Our Summer BAL 32 - Ein Heldenleben

[Barbirollians]

I really had not been listening hard enough to the Kempe . Coming back to it this year after the Barbirolli I am struck by its rightness - the big box remastering I had seems a lot better than a studio like one I bought in Kong Kong many moons ago .

The DVD of the RPO is tremendous and is calling me to put my hand in my pocket !

[gurnemanz]

I agree. Blomstedt is great.

[BBMmk2]

What favourite does everyone have? Just the one!! :)

[Keraulophone]

Blomstedt is great.

...in Dresden (an early Denon DDD) even more so than in San F.

Delving downthread, I was relieved to find that rfg had mentioned Haitink/Concertgebouw. Despite around twenty recordings of this work lurking about the house (on LP/CD/SACD/MD/CC/HDD), Haitink's is the one I seek out for a magnificently- but less bombastically-played account, Krebbers touchingly sensitive as Frau Strauss (in the Rainer Küchl class for Solti), especially at the close. [**Personal tale alert!... some may wish to move to the next paragraph now.**] Maybe it's something to do with my state of mind when I bought the LP ('A Hero's Life' on the cover) remaindered for 99p in an off-beat Brighton record store, the morning after a night of being 'educated' sensitively by a female student for the first time, months after ten years of boys' boarding school. Hard not to feel a trifle heroic, that sunny morning.

Second favourite is Kempe/Dresden, despite the slightly restricted recording on LP & CD; those shimmering Dresden strings playing and listening together like a huge string quartet, the heroic horns led by the great Peter Damm (principal for 33 years in the DS), other brass like burnished gold, and Kempe a R.Strauss conductor without compare since the '50s... Blomstedt, Sinopoli, Thielemann, and especially the lyrical Luisi have approached greatness in this work with this echt-R.Strauss orchestra, but IMO RK leads the field in that beautifully resurrected city.

All Beecham's R.Strauss recordings are special. It was with 'his' RPO that Kempe made another humdinger of a Heldenleben recording. We are indeed fortunate to be able to mine such a rich lode of recorded Heldenlebens.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

What favourite does everyone have? Just the one!! :)

Karajan/BPO DG 1959

[amateur51]

There are two recording by Mengelberg, with the Concertgebouw and with the New York Phil, both very engaging but elderly recordings. I think it's the NYPO recording where Menegelberg gets the strings to do a tremoendous slur at one point (you'll know it if you've heard it) which will put it out of court for many listeners but I love it

[Don Petter]

I seem to have collected a handful of performances over the years:

Beecham - 2 (World Recod Club/Biddulph and EMI)
Herbig (BBC)
Joo (Arts Music)
Kempe (EMI)
Ormandy - 2 (Sony and live BSO 1972)
Reiner (RCA)
Strauss (Dutton)

The only one I've listened to recently is the lately acquired Ormandy live, though the Beechams are old favourites which I must dig out again.

[richardfinegold]

...in Dresden (an early Denon DDD) even more so than in San F.

Delving downthread, I was relieved to find that rfg had mentioned Haitink/Concertgebouw. Despite around twenty recordings of this work lurking about the house (on LP/CD/SACD/MD/CC/HDD), Haitink's is the one I seek out for a magnificently- but less bombastically-played account, Krebbers touchingly sensitive as Frau Strauss (in the Rainer Küchl class for Solti), especially at the close. [**Personal tale alert!... some may wish to move to the next paragraph now.**] Maybe it's something to do with my state of mind when I bought the LP ('A Hero's Life' on the cover) remaindered for 99p in an off-beat Brighton record store, the morning after a night of being 'educated' sensitively by a female student for the first time, months after ten years of boys' boarding school. Hard not to feel a trifle heroic, that sunny morning.

Second favourite is Kempe/Dresden, despite the slightly restricted recording on LP & CD; those shimmering Dresden strings playing and listening together like a huge string quartet, the heroic horns led by the great Peter Damm (principal for 33 years in the DS), other brass like burnished gold, and Kempe a R.Strauss conductor without compare since the '50s... Blomstedt, Sinopoli, Thielemann, and especially the lyrical Luisi have approached greatness in this work with this echt-R.Strauss orchestra, but IMO RK leads the field in that beautifully resurrected city.

All Beecham's R.Strauss recordings are special. It was with 'his' RPO that Kempe made another humdinger of a Heldenleben recording. We are indeed fortunate to be able to mine such a rich lode of recorded Heldenlebens.

