Sir William Walton

Started by tjguitar, April 16, 2007, 09:15:49 AM

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Symphonic Addict

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on July 10, 2020, 08:01:52 AM
I thought that the Haitink No.1 was very good and I was happy about it, but David Hurwitz, a critic, thinks otherwise (and he is with the Previn orthodoxy).

Anyone who really likes Haitink 1 is a friend of mine. What a performance! Personally I don't take any of those reviewers' opinions because I often disagree with them, and some are rather capricious in my view.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Irons

Quote from: vandermolen on July 09, 2020, 09:31:39 AM
I agree. I don't know the artist but it's a great picture.

The best transfer of the Boult recording of Symphony No.1 is here:

However, the Somm disc is fine and includes Belshazzar's Feast.

Which must be a Pye original recording. I have the Golden Guinea issue. I wonder why Boult didn't record the symphony later for EMI or Lyrita?
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

vandermolen

Quote from: Irons on July 10, 2020, 01:54:28 PM
Which must be a Pye original recording. I have the Golden Guinea issue. I wonder why Boult didn't record the symphony later for EMI or Lyrita?
Yes, you are quite right Lol. That's the one with the garish cover. I agree that it was odd that Boult never re-recorded it although there are some live performances available.
"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).

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Great art cover!  I like  it a lot.
I will use the pic for the Boult no. 1 on my iPod.


Quote from: Irons on July 10, 2020, 01:54:28 PM
Which must be a Pye original recording. I have the Golden Guinea issue. I wonder why Boult didn't record the symphony later for EMI or Lyrita?

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

#484
Yes, good point. This indicates that, regardless of true authorship of the "Sargent" arrangement, Walton approved and/or liked the Mathieson material. Any possibility it was Walton's idea, rather than Mathieson's, to remove Prelude- the Globe?  Could Walton possibly have suggested not to include Prelude to Mathieson? I am not very sure if Mathieson suggested the revered composer for removing his Prelude let alone doing so without consultation.


Quote from: vandermolen on July 10, 2020, 12:15:38 PM
And yet Walton conducts the Mathieson Suite on the EMI disc.

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on July 11, 2020, 03:58:47 AM
Yes, good point. This indicates that, regardless of true authorship of the "Sargent" arrangement, Walton approved and/or liked the Mathieson material. Any possibility it was Walton's idea, rather than Mathieson's, to remove Prelude- the Globe?  Could Walton possibly have suggested not to include Prelude to Mathieson? I am not very sure if Mathieson suggested the revered composer for removing his Prelude let alone doing so without consultation.

As written the prelude includes a wordless chorus.  So possibly/probably Mathieson cut it simply to avoid this expensive option for concert hall use.....

vandermolen

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on July 11, 2020, 03:53:23 AM
Great art cover!  I like  it a lot.
I will use the pic for the Boult no. 1 on my iPod.
Very psychedelic!
:)
"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).

vandermolen

Quote from: Roasted Swan on July 11, 2020, 06:30:00 AM
As written the prelude includes a wordless chorus.  So possibly/probably Mathieson cut it simply to avoid this expensive option for concert hall use.....
Yes, that rings true, like Svetlanov recording Miaskovsky's 6th Symphony without the (optional) chorus.
"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).

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

That makes sense a lot to me.


Quote from: Roasted Swan on July 11, 2020, 06:30:00 AM
As written the prelude includes a wordless chorus.  So possibly/probably Mathieson cut it simply to avoid this expensive option for concert hall use.....

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

You are right. The illustration is better suited to the No. 2, or rather Scriabin's symphonies.

Quote from: vandermolen on July 11, 2020, 12:13:28 PM
Very psychedelic!
:)

vandermolen

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on July 11, 2020, 12:50:58 PM
You are right. The illustration is better suited to the No. 2, or rather Scriabin's symphonies.
I rather like it and it's very nostalgic to me as my older brother had the LP when I was growing up. I like this cover as well - it's from the first LP I had of Walton's First Symphony, a performance I still rate highly:
"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).

Irons

#491
Quote from: vandermolen on July 11, 2020, 10:55:18 PM
I rather like it and it's very nostalgic to me as my older brother had the LP when I was growing up. I like this cover as well - it's from the first LP I had of Walton's First Symphony, a performance I still rate highly:


My favourite performance, Jeffrey. Sargent knows when to hold the horses back and when to let them go. The first edition has Sargent with the composer. On the cover reverse there is a reproduction of a scribbled note written by Walton dated 2/11/66 " Dear Malcolm, Thank you, the orchestra and all concerned for a truly magnificent recording of my Symphony, William Walton. "



Reading a Walton discussion on another thread I thought this cover image worth posting. You get a Spitfire and White Cliffs of Dover plus as LP, bigger. 8)

