BaL 24.04.21 - Stravinsky: Violin concerto in D

[visualnickmos]

Let's simply have our own Stravinsky Violin Concerto BaL and share on here; our personal favs, one's we are perhaps not so keen on - and why etc, etc,

[gurnemanz]

It’s not R3 as it used to be - too many ‘bleeding chunks’ rather than the full works. It’s more like CFM without the ads!

Radio 4 and Five Live have normal schedule. Random chunks are OK all day long but Igor is somehow disrespectful to D of E's memory. No consistency or rationale in all this and slightly worrying that such perplexing decisions can get be made.

On the plus side it does uncomplicate my day. Lots of sport on the telly.

[Pulcinella]

Let's simply have our own Stravinsky Violin Concerto BaL and share on here; our personal favs, one's we are perhaps not so keen on - and why etc, etc,

I'm sure we'll get to hear makropulos's choice soon; surely R3 will choose another date for their Stravinsky day, given that considerable effort must already have been put into it.
I hope makropulos has been suitably rewarded for recording his contribution!
I doubt that he'll be allowed to spill the beans here first, though.

[Pulcinella]

Copied across from another thread (What Classical.....) as this has some of my thoughts.

Recently, some hitherto unheard versions of the Stravinsky Violin concerto, in preparation for BaL on 10 April 2021.

Krzysztof Smietana/Philharmonia/Craft
A worthy addition to my Stravinsky collection; thanks to Bryn for bringing the CD to my attention.
A nice performance, with lots of well-balanced interplay between the soloist and the orchestra.

Nebel/Baltic Sea Philharmonic/K Järvi
and
Skride/BBCNOW/Fischer

Not too taken with either of these; both seemed rather wilful to my ears.

A previous winner:
Zimmermann/Stuttgart RSO/Gelmetti
and its 'replacement' in the new Warner 23CD box
Vengerov/LSO/Rostropovich

Oh dear! Both abandoned after the first movement, which really did not suit.

For me too, as RichardB says on the BaL thread (though I must listen again to Stern and Chung):

I like this piece very much but I haven't yet come across a recording that really ticks all my boxes....

I like this piece very much but I haven't yet come across a recording that really ticks all my boxes....
I'm very much looking forward to makropulos's survey in BaL, and I'm hoping that that elusive recording will appear.

PS: My 'make or break' moments in the first movement are:
(i) the interplay between the soloist and first oboe (admittedly marked sempre pp) at Fig 14
(ii) the interplay with the first horn (marked Solo) from three bars before Fig 49

[richardfinegold]

Interestingly arch - conspiracy theorist Joseph Lebrecht says he comprehensively researched these claims re Stern and could find no evidence for it. He makes the point that Stern , as an ICM artist could have little impact on those represented by CAMI - a larger agency.
With Karajan - yes he could make or break careers no problem ...

I missed these comments a week ago. I read an interview with Earl Wild before he died. Apparently he and Mischa Eliman were neighbors and would go for walks together. Elman career was all but over and per Wild he suddenly burst out with “F——— Stern!”
As per Rosand, I read a long interview with him where he claimed at length that Stern went out of his way to throw obstacles to throw obstacles to his career
I see that others have referenced aLebrecht article about Stern and Rosand. I believe the article I read was in Fanfare, many years ago. When I was first buying recordings, I had bought some of Rosan Vox recordings because, well, I could afford them as a teenager, and I was therefore interested when an extended interview appeared with him when he released another recording

[visualnickmos]

I'm sure we'll get to hear makropulos's choice soon; surely R3 will choose another date for their Stravinsky day, given that considerable effort must already have been put into it.
I hope makropulos has been suitably rewarded for recording his contribution!
I doubt that he'll be allowed to spill the beans here first, though.

I certainly hope so.


I certainly hope not!


