van Beinum conducts Elgar
342412
This CD is obviously monophonic, recorded in 1949-1950, and engineered by Kenneth Wilkinson.  What's odd (and could only be explained by Decca) is that some tracks are from master mono tapes, and others from 78s.  Even though Cockaigne, the Cello Concerto and the Elegy were all recorded in May 1949, the Elegy sounds as if it were made from an old 78 rpm record, with all the usual 78 rpm sounds, so I imagine the original tape for that was lost or unusable.  The Cockaigne and Concerto sound fine.  The 1st Wand of Youth Suite was recorded in February 1949, and I detect 78 RPM sounds, though it must have been a mint condition master, and they are hardly discernible, and the 2nd Suite was recorded a year later, in Feb 1950, and sounds as if it's from a tape master.  Van Beinum liked Elgar, and does a superb job, and it's too bad he never got around to recording the symphonies.  Despite the old sound, I still give it a 5.
4392585
Like many a composer, Edward Elgar has his popular works that are almost always exclusively recorded. Pomp and Circumstance and the Enigma Variations tend to be the usual pair. However, Elgar's own piano arrangement of these Variations is somewhat rare, and in my humble opinion, I believe the piano arrangement is slightly superior to the orchestral version so many are used to. In addition to this piano arrangement, this recording also features some of Elgar's original piano miniatures or transcriptions of lesser-known compositions. Unfortunately, they barely glimmer at all next to the mighty Helios, the powerfully radiant Enigma Variations. Overall, Ashley Wass, esteemed in my view for his Bax and Franck interpretations, brings a level of emotional concentration and technical finesse to all of these works.

Although the puzzling initials of each variation have been solved, the "enigmatic" theme and the character of the Enigma Variations are wholly mysterious. Of all the Elgar music I've heard, I believe the main theme of this work is his finest creation. Distinguished for its haunting beauty and simplicity, this theme is the most memorable and pleasing theme from any of the music on this recording. Elgar's variation after his wife's initials is surely the most profound and passionate of them all. The orchestral version hints at tenderness and warmth, but in the dynamic depths of the piano, Wass conjures the utmost sorrow from the piano's registers. After this, the continuously original and contrasting variations speak for themselves. The fourth, seventh and eleventh variations erupt with volcanic energy through Wass's virtuosity. The ninth variation, known as "Nimrod," emits a magisterial air and glorious virility; Wass's muscular delivery towards the end is highly satisfying. Similarly, the Finale reaches a plane of sonority that the orchestra is incapable of reaching. From the pianissimo nuances of the recurring main theme to the explosive passagework surrounding it, this music seems much better suited to the piano.

As for the other pieces here, the miniatures, I cannot say an abundance of great things about them. There are a few jewels, but nothing of startling originality. The Sonatina that Elgar wrote for his niece is tranquil enough, but not that memorable. "Dream Children" fares a little better, especially in the Andantino, an enchanting work akin to Schumann. "May Song" and "Carissima" are two delightful miniatures of pleasantly simple ideas in the Romantic vein. The "Serenade Maresque" proves to be a melodic little trifle of Spanish flavor with tinges of a Chopin Mazurka. However, the rest of these pieces are too homogenous to make any valuable distinctions in this review: they are full of average lyricism but hardly any contrast or drama.

