John Ogdon - Living with Genius

[Sir Velo]

AH! you know why I think it is though, don't you? (Empty, banal showpiece, mysteriously popular in the 50s and 60s.... the only other thing I can think of would be one of Liszt's pieces, one of the concertos or some other concertante work.... )

Surely none of these works is inferior to the mawkish Faure Ballade, the derivative note spinning Rach 1, tired old hackwork that is Rach 4, the meretriciously vacuous DSCH PC2 or, Heavens, the Beautiful Gorky

[Nick Armstrong]

Are you sure it's not by Rachmaninov?

See below.

Otherwise:

Surely none of these works is inferior to the mawkish Faure Ballade, the derivative note spinning Rach 1, tired old hackwork that is Rach 4, the meretriciously vacuous DSCH PC2 or, Heavens, the Beautiful Gorky

Save for the DSCH PC2, I'll give you those

[Rolmill]

Oi! What are you calling empty banal showpieces (we've been here before ) - It's neither of Liszt's concertos, nor Totentantz...the remainder of Liszt's (few) orchestral piano works are mostly orchestral paraphrases of works by other composers. Are you sure it's not by Rachmaninov?

I think it's the end of Liszt's Fantasia on Hungarian Folk Tunes - so score one to Caliban.

Actually, I agree with him about the Liszt concertante works. But one person's "meretriciously vacuous" (nice phrase Sir Velo) is another's "entertainingly tuneful" - and I rather like DSCH PC2. [I nearly put the <blush> emoticon there, but then thought - no, damn it, why should I apologise for having good taste...]

[Nick Armstrong]

I think it's the end of Liszt's Fantasia on Hungarian Folk Tunes - so score one to Caliban.

Actually, I agree with him about the Liszt concertante works. But one person's "meretriciously vacuous" (nice phrase Sir Velo) is another's "entertainingly tuneful" - and I rather like DSCH PC2. [I nearly put the <blush> emoticon there, but then thought - no, damn it, why should I apologise for having good taste...]

And score one to Rolmill - with a bonus point for the final flourish!

[Richard Tarleton]

And score one to Rolmill - with a bonus point for the final flourish!

Rats! (and a for Sir Velo )
A footnote to Rolmill - John Ogdon coupled his own PC1 with DSCH2 on LP circa 1971 - they went rather well together, and the disc received good reviews at the time.

Perhaps that provides a clue to the provenance of the film - and the rapturous reception for the performance of a, er, seldom-played work by Liszt. Has anyone seen the inside of Budapest opera house? I shall dig out the Leslie Howard disc and see if the rest is any better

[french frank]

Has anyone seen the inside of Budapest opera house?

I have. I think I have photos of the very ornate gilded balconies.

[Rolmill]

A footnote to Rolmill - John Ogdon coupled his own PC1 with DSCH2 on LP circa 1971 - they went rather well together, and the disc received good reviews at the time.

That's interesting Richard, I don't know any of Ogdon's own music, so will keep an eye out for this. Thanks.

[mercia]

I think it's the end of Liszt's Fantasia on Hungarian Folk Tunes -

yep, that's definitely it

[ahinton]

That's interesting Richard, I don't know any of Ogdon's own music, so will keep an eye out for this. Thanks.

Ogdon's music is something of a mixed bag but there's quite a lot of it and no shortage of it that's worth playing; I think that his piano concerto, for all its debt to Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich et al, is one of his better works and I'm surprised that it gets so few outings.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

yep, that's definitely it

I agree. But I'm pretty sure it's not Karajan; by the late '60s/early '70s, Karajan worked exclusively with the BPO, VPO (and the Dresden and Cologne orchestras on a couple of occasions) - this orchestra has women in it. Also, if it were Karajan at this date, it'd be him and the orchestra on stage and the pianist in the pit. And the conductor watches Ogdon - Karajan tended to avoid eye contact with solo piansts.

It does look like a late '50s/early '60s Karajan - might it be Rudolf Kempe? Or even Andrzej Panufnik?

[Nick Armstrong]

I agree. But I'm pretty sure it's not Karajan; by the late '60s/early '70s, Karajan worked exclusively with the BPO, VPO (and the Dresden and Cologne orchestras on a couple of occasions) - this orchestra has women in it. Also, if it were Karajan at this date, it'd be him and the orchestra on stage and the pianist in the pit. And the conductor watches Ogdon - Karajan tended to avoid eye contact with solo piansts.

It does look like a late '50s/early '60s Karajan - might it be Rudolf Kempe? Or even Andrzej Panufnik?

I agree it seems unlikely - but as well as the look, the style reminded me of the lusty young Karajan one sees punchily conducting the opening of Rosenkav in that old Paul Czinner film...

[Dave2002]

John Ogdon programme - BBC Four

Just noticed that a programme about John Ogdon is just about to start on BBC Four.
Probably a repeat, been on before, and maybe mentioned here recently, but I thought it worth flagging up.

My recorder is set up.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The BBC on-screen info says:

Profile of Britain's greatest ever classical pianist and of one of the most successful musical partnerships of the last 50 years, that of John Ogdon and wife Brenda Lucas Ogdon.

[Bryn]

Well at least you did not type Oxdon.

[ardcarp]

The John Ogden film on BBC4 again.....

To save us from commenting unnecessarily about John (and Brenda!), can anyone find the old thread?