What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? IV

[frankbridge]

Harrison Birtwistle: Panic / Earth Dances

Harle / Clarvis / Golilocks / BBC SO

Cleveland Orchestra / Compact von Disc

Decca Argo 452 104-2

I was there for the world premiere of 'Panic' (darling) at the Last Night of the Proms in the early 90s, and even caught the first London performance of 'Earth Dances' in 1986 with Eötvös at the Albert Hall.

Sterling work

[richardfinegold]

'hardly at the exalted levels we expect from today's quartets'.

Hmm, well, that's one view, pastoralguy. Personally, I prefer the Aeolians because they sound to me more human and closer to how I imagine Haydn and his friends woud have sounded when they gathered together in their homes to play his quartets, which is, aftre all, what the music was intended for. It's easy to forget that the world of technical perfection played to a paying audience sitting passively, is a relatively recent concept.

I knew the Aeolian's playing fromtheir 1950s and '60s recordings of whatwre then rarities by Elgar, Vaughn Williams, NIcholas Maw, Hugh Wood and Fred May ; I was glad when they were asked (maybe through friendship with Harley Usill) to record all the Haydn quartets for Argo.

When it comes to recordings I prefer the best possible playing. At concerts one has a tolerance for mistakes and patches of sour intonation, but to have it memorialized for posterity is different. I tend to cringe when listening to a recording knowing that the blemish is coming up.
If I want to hear Mozart played at a low standard I will record myself practicing K. 545 this afternoon. If I want to enjoy it I will turn to Mitsuko Uchida

[richardfinegold]

Hindemith: Violin Concerto (1939). Isaac Stern/NYPO/Bernstein.

Oistrakh's recording with the composer seems to be regarded as the benchmark here, though the acoustic of Decca's West Hampstead studio is not flattering. I got to know the Stern recording from an LP in my teens, but this remastering has resulted in superb sound for the period. The enthusiasm of soloist, conductor and orchestra is palpable.

Hindemith seems to be an almost forgotten composer, though on the basis of this splendid piece, that is quite undeserved.

Yes, we had a Hindemith discussion here a bit back. I have the Oistrakh recording on some audiophile reissue, as it seems to have acquired some type of legendary status for sound quality, although I agree with your assessment. I hope the Stern recording can be streamed

ed-found it on Apple

[Petrushka]

Hindemith: Violin Concerto (1939). Isaac Stern/NYPO/Bernstein.

Oistrakh's recording with the composer seems to be regarded as the benchmark here, though the acoustic of Decca's West Hampstead studio is not flattering. I got to know the Stern recording from an LP in my teens, but this remastering has resulted in superb sound for the period. The enthusiasm of soloist, conductor and orchestra is palpable.

Hindemith seems to be an almost forgotten composer, though on the basis of this splendid piece, that is quite undeserved.

Another violin concerto from 1939! Walton's, Britten"s and Barber's VCs all date from the same year.

[smittims]

Good to see praise for the Hindemith violin concerto. I do regard the Oistrakh as definitive, but other fine versions are Fuchs/Goossens (Everest or World Record Club!) and a Supraphon recording with Andre Gertler, Czech Philharmonic Ancerl.

The Cello Concerto of 1940 is even less often played but is a favourite of mine. It inspired Walton's celebrated Variations. Paul Tortelier made a fine early recording, again on Supraphon.

Re the Haydn Quartets I should have mentioend that I do admire the Amadeus, and the Angeles Quartet who recorded them all on Decca. The latter, for my taste, hit a happy medium between 'precise' and 'relaxed-friendly'. But best of all are the Pro Arte Quartet, who were going to do them all in HMV 'Society' volumes in the 1930s, but interrupted by the war (yet another thing to blame Hitler for!). The only drawback of their set being the frequent omission of repeats , in order to reduce the number of discs needed, as they were paid for in advance by subscribers.

[Pulcinella]

Good to see praise for the Hindemith violin concerto. I do regard the Oistrakh as definitive, but other fine versions are Fuchs/Goossens (Everest or World Record Club!) and a Supraphon recording with Andre Gertler, Czech Philharmonic Ancerl.

The Cello Concerto of 1940 is even less often played but is a favourite of mine. It inspired Walton's celebrated Variations. Paul Tortelier made a fine early recording, again on Supraphon.

