BaL 14.01.23 - Prokofiev: Violin Concerto no. 2

[richardfinegold]

I'm surprised more hasn't been made of this.

Is it what the politicians would call a conflict of interest? My answer would be 'yes'. At the very least it makes the reviewer's choice of little value.

Interesting that the “tweet was deleted by its author”

[underthecountertenor]

I'm surprised more hasn't been made of this.

Is it what the politicians would call a conflict of interest? My answer would be 'yes'. At the very least it makes the reviewer's choice of little value.

I raised that very issue in my non-pseudonymous capacity on Gernon’s Twitter feed. I have to say that I thought his response somewhat disingenuous.

https://mobile.twitter.com/GernonBen/status/1614599230273855490

[BBMmk2]

Ehnes to the collective bewilderment of many on this forum . The Chung / Previn is a bit of a classic IMHO and the Heifetz a notch above that.

Ah, no-one has bettered Heiffetz? Very interesting.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Ah, no-one has bettered Heiffetz? Very interesting.

Well that’s only my opinion. I haven’t listened to all the versions available!

[Barbirollians]

I raised that very issue in my non-pseudonymous capacity on Gernon’s Twitter feed. I have to say that I thought his response somewhat disingenuous.
https://mobile.twitter.com/GernonBen...99230273855490

I agree with you . I should make the point to Record Review directly. That if choosing a soloist or orchestra known to you personally as a friend and/or colleague then you should declare so.

[underthecountertenor]

I agree with you . I should make the point to Record Review directly. That if choosing a soloist or orchestra known to you personally as a friend and/or colleague then you should declare so.

Thank you, Barbirollians. Andrew McGregor and BBCR3 were included as @s in my tweet, so I hope the point will have been noted. Whether it is taken is another matter - perhaps I should write to the new Controller…

[Petrushka]

I raised that very issue in my non-pseudonymous capacity on Gernon’s Twitter feed. I have to say that I thought his response somewhat disingenuous.
https://mobile.twitter.com/GernonBen...99230273855490

'Somewhat disingenuous' is a bit on the mild side. This is what happens when the BBC use conductors/performers to review recordings. Of course, BG might indeed have put all feelings aside and consider the Ehnes recording to be the best available but it is our right, in view of what we know, to disregard his opinion as totally worthless which, frankly, I do.

Let's be honest, he's been caught out. Looking at the scale of deception that goes on in the world today, this, if that is what it is, is pretty small beer but at the same time there is some degree of commercial advantage to be gained for the artists and record company in a recommended recording on 'Building a Library' that can last a long time.

Producers need to look more carefully at those they use for reviewing purposes and stick to academics or bona fide magazine reviewers.

[underthecountertenor]

'Somewhat disingenuous' is a bit on the mild side. This is what happens when the BBC use conductors/performers to review recordings. Of course, BG might indeed have put all feelings aside and consider the Ehnes recording to be the best available but it is our right, in view of what we know, to disregard his opinion as totally worthless which, frankly, I do.

Let's be honest, he's been caught out. Looking at the scale of deception that goes on in the world today, this, if that is what it is, is pretty small beer but at the same time there is some degree of commercial advantage to be gained for the artists and record company in a recommended recording on 'Building a Library' that can last a long time.

Producers need to look more carefully at those they use for reviewing purposes and stick to academics or bona fide magazine reviewers.

Thank you for your endorsement, Petrushka. I was deliberately understating with ‘somewhat,’ of course. I think that this latest BaL is possibly the most egregious of the current format and therefore the best demonstration of why it needs to change (back to what it was before, maybe).

[jayne lee wilson]

This is dispiriting isn't it?

Even if there wasn't a conscious bias or deliberate favouring in the conductor's choices, it almost feels as if the critical role was not being taken seriously (by contributor or editor), in the way one would usually take for granted from a professional, experienced reviewer or music journalist.

"Just a bit of fun... so what if you choose a friend...?"


*****

Still, to be fair to the recording itself, one of Gramophone's better reviewers, David Gutman, was very positive about the Ehnes/Noseda set in 10/2013, describing it as "strongly recommended" even against his chosen comparisons e.g. Chung/Previn ("couldn't do without") and so on...

