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Author Topic: Sir William Walton  (Read 57566 times)

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Offline Sergeant Rock

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #60 on: June 03, 2010, 05:20:05 AM »
Quote from: vandermolen on June 03, 2010, 05:09:25 AM
Sarge,
Click on the review above and it comes up on the top right. Alternatively I think you can find it at Presto Classical - they will ship to USA I am sure.

That would take it to the wrong side of the pond. I live in Germany :)  But thanks for the information. Your review, and MusicWeb's, make it sound a very interesting alternative to my few recordings (both Previns, Gibson, Rattle). By the way, I first heard it in 1972 at a Cleveland Orchestra concert at Severance Hall, Previn coducting. Sir William and Prince Charles were in the audience. Walton took a bow afterwards. It had been an all Walton concert: besides the Symphony, Facade (Hermione Gingold) and the Violin Concerto (Kyung Wha Chung) were peformed.

Sarge
« Last Edit: June 03, 2010, 05:26:51 AM by Sergeant Rock »
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Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #61 on: June 03, 2010, 05:53:06 AM »
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on June 03, 2010, 05:20:05 AM
That would take it to the wrong side of the pond. I live in Germany :)  But thanks for the information. Your review, and MusicWeb's, make it sound a very interesting alternative to my few recordings (both Previns, Gibson, Rattle). By the way, I first heard it in 1972 at a Cleveland Orchestra concert at Severance Hall, Previn coducting. Sir William and Prince Charles were in the audience. Walton took a bow afterwards. It had been an all Walton concert: besides the Symphony, Facade (Hermione Gingold) and the Violin Concerto (Kyung Wha Chung) were peformed.

Sarge

That sounds a really interesting concert experience.  Yes, I could have realised that you were in Germany by looking at the info under your Avatar  ::)
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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).

Offline Sergeant Rock

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #62 on: June 03, 2010, 06:07:05 AM »
Quote from: vandermolen on June 03, 2010, 05:53:06 AM
That sounds a really interesting concert experience.  Yes, I could have realised that you were in Germany by looking at the info under your Avatar  ::)

It was an interesting concert; first time I'd heard any of those works. He and Previn were touring the States as part of Walton's 70th birthday celebration. I can't recall why Charles was there. Well, he is a classical music enthusiast, isn't he?

I spent ten years stationed in Germany (Munich, Bad Toelz, Mannheim, Heidelberg) while I was on actve duty. Fell in love with the country, and with a beautiful Fräulein. Decided to remain in Germany when I retired. The expat life suits me  8)

Sarge
« Last Edit: June 03, 2010, 08:59:06 AM by Sergeant Rock »
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the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #63 on: June 03, 2010, 12:42:41 PM »
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on June 03, 2010, 06:07:05 AM
It was an interesting concert; first time I'd heard any of those works. He and Previn were touring the States as part of Walton's 70th birthday celebration. I can't recall why Charles was there. Well, he is a classical music enthusiast, isn't he?

I spent ten years stationed in Germany (Munich, Bad Toelz, Mannheim, Heidelberg) while I was on actve duty. Fell in love with the country, and with a beautiful Fräulein. Decided to remain in Germany when I retired. The expat life suits me  8)

Sarge

Well, that sounds like a satisfactory explanation to me  :D
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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).

Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #64 on: June 04, 2010, 01:02:21 AM »
I just did a count - it's actually my 25th recording of Walton's Symphony No 1 (excluding copies I have of the same recording in different transfers)  :o
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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).

Offline Sergeant Rock

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #65 on: June 04, 2010, 03:35:56 AM »
Quote from: vandermolen on June 04, 2010, 01:02:21 AM
I just did a count - it's actually my 25th recording of Walton's Symphony No 1 (excluding copies I have of the same recording in different transfers)  :o

You collect Walton the way I collect Mahler ;D  We both need therapy. See you in the Compulsive Disassociative CD Collecting Disease thread.

Sarge
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the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #66 on: June 04, 2010, 05:08:50 AM »
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on June 04, 2010, 03:35:56 AM
You collect Walton the way I collect Mahler ;D  We both need therapy. See you in the Compulsive Disassociative CD Collecting Disease thread.

Sarge

I'm already there Sarge  :D
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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).

karlhenning

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #67 on: July 08, 2010, 04:26:33 AM »
Quote from: vandermolen on June 04, 2010, 01:02:21 AM
I just did a count - it's actually my 25th recording of Walton's Symphony No 1 (excluding copies I have of the same recording in different transfers)  :o

Sacrée vache, I should never have guessed that so many recordings of the symphony are in existence!  Of Façade, sure . . . .
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karlhenning

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #68 on: July 08, 2010, 04:34:59 AM »
Having now fetched this one in, I can scarce wait to wade into the symphonies.  There was one day when I was in the car and the radio was tuned to (probably) WHRB, and I switched on in the middle of the Second (I think) Symphony, found the music very exciting, was stumped in my efforts to play Guess the Composer, and was genuinely surprised to hear that it was Walton.
 
And here, while I've just voiced my impatience to get to the symphonies, I'm listening twice to the Hindemith Variations.  My composition teacher at Wooster played a bit of this for our final quarter of Music Theory (which was essentially ten weeks of Intro to the 20th Century).  Strong positive impression from that preview, so strong that I bought an LP with the piece on it . . . I remember not much caring for that LP (as in many other instances, could well be no fault of that performance, but just my ears being 'targeted' somewhere else).
 
Anyway, looking forward to making my way through this box.




Walton – Centenary Edition
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Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #69 on: July 09, 2010, 04:10:25 AM »
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 08, 2010, 04:26:33 AM
Sacrée vache, I should never have guessed that so many recordings of the symphony are in existence!  Of Façade, sure . . . .

