BaL 5.06.21 - Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D

[Petrushka]

I think the Kremer/BPO/Karajan in the listing is an error, possibly caused by confusing the contents of the EMI Forte double CD which includes the Kremer/Muti in the Sibelius and the Brahms VC which is Kremer/Karajan.

I've got Francescatti/Bernstein, Accardo/Davis, Ferras/Karajan, Batiashvili/Barenboim and Kennedy/Rattle. The last named is my usual 'go to' in this piece.

Not sure, but I can only recall two live performances at which I was present, one of which was especially interesting as I think it was the only time that Claudio Abbado conducted anything by Sibelius. The soloist in that 1982 concert was Isaac Stern with the LSO and Mahler 5 was the second half.

[richardfinegold]

If you haven’t heard Francescatti/Bernstein, you owe it to yourself to give it a listen. Unrivaled in its intensity

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I think the Kremer/BPO/Karajan in the listing is an error, possibly caused by confusing the contents of the EMI Forte double CD which includes the Kremer/Muti in the Sibelius...

No problem. I shall amend.

[Petrushka]

No problem. I shall amend.

I was getting excited about a Karajan disc I hadn't got only to be disappointed when I did a search!

[Alison]

https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/staff/dr-leah-broad ?

Cheers Nethersage, lots of library builders have similar profiles these days! Doesn’t seem a disadvantage to be a youngish female with a university appointment :-)

[cloughie]

Cheers Nethersage, lots of library builders have similar profiles these days! Doesn’t seem a disadvantage to be a youngish female with a university appointment :-)

Pursuit of attracting the younger listener!

[Bryn]

Pursuit of attracting the younger listener!

More like a meagre weakening of the glass ceiling.

[Alison]

More like a meagre weakening of the glass ceiling.

[Barbirollians]

Looking forward to Campoli arriving tomorrow .

For me Haendel/Rattle and Wicks/Ehrling are tops - though Chung,Mutter,Neveu,Frang,Gitlis,Heifetz,Oistrakh,K ennedy,Batiashvili,Ferras and Francescatti ‘s recordings have all given me a great deal of pleasure over the years.

[Wolfram]

I hope that there will be some discussion in this BaL about the allegro moderato tempo marking in the first movement. Of the 14 recordings that I own they all come in at around 15 to 16 minutes plus for that first movement, with the exception of Heifetz who brings it in at a fraction over 14 minutes with Beecham, and at well under 14 minutes is even faster in Chicago with Hendl. I was brought up on the Heifetz Chicago recording, and that tempo still sounds absolutely right to me. Francescatti also plays it at speed similar to Heifetz, but I am not familar with his recording.The soloist has to work so much harder to stop the music dragging at the slower tempi that seem to be commonplace now. Mullova manages to do it, but I'm not sure that many others do. Looking at the score I don't know how Heifetz manages to play it at that pace at all quite frankly, and also the score is littered with tempo changes, so I am really looking forward to hearing someone who is expert in this repertoire guiding us through these fundamental differences in approach.

[Rolmill]

I hope that there will be some discussion in this BaL about the allegro moderato tempo marking in the first movement. Of the 14 recordings that I own they all come in at around 15 to 16 minutes plus for that first movement, with the exception of Heifetz who brings it in at a fraction over 14 minutes with Beecham, and at well under 14 minutes is even faster in Chicago with Hendl. I was brought up on the Heifetz Chicago recording, and that tempo still sounds absolutely right to me. Francescatti also plays it at speed similar to Heifetz, but I am not familar with his recording.The soloist has to work so much harder to stop the music dragging at the slower tempi that seem to be commonplace now. Mullova manages to do it, but I'm not sure that many others do. Looking at the score I don't know how Heifetz manages to play it at that pace at all quite frankly, and also the score is littered with tempo changes, so I am really looking forward to hearing someone who is expert in this repertoire guiding us through these fundamental differences in approach.

Interesting point - most in my collection actually take 16-17 minutes, Oistrakh takes just over 15 and Gitlis almost exactly 14, with Heifetz/Hendl (as you say) the fastest at well under 14. That's quite a range, with the slowest (Hahn) nearly 4 minutes longer than Heifetz. I must admit, Heifetz is my go to for this piece, with Batiashvili my favourite modern recording.

[Wolfram]

Interesting point - most in my collection actually take 16-17 minutes, Oistrakh takes just over 15 and Gitlis almost exactly 14, with Heifetz/Hendl (as you say) the fastest at well under 14. That's quite a range, with the slowest (Hahn) nearly 4 minutes longer than Heifetz. I must admit, Heifetz is my go to for this piece, with Batiashvili my favourite modern recording.

Julian Rachlin with Maazel is another slow coach, slower, by a whisker, even than Hahn. Some of these tempi strike me as being more like andante than allegro moderato, with the more extreme ones like Hahn and Rachlin more like adagio. I am completely with you in admiration for Heifetz in this work.

[Barbirollians]

Just watched the Campoli/Barbirolli and though the sound is very mono it is a grippingly intense reading with an exceptionally moving slow movement .It is a great shame a Campoli was given so little opportunity to record in the stereo era. What a terrific studio recording they might have made.

[Barbirollians]

I find I own 30 of these - gulp .

Is the Tasmin Little/Vernon Handley recording out of the catalogue ?

[mikealdren]

I have (double gulp) 37 although that does include 5 different Oistrakh versions Kavakos chips in twice (with the original and final versions) but to my surprise I don't have Ida Haendel or Kremer, both of whom I have heard play it (magnificently) live.

There are so many fine recordings of this work and only a few (Menuhin, Hahn) that I would rule out as complete non starters. I guess the next step is to weed out the more bland versions, this is one concerto that has to be spine tingling. A violinist friend automatically discounts anyone who doesn't start quietly enough.....