I've listened again several times over the last couple of weeks to a few different recordings. And yet, I still feel that it's unfamiliar aural territory; not that I'm 'searching' for deeper meanings and all that cerebral stuff. I'm enjoying my traversal of each version I listen to.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I missed these comments a week ago. I read an interview with Earl Wild before he died. Apparently he and Mischa Eliman were neighbors and would go for walks together. Elman career was all but over and per Wild he suddenly burst out with “F——— Stern!”
As per Rosand, I read a long interview with him where he claimed at length that Stern went out of his way to throw obstacles to throw obstacles to his career
I see that others have referenced aLebrecht article about Stern and Rosand. I believe the article I read was in Fanfare, many years ago. When I was first buying recordings, I had bought some of Rosan Vox recordings because, well, I could afford them as a teenager, and I was therefore interested when an extended interview appeared with him when he released another recording

Yes after Lebrecht (for once failing to uncover a conspiracy! ) exonerated Stern over the career destroying charge Rosand wrote in with his damning article . I wonder what possible end such behaviour serves? All I can say is that unfortunately it happens in most professions - not just the arts.

[PHS]

So, we can have 'The Hit List on BBC 1 but not Record Review?

[makropulos]

I certainly hope so.


I certainly hope not!

I gather there are plans to run the whole Stravinsky Day before too long –I'm afraid I know no more than that. It'll be nice to get the Violin Concerto BAL out then. But in the meantime, absolutely not going to give my choices yet!

[Petrushka]

I gather there are plans to run the whole Stravinsky Day before too long –I'm afraid I know no more than that. It'll be nice to get the Violin Concerto BAL out then. But in the meantime, absolutely not going to give my choices yet!

[visualnickmos]

I gather there are plans to run the whole Stravinsky Day before too long –I'm afraid I know no more than that. It'll be nice to get the Violin Concerto BAL out then. But in the meantime, absolutely not going to give my choices yet!

Very glad to hear that! I am very much looking fwd to this BaL; the last few years have been an amazing Stravinsky journey for me, in my music-listening. I hadn't realised that he was such a prolific composer, in a huge range of genres.

[ostuni]

Excellent news. I did my own mini-BaL listening from Qobuz this morning, comparing half a dozen or so. I don’t know this piece very well, and don’t have any strongly-imprinted older versions in my head, but found both the solo and orchestral playing on the new Nebel/K Jarvi recording very impressive.

[Pulcinella]

Excellent news. I did my own mini-BaL listening from Qobuz this morning, comparing half a dozen or so. I don’t know this piece very well, and don’t have any strongly-imprinted older versions in my head, but found both the solo and orchestral playing on the new Nebel/K Jarvi recording very impressive.

So did I, but, as commented up/downthread:

It's a shame (for me, anyway) that Nebel seems not to obey the pochissimo in the direction pochissimo meno in the bar before Figure 11 (and equivalently when repeated, in the bar before Figure 46) in the first movement, which nearly grinds to a halt at those points. Actually, the poco rit in the bar before Figure 27 isn't that poco either.
Too bad, as the recording scores at the other points in that movement that I care about (see the What Classical...... thread).

To take an analogy from the Grand National (which DID take place yesterday), this falling during the first few hurdles/fences put it out of the running for me, but maybe I have to allow for a remount, and remind myself how Nebel (rider?) and Järvi (trainer?) cope with the rest of the course. But since Stravinsky is the owner, I still think that his instructions should hold sway.

[cloughie]

So did I, but, as commented up/downthread:



To take an analogy from the Grand National (which DID take place yesterday), this falling during the first few hurdles/fences put it out of the running for me, but maybe I have to allow for a remount, and remind myself how Nebel (rider?) and Järvi (trainer?) cope with the rest of the course. But since Stravinsky is the owner, I still think that his instructions should hold sway.

A washout at the Canal Turn?

[richardfinegold]

Yes after Lebrecht (for once failing to uncover a conspiracy! ) exonerated Stern over the career destroying charge Rosand wrote in with his damning article . I wonder what possible end such behaviour serves? All I can say is that unfortunately it happens in most professions - not just the arts.

It certainly happens other professions. I have seen many examples, possibly one involving myself, in my line, and have heard of numerous cases in other fields.

I am speculating Rosand’s decision to covert from Judaism didn’t win him favors with Stern or his circle, but I don’t remember if Rosand himself raises that as an issue