What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? IV

[Petrushka]

Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
James Milligan (bass-baritone)
Huddersfield Choral Society
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Malcolm Sargent

Thanks to smittims in post 1606 for the mention of Sargent's 1954 Gerontius recording. I bought the Classics for Pleasure CD issue and have just played this 1958 Belshazzar's Feast with which it is coupled. Terrific performance, fine choral singing, superb soloist and pretty good Neville Boyling engineered sound.

Most enjoyable!

[smittims]

I agree, but I've always wondered why it has survived only in mono. Recorded in Huddersfield in 1958 it should surely have been made in stereo.

I'm going through Mozart's later symphonies in famous recordings which I haven't heard for many years (Karajan, Abbado,etc. ). Today it was Bruno Walter's last Jupiter. In the coda of the finale the last statement of the four-note figure, repeated and transposed, is played on what sounds like a trombone, and instrument otherwise unknown to Mozart's symphonies. Walter , although an ardent Mozartean, appears to to have been no purist.

I was interested in Pastoralguy's remark about recordings published with the channels reversed. I've heard a few of these and wondered how it can have happened. An easy 'give-away' is the first violins on the right (unless its Bayreuth of course where Wagner wanted them there because of the 'Hood') )

[LMcD]

Zwilich Violin Concerto
Schnittke Piano Quintet

[Stanfordian]

Music by George Enescu – ‘Impressions d’enfance’
Piano Quintet in D major, Op. 29
Aubade in C major, for violin, viola & cello
Sérénade lointaine, for violin, cello and piano
Hommage – Pièce sur le nom de Fauré, for piano
Impressions d’enfance, suite for violin & piano, Op. 28
Ensemble Raro
Recorded 2019 & 2021, Studio 2, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich
Solo Musica, CD

Johann Adolf Hasse – ‘Salve Regina’
Salve Regina in A major
Motet ‘Chori angelici laetantes’
Sinfonia, Op. 3, No. 3
Fuga & Grave in G minor
Sinfonia F major, Op.3, No. 5
Salve Regina in E flat major
Barbara Bonney (soprano) & Bernarda Fink (mezzo-soprano)
Musica Antiqua Köln / Reinhard Goebel (direction / violin)
Recorded 1996, Melanchthonkirche, Cologne
Archiv Produktion, CD

[vinteuil]

.

Carl Loewe [1796-1869] "the north German Schubert"

Piano music : Linda Nicholson, instruments by Érard c 1839 and Collard & Collard c 1849, three CDs on toccata classics

I find that progressively I am listening less and less to the wretched Radio 3, and the Finnish station yle.klassinen has largely replaced it.

I encountered these recordings on yle.klassinen the other week and have now acquired the discs

.

[AuntDaisy]

... I find that progressively I am listening less and less to the wretched Radio 3, and the Finnish station yle.klassinen has largely replaced it. ...

You're far too polite.
Tried Breakfast this morning - advert, curses, OFF. (Listened to Ian Holm's R3 instead, inc. Lucie Skeaping)

[LMcD]

.
I find that progressively I am listening less and less to the wretched Radio 3, and the Finnish station yle.klassinen has largely replaced it.
.

Same here!

[smittims]

I've just caught up with Barbirolli's Delius LP 'In a Summer Garden' (ASD 2477) which for various reasons I didn't buy when it came out.

'La Calinda' is here a curiosity, taken very slowly; I missed the vivacity of Beecham and Constant Lambert's famous versions, but apparently Barbirolli found something profound in this little piece: the coda is almost poignant, nostalgic. The gem of the disc is Fenby's string orchestra arrangement of the slow movement of Delius' quartet, 'Late Swallows' of which this was the first recording. I don't think there was even a recording of the quartet itself at that time (1969).

Sir John's last recording was also of Delius, Brigg Fair and Appalachia, whichhe had recently done in a concert in Manchester.

[Roger Webb]

................... I don't think there was even a recording of the quartet itself at that time (1969).
.

I think you're right, the earliest recording I have is 1970 (release date, but possibly recorded in '69), Fidelio Quartet (GSGC 2064), c/w Tippett SQ 2. The best recording is probably Fitzwilliam 1980 (Decca DSLO 47) beautifully recorded in Snape Maltings by John Dunkerley.......although it's worth having the Bridge String Quartet's version (Meridian CDE 84401), as this has the fascinating early Delius Quartet (1888) of which only two movts. exist. I find these early chamber works interesting ( and the early songs), as they show Delius as a young man about Paris trying to fit into the milieu of the Paris salons.

BTW Fenby recorded his complete string orchestra arr. of the String Qt (Sonata for Strings) with the Bournemouth Sinf. on ASD 3688, which I've just finished playing....the other side has arr. for flute of various Delius pieces, incl. La Calinda, which James Galway commissioned from Fenby.

[LMcD]

I've just caught up with Barbirolli's Delius LP 'In a Summer Garden' (ASD 2477) which for various reasons I didn't buy when it came out.

'La Calinda' is here a curiosity, taken very slowly; I missed the vivacity of Beecham and Constant Lambert's famous versions, but apparently Barbirolli found something profound in this little piece: the coda is almost poignant, nostalgic. The gem of the disc is Fenby's string orchestra arrangement of the slow movement of Delius' quartet, 'Late Swallows' of which this was the first recording. I don't think there was even a recording of the quartet itself at that time (1969).

Sir John's last recording was also of Delius, Brigg Fair and Appalachia, whichhe had recently done in a concert in Manchester.

I thought his last recording was his King's Lynn Elgar 1st (but am happy to be corrected).

[Petrushka]

I thought his last recording was his King's Lynn Elgar 1st (but am happy to be corrected).

Barbirolli went into the recording studio between July 15 - 17 1970 to make the Delius disc. That was his final official recording.

The Elgar 1 was a live concert, broadcast by the BBC, on July 24 1970 and wasn't intended for commercial release but was issued on CD on the BBC Legends label.

[LMcD]

Barbirolli went into the recording studio between July 15 - 17 1970 to make the Delius disc. That was his final official recording.

The Elgar 1 was a live concert, broadcast by the BBC, on July 24 1970 and wasn't intended for commercial release but was issued on CD on the BBC Legends label.

Thank you!

[Roger Webb]

Barbirolli went into the recording studio between July 15 - 17 1970 to make the Delius disc. That was his final official recording.

If you can find a copy of the two CD set CMS 565119 2 it has outtakes of Barbirolli rehearsing the Hallé on July 16th 1970 before the complete perf. It also has ASD 2477 that Smittims mentions above.

[Sir Velo]

With all due respect to those who prefer listening on old tech but Warner's remasters of Barbirolli's Delius EMI recordings at 192/24 have never sounded better, making one fall in love with these performances all over again.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8896628--delius-appalachia-brigg-fair

[Roger Webb]

With all due respect to those who prefer listening on old tech but Warner's remasters of Barbirolli's Delius EMI recordings at 192/24 have never sounded better, making one fall in love with these performances all over again.
https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...hia-brigg-fair

As I think you'e a Qobuz subscriber like me......

https://open.qobuz.com/album/nnrtme15d847b

............might save you £15, or so......this also at 24bt/192k

But thanks for the tip...I now have Lp, CD and stream!

Oh, and the download/stream version has a bonus of Brigg Fair rehearsal that the CD doesn't.