Bottom line: While the miniatures on this recording are not that outstanding, Ashley Wass's full-blooded and heart-felt performance of the Enigma Variations earns this recording a 5-star rating. As beloved as the original orchestral version is, there are melodic nuances and expressive details that can only be heard through the piano.
4917295
What the hell, why not get a periodic dose of a perennial favorite, Haydn's Symphony No 88, as well as a couple others which he composed in that transitional period between extended stints in Paris and London. These are meaty, high calorie "big band" performances with the refined intonations of modern instruments and the noble, patrician conducting of Karl Bhm. I'll say this much right off the bat: Deutsche Grammophon's 1970s era analog recordings with Bhm and the Vienna Philharmonic were some of the finest I've ever heard. His '70s Beethoven Symphony cycle is one of the best for detailed, rich, and vibrant sound; even if his somewhat measured foursquare tempos weren't to all tastes -- these Haydn symphonies are performed in the same refined, stately manner. There isn't the flat-out excitement and exuberance found in latter day HIP (Historically Informed Performance) and period instrument performances, but the grasp of the music's architecture is truly amazing, the instrumental details all aglow! The largo movement of No. 88 is s-l-o-w and grand. The rest is taken similarly in its own sweet time allowing Haydn's notes to spring forth exquisitely and inevitably. This isn't the way I always like to hear this music, but one can still luxuriate in the pure sound of it all.
2153542
The Symphony in E-Flat is Hindemith's best symphopny and one of a handful of his best works.  (Works like the Pittsburgh Symphony and The Harmonie der Welt sound turgid by comparison.)  Bernstein led a good performance, which I think is no longer available, and Tortelier's fine performance was a highlight of his very welcome Hindemith series on Chandos in the 1990's.  However, this old Everest recording with an uncharacteristically fired-up Adrian Boult is the best recording I know.  The sound is more than acceptable--in fact it's quite good--and the fizzing performance has never been bettered.  A good (though not equally good) performance of the violin concerto rounds out a disc that is a must for every Hindemith enthusiast.
1931505
Sir Adrian Boult is best known for his recordings of the British repertoire, and his performances, particularly of Holst's "The Planets" and Elgar's Symphonies and Orchestral Works, are legendary. But Boult was also an excellent conductor of Beethoven, Brahms and Wagner, and this 2-CD set collects the 3rd and 5th Symphonies, and Coriolan and Leonore Overtures of the former German titan. These vintage stereo recordings with the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra of London are truly first rate. I would like to consider myself a collector of Beethoven's 5th performances. I mean what better way to judge/compare/contrast the great conductors of classical music than with the greatest symphony ever written! At this point I must own nearly forty different recordings of the 5th (and have listened to at least as many more), and I have to say Boult's performance, while aimed at connoisseurs, will certainly appeal to any and all who come across it.  The fact that the Vanguard Classics "Masterpiece" series basically sells at budget-line makes them all the more enjoyable.  A brilliant buy!
4463818
Gergiev has turned his live Tchaikovsky performances with the Vienna Phil. into something of an event, and it's true that no other Russian conductor, to my knowledge, has recorded with the orchestra in modern times. This SACD hybrid of the Fourth Sym. sounds terrific, even in two-channel stereo, so for impact, naturalness, and detail it goes to the top of my list. It's also wonderful to hear the refined virtuosity of the orchestra. In both respects this is a top-flight recording.

But Gergiev doesn't seem excited by this symphony, and Tchaikovsky, who is primarily about passion and drama, goes a bit flat when the conducting is this restrained. I suppose Gergiev wanted to rescue the work from its warhorse status, but why? Only an inflamed performance will make experienced listeners sit up and take notice. As it is, this interpretation has no flaws, but it has no great insights, either. I would put it in the middle of the pack, which may be good enough for anyone who has surround sound and wants a sonic rush.

P.S. 2013 - I should have mentioned that more exciting Fourths can be had from Karajan, Bernstein, and Monteux, to mention three personal favorites. Among the Russians there are too many choices to count, but the classic Mravinsky set of the last three symphonies on DG would be hard to topple.  One close rival is the Fourth from Vladimir Jurowski and the London Phil. on the orchestra's house label.

Gergiev remade the last three Tchaikovsky symphonies on BluRay video, and the performances have been conveniently pirated on YouTube (I'm surprised that they haven't been withdrawn). In the Fourth he seems more involved than on the Decca-Vienna account, probably because he's leading his own Mariinsky Orch., for whom Tchaikovsky is their Beethoven.
439100
Of Vassily Kalinnikov's two symphonies, the first is the most often played. It is easy to see why: it has the sort of folksy accessibility that pot-boilers are made of, and it skids merrily from one tutti to the next. The second, much like Elgar's, is a more inward-looking affair (although much less than Elgar's) - still the same catchy rhythms but without the First Symphony's explosiveness. While Kuchar and his Ukranians attack the First head-on, they do appear to be less at home in its successor, where Jrvi's Chandos recording still sets the standard. The First Symphony, however, is played excellently, and this is probably the most energetic recording of it to date. Excellent work from the orchestra, particularly the brass and woodwinds.
2999936
Wellerstein playing the Elgar pieces is orgasmic.  She is amazing. We saw her play live at the Vail Music Festival and could not pass up this CD.
2029942
"Christus" was to be Mendelssohn's biggest and best oratorio, but he never finished it. (Queen Victoria herself was disappointed by that.) So this is an exciting encounter with what Mendelssohn did finish, as well as a tantalizing series of glimpses of what he might have come up with had he lived longer and gotten to finish the thing. Equilbey is a very fine conductor of choral fare, and the music speaks with irresistible brio. The engineering is especially good. Great brass! Some attractive smaller works are included as well. I wouldn't call this indispensable Mendelsssohn, but if you love "Elijah" and Mendelssohn's grand orchestral Psalms, you'll be especially pleased to have this in your collection.
4029778
This is yet another component in the Artone series, in which a performer/artist is spotlighted on a 4 CD set (and the price is right!!). Sir Thomas Beecham was one of the more renowned British conductors of his era. This product traces his repertoire--from Handel to Mozart to Berlioz to Mendelssohn to Debussy to Sibelius.

Some of the works on this set: Handel's "The Great Elopement," Schubert's Symphony # 6, Wagner's "A Faust Overture," Debussy's "Printemps," R. Strauss' "Ein Heldenleben," Sibelius' Symphony # 4 and "The Bard," among others.

Let me briefly describe two of the works to exemplify Beecham's art--Mozart's "Prague" Symphony and Berlioz' "Roman Carnival Overture."

Mozart's Symphony # 38 is one of his finer works in his symphonic catalog. Here, Beecham conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a 1940 recording. The first movement begins in stately fashion (perhaps too stately? Although this is labeled Adagio). The London Philharmonic plays well. As this movement moves to its allegro segment, the pace does pick up nicely. It becomes, if I dare say it, something of a toe tapper at that point. The second movement starts with a sense of gravitas, a bit on the stodgy side. The movement does not, in my view, really reach the "andante" called for by Mozart. It is very musical--but slow. Klemperer's version, for instance, took three minutes less! The third movement, labeled presto, moves quickly (and takes less time than Klemperer's version!). It appears that Beecham's slower movements are slower than some of his peers and his faster movements are somewhat faster. Make of that what one will!

Berlioz' "Roman Carnival Overture" begins a bit slowly (again, Beecham works with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a 1936 recording). Although a bit slow at the outset, it is animated as the work develops. The orchestra plays well, but the pace seems a bit too mannered to me. The work closes, however, in a very energetic fashion and leaves one breathing hard!

In the end, this is a fine introduction to the work of Sir Thomas Beecham. If you want to get acquainted with his art, this should suffice.
3939207
I have needed these two symphonies for my library for a long time.  Of course the fifth is so famous, and very well performed.  I was watching Soylent Green and the first movement of the sixth was used when Edward G Robinson died.  That's what made me go ahead and buy it.  It was also used in Disney's Fantasia.  I was surprised to see on the MP3 singles section, that the movement was the most popular download of this recording, but then, it is a beautiful work.
4827637
This is a superb, lean, powerful account of the Elgar Concerto, wonderfully played and recorded.  It does not suffer from the usual ponderous treatment given it by English soloists and orchestras.  Wispelwey's tone is marvellous, and the closing pages of the Finale are the most moving I know.  I used to play this concerto (well, as much as I could manage!) and I urge any music lover to try this CD.
The Lutoslawski is not my sort of piece, but I think the performance is OK.
2842415
I like Vangelis!  His music is soothing, inspiring and beautiful.  I place him with Kitaro and Ray Lynch after Beethoven.
3625001
You must include Eric Coates in your library of important British composers. I believe he belongs up there with Elgar, Williams, and the rest of the orchestral contemporaries.
1385309
This BIS disc brings together three modern works for percussion solo, performed by Danish virtuoso Gert Mortensen. I won't comment on the Gudmundsen-Holmgreen piece, as I bought this in collecting the output of the other two composers here.

