BaL 24.02.18 - Berlioz: The Damnation of Faust

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have the Colin Davis Philips version in the big Berlioz box (the one with the same recording of Romeo & Juliet twice).

I've listened to the work just once, so maybe this BaL will trigger a bit more interest chez nous.

[BBMmk2]

I have the Colin Davis Philips version in the big Berlioz box (the one with the same recording of Romeo & Juliet twice).

I've listened to the work just once, so maybe this BaL will trigger a bit more interest chez nous.

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Well worth getting to know better!

[Bryn]

It's a pity the BBC Four broadcast of Terry Gilliam's E.N.O. production has not made it officially to DVD, though DVD copies of questionable provenance can be purchased via the Internet, as can those of the Gilliam production of Benvenuto Cellini. In English, of course, and almost certainly not up for consideration.

[mikealdren]

I have the Colin Davis Philips version in the big Berlioz box (the one with the same recording of Romeo & Juliet twice).

I've listened to the work just once, so maybe this BaL will trigger a bit more interest chez nous.

I don't know the work so I'll be listening with interest.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Not what I expected at all!

[teamsaint]

Not what I expected at all!

Out of interest, what did you expect ?!

I only heard bits so far, will deffo be listening again, but I like the presenter's style.

[BBMmk2]

Out of interest, what did you expect ?!

I only heard bits so far, will deffo be listening again, but I like the presenter's style.

Yes, as do I Sainty. These kind of BaL's should be on all the time rather than the two-fer's we get!
2operatic"

I have Solti's "operatic" recording, which I quite like, but I do rather like Sir Colin Davi's later recording with the LSO on their own label. I have that as part of the Berlioz Bicentenary box set.

A pity only three pages have been used for this marvelous work.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I like the presenter's style.

I didn't - a bit too breathlessly gushing and hurried for me.

An inexpensive BaL for me - I don't like Terfel's singing (no matter what the repertoire, he always sings Some Enchanted Evening, that restrained whispering head voice, the sudden dip into an even quieter dynamic, and then barkissimo) and the "demonic" climax in this recording sounded as hellish as someone dropping a tea tray.

But what a tremendous work this is!

[teamsaint]

I didn't - a bit too breathlessly gushing and hurried for me.

An inexpensive BaL for me - I don't like Terfel's singing (no matter what the repertoire, he always sings Some Enchanted Evening, that restrained whispering head voice, the sudden dip into an even quieter dynamic, and then barkissimo) and the "demonic" climax in this recording sounded as hellish as someone dropping a tea tray.

But what a tremendous work this is!

Things is, I can live with style I don't really like, if the content (aaarghhhh ) is worth hearing. Not that keen on next weeks presenters voice, but love hearing him talk about music.

[vinteuil]

But what a tremendous work this is!

... this is what I mainly took away from this (yes, rather gushing) survey. Inexpensive for me too : it was nice to reminded how good the Markevitch and Munch performances are ; happily I already have both.

But surely this is a work crying out for an idiomatic HIP Performance!

.

[kuligin]

I didn't - a bit too breathlessly gushing and hurried for me.

An inexpensive BaL for me - I don't like Terfel's singing (no matter what the repertoire, he always sings Some Enchanted Evening, that restrained whispering head voice, the sudden dip into an even quieter dynamic, and then barkissimo) and the "demonic" climax in this recording sounded as hellish as someone dropping a tea tray.

But what a tremendous work this is!

I thought I was the only person who felt that way about Terfel and you have encapsulated my feelings which I have never been able to fully articulate, yes its the omnipresent sound of the musicals. And yes a wonderful work, which I do not possess and have not heard for years. A rather bitty review I thought, plenty of helpful comments but really did not feel the different versions were being compared, perhaps more time was needed.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But surely this is a work crying out for an idiomatic HIP Performance!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A rather bitty review I thought, plenty of helpful comments but really did not feel the different versions were being compared, perhaps more time was needed.

My thoughts, too - I did wonder if the "breathlessness" to which I objected might be the result of trying to cram everything into to short a timespan.

[waldo]

I thought I was the only person who felt that way about Terfel and you have encapsulated my feelings which I have never been able to fully articulate, yes its the omnipresent sound of the musicals......

There's also the horrible, barky, wobbly vibrato in much of his recent singing..........

But I think he was really superb in some of his earliest recordings. I suspect he sang with less "drama" back then and his voice was a lot sweeter. I am thinking, in particular, of his Figaro with John Eliot Gardiner and Don Giovanni (as Masetto) in Ostman's terrific version.

Dear God - just listened to his Voici des Roses. Just awful - utterly fake in every way.

[HighlandDougie]

A rather bitty review I thought, plenty of helpful comments but really did not feel the different versions were being compared, perhaps more time was needed.

My thoughts exactly - it did seem a bit rushed. I've only heard it live once (Valery Gergiev conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with Frederica von Stade and, um, I want to say Thomas Hampson but it was almost 25 years ago so it might well not have been) and somehow don't feel hugely drawn towards listening to it at home, unlike Roméo et Juliette. I don't feel any urge to add the winner this time.