BaL 5.03.16 - Delius: Sea Drift

[ahinton]

And while we're about it, let's hear it for the Violin Concerto - a lovely piece. I agree that the Piano Conc is not even close to the level of the string concertos - even with Moiseiwitch playing it I've always found it a bit of a dud.

That was a quote from fhg (#73), not me! Faute de mieux, malheureusement! Sorry about that!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

And while we're about it, let's hear it for the Violin Concerto - a lovely piece.

Phenomenally difficult to play - every recording I've heard demonstrates the player's intonation flaws (Ralph Holmes is the best, Menuhin's the worst, in this respect) - and balance problems, too; it's always a struggle to hear the flute/bassoon melody from fig 22 behind the too-far-forward Violin accompaniment!

[makropulos]

Phenomenally difficult to play - every recording I've heard demonstrates the player's intonation flaws (Ralph Holmes is the best, Menuhin's the worst, in this respect) - and balance problems, too; it's always a struggle to hear the flute/bassoon melody from fig 22 behind the too-far-forward Violin accompaniment!

Yes, I know it's horribly hard - violinists keep telling me. Menuhin is a disaster in this piece. My own favourite is Jean Pougnet with Beecham, but Ralph Holmes is certainly one of the better modern versions.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Yes, I know it's horribly hard - violinists keep telling me. Menuhin is a disaster in this piece. My own favourite is Jean Pougnet with Beecham, but Ralph Holmes is certainly one of the better modern version.

Ho hum. . . Guess which version I have.

[Barbirollians]

Ralph Holmes's recording is in a class of its own . The Little/Watkins Chandos disc is good but he is a little prosaic compared to the young Du pre but his recording does include all the music .

[Barbirollians]

Yes, I know it's horribly hard - violinists keep telling me. Menuhin is a disaster in this piece. My own favourite is Jean Pougnet with Beecham, but Ralph Holmes is certainly one of the better modern versions.

I think it is the most uncomfortable to listen to recording menuhin made.

[Tony Halstead]

Ho hum. . . Guess which version I have.

I, when a teenager in the 1960s, got to know this sublime piece ( Delius violin concerto) through the Albert Sammons / Liverpool ( pre-Royal) Phil/ Sargent recording on 78s and I do think that the later Pougnet/ Beecham version is in an 'almost parallel universe'.
Of the more modern recordings, Holmes seems effortlessly to 'hit the spot' and although Little's version with Mackerras is very well recorded and very passionately played, her 'quite pitch-bending' vibrato unfortunately spoils it for me... however this is a very personal and biased view, and I do have several Delius-loving friends and colleagues for whom the Little is now the 'only' version!
A few years ago I was delighted when I bought and read the Deryck Cooke book 'Vindications' ... in it there is a wonderful chapter about the Delius VC in which he totally debunks the 'received wisdom' that the concerto is 'formless and rambling', and in fact Cooke offers a very convincing 'chapter and verse' argument, showing that it is - on the contrary - a very tight 'organic' structure.

[Tony Halstead]

I, when a teenager in the 1960s, got to know this sublime piece ( Delius violin concerto) through the Albert Sammons / Liverpool ( pre-Royal) Phil/ Sargent recording on 78s and I do think that the later Pougnet/ Beecham version is in an 'almost parallel universe'.
Of the more modern recordings, Holmes seems effortlessly to 'hit the spot' and although Little's version with Mackerras is very well recorded and very passionately played, her 'quite pitch-bending' vibrato unfortunately spoils it for me... however this is a very personal and biased view, and I do have several Delius-loving friends and colleagues for whom the Little is now the 'only' version!
A few years ago I was delighted when I bought and read the Deryck Cooke book 'Vindications' ... in it there is a wonderful chapter about the Delius VC in which he totally debunks the 'received wisdom' that the concerto is 'formless and rambling', and in fact Cooke offers a very convincing 'chapter and verse' argument, showing that it is - on the contrary - a very tight 'organic' structure.

'LIVE' performances of the Delius violin concerto seem to be 'as rare as hens' teeth'... but I have attended TWO of them:
one in about 1961` at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, played by Laurence Turner / Hallé/ Barbirolli.
Mr Turner 'did a good job' as I recall, but it wasn't a 'special performance'.
The only other one was WONDERFUL, in maybe 1965 at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, played by PETER MOUNTAIN ( now sadly no longer with us) with the RLPO and Sir Charles Groves.

[Pulcinella]

The only other one was WONDERFUL, in maybe 1965 at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, played by PETER MOUNTAIN ( now sadly no longer with us) with the RLPO and Sir Charles Groves.

I was at school with Peter Mountain's son, Paul (he was a few years older).
I now wonder if that's how/why we sometimes got free tickets to RLPO concerts or rehearsals?

[Roslynmuse]

'LIVE' performances of the Delius violin concerto seem to be 'as rare as hens' teeth'... but I have attended TWO of them:
one in about 1961` at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, played by Laurence Turner / Hallé/ Barbirolli.
Mr Turner 'did a good job' as I recall, but it wasn't a 'special performance'.
The only other one was WONDERFUL, in maybe 1965 at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, played by PETER MOUNTAIN ( now sadly no longer with us) with the RLPO and Sir Charles Groves.

There was one at the Bridgewater Hall about a year ago, Guy Braunstein; it sounded a bit like a sight-reading exercise, unfortunately (as did RVW's Lark in the same programme -!) and didn't do the piece any favours...

[pastoralguy]

I played it in the Rehearsal Orchestra with the late Harry Legge back in the 80's. The soloist was the orchestra's leader, Chris Bearman. I think, at that point, he was a player in the BBCSO. I seem to remember him saying that he played on the Menuhin sessions and it was done on two instead of three because of budget restrictions. IIRC, he felt Menuhin was very pressured by this.

I do have that cd in a big box which I should dig out.

[visualnickmos]

I played it in the Rehearsal Orchestra with the late Harry Legge back in the 80's. The soloist was the orchestra's leader, Chris Bearman, as the soloist. I think, at that point, he was a player in the BBCSO. I seem to remember him saying that he played on the Menuhin sessions and it was done on two instead of three because of budget restrictions. IIRC, he felt Menuhin was very pressured by this.

I do have that cd in a big box which I should dig out.

I have the Menuhin, and really like it... sometimes can knowing 'too much' actually impair one's enjoyment?

[Pabmusic]

...sometimes can knowing 'too much' actually impair one's enjoyment?

No.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have the Menuhin, and really like it... sometimes can knowing 'too much' actually impair one's enjoyment?

To be honest, I wasn't too distressed about it until I read the criticism here. But then, I bought the CD for the Elgar.

[Barbirollians]

To be honest, I wasn't too distressed about it until I read the criticism here. But then, I bought the CD for the Elgar.

I might ,I suppose had I not known and loved the Ralph Holmes recording so well feel the same way about it and like you bought the CD for the Elgar/Boult which remains an all time great despite the somewhat snotty press it had on BAL and has had from Andrew A in Gramophone.