What NEW discs/music are you adding to your collection?

[maestrob]

Vaughan-Williams's "A Sea Symphony" is a massive undertaking (I've performed it in Carnegie Hall), and the stars must align to bring off a great performance of this work. This latest version from Martyn Brabbins and his great BBC forces begs to be compared to Adrian Boult's and Previn's versions, which brings me to the baritone in this recording, Marcus Farnsworth, who seems slightly overwhelmed by the proceedings: he's just too light for the role given him. The orchestra and the great BBC chorus sound wonderful, and the conducting couldn't be better: Brabbins shows solid confidence in his interpretation and keeps his massive forces under control. A fine reading, marred only by the too-light baritone. The short encore for chorus and strings (Barest thou now, O Soul), is merely a curiosity. Four and 1/2 stars.

[maestrob]

Lovingly crafted, this recording of Mozart's final opera has finally been released, with stars Joyce DiDonato and Rolando Villazon, led by the exquisite music-making of Yannick Nezet-Seguin, newly appointed music director of the Metropolitan Opera. Nezet-Seguin draws superbly sensitive playing from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, as well as from his singers, all of which are first-rank. Pacing is conservative, while the ravishing details are all there, the shaping of notes, the balance of orchestra and singers all combine to make this interesting to the ear as well as the heart. Opera on CD is rare these days, so let this DGG release soar to the top of your want list. Five enthusiastic stars!

[maestrob]

Teodor Currentzis has annoyed me in his interpretations of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, as well with his much-heralded Tchaikovsky VI (see reviews above), but he seems to have a handle on Mahler VI that exudes energy and passion. The fault this time I find here is not with his conducting, but with Sony's engineers who occasionally spotlight certain instruments in order to make them heard over the din. Not a natural sounding recording then, but a subtly artificial one. I must say that the MusicAeterna orchestra responds well to Currentzis: they have been exceedingly well-prepared. Not my favorite Mahler VI, but one worthy of consideration. Four stars.

[maestrob]

This disc of Ravel and Duparc, with mezzo Magdalena Kozena has received much good press, and well-deserved. This is my first taste of Robin Ticciati's conducting, and he is quite impressive, here in French music played by the Deutches Symphonie-Orchestra Berlin. Imagine, deeply sensitive playing in French music from a German orchestra! Very idiomatic playing, with nuance and grace and a fine attention to detail, all come together in this refined release. Kozena sings her Duparc selections with great finesse and depth of feeling (4 songs), while Ticciati leads Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe Suite #2 (without chorus) and an exquisite Valses nobles et sentimentales. Get this for the Duparc, and then pay close attention to the details in the Ravel selections. You won't be disappointed! Five stars.

[maestrob]

Daniel Harding has made quite a name for himself in the CD department, especially with an ongoing Mahler cycle with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. His performances have received some positive recognition, but it's early days yet in this conductor's career, and his Mahler, while mostly quite good, disappoints in the final bars of both the Scherzo and the final movement, while the famous Adagio is simply bland. Harding makes the elementary mistake of equating going fast with excitement, which doesn't work for me. In comparison with Solti, Bernstein or Abbado, this performance has small weaknesses here and there, thus, although the energy is good, I can give it only four stars. The orchestra plays quite well when they're given the chance.

[Wallingford]

As I continue to dive wholeheartedly into the current vinyl celebration, I've been bingeing out particularly on orders from philadelphiamusic, found on the discogs.com site. This site's far from having wholly reputable sellers, but philadelphiamusic has a fairly stringent grading system, as well as fantastic buys. Two months ago I received these classical LPs (as well as an equivalent number of pop discs):

Mussorgsky Songs (exc’s)……Christoff,Tzipine, ONRF (Seraphim 60008)
Szymanowski: Sym. #2, #3……Dorati, Detroit Sym. (London LDR-71026)
Overture Encores (Herold, Suppe, et al.)……. Wolff, PCO (London STS-15021)
The Watergate Comedy Hour……. Burns, Schreiber, Welker et al. (Hidden ST-11202)
The Bitter End Years (folk, comedy, rock)………(Roxbury RLX-300)
Bolero, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Night on Bald Mountain, etc. ……..Fiedler, Boston Pops (DGG 413689-2)
Balakirev, Liadov orch. works……Ansermet, OSR (London STS-15066)

I'm anticipating another shipment any day now.

