BaL 21.09.13 - Sibelius Symphony no. 3 in C

[verismissimo]

Really Verissimo? That's interesting. What's the reason?

Well, I don't have a score, but... Gibson's speeds seem totally natural to me, all of a piece, whereas Vanska seems to make rather arbitrary paragraphs, pulling the structure apart unnecessarily.

[Hornspieler]

Well, I don't have a score, but... Gibson's speeds seem totally natural to me, all of a piece, whereas Vanska seems to make rather arbitrary paragraphs, pulling the structure apart unnecessarily.

I quite agree. Gibson was a natural Sibelian. He conducted what was there - which I'm sure would have been just how Sibelius wanted.

HS

[salymap]

I have no 3 on the BBCMM CD with Elder and the Halle. I have several Alex Gibson Sibelius symphonies on old LPs and think he had the Sargent gift ofreally getting inside the music.

I know no 3 least of the seven and must remember to listen on Saturday

[Tony Halstead]

I have no 3 on the BBCMM CD with Elder and the Halle. I have several Alex Gibson Sibelius symphonies on old LPs and think he had the Sargent gift ofreally getting inside the music.

I know no 3 least of the seven and must remember to listen on Saturday

I will certainly be listening with great interest.
Not only do I have the old Saga LP but the later Chandos CD, and I have to say I like them both!
I had the very good fortune to play for sir Alex G in the 1960s when I was in the BBCSSO, and then in the 1970s when in the LSO, and then finally in his 'Indian Summer' when he frequently conducted the ECO.
During his lifetime, IMHO, he was much maligned - by orchestral players - probably because of his 'sometimes unfathomable' beat. The fact is that he certainly didn't 'beat the beats' in an academic way, but he somehow delineated the musical contours in a very flexible and expressive way, showing the phrase shapes and the bigger paragraphs. This is why his Sibelius interpretations are absolutely 'up there' with the very greatest.
I once chatted with him at a post-concert reception and had the arrogance and temerity to question him about his 'beat'...He very good-humouredly said that he was perfectly capable of giving a 'clear and military' beat but every time he did that, the players stopped looking at him!

[Tony Halstead]

One more 'Alex Gibson anecdote':
In the Spring of 1970 I walked out of Glasgow's BBC Broadcasting House having done a recording of ( maybe) Robin Orr's Symphony with the BBCSSO conducted by Alex Gibson. I then took the sleeper train to London and turned up the following morning at the Royal Festival Hall to rehearse with the LSO.
Lo and Behold... the conductor was the said Alex Gibson!
He asked me 'what are you doing here'?
I replied ' I'm trying to get a job in the LSO; what are you doing here'?
He replied 'I'm just doing a gig... there's definitely no job for me here'!...


how very short-sighted was the LSO in those days, preferring Previn to Gibson.

[pastoralguy]

I once spoke to a fiddle player who had been in the SNO since just before Sir Alex was appointed music director. He felt that the problem with Sir Alex was that he got so side tracked with starting Scottish Opera - a colossal job - that he rather neglected developing his conducting technique.

But, boy, did top singers love working with him!

[Hornspieler]

One more 'Alex Gibson anecdote':
In the Spring of 1970 I walked out of Glasgow's BBC Broadcasting House having done a recording of ( maybe) Robin Orr's Symphony with the BBCSSO conducted by Alex Gibson. I then took the sleeper train to London and turned up the following morning at the Royal Festival Hall to rehearse with the LSO.
Lo and Behold... the conductor was the said Alex Gibson!
He asked me 'what are you doing here'?
I replied ' I'm trying to get a job in the LSO; what are you doing here'?
He replied 'I'm just doing a gig... there's definitely no job for me here'!...


how very short-sighted was the LSO in those days, preferring Previn to Gibson.

I think that the problem was that Previn was Box Office in America and the LSO were very much in need of income (which is largely generated by record sales, rather than by ticket sales)

I played for Alex Gibson for a week with the Sadlers Wells Opera company in 1957 and I can understand why his operatic background would have influenced his early work with the SNO, but nevertheless, he achieved much more respect in his newer position.

(As I recall, the Chief Honcho in the SW opera orchestra was the South African Leo Quale, but I am open to correction here)

HS

[mikealdren]

and to be fair to Previn, he really delivered at this time. Look at some of his recordings, his Shostakovich 5, Walton 1 and Rachmaninov 2 are still top recommendations and there's lots more good stuff.

Mike

[richardfinegold]

I think that the problem was that Previn was Box Office in America and the LSO were very much in need of income (which is largely generated by record sales, rather than by ticket sales)

I played for Alex Gibson for a week with the Sadlers Wells Opera company in 1957 and I can understand why his operatic background would have influenced his early work with the SNO, but nevertheless, he achieved much more respect in his newer position.

(As I recall, the Chief Honcho in the SW opera orchestra was the South African Leo Quale, but I am open to correction here)

HS

I remember encountering Gibson's name frequently while perusing the bargain bins of lps when I would buy music. Previn recordings were usually full priced.
Needless to say, I had a lot more Gibson than Previn in my collection.
Also, since the Previn recordings were with English Orchestras, I had assumed that he was an Englishman, and was surprised when I heard him interviewed years later.

[salymap]

I had visitors and missed the 'winner'.

I will try to listen later but
w ho did come first please?

EDIT reading back I assume Previn. Ah well......

[Roehre]

and to be fair to Previn, he really delivered at this time. Look at some of his recordings, his Shostakovich 5, Walton 1 and Rachmaninov 2 are still top recommendations and there's lots more good stuff.

Mike

As are his RVW symphony cycle, DSCH 4 and 8

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

and to be fair to Previn, he really delivered at this time. Look at some of his recordings, his Shostakovich 5, Walton 1 and Rachmaninov 2 are still top recommendations and there's lots more good stuff.

Mike

- ... the RVW Symphony cycle, and the Tchaikovsky ballets, Holst, Gershwin, Ravel, Debussy, Carmina Burana, Duparc & Chausson with Baker, all the other Walton and Rachmaninov, not to mention his excellent TV series from the early-mid'70s to name just twenty-odd. [EDIT: and the Prokofiev ballets and concertos.)

Gibson was by far the better Sibelian, IMO, and it is an unending source of regret that his SO Wozzeck was never recorded (the finest performance I've heard of that difficult work). But, like the Vienna Philharmonic, I think Previn was the finer Musician.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I had visitors and missed the 'winner'.

I will try to listen later but
who did come first please?

Colin Davis with the Boston SO on Phillips, sals.

[Dave2002]

I had visitors and missed the 'winner'.

I will try to listen later but
who did come first please?

I need to listen to this programme again - as there were quite a few points which I didn't take in fully.

Davis with the BSO (Boston) came "first" - his earlier/st version.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Any bets on Davis being the winner?