New releases

[Bryn]

Why oh why do orchestras keep playing and recording this arrangement? It was made over 40 years after Musorgsky's death and there are orchestrations much nearer in time to the piano original (which I much prefer). Musorgsky's original is very Russian in both concept and detail, whereas Ravel's orchestration sounds, to my ears at least, excessively French. Can we possibly hear Tushmalev's and Funtek's orchestrations please? They were both written foir an orchestra nearer in time to what Musorgsky could have heard, whereas Ravel used all the resources of orchestras of the 1920s.

On a slightly different point, why do record labels and writers in English persist in using a German romanisation of Musorgsky? There is only one 's' in the Russian spelling (I don't have a Cyrillic keyboard so cannot show the Russian spelling!).

I concur with much you say there. A trick re Cyrillic is to do an Internet search for "Mussorgsky". This will throw up the Wikipedia entry, for instance. From there you can copy and paste the Cyrillic, Мусоргский. However, the Cyrillic "c" is pronounced somewhere between "s" and "ss".

[jayne lee wilson]

Excellent, very enterprising issue of one of my cult icons....

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/ciurlionis-the-sea-in-the-forest-kestutis-modestas-pitrenas-lithuanian-national-symphony-orchestra/z08xyr65hsixa

This claims to be the original versions based on restorations to the scores done in 2000. Well, great. Bring it on....
But I have a 1992 King Record Japan Lithuanian State SO version also claiming to be the original (non-Balsys-edited-and-cut) of The Sea, and far longer at 37'00....

So there's a listening challenge...... I may be some time......

But Ciurlionis' The Sea is one of those great hidden musical masterpieces that any adventurous musiclover should get to know.... just dive in, sink or swim...

His paintings are compelling too.....

https://www.google.com/search?q=ciurlionis+paintings&client=safari&rls=en&sxsrf=ALeKk00GvbtOYhZsDshi1YB7pxgZSey20Q:1586180249366&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiitcDy9dPoAhUITcAKHZ2RBxcQ_AUoAXoECBYQAw&biw=1440&bih=812

[Alain Maréchal]

Why oh why do orchestras keep playing and recording this arrangement? It was made over 40 years after Musorgsky's death and there are orchestrations much nearer in time to the piano original (which I much prefer). Musorgsky's original is very Russian in both concept and detail, whereas Ravel's orchestration sounds, to my ears at least, excessively French. Can we possibly hear Tushmalev's and Funtek's orchestrations please? They were both written foir an orchestra nearer in time to what Musorgsky could have heard, whereas Ravel used all the resources of orchestras of the 1920s.

I am not attempting to answer your question, but Les Siecles have specialised since their first concerts in trying to recreate the sound of earlier French ensembles (as well as others) so this was an obvious recording for them to make. I am only surprised they did not do it earlier. I agree about the Tushmalev and Funtek orchestrations, and they have been available.

[Sir Velo]

Why oh why do orchestras keep playing and recording this arrangement?

Partly because it is a superb orchestration, with highly imaginative and subtle use of scoring pace a former contributor; and no doubt because of the name, whereas the two examples you cite, with the greatest respect to them, are not going to pull in the punters.

Having said that, I feel the desire to put my Qobuz subscription to use with some comparative listening!

[Dave2002]

On a slightly different point, why do record labels and writers in English persist in using a German romanisation of Musorgsky? There is only one 's' in the Russian spelling (I don't have a Cyrillic keyboard so cannot show the Russian spelling!).

I don't have a definitive answer to your "spelling" query, but how is it pronounced in Russian? My suspicion is that the 's' sound is closer to a soft 's' in both instances, rather than a 'z' sound - which might be spelled the way you suggest in a translation. I'm not suggesting that both the sounds in the Russian are identical, but nevertheless similar in softness.

[Barbirollians]

The Currentzis interview with PQ (3/20) wasn't hype, just an overview of this conductor's approach and a chance to hear what he has to say for himself - at length. Very good, well-written piece of reportage and representation, I thought. That Currentzis is a true audiophile doesn't hurt my impression him, of course...

Not heard this 5th yet, but I'm afraid I've had a few issues with A F-C's reviews previously (he was critical of Tognetti's Mozart in similar terms - it seems Mr. F-C (or his replay system) doesn't like being too excited...) so I wouldn't trust his comments implicitly. Whilst an admirer-with-reservations of Manze's work with earlier music and those excellent CPO Brahms Symphonies, I was very disappointed with his LvB 5th at The Proms - far too safe - and also feel very suspicious of that reviewer cliché "humane"......

What does it really mean in reviewing terms...?

***
Given streaming and selective downloading often available now, I wouldn't complain so much about "album length" as about the sheer over-familiarity of recent repertoire choices from Aeterna and Les Siècles. Seems a waste of marvellous resources to me.

But in any case, Currentzis makes it very clear in the 3/20 G-piece that he prefers each recording to be a piatto unico - sufficient unto itself. So it was a genuine artistic decision to isolate the LvB 5th.

