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Attagirl ! -
This has got me wondering since there is an RCA disc of her on Amazon which has been sitting on my wish list for over 2 years now. It's well over £45 with no details of what it consists of. I have considered taking a punt on it but it's. LOT of money to spend on what could be anything.
I did contact RCA but, predictably, got no reply. I wonder if it's that disc.Comment
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It seems so from the Presto listing.Comment
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Well, the cd arrived today and I've listened to most of it. I'm sorry to say I won't be listening to it ever again. This has to be, for me, the saddest cd I've ever heard and I can only question RCA's judgement in releasing it to the public.
I can only guess why an artist of Ida Haendel's stature would want this to be heard. (Surely it can't be money?) Is she in denial that her obviously physical fragility can no longer support her once rock solid technique? There can hardly be a bar where her intonation is, to say the least, suspect and her bow arm is frail. (There are moments where it's less a question of poor tuning than giving insufficient evidence of what note she is aiming for. Double stops are particularly painful). Her pianists do their best to follow her but there is no denying that she is nowhere near the artist she was even 10 years ago.
Could you imagine seeing Bjorn Borg play at Wimbledon today or contemplate Buzz Aldrin undertaking a space station repair or watching Pele play football? It would be so sad and toe curling to watch. I can only wonder what the teenage Haendel would make of this.
Why, Ida? WHY?Last edited by pastoralguy; 24-06-13, 20:28.Comment
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Sad news - I won't be ordering it .Comment
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And I'm sorry to say I agree with you completely. A thoroughly ill-advised release, I think.Originally posted by pastoralguy View PostComment
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It may well explain why it has taken 5 years to release it since it was recorded .
A great shame - I suspect it may be to do with the planned Ida month or whatever it is that is coming this summer .Comment
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I've just had a listen to the snippets on Amazon, and all I can say is ... Oh dear!
Del boy: “Get in, get out, don’t look back. That’s my motto!”Comment
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I shall treasure my old tapes and remember when I saw her live.
What a great shame.
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Best just to forget it was issued . Consider that even as recently as 1993 she was knocking out that sensational Sibelius at the Proms issued on Testament.Comment
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Yes - but that was 20 years ago...
Tempus regrettably fugit
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True but as she had been performing at the top level since 1937 that is still remarkable. She also knocked out a terrific set of the Sonatas and partitas for Testament in 1996.
The real tragedy is that she wasn't given the chance to re-record the main planks of the repertoire in the 1980s by EMI.Last edited by Barbirollians; 26-06-13, 20:10.Comment
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Originally posted by Barbirollians View Post
I've never really understood why she wasn't invited to re-record her repertoire in modern sound but suspect that she was over looked in favour of young up and coming players like Perlman and Zuckermann. I've always felt that she started a renaissance in the mid 70's with the Sibelius,Walton and Britten concertos. Then there was a lukewarm Elgar concerto and I suspect that's where the wheels came off. (I have always thought it curious that she played the violin solo parts in the Previn 'Swan Lake' recording with the LSO. Was this some sort of fulfilling a contract without it costing EMI anything?)
I always felt that she was a violinists violinist and probably hated all the marketing c** p that was starting about that time. Anyway, it's all very sad although I suspect there are many radio tapes hidden away.Comment
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Perlman did make some terrific recordings for EMI.Originally posted by pastoralguy View PostDel boy: “Get in, get out, don’t look back. That’s my motto!”Comment
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