Re the Haydn Quartets I should have mentioend that I do admire the Amadeus, and the Angeles Quartet who recorded them all on Decca. The latter, for my taste, hit a happy medium between 'precise' and 'relaxed-friendly'. But best of all are the Pro Arte Quartet, who were going to do them all in HMV 'Society' volumes in the 1930s, but interrupted by the war (yet another thing to blame Hitler for!). The only drawback of their set being the frequent omission of repeats , in order to reduce the number of discs needed, as they were paid for in advance by subscribers.

Another thumbs up for the Cello concerto.
I don't know the Supraphon issue but I have Raphael Wallfisch on Chandos and Miklos Perenyi on White Label.

[bluestateprommer]

Just listened to WRTI's archival re-broadcast of a Philadelphia Orchestra concert, with 2 of the 3 works definitely not standard fare:

https://www.wrti.org/wrti-spotlight/2024-04-23/wu-man-performs-a-pipa-concerto-as-anna-sulkowska-migon-debuts-with-tchaikovskys-fifth

It got a nice review from David Patrick Stearns at the Classical Voice North America site (interesting that The Philadelphia Inquirer apparently didn't review this concert):

https://classicalvoiceamerica.org/2024/01/16/young-conductor-soars-with-orchestras-legacy-in-tchaikovsky-triumph/

The WRTI audio unfortunately didn't include the "charming pre-performance comments" by the guest conductor, Anna Sułkowska-Migoń, regarding Feliks Nowowiejski's music. That aside, based on this one concert, Anna Sułkowska-Migoń sounds very promising.

[Stanfordian]

Anton Bruckner – 'Mass No. 2, Motets & Aequali'
Ave Maria,
Locus iste, WAB 23
Mass No. 2 E minor in E minor, WAB 27
Virga Jesse floruit, WAB52
Aequale No. 1 for three trombones
Os justi meditabitur, WAB30
Aequale No. 2 for three trombones
Christus factus est, WAB11
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunk
Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Peter Dijkstra
BR Klassik, 2 CDs
(CD 2 is 'Bruckner's World' an introduction to Mass No. 2 in E minor
There are music examples, and German only narration.)

[gradus]

I'd forgotten Uchida's recording of the Debussy studies, my word what a rediscovery.

[Pulcinella]

I'd forgotten Uchida's recording of the Debussy studies, my word what a rediscovery.

Oops! I thought that that was our test CD when we've tried out potential new purchases at Richer Sounds.
But it turns out to have been Kocsis with Images instead.
False alarm: must now search out the Uchida.

[richardfinegold]

I'd forgotten Uchida's recording of the Debussy studies, my word what a rediscovery.

I repurchased that recording recently after discovering that it had gone missing

[richardfinegold]

Good to see praise for the Hindemith violin concerto. I do regard the Oistrakh as definitive, but other fine versions are Fuchs/Goossens (Everest or World Record Club!) and a Supraphon recording with Andre Gertler, Czech Philharmonic Ancerl.

The Cello Concerto of 1940 is even less often played but is a favourite of mine. It inspired Walton's celebrated Variations. Paul Tortelier made a fine early recording, again on Supraphon.

Re the Haydn Quartets I should have mentioend that I do admire the Amadeus, and the Angeles Quartet who recorded them all on Decca. The latter, for my taste, hit a happy medium between 'precise' and 'relaxed-friendly'. But best of all are the Pro Arte Quartet, who were going to do them all in HMV 'Society' volumes in the 1930s, but interrupted by the war (yet another thing to blame Hitler for!). The only drawback of their set being the frequent omission of repeats , in order to reduce the number of discs needed, as they were paid for in advance by subscribers.

I listened to the Stern recording yesterday. I have to say that after the first few minutes my attention wanders regardless of who is performing

[smittims]

Otto Klemperer's First Symphony: a private recording made at Battersea Town Hall in 1961, though it is the Philharmonia conducted by the composer who, I understand , paid for the session.

Needless to say, this is not for everyone. I found it fascinating. It's on Spotify.

[oliver sudden]

The Silvestri Scheherazade is damn good, isn’t it?

[smittims]

Yes, I think this was a Columbia Studio Two issue, wasn't it? It was an audiophile label, and I have a private fantasy that when EMI tried to kill off the Columbia brand they found some legal or moral obligation to continue it or a few more years . Sadly this version didn't stay long inthe catalogue. I have it in the big Warner Silestri box.

The work has been very lucky on disc. I treasure versions by Dobrowen, Kletzki, Goossens, Beecham, Karajan and Stokowski.

My last listening was Milhaud's La Creation du monde. About half way through the solo horn seems to be quoting a few notes from Mussorgsky's Promenade. I've never found out if this is deliberate, and if so, why.