[maestrob]

Vladimir Jurowski has been appointed as conductor of the State Academy Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov," and this is Jurowski's take on the world premiere version of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake (1877 version). Jurowski's conducting is quite good as far as tempo and attention to detail is concerned, but the recorded sound is both dry and distant, making the recording dull & boring to listen to. The orchestra plays well, but they are badly recorded in this important release. Pentatone's engineers could sure have done better. Three & 1/2 stars.

[maestrob]

Stravinsky's Persephone is rarely performed in the USA, partly because it is difficult to find a quality French-speaking actress to take up the narration, and also because this is, IMHO, the weakest of Stravinsky's neo-classical compositions (It was written in 1934.). I've lived with the Fritz Wunderlich recording for some time now, and this entry by Esa-Pekka Salonen and tenor Andrew Staples is weak in comparison. Salonen leads his Finnish National Opera forces with precision and excellent intonation in this live recording (with no applause at the end), but there is simply no passion in the reading, and not being able to hear much of Pauline Cheviller's dialogue doesn't help much. Three stars.

[John F]

Yet another piece for Ida Rubinstein. I have one recording of it, Stravinsky's first (monaural), and believe I have listened to it at most once. Well, Rubinstein struck gold with Ravel's "Bolero," and "Le Martyre de Saint-Sebastien" is occasionally done, but if "Persephone" has been performed in New York in recent decades I missed it.

[Belle]

I've just received from the courier the following double CD:

Brahms, Piano Concerto #1; LSO/Szell/Curzon
Piano Concerto #2: Wiener Philharmoniker/Knappertsbusch/Curson

Been looking forward to this and, from what I've heard already, it's going to be absolutely wonderful - especially the Knappertsbusch!!!

Begone, federal election talk!!!!

[Rach3]

Bronislav Martinu's Violin Concerto # 2, Isabelle Faust,Belohlavek,Czech Phil
Arthur Honegger's Cello Sonata, Valerie Aimard,Cedric Tiberghein
Leila Josefowicz playing Bartok Sonata for Solo Violin , and Esa Pekka Salonen's Violin Concerto
Andrew Tyson , Chopin Etudes, complete

[maestrob]

Bronislav Martinu's Violin Concerto # 2, Isabelle Faust,Belohlavek,Czech Phil
Arthur Honegger's Cello Sonata, Valerie Aimard,Cedric Tiberghein
Leila Josefowicz playing Bartok Sonata for Solo Violin , and Esa Pekka Salonen's Violin Concerto
Andrew Tyson , Chopin Etudes, complete

Um, it's "Bohuslav." Sorry to nitpick!

I have yet to warm up to Martinu's Violin Concerti, preferring his Symphonies and the Piano Concerto IV and other symphonic works. Tell me please, what made you buy the Andrew Tyson?

[Rach3]

Tell me please, what made you buy the Andrew Tyson?

Heard a live broadcast of his playing Ravel’s “Miroirs”,was very impressed,saw he had a Ravel cd and also the Chopin cd, listened to the Chopin on YouTube and found he had some very interesting,original ideas on many of the Chopins,even more so than with the Ravel,so went with the Chopin even though I have 3 other complete sets of the Chopin,Rubinstein,Pogorelich,Cortot.And I meant the Preludes,not the Etudes !

[Rach3]

Tell me please, what made you buy the Andrew Tyson?

Annoying,many ads, but here are Tyson's Chopin Preludes complete at YT on autoplay or you can skip around.
http://tinyurl.com/yy9uavp7

[Belle]

Have now listened twice to the WPO/Knapperstbusch/Curson Brahms #2 Concerto. The tempi are generally faster than I'm used to and the string playing is just superb. Some slight balance issues with the orchestra at times where some of it seems to disappear and we can only hear woodwinds. Overall, the recorded sound seems excellent given its (1957) date - but obviously post-doctored.