I thought his “ reasoning “ in that Gramophone article was immensely unconvincing. I am surprised that in Greece in the 1980s and 1990s that so many recordings were apparently on their own when that was not the case in the rest of Europe . It comes across to me as all about marketing and money and self-indulgence. I might have been more inclined to believe it had the recording not been released at full price.

[jayne lee wilson]

I thought his “ reasoning “ in that Gramophone article was immensely unconvincing. I am surprised that in Greece in the 1980s and 1990s that so many recordings were apparently on their own when that was not the case in the rest of Europe . It comes across to me as all about marketing and money and self-indulgence. I might have been more inclined to believe it had the recording not been released at full price.

Isn't it more about artistic instincts than "reasoning" per se? Which aren't always economically reasonable - but who sets the price anyway...?
Do I care about your wretched fiddle when the spirit moves me? Etc.

You'll just have to wait for the Currentzis Big-Box budget-reissue....

[CallMePaul]

I don't have a definitive answer to your "spelling" query, but how is it pronounced in Russian? My suspicion is that the 's' sound is closer to a soft 's' in both instances, rather than a 'z' sound - which might be spelled the way you suggest in a translation. I'm not suggesting that both the sounds in the Russian are identical, but nevertheless similar in softness.

The name is certainly pronounced with a soft 's' (as in 'sit'); if it were a 'z' sound the Cyrillic 'z' character would appear. By the way, the name is stressed on tyhe first syllable in Russian, ie Músorgsky), not the middle syllable as it is so often by westerners. Unlike say, Chinese or Arabic, there is no internationally recognised transliteration system for Cyrillic to Roman characters (the Library of Congress System is widely used in English-speaking academia but rarely elsewhere) or vice versa. Russians generally write western names in a way that approximates to the pronunciation without regard for the spelling in Roman letters.

[Pulcinella]

I have a Philips coupling of the original (Misha Dichter) and Ravel orchestration (Rotterdam Phil/Edo de Waart) that gives the composer as Moussorgsky!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mussorgsky-Pictures-Exhibition-Piano-Orchestral/dp/B075SL7V74/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Mussorgsky+pictures+rotterdam&qid=1586198221&sr=8-1

[mathias broucek]

Excellent, very enterprising issue of one of my cult icons....

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/ciurlionis-the-sea-in-the-forest-kestutis-modestas-pitrenas-lithuanian-national-symphony-orchestra/z08xyr65hsixa

This claims to be the original versions based on restorations to the scores done in 2000. Well, great. Bring it on....
But I have a 1992 King Record Japan Lithuanian State SO version also claiming to be the original (non-Balsys-edited-and-cut) of The Sea, and far longer at 37'00....

So there's a listening challenge...... I may be some time......

But Ciurlionis' The Sea is one of those great hidden musical masterpieces that any adventurous musiclover should get to know.... just dive in, sink or swim...

His paintings are compelling too.....
https://www.google.com/search?q=ciur...w=1440&bih=812

Please let me know what you think. I have the Lithuanian version you mention along with Fedoseyev already. Do I need another....

BTW Mirga programmed it recently. Wouldn't it be great if DG put it out!!!!

[Alain Maréchal]

Can we possibly hear Tushmalev's and Funtek's orchestrations please? They were both written foir an orchestra nearer in time to what Musorgsky could have heard, whereas Ravel used all the resources of orchestras of the 1920s.

.

I have just found a reference to an arrangement for piano and orchestre by Lawrence Leonard. Has anybody heard it? Has it been recorded?

[cloughie]

I have just found a reference to an arrangement for piano and orchestre by Lawrence Leonard. Has anybody heard it? Has it been recorded?

https://peoplepill.com/people/lawrence-leonard/

I remember LL conducting the Halle back in the Barbirolli days when he was 'associate'. Interesting his link with 'Procol Harum' at Edmonton - from what was said it looked more like a paid job rather than a labour of love!

The arrangement is on a Cala CD with the Philharmonia and Geoffrey Simon - piano soloist is Tamas Ungar.

[Oakapple]

I'm looking out for the postman and hoping he delivers my CDs of Haddon Hall by Arthur Sullivan today (he normally delivers about 1pm). It came out this month although it was broadcast on Radio 3 last December, which I missed. This is the first fully professional recording of this work.

[Bryn]

I'm looking out for the postman and hoping he delivers my CDs of Haddon Hall by Arthur Sullivan today (he normally delivers about 1pm). It came out this month although it was broadcast on Radio 3 last December, which I missed. This is the first fully professional recording of this work.

I still haven't got round to listening to it yet but I saved that Opera Matinee broadcast. Perhaps it's time I dug it out? Now which external hard drive is it sitting on?

[Barbirollians]

The Manze recordings of Beethoven 5 and 7 arrived today. On first hearings a good Fifth all of a piece and an outstanding Seventh .