And this is my recording No 26 of Walton's First Symphony (released later this month)  :o

Best cover picture of all.
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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).

karlhenning

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #70 on: July 28, 2010, 10:26:35 AM »
Quote from: vandermolen on July 09, 2010, 04:10:25 AM
And this is my recording No 26 of Walton's First Symphony (released later this month)  :o

Best cover picture of all.

Is any of the 26 a complete turkey? : )
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Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #71 on: July 29, 2010, 11:10:32 PM »
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 28, 2010, 10:26:35 AM
Is any of the 26 a complete turkey? : )

To be honest I was a bit disappointed with the new BIS Karl(I found it to be a bit underpowered) but I would not call it a 'complete turkey' and I shall need to listen again. I am not that keen on the versions by Litton, Slatkin (a conductor I greatly admire) and perhaps unusually I do not especially like the much hyped Previn RCA version which is usually considered the market leader. For me, Walton's 1st symphony must start with a mysterious sense of nervous intensity - Previn's version sounds too confident at the start for me - paradoxically I really like his later 'homeric' RPO version, which has had a bad press. The later Handley version on EMI is much better than the earlier version, Daniel on Naxos is not great in my view - but much praised generally. The old Boult version (just reissued on Somm) starts off in just the right way for me, although the slightly muffled recording has always been a bit problematic. BBC Music Magazine recently issued a Boult recording from the Proms which was great. The recent New Haven SO version is my No 1 choice at the moment and Sargent's old recording needs reissuing by EMI.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2011, 04:39:18 AM by vandermolen »
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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).

karlhenning

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #72 on: July 30, 2010, 02:53:15 AM »
Thanks; I was indeed hoping that none of the 26 might descend to turkeydom . . . but I am curious as to which recordings might be to some extent disappointing, and why.
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Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #73 on: July 30, 2010, 10:33:47 AM »
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 30, 2010, 02:53:15 AM
Thanks; I was indeed hoping that none of the 26 might descend to turkeydom . . . but I am curious as to which recordings might be to some extent disappointing, and why.

I can tell within a few moments if I am going to like the performance - it has to do with the feel of the opening which IMHO must be tentative, nervously anxious and conveying a sense of slumbering power. There is a very good version (surprisingly?) by the Orchestra of Grand Canary conducted by Adrian Leaper on thesuper budget Arte Nova label. Actually, it doesn't start that well (so I have just subverted what I said earlier on!) but the performance grows in strength and has the most affirmitive and convincing conclusion of any version.
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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).

Sid

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #74 on: July 30, 2010, 06:51:49 PM »
I first started to get to know Walton's music as a teenager - I had a tape of the 1st symphony and Portsmouth Point Overture (with Slatkin). But I was in my early 20's when I borrowed a number of cd's from the local library - the Violin & Viola concertos, Henry V, and the String Quartet in A minor & I have been a fan of his music ever since. These have remained some of my favourite works by him, especially the String Quartet, which would be great to see live. I like this work, because it has not only the lyricism of the Romantics, but also the spikiness of Prokofiev and a touch of Schoenberg's pantonality. Recently, I borrowed Wispelwey's account of the Cello Concerto, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. He definitely wasn't the most innovative British composer of the time (I think Tippett was more experimental), but his music really engages me with it's contrast between wistful lyricism and abraisive spikiness...
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Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #75 on: July 31, 2010, 05:48:10 AM »
Quote from: Sid on July 30, 2010, 06:51:49 PM
I first started to get to know Walton's music as a teenager - I had a tape of the 1st symphony and Portsmouth Point Overture (with Slatkin). But I was in my early 20's when I borrowed a number of cd's from the local library - the Violin & Viola concertos, Henry V, and the String Quartet in A minor & I have been a fan of his music ever since. These have remained some of my favourite works by him, especially the String Quartet, which would be great to see live. I like this work, because it has not only the lyricism of the Romantics, but also the spikiness of Prokofiev and a touch of Schoenberg's pantonality. Recently, I borrowed Wispelwey's account of the Cello Concerto, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. He definitely wasn't the most innovative British composer of the time (I think Tippett was more experimental), but his music really engages me with it's contrast between wistful lyricism and abraisive spikiness...

I hardly know the string quartet - so your post inspires me to listen to it - thanks.
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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).

Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #76 on: July 22, 2011, 04:40:28 AM »
Another fine performance from Martyn Brabbins just released:

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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).

Offline Dundonnell

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #77 on: July 22, 2011, 05:37:22 AM »
Brabbins new cd of the Walton symphonies has had rave reviews!

Apparently the idea of getting him to record the Walton had been discussed for some years. Excellent that it has turned out to be a success.
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Online vandermolen

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #78 on: July 22, 2011, 07:01:22 AM »
Quote from: Dundonnell on July 22, 2011, 05:37:22 AM
Brabbins new cd of the Walton symphonies has had rave reviews!

Apparently the idea of getting him to record the Walton had been discussed for some years. Excellent that it has turned out to be a success.

Hi Colin,

As with the Brian 'Gothic' performance Brabbins ensures that there is great rhythmic drive in the Walton - it is the best performance I have heard of the last movement of Symphony no 1 and finally demolishes the view of it as an 'afterthought' - it was very exciting listening to it. I see that another fine performance by the late Sir Charles Mackerras is also reissued on EMI; another favourite - the underrated Sargent version, which I prefer it to the LSO Previn recording, will be back as part of a Walton EMI boxed set next year.
Jeffrey
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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).

Offline Dundonnell

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Re: Sir William Walton
« Reply #79 on: July 22, 2011, 07:14:21 AM »
Sorry if I have asked this before...but how do you rate Rattle in the 1st?
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