BaL 29.10.11 Dvorak's Symphony no. 8

[umslopogaas]

Pye bought up Nixa sometime in the fifties and became Pye-Nixa. I believe they issued the first ever stereo LPs in 1958: the big companies had a sort of gentleman's agreement they were all going to launch their new stereo ranges at the same time, but Pye jumped the gun. The 'Pye Golden Guinea' series included Dvorak's eighth symphony, with Barbirolli and The Halle, stereo number GSGC 14069, issued in 1958. I think somewhen in the sixties Pye got out of classical music to concentrate on scientific instruments, at the time I knew of them as the manufacturers of things like pH meters. I didnt actually know that EMI acquired their catalogue, but it makes sense, if their recordings were reissued on EMI.

Campoli also recorded for Decca: he made a very early stereo LP of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto with Argenta and the LSO (SXL 2029), which sells for a great deal of money.

[rauschwerk]

I think somewhen in the sixties Pye got out of classical music to concentrate on scientific instruments, at the time I knew of them as the manufacturers of things like pH meters. I didnt actually know that EMI acquired their catalogue, but it makes sense, if their recordings were reissued on EMI.

W G Pye started with scientific instruments in 1896 and went into music production in 1955 by buying Nixa Records. EMI must have bought the catalogue in the late 1980s, as they issued some of it in the 'Phoenixa' series. Some of these recordings (Barbirolli's 1956 Enigma Variations and 1958 Dvorak 8) were made by Wilma Cozart Fine and her Mercury team, which is why they sound so remarkable.

[makropulos]

Let's earnestly hope that he doesn't choose the Mackerras/ LPO, of which I heard only the first movement the other day on a certain radio station.
It pains me to say this as I am a great fan of both the LPO and the late, great Sir Charles, but there were some quite horrible matters of balance and ensemble, e.g. brass far too loud for much of the time, thin string tone, timpani always slightly ahead of everyone else, and a 'non-acoustic' not too far removed from an anechoic chamber.
Lovely flute playing wasn't enough to redeem things, unfortunately.

You're entitled to your opinion, but I certainly don't share it - neither in general about this record nor about the details that worry you. Still, there are three more recent Mackerras performances on Supraphon, Signum and the LPO label (as well as an earlier one made in Hamburg), and of those my favourite is the live account with the Philharmonia on Signum. Mackerras is also the only conductor I know to use a variant of the text in the finale that I find very charming (a difference in one of the returns of the main theme).

As for recordings, Szell's old Decca recording (in mono) is probably the other one I listen to most often - tremendous.

Since it's Rob Cowan doing the BAL a small bet says he'll go for one of the Kubelik performances - a very fine choice that would be too.

[jayne lee wilson]

I'd go for Rowicki... recently picked up the original Rowicki cycle 2ndhand off an Amazon seller, not cheaply either, and... guess what, it does have better sound than the rather subfusc Philips Duos! Almost audiophile class. And beautiful, lilac-blue booklet and inserts with the original maroon philips colour throughout the trays. Lovely. It's a disciplined interpretation but stunningly played by the LSO at their peak - well, one of their peaks. I have the first 7 of Suitner's cycle - suspect his 8th might be good too... why 7? Because I overplayed 8 and 9 early on and only hear it very occasionally now. 9 is well, familiar beyond redemption - but it's the piece that made me fall in love with classical music.

Don't see Blomstedt's Dresden 8th in the list - deleted now? Once available on Berlin Classics with a gorgeous Schubert 6th, a lovely couple!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Did EMI buy the Pye catalogue at some point?

Yes, they did. Pye Nixa was the full-price label, later reissued as Golden Guinea. Then when EMI bought it, they released the Pye recordings as PhoeNIXA, and some of the transfers were made by Michael Dutton, who then worked for EMI.

[Petrushka]

I don't envy Rob Cowan this particular task! My own favourites are Budapest FO/Fischer, VPO/Karajan and BPO/Kubelik, If pushed to choose one I'd go for Fischer and suspect RC might do too. Just listen to that gloriously idiomatic playing in the third movement! A reminder that Budapest is not all that far from Prague or Vienna.

[Colonel Danby]

A wonderful list, EA but I first got to know this beautiful symphony on a set conducted by Solti - was it VPO? I assume it's no longer available. Is the Colin Davis/Concertgebouw also unavailable?

How nice that Rob Cowan is in charge too - this should be an outstanding BaL

I've had Sir Col's account with the Concertgebouw of Dvorak's 8th Symphony for many years, and with Neeme Järvi on Chandos, it remains my preferred choice: but as you say, I don't think that the Philips release is currently available, and may have fallen victim to the steely hatchetman.

