Sir Alexander Gibson

[slarty]

I'm really glad you like them. Did you get the Rosenkavalier as well (I think it's in the same set?)
I wish I'd heard more of Sir Alex in the opera house, so these extracts are particularly welcome.

There are quite a few BBC Broadcasts and and also one or two house tapes of Sir Alex and Scottish Opera
I don't know if more exist but I have the following,

OTELLO 1975 Craig Glossop Sass
RIGOLETTO 1979 Ellis Burrowes Shicoff
TROJANS 1969 Dowd Baker
FIDELIO 1970 Dernesch Dowd McIntyre
BORIS GODUNOV 1965 Ward
FALSTAFF 1966 Evans Bosabalian Shaw
MACBETH Bailey Vishnevskaya Ward
MEISTERSINGER 1976 Bailey Ester-Grey
ROSENKAVALIER 1971 Dernesch Baker Harwood
SIEGFRIED (1&3) Proms 1971 Ward Parly Dernesch
TRISTAN 1973 Barlow Nuotio Bailey
WALKÜRE 1971 Dernesch Ward Craig Kirschstein

The Macbeth is unfortunately not easy to listen to, but the others are more than OK.
I would love to know if any others exist

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I would love to know if any others exist

That is an impressive list, slarty; several mouth-waterers there. The Wozzeck with Elise Ross would be a great addition - quite the finest Live performance I've heard.

Gibson was the conductor of two of the highlight concerts that I've attended: the first in September 1976, in Leeds Town Hall. I was attending a weekend "A"-level study course at the University, and the SNO & Gibson were performing on the Saturday - Liszt PnoConc in A (with Malcuzynski) and the Rachmaninoff Second Symphony. The course and concert together were what persuaded me to do my degree at Leeds. Five years later, just after I'd finished that degree, I attended Musica Nova in Glasgow, at which the SNO and Gibson strongly featured. I have very fond memories of an open rehearsal on the Saturday morning of the Three Pieces from Wozzeck (again with Ms Ross) - all was going well, until the "Hop-hop" solo - where there was silence. "Where's my hop-hop boy?" called out Sir Alex - silence, then muttering, then a brave soul called out "He's playing in a football match for his school!" Silence, then - "That's good enough - we'll move on!" from the conductor. Some minutes later, some disruption in the chorus - the hop-hop boy had arrived. "Did your team win?!" shouted out Gibson. Embarrassed pause - "No! Stupid referee!"

Still, it must have charged the lad - the performance was fantastic!

[slarty]

Great story Ferney, I have not as yet come across the Wozzeck, if I do, I will surely let you know.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Great story Ferney, I have not as yet come across the Wozzeck, if I do, I will surely let you know.

[Pianoman]

Gibson was the conductor of two of the highlight concerts that I've attended: the first in September 1976, in Leeds Town Hall. I was attending a weekend "A"-level study course at the University, and the SNO & Gibson were performing on the Saturday - Liszt PnoConc in A (with Malcuzynski) and the Rachmaninoff Second Symphony. The course and concert together were

Gosh - I think I was at that very concert ! Was there not a short orchestral piece by Iain Hamilton in the first half (Aurora seems to ring a bell...?)

[Barbirollians]

I'm really glad you like them. Did you get the Rosenkavalier as well (I think it's in the same set?)
I wish I'd heard more of Sir Alex in the opera house, so these extracts are particularly welcome.

Yes indeed and lovely they are too .

Now for the unusually coupled Merry Widow and Un Ballo in Maschera excerpts !

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Gosh - I think I was at that very concert ! Was there not a short orchestral piece by Iain Hamilton in the first half (Aurora seems to ring a bell...?)

You're absolutely right! I couldn't remember the first piece, but now you've mentioned it I now remember the conversation that four or five of us (who'd never seen each other before that study weekend, and never met after it) had about the piece!

