BaL 8.05.21 - Smetana: Má Vlast

[Ein Heldenleben]

Getting more analytical now....and more interesting

[Alison]

What’s a ‘cluttered start’ exactly (Hrusa, Bamberg)?!

[Goon525]

To be fair, it has improved in the last few minutes.

[jonfan]

I’ve appreciated hearing about the political background to many of the recordings. A helpful survey in a crowded field.

[Master Jacques]

Oh dear, how disappointing. This is a shocker. Anna Picard has nothing to say - analytical or otherwise - about the musical extracts she's playing, gives new listeners no overall sense of the cycle's narrative, a poor grasp of the work's discography, and can't even pronounce Czech names correctly (AM had to silently correct her on Talich, by getting it right!) Who on earth thought it was a good idea to give her a task, for which she is manifestly unfitted? Where is Nigel Simeone? A classic example of how the "new format" can be a complete waste of air time, I think, with anyone less than A1 on their subject.

[DracoM]

Agree with every syllable of Master Jacques.
Crikey - what a MESS!

[Barbirollians]

Oh dear, how disappointing. This is a shocker. Anna Picard has nothing to say - analytical or otherwise - about the musical extracts she's playing, gives new listeners no overall sense of the cycle's narrative, a poor grasp of the work's discography, and can't even pronounce Czech names correctly (AM had to silently correct her on Talich, by getting it right!) Who on earth thought it was a good idea to give her a task, for which she is manifestly unfitted? Where is Nigel Simeone? A classic example of how the "new format" can be a complete waste of air time, I think, with anyone less than A1 on their subject.

Well said - very poor and far too many interruptions from AMcG but that may be because she has so little to say.

[Goon525]

Although I was the first to criticise here, I really do think it improved in the last 15 minutes.

[Alison]

Coffee table punditry.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Although I was the first to criticise here, I really do think it improved in the last 15 minutes.

Yes agreed , But I suppose there is so much context and history to go through for those listeners who may not be familiar with it. Also the Talich recording - that’s a third of the time gone. I almost think Ma Vlast is one of those conductor proof pieces in a way that Haydn’s Oxford symphony (exemplary BAL) isn’t.

[visualnickmos]

Well said - very poor and far too many interruptions from AMcG but that may be because she has so little to say.

Indeed. I found the narrative / dialogue or whatever, stilted, and disjointed. Awkward alert!

[jonfan]

I enjoyed the BAL and hearing snippets of many recordings old and new, far more than the Haydn Oxford BAL. It gave me an idea of what’s on offer for my library.

[DracoM]

BUT with no analysis - almost all of it was about the HISTORY, and not the detail in interpretation etc of the music.
For me, it was just a flustered, nervously, mechanically talked-through list


.................oh yes, plus AMcGod.

[Bryn]

Well, I heard nothing to complain about in today's BaL. However, that may just be because, following a very late night, I slept right through it without hearing a note or word of it. I will not ask "who won". I'm not sure I will even bother to access it via Sounds, once posted.

[kuligin]

Lots of examples but no reason or musical explanation for their choice, instead lots of superficial historical background and very flowery language. Turned off after half an hour as starting to annoy me so much, so missed the improvement mentioned above. For once AMcG’s many interruptions were a benefit .

You can tell when someone knows the music inside out eg the recent Haydn and Stravinsky programmes and when they do not, ie today and the Josquin.