The piano is forward and the playing is superb. The cello obbligato at the start of the 2nd movement stands out; it has slight remnants of portamento and that really works, I think. The whole performance is on a hire wire and very highly 'strung', if I can put it like that. Thrilling, to say the least of it. And the last time I used the word 'thrilling' to describe Brahms was when I heard (and hear) Kleiber's Symphony 4 with the WPO.

[Rach3]

Have now listened twice to the WPO/Knapperstbusch/Curson Brahms #2 Concerto.

You may also be interested in this YT video of a live 1966 Brahms PC # 2 with Curzon , RAI Turin under Ettore Gracis ( conductor in the acclaimed ABM recording of the Rach 4 ), very sprightly :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxcOCDHzkN0&t=4s

[Belle]

Have now listened twice to the WPO/Knapperstbusch/Curson Brahms #2 Concerto.

You may also be interested in this YT video of a live 1966 Brahms PC # 2 with Curzon , RAI Turin under Ettore Gracis ( conductor in the acclaimed ABM recording of the Rach 4 ), very sprightly :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxcOCDHzkN0&t=4s

Thank you; I watched this. Excellent performance. I only have one recording from Curzon and that's chamber music.

[maestrob]

This exquisite recording of the latest edition of Rossini's Semiramide features newly discovered choral scenes that help balance the opera, as well as a cast and conductor that are exceedingly good. Since the recording has already been very intelligently reviewed on amazon, I'll simply quote a paragraph from one of those reviews:

In Rossini, singers rule, and here they do indeed. Albina Shagimuratova, like Sutherland is a high lying soprano with punch that adapts well to both character and vocal line despite the lower "Colbran" pitch of the role. Her variations in "Bel Raggio" are a delight as well as the bite she gives to "La forza primiera." Daniella Barcellona is a familiar Arsace, but she seems to have polished up her formidable resources to give a career defining performance here. The voice is fresh, the technique agile, and the characterization spontaneous....Brava! The real find here is Mirco Palazzi as Assur. He has agility to burn and can hold his own with the formidable Barcellona in the Act 1 duet as well as with Shagimuratova in that astounding confrontation between "villain" and :"villainess" that opens Act 2 . His only unbeatable competition is Ramey in the "Mad Scene." If his only "better" is Ramey then that is high praise indeed.

Sir Mark Elder leads one of the finest opera recordings I've ever heard. Five enthusiastic stars!

[maestrob]

Boris Lyatoshynsky's Symphony III was written in the middle of the last century, and is presented here by conductor Kirill Karabits and his Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in a fine surround sound Chandos recording, with the usual excellent acoustics. Karabits leads a fine performance (new to me) of this meandering work, which, on first hearing, lacks the punch of Khachaturian or the depth of Shostakovich. The Soviet authorities demanded that the composer revise the work: here it is presented in its original manuscript form, without the requested revisions, and Karabits makes a persuasive case for this obscure repertoire. All in all, an intriguing reading for those curious about Soviet-era music. Four stars.

[Lance]

Two new discs today:

1) Erato/Warner 462501 - Franck Violin Sonata in A; Grieg Violin Sonata #3 in c, Op. 45;
_____Dvorak Romantic Pieces (4), Op. 75
_____Renaud Capucon, violin; Khatia Buniatishvili, piano
(Slightly disappointed in sound/balance)

2) RCA 63587 - Shostakovich Symphony #5 in A, Op. 141, Philadelphia Orchestra
_____Eugene Ormandy, conductor (r.1972)
_____Shostakovich Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 64 (r.1965)
(Don't know how I missed this, issued long ago in High Performance series, first time on CD)

[Lance]

Brian, when is this performance dated? I have interest!

This exquisite recording of the latest edition of Rossini's Semiramide features newly discovered choral scenes that help balance the opera, as well as a cast and conductor that are exceedingly good. Since the recording has already been very intelligently reviewed on amazon, I'll simply quote a paragraph from one of those reviews:

In Rossini, singers rule, and here they do indeed. Albina Shagimuratova, like Sutherland is a high lying soprano with punch that adapts well to both character and vocal line despite the lower "Colbran" pitch of the role. Her variations in "Bel Raggio" are a delight as well as the bite she gives to "La forza primiera." Daniella Barcellona is a familiar Arsace, but she seems to have polished up her formidable resources to give a career defining performance here. The voice is fresh, the technique agile, and the characterization spontaneous....Brava! The real find here is Mirco Palazzi as Assur. He has agility to burn and can hold his own with the formidable Barcellona in the Act 1 duet as well as with Shagimuratova in that astounding confrontation between "villain" and :"villainess" that opens Act 2 . His only unbeatable competition is Ramey in the "Mad Scene." If his only "better" is Ramey then that is high praise indeed.

