The Barber Chair

Started by Szykneij, August 13, 2007, 06:50:40 AM

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Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on February 16, 2016, 02:39:19 PM
Barber's Second Symphony is great IMHO. He should never have withdrawn it - like Vaughan Williams excising the best and most moving section of 'A London Symphony' in 1936 - madness:
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Symphony No. 2 is a fantastic piece no question about it. That slow movement is something else. I do, however, prefer the Alsop performance as I think she gets to the heart better than Jarvi and Schneck IMHO.

vandermolen

#161
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 16, 2016, 07:17:57 PM
Symphony No. 2 is a fantastic piece no question about it. That slow movement is something else. I do, however, prefer the Alsop performance as I think she gets to the heart better than Jarvi and Schneck IMHO.
Thanks John. I have all those recordings as well as two conducted by Barber himself, so I will definitely be listening to the Alsop following your recommendation. I like the Jarvi recording quality though on Chandos. I also have a recording by Koussevitsky.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

#162
Quote from: vandermolen on February 16, 2016, 10:53:27 PM
Thanks John. I have all those recordings as well as two conducted by Barber himself, so I will definitely be listening to the Alsop following your recommendation. I like the Jarvi recording quality though on Chandos. I also have a recording by Koussevitsky.

Perhaps I'm speaking from a general biased POV but I've always had some problems with Jarvi's interpretations of music. I don't think Barber was a good fit nor do I seriously believe that he understood the composer well enough to conduct the music. Alsop, on the other hand, seems to have lived with this music a lot longer and, for her, it wasn't a matter of wanting to record Barber, it was a need IMHO. That's why I mentioned she gets inside the music, in particular, this symphony, better than anyone. 8)

vandermolen

#163
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 17, 2016, 03:33:26 AM
Perhaps I'm speaking from a general biased POV but I've always had some problems with Jarvi's interpretations of music. I don't think Barber was a good fit nor do I seriously believe that he understood the composer well enough to conduct the music. Alsop, on the other hand, seems to have lived with this music a lot longer and, for her, it wasn't a matter of wanting to record Barber, it was a need IMHO. That's why I mentioned she gets inside the music, in particular, this symphony, better than anyone. 8)
Thanks John. I will listen to the Alsop. Personally I think I enjoyed Jarvi's Chandos CDs of American composers more than many. For example the CD with Copland and Harris's Third symphonies is always panned but I enjoyed it, especially the Copland although I recognise that there are several stronger performances on CD.
Just listening to this CD - one of my favourites of music by Barber. Excellent transfers of historic recordings by the composer himself. Also, I like all three works. The Cello Concerto is underrated - I prefer it to the Piano Concerto; the cover is the best photo of Barber I have seen:
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"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

#164
Quote from: vandermolen on February 18, 2016, 04:37:58 AM
Thanks John. I will listen to the Alsop. Personally I think I enjoyed Jarvi's Chandos CDs of American composers more than many. For example the CD with Copland and Harris's Third symphonies is always panned but I enjoyed it, especially the Copland although I recognise that there are several stronger performances on CD.
Just listening to this CD - one of my favourites of music by Barber. Excellent transfers of historic recordings by the composer himself. Also, I like all three works. The Cello Concerto is underrated - I prefer it to the Piano Concerto; the cover is the best photo of Barber I have seen:
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I agree that the Cello Concerto is quite underrated. The best performance of this concerto I've heard is the Gastinel/Brown recording on Naive. If you haven't heard this magnificent performance then check it out (it's coupled with a less satisfying performance of Elgar's CC).

vandermolen

#165
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 18, 2016, 02:43:14 PM
I agree that the Cello Concerto is quite underrated. The best performance of this concerto I've heard is the Gastinel/Brown recording on Naive. If you haven't heard this magnificent performance then check it out (it's coupled with a less satisfying performance of Elgar's CC).
Never heard of that version of the CC - many thanks. I think that the Cello Concerto has a better last movement that either the Violin or Piano Concerto. I've now ordered your recommendation which I found for under £3.00 on Amazon UK!
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Karl Henning

Quote from: vandermolen on February 18, 2016, 10:20:43 PM
Never heard of that version of the CC - many thanks. I think that the Cello Concerto has a better last movement that either the Violin or Piano Concerto. I've now ordered your recommendation which I found for under £3.00 on Amazon UK!
Sweet!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on February 18, 2016, 10:20:43 PM
Never heard of that version of the CC - many thanks. I think that the Cello Concerto has a better last movement that either the Violin or Piano Concerto. I've now ordered your recommendation which I found for under £3.00 on Amazon UK!

