Albums with Discussions/Interviews/Educational Material

[lordlance]

Clunky title but I was looking for albums that basically featured talking and lend insight to either the artist or the composer. Some examples include musical analyses on the DG box of Dvorak 9, Brahms 4, etc., Thomas Beecham the Communicator box set and interviews of course.

Speaking of: Is there a comprehensive listing of all of talks and interviews given by Bernstein? It would be a very handy list.

[Spotted Horses]

Benjamin Zander's recording of Beethoven Symphonies 5 and 7 on Telarc has a bonus disc containing discussions of the performance, justifying his decision to take metronome markings literally. He discusses the moonlight sonata in the same context. I don't know if the bonus disc is included on all issues of the recording.

[DaveF]

The Hyperion recording (the only one, I believe) of Simpson's 9th Symphony also features a 17-minute explanatory talk by the composer.  And I don't know if it has survived various CD releases, but the original LP box of the LSO/Ole Schmidt Nielsen symphonies also included a talk by Simpson - possibly even covering a whole LP.  Stravinsky likewise; it's not included in the 22(?)CD Works box, but the LP release of Stravinsky conducting Le sacre included his famous talk ("I am the vessel through which The Rite flowed.")

[DavidW]

Benjamin Zander's recording of Beethoven Symphonies 5 and 7 on Telarc has a bonus disc containing discussions of the performance, justifying his decision to take metronome markings literally. He discusses the moonlight sonata in the same context. I don't know if the bonus disc is included on all issues of the recording.

He also did that on the Mahler recordings.  I remember that Dave Hurwitz was so mad about them and found them condescending!  These are optional cds that you can ignore.  I personally thought they were worth a listen to.

[DavidW]

Arnold's 9th on Naxos has an interview with Sir Malcolm Arnold.

In the Leonard Bernstein conducts Mahler box set there are interviews with musicians that remembered working with Mahler.

[Maestro267]

The first disc of the Dutton release of Arthur Butterworth's 4th Symphony/Viola Concerto (plus a historic recording of the 1st) includes a 27-minute interview with the composer.

The Chandos box of Bax's symphonies conducted by Vernon Handley has a fifth disc entirely devoted to an interview with the conductor about the symphonies.

The 18th and final disc of Erato/Warner's Messiaen Edition box is a 57-minute interview with Olivier Messiaen.

[lordlance]

Arnold's 9th on Naxos has an interview with Sir Malcolm Arnold.

In the Leonard Bernstein conducts Mahler box set there are interviews with musicians that remembered working with Mahler.

Which box are you talking about? The ones I saw didn't have any interviews.

Thank you everyone else for the suggestions.

[DavidW]

Which box are you talking about? The ones I saw didn't have any interviews.

Thank you everyone else for the suggestions.

Also the older set:

[lordlance]

Also the older set:

Ah it wasn't on the last disc like I would've thought. Found it. Thanks.