging outside and the engineers had trouble with the resultant 'noises off'.

Just to start another totally useless thread: can anybody point to recordings where the world outside has intruded on proceedings? I have an LP by the Haifa Wind Quintet where the sounds of a flock of birds can be heard and the sleeve notes refer to this as an enhancement to the recording.

I have a fabulous cd of Szell and the Cleveland orchestra playing Prokofiev 5 where a 'phone goes off in the scherzo!

[pastoralguy]

Isn't there a tube train to be heard on THE most famous recording the the Elgar 'cello concerto?

[Op. XXXIX]

Surprised no one has mentioned Alexander Gibson's fine recording on Chandos. And with all the praise for the composer's own recording, I think it's high time I gave it another spin!

Outside intrusion: In Leslie Howard's recording of the Liszt Grosses Concert-Solo, you can hear all sorts of song birds outside the studio. Nice effects...

[pastoralguy]

Surprised no one has mentioned Alexander Gibson's fine recording on Chandos. And with all the praise for the composer's own recording, I think it's high time I gave it another spin!

Oops! It's usually me who waves the flag for Gibson and the SNO! Been very remiss here

Lovely violin solos from Edwin Paling

[akiralx]

Just to start another totally useless thread: can anybody point to recordings where the world outside has intruded on proceedings? I have an LP by the Haifa Wind Quintet where the sounds of a flock of birds can be heard and the sleeve notes refer to this as an enhancement to the recording.

Artillery clearly audible in Gieseking's wonderful Emperor with Rother (in stereo I think) from 1944 Berlin.

Also church bells in a few of the EMI Schumann recordings Richter made in Italy in the early 1960s.

[EdgeleyRob]

Barbirolli and Brabbins (an old BBCMM CD) here.

[Petrushka]

One reason why Falstaff isn't heard much in the concert hall is that its length of 35 minutes makes it awkward to programme. Cut down to 20 minutes it would make a good concert opener. I've heard it just once in concert: CBSO/Rattle.