New releases

[PJPJ]

HMV.com has the forthcoming Dutton releases @ £5.99

Jacob, Dodgson, Carwithen, Arnell, Bowen, Bush, Brian and Delius (including Lebenstanz)

Dutton Vocalion

Dutton HMV

[Curalach]

I ordered the Brian and Delius discs last week. Good price!

[Don Petter]

I haven't looked at these, but when checking prices for Duttons, bear in mind that their own site can be quite competitive.

[Curalach]

The discs I ordered at £5.99 (post free) from HMV are £9.99 (post extra) from Dutton. No contest!

[Don Petter]

The discs I ordered at £5.99 (post free) from HMV are £9.99 (post extra) from Dutton. No contest!

Agreed! I have found cheap items there sometimes (including cheap items being sold off), so it's worth a look.

[Ferretfancy]

Here's something marvellous, the 1939 recording of Rachmaninov's Third Symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by the composer, on an excellent re-mastering by Mark Obert-Thorn. The other items are the lovely vocalise in its orchestral form, and The Isle of the Dead. I'm not sure how recent this Naxos release is, but nobody who likes the composer should miss it. There's wonderful orchestral playing with a very good balance, and there's no need for reservations about the sound. I was bowled over.
Rachmaninov seems to have secured a rather bitter quality in the playing, 1939 perhaps ?

Perhaps somebody here might know who the leader ( concert master) of the Philadelphia was back then ? That slow movement opening is superb.

NAXOS 8.111357

[rubbernecker]

Perhaps somebody here might know who the leader ( concert master) of the Philadelphia was back then ? That slow movement opening is superb.

NAXOS 8.111357

This would suggest it was Alexander Hilsberg:

http://www.stokowski.org/Philadelphia_Orchestra_Musicians.htm#Concertmasters

[Mahlerei]

I see Rozhdestvensky's Prokofiev symphony cycle is being reissued later this month (Melodiya). Great admirer of Noddy's work but haven't heard these. Any comments/opinions?

[barber olly]

Just bought an interesting piano disc on Naxos. Florent Schmitt piano works maybe not that unusual but what makes the disc for me is the 32 minute transcription by Schmitt himself of Tragedie de Salome.

[Bryn]

I see Rozhdestvensky's Prokofiev symphony cycle is being reissued later this month (Melodiya). Great admirer of Noddy's work but haven't heard these. Any comments/opinions?

My HMV LP issue of what I presume are the same recordings got badly dammaged in a fire. I remember them with considerable fondness and will look out for the CD release, though being Melodiya it wlll probably be a bit pricey.

[Roehre]

My HMV LP issue of what I presume are the same recordings got badly dammaged in a fire. I remember them with considerable fondness and will look out for the CD release, though being Melodiya it wlll probably be a bit pricey.

As performances (with only the 2nd version of no.4 unfortunately) the Roszhdestvensky Prokofievs are for me top rang. The recordings vary in quality, especially the boisterous 2nd symphony sounded/sounds cluttered. But this opinion only applies to the LP-set, as I have never heard these recordings otherwise.

[Bryn]

I am pleasantly surprised to see the price for the 4 CD set is around £20. It looks like amazon.co.uk is currently the best bet if ordering just that set (£19.99 including p&p), but if other Melodiya items, or indeed any other attractively prices items, are ordered at the same time, Presto Classical becomes the best bet due to their current Melodiya promotion (they also have an interesting Sony boxed sets offer at the momnent).

[Ferretfancy]

I'll look forward to he Rhozdestvensky Prokofiev set, as I only have the LP of 1 & 7, but I recently got my fingers burned by getting the Martinon set which was originally on Vox with the French Nat.RSO. They are quite good performances, but awful recordings which for the most part sound like a foggy day in an aircraft hanger! One to avoid.

[Petrushka]

I'll look forward to he Rozhdestvensky Prokofiev set, as I only have the LP of 1 & 7, but I recently got my fingers burned by getting the Martinon set which was originally on Vox with the French Nat.RSO. They are quite good performances, but awful recordings which for the most part sound like a foggy day in an aircraft hanger! One to avoid.

I only had the 6th on LP (which I think was the critical highlight of the set) purchased in a Moscow Beriozka shop in 1982. I look forward to getting the complete set.

[Lion-of-Vienna]

It is very much a golden period for Havergal Brian fans this spring. Dutton Vocalion have two new cds of Brian's music just out: Symphonies 10 and 30 plus English Suite No3 and Concerto for Orchestra on one with the Cello Concerto on an album of British cello works played by Raphael Wallfisch on the other.

Toccata classics are about to issue the first of two long awaited discs of orchestral music played by the BBC Scottish SO conducted by Garry Walker. It contains Ave Atque Vale, Elegy, Burlesque Variations and English Suite No5. Let's hope that the second disc (of orchestral excerpts from four of his operas) follows on quickly.

And then there's the Gothic??????