[Bryn]

The Barbirolli set mentioned earlier, not truly cheap but not outrageously expensive either

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-Nos...9207437&sr=1-7

Not truly cheap for whoever bought the one for a little over £20 from the Amazon marketplace, for sure, but pretty cheap from:

http://www.silveroakmusic.com/hr703992.html

where I just placed my order.

[Chris Newman]

Hi Biffo (msg 11)
with Alfredo Campoli (with whose playing I am not familiar) and the great André Navarra.

I agree with verismissimo...Alfredo Campoli, truly one of the elect. I was lucky enough to hear him in the Dvorak, Elgar and Sibelius violin concerti. Before the 2nd World War he played in and led dance and jazz bands. Then he was interned as an Italian for a lot of the duration and used the time to learn and practice the concerto repertoire and he became one of those genii that charmed us in the 40s, 50s and 60s. I put him up there with Jean Pougnet and Ida Haendel. Grab his recordings.

[mikealdren]

Chris,
interesting comparisons. I heard Campoli and Ida Haendel live several times but I've only heard the Pougnet recordings of the Delius concerto and the Lark Ascending, are there any other recordings you can recommend?

Mike

[amateur51]

Not truly cheap for whoever bought the one for a little over £20 from the Amazon marketplace, for sure, but pretty cheap from:

http://www.silveroakmusic.com/hr703992.html

where I just placed my order.

Bravo Bryn!

[Alison]

Let's earnestly hope that he doesn't choose the Mackerras/ LPO, of which I heard only the first movement the other day on a certain radio station.
It pains me to say this as I am a great fan of both the LPO and the late, great Sir Charles, but there were some quite horrible matters of balance and ensemble, e.g. brass far too loud for much of the time, thin string tone, timpani always slightly ahead of everyone else, and a 'non-acoustic' not too far removed from an anechoic chamber.
Lovely flute playing wasn't enough to redeem things, unfortunately.

I suspect that may have been the LPO Live recording rather than the studio one made around the same time.
The latter in particular is a superb account.

[Karafan]

I'd go for Rowicki... recently picked up the original Rowicki cycle 2ndhand off an Amazon seller, not cheaply either, and... guess what, it does have better sound than the rather subfusc Philips Duos! Almost audiophile class. And beautiful, lilac-blue booklet and inserts with the original maroon philips colour throughout the trays. Lovely. It's a disciplined interpretation but stunningly played by the LSO at their peak - well, one of their peaks. I have the first 7 of Suitner's cycle - suspect his 8th might be good too... why 7? Because I overplayed 8 and 9 early on and only hear it very occasionally now. 9 is well, familiar beyond redemption - but it's the piece that made me fall in love with classical music.

Interesting, Jayne.

Has anyone compared the "postage livery" recent DG re-release with the Duos....or has there been no remastering? Or perhaps it's an un-mastering I should be looking for?!

Karafan

[Nick Armstrong]

The French "CD Critics" programme considered Dvorak 8 in their 2 hour 'blind tasting' earlier this summer.

As usual they concentrated on a shortlist of 6 versions, mixing recent with historic.

Janssons / Concertgebouw (2007), Karajan / VPO (1960) and Belohlavek / Czech Phil (1992) didn't make much of an impression.

The 'historic choice' was Talich / Czech Phil (1954).

They thought that Davis / Concertgebouw (1978) was excellent but the surprise top spot (which to my ears sounded splendid throughout, and which I assumed must be Mackerras, since it seemed full of the spontaneous freshness he brings to music of this sort) was revealed at the end of the programme to be...

Kreizberg / Netherlands Phil (2006)

Anyone here know it? It will be very interesting to hear if it figures in Rob's BAL and disappointing if it does not. I think it's really fantastic.

[amateur51]

The French "CD Critics" programme considered Dvorak 8 in their 2 hour 'blind tasting' earlier this summer.

As usual they concentrated on a shortlist of 6 versions, mixing recent with historic.

Janssons / Concertgebouw (2007), Karajan / VPO (1960) and Belohlavek / Czech Phil (1992) didn't make much of an impression.

The 'historic choice' was Talich / Czech Phil (1954).

They thought that Davis / Concertgebouw (1978) was excellent but the surprise top spot (which to my ears sounded splendid throughout, and which I assumed must be Mackerras, since it seemed full of the spontaneous freshness he brings to music of this sort) was revealed at the end of the programme to be...

Kreizberg / Netherlands Phil (2006)

Anyone here know it? It will be very interesting to hear if it figures in Rob's BAL and disappointing if it does not. I think it's really fantastic.

Very interesting, Caliban - does this French programme have a website wherein a chap might keep an eye on their deliberations? They seem to be an adventurous lot - wot no Kubelik?!