BaL 26.05.12/25.02.23 - Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony

[Bryn]

A live performance of almost everything is surely best?

I really did enjoy today's BAL, I longed for more extracts, but that is the limitation of BAL as it stands. I agree that Gillian Moore gave it a good (and well-infirmed) shot. I'd never have guessed that Previn would have 'won' but from what we heard it was a good choice. I wish I could afford to order the final three...and afford the time to listen to them repeatedly.
A little anecdote. At school there was a lad who was highly skilled at playing around with radios and generally the rather primitive electronics of the 1960s. After being intrigued and inspired by the ondes Martenot, he modified a radio set* that would produced a glissando by turning a knob. It was great fun of course, but nothing like the real thing.

*Mains Health and safety?

In my early teens, I used to record from the kitchen valve radio by attaching a cable to the speaker leads and feeding it to a reel-to-reel recorder my father sometimes brought home from work. I knew nothing of the dangers I was exposing myself and the recorder to. The radio incorporated ac/dc circuitry with a hot chassis.

[Ein Heldenleben]

In my early teens, I used to record from the kitchen valve radio by attaching a cable to the speaker leads and feeding it to a reel-to-reel recorder my father sometimes brought home from work. I knew nothing of the dangers I was exposing myself and the recorder to. The radio incorporated ac/dc circuitry with a hot chassis.

Full marks for electrical bravery . I used carbon granule mic in front of transistor radio to grundig cassette recorder. When I read I a book that this was “scarcely to be considered as a means of authentic sound recording “ I think I Experimeted with splitting the leads on a headphone and running that out of the transistor earpiece socket and into an amp . After a year of this I gave up and bought a proper hifi .

[Retune]

Though did anyone else think it odd that having dismissed several versions for dated sound (and I agree that sound quality really matters in this work), she then went back nearly half a century for her winner? I guess it is pretty well recorded.

I suppose the Penguin Guide's verdict stands up well today: 'Previn's vividly direct approach, helped by recording of spectacular amplitude and dynamic range, certainly creates tingling electricity from the first bar to the last'.

[eighthobstruction]

Full marks for electrical bravery . I used carbon granule mic in front of transistor radio to grundig cassette recorder. When I read I a book that this was “scarcely to be considered as a means of authentic sound recording “ I think I Experimeted with splitting the leads on a headphone and running that out of the transistor earpiece socket and into an amp . After a year of this I gave up and bought a proper hifi .

[eighthobstruction]

In my early teens, I used to record from the kitchen valve radio by attaching a cable to the speaker leads and feeding it to a reel-to-reel recorder my father sometimes brought home from work. I knew nothing of the dangers I was exposing myself and the recorder to. The radio incorporated ac/dc circuitry with a hot chassis.

....Oooooo....I would have done something like that[maybe],but older brother had already sorted trans radio /tape link...

[Maclintick]

Just downloaded the BPO/Nagano from Presto for a ridiculously low price...

[Bryn]

I suppose the Penguin Guide's verdict stands up well today: 'Previn's vividly direct approach, helped by recording of spectacular amplitude and dynamic range, certainly creates tingling electricity from the first bar to the last'.

And it has been (you can still find used copies) issued in surround via DVD-A, replete with DVD-V layer with DTS encoding for those without a DVD-A player. See http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...080#post908080

Strangely, given that at least one of the options on the DVD-A has 24-bit quantisation, all downloads from QOBUZ of that recording are restricted to 16 bits.

[Opinionated Knowall]

I know that there has to be a shortlist, but surprised that Rattle/Donohoe/Murail/CBSO didn't even make that.

[Bryn]

I know that there has to be a shortlist, but surprised that Rattle/Donohoe/Murail/CBSO didn't even make that.

I was not at all surprised. From the day I bought it on LP I have found it a real disappointment. The CD issue did nothing to change the impression I got. It's instructive to note that for the EMI Messiaen "The Anniversary Edition" boxed set of Messiaen they picked their Previn for inclusion, rather than their Rattle. That said, the most recent Rattle-conducted performance at the Proms was very fine indeed, to my ears.

[Maclintick]

A live performance of almost everything is surely best?

I really did enjoy today's BAL, I longed for more extracts, but that is the limitation of BAL as it stands. I agree that Gillian Moore gave it a good (and well-infirmed) shot. I'd never have guessed that Previn would have 'won' but from what we heard it was a good choice. I wish I could afford to order the final three...

I'm afraid I've eaten my words and downloaded the 2012 winner which I'll have to listen to when the neighbours are out. Another little
anecdote, now, re the hoary old live vs. recorded question. A well-regarded record producer sent a pre-master edit consisting of hundreds of
spliced chunks of audio to an internationally-lauded soloist for final approval. The artist called the producer to give his blessing "Sounds marvellous,doesn't it ?"...pause before the long-suffering producer replied " Yes. Don't you wish you could play it like that ?"

[Frances_iom]

... I knew nothing of the dangers I was exposing myself and the recorder to. The radio incorporated ac/dc circuitry with a hot chassis.

very unlikely to be a danger - the valve radio would 99.99% certain to have a transformer coupled output which would have to be insulated to mains voltage - some larger radios might even have the speaker connections brought out so a speaker in another room could be connected.

[Bryn]

very unlikely to be a danger - the valve radio would 99.99% certain to have a transformer coupled output which would have to be insulated to mains voltage - some larger radios might even have the speaker connections brought out so a speaker in another room could be connected.

I post this link without further comment, other than that I had a good few mains shocks while messing around with various electrical equipment in my youth, though not with that radio:

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/hot-chassis-and-shock-hazards-of-old-ac-dc-radio-tube-gear.773215/

[Frances_iom]

I know of the dangers - in my teens I used to repair TVs which were also AC/DC power - a live chassis always needed to be checked for - in those days the neon screwdriver was used.

[ardcarp]

I had a good few mains shocks while messing around with various electrical equipment in my youth

Even worse if you're Mesaiaen about.....

[Mal]

to name but a few. Turangalila would certainly not be my suggestion as an introduction to his work for those new to Messiaen. I would suggest Vingt Regards or l'Ascension as a first port of call for newbies. The first of these has been covered but there is plenty of scope for BAL producers to consider!

What about Eclairs sur l'au-dela and Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum? These two works make it into Rob Cowan's "Classical 1000". And, as a newbie, I quite liked them.