Rimsky-Korsakov recommendations?

[Elgarian Redux]

He hasn't been anyone's recommendation for Antar, and as yet his seems to be the sole Antar I've heard as yet, so that I'm not sure I feel qualified to offer it as a rec. but I do enjoy Dmitri Kitaenko's recording with the Bergen Phil.

Here's the 1st movement on Youtube:

I'm listening to it now.

[Elgarian Redux]

I'm listening to it now.

Well, I'm inclined to go along with the view expressed above by vandermolen, that maybe there aren't any bad recordings of Antar. This Kitajenko version (at least, its 1st movement) strikes me as very lovely - smooth and understated, perhaps, but why not? I'm happy to listen to this for as long as you like. I notice that I'm missing a certain sparkle, but I think that's probably due to the limitations of the sound source.

Ansermet's version arrived today. The postman lives to deliver another day.

Still in the pipeline: Zinman, Jarvi, Bakels, and Butt.

[Kalevala]

Well, I'm inclined to go along with the view expressed above by vandermolen, that maybe there aren't any bad recordings of Antar. This Kitajenko version (at least, its 1st movement) strikes me as very lovely - smooth and understated, perhaps, but why not? I'm happy to listen to this for as long as you like. I notice that I'm missing a certain sparkle, but I think that's probably due to the limitations of the sound source.

Ansermet's version arrived today. The postman lives to deliver another day.

How many versions have you ordered lately?! 

K

[Elgarian Redux]

How many versions have you ordered lately?! 

K

Well there are 4 in the pipeline listed above; today's arrival (Ansermet); and the Supraphon recording reviewed above. I already had two Svetlanov recordings.

When I did a similar sort of blitz about 10 years ago, with recordings of Scheherazade, I had a wonderful time and ended up with nearly 20 versions. I found the adventure really worthwhile, and it left me with a host of different Scheherazades to listen to: which is one reason why it never seems stale to me.

[Karl Henning]

Well, I'm inclined to go along with the view expressed above by vandermolen, that maybe there aren't any bad recordings of Antar. This Kitajenko version (at least, its 1st movement) strikes me as very lovely - smooth and understated, perhaps, but why not? I'm happy to listen to this for as long as you like. I notice that I'm missing a certain sparkle, but I think that's probably due to the limitations of the sound source.

Ansermet's version arrived today. The postman lives to deliver another day.

Still in the pipeline: Zinman, Jarvi, Bakels, and Butt.

I expect Maazel/Pbgh on Monday.

[Karl Henning]

Here's the 1st movement on Youtube:

I'm listening to it now.

'Tis certain, I love Antar as keenly as I do Sheherazade, the Capriccio espagnol and the Russian Easter Ov!

[Brian]

Try this:

Start at about 3.50, with the entrance of the gazelle. At 4.28 some sort of threat is indicated and the bird swoops. At 4.55-ish Antar attacks the bird, and by 5.20 the bird has been driven off. It doesn't last long, nor is it much of a big deal - after all, Antar is a tough guy.

That's how I read it - others may read it differently. I don't know how literally we can expect to match the music with the events of the tale.

(Said with warm humor and not mockery, I hope)

This reminds me of the guy in college who told us exactly when the fisherman in Schubert's Trout Quintet catches the trout!

[Florestan]

(Said with warm humor and not mockery, I hope)

This reminds me of the guy in college who told us exactly when the fisherman in Schubert's Trout Quintet catches the trout!

And how do you know he wasn't right? 

[Karl Henning]

(Said with warm humor and not mockery, I hope)

This reminds me of the guy in college who told us exactly when the fisherman in Schubert's Trout Quintet catches the trout!

I'm paraphrasing from memory, but with De l'aube à midi sur la mer in mind, Satie said that his favorite part of Debussy's La mer was at about a quarter to twelve.

[Elgarian Redux]

(Said with warm humor and not mockery, I hope)

This reminds me of the guy in college who told us exactly when the fisherman in Schubert's Trout Quintet catches the trout!

Yeah, but could he tell what bait was used?

Actually, I do think there are distinct passages in Antar that invite a more-or-less literal interpretation. The first appearance of the gazelle, for instance, is unmistakeable. And that's followed by the thrumming of strings which is clearly threatening, getting louder and louder (as the bird approaches) ... We don't have to listen like that, but I think the music and the programme invite us to.

