BaL 17.02.24 - Saint-Saëns: Symphony no. 3 in C minor Op. 78

[Goon525]

Ivan March was the worst reviewer on the Gramophone panel, so I wouldn’t read too much into his view.

[Lordgeous]

Apart from the BBC MM CD, it's the Barenboim/Chicago/Chartres (Litaize) version here, but supplemented with LPO/Geoffrey Simon, with James O'Donnell playing the organ in Westminster Cathedral (15 April 1993) dubbed on the orchestral performance recorded at All Hallows Church, Gospel Oak, on 14–19 January 1993, bought primarily for its coupling, Saint-Saens' Requiem, similarly dubbed (a piece that deserves to be better known, imho).

Is the O'Donnell/Westminster Cathedral a commercial CD?

[CallMePaul]

Is the O'Donnell/Westminster Cathedral a commercial CD?

Listed on Presto as "out of stock at the UK distributor".https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...sort=relevance. When available it on the LPOs "own label".

[Pulcinella]

Is the O'Donnell/Westminster Cathedral a commercial CD?

Looks like only a download now:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8647632--saint-saens-overture-to-la-princesse-jaune-requiem-symphony-no-3

[Lordgeous]

Thanks all.

[CallMePaul]

Looks like only a download now:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...-symphony-no-3

This is not the same performance illustrated by Anna Lapwood this morning! For a start the conductor is different!

[Retune]

Ivan March was the worst reviewer on the Gramophone panel, so I wouldn’t read too much into his view.

I don't agree. Collectors' Corner was one of the more insightful sections of the magazine, and he must have contributed a sizeable fraction of the Penguin Guide reviews that served me well over many years. Doesn't mean he's right on this occasion, of course. I've yet to find a reviewer I always agree with.

[Retune]

This is not the same performance illustrated by Anna Lapwood this morning! For a start the conductor is different!

This one, isn't it?:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8047573--yannick-nezet-seguin-conducts-organ-works-by-poulenc-saint-saens

[Pulcinella]

This is not the same performance illustrated by Anna Lapwood this morning! For a start the conductor is different!

Indeed! If you read my previous post (at 15:29) you'll see that I mentioned this as having the same soloist and orchestra, but a different (and dubbed) organ and recording venue, and I wondered how the two compared!

Lorgeous: there is one (expensive) available CD listed here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saint-Saens-Requiem-Symphony-Overture-Princesse/dp/B000PSJA3K/ref=sr_1_2?crid=HWNVV90PW0KW&keywords=Saint+saens+ o%27donnell+simon&qid=1708199475&s=music&sprefix=s aint+saens+o%27donnell+simon%2Cpopular%2C257&sr=1-2

[seabright]

The Geoffrey Simon / LPO recording referred to above is on YouTube for anyone who'd like to listen to it there. It's been uploaded in its separate parts ...

[hmvman]

I don't agree. Collectors' Corner was one of the more insightful sections of the magazine, and he must have contributed a sizeable fraction of the Penguin Guide reviews that served me well over many years. Doesn't mean he's right on this occasion, of course. I've yet to find a reviewer I always agree with.

Agreed. There's been rarely a Penguin Guide recommendation I've bought that's disappointed. IM's comment "more than the sum of its parts" has resonated with me for many years when considering pieces of music and recordings.

[Barbirollians]

The late Marc Rochester was not impressed by the winner in the Gramophone Collection article in 1995 - he described Guillou as drawing attention to himself like a third viola player wearing an inflatable Eiffel Tower on his head . He went for Tortelier and Munch with an honourable mentions for Baudo and Simon with kickings for HVK and Lenny.

[smittims]

I second Retune's appreciation of Ivan March's reviews. One could tell that he listened intensely to discs and often mentioned interesting details that might pass by the casual listener. He (and Ted Greenfield) never let us forget that music is there to be enjoyed.

[richardfinegold]

See my comment qv. It gets my vote for its indefinable sense of garlic charm. The organ's entry is thunderous and the acoustic of one of the big Parisian churches suitably spacious.

Garlic Charm? Surely the piece is more redolent of chocolat?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Garlic Charm? Surely the piece is more redolent of chocolat?

Isn’t a Garlic charm something you use to ward off vampires ?