Bal 8.02.20/13.6.20 - Mozart: Symphony no. 39 in E flat K.543

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Not much listening going on here is there? Anyone for Mozart?

Might be time for me to join Roerhe and fhg and Beef/Felix/Sid aka soon..... a feeling of living on borrowed time here....

Jayne, I can assure you that your contributions are highly valued on the forum - always thoughtful and written in a style of English that most of us can only dream of. But you can only encourage people. Some will respond; others may be looking in a different direction. But it's never personal.

[underthecountertenor]

Jayne, I can assure you that your contributions are highly valued on the forum - always thoughtful and written in a style of English that most of us can only dream of. But you can only encourage people. Some will respond; others may be looking in a different direction. But it's never personal.

Absolutely

[Tony Halstead]

Seconded!

[DoctorT]

Personally, I enjoy many of the contributions to these boards and do a lot of listening. However, I often feel that my superficial knowledge compared to that of many contributors makes contributing rather pointless, unless I'm asking for recommendations. So keep on posting, JLW et al!

[Barbirollians]

I thought Roehre left after a personal argument which was a great shame - I am sad to see anyone leave but others who treat contributors and host with rudeness and disrespect I do not miss .

JLW however every time I see your name as the last poster it is essential to read sometimes I don’t reply because I have nothing to add , sometimes because I would like to disagree but struggle to counter your arguments !

Back to Symphony No 39 I have been enjoying the Abbado /Orchestra Mozart this week I thought it was a bit clean and colourless when I first bought it but now I find it has a lot to say .

[Barbirollians]

He does seem to like talking. And I don't quite get why so many people are so keen to speculate in a way that exonerates him and puts the blame on 'the management.'

In the discussion of the big Bruno Walter box later in the programme, he made a point of referring to the Serkin/Walter recording of the Emperor (which had not been selected for comment by the reviewer, Katy Hamilton), apparently solely in order to say that the pianist was Peter Serkin who had died the previous Saturday aged 72. A crass and crashingly obvious mistake, and one which seems inexplicable coming from someone with the knowledge of classical recording history that he professes. I am still at a loss as to how he could have thought it was Peter and not Rudolf.

That is a shocker - Peter Serkin would have had to be a prodigy as Walter died in 1962 I think.

Even more embarrassingly however that is clearly a wartime mono recording made in 1941 seven years before Peter Serkin was born - it seems doubtful that Mr McGregor has ever heard it.

[cloughie]

Its your lucky day!

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/mo.../fqjc4inyaum8b

Had a listener and I have to say it is a lively performance but I prefer a warmer string sound - Kubelik and others!

[Bryn]

Its your lucky day!

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/mo.../fqjc4inyaum8b

Better deal on this, here.

[underthecountertenor]

That is a shocker - Peter Serkin would have had to be a prodigy as Walter died in 1962 I think.

Even more embarrassingly however that is clearly a wartime mono recording made in 1941 seven years before Peter Serkin was born - it seems doubtful that Mr McGregor has ever heard it.

Thanks, Barbirollians - exactly. I remain at a loss!

(Apologies to jlw et al for another interruption, and for starting this running here - I just couldn't think of anywhere else to put it at the time. Perhaps we should have a separate 'howlers' thread - but on which board?)

[Barbirollians]

Talking about Music perhaps ?

[Zucchini]

Surprised no comments on OAE/Fischer at RFH last weekend - 39, 40, 41 with interval after 2 movts of 40 & applause encouraged by Fischer after each movt. Various reviews of this. Sounds fun.

[Ein Heldenleben]

It would be a boring world if we all agreed . On this thread I can see a division of opinion on the arcane matter of tempi in the Mozart Symph 39 minuet . I prefer the stately allegretto pace indicated in the Barenreiter. Others prefer something much more forward moving .Sadly the great man is not alive to give us his opinion. Also there may well be times when I’m quite happy for the conductor to speed things up. In general , and I think others have produced the timings to support this , until the HIPP movement shook things up , tempi in symphonic and sonata form pieces had been getting slower. I know there are outliers like Klemperer but when you hear Schnabel and Toscanini- they didn’t hang about.

[jayne lee wilson]

Surprised no comments on OAE/Fischer at RFH last weekend - 39, 40, 41 with interval after 2 movts of 40 & applause encouraged by Fischer after each movt. Various reviews of this. Sounds fun.

Thankyou so much for this.... Mixed reviews, but.....

A quick riffle through RT reveals this concert, recorded last Friday, on Radio 3 tomorrow night (1930 hrs. Wed. 12/02/20).....so anyone can listen for themselves....

Good old forum! I might never have checked-the-scheds otherwise.....
Thanks again Z.

[LMcD]

My latest charity shop bargains include an Archiv CD of Mozart's 38th and 39th symphonies played by Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. I've just heard the 'Prague' and am really looking forward to no. 39!

[Goon525]

I’m abroad, and have only just managed to listen to this BaL. (Though that didn’t stop me setting the hares racing about second half repeats many pages ago.) I thought that like Richard Wigmore a couple of weeks ago on Beethoven 1, Sir Nick is sufficiently on top of his subject that the twofer format - albeit totally unnecessary - didn’t really get in the way.

As far as the music is concerned, NK’s examples reflected my own journey with this music. I heard Böhm conduct the last three symphonies with the VPO at the 76 Edinburgh Festival, and I think again with the LSO in London a couple of years later, and I rated his Mozart (also Figaro and Cosi at the Garden) very highly. But the times, and my ears, have changed, and now I do find smaller forces and generally faster tempi more to my taste. Mackerras and JEG have satisfied me in this music for a while now, but I shall try and find time to listen to Jacobs - and Tognetti, as I generally find Jayne’s recommendations entirely worthwhile - before long. A very good BaL.