What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[smittims]

I join the chorus of praise for Richter's Shostakovitch quintet, which I have on a Melodiya CD with those lovely little octet pieces.

I've just been listening to Beethoven's Triple Concerto, with the BeauxArts trio and the LPO conducted by Bernard Haitink,one of the highlights of the 1970 bicentennial year. The work is an old favourite of mine ever since I firts heard it many years ago at a Halle concert played by the Tortelier family (Paul, Yan Pascal and Maria) and conducted by Sir Adrian Boult : a memorable evening.

[frankbridge]

To my very great regret, I will go to my tomb without seeing Karajan or Lenny Bernstein when I had a chance to see them both live, particularly the VPO Proms concert with Mahler 5, which I do have a bootlegged recording taped by my friend who was actually there. But I do have some comfort in the fact that I was a concert in the middle of the afternoon in Symphony Hall, Birmingham in the mid 1990s when Richter turned up unannounced, no press coverage, completely blacked out, and half full, but everybody of note was there. OK, he played some Brahms Ballades and other works, but that really was not the point: HE was there, and that was all. Bravo

[Serial_Apologist]

I join the chorus of praise for Richter's Shostakovitch quintet, which I have on a Melodiya CD with those lovely little octet pieces.

I've just been listening to Beethoven's Triple Concerto, with the BeauxArts trio and the LPO conducted by Bernard Haitink,one of the highlights of the 1970 bicentennial year. The work is an old favourite of mine ever since I firts heard it many years ago at a Halle concert played by the Tortelier family (Paul, Yan Pascal and Maria) and conducted by Sir Adrian Boult : a memorable evening.

I've never understood why the Triple Concerto is rated so low in Beethoven's oeuvre my many writers and commentators; it may not be at the top but the slow movement is sublime.

[Stanfordian]

Puccini – 'Turandot'
Birgit Nilsson (Turandot), Jussi Björling (Calaf), Renata Tebaldi (Liù),
Mario Sereni (Ping), Piero De Palma (Pang), Tommaso Frascati (Pong),
Giorgio Tozzi (Timur) & Alessio De Paolis (Emperor Altoum)
Orchestra & Chorus of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma / Erich Leinsdorf
Recorded 1959 Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Alto, remastered and reissued CD (orig. RCA Victor Red Seal)

[smittims]

Messiah, the 1976 Argo recording conducted by Neville Marriner, with Elly Ameling, Anna Reynolds, Philip Langridge and Gwynne Howell, based on the first London performance of 1743. I remember being very excited about this when it came out on LP: it still seems to me to strike an optimum point between the luxuriant and the hair-shirt approaches.

[richardfinegold]

Just obtained 2 discs of Gershwin with Slatkin conducting the St Louis SO, Jeffery Simon Pianist. Originally issued in mid seventies. These are ‘audiophile’ Vox releases remixed at 24/192. They are superb. The Sonics have marvelous dynamic range and soundscape, without sounding gimmicky hi fi. I have always enjoyed these performances but had to suffer through the Vox lp quality, and now rehearsing them for the first time in 40 years I’m wowed. The Catfish Row Suite from Porgy is Gershwin own arrangement, not the more familiar Bennet arrangement, and definitely worth hearing as an alternative

[frankbridge]

Michael Tippett: Symphony No 4

Bournemouth SO / Hickox

Chandos CHAN 9233

I must be completely mad, as I've got three recordings of the work, as well as Dicky, I've got the Solti and the composer himself on the BBC.

[smittims]

I'm sorry Colin Davis didn't make a studio recording. I have a reel-to-reel tape of him doing it and he brought to the work his innate understanding of Tippett's music which at the time helped me to appreciate the more unusual aspects of the score.

I have wondered if Colin's enthusiasm for Michael's music waned in later life. I don't think he conducted the last two operas, though he gave a splendid account of The Rose Lake.

[Pulcinella]

Michael Tippett: Symphony No 4

Bournemouth SO / Hickox

Chandos CHAN 9233

I must be completely mad, as I've got three recordings of the work, as well as Dicky, I've got the Solti and the composer himself on the BBC.

Yes, mad not also to have the Brabbins.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8539162--tippett-symphonies-nos-3-4-b-flat

Tippett's own recording (originally a BBC MM CD) is now on NMC, as you probably know.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7934301--tippett-symphonines-nos-2-4

[frankbridge]

Smittims, I was there with friends for the world premiere of 'Rose Lake' in the Barbican circe 1990s conducted by Sir Col, with Sir Michael and Lady Tippett in attendance. I thought it was only a European thing, but it was the real coy (shurely shome mishtake ed).

There was a bit of a scene as well, when a stalls idiot started shouting out "visions of hell" at the end of the piece, and he was promptly removed by burly security guards, while we were on our feet in support of the composer. The thing was that it was a work of utter beauty, his final orchestral piece. I love Tippett's music to bits and pieces, of course, (apart from the 3rd Symphony which I still have a problem, as it has a denial of Beethoven which I cannot abide). It's just that Withit gets so little air time these days, which is a shame

Perhaps Sir Colin doesn't do much of Tippett's later stuff now but he did record 'Rose Lake' coupled with 'Vision of Saint Augustian' on Conifer Classics (which I've got )

[HighlandDougie]

Simon Rattle conducted a very fine performance of 'The Rose Lake' with the LSO in, I think, 2018 as he was keen that it should be returned to the repertoire of the orchestra which gave its first performance (and it would have been wonderful to have been there). I once asked an at the time fellow trustee of a charitable trust (who knew about such things) why Tippett was so seldom performed in comparison with Britten and his answer was simple, "The power of the Britten Trust". Sigh!

Adolescent and fatuous comment but I sometimes think that I would swap the entire Britten oeuvre for a single work of Tippett, although maybe not the Third Symphony.

[Ian Thumwood]

Don't forget the earlier op 34 preludes, there's a wonderful recording by Elisso Virssaladze.

thanks very much.

I bought the Naxos version of these preludes about 6 weeks ago. They are the pieces that piqued my curioisty about Shostokovich.

This week I have been listening to Murray Perahia's recording of the JS Bach English Suites,

[pastoralguy]

Nicolas Gombert. Sacred Music.

Ars Nova conducted by Bo Holten.

Its nice to hear the old music, especially late at night.

[smittims]

Hmm... interested to see two remarks about Tippett's Third. I was overwhelmed with it when I heard the premiere live and have always thougtht it an utter masterpiece ever since. I don't think Tippett 'denies' Beethoven; I think he's saying 'I wish I could be as optimistic about brotherhood as he, but after Auschwitz one doubts'. The fault is not with Beethoven but with man.

My choice this morning: Mozart's Requiem. Herbert von Karajan's 1961 recording with Wilma Lipp, Hilde Rossl-Majdan, Anton Dermota, Walter Berry, the Vienna Singverein and the Berlin Philharmonic. I supose some will think it a gimmick that he separates the chorus into close and distant in the Confutatis. I think it very effective and not inauthentic.

[Pulcinella]

Tippett
Fantasia concertante on a theme of Corelli
Symphony 3

Josephine Barstow/BBCSO/Raymond Leppard
RFH, 15 December 1976

There's been a fair bit of sporadic comment about Tippett S3 in various threads.
I was at an early Harper/RLPO/Groves performance, which impressed at the time (I was a callow youth, ha ha), but I've struggled with it since, despite having the score to follow.

I remember RichardB being unaware of the Barstow performance (and subsequently praising it?).
I still find it the 'best' for me.