Kar-Ming Chong ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>In Australia, these discs are selling at mid-price and the licence is held
>by IMP Carlton. Another disc that I spotted in this series is Barbirolli
>conducting Bruckner 8 - and on a single disc. Can't wait.
>
>Could list member provide more information on this series and recommend
>discs from this series, if any.

They've all been deleted - certainly in the UK - as the BBC I understand
cancelled its arrangement with Carlton (which, on terrestrial tv in Britain
is a rival of the BBC) - or maybe it simply expired.

Unlike the new BBC Legends series, the old series was repertoire rather
than artist-oriented, which in retrospect seems to have been a mistake.
There are a few essential items - the Barbriolli Bruckner being one - but
most of the catalogue had rather a ho-hum feel to it.

Mind you, if you find Horenstein's Nielsen 5 (forget the coupling for now)
or Barbirolli's Nielsen 4/Sibelius 5 (half-time score) snap them up.

Leppard's Das Lied is not without interest: although any sensible
person would have released the 1972 Mitchinson/Hodgson/BBC NSO/Horenstein
recording, star rating won out and hence the 1977 Mitchinson/Baker/BBC
NSO/Leppard recording.

While Leppard's conducting is far from poor it is not in the same universe
as Horenstein, whose studio recording was the orchestra's first ever
performance of the work.

I have a couple of other sentimental favourites (Prom performances I
attended) but I just gazed over the 10-20 disc I have from the series
and nothing but the above stands out.

The BBC Legends series, OTOH....

Deryk Barker
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