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Date: | Tue, 21 Nov 2000 12:25:03 -0500 |
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Richard R. Adams commented extensively on the Bax Symphonies.
His needs no endorsement from me, but I liked it so much (probably because
I agreed with just about all of it!), that I can't help but add the
following comments.
I'm not quite as enthusiastic about Lloyd-Jones, but that is a difference
of a small degree. I sympathize with your problems with Chandos sound.
Generally, I think Chandos's sound often can be so blown up that it
becomes grey. I had a real problem with their recordings of the Dohnanyi
symphonies, especially, and said so in my ARG reviews of them. I do think
that Chandos sound can be system dependent. My system tolerates them
reasonably well. Some sound very good, some not so good. The Bax I find
kind of in the middle, but I can imagine them sounding worse (or better) on
other systems.
>Symphony #3 -- Dutton Labs will soon be reissuing Sir John Barbirolli's
>1943 recording of this beautiful symphony.
I'm glad to hear this. When in my post I said that the L-J was the first
really fine recording of this symphony, I meant in stereo. Of course, Sir
John's is the best. Dutton does a great job with these recordings, as I'm
sure you know. IF you are an Elgarian and have not heard them, check out
his reissue of Barbirolli's first stereo Symphony 1 and another of Malcolm
Sargent's First Enigma Variations from 1946 or 47. Both are wonderful
performances.
>Symphony #6 -- Avoid Douglas Bostock's version on Classico because his
>orchestra is hopelessly overtaxed
>by Bax's virtuoso scoring.
Absolutely. I reviewed this and was very disappointed. But if it has
put you off this series (and I have no idea if it has), I have liked some
of the other issues. The ARnold 5 is very nice, as is the Ruth Gipps
symphony. So is that disc of "unknown" Elgar. The Bax 6 may have been
made on a "bad day" but then the Bax 6 is a very difficult work to play
and conduct, isn't it.
>Symphony #7 -- I think this is the most underrated of Bax's symphonies.
Absolutely! Finally, someone else who thinks so. I love this piece.
Roger Hecht
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