BaL 18.02.23 - Mozart: String Quartet no. 19 in C major, K. 465 ’Dissonance’

[Beresford]

To me the Modigliani sounded like an updated version of the Amadeus from sixty years ago - a certain authority; I should put on a clean shirt and sit in a comfortable armchair to listen.
In that era I liked the Heutling quartet - who triggered my first love for these quartets and quintets.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

Very little reference to the score...

My recurring beef with BALs - and come to think of it, reviewers in general, I'm afraid. I sometimes think the ability to read music is a curse for a collector.

[makropulos]

Very little reference to the score

Not quite sure how that would work on a broadcast (rather than a tutorial)? But there was plenty of reference to the substance of the music (key structure in the first movement, texture, and so on). What's more, as a general point, plenty of BAL listeners either a) don't have a score of the work under discussion, or b) don't read music at all but enjoy the comparisons of different versions.

[Parry1912]

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My Eulenburg score was in the library of Nikolai Medtner...


It was a wedding present to us from the daughter of Medtner's friend, the conductor and record producer Lawrance Collingwood.

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I’d love to know what else was on your wedding list. We had salad bowls and a toaster.

[Pulcinella]

My recurring beef with BALs - and come to think of it, reviewers in general, I'm afraid. I sometimes think the ability to read music is a curse for a collector.

Not quite sure how that would work on a broadcast (rather than a tutorial)? But there was plenty of reference to the substance of the music (key structure in the first movement, texture, and so on). What's more, as a general point, plenty of BAL listeners either a) don't have a score of the work under discussion, or b) don't read music at all but enjoy the comparisons of different versions.

But mention of adherence to composer's 'instructions' in the score is surely helpful, such as in the first movement of the Stravinsky Violin concerto Hahn recording.

[makropulos]

But mention of adherence to composer's 'instructions' in the score is surely helpful, such as in the first movement of the Stravinsky Violin concerto Hahn recording.

Well yes :)

[HighlandDougie]

Well yes :)

I'm probably being too optimistic in my faith in reviewers but I work on the principle that there should be no need to keep referring to a particular performance's adherence to the score unless - and it's a big unless - there is a divergence form the score which has a material effect on the way in which the music is heard. I don't know what the Hilary Hahn/Stravinsky VC issue was to which Pulcinella refers above but divergence from the composer's wishes/intentions would seem to me certainly to warrant being mentioned. In this morning's programme, I don't think that there were any egregious departures from what WAM wrote. How performers choose to interpret tempos is a different matter - one quartet's 'andante cantabile' is not necessarily the same as that of another quartet. That kind of difference did warrant comment and some discussion without it getting too bogged down in absolute fidelity - whatever that means - or not to the published score.

[jayne lee wilson]

There is a box set of the Salomons here, some sellers are offering it for under 30 pounds.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Six-HAYDN-String-Quartets/dp/B000002ZFR/ref=sr_1_11?crid=SW0CU8HB9XFD&keywords=Salomon+Quartet&qid=1674989287&s=music&sprefix=salomon+quartet%2Cclassical%2C96&sr=1-11

The Mosaiques set highlighted by Jayne is going for a staggering £145!

Still some singles around, including.....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Quartets-dedicated-Quatuor-Mosaïques/dp/B000026E80/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_1_2/257-5586350-1011850?pd_rd_w=ti5Wp&content-id=amzn1.sym.e915a13f-380a-44c0-b87a-2bc42d7457b9&pf_rd_p=e915a13f-380a-44c0-b87a-2bc42d7457b9&pf_rd_r=CNMV7VS10MTJWRATFRA7&pd_rd_wg=2eF61&pd_rd_r=258ac2da-a571-4d93-ba30-31149403dbc3&pd_rd_i=B000026E80&psc=1

[vinteuil]

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... rather taken by the Cuarteto Quiroga extract they played : might wish to investigate further

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

My recurring beef with BALs - and come to think of it, reviewers in general, I'm afraid. I sometimes think the ability to read music is a curse for a collector.

Would you say the same about literature collectors/reviewers if they couldn't read the language?

[Bryn]

Would you say the same about literature collectors/reviewers if they couldn't read the language?

Sorry, that's a bogus comparison. Music is perceived aurally. One does not need to know how it is notated to grasp its essence. Literature is perceived direct from its notation, the written word.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Sorry, that's a bogus comparison. Music is perceived aurally. One does not need to know how it is notated to grasp its essence. Literature is perceived direct from its notation, the written word.

Yes and no.

Literature can be read to you. Stories were at one time told entirely by word of mouth.

Looking from a different angle, Halle Orchestra programmes used to contain short musical excerpts to aid concert goers in the understanding of the music. Some books about music do the same.

I can remember the first time I heard Elgar 1 & The Kingdom, both with detailed printed musical excerpts. It was a huge boost to my understanding of the works in question. Now that the practice has been dropped, I rarely think buying programmes is worthwhile.

[mikealdren]

Just listened and thoroughly enjoyed it, amazing how dated the Italiano performance now sounds. I didn't count but we did seem to have a sensible number of recordings considered this week and all discussed to make sensible points by an articulate and intelligent reviewer. Add to this a chosen version that sounded excellent; a fine programme in a series that has been losing its way in recent times.

[Keraulophone]

I’d love to know what else was on your wedding list. We had salad bowls and a toaster.

That handsome volume was a huge and very pleasant surprise, but so was the toast rack as we had no list (nor Liszt).
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[Barbirollians]

Cheap trick from the reviewer re the Quarttetto Italiano - praised the rest of their performance but whinged about the Minuet without playing the Trio . McGregor's desperate desire in every BAL to get the reviewer to choose a modern recording or a HIPP one is so tedious as are his interruptions. Liked the Mosaiques though so have ordered a second hand copy as although I bought some of their recordings as they were released I do not have this one.