Our Summer BAL 65 : Webern 6 Pieces for Orchestra op 6

[teamsaint]

I have taken the liberty of starting the first one for this year.

Pulcers has put together the list below, so many thanks for that.
Here's the list :

CD/download

Vienna PO/Abbado
BPO/Boulez
LSO/Boulez
Moscow Conservatory Symphony Orchestra/Boulez
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Boulex
Studio orchestra/Craft
Philharmonia Orchestra/Craft (revised version)
Cleveland Orchestra/Dohnányi
SWR Symphony Orchestra/Gielen
BPO/Giulini
Gruppo Montebello/Guittart
BPO/Karajan
BPO/Levine
Linos Ensemble (chamber version)
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI do Torino/Maderna
Orchestra of the Lucerne Festival Academy/Mälkki
Klangforum Wien/Pomàrico
CBSO/Rattle
SWF Symphony Orchestra, Baden Baden/Rosbaud
Staatskapelle Dresden/Sinopoli
Ulster Orchestra/Yuasa
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Wand

DVD

LSO/Rattle

Forthright opinions welcome !

[Bryn]

Simples. For the 1909 original, Boulez. For the 1920 reduction, Linos. For the 1928 in-between-sized orchestra version, Gielen.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The first "Atonal" work I fell in love with - thanks to a Robert Meyer Young People's Concert one Saturday morning in 1974-ish, the BBCSO conducted by Bernard Keefe, who also introduced the pieces.

It's an almost indestructible work, I don't know of a bad recording of it. My favourite is Karajan (that Fourth piece: my god!!), but I also have Boulez (both), Levine, Craft (PO), Sinopoli, and CBSO/Rattle. Most of them in the revised version for smaller large orchestra of 1928, which is also the only version of the pocket score that I have. I really should spend some time comparing the two editions.

[teamsaint]

Simples. For the 1909 original, Gielen. For the 1920 reduction, Linos. For the 1928 in-between-sized orchestra version, Craft.

Commendable speed of reply, but of course no AMG to slow you down with interruptions.......

[Petrushka]

Surprised to see how many of those on the list I have! To my even greater surprise it turns out that I have the majority. VPO/Abbado is advertised as being the original 1909 version but I'm not sure exactly what the differences are between this and the revised versions which I think most others have recorded. Whatever, Abbado finds more in this music than many, with a truly terrifying funeral march. Karajan and Sinopoli would be my next choices.

VPO/Abbado for me, then.

[teamsaint]

The first "Atonal" work I fell in love with - thanks to a Robert Meyer Young People's Concert one Saturday morning in 1974-ish, the BBCSO conducted by Bernard Keefe, who also introduced the pieces.

It's an almost indestructible work, I don't know of a bad recording of it. My favourite is Karajan (that Fourth piece: my god!!), but I also have Boulez (both), Levine, Craft (PO), Sinopoli, and CBSO/Rattle. Most of them in the revised version for smaller large orchestra of 1928, which is also the only version of the pocket score that I have. I really should spend some time comparing the two editions.

I have the Rattle, Karajan, Boulez/BPO and Sinopoli, and despite having spent quite a bit of time listening over the last couple of weeks, have failed to select a favourite.

There is something about the Rattle that feels well rounded, complete. and both the Boulez and Karajan knock a persons socks in the fourth piece.

If it is " indestructible" , I wonder why ? I had a listen to the Sinopoli with score on youtube tonight, in part to try to figure out something along those lines , and am not really much the wiser.

[Serial_Apologist]

The first "Atonal" work I fell in love with - thanks to a Robert Meyer Young People's Concert one Saturday morning in 1974-ish, the BBCSO conducted by Bernard Keefe, who also introduced the pieces.

It's an almost indestructible work, I don't know of a bad recording of it. My favourite is Karajan (that Fourth piece: my god!!), but I also have Boulez (both), Levine, Craft (PO), Sinopoli, and CBSO/Rattle. Most of them in the revised version for smaller large orchestra of 1928, which is also the only version of the pocket score that I have. I really should spend some time comparing the two editions.

It comes from the relatively brief period in which Webern's music was still quite "programmatic" and referential in some of the works while having rid itself of the lush harmonic amost Delian sonorousness of "Im Sommerwind", but before becoming completely stripped down to bare essentials. For me it would have to be Boulez.

[Bryn]

Commendable speed of reply, but of course no AMG to slow you down with interruptions.......

I really ought to give Karajan a try. I have probably heard it conducted by Boulez more often than by any other conductor. A recording via a microphone in front of the kitchen radio's speaker was my intorduction. I can't remember who the conductor was but it was probably Craft. It got played over and over.

[Petrushka]

There's also a live Concertgebouw/Haitink performance in the RCO125 set. Talking of live performances, I was present at the LSO/Rattle concert on DVD (as was ts, I think), but the Webern was ruined in the hall by too many noises off.

[Bryn]

The first "Atonal" work I fell in love with - thanks to a Robert Meyer Young People's Concert one Saturday morning in 1974-ish, the BBCSO conducted by Bernard Keefe, who also introduced the pieces.

It's an almost indestructible work, I don't know of a bad recording of it. My favourite is Karajan (that Fourth piece: my god!!), but I also have Boulez (both), Levine, Craft (PO), Sinopoli, and CBSO/Rattle. Most of them in the revised version for smaller large orchestra of 1928, which is also the only version of the pocket score that I have. I really should spend some time comparing the two editions.

The original, confusingly given the opus number 4 on the first page of music, is out of copyright and can be found on IMSLP.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The original, confusingly given the opus number 4 on the first page of music, is out of copyright and can be found on IMSLP.

(I've just remembered, I've got the CBS Craft recording, too!)

[edashtav]

Commendable speed of reply, but of course no AMG to slow you down with interruptions.......

[edashtav]

Splendid choice of work, ferney.
I've heard several on the BaL list, but,, do I own CD? (Blushes)

[Pulcinella]

LSO Boulez (in two incarnations: complete Webern and the big Boulez box), BPO Karajan, and CBSO Rattle here, but not a work I know at all, so looking forward to getting to know it better.

Apologies for a typo in the list: a Boulex has accidentally appeared!

[Bryn]

. . . I really should spend some time comparing the two editions.

https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cumr/1993-n13-cumr0455/1014299ar.pdf