I just saw this post, KP. It is interesting how we associate certain recordings, or certain pieces of music, with significant events in our lives. Many of my favorite recordings of standard repertoire I encountered in my teens and early 20s, when all of my enthusiasms were so passionate, and life seemed so full of promise. Most current recordings of the same works don't move me in the same way. I can admire technical expertise in playing and recording, but the emotions tend not to stir in the same way as when I relisten to the older recordings.
I wonder that the musicians who made those older recordings were just "better" than the current crop, or if the above mentioned factors in my own development are what cause my perceptions. I think that in general it is the quality of the musicianship. The musicians who made those older recordings were by and large part of a direct link to the culture and general milieu that gave rise to the works. In many cases they learned their craft before the Continental conflagrations that
changed our world forever.
I've gone pretty OT here. If I had to live with just 1 Heldenleben--and hopefully that will never be the case--it would be a showdown between Reiner and Kempe. Reiner by a nose hair in deference to my hometown orchestra. Haitink and Blomstedt worthy reserves.

[LaurieWatt]

I just saw this post, KP. It is interesting how we associate certain recordings, or certain pieces of music, with significant events in our lives. Many of my favorite recordings of standard repertoire I encountered in my teens and early 20s, when all of my enthusiasms were so passionate, and life seemed so full of promise. Most current recordings of the same works don't move me in the same way. I can admire technical expertise in playing and recording, but the emotions tend not to stir in the same way as when I relisten to the older recordings.
I wonder that the musicians who made those older recordings were just "better" than the current crop, or if the above mentioned factors in my own development are what cause my perceptions. I think that in general it is the quality of the musicianship. The musicians who made those older recordings were by and large part of a direct link to the culture and general milieu that gave rise to the works. In many cases they learned their craft before the Continental conflagrations that
changed our world forever.
I've gone pretty OT here. If I had to live with just 1 Heldenleben--and hopefully that will never be the case--it would be a showdown between Reiner and Kempe. Reiner by a nose hair in deference to my hometown orchestra. Haitink and Blomstedt worthy reserves.

My favourites are Beecham's last recording originally on EMI and the so far unreleased recording, that I very much hope we can issue on the LPO label, of Haitink with the LPO from a Prom in 1982 with the late and much lamented Nicholas Busch, principal horn, on the most fabulous and moving form. A close runner up is the live Testament Karajan/BPO coupled with the Beethoven 4 already referred to before.

[amateur51]

My favourites are Beecham's last recording originally on EMI and the so far unreleased recording, that I very much hope we can issue on the LPO label, of Haitink with the LPO from a Prom in 1982 with the late and much lamented Nicholas Busch, principal horn, on the most fabulous and moving form. A close runner up is the live Testament Karajan/BPO coupled with the Beethoven 4 already referred to before.

All power to your chivvying elbow at LPO HQ, LaurieWatt

[LaurieWatt]

All power to your chivvying elbow at LPO HQ, LaurieWatt

Oh, the LPO are with me all the way on this; we are just waiting for Bernard Haitink's consent which I am sure will be forthcoming! The CD will be issued as a memorial to Nick Busch to whom I have already referred.

[pastoralguy]

Oh, the LPO are with me all the way on this; we are just waiting for Bernard Haitink's consent which I am sure will be forthcoming! The CD will be issued as a memorial to Nick Busch to whom I have already referred.

Who was the solo violin, Laurie?

[Alison]

Who was the solo violin, Laurie?

David Nolan ?

What happened to him ?

[Petrushka]

My favourites are Beecham's last recording originally on EMI and the so far unreleased recording, that I very much hope we can issue on the LPO label, of Haitink with the LPO from a Prom in 1982 with the late and much lamented Nicholas Busch, principal horn, on the most fabulous and moving form. A close runner up is the live Testament Karajan/BPO coupled with the Beethoven 4 already referred to before.

Laurie, the Prom performance you refer to is surely this one from 1986, not 1982: http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/s...august-29/9965

I was present at this one and remember it well.

[Petrushka]

David Nolan ?

What happened to him ?

I'm pretty sure it was David Nolan. Wasn't he involved in some scandal? Something to do with an affair with someone else in the orchestra and was sacked? Sorry, the details are very hazy but he was a superb leader, always a strong visible stage presence in all of those legendary Tennstedt Mahler concerts.

Perhaps someone can flesh out the details.