Per Norgard's "I Ching" (1983) is one of the composer's most important works from his stylistic period of that time, when he was exploring extreme shifts between idyll and catastrophe, inspired by the schizophrenic Swiss artist Adolf Wolfli. It features several of the technical discoveries that Norgard had made to date, including the infinity series (a method of generating melody with fractal-like self-similarity) and novel accelerandi. The soloist is allowed to improvise at some portions, but as Norgard's new concepts are fairly easy to grasp, the performer can create music completely in fitting with the written score.

Each of the four movements of "I Ching" takes its title from a symbol in the Chinese classic. "Thunder Repeated: The Image of Shock" develops as birdsong in pitched percussion over talking drums, then peters out into a slow melody on the gongs. The much shorter second movement, "The Taming Power of the Small" is mainly concerted with glissandi. Subtitled "9 Sounds/'9' Sounds", it features a brief hommage to the Beatles which might sound hokey to some, but fits in with the Wolflian world view. The third movement, "The Gentle, the Penetrating" is also short. A slow and highly melodic movement, played mainly on the kalimba, or African thumb piano, it is one of the most simply beautiful things that Norgard has ever written. The fourth movement, however, is most impressive, for "Towards Completion: Fire over Water" has the performer playing a two-tone infinity series at extremely fast tempo, then making the music seem endlessly faster still through Norgard's "Waves" technique.

While he is often known for his savage orchestral works which seek to marry a classical Greek aesthetic to ideas from mathematics and architecture, Iannis Xenakis wrote a great number of percussion works that have a dedicated fanbase. "Psappha" (1976) has variable instrumentation. It begins with a section of rhythmic noodling, followed by an exceedingly slow portion where plenty of silence is left after each drumbeat for maximum impact. The main of the work, however, consists of a gradual buildup towards what many have perceived as gamelan-inspired music. The major recording to compare this to is Steven Schick's on a Mode disc. The timings are quite different, as Mortensen's performance is 11 minutes, while Schick's clocks in at 14 minutes. While Schick's balance is often admirable, generally it all feels too slow when Mortensen is like some kind of machine. I also prefer Mortensen's instrumentation, especially towards the end when its a fury compared to Schick's much tamer cowbell extravaganza.

If you are a fan of Xenakis or Norgard, you owe yourself to pick up this disc. Fans of contemporary repertoire in general who like to marvel at virtuosity will also find much pleasure here. It's simply remarkable how a human being can have such coordination and speed as these works demand.
3481051
This is the newest recording of the Delius Mass of Life to be issued. It is a worthy successor to the Beecham, Groves, and Hickox recordings. Nice sound quality and great performances under the able direction of David Hill. My first choice would still be the Groves on EMI which was recorded by the famous Christopher Bishop-Christopher Parker team in Kingsway Hall in the early 1970s. However, this Naxos issue really is excellent, and you should not hesitate if you are a newcomer or veteran of the piece. As a nice bonus, we also get the late Idyll which was was realized with the help of the young Eric Fenby.
3194921
I purchased this CD from a reseller on Amazon.com after first auditioning the entire album on Last.fm...In a word, it is excellent; a very idiomatic and virtuosic performance of two seldom-heard organ symphonies by Charles-Marie Widor. I prefer Hans Fagius's performance of these pieces even over Ben van Oosten's excellent readings of the Second (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Widor-Das-Orgelwerke-Vol-1/dp/B0000021DV/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Widor: Das Orgelwerke, Vol. 1</a>) and Eighth (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Widor-Complete-Organ-Works-Vol-5/dp/B0000021G2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Widor: Complete Organ Works Vol. 5</a>)
This, despite van Oosten having the advantage of the Cavaille-Coll organ of Saint-Ouen-de-Rouen. The organ Fagius uses for this recording is a modern marvel, an Akerman & Lund instrument built in the mid-90's, it "speaks French" quite convincingly, and while a bit "smoother" than a Cavaille-Coll, does not lack any quality or quantity of tone to present the appropriate sonic palette for these works (so what IS it with all these French-sounding organs in Scandinavian countries anyway?).

Enthusiastically recommended.