Gibson was a firm admirer of Hamilton - Aurora was one of the first pieces by a living composer that I took to immediately in my mid-teens (it had been broadcast earlier in the year - I heard it in the bath!) - I wouldn't mind hearing it again, but sadly even youTube doesn't have it

It was a really impressive concert - affected the course of the rest of my life. Many thanks, Sir Alexander

[clive heath]

I mentioned the John Lill, Alexander Gibson and the Scottish National Orchestra recordings of the 2nd and 4th Beethoven Concerti upthread together with "Peer Gynt" ( soloist April Cantelo). These recordings are now on my site, see below, where the Beethovens can be compared with Kempff, Leitner and the Berliners.

http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/vinyl.php

[Roslynmuse]

I've just bought the Eloquence reissue of 'Witches' Brew', and fabulous it sounds too. Amazingly vivid and hard to believe it's almost 60 years old. The original LP contents are supplemented with the Gounod Funeral March of a Marionette and the Faust Ballet Music - a most classy performance of the latter. Incidentally, the Faust ballet could well be by Delibes rather than Gounod (it has an undefinable 'something' in common with the music Delibes wrote for La Source) and I hadn't noticed till this evening that Sullivan pinched bits of the final Bacchanale for the Ruth/Frederic duet in Act 1 of Pirates, and the Yum-Yum/Nanki-Poo duet in Act 1 of Mikado. (He also naughtily stole part of the Agnus Dei of Gounod's St Cecilia Mass for the Act 1 Finale of Pirates - the 'I'm telling a terrible story' bit.)

[LeMartinPecheur]

I hadn't noticed till this evening that Sullivan pinched bits of the final Bacchanale for the Ruth/Frederic duet in Act 1 of Pirates, and the Yum-Yum/Nanki-Poo duet in Act 1 of Mikado. (He also naughtily stole part of the Agnus Dei of Gounod's St Cecilia Mass for the Act 1 Finale of Pirates - the 'I'm telling a terrible story' bit.)

"Pinched"? "Stole?"

"Knowing allusions to delight the cognoscenti"?

[Roslynmuse]

"Pinched"? "Stole?"

"Knowing allusions to delight the cognoscenti"?

[Barbirollians]

The Merry Widow excerpts are charming too . One does wonder what he would have made of what has happened to Scottish Opera .

[Barbirollians]

Having finally been able to obtain a relatively cheap second hand copy of his RSNO Sibelius 3,6&7 I was rather baffled by the lukewarm reception given to these records by Robert Layton in Gramophone . It is fair enough to observe that there is the odd orchestral fluff in these recordings but what is much more important and striking is how Nordic , how right these interpretations sound and how downright exciting they are . I am very glad to have found them .

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Having finally been able to obtain a relatively cheap second hand copy of his RSNO Sibelius 3,6&7 I was rather baffled by the lukewarm reception given to these records by Robert Layton in Gramophone . It is fair enough to observe that there is the odd orchestral fluff in these recordings but what is much more important and striking is how Nordic , how right these interpretations sound and how downright exciting they are . I am very glad to have found them .

When this CD first appeared at budget/mid price, I needed a Sibelius#3 in my collection, and this was the only one I could afford. I was almost put off by memories of RL's "damning by faint praise" (he is generally reliable in all matters Sibelian) but took the plunge anyway. Never regretted it - and you remind me that it has been far too long since I last played it ...

[pastoralguy]

When this CD first appeared at budget/mid price, I needed a Sibelius#3 in my collection, and this was the only one I could afford. I was almost put off by memories of RL's "damning by faint praise" (he is generally reliable in all matters Sibelian) but took the plunge anyway. Never regretted it - and you remind me that it has been far too long since I last played it ...

At the risk of sounding like a well balanced Scotsman, ( a chip on both shoulders! ), I have found that London critics can be quite sniffy about arts organisations from the 'provinces'. I have heard the (R)SNO being damned with faint praise in journalistic organs.