BaL 16.11.19 - Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms

[Bryn]

The Ancerl recording is a snip at £344.43 here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00008ZL4V/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ancerl+stravinsky+psalms&qid=1573294052&sr=8-1

At least delivery is free.

I had to pay £1.24 p&p back in 2006, but then the CD itself cost me all of £4.68. Mind you, swap ".co.uk" for ".de" and the price drops a little.

[Nevilevelis]

Hey!

It isn't advertised as a twofer.

Don't hold your breath - the ominous words "... joins me..." just uttered.

[Pulcinella]

Hey!

It isn't advertised as a twofer.

Sadly, Andrew has just said 'Joins me'.


PS: Pipped at the post!

[Gabriel Jackson]

Not that the English Cathedral Choir tradition as it was in the 1920s was necessarily the "sound-image" that the Russian-born, French-residing composer had in mind, of course.
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Indeed. If he had any sound-image in mind at all, as opposed to simply liking the idea - for all sorts of reasons - of an all-male choir.

(Despite declaring the Mass to be a liturgical work and designating it for male voices - one wonder how many Roman Catholic men-and-boys choirs he had actually heard in 1940s America - the premiere was given by the chorus of La Scala, Milan in the opera house.)

[LeMartinPecheur]

Alpie: Stravinsky's 1932 Paris recording (Alexis Vlassov Choir, Walther Straram Concerts Orch) seems to be still available new, albeit in a 22-CD box https://www.amazon.co.uk/Composers-P...s=music&sr=1-1

That box is an absolutely fascinating lucky dip, though mine was a lot cheaper. You should love it as it includes Strauss's own recording of your favourite work!

[Pulcinella]

Treated myself to the (Gold Edition) Ancerl this week.
While I can see (hear?) its appeal, it still didn't displace Bernstein.

How many horses will be in this morning's race, I wonder.

[zola]

How many horses will be in this morning's race, I wonder.

Possibly the smallest field yet ?

[gurnemanz]

Possibly the smallest field yet ?

Yes. Since I already have all three contenders, it was less interesting than it might have been for me. Odd that Barenboim was included as a non-contender from the start. I would have liked to hear his views on a wider range of recordings: I don't know Markevitch or Celibidache but they do get mentioned as classics.

I also have the 1931 Stravinsky on the EMI Composers in Person box (the work's first recording) and Monteux, having just taken over the LSO aged 86, on BBC Legends. Both not really BaL contenders but well worth hearing (even if Stravinsky did comment: "‘What a sad person, that Monteux!")

[Alison]

I fear twofers are now standard issue.

One of the better ones perhaps with clear and good points.

The device of a final choice to confound early expectation has never worn old for me

[DracoM]

Summerley is a pretty seasoned broadcaster and was by and large up to the AMcG exasperations.
BUT
is BAL now really about introducing a piece rather than evaluation of performance?

[Petrushka]

is BAL now really about introducing a piece rather than evaluation of performance?

It should be able to perform both of these functions at the same time. BaL used to do this very well and it was the way I learnt lot about music in my 20s.

[DracoM]

Ditto. I wonder if newbies today would not have found that BAL a bit...........well, going back and forward and back and forward?

[Pulcinella]

I certainly don't know why JS went back to the Barenboim for a second extract, after dismissing the performance earlier. Not quite as bad a twofer as I feared: Andrew was put in his place quite neatly, I thought, on occasion.

[kuligin]

I found it all rather irritating, with the usual lavish praise of Bernstein, although to be fair it did sound an excellent performance, and little bit of hyperbole, “ greatest religious work” of the last century delivered in a tone that implied if one thought otherwise you were rather dull, and to show that all music is equal an irrelevant reference to the Beatles.

My real problem is that there was no explanation of how the very short list was reached, how many versions were listened to blind I wonder, and really limiting the choice to so few gave no opportunity to hear other approaches even if they did not match the chosen front runners in the presenters opinion.

The best part was as mentioned above, Mr Summerly was experienced enough not to be thrown by the interruptions which added nothing in my opinion

PS My greatest religious work of the last century is of today Moses und Aron.

[Pulcinella]

I found it all rather irritating, with the usual lavish praise of Bernstein, although to be fair it did sound an excellent performance, and little bit of hyperbole, “ greatest religious work” of the last century delivered in a tone that implied if one thought otherwise you were rather dull, and to show that all music is equal an irrelevant reference to the Beatles.

My real problem is that there was no explanation of how the very short list was reached, how many versions were listened to blind I wonder, and really limiting the choice to so few gave no opportunity to hear other approaches even if they did not match the chosen front runners in the presenters opinion.

The best part was as mentioned above, Mr Summerly was experienced enough not to be thrown by the interruptions which added nothing in my opinion

PS My greatest religious work of the last century is of today Moses und Aron.

If you read the Our Summer BaL thread (link provided earlier, in Bryn's post #9) you'll find even more lavish praise of the Bernstein performance, much of it from me, but endorsed by others.