[Elgarian Redux]

I expect Maazel/Pbgh on Monday.

Just found one of those myself, this evening. These CDs have been coming at about £5 each, typically: not much in comparison to the pleasure they're bringing. But I think I may draw the line now, and declare my experiment complete (as far as the buying is concerned, I mean).

[ChamberNut]

(Said with warm humor and not mockery, I hope)

This reminds me of the guy in college who told us exactly when the fisherman in Schubert's Trout Quintet catches the trout!

Hmm, I am curious! 🎣

[Roasted Swan]

Leaping upon the Antarian Bandwagon today I have to say I enjoyed it greatly as well!  One thing I was struck by is I wonder if Gliere was influenced when he came to write Ilya Murometz.  Obviously that work is on a far more extended scale but the handling of material - heroic Slavic 'anthems' skittish playful scherzi feel quite similar.  Obviously the musical eco-system for both composers is the same but today it felt as though the link was more than just a shared cultural landscape.

[Elgarian Redux]

And so to Ansermet's Antar, with his Swiss fellows.

It's rich, lush, and weighty where it needs to be. I imagine that anyone could listen to this and enjoy the music, as I did. But for me there is something missing. I find the orientalism is understated, so that where I expect to hear mysterious eastern promise, I hear merely a different kind of lusciousness. For me, that really matters. I want the music to transport me to the ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra; I want to meet the sexy magic princess who can change herself into a gazelle, but what I seem to hear is 'a beautiful princess', which isn't quite the same thing.

If you want the music - you'll get it, and very lovely too. If you want the dream, the mystique, the distant eastern skies, the magic in the air - well, I didn't get that. And that, for me, puts a question mark against Ansermet's interpretation.

No CDs in the post this morning. Heads will have to roll.

[DavidW]

No CDs in the post this morning. Heads will have to roll.

I imagine your postman looks like a bodybuilder by now from lifting your heavy boxes of CDs every day!

[Elgarian Redux]

I imagine your postman looks like a bodybuilder by now from lifting your heavy boxes of CDs every day!

Actually it's years since I bought so many CDs in a short time, so his muscles have had plenty of time to atrophy. (I'd never dare to threaten a muscular postman!)

[Karl Henning]

Actually it's years since I bought so many CDs in a short time, so his muscles have had plenty of time to atrophy. (I'd never dare to threaten a muscular postman!)

My mama didn't raise no fools!

[Elgarian Redux]

Now this (Morton Gould and the Chicago SO) has had several recommendations (@vandermolen and @Brian), and I dearly wish I were able to get it on CD without bankcrupting myself. Instead I made a CD from a copy uploaded to the internet. So there's a caveat here, about audio quality.

But to heck with all that. This is a rich Cinemascope Epic rendering of Antar, which nonetheless is highly articulate and nuanced in all the right places. I loved it, really loved it. The princess is sexily entwining, the Revenge movement is fearful, the Power movement is robust but sensitive. At certain moments in the final movement I found myself in tears (though I do have a reputation as an old softie).

I'll be very interested to see what happens when I go back to Svetlanov after all this. But for the moment, I need to find an affordable copy of this on CD, because if this is merely mp3 quality, then what am I missing? This is a Giant Cracker of a recorded performance.

[Mapman]

Try this:

Start at about 3.50, with the entrance of the gazelle. At 4.28 some sort of threat is indicated and the bird swoops. At 4.55-ish Antar attacks the bird, and by 5.20 the bird has been driven off. It doesn't last long, nor is it much of a big deal - after all, Antar is a tough guy.

That's how I read it - others may read it differently. I don't know how literally we can expect to match the music with the events of the tale.

Thank you! I like your description of the events as they occur in the music.

[Elgarian Redux]

Thank you! I like your description of the events as they occur in the music.

The whole bird episode is understated in the Jarvi performance I linked to above. In the Gould/Chicago SO recording it's more dramatic. See below:
Gould/Chicago/Antar
You can hear the drama unfold from the first appearance of the gazelle (3.32), through to the disappearance of the bird at 4.55. In this recording there's an audible clash of steel as Antar strikes at the bird (4.32).