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Author Topic: Sir William Walton  (Read 43126 times)

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Offline Sergeant Rock

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #100 on: January 07, 2015, 12:35:54 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 07, 2015, 12:18:46 PM
Yes I do, sorry about that, but it was Svetlanov I think who recorded the Elgar.

Yes, Svet in the Second...with a bizzare Russian Sea Pictures  8)




Sarge
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Offline ritter

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #101 on: January 07, 2015, 12:37:53 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 07, 2015, 12:25:31 PM
Both are great John. The Viola Concerto is well served on CD. I also like the old Menuhin/Walton version although some, if I remember correctly, consider it too slow.
I don't know that many recordings of the Viola Concerto, but do own the Menuhin conducted by the composer in a long OOP "Walton conducts Walton" 4-CD set on EMI. I wasn't really impressed (it seems to me Walton wasn't as great a conductor as he was a composer  ::) )I still much prefer the first version I bought:



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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #102 on: January 07, 2015, 12:43:45 PM »
Quote from: ritter on January 07, 2015, 12:37:53 PM
I don't know that many recordings of the Viola Concerto, but do own the Menuhin conducted by the composer in a long OOP "Walton conducts Walton" 4-CD set on EMI. I wasn't really impressed (it seems to me Walton wasn't as great a conductor as he was a composer  ::) )I still much prefer the first version I bought:



I have that version too (OCD 8)) and it is a great one and fine coupling + great cover painting.
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Offline Mirror Image

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #103 on: January 07, 2015, 12:43:48 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 07, 2015, 12:32:38 PM
I think that Previn is a great conductor (VW/Shostakovich etc etc) but I have never really been that keen on his RCA recording of Walton's 1st Symphony and actually prefer the contemporaneous Sargent recording which most critics don't like as much. For me, the opening of the symphony has to have a kind of nervous, tentative and vulnerable quality which is completely lacking in that Previn version which, to my ears, starts much too confidently. Boult in his old PYE version gets it just right as does Sargent. The Colin Davis version is excellent too. The CD below (2CDset) is available on Amazon UK at £2.99  ???.



I should also add that I like Alexander Gibson's Walton 1st on Chandos in addition to Davis/LSO Live. I don't think I've heard Sargent's. I'm not actually that familiar with Sargent's conducting with the exception of a few performances of other composers whose names escape me now.
« Last Edit: January 07, 2015, 12:50:00 PM by Mirror Image »
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Offline Sergeant Rock

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #104 on: January 07, 2015, 12:45:35 PM »
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 07, 2015, 12:43:48 PM
I should also add that I like Alexander Gibson's Walton 1st on Chandos in addition to Davis/LSO Live.

The Gibson was my first Walton First...still a favorite. JPC has the Davis for next to nothing. I think I'll grab it.

Sarge
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the phone rings and somebody says,
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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #105 on: January 07, 2015, 12:46:01 PM »
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 07, 2015, 12:35:54 PM
Yes, Svet in the Second...with a bizzare Russian Sea Pictures  8)




Sarge

Yes, but there is something very fine about his Second Symphony, complete with characteristic Soviet brass section. I love those old Soviet recordings of a British music as they are a refreshing change from usual approaches and allow you to hear the music differently.
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Offline Mirror Image

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #106 on: January 07, 2015, 12:49:22 PM »
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 07, 2015, 12:45:35 PM
The Gibson was my first Walton First...still a favorite. JPC has the Davis for next to nothing. I think I'll grab it.

Sarge

Excellent and a good idea. :)
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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #107 on: January 07, 2015, 12:50:36 PM »
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 07, 2015, 12:43:48 PM
I should also add that I like Alexander Gibson's Walton 1st on Chandos in addition to Davis/LSO Live. I don't think I've heard Sargent's. I'm not actually that familiar with Sargent's conducting with the exception of a few performances of other composer whose names escape me now.

Gibson is great. I think that I have every recording of Walton's  First Symphony, maybe almost 30 including the same recording in different manifestations. It is my worst example of mad collecting disorder and includes rare recordings by Horenstein and Karajan.

On a completely separate note I had loads of school marking (grading) work to do tonight but have done nothing yet thanks to this thread. So if I get fired it will be the fault of John, Sarge and Ritter!  :)
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Offline Sergeant Rock

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #108 on: January 07, 2015, 12:53:41 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 07, 2015, 12:50:36 PM
On a completely separate note I had loads of school marking (grading) work to do tonight but have done nothing yet thanks to this thread. So if I get fired it will be the fault of John, Sarge and Ritter!  :)

Screw work...music rules...even if it doesn't put bread on the table  ;D ;)

Sarge
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the phone rings and somebody says,
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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #109 on: January 07, 2015, 12:55:39 PM »
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 07, 2015, 12:53:41 PM
Screw work...music rules...even if it doesn't put bread on the table  ;D ;)

Sarge

Excellent point Sarge. I'd much rather be doing this.  :)
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Offline Mirror Image

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #110 on: January 07, 2015, 12:55:59 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 07, 2015, 12:50:36 PM
Gibson is great. I think that I have every recording of Walton's  First Symphony, maybe almost 30 including the same recording in different manifestations. It is my worst example of mad collecting disorder and includes rare recordings by Horenstein and Karajan.

