Building a Library - General Discussion

[Pulcinella]

Building a Library is an almost task for reviewers, but somebody has to do it.

Which works would forumites feel most able to tackle, if, unlikely as it may seem, the BBC were to ask you to prepare a BaL programme in two week's time.

I'd probably go for:

Elgar 1, The Kingdom & The Apostles
VW 1 & 5
Mozart 40

and maybe a Strauß tone poem

Other works might take a little longer.

Almost what, Alpie? Impossible, perhaps?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Almost what, Alpie? Impossible, perhaps?

[Flosshilde]

Almost what, Alpie? Impossible, perhaps?

Pleasurable?

[ardcarp]

Answering Alpie's question, I'd hate to review mainstream repertoire with squillions of available recordings. Apart from the impossibility of listening to everything in two weeks, one would be sure to be criticised for not playing extracts of everything and for choosing a quirky outsider.

I think I'd go for a Britten opera...maybe A Midsummer Night's Dream. Not too many versions; and choices could be made on matters of the composer conducting or not and who's singing (Pears or not...Deller or not). In other words, quite a limited field of versions and a limited set of criteria to decide upon.

Otherwise, I'd choose a catch-all topic, again with limited recordings, e.g. Biber Masses.

[EdgeleyRob]

Weinberg symphonies.
Easy peasy for me.
There isn't a poor recording of any of them,an expert might disagree.
I'd recommend them all.

[Pulcinella]

Having done a mini BaL for the Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms (Summer BaL 33) I can vouch for the time taken to listen with the score to hand, but also for the extra insights you get from doing so.
Sadly I have neither sufficient (creditable/credible, depite Caliban's endorsement of the final choice!) musical critical skills nor a decent enough pair of ears to do justice to anything more substantial, but I would love someone to undertake BaLs for Pulcinella (the work: both complete and suite), and also the Symphony in C and Symphony in three movements. Any takers for next summer?

[pastoralguy]

Should BaL be extended to an hour?

I'm sure I'm not the only person here who feels that BaL is quite constricted by its 40 to 45 minute time slot. I suppose the time limit would have been set in the far distant past when there were comparatively few recordings of even the most popular works. However, times have changed and there are often far too many recordings to be considered. The 'pre-weed' style outdoor be kept but I do wish longer extracts could be considered.

The only time I can remember there being an hour given was on 4 consecutive weeks when each component part of the 'Ring' cycle was discussed.

[antongould]

Yes IMVVHO

[Pulcinella]

And in my not so humble opinion too.
But at the same time bring back Interpretations on record!

[Nick Armstrong]

Yes!

[teamsaint]

If a work is worth giving this treatment, then it must justify an hour.


However, I would suggest a fine for the presenter if they go over the hour.......

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

"The 'Pre-Weed' style"?? (Well, it is quite early for a Saturday.)

Yes, please (I think that there have been some hour-long non-Wagner editions more recently - or perhaps I just disagreed with the presenter.) But not for the twofers - or at least have two people who know what they're talking about discussing the recordings: the Andrew McGregor Show format of "oh, isn't it lovely", "don't you think it's a little slow?", "not bad for 1970s sound", "Kindly take your hand off my knee" is such a waste of everyone's time!

[EdgeleyRob]

And in my not so humble opinion too.
But at the same time bring back Interpretations on record!

Yes,or even replaced by a return of IOR.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Extended BaLs would help:

a) When there's a vast number of recordings of a popular work
b) When the work being reviewed is long or complex
c) When a work has a good number of HIPP and unHIPP versions to discuss, enabling choices in each category.


I recall William Mival only getting to the "summit" in Strauss's Alpine Symphony, and his allotted time was up, so he had to skimp over the rest in a minute or so. The Ausklang deserves an hour to itself!

[pastoralguy]

"The 'Pre-Weed' style"?? (Well, it is quite early for a Saturday.)

!

You know, if there's, say, 250 versions of Beethoven's 5th, a reviewer can't discuss ALL of them so some pre show weeding has to happen.