BaL 25.01.25 - Brahms: Violin concerto

[Pulcinella]

He suggested to Andrew McGregor that before preparing for this BAL that AMcG as a violinist probably knew the piece better than him .

Perhaps from a player's perspective, but it was his comments about the structure of the piece and the interplay between soloist and orchestra that I found revealing and interesting, and to me showed that he knew what he was talking about (and hence what he was looking for), even if I might not have agreed with his final choice (got interrupted partway through so didn't fully hear his reasons).

[Barbirollians]

He’s a very accomplished musician hence no surprise that he understands the structure of the piece . Doesn’t make it any less of an eccentric BAL.

[kernelbogey]

. ....an eccentric BAL.

is there a standard, in your view? As often observed here, how does a reviewer do justice to a 100 years of recordings?. She can't in 50 minutes.

[Alison]

Something incongruous about the wacky DON choosing the s(t)olid Kurt Masur

[Barbirollians]

is there a standard, in your view? As often observed here, how does a reviewer do justice to a 100 years of recordings?. She can't in 50 minutes.

Somehow other reviewers manage to include the recordings that have become classics even if they reject them . DON ignored the recordings of nearly every great violinist of the 20th century.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

If he did a Strauss BAL, would the wacky DON be quixotic?

[Pulcinella]

If he did a Strauss BAL, would the wacky DON be quixotic?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Something incongruous about the wacky DON choosing the s(t)olid Kurt Masur

For al that I admire Masur’s political and public stance I have to say that I think stolid is putting it mildly. I went to a Beethoven symphony concert at the RFH once and it was completely lifeless,

[oliver sudden]

First movement of DoN's choice too slow and soporific for me. I gave up after 10 minutes.

For a long time I couldn’t come to grips with the piece at all—it just seemed to drag on forever. Then I read the section on the piece in the Penguin Guide (I think) and suddenly saw their comment on Heifetz/Reiner. I think it might have been three words: simply too fast.

The rest is history

[richardfinegold]

For al that I admire Masur’s political and public stance I have to say that I think stolid is putting it mildly. I went to a Beethoven symphony concert at the RFH once and it was completely lifeless,

Same. In my earlier comment I said that he made everything sound Teutonic. I heard him live in Shostakovich 5 and he completely deRussified the piece. It worked however, it was still a thrilling piece of music with German accents.
I have a friend that is a local University Band Director who spent a weekend with Masur when he was guesting in San Francisco. He loved KM. After the first rehearsal he said KM laid into the orchestra for being technically precise but playing without emotion and my friend said the actual concert (Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis…etc) was seat of the pants stuff. I was a bit surprised because with my concert as an outlier my general impression was that KM records were excessively scrubbed and stodgy.

He would be another conductor that I would like to sample tapes of his concerts as I suspect he was best heard live. The NYP does broadcast weekly (Alec Baldwin was the long time narrator) and as I write this I now recall hearing some Masur led concerts that were very good. I especially remember a gripping Shostakovich 13 that easily bested their subsequent recording.
It’s kind of odd to be devoting comments to the conductor on a thread about a concerto, but that is a tribute to the composer’s ability to create concertos that were symphonic in scope

[richardfinegold]

I don’t have much experience with Accardo. He is the fiddler on the first Four Seasons that I ever bought. That was a thrilling disc that I haven’t heard for years and it would probably strike me as anachronistic now with decades of HIPP experience. Otherwise when I was working in record shops I remember that he was something of a Paganini specialist. And then I hadn’t really given him much thought since the digital era began. I was surprised when I sought out this Brahms recording on Apple to see how extensive his discography is.
I’m being redundant but the beauty of his playing was striking in the slow movement of the Brahms. I would love to hear some of the violinists here, such as Mike Alden and PG, impressions on that

[Ein Heldenleben]

Same. In my earlier comment I said that he made everything sound Teutonic. I heard him live in Shostakovich 5 and he completely deRussified the piece. It worked however, it was still a thrilling piece of music with German accents.
I have a friend that is a local University Band Director who spent a weekend with Masur when he was guesting in San Francisco. He loved KM. After the first rehearsal he said KM laid into the orchestra for being technically precise but playing without emotion and my friend said the actual concert (Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis…etc) was seat of the pants stuff. I was a bit surprised because with my concert as an outlier my general impression was that KM records were excessively scrubbed and stodgy.

He would be another conductor that I would like to sample tapes of his concerts as I suspect he was best heard live. The NYP does broadcast weekly (Alec Baldwin was the long time narrator) and as I write this I now recall hearing some Masur led concerts that were very good. I especially remember a gripping Shostakovich 13 that easily bested their subsequent recording.
It’s kind of odd to be devoting comments to the conductor on a thread about a concerto, but that is a tribute to the composer’s ability to create concertos that were symphonic in scope

So true. Around the same time I heard Mackerras with the OAE in the same repertoire . The difference in terms of sprightliness of phrasing was astonishing. Ditto with Jurowski and the LPO.
Although DON made some excellent musicological points - the 5 bar phrasing etc I’m not sure he isn’t a pianist who’s obsessed with things like bar lines even if it’s for the sake of ignoring them. Controversial point but violinists are more inherently “rhapsodic. “ They always seem to play with greater freedom . Pianists often get bogged down in theory.
It’s very interesting that Brahms manuscript and edition is different from Joachim’s though . I alighted on Brahms piano reduction of the concerto yesterday. Usually these things are a walk in the park - needless to say his needs large hands and a very good technique. It’s all very bass heavy with a lot of octave doubling perhaps giving an indication of how he wanted the band to sound. Harmonically that work is a marvel as DON says. While the pianist is wading through all these harmonic changes the violinist seems to be spinning an endless melodic line - rather like comping a very good jazz sax player. Playing that 1st movt must be like heaven on earth.

[Barbirollians]

I have found apart from his Beethoven overtures Masur ‘s recordings stodgy .

[kernelbogey]

If he did a Strauss BAL, would the wacky DON be quixotic?

Not if they got hm to stick to just the Juan.

[smittims]

I'll never forget the evening I went to the RFH to hear Salvatore Accardo play the Elgar concerto . He was taken ill at short notice and a young lad called Nigel Kennedy shuffled on in a ill-fitting suit and gave a historic performance. I hadn't heard of him , but was assured he had appeared with the Salford Symphony Orchestra (!). His EMI recording with Tod Handley followed this. Since then , I have to say, its been downhill all the way, but I treasure that memory.

I heard Mr Kennedy play the Elgar in Scarborough Spa Grand Hall in 1988. By this time, he was an acclaimed performer of the work and didn’t disappoint. Furthermore, he was impeccably dressed. His controversial behaviour that has dragged down his reputation was still far away.