On a completely separate note I had loads of school marking (grading) work to do tonight but have done nothing yet thanks to this thread. So if I get fired it will be the fault of John, Sarge and Ritter!  :)

You're a mad collector like I am, so I can certainly relate. :) Oh and I'm with Sarge, screw work! Music comes first! Those kids can take rain checks. ;D
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Offline Mirror Image

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #111 on: January 07, 2015, 12:56:38 PM »
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 07, 2015, 12:53:41 PM
Screw work...music rules...even if it doesn't put bread on the table  ;D ;)

Sarge

 :P Rock on, Sarge!
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Offline mc ukrneal

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #112 on: January 07, 2015, 12:57:16 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 07, 2015, 12:50:36 PM
On a completely separate note I had loads of school marking (grading) work to do tonight but have done nothing yet thanks to this thread. So if I get fired it will be the fault of John, Sarge and Ritter!  :)
I'm sure they'd all put you up for a spell...as long as you brought some Walton recordings with you... :)
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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #113 on: January 07, 2015, 12:58:06 PM »
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 07, 2015, 12:55:59 PM
You're a mad collector like I am, so I can certainly relate. :) Oh and I'm with Sarge, screw work! Music comes first! Those kids can take rain checks. ;D
:) :)
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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #114 on: January 07, 2015, 12:59:02 PM »
Quote from: mc ukrneal on January 07, 2015, 12:57:16 PM
I'm sure they'd all put you up for a spell...as long as you brought some Walton recordings with you... :)
Very true.  :)
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Offline ritter

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #115 on: January 07, 2015, 01:07:30 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 07, 2015, 12:50:36 PM
On a completely separate note I had loads of school marking (grading) work to do tonight but have done nothing yet thanks to this thread. So if I get fired it will be the fault of John, Sarge and Ritter!  :)
Just allocate grades randomly... ;)

All this Walton talk has led me to listen to the Viola Concerto again, in William Primrose's 1946 recording under the composer with the Philharmonia :



Waiting for the last movement, allegro moderato, which IIRC is IMHO the highlight of the whole work..
« Last Edit: January 07, 2015, 01:27:11 PM by ritter »
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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #116 on: January 07, 2015, 01:10:55 PM »
Quote from: ritter on January 07, 2015, 01:07:30 PM
Just allocate grades randomly... ;)

All this Walton talk has lead me to listen to the Viola Concerto again, in William Primrose's 1946 recording under the composer with the Philharmonia :



Waiting for the last movement, allegro moderato, which IIRC is IMHO the highlight of the whole work..

Brilliant point about grades although that is what I do anyway  8)

I have that CD too and it is terrific with the best ever version of the Sinfonia Concertante - a very underrated work of Walton's.
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Offline Mirror Image

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #117 on: January 07, 2015, 01:45:44 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 07, 2015, 01:10:55 PM
Brilliant point about grades although that is what I do anyway  8)

I have that CD too and it is terrific with the best ever version of the Sinfonia Concertante - a very underrated work of Walton's.

I often have wondered why the Sinfonia Concertante gets so very little record time. It's a great work. I prefer the more up-to-date sonics of the Naxos recording however and it also doesn't hurt that it's a superb performance. :)
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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #118 on: January 07, 2015, 01:57:49 PM »
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 07, 2015, 01:45:44 PM
I often have wondered why the Sinfonia Concertante gets so very little record time. It's a great work. I prefer the more up-to-date sonics of the Naxos recording however and it also doesn't hurt that it's a superb performance. :)

Yes, it's terrific John. I guess that it is quite short and therefore not a 'grand piano concerto' but I find it oddly moving and highly memorable.
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Offline ritter

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #119 on: January 07, 2015, 02:04:10 PM »
I should revisit the Sinfonia concertante...but for today, my Walton session (the Viola concerto, followed by--as reported in the WAYLTN thread--Anon in love and A Song for the Lord Mayor's table) comes to an end with this little jewel as a sort of encore:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/eX4vWSHhdIw" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/eX4vWSHhdIw</a>

Good night, vandermolen, John, and all fellow GMGers!
« Last Edit: January 07, 2015, 02:08:24 PM by ritter »
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