Sir Mark Elder leads one of the finest opera recordings I've ever heard. Five enthusiastic stars!

[maestrob]

Lance, the release date was September 28, 2018, so I imagine the performance took place some time before then. It's not a live recording (there's no applause or audience noise) so there must have been some editing, but the singing is, IMHO, staggeringly good thanks to Mark Elder's preparation. This was BBC America's Disc of the Month for December 2018. Well worth acquiring! Enjoy!

[maestrob]

This excellent album by Carolyn Sampson, Andreas Wolf and the Freiburger Barockorchester brings together an ideal combination of expertise and superbly sensitive music-making true to the period. Intonation in the orchestra is spot-on, while their sense of style pleased these ears more than I expected from an early-music group. The recording is sensational: clear and crisp with just the right amount of atmosphere to avoid dryness: the engineers should be proud. A year and a half ago when this was released, it received top-flight reviews almost everywhere. I bought it then and it has lain on my shelves unopened for that long. I'm regretful that I ignored this excellent disc then, and overjoyed to have finally heard it. Five stars!

[maestrob]

Manfred Honeck with his muscular Pittsburgh Symphony offer here a very fine account of Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony, filled with interesting details that enhance the music rather than offend the ear. Honeck's conception is fiery and energetic, never dull and pedestrian. The orchestra plays for him like a first-rank orchestra should: I'm reminded of George Szell, with touches of originality. Don't miss this! The Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 is a fine bonus, winningly played by virtuoso William Caballero, who manages to make this difficult piece sound easy: it's not! This, like many of Pittsburgh's latest recordings, is highly rewarding, especially if you have an SACD player: the recording is a triumph! Five stars.

[maestrob]

The Utah Symphony has come far since its days under Maurice Abravanel, judging by this recording. Unfortunately, Hyperion's engineers fail to capture the depth necessary for this repertoire: volume level is low, so this passes for a dull recording. I hear more delicacy than energy in the orchestra, which plays with less passion than I'd like, but my ears are put off by the distant sound that, while well-defined, leaves everything at a distance. This is a live recording which, curiously, leaves off the applause at the end of the Organ Symphony, a sure crowd-pleaser under the baton of Thierry Fischer, with Paul Jacobs at the organ. The excellent fillers ( 3 Tableaux from the play "La foi" and the Bacchanale from "Samson et Dalila") are played to perfection and better recorded. In closing, I must give credit to conductor Thierry Fischer for his clarity and control of the orchestra in the difficult Organ Symphony. Four stars.

Recommended recordings: Ormandy/Murray on Telarc (available on vinyl as well as CD), or Barenboim on DGG.

[maestrob]

That Pretty Yende is a star has been fairly established by now. She can do wonderful things with her voice that put her in the absolute top class of singers today. Here she explores Lucia for the first time with conductor Giacomo Sagripanti, a baton new to me and I imagine many readers. Well-paced and carefully considered ornamentations in Bellini and Meyerbeer excerpts fill out this ravishing disc. Many times second efforts by debut artists disappoint: not so here. Yende is a Great Singer with maturity and musical depth that belie her youthful looks. Bravi tutti! Five enthusiastic stars.

[maestrob]

Rued Langgaard's Symphonies II(1915) & VI (1920) are very fine works, written in a late Romantic style that, if played by a lesser orchestra, might mislead one into thinking that they are quite ordinary. Played by the Vienna Philharmonic led by seasoned conductor Sakari Oramo, however, they are transformed into excellent works rescued from obscurity. Langgaard enjoyed successes in Germany and Austria, though he never received proper recognition in his native Denmark during his lifetime. Sung by the graceful soprano Anu Komsi, the Second Symphony proves to be a beautiful work, while after the horrors of WWI, the Sixth is a darker symphony. While there is a complete set of Langgaard's Symphonies available, this Vienna Philharmonic recording brings out subtle details in the works that impressed this writer greatly. Unfortunately, Langgaard died a bitterly disappointed composer: his music is now coming to light. Five stars.