...With which I can only concur, having just streamed it off Qobuz in 24/96. The precision, beauty and elegance of Ehnes' protean tonal range, his flexibility of phrase and rhythm, perfectly matched by Noseda with effortless orchestral poise and panache set in a lovely spacious acoustic, creates an outstanding account of this deft and subtle masterwork. Excellent recorded sound.

This close partnership between soloist and conductor (in sound - tonal character - as well as musical sense, which hi-resolution playback brings out the more explicitly) essential to a truly great concerto recording, is exceptional here. Especially striking in the first part of the ben marcato where violin and orchestra dart between and around each other like fluttering birds, both courting and competing.

I hadn't heard this recording before but I'm very grateful for the encounter, and will return to it (and No.1 on the same album) very soon...

[silvestrione]

I agree with you . I should make the point to Record Review directly. That if choosing a soloist or orchestra known to you personally as a friend and/or colleague then you should declare so.

Even then, it doesn't feel right. Not long ago Sarah Willis, a BPO horn player, announced as such, chose a BPO horn player as her 'winner' for the Strauss Horn Concertos.

[Petrushka]

Even then, it doesn't feel right. Not long ago Sarah Willis, a BPO horn player, announced as such, chose a BPO horn player as her 'winner' for the Strauss Horn Concertos.

True, but to be fair, the horn player concerned, Norbert Hauptmann, had long since retired and that Strauss recording (Horn Concerto No 2) was made in 1973 under Karajan. Not even remotely in the same league as this case.

[jayne lee wilson]

Which Heifetzes do Heifetz enthusiasts recommend?
Thought I'd take a listen to the Munch Living Stereo later..... are any live/historicals preferred?

Surprised at the lack of Ehnes-fans here.... always admired his Proms performances, eg excellent Britten and Walton a few years back....
Took a few spotchecks with Chung/Previn, I felt a consistent favouring of Ehnes (and Noseda's BBCPO, exceptional and exceptionally well-recorded in MediaCity...)...

[Barbirollians]

Which Heifetzes do Heifetz enthusiasts recommend?
Thought I'd take a listen to the Munch Living Stereo later..... are any live/historicals preferred?

Surprised at the lack of Ehnes-fans here.... always admired his Proms performances, eg excellent Britten and Walton a few years back....
Took a few spotchecks with Chung/Previn, I felt a consistent favouring of Ehnes (and Noseda's BBCPO, exceptional and exceptionally well-recorded in MediaCity...)...

Felt the same about his raved about Elgar with Davis - technically perfect musically did very little for me.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Which Heifetzes do Heifetz enthusiasts recommend?
Thought I'd take a listen to the Munch Living Stereo later..... are any live/historicals preferred?

Surprised at the lack of Ehnes-fans here.... always admired his Proms performances, eg excellent Britten and Walton a few years back....
Took a few spotchecks with Chung/Previn, I felt a consistent favouring of Ehnes (and Noseda's BBCPO, exceptional and exceptionally well-recorded in MediaCity...)...

Pretty well unbeatable in the major concerti Tschaik, Korngold , Beethoven , Brahms
I think he premiered the Korngold and the Walton - again unmatched in these
But favourite of favourite is Kreutzer with Benno moiseiwitsch
His Bach Chaconne also wonderful. Also his salon piece playing , Gherswin Porgy and Bess
It’s said in London once he kicked off a recital with the Bach D minor Chaconne. The audience gasped when he started with the wrong opening chord in D major - pausing a beat he then launched into the National Anthem.

[jayne lee wilson]

Pretty well unbeatable in the major concerti Tschaik, Korngold , Beethoven , Brahms
I think he premiered the Korngold and the Walton - again unmatched in these
But favourite of favourite is Kreutzer with Benno moiseiwitsch
His Bach Chaconne also wonderful. Also his salon piece playing , Gherswin Porgy and Bess
It’s said in London once he kicked off a recital with the Bach D minor Chaconne. The audience gasped when he started with the wrong opening chord in D major - pausing a beat he then launched into the National Anthem.

Well that's marvellous. Why bother with anyone else?
......but I just wanted to know which of the Heifetz Prokofiev 2nds I should listen to...