BaL 4.03.23 - Walton: Viola Concerto

[richardfinegold]

I was thinking that - there are such things as beats within bars. I think he has a problem with exaggerated beats at the beginning of a bar. It’s all about context - ok in a Chopin waltz but not a nocturne. I think pianists tend to obsess over them a bit.

I tried telling my teacher the other day not to obsess o over my metrical inaccuracies. May I quote you in support?

[Ein Heldenleben]

I tried telling my teacher the other day not to obsess o over my metrical inaccuracies. May I quote you in support?

Well depends what you mean by metrical inaccuracies. Pianists often approvingly use the phrase in romantic music “playing as if the bar lines don’t exist.” But that isn’t right for a Beethoven first movement. Interestingly just before the Walton Alison Balsom was praising to the skies a new wonder pianist . Although Rafał Blechacz has an amazing technique I really disliked the way he paused before a new phrase. The bar lines were (in places ) about as evident as a motorway service station.

[Pulcinella]

The OUP study score arrived yesterday.
It is a 2014 'revision' of the 1961/2 edition (extracted from their complete Walton edition) apparently incorporating changes Riddle made to the solo part that Walton authorised but somehow OUP misunderstood when they produced the revised edition in 1962.

Can anyone remember (I don't really want to listen to the programme again, enjoyable though it was) where the bass note anomaly (was it a G sharp/G clash?) that was mentioned occurs? I'd like to see what this score says at that point!

[smittims]

As I recall, both the end of thr first and third movement have a major/minor ambiguity in the bass, surely an intentional 'blue-note' given Walton's interest in Jazz at the time. I've always heard it in that light. It's quite audible in all three of the recordings he conducted .

[ardcarp]

I'm tempted to wonder what poor old Walton had done to deserve DON at his most, err, "DON-ish". One person's entertainment is for we DON-phobes more of an irritation. Bring back Tom Service!

I hold the exact opposite view from you! DON gets down to the nitty gritty of the technicalities...which is the sort of analysis I like. Power to his elbow...

[Maclintick]

I hold the exact opposite view from you! DON gets down to the nitty gritty of the technicalities...which is the sort of analysis I like. Power to his elbow...

In an earlier post I said "DON will have to be extremely persuasive for me to consider shelling out for another version", & it pains me to have to report that he succeeded...

[Pulcinella]

In an earlier post I said "DON will have to be extremely persuasive for me to consider shelling out for another version", & it pains me to have to report that he succeeded...

There's hope for you yet, Mac!

If it's the Power, you won't regret it or its coupling.

[crb11]

I bought this one as well - oddly not so much because of Power, who I'm a big fan of, but the playing in the tuttis that DON kept highlighting. (Also intrigued by the Rubbra, which I've never heard, but I like his other symphonic works.)

[Pulcinella]

I bought this one as well - oddly not so much because of Power, who I'm a big fan of, but the playing in the tuttis that DON kept highlighting. (Also intrigued by the Rubbra, which I've never heard, but I like his other symphonic works.)

Let us know what you think of the Rubbra!

[Barbirollians]

Aargh my copy of the Power appears to be damaged and jumps all over the place in the finale of the Walton

[Pulcinella]

Aargh my copy of the Power appears to be damaged and jumps all over the place in the finale of the Walton

Hyperion were (hope they might still be) very good at replacing faulty CDs; contact them via their webpage.

[Barbirollians]

Hyperion were (hope they might still be) very good at replacing faulty CDs; contact them via their webpage.

It looks like a scratch or a mark that I have no idea how it got there.

[Nick Armstrong]

Enjoyable stuff and I want both to acquire the winner and revisit a work which has not featured in my listening for a long while.

I too was reminded how much I love this piece. String concertos aren’t usually among my favourites, but this one - thanks to the Kennedy/Previn recording which I played times without number back in the day - used to vie for a place on the desert island… and might do so still. It helps that by some margin, I prefer the viola as a solo instrument to the violin or cello…

I was glad Nige held his own against all comers (I confess I wasn’t aware of the tempo issue over the return of the opening theme), but I’ve never heard the Power/Volkov (nor was I aware of the different orchestral versions ) so shall do so with great interest. Ditto the Nobuko Imai - her viola sound was mind-boggling! A resonant acoustic, it sounded from the clips - but I often warm to those big Chandos recordings so can’t wait to give it a proper listen.

And generally very good stuff from DON - I learned things, was entertained and reunited with an old favourite. And I liked the way that in effect he got his multiple winners in at the end despite the theoretical prohibition against choosing more than one. Sorry HighlandD, but I’m with ardcarp on this - and…

Bring back Tom Service!

… please God, no

[Barbirollians]

Phew it still works ok on my main CD player just not in the kitchen, my office or the car

[Bryn]

Phew it still works ok on my main CD player just not in the kitchen, my office or the car

Have you tried ripping and burning it to a CD-R?