[maestrob]

Vasily Petrenko and his Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra appear here in another fine release of Stravinsky's complete Firebird ballet, coupled, appropriately enough, with a suite from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera Le coq d'or (The Golden Cockerel). There is nothing standard about this excellent recording (Stravinsky was, of course, Rimsky-Korsakov's star pupil.). Petrenko inspires his orchestra to scintillating heights in both titles: not since Stravinsky's own recording of Firebird have I been so pleased with the results, although Petrenko takes the very climax of the finale at a faster clip than I would prefer, robbing it of the majesty it deserves, this is a small quibble in the face of an overall conception that rewards repeated listening. The recording quality is superb, with clear textures and no hint of strain in the climaxes.
Four and 1/2 stars.

[maestrob]

Erno Dohnanyi, unlike his contemporaries Bartok and Kodaly, has not taken his rightful place in concert halls around the world. This disc will certainly garner acclaim and new respect for his work. Played with panache and style by The Nash Ensemble, his Serenade for String Trio, String Quartet No. 3, and Sextet for Piano, Clarinet, Horn and String Trio, all bring to life Dohnanyi's unique sense of form and humor. Very enjoyable to these ears, all three works are gems given new life by the participants (Ian Brown, piano; Richard Hosford, clarinet; Richard Watkins, horn, along with The Nash Ensemble: Stephanie Gonley, violin I; Laura Samuel, Violin II; Lawrence Power, viola; Adrian Brendel, cello) in this first-class disc. Great sound! Urgently recommended. Five stars!

[John F]

And then there's this, Dohnanyi's strongest claim to immortality:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeswLTu_IiI


Others may play it with a bit more dexterity - Dohnanyi was nearly 80 in 1956 - but none with greater wit and humor.

[maestrob]

Thanks for that, John! I'll listen tomorrow, as I'm off to an appointment. I wonder if the horn player, Adrian Brendel, is related to Alfred?

[John F]

Alfred Brendel has a son named Adrian, but he plays the cello. There are other Brendels around who aren't necessarily related, such as the baritone Wolfgang Brendel.

[maestrob]

Alfred Brendel has a son named Adrian, but he plays the cello. There are other Brendels around who aren't necessarily related, such as the baritone Wolfgang Brendel.

So, it IS Brendel's son, as the CD lists him as playing cello. Small world indeed, and congatulstions to him for contributing to such a fine performance. If he's the regular cellist of the Nash Ensemble, I'm quite impressed!

[maestrob]

This superb CD features the solo art of one of the world's finest clarinet players today, Andreas Ottensamer, solo clarinet of the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic. Thanks to Lance and Barney's recommendation, I put this wonderful disc on my wantlist, and received it yesterday as an early birthday present. What a stunning recording, beautifully recorded, containing repertoire from Brahms, Weber and Mendelssohn, all with the assistance of Mariss Jansons (conducting the Weber 1st Clarinet Concerto in Berlin), and Yuja Wang accompanying Ottensamer's own arrangements of Mendelssohn and Brahms pieces. Ottensamer's playing is fluid and quite warm, with a beauty of tone to rival the very finest. Warmly recommended. Five stars!

[maestrob]

This Orfeo release of a 1959 Bayreuth performance of Wagner's Flying Dutchman has been available for years on other labels, but this is my long overdue first exposure to it. Wolfgang Sawallisch leads the Bayreuth orchestra and Leonie Rysanek, George London and tenor Joseph Greindl in a tumultuous, passionate performance. The sound is in good mono, with some audience noise between scenes, and there are slight pitch problems with the young Rysanek going slightly sharp in places, but this is a great performance, not to be missed; the audience enthusiastically agrees. Five stars. Don't miss this!

[John F]

That is a terrific performance. I expect the sound on Orfeo is as good as it gets, as they often use Bavarian Radio masters for their releases. Philips later recorded this production with Franz Crass and Anja Silja leading the cast, but the more experienced and no less passionate London and Rysanek are superior.

