Blind Comparison: Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique

[TimH]

1st = B2: Opening has radiant strings and becomes gripping, involving and urgent. Finale is grotesque and powerful. A very dramatic and compelling performance.

2nd = B4: Lush opening. Overall a really high voltage peformance.

3rd = B1: Crystal clear delicate opening; tuttis maybe sound a bit muddy. Chimes in Finale rather quiet, but spooky nonetheless.

4th = B3: Cautious, deliberate, rather thin tone. Brass seem muffled and bumbling in Finale.

5th = B5: Huge rests in opening seem contrived. Overall neat but rather bland.

6th = B6: Rather tame and lacking in magic - not made much impression.

For me there is a big gap between the top three and the bottom three in terms of impact and enjoyment.

[trung224]

  Sorry Daniel and Greg, I didn't have time until today.
  Here is my result:
  C5>>C6>C2>C4>C3>C1
  The best for me is C5: Despite the primitive sound, I really love this performance, full of nuance with rubato, each bar seems have the meaning. If I can find out this performance, I will purchase it immediately.
  Rank 2: C6: This performance can be described by one phase "steroid performance". The phrasing and tempo is not special, but the playing is very powerful, even wild, all-out-attack in climax + some delicate woodwind playing.
  Rank 3: C2:  About the interpretation, I like this performance more than C6, some interesting contrast of tempo, and has the bells play in very musical and atmospheric way, but overall it is too much controlled and lacks of wild character in the climax.
Rank 6: C1: only one word: "dull"
  C4 , C3 is moderate, and unremembered, rank 4 and 5

[mc ukrneal]

  Sorry Daniel and Greg, I didn't have time until today.
  Here is my result:
  C5>>C6>C2>C4>C3>C1
  The best for me is C5: Despite the primitive sound, I really love this performance, full of nuance with rubato, each bar seems have the meaning. If I can find out this performance, I will purchase it immediately.
  Rank 2: C6: This performance can be described by one phase "steroid performance". The phrasing and tempo is not special, but the playing is very powerful, even wild, all-out-attack in climax + some delicate woodwind playing.
  Rank 3: C2:  About the interpretation, I like this performance more than C6, some interesting contrast of tempo, and has the bells play in very musical and atmospheric way, but overall it is too much controlled and lacks of wild character in the climax.
Rank 6: C1: only one word: "dull"
  C4 , C3 is moderate, and unremembered, rank 4 and 5

A lot of similarities and similar sentiment for sure.

[TheGSMoeller]

Thank you all for your votes and patience. If anyone is interested in doing another group, let me or Daniel know, group A could definitley use some love.

Cheers

[madaboutmahler]

I suppose it is getting to the time that we should probably be moving on to Round 2. It would be really great if we could have some more votes in though, especially for A and C. Shall we call the final deadline for Round 1 this upcoming Friday? If you have time to do another group, please do let us know. And if you are unable to take part, please let us know too.

Thanks everyone!

[aukhawk]

OK send me a link for A or C (whichever you prefer) its over 2 weeks since I listened to B and I should be able to do this by Friday evening (UK time).

[johndoe21ro]

By late this evening (in Romania ) I'll be able to complete my listening on Group B if that's allright with you.

[TheGSMoeller]

By late this evening (in Romania ) I'll be able to complete my listening on Group B if that's allright with you.

Hey, Johndoe, would you be willing to listen to group A or C instead? They are both lacking votes compared to B.

Thanks again for everyone's participation and patience, this turned out to be a busier time than expected for a lot of folks.

[johndoe21ro]

Hey, Johndoe, would you be willing to listen to group A or C instead? They are both lacking votes compared to B.

Thanks again for everyone's participation and patience, this turned out to be a busier time than expected for a lot of folks.

Sure. Send any of them in and I'll try my best.

[TheGSMoeller]

Sure. Send any of them in and I'll try my best.

Great! I'll try and PM one to you within the hour.

[TheGSMoeller]

I sent some links to aukhawk and Johndoe. In my message I explain that my links may still be miss-labeled. DANIEL!! If you get this soon, can you check and make sure I still have the proper links?

Thanks!

[aukhawk]

Yeah I got a file labelled 'B' but the samples are tagged 'A' and they're not the same as group B which I've already listened to.

On first listen two of them sound very interesting.  I'll post my 'A' results tomorrow.

[aukhawk]

Group A
I found this a difficult choice - the fairly clear pecking order I had in mind after listening to all the 1st movements, was more or less reversed when listening to the 5th movments.  So it's pretty much a wash but I do certainly want to see the 'historic recording' A4 go through (though I wouldn't buy it!) so I put that top.

A4 > A2 > A1 >> A3 > A5 > A6

More shortly.

[aukhawk]

Some comments on Group A (result posted up-thread).

Like group B, I listened to all the 1st movements first, then to a selected passage from that movement again (from approx 3 minutes to approx 6), then (next day) all the 5th movements.

A1: A good start, I like the sound and the acoustic, the playing, the brass sound very assured, the conducter indulges himself a bit more than I ideally like, but overall I enjoyed this 1st movement.  (Has Bernstein recorded SF with the VPO?  No, I thought not.)

A2: Sounds like a smaller outfit - almost a chamber orchestra by comparison with A1.  All a bit featureless, for me.  One of several 'Meh' 1st movements in this group.

