BaL 18.11.23 - Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D

[Master Jacques]

Recent recordings only from Professor Mival. So if you were building a library of novels, you'd obviously ignore anything written before the last twenty years, wouldn't you?

[Pulcinella]

Recent recordings only from Professor Mival. So if you were building a library of novels, you'd obviously ignore anything written before the last twenty years, wouldn't you?

The rather odd reason being that everyone already had their favourite.
I suppose he's hoping to steer us away from them with some newer interpretations.
At least he laid his stall out right at the start!

[Master Jacques]

The rather odd reason being that everyone already had their favourite.
I suppose he's hoping to steer us away from them with some newer interpretations.
At least he laid his stall out right at the start!

Indeed so; and I've laid out mine, by turning him off!

[RobP]

Listened to Record Review from the beginning today for the first time in years and the OTT burbling of the presenter was astonishingly bad.

Then somebody called William Mivel announced that he was only considering 21st century versions of the Tchaikovsky VC with one example from the 1990s, which is laughable.

Will find out sometime in the future which version he favours.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The rather odd reason being that everyone already had their favourite.
I suppose he's hoping to steer us away from them with some newer interpretations.
At least he laid his stall out right at the start!

Not only do I not have a favourite I don’t think I’ve even got a CD of it. I think I’ve got an Oistrakh cassette somewhere and possibly a Heifetz vinyl. On the evidence so far I won’t be listening to that Jansen recording which sounded a bit all over the place.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Recent recordings only from Professor Mival. So if you were building a library of novels, you'd obviously ignore anything written before the last twenty years, wouldn't you?

I wonder if the producer said OK Prof in which case we’ll only pay one third of the standard review fee…?

[Pulcinella]

We've even just had a reminder that it's Radio 3's Building a Library that we're listening to.

[Goon525]

Surely the improvements in recording techniques and quality are a possible justification for Mivel’s approach. I prefer it to some here, who seem to discount anything recorded after about 1957.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Surely the improvements in recording techniques and quality are a possible justification for Mivel’s approach. I prefer it to some here, who seem to discount anything recorded after about 1957.

That might be true for pre 1957 . But recording techniques in the sixties through to the nineties were fine - I would be surprised if any one could tell the difference between a nineties recording and one recorded last year. Some of the mics used in the sixties are still in use today . The big difference is digital mixers and digital recording.

[mikealdren]

With such a large field it really was an impossible task and I found the review of modern recordings interesting although I didn't agree with some of his comments. Calling Batiashvili mannered was amazing after such a mannered opening by Bell and then commenting on Bell making light of the technical issues and playing a section that showed him as the probably technically the weakest player considered was rather odd. Other than that, it did show how many fine players there are out there and the magnificent Repin wasn't even considered.

Perhaps we'll have a review of recordings made before 2000 next.

[Master Jacques]

That might be true for pre 1957 . But recording techniques in the sixties through to the nineties were fine - I would be surprised if any one could tell the difference between a nineties recording and one recorded last year. Some of the mics used in the sixties are still in use today . The big difference is digital mixers and digital recording.

Quite so, differences in recorded style have been choices rather than improvements, for many decades now. And one of the interests of BaL used to be the opportunity to hear how tastes and styles had evolved over sixty years or so of top-quality stereo recording. Newer equals different, rather than better. So Mivel's choice to ditch everything pre-2000 is either rank presentism, or a response to the pitifully low fees now paid by Auntie to these sub-standard "librarians"!

[gurnemanz]

I have several good recordings on CD:

Bronislav Hubermann/William Steinberg, Berliner Staatskapelle 1928
Yehudi Menuhin/Ferenc Fricsay, RIAS Symphony Orchestra Berlin 1949
Jascha Heifetz/Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra 1957
David Oistrakh/Norman del Mar, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 1960 (live, BBC Legends)
David Oistrakh/Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra 1968
Xue-wei/Salvatore Accardo, Philharmonia Orchestra 1993
Leila Josefowicz/Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1995

All were recorded about 30 years ago or earlier and I was very grateful to hear some more recent ones being reviewed. I therefore disagree with other posts. William Mival's approach seemed perfectly appropriate to me, given the huge number of available recorded versions.

[richardfinegold]

I have several good recordings on CD:

Bronislav Hubermann/William Steinberg, Berliner Staatskapelle 1928
Yehudi Menuhin/Ferenc Fricsay, RIAS Symphony Orchestra Berlin 1949
Jascha Heifetz/Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra 1957
David Oistrakh/Norman del Mar, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 1960 (live, BBC Legends)
David Oistrakh/Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra 1968
Xue-wei/Salvatore Accardo, Philharmonia Orchestra 1993
Leila Josefowicz/Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields 1995

All were recorded about 30 years ago or earlier and I was very grateful to hear some more recent ones being reviewed. I therefore disagree with other posts. William Mival's approach seemed perfectly appropriate to me, given the huge number of available recorded versions.

If only the approach would have been made known to Alpie before he typed his list…

[Nick Armstrong]

The rather odd reason being that everyone already had their favourite.

Yes - ‘everyone who knows this piece has their favourite’… I thought the purpose of BAL was to assist those who are starting to ‘build their library’ without much prior knowledge - otherwise it should be renamed ‘Adding To Your Library’ shouldn’t it?

Of course it’s bound to happen if they insist on choosing popular classics (which seems to be the trend at the moment)… New World Symphony, Tchaik Violin… can Four Seasons and Lark Ascending be far away…?

Listened to Record Review from the beginning today for the first time in years and the OTT burbling of the presenter was astonishingly bad.

Yes you picked a very poor one with which to start up again!

Currently listening to the whole programme with a lot of fast-forwarding through most of the blether (and a fair amount of the music - but that’s merely about what appeals to me and what doesn’t)

An edition of RR to forget

[RobP]

Indeed so; and I've laid out mine, by turning him off!

Good idea. I streamed the Batiashvili and it is dreadful. Her entry in the first movement is far too slow, her phrasing pure schmalz, she has absolutely no projection and the whole movement drags. The slow movement is better. Here her entry is pp and suitably rapt, but there is no genuine emotion and she plods her way through the finale. Barenboim does a good job, but go to Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia on Boris Belkin's gloriously OTT Decca version and you can hear what is missing.

The sound is OK, although there is too much reverb and again on the Belkin you had the great Ken Wilkinson at the Kingsway Hall creating on LP a vibrant soundstage.