[Lance]

Brian, I wholeheartedly agree on Ottensamer - or ANY of the Ottensamers. I have embarked on acquiring any recordings by the father and his two sons, either as soloists or as a trio "Clarinotts". Ernst has made a number of recordings for Naxos, Daniel for Sony, and Andreas for DGG. Each one is a gem. I am planning to do a two-program salute to the Ottensamers down the road.

This superb CD features the solo art of one of the world's finest clarinet players today, Andreas Ottensamer, solo clarinet of the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic. Thanks to Lance and Barney's recommendation, I put this wonderful disc on my wantlist, and received it yesterday as an early birthday present. What a stunning recording, beautifully recorded, containing repertoire from Brahms, Weber and Mendelssohn, all with the assistance of Mariss Jansons (conducting the Weber 1st Clarinet Concerto in Berlin), and Yuja Wang accompanying Ottensamer's own arrangements of Mendelssohn and Brahms pieces. Ottensamer's playing is fluid and quite warm, with a beauty of tone to rival the very finest. Warmly recommended. Five stars!

[Lance]

I was very happy to discover this disc. It was so good I had to get another one, "A Journey." I would like to see her record much more.

That Pretty Yende is a star has been fairly established by now. She can do wonderful things with her voice that put her in the absolute top class of singers today. Here she explores Lucia for the first time with conductor Giacomo Sagripanti, a baton new to me and I imagine many readers. Well-paced and carefully considered ornamentations in Bellini and Meyerbeer excerpts fill out this ravishing disc. Many times second efforts by debut artists disappoint: not so here. Yende is a Great Singer with maturity and musical depth that belie her youthful looks. Bravi tutti! Five enthusiastic stars.

[maestrob]

When Karl Goldmark first appeared on the scene in 1865, he attracted attention with his chamber works, then his Rustic Wedding Symphony and an opera The Queen of Sheba. Throughout his career he was a friend of Brahms and an admirer of Wagner: both influences can be felt in this collection of tone poems, ably conducted here by Fabrice Bollon. The Bamburg Symphony plays with good intonation and energy: this is not a dull recording by any means. Bollon's energy level is high, and his sense of discipline in these works unfamiliar to the orchestra is very effective. Not great music by any means, but a satisfying listen. Four 1/2 stars. I look forward to Volume II.

[maestrob]

Zhu Xiaou-Mei has been quietly making extraordinarily good recordings while teaching in France for nearly a decade now, and this is one of her best. The innocence and purity she brings to Bach's French Suites resonates with me. This recording was originally chosen as a Recording of the Month by BBC Magazine, and listening to it, I understand why. Zhu Xiaou-Mei's touch is sure, her colors varied, and her commitment to communicating the joy of Bach's writing is sure to win you over, as it did your writer. Five stars!

[maestrob]

This is a fine recording of Prokofiev V with Kirill Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, but it also contains a rare recording of Prokofiev's original Op. 47 Symphony IV, which he later revised into the performing version we know today, first recorded by Ormandy back in the 1960's, and available also in this series with Karabits conducting on another CD. Although highly respectable readings, I suspect that Karabits's Prokofiev series will not be available for long (It's on an obscure label, Onyx.). Even though these are exciting readings, now that the cycle is complete, hopefully they'll be issued in a box set rather than individually. Karabits clearly has a keen understanding of Prokofiev's sound world. He makes the orchestra sing with profundity and passion as the music deserves. Five stars, with gratitude for the Fourth Symphony in particular.

[John F]

Valery Gergiev conducted both versions of Prokofiev's 4th, op. 47 and op. 112, in his cycle of the symphonies with the London Symphony Orchestra which was broadcast and then published on CD in 2005. There was a much earlier op. 47 on Urania by the Colonne Concerts Orchestra conducted by Sebastian, dating from 1955. Both of them beat Karabits to the post, and I dare say that Gergiev is the more stimulating conductor, while the LSO is by far the superior orchestra.

Gergiev also conducted both versions of the 7th symphony, differing only in the ending, but Philips included only the first version (the better one) in the CD set.

