I met John Fletcher ( L.S.O. tuba) when the Philip Jones Ensemble played at Dartmouth in 1982. After listening to my admiraing comments about Kurt Goedicke(L.S.O. timpanist on the Walton 1) he sighed and said ' oh yes...the London Timpani Orchestra. '
Previn’s first recording of this symphony is by far the best ever, a no brainer. I believe Walton himself said that he couldn’t conduct his own works as well as Previn could.
I definitely concur with your choice. I listened to this specific CD a couple of weeks ago, playing the performances twice as it's extraordinary musicmaking.
Fantastic choice! Incredible sense of anticipation and excitement in the 1st movement building up to a barnstorming Coda. The finale also very emotional in a different way. I've tried a dozen other versions and none matches Previn's for bringing it all off so powerfully.
What a coincidence. I ordered this version of Walton's 1st Symphony by Previn more than a week ago, and coincidentally it arrived today with the premiere of the video!! Greetings from Valencia, Spain.
Previn and the LSO - an extraordinary combination that worked so well together, not least with their BBC TV series about music. He also had a post with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and I recall his appearance with them at the London Festival Hall performing Elgar's Enigma Variations. Previn was a gifted musical presence in so many ways and his often very casual dress sense always added something extra to the occasion.
I've been trying to find the Slatkin/LPO(??) recording for ages, I think the CD cover has a bird on it? I first checked it out from a library in the bay area decades ago, but I distinctly remember the first movement timpani thwacking that coda so hard it sounded like an artillery piece.
That's very sensible. Everyone is using different stuff anyway, so telling us that "I use XXX headphones" or whatever is of no utility. And for those interested, there are plenty of other venues that do get into equipment--sometimes obsessively so. In my experience (I'm an audio engineer by the way :-), no equipment is perfect, even the most expensive pro gear varies in one way or another. Some of my greatest listening experiences have been over cheap table radios, or in a car, or other highly imperfect situations. If you are listening to the music, the qualities that really count can be heard through just about anything that is functional.