You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

vandermolen

Quote from: Irons on July 12, 2020, 01:04:34 AM
My favourite performance, Jeffrey. Sargent knows when to hold the horses back and when to let them go. The first edition has Sargent with the composer. On the cover reverse there is a reproduction of a scribbled note written by Walton dated 2/11/66 " Dear Malcolm, Thank you, the orchestra and all concerned for a truly magnificent recording of my Symphony, William Walton. "



Reading a Walton discussion on another thread I thought this cover image worth posting. You get a Spitfire and White Cliffs of Dover plus as LP, bigger. 8)


Indeed Lol, although I think that we're in the minority here with our admiration for Sargent's recording. I think that, these days, he is underrated as a conductor. His version of Sibelius's Symphony No.5 with the BBC SO is my favourite recorded performance. I see that the new BBC Music Magazine features a composition by Sargent, something about a windy day, on its cover disc. Yes, a great photo of the Spitifire and appropriate for 80th anniversary of Battle of Britain and funeral of Dame Vera. As I mentioned before one flew over the garden yesterday.
"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).

Roasted Swan

Quote from: vandermolen on July 09, 2020, 11:38:07 PM
Great stuff RS! I don't have a Blu-Ray player but I have the DVD which allows you to programme either soundtrack. It must be quite unique from that point of view. Today is 80th Anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain (I've just been watching a news item about how a 13 year old girl helped her dad work out how the Spitfire could accommodate eight rather than four machine guns in its wings) so, perfect timing for your purchase. I think that the film has improved with age and works surprisingly well on TV. I must watch the closing credits again as I thought it ended with an empty sky. I've seen it suggested, possibly here, that Malcolm Arnold may have had a hand in composing 'Battle in the Air' instead of just conducting it but I've no idea if that is true:


You are quite right regarding the ending!  Don't know why I superimposed a single Spitfire on the empty sky!  What there is is a simple scrolling list of all the number of pilots (on both sides) who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Britain.  Rather frustratingly - this Blu-Ray which looks superb does NOT offer the complete Walton score as an alternative which was my main reason for purchasing it.......

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

That's a rather unique picture. It seems to me the Sargent 1 (and the Litton 1) is for veteran listeners. The performance is centered on elegance and balance whereas the Boult 1 is dynamic and macho.
Btw, a fine live performance of Partita by Slatkin/Detroit here.

https://youtu.be/Ex_NqRpoPxg




Quote from: vandermolen on July 11, 2020, 10:55:18 PM
I rather like it and it's very nostalgic to me as my older brother had the LP when I was growing up. I like this cover as well - it's from the first LP I had of Walton's First Symphony, a performance I still rate highly:


vandermolen

Quote from: Roasted Swan on July 12, 2020, 07:18:10 AM
You are quite right regarding the ending!  Don't know why I superimposed a single Spitfire on the empty sky!  What there is is a simple scrolling list of all the number of pilots (on both sides) who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Britain.  Rather frustratingly - this Blu-Ray which looks superb does NOT offer the complete Walton score as an alternative which was my main reason for purchasing it.......
How annoying as my DVD allows you to programme either.
"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).

Roasted Swan

Quote from: vandermolen on July 11, 2020, 10:55:18 PM
I rather like it and it's very nostalgic to me as my older brother had the LP when I was growing up. I like this cover as well - it's from the first LP I had of Walton's First Symphony, a performance I still rate highly:


Yes - this was the version of this recording I had too - that sleeve image is so familiar!  It was my "first" version as well and I must have listened to it literally (yes literally) hundreds of times.  So much so that when around 1:35 in the 1st movement someone drops a bow or some-such, when I hear other performances afterwards it still sounds as if something is 'missing'!

I've said it before - I'm not the biggest fan of this performance - that 1st movement is just a tad too 'comfortable' for me - but It's still one I have a great fondness for simply because it was my introduction to this extraordinary work.........

vandermolen

Quote from: Roasted Swan on July 13, 2020, 09:44:06 AM
Yes - this was the version of this recording I had too - that sleeve image is so familiar!  It was my "first" version as well and I must have listened to it literally (yes literally) hundreds of times.  So much so that when around 1:35 in the 1st movement someone drops a bow or some-such, when I hear other performances afterwards it still sounds as if something is 'missing'!

I've said it before - I'm not the biggest fan of this performance - that 1st movement is just a tad too 'comfortable' for me - but It's still one I have a great fondness for simply because it was my introduction to this extraordinary work.........

It also features my favourite oboe theme at the start with just the right amount of sadness, urgency, fragility and nervous tension - I think that the older recording might add to this.
"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).

relm1

Andre Previn/LSO is my favorite version of No. 1.  Dark and powerful first movement, pungent second, incredibly moving third movement, rapturous finale.

Biffo

Quote from: relm1 on July 14, 2020, 06:04:47 AM
Andre Previn/LSO is my favorite version of No. 1.  Dark and powerful first movement, pungent second, incredibly moving third movement, rapturous finale.

+1 - if you mean the RCA recording, better than his remake for EMI. The only other version I have is Rattle/CBSO which failed to grip me in the same way Previn did, can't remember why.