BaL 10.11.12 Schubert's - 4th Symphony "Tragic"

[Bryn]

Thanks, just ordered it!

Well I will most certainly not be doing so, and neither will I be bothering to access the recording via Monday's Essential Classics broadcast or iPlayer offering, for reasons which should be pretty obvious. I will not be ordering the Abbado or Menuhin (Festival Orchestra) for similar reasons.

[Tony Halstead]

er... those reasons aren't 'pretty obvious' ( to me - am I missing something here?).
Are you 'anti Norrington' then?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

er... those reasons aren't 'pretty obvious' ( to me - am I missing something here?).
Are you 'anti Norrington' then?

It isn't altogether obvious. Can I assume that Bryn has these recordings already???

[Bryn]

er... those reasons aren't 'pretty obvious' ( to me - am I missing something here?).
Are you 'anti Norrington' then?

Far from it. It's just that I do indeed already have all three, so have not need to order.

The Norrington/LCP would have been my first choice too, with the Abbado and Menuhin getting honourable mentions. Schuricht (Concert Hall) was my introduction to the work.

[Barbirollians]

Not an impressive CD review - far too much time on recordings he rubbished and frankly the LCP/Norrington sounded lightweight and very dated . No mention of great recordings of the past like Boult and markevitch .

Of those he played the Menuhin was the revelation.

[visualnickmos]

It proved that sometimes listening to extracts 'out of context' and back-to-back with other short examples, can have a negative side. The example was the Kertesz sample which in comparison did, indeed sound like a hell for leather gallop. But - when one listens to the whole of Kertesz's recording of the 4th, it sounds absolutely fine; everything fits together perfectly and it couldn't be any other way. Certainly if he'd conducted it [the movement in question] at a slower speed the whole effect would sound wrong. But I am fairly wedded to my Kertesz Schubert symphonies anyway! I don't feel any desire to search out more versions.

[aeolium]

It proved that sometimes listening to extracts 'out of context' and back-to-back with other short examples, can have a negative side. The example was the Kertesz sample which in comparison did, indeed sound like a hell for leather gallop. But - when one listens to the whole of Kertesz's recording of the 4th, it sounds absolutely fine; everything fits together perfectly and it couldn't be any other way. Certainly if he'd conducted it [the movement in question] at a slower speed the whole effect would sound wrong. But I am fairly wedded to my Kertesz Schubert symphonies anyway! I don't feel any desire to search out more versions.

I quite agree, visualnickmos. I thought the reviewer's views on tempi were sometimes strange and inconsistent. For instance, he reasonably criticised some versions for taking the first movement too slowly yet withheld criticism from the Davis/Staatskapelle version which was equally sluggish (and which just sounded dull to me). I love the Kertesz Schubert recordings, though I was hoping to hear something from the van Beinum which has been praised on this thread and which I don't know.

Edit: I agree with Barbirollians about the Menuhin version which sounded impressive from the few extracts.

[Tony Halstead]

Not an impressive CD review - far too much time on recordings he rubbished and frankly the LCP/Norrington sounded lightweight and very dated . No mention of great recordings of the past like Boult and markevitch .

Of those he played the Menuhin was the revelation.

'Lightweight'?
With brass and timpani playing like that?

[Bryn]

'Lightweight'?
With brass and timpani playing like that?

Well, with the name Norrington associated with it, how could it be anything other than 'lightweight' to some? As to 'dated', indeed it sounded quite early 19th century.

[Tony Halstead]

Well, with the name Norrington associated with it, how could it be anything other than 'lightweight' to some? As to 'dated', indeed it sounded quite early 19th century.

[Barbirollians]

Well, with the name Norrington associated with it, how could it be anything other than 'lightweight' to some? As to 'dated', indeed it sounded quite early 19th century.

I am impressed Bryn - I had no idea you had a Tardis !

Dated in the sense of many early HIPPite performances in which the baby has been thrown out with the bath water . I found it empty .

[jayne lee wilson]

Had too little time/energy to hear this BaL, but were neither of the recent releases by Zinman/Tonhalle (3&4) or Norrington/Stuttgart (4&5) mentioned? They've both been positively (and intelligently) reviewed in November Gramophone by Richard Wigmore. "If your taste is for period-style performances, this coupling [Norrington 4/5], brilliantly played and finely recorded, has no rivals".

Satisfyingly lengthy review too - Gramophone's a much better read now (and I'm missing that archive... will have to stump up I guess...)

EDIT! Whoops! Just seen it - both praised in November IRR too!

[Alison]

I found Richard Wigmore a shade uninspiring and kept losing attention, almost certainly my fault ! I find all the Schubert symphonies easy to love. The recently acquired Zinman seems more than adequate and I shall give Abbado another audition too. As others have said the Davis extracts sounded ponderous.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

"If your taste is for period-style performances, this coupling [Norrington 4/5], brilliantly played and finely recorded, has no rivals".

Let's just check:
1. Modern instruments. That's not HIPP.
2. No vibrato. That's not HIPP either.

So what's HIPP about it?

[salymap]

Let's just check:
1. Modern instruments. That's not HIPP.
2. No vibrato. That's not HIPP either.

So what's HIPP about it?

Somehow I hardly know this 4th Schubert symphony. What I heard of the Norrington [about half] sounded good to me but must listen again later.