Very nice, indeed. Hope you enjoy the performance as much as I have.

Maestro267

My favourite Barber piece of the few I've heard is the Toccata Festiva for organ and orchestra, followed by the 3rd Essay, then the Piano Concerto. I'm thinking of getting the Alsop disc with the two symphonies on it next.

Karl Henning

I need to revisit Barber . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Mirror Image

#170
Quote from: Maestro267 on February 19, 2016, 05:34:45 AMI'm thinking of getting the Alsop disc with the two symphonies on it next.

It's a great recording, Maestro. All of Alsop's Barber series is worth checking out, although I'm not crazy about any of the concerti performances as I've been rather spoilt by other performances I've heard through the years and have found myself preferring those to Alsop's.

Mirror Image


vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on February 19, 2016, 02:47:07 PM
A resounding YES!
My favourites are the two symphonies (I don't think he should have withdrawn No.2), the Violin and Cello Concerto and especially the Essay for Orchestra No.2 and 'Knoxville: Summer of 1914' - I also like the Medea music very much.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on February 20, 2016, 12:53:00 AM
My favourites are the two symphonies (I don't think he should have withdrawn No.2), the Violin and Cello Concerto and especially the Essay for Orchestra No.2 and 'Knoxville: Summer of 1914' - I also like the Medea music very much.

And a jovial YES to all of those choices!

relm1

Any thoughts on "Anthony and Cleopatra"?  Is it worth hearing and if so, what performance or recording?  I know it was a disaster at the premiere then underwent a series of extensive revisions...is it worth exploring?

Mirror Image

Quote from: relm1 on February 23, 2016, 07:17:41 AM
Any thoughts on "Anthony and Cleopatra"?  Is it worth hearing and if so, what performance or recording?  I know it was a disaster at the premiere then underwent a series of extensive revisions...is it worth exploring?

Never heard the work, but that disastrous premiere certainly weighed heavily on Barber and it pretty much ruined his professional life. His composing activity actually went into to decline after the failure of this opera.

bhodges

Quote from: relm1 on February 23, 2016, 07:17:41 AM
Any thoughts on "Anthony and Cleopatra"?  Is it worth hearing and if so, what performance or recording?  I know it was a disaster at the premiere then underwent a series of extensive revisions...is it worth exploring?

I've heard the opera several times on different recordings, including a 1991 performance from Lyric Opera of Chicago, but have never seen it staged. But I recall much of Barber's music to be quite beautiful, with his typical melodic invention present. Apparently the bigger problem was the libretto, which Gian-Carlo Menotti later helped him revise.

As far as recordings, there can't be many! The one below has been the one most often mentioned when I've discussed it with friends.

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--Bruce

Karl Henning

Quote from: Brewski on February 23, 2016, 08:53:45 AM
I've heard the opera several times on different recordings, including a 1991 performance from Lyric Opera of Chicago, but have never seen it staged. But I recall much of Barber's music to be quite beautiful, with his typical melodic invention present. Apparently the bigger problem was the libretto, which Gian-Carlo Menotti later helped him revise.

As far as recordings, there can't be many! The one below has been the one most often mentioned when I've discussed it with friends.

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--Bruce

Definitely must listen to the samples from that . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Scion7

Although it was a commercial and critical disaster, there are some nice moments musically in A&C.
When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

relm1

Quote from: Brewski on February 23, 2016, 08:53:45 AM
I've heard the opera several times on different recordings, including a 1991 performance from Lyric Opera of Chicago, but have never seen it staged. But I recall much of Barber's music to be quite beautiful, with his typical melodic invention present. Apparently the bigger problem was the libretto, which Gian-Carlo Menotti later helped him revise.

As far as recordings, there can't be many! The one below has been the one most often mentioned when I've discussed it with friends.

[asin]B0000030D8[/asin]

--Bruce

Sometimes great works are unfairly neglected because of production issues.  I also read that the problem of the 1966 performance was embarrassingly extravagant staging by Franco Zeffirelli.