BaL 14.01.17 - Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 4 in F minor

[Beef Oven!]

Shame no mention of the Petrushka/Alison recommended Jurowski LPO.

I listened to it again last night (the CD arrived before e the BaL which surprised me) and I thought it was excellent. I just wish they hadn’t edited out the applause at the end. With the Brahms 2, with the same artists (recent BaL winner) and also live from the RFH, they leave the rapturous applause on and it really adds to experience of home listening. Shame. If I knew how, I’d edit the applause from the Brahms CD to the end of the Tchaikovsky!!

[BBMmk2]

Shame no mention of the Petrushka/Alison recommended Jurowski LPO.

I listened to it again last night (the CD arrived before e the BaL which surprised me) and I thought it was excellent. I just wish they hadn’t edited out the applause at the end. With the Brahms 2, with the same artists (recent BaL winner) and also live from the RFH, they leave the rapturous applause on and it really adds to experience of home listening. Shame. If I knew how, I’d edit the applause from the Brahms CD to the end of the Tchaikovsky!!

True, it's certainly white heat reading and well worth to be mentioned.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I was surprised that Abbado and Vienna Philharmonic didn't get a mention.

Oh yes! I hadn't noticed at the time, but that omission - with Maazel/VPO is surprising from RC.

I would rank these as the best two.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I am quite 'gutted' that RC didn't mention the incandescent Barbirolli / Hallé recording... 'Mercury' recording team, Manchester 'Free Trade Hall' ( wonderful acoustic...much better than the Bridgwater Hall)

Although I question the quality of the Halle's playing in this particular work, I agree 100% about the relative merits of the two halls. One was a glorious concert hall with a sardine can for a bar, subsequently replaced by a luxurious bar and restaurant with an adjacent vast bathroom.

[silvestrione]

Karajan then recorded the symphony again for DG with the BPO in 1966 and 1977 and for EMI in 1971. His final recording of the 4th was with the VPO for DG in 1985.

I have all of them....

I have all except the 1966...I expect someone is about to say that's the best of them!

[cloughie]

I have all except the 1966...I expect someone is about to say that's the best of them!

I don't know if it is the best but it is pretty good - had a listen to it this morning. Nice brisk finale, though not quite up to Mravinsky pace.

[pastoralguy]

I have all except the 1966...I expect someone is about to say that's the best of them!

That was the first full price DG Lp I ever bought! Actually, yes it is pretty good but probably not up to Mravinsky standards. I seem to remember the Guide to Penguins said it took a bit of time to get started which I think is true.

[gurnemanz]

There's one more to consider - out this week. Just after skipping through this thread I sat down to read the Observer.

[cloughie]

There's one more to consider - out this week. Just after skipping through this thread I sat down to read the Observer.

Well if it as good as his Rachmaninov it is worth a listen.

[Beef Oven!]

PS I recently played Ashkenazy's set of 3-6. Really quite stunning recordings and performances.

Thanks for the PS!

I’m keen on Vlad, so I just popped onto Amazon and picked up 4, 5 & 6 for £3.00 incl. p&p, second hand. A veritable bargain!

[cloughie]

One of Karajan's was favourably mentioned; is it by chance this one? I somehow think not, but I'm unclear......

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-Symphonies-Pathetique-Pyotr-Ilyich/dp/B000NPCMJ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1484472782&sr=1-1&keywords=tchaikovsky+karajan

I couldn't find an earlier (early 1960s) version....

PS I recently played Ashkenazy's set of 3-6. Really quite stunning recordings and performances.

3?

[seabright]

There are loads of televised performances of this work on You Tube (Karajan, Bernstein, Svetlanov, Jansons, etc.) but I thought the Danish Radio Symphony performance under Celibidache from 1971 started off in a rather curious way. The horns seemed not to be playing "ff" as marked but more "mf" and then the dynamics fade down even more altogether. Still, the last few bars of the intro are indeed marked "p" and "pp" so I guess Celi was being strictly literal. Even so, the effect is strangely uninvolving, as is the rest of this performance. I believe this conductor wanted lots of rehearsals for his concerts but based on this one it seems the law of diminishing returns may have set in ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUlF5VumQig&t=189s

[Karafan]

3?

This is his 1959 great 4th recorded in the Gruenewald Kirche: https://www.highresaudio.com/en/albu...-symphony-no-4

K

[Barbirollians]

This is his 1959 great 4th recorded in the Gruenewald Kirche: https://www.highresaudio.com/en/albu...-symphony-no-4

K

Also to be found in the Warner classics 1949-1960 box of his romantic symphony recordings for that period

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mussorgsky-Tchaikovsky-Balakirev-Stravinsky-Remastered/dp/B00IRHGY8A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484518502&sr=8-2&keywords=karajan+1949-1960

[cloughie]

This is his 1959 great 4th recorded in the Gruenewald Kirche: https://www.highresaudio.com/en/albu...-symphony-no-4

K

I was questioning the Ashkenzy reference Sym 3?