I have an LP of the Menuhin, which I bought when I was a student.  As it
was on special offer at the record shop, I persuaded some of my friends
to buy copies too, with mixed results.  When I last listened to it I found
the soloist rather sickly; Boulez' conducting on the other hand, went to
the other extreme.  I had the impression he'd really rather have been
conducting Webern instead; I think this recording was made before he came
round to Berg's music.

Despite this, I loved this LP to death and after many listenings it
finally became unplayable because at the end, just as the tone row
disappears for the last time into the stratosphere, it started to stick!
I wonder if others on the list have or remember LPs that stuck at memorable
or unfortunate points.

I now have Perlman which I like, although his interpretation is a little
too romantic for my personal tastes.  I have heard a couple of performances
with Kavakos on the radio, including the one included with the magazine,
which have also impressed me, particularly the balance and dialogue between
the soloist and the orchestra.  All too often one dominates the other.

(I can't help with the earlier queries about the Altenberglieder or Lulu
libretto, I'm afraid.  But I intend to go to the ENO staging of Lulu in
May.  Anyone else from the list going? Or to the Bluebeard/Erwartung double
bill at Covent Garden next Tuesday?)

Virginia Knight
[log in to unmask]
Personal homepage: http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/~ggvhk/virginia.html