I never thought I'd hear Monostratos as Waldemar! And Tove giving a masterclass in the art of the vocal wobble. Extraordinary. The orchestra, however, is truly excellent (seriously).
Wherever Previn went, the orchestra was improved. Whether it was the LSO, the PSO or the LAP, Previn brought out the best. Here in Pittsburgh, during Previn's tenure more of the top artists were attracted to come here to play with Previn. He was the best and put Pittsburgh on the map..
I believe this to be the most intense and "believed in" of the CK Sevenths we have available. The most "convincing" of our sense that these tempi might just be the way the composer "heard" this music in his head.
Fantastic, BRAVOOO!!! MANY MANY years ago, when I was just a student, I bought the Deutsche Grammophon vinyl recording of this wonderful ballet with the same artists (Berganza, Davies, Shirley-Kirk, LSO and Abbado). I don´t remember it was a live recording and after hearing this version detecting a small defect in the trumpet and some coughing in the audience, I think it is not the same DG vinyl version. But I find incredible the similarities in performance and recording itself, among the studio and the live versions. It tells a lot to me about how fine was Abbado as conductor, his musical sensitivity and his communication with the musicians. Great experience. Thank you very much.
Such a wonderful concerto. Heart felt. Heart written. Heart played. Heart performance. ❤❤❤. The violin soars and sings. Andre Previn rest in piece and may your music Bless Our Ears for Centuries to Come. The scoring is rather sparse through out making punctuation points. Almost like Violin with orchestra obligato. An interesting approach. Ann Sophie Mutter is an remarkable virtuoso. She got his message and performance responds loud and clear ❤❤. I listen captivated.
Hard to believe this was criticised when it was premiered; surely something many critics later regretted after hearing it more than once. I hate how Walton is dismissed in comparison to his 20th Century peers, he was great. As a kid I saw Battle of Britain and the music during the finale blew my tiny mind; I KNEW, somehow, that whoever had scored this ancient movie wasn't the composer they used in the actual battle, and when I saw the LP in a second hand shop the first thing I noticed was, "Includes 'Battle in the Air" by William Walton. I bought the LP, of course, and wore down that one track until it was almost impossible to play; thus began my love of Walton.
Far from impeccable in terms of accuracy and sonics but this performance captures the spirit of this marvellous and underrated piece like no other I’ve heard,
Wow - stunning playing from everyone. If this is Roy Jowitt on clarinet it's exceptional playing. So different from the players of today who don't find the levels of nuance he displays here. Thanks for this link.
A perfect upload with no cue 'blips'. The sound is forward and clear and the balance between the rather unnecessary and somewhat irritating Narrator and the orchestra is good. Even with my reservations about having the added 'chat', which is not in the original score, the performance is well worth exploring.
A perfect upload with no cue jumps. There are a few radio crackles but, considering the age of the recording, these few extra noises are nothing. The recording is forward with plenty of impact. Many thanks for another treasure.
It's a pity British audiences don't get to hear this, or other of Schuman's fantastic symphonies, in their concert halls. (The Sixth and the Eighth are probably his best, BTW.). But then how often to American audiences get to hear great British symphonies in their concert halls? When was the last time anyone here heard a Vaughan Williams or a Malcolm Arnold symphony performed live in the US? The Vaughan Williams Fourth Symphony alone is worth any price of admission alone.
Bravo Solti for not tearing through the finale, as most conductors do - you can really hear all the notes and it captures the rhythmic excitement of the piece so much better.