[maestrob]

Valery Gergiev conducted both versions of Prokofiev's 4th, op. 47 and op. 112, in his cycle of the symphonies with the London Symphony Orchestra which was broadcast and then published on CD in 2006. There was a much earlier op. 47 on Urania by the Colonne Concerts Orchestra conducted by Sebastian, dating from 1955. Both of them beat Karabits to the post, and I dare say that Gergiev is the more stimulating conductor.

Yes, of course I forgot about the Gergiev, which I have, and must re-hear !

[John F]

I've just come across another recording of op. 47: Neeme Järvi and the Scottish National Orchestra. From the Amazon listing it appears to have been published in 1992. Seems like recordings of the earlier version might be catching up with the later one, though I haven't counted them.

[maestrob]

Valery Gergiev conducted both versions of Prokofiev's 4th, op. 47 and op. 112, in his cycle of the symphonies with the London Symphony Orchestra which was broadcast and then published on CD in 2005. There was a much earlier op. 47 on Urania by the Colonne Concerts Orchestra conducted by Sebastian, dating from 1955. Both of them beat Karabits to the post, and I dare say that Gergiev is the more stimulating conductor, while the LSO is by far the superior orchestra.

Gergiev also conducted both versions of the 7th symphony, differing only in the ending, but Philips included only the first version (the better one) in the CD set.

There you go again, John, criticizing without listening. I have to hear the Gergiev Op. 47 again before I can comment, but Karabits is also Russian and on this disc (in fact in the rest of the series as well) Karabits brings out a vitality and fire in Prokofiev that rivals Bernstein, Ormandy and Leinsdorf, with a bit more transparancy that I attribute to slightly smaller string sections. This works to Prokofiev's advantage, as inner voices are heard more clearly. Incidentally, Karabits's recording of III & VII (with both endings) received five stars from BBC Magazine when it was issued. Incidentally, I don't care for Stalin's requested ending to VII, preferring Prokofiev's decision to end the symphony on a quieter note.

[John F]

There you go again, John, criticizing without listening.

What I said was, "I dare say that Gergiev is the more stimulating conductor, while the LSO is by far the superior orchestra." I stand by that. The London Symphony Orchestra is now and has long been one of the finest orchestras in the world; the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is not and never has been on that level. Therefore I dare say that in this recording, which I have not heard, all this remains true, and I'm not going to buy the Karabits recording and listen to it just to confirm that.

In my view and my experience, Valery Gergiev is one of the most stimulating conductors alive, and having not only heard the Philips recording but attended the performances by him and the LSO, I know that he was in top form. I've never heard any concert or recording by Karabits, but again I dare say that compared with Gergiev he is surely a less stimulating conductor, at least in Gergiev's core repertoire of Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and the major Russians. If Karabits is on that level, why has his career so far been with second-tier orchestras like the Bournemouth (his first music directorship), the Strasbourg Philharmonic, and the Orchestra of Radio France? Nor made guest appearances with any of the world's major orchestras? Conductors with résumés like that are a dime a dozen, and I don't have the time for them.

When you get around to hearing the Gergiev recording, I'll be interested in your opinion of it and how it compares with Karabits's. But I don't appreciate your suggesting that I don't have a right to my opinion, whatever it may or may not be based on. We all make judgments on recordings we haven't heard, simply by buying them or not, and we owe nobody any explanation of our reasons.

[jserraglio]

Prokofiev Symphony 7

Gergiev & the LSO live
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mF8oTzXoyts



Karabits & the Bournemouth studio

[jserraglio]

I listened to Prokofiev 5 and 7 by both GERGIEV and KARABITS. Pleased to announce, the winner is . . . MARTINON.





KARABITS/BSO (ONYX studio)









GERGIEV/LSO (DECCA studio)

[maestrob]

jserraglio:

Thanks for your contribution. I'm in a Bach/Handel mood today, but I'll get to Gergiev soon. I understand why you like Martinon though, he's an outstanding and vastly underrated conductor (I have all his Chicago recordings in an RCA box set), and his Prokofiev V & VII have been reissued on Testament: I've ordered a copy.

[jserraglio]

msg deleted: duplicate