A3: Pretty similar to A2 although I've jotted a note - "period instruments?".

A4: 'Historic' recording.  And in places sounds as though its been 'enhanced' which isn't helpful.  The perfomance is pretty gripping, 'driven' is the word I jotted down, some remarkable precision on display from the players towards the end of the 1st movement sample. 
I recently heard a record of Ravel conducted by Monteux, that sounded a lot like this.

A5: Well I think this is one of the two recordings of SF that I have.  Not listened to it for years mind, but this does sound familiar.  It's played for beauty not drama, and even in places where the music wants to climax with or without the conductor's help, here he keeps the lid firmly on.  Beautiful but very repressed - reminds me of a girl I once knew ...

A6: Follows the pattern of A2 and A3, nothing to see here.

At this point I had A1 ahead of A4, with A5 a distant 3rd and the rest nowhere.  On to the 5th movement ...

... well the bottom line is that only A2 gave me the kind of 5th movement I want to hear - edgy, sardonic, lots of fun.  A2 was (IMO) also the best bell of the set (and the best including group B too) - a slightly crack'd sound and positioned exactly right level-wise.

A3 was the runner-up in this movement and had a most 'interesting' bell - the off-tune dinner-gong from hell - quite effective.

A4 continued the pattern of their 1st movement - driven ever harder, the rapid staccato chords at one point sounding like machine-gun fire, fast, faster, fastest!  But all played rather straight - not really the Witches' Sabbath you get with A2 or several of the B group.

None of the rest distinguished themselves in this last movement, at all.  A5 especially disappointing - it's a very good orchestra and recording, more apparent in this last movement, but the playing is just so buttoned-down.  No drama.  Much the same applies to A1.

So this promoted A2 well up the order, for me, and kinda ruled out A5.  A4 has to go through, and A1 and A2 are also worthy.  The rest are not.  A4>A2>A1>>A3>A5>>A6.

[TheGSMoeller]

Great! Thank you, aukhawk!

[madaboutmahler]

Sorry again for my absence over the last few days. Has been very hectic as we had our school Christmas concert, which was wonderful! It is now the school holidays, so I'll be here a lot more!

Sorry for the confusion concerning the Groups, it's a problem that has been there since the start. The links Greg has sent you would have been right, as the letters in the actual video are correct, it's just the name of the actual file that wasn't. Sorry again about that.

Thank you, Francis, for your vote and interesting comments!

[TheGSMoeller]

Glad to hear your concert went well, happy holidays, Daniel!

[madaboutmahler]

Glad to hear your concert went well, happy holidays, Daniel!

Thank you! Happy Holidays to you too, Greg!

[aukhawk]

I can do you a group C vote by this evening (UK time)

[edit] here it is:

Group C:  2>3>1>4>6>>5
I'm afraid I can't agree with the others about C5 - the rest all have their pros and cons, not much to choose overall.
More below.

Francis

[aukhawk]

Group C comments:
OK well I didn't spend as long on this group as on the other two, but I'm sure enough about my 'last' place, not so sure about 1st-to-4th.
If I'm too late - well looking at the other votes, I don't think this changes the overall 1-2-3.

How do you decide between two 'OK' samples (1st and last movents) and one 'worst yet' with one 'very good'.?  Since I think the finale is key in this symphony I go with preferring the latter to the former.

C1: I like the 1st movement, sweet and delicate and well-articulated.  The 5th movement goes well enough but is a bit civilised for me, good crack'd bell, well down in the mix (which after listening to 18 of these, is how I prefer it).  3rd overall but little to choose between this and 1st.

C2: Played straight and slow, no drama, slightly stodgy-sounding recording.  Among the 'least good' 1st movements I've heard (out of all 3 groups).  Finale - better!  Much more lively, excellent just before the bell enters (I find this a problematic passage, musically), and then the bell itself possibly the best in all groups, though balanced a bit too close.  A lusty Dies Irae follows.  I've placed this 1st - but only just - on the strength of the Finale.

C3: Routine 1st movement but nice sound - and the playing sounds a bit 'HIP-influenced' to me, without going the whole period-instrument hog.  Maybe my imagination.
Finale starts very well and with good menace - the bell !!WELL!! that certainly has shock value (but won't wear well, in a recording).  Couldn't this band afford a couple of bent saucepans to bang together?  2nd, despite the 'bell' fiasco.

C4: The opening drags sweetly along, very sentimental, very slow - and then much drama later in the sample.  A conductor of a certain 'type' methinks.  The sound is a bit problematic for me, wiry strings, all a bit unintegrated, sounds a bit like a '60s CBS recording to me (and that's not good).
It's obviously a good orchestra, and they give a good account of the Finale, while missing out on some of the fun.  4th, but really could as well be 2nd, in this group.

C5: Historic, and Live.  There's not enough in this performance for me, to compensate for the big shortcomings in the recording, and the restless audience.  The Sabbath has its moments, but the changes of pace throughout the Dies Irae are just horrible.  6th.

C6: Routine start but the brass sound a bit eager - and so it proves, later, but the brass-heavy mix is a bit stodgy-feeling for me.  The Finale goes a bit better but the over-resonant bell doesn't work at all well.  A clear ... 5th.