BaL 19.12.20 - Mahler Symphony no. 1

[kuligin]

My wife has relations in Cologne (Köln) and we have frequently driven back to UK via Belgium. A potential source of confusion as you get beyond Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) are the signposts referring to Luik, Lüttich and Liège which are of course the same place in Dutch, German and French.

Quite a few of those in Belgium, Mons becoming Bergen as you crossed the linguistic frontier, particularly confusing was Rijsel for Lille when in Flanders, but I understand that “Lille” is now added on road signs in brackets which never occurs for signs to towns in Francophone Belgium.

At a performance as the Munt or Monnaie Opera there are two sets of surtitles and to be scrupulously fair after the interval they swop so the left hand titles change from French to Flemish and vice versa on the right hand titles.

[LeMartinPecheur]

But Byoodapest? It should be more like Boodapesht.

Many of us down here in Cornwall find Byoodapest, particularly in the holiday season!

Ah, holiday seasons - remember them??

[verismissimo]

… Roma , Firenze, Paris, Milan , München, Etc etc.

Brunn, Praha, Wien … ?

[LeMartinPecheur]

Brunn, Praha, Wien … ?

(Probably a few more somewhere)

[LeMartinPecheur]

I have particular issues with Firenze, our version it being so far removed from the Italian one.

EA: seems it isn't just good traditional English ignorance that gives us 'Florence': Wiki: "The present city of Florence was established by Julius Caesar in 59 BC as a settlement for his veteran soldiers and was named originally Fluentia, owing to the fact that it was built between two rivers, which was later changed to Florentia (flowering)."

Apologies for steering so far OT, but interesting...?

[cloughie]

Many of us down here in Cornwall find Byoodapest, particularly in the holiday season!

Ah, holiday seasons - remember them??

You mean Kernow!

[LeMartinPecheur]

You mean Kernow!

Sorry

[MickyD]

Since living in France for nearly 20 years, I find enormous pleasure in listening to France Musique. Why the hell is it, that everything in UK has to be so diluted, that all you get something that a only anyone under 8, would find absorbing?

I couldn't agree more. France Musique gets things just right, in my opinion. And the daily, two-hour 'En Piste!' record review programme at 9am is excellent.. a bit of useful info given by the two presenters before playing decent-length extracts, then a half hour at the end of a featured artist of the week. It's well worth a listen.

[visualnickmos]

I couldn't agree more. France Musique gets things just right, in my opinion. And the daily, two-hour 'En Piste!' record review programme at 9am is excellent.. a bit of useful info given by the two presenters before playing decent-length extracts, then a half hour at the end of a featured artist of the week. It's well worth a listen.

Indeed. I just wish I had more free time for longer listening times. I could happily listen from dawn till dusk.

[verismissimo]

Brunn, Praha, Wien … ?

Just my feeble attempt to get back on topic.

[gurnemanz]

Indeed. I just wish I had more free time for longer listening times. I could happily listen from dawn till dusk.

Tangents seem to have taken over from Mahler, but I like a good tangent. The delight of modern home audio technology is for me exactly not listening to the same station from dawn till dusk but moving around, especially now with time to do so, being retired and stuck at home thanks to Covid. Also, so many excellent video streams around, eg BBC/Wigmore lunchtime recitals, Oxford Lieder Festival, as well as Spotify, Qobuz, YouTube etc. France Musique is No 5 on my preset list after YLE Klassinen from Finland, Bayern Klassik, RAI Radio Classica and MDR Klassik (a personal choice maybe - I worked at Leipzig University for four years and my wife grew up there, so it is her voice of home). I also like Venice Classic Radio. As a language teacher, I do know French and find France Musique excellent but there is too much speech, not to say Gallic verbosity, for my personal preference. I also enjoy their Jazz and other excellent genre stations. When not listening to BBC Radio 3, 4 or Five Live, I tend to prefer the stations like YLE, Venice and RAI that just announce the music and play it without chat.

[cloughie]

Tangents seem to have taken over from Mahler, but I like a good tangent. The delight of modern home audio technology is for me exactly not listening to the same station from dawn till dusk but moving around, especially now with time to do so, being retired and stuck at home thanks to Covid. Also, so many excellent video streams around, eg BBC/Wigmore lunchtime recitals, Oxford Lieder Festival, as well as Spotify, Qobuz, YouTube etc. France Musique is No 5 on my preset list after YLE Klassinen from Finland, Bayern Klassik, RAI Radio Classica and MDR Klassik (a personal choice maybe - I worked at Leipzig University for four years and my wife grew up there, so it is her voice of home). I also like Venice Classic Radio. As a language teacher, I do know French and find France Musique excellent but there is too much speech, not to say Gallic verbosity, for my personal preference. I also enjoy their Jazz and other excellent genre stations. When not listening to BBC Radio 3, 4 or Five Live, I tend to prefer the stations like YLE, Venice and RAI that just announce the music and play it without chat.

Perhaps you should start a new Tangents thread and then anyone who is wanhting to veer off topic can point to ‘Tangents’ - The I’m probably as guilty as many others in straying but recently it seems to have gone on more and longer!

[Goon525]

Don't suppose anyone is interested in my view of Bruno Walter's Mahler 1? Not tangential enough?

Fabulous. I can quite see why it won. And these were early days for Mahler performances - but you wouldn’t know it.

Re the recording (listened to in a recent 96/24 transfer via Qobuz): also excellent, wears its 60 years exceptionally well, and confirms the point that it wasn’t CBS’s recordings that disappointed, but what the company did with them. I listened at a high level (I like the start of the final to explode from the speakers - I think it's one of the great moments in music), and there was just a trace of tape hiss, but it really didn’t bother me. Colours a bit more primary than a modern recording would be, but absolutely nothing that would justify failing to give this the current palm on historic grounds.

That’s two great symphonic performances I’ve listened to at home in the last few days - Harnoncourt’s Unfinished the other. A little consolation for the misery of being stuck at home, probably for several months now.

[Petrushka]

Don't suppose anyone is interested in my view of Bruno Walter's Mahler 1? Not tangential enough?

Fabulous. I can quite see why it won. And these were early days for Mahler performances - but you wouldn’t know it.

Re the recording (listened to in a recent 96/24 transfer via Qobuz): also excellent, wears its 60 years exceptionally well, and confirms the point that it wasn’t CBS’s recordings that disappointed, but what the company did with them. I listened at a high level (I like the start of the final to explode from the speakers - I think it's one of the great moments in music), and there was just a trace of tape hiss, but it really didn’t bother me. Colours a bit more primary than a modern recording would be, but absolutely nothing that would justify failing to give this the current palm on historic grounds.

That’s two great symphonic performances I’ve listened to at home in the last few days - Harnoncourt’s Unfinished the other. A little consolation for the misery of being stuck at home, probably for several months now.

I have the recording in the big Bruno Walter box and played it on Saturday evening. Fully endorse your comments and my only grumble (not mentioned by anyone?) is that Walter ignores the repeats in the first two movements though this might bother others less than it does me.

[Goon525]

Yes, I agree about the missing exposition repeat in the first movement. ‘Twas earlyish days though.