What are your favorite BBC Music Magazine CDs?

[flyingdutchman]

Having been a subscriber for many years, with a few months being without, I wonder what discs you treasure out of all those volumes?  There are at least 28 vols (years) by now with 12 discs (at least) per year. The Christmas cds are especially fine, IMO, but there are some other good ones out there, including last year's Manfred Symphony.

[vandermolen]

Off the top of my head:
The Estonian music one featuring Tubin's Third Symphony 'Heroic' and Kapp's Symphony No.2
Moeran's Symphony with Parry Symphony 5 (I was at the Moeran concert)
Vaughan Williams: Symphony 9 (Andrew Davis)
Bruckner Symphony No.8 (Donald Runnicles)
Shostakovich: Symphony 11 (Karabits, Bournemouth SO)

[Biffo]

Vaughan Williams: Tallis Fantasia
Walton: Belshazar's Feast

BBC SO etc conducted by Sir Andrew Davis

I bought this for the RVW - a wonderful performance. Still haven't got round to listening to the Walton. I had to buy the disc online as I gave up on the BBC Music Magazine years ago. I have a pile of discs from when I used to buy the magazine regularly but can't remember many of them being outstanding.

[vandermolen]

I should have included this one, of outstanding performances, on my original list:

[Roasted Swan]

Many fine performances/discs;

[Jo498]

For some time there was  German language version of the BBC music magazine and I either bought a bunch of them or even had a subscription for a few months in the mid-1990s. From that time I have the Tippett and Cheryomushki discs shown above. I have or had a few more as they can often be picked up cheaply used. Generally, I found them good value but couldn't single out any as extraordinary.

[MusicTurner]

Off the top of my head ... I didn't subscribe but have bought/kept 10-15, including:

- Mahler Symphony 10/Wigglesworth
- Takemitsu From Me Flows ... + Walton Symphony 1
- Tippett Symphonies 2+4
- Mozart Great Mass + Symphony 40
- Clara Schumann Konzertstuck + Fanny Mendelssohn + Louise Farrenc
- Top of the World, 6 Contemporary Works for Orchestra
- Czerny Symphony + Mendelssohn Violin Cto/Little

[SimonNZ]

Off the top of my head ... I didn't subscribe but have bought/kept 10-15, including:

- Takemitsu From Me Flows

That's exactly the one I thought of when I saw the title of the thread.

[some guy]

Another nod to the Prokofiev/Shostakovich disc.

And to the Top of the World one.

[DaveF]

- Tippett Symphonies 2+4

A third vote for that one, not for no.2 which to me sounds scrappy and lacking in confidence, but for the superb, relaxed, luminous reading of no.4.  Last recordings Tippett ever made, aged 90 or so.

There is also a very good Nielsen compilation disc by the BBC Welsh, the 4th symphony conducted by Petri Sakari and the clarinet concerto conducted by our beloved laureate Tadaaki Otaka, with Robert Plane stepping out front from his seat in the woodwind section.  I was at both concerts - the concerto was done at lunchtime, in front of an audience of about 5, and was overwhelming there in the hall, a quality the disc doesn't quite manage to recapture.  I think it was the first time I'd ever heard anyone play the concerto and get all the notes right.

[vandermolen]

A third vote for that one, not for no.2 which to me sounds scrappy and lacking in confidence, but for the superb, relaxed, luminous reading of no.4.  Last recordings Tippett ever made, aged 90 or so.

There is also a very good Nielsen compilation disc by the BBC Welsh, the 4th symphony conducted by Petri Sakari and the clarinet concerto conducted by our beloved laureate Tadaaki Otaka, with Robert Plane stepping out front from his seat in the woodwind section.  I was at both concerts - the concerto was done at lunchtime, in front of an audience of about 5, and was overwhelming there in the hall, a quality the disc doesn't quite manage to recapture.  I think it was the first time I'd ever heard anyone play the concerto and get all the notes right.

And a fourth vote from me.
Agree with the ones that I know from the RS selection:
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[vandermolen]

A third vote for that one, not for no.2 which to me sounds scrappy and lacking in confidence, but for the superb, relaxed, luminous reading of no.4.  Last recordings Tippett ever made, aged 90 or so.

There is also a very good Nielsen compilation disc by the BBC Welsh, the 4th symphony conducted by Petri Sakari and the clarinet concerto conducted by our beloved laureate Tadaaki Otaka, with Robert Plane stepping out front from his seat in the woodwind section.  I was at both concerts - the concerto was done at lunchtime, in front of an audience of about 5, and was overwhelming there in the hall, a quality the disc doesn't quite manage to recapture.  I think it was the first time I'd ever heard anyone play the concerto and get all the notes right.

And a fourth vote from me.
Also for the excellent Kullervo Symphony, VW/Bridge and Walton Symphony No.1 from RS's selection of discs. There was also a good Walton Symphony No.2 with Sibelius's Symphony No.2.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I'd also suggest this one: 

This is what the Vaughan Williams Tallis one looks like:

  It is quite special (took me a while to find an inexpensive used one).  Part of the thing that makes this recording special, is that it was recorded at the Gloucester Cathedral (which is the place for which Vaughan Williams thought of in terms of performance when he composed it.  And, if I'm also recalling it correctly, Davis set up the performance in three groups spaced around the cathedral...which was also the way in which VW had envisioned it).  There's also a special add-on, I believe about the making of the CD, but I can't watch it as I don't have an old PC with an old PC program).   

[Roasted Swan]

This is what the Vaughan Williams Tallis one looks like:

 

It is quite special (took me a while to find an inexpensive used one).  Part of the thing that makes this recording special, is that it was recorded at the Gloucester Cathedral (which is the place for which Vaughan Williams thought of in terms of performance when he composed it.  And, if I'm also recalling it correctly, Davis set up the performance in three groups spaced around the cathedral...which was also the way in which VW had envisioned it).  There's also a special add-on, I believe about the making of the CD, but I can't watch it as I don't have an old PC with an old PC program).   

The recordings on this CD were taken from a TV series recreating each work's 1st performances.  Hence the Tallis was 1st played in Gloucester Cathedral - where a young Ivor Gurney and Herbert Howells were blown away by it - & Belshazzar in Leeds Town Hall - the image on the cover.  The video of Davis with the BBC SO in Gloucester can be seen on YouTube - it is a very special performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpwqZSp_CyM

[André]

I bought this one used on the market place. It's a terrific performance, one of the best I know. The sound is rather distant though. Turn up the volume for best results.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

The recordings on this CD were taken from a TV series recreating each work's 1st performances.  Hence the Tallis was 1st played in Gloucester Cathedral - where a young Ivor Gurney and Herbert Howells were blown away by it - & Belshazzar in Leeds Town Hall - the image on the cover.  The video of Davis with the BBC SO in Gloucester can be seen on YouTube - it is a very special performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpwqZSp_CyM

RS,

I knew that it (The Tallis) was released as a video or dvd (would like to get ahold of a copy of it), but thanks for the youtube link!  I also knew that it was first performed there too, but I didn't know about the Walton, so appreciate the info.   

And neat to hear about the impact on Gurney and Howells; would have loved to have been there--for many reasons--including seeing the look on their faces and hearing their comments. 

Best wishes,

PD