Roger Hecht responds to John Smyth:

>> Beethoven's 3rd: Walter/CSO Columbia and Szell/Cleveland: Epic blue
>> label vs. Columbia Great Performances re-release, (MY37222).  I don't
>> have much experience with the Eroica either.  To acquaint myself with
>> it, I played, mov 't by mov't, Szell's and Walter's.  ...
>
>...  The Walter Eroica was one of my first acquaintances with
>classical music, long long before I was a collector.  Maybe I was
>9 at the time.  For that reason, it always had a hold on my affections,
>though I haven't listened to it in years (or the Szell).  Of course,
>there are the observations that the Columbia Symphony was a pickup
>group in California (in this case), but Walter could achieve some
>great things with them, especially in the Sixth, which is a classic.

Indeed it is.

But for true insights into the Eroica you need to hear Furtwaengler,
Scherchen and - a HIP performance - Bru"ggen.

>> Now here is a miracle, in every way: Sibelius Symphony 2 with Barbirolli
>> on Chesky, (CR3).  I know quite a few Sibelius 2nds, including the usual
>> suspects, Karajan, Szell, and Davis.  This one beats them all. ...
>
>Agreed on all counts.  For more of Sir John's Sibelius, seek out his
>complete set of the symphonies plus some tone poems on EMI.  ...

JB recorded Sibelius 2 6 times IIRC. First was with the NYPO (as it then
wasn't) c1942

Deryk Barker <[log in to unmask]>