Conductors' allergic reactions?

[Karafan]

Skyping my friend Akiralx this morning, he commented on how certain conductors, somewhat strangely, never seem to venture into certain fields, even though you suspect that in some instances they may well be temperamentally suited to that particular repertoire and may well even have been wonderful interpreters of those composers.

Our discussion touched on Sibelius and how neither Abbado nor Haitink (or even Solti and some others) never ventured to conduct his pieces, or certainly record them.

Any views? Which conductors have you ever thought would be suited to certain composers, whom they seem never to have touched with a stick (or even baton)?

K.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Which conductors have you ever thought would be suited to certain composers, whom they seem never to have touched with a stick (or even baton)?

I would have loved to hear Karajan conduct Elgar - especially the 'cello Concerto with Rostropovich (and/or the Violin Concerto with Mutter). Towards the end of his life (at the time when he was also preparing the Nielsen 4th), he did send for scores to study: most he sent back fairly quickly, but he kept the Second Symphony, suggesting that it was the work with which he felt he might have something valid to say.

[Petrushka]

I've heard Abbado conduct Sibelius! OK it was the Violin Concerto (with Isaac Stern, 30/09/1982, RFH) which preceded Mahler 5 and i believe that Haitink is scheduled to conduct the same piece this season but can't now find the info on the web. Haitink is on record as saying that he feels nothing for Sibelius or Nielsen. A pity.

Agree here with FHG that Karajan would have made a superb Elgar conductor. HvK's affinity with Bruckner provides the link. Such a pity that he never did.

Solti did conduct Walton but how I wish he'd done the First Symphony. Absolutely tailor made for him, I would have thought.

Also wish Abbado would tackle Shostakovich. Is it already too late?

[Roehre]

Haitink has conducted Sibelius once: Tapiola in 1957, with his then orchestra, The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Hilversum, a work programmed In memoriam Sibelius. That's it, and no Nielsen at all, AFAIK

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Boulez conducting Tchaikovsky.

[Richard Tarleton]

Agree here with FHG that Karajan would have made a superb Elgar conductor. HvK's affinity with Bruckner provides the link.

Please explain that one to me Petrushka! Elgar and Bruckner? What am I missing?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Boulez conducting Tchaikovsky.

?

You think Boulez is "suited" to Tchaikovsky, Alpie?

[Petrushka]

Please explain that one to me Petrushka! Elgar and Bruckner? What am I missing?

Surprising on the face of it but there are parts of Bruckner that have a distinct Elgarian touch (better to think of it that way round). The slow movement of the 5th Symphony has a noticeable 'Nimrod' feel to it. You can sense similar touches in the 7th as well. One wonders how much Bruckner that Elgar may have heard and absorbed especially during his time in Leipzig. In general, it places Elgar firmly in the great European tradition.

[pastoralguy]

I would love to have heard Karajan 'do' the VW 'Tallis' fantasia with those wonderful Berlin Phil. strings! I know his recording with the Philharmonia is a classic but a remake could have been really good.

How about John Eliot Gardiner doing Sibelius? He would really make sense of all those multi divided string parts!

[Petrushka]

Haitink has conducted Sibelius once: Tapiola in 1957, with his then orchestra, The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Hilversum, a work programmed In memoriam Sibelius. That's it, and no Nielsen at all, AFAIK

http://sibelius.forumup.com/ntopic353-sibelius.html

This might be of interest. It appears that Haitink presided over an account of the Sibelius VC with the Boston SO and Joshua Bell.

And also with the VPO and Vilde Frang: http://www.worldconcerthall.com/en/s..._strauss/6382/

[EdgeleyRob]

Haitink is on record as saying that he feels nothing for Sibelius or Nielsen.

Ah

Haitink I'm on the same wavelength.

[Parry1912]

I remember seeing somewhere on this forum a mock-up of an album cover for Boulez conducting RVW's 'Pastoral'. I would love to hear that for real. I think that Boulez' affinity for Ravel and Bartok might make him a really good RVW conductor.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I remember seeing somewhere on this forum a mock-up of an album cover for Boulez conducting RVW's 'Pastoral'. I would love to hear that for real. I think that Boulez' affinity for Ravel and Bartok might make him a really good RVW conductor.

There was certainly a fake Boulez RVW 4 & 6 (with the Cleveland Orchestra) advertised as an April Fool in a magazine that I was taken in by! (The resulting visit to my local CD shop is partly why I now do the majority of my shopping online!)

Boulez is on record as saying that he thinks RVW a far more interesting composer than his French contemporaries of the '20s & '30s - that's why I found the April Fool so plausible!

[Richard Tarleton]

Surprising on the face of it but there are parts of Bruckner that have a distinct Elgarian touch (better to think of it that way round). The slow movement of the 5th Symphony has a noticeable 'Nimrod' feel to it. You can sense similar touches in the 7th as well. One wonders how much Bruckner that Elgar may have heard and absorbed especially during his time in Leipzig. In general, it places Elgar firmly in the great European tradition.

Thanks for that. Without wishing to derail the thread, I've always thought there was a strong affinity between Elgar's and Brahms' symphonies, but not Bruckner's....the long flowing melodic line of Nimrod, hmmmm, will have to listen again to the 5th!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Thanks for that. Without wishing to derail the thread, I've always thought there was a strong affinity between Elgar's and Brahms' symphonies, but not Bruckner's....the long flowing melodic line of Nimrod, hmmmm, will have to listen again to the 5th!

Webern once played the slow Movement of Bruckner's 7th to his English pupil, Humphrey Searle and asked him "What is there in your Elgar to match that!"

I so wish Searle had played Webern the slow Movement of Elgar's 2nd - that "Brucknerian" long line is there, too.