BPO Rattle Enigma Vars live

[rubbernecker]

Thank you both Pab and Bryn for those fulsome responses. It's disappointing that the server is failing to deliver.

Much food for thought in what you say, Pab. I need to read and digest properly when I'm wider awake!

[Petrushka]

Excellent post, Pabmusic. In the past couple of years Gerontius has been programmed by Sir Colin Davis in Dresden, Rattle in Vienna (VPO) and Barenboim in Berlin (BPO) so there is some definite movement going on with Elgar's music once again being heard on the European mainland. I would love to hear the VPO in the symphonies; their special sound would be a joy to hear in this music. I would suggest Barenboim as being the right conductor to do it.

[Pabmusic]

Thanks, Petrushka. It's good to hear of the Gerontius performances.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

... so there is some definite movement going on with Elgar's music once again being heard on the European mainland. I would love to hear the VPO in the symphonies; their special sound would be a joy to hear in this music. I would suggest Barenboim as being the right conductor to do it.

I was hopeful that this might happen when JEG recorded a full CD of Elgar's music with the VPO, but that was not to be as Philips cancelled the conductor's contract soon afterwards.

[Spatny]

It is intended that one watches/listens in real time. I'm sure that software is available which would facilitate capture of the stream. Probably best that you read the Digital Concert Hall's terms and conditions. I had two days off work and made good use of them. I intend to take out an annual subscription in due course. However, that will not be until the 'live' playing of the concerts becomes more consistent. There were far too many pauses with some of them. Watching/listening in the early hours gave the least interruptions. My current available broadband rate is a pretty consistent 10 Meg download, so the problem is not at my end of the line.

I have a 30 day pass ( a Christmas present ) and watch the archives using the app on my Sony TV. I have never suffered any streaming problem. My broadband rate is around 8MB. I only wish I could watch the live concerts using this method.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I used to correspond regularly with a German music lover between 1996 and 2003 and he was of the opinion that both Elgar and Vaughan Williams were composers of genius and the highest international standing, he also thought very highly of Tippett and certainly wasn't dismissive of Bax or Bliss. The one British composer he seemed to think was overrated was rather surprisingly Britten, whose music he often described as something along the lines of 'rather thin'.

[PJPJ]

Karajan is believed to have regarded Elgar as second-rate Brahms.
So the great man wasn't always right.

I thought Karajan didn't programme more British music as he realised others could do it better. I'd love to see where K made that remark about EE - K wasn't above making "jokes".

[Beef Oven]

The VPO (and BPO) were also scornful of The Planets until Karajan programmed the work with them.

The BPO also recorded the Enigma Vars for DGG back in the late '80s - under James Levine (c/w La Mer).

Holst was German anyway

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Holst was German anyway

... mind you, aren't most English people?

[Beef Oven]

... mind you, aren't most English people?

Speak for yourself, I happen to shave my arm-pits!