Current recordings - do you agree?

[alberto]

I return to the starting point. If I read my list of eight "desert island" works, which is unbalanced towards end XIX-early XX century, I see works by composers who enjoyed the advocacy, for once or for many times, even on record, of "big" name (or "semi-big") conductors, associated to orchestras outstanding or good. I refer in general, not precisely to the works in my list. Magnard: Ansermet (and the "completists" are good). Martucci: Toscanini, Muti. Berwald: Markevich, Celibidache, Ehrling, N.Jaarvi, Shmidt-Isserstedt, Dausgaard. Pizzetti: Vanska. G.Butterworth: Boult, Barbirolli, Stokowski, Marriner, Tate.
Busoni: Muti, Gielen, Barenboim, Boult, N.Jaarvi, Rozdestvenskj, Sinopoli, Von Dohnanhy, Elder, P.Jordan, Leitner.
Dukas: Fournet, Tortelier, A.Jordan, Foster, Martinon, Zinman (even Boulez for "La Péri").
Falla Homenajes: Ansermet, Lopez-Cobos (I had even a Claudio Abbado radio broadcast).
I admit that Bethoven contemporaries or roughly contemporaries are in general worse served. Same for Brams contemporaries.

[eschiss1]

indeed, the first time I heard a Magnard symphony it was Ansermet's recording though I'd seen references to his violin sonata and other works broadcast by the local radio when I was working - food service... - at Interlochen a few summers before that, I think.  and agreed re Martucci with those off-air Toscanini recordings etc.- and who too, in his day- not a matter of recordings but of advocacy, a related topic - himself as conductor, gave local premieres of English works and Wagner operas, I believe.  ... hrm. can't seem to find out whose symphony it was that i mentioned earlier in this thread, just now, or who the conductor was who planned to take it on tour- i think it was mentioned in the insert the Musical Times used to have, or something like that, or it may been somewhere more recent. will find out. thought it was interesting and somewhat related if not quite.  if true, it's possible that conductor might record the work. --- and i do hope that tapes exist of the Furtwängler Strässer symphonies - 4, 5 and 6 - and Keilberth's 1951 Weismann sinfonietta giocosa, and if so, that they will find cd enregistrement  though i haven't heard these performances or, i think, these works yet.

[TerraEpon]

For me, I less care about technical perfection than I do about sheer musicality, as it were. I've heard many a dreadfully BORING recording from the top conductors/orchestras, -- even in many cases where they are quite highly praised, to me there's just no....je nai se qua, as it were. Or at times when they are so slow (or occasionally fast) I wonder what the conductor was drinking that day.

[Paul Barasi]

It reminds me of an apparently true but nasty experiment many years back when a new teacher was told which students were top and bottom and although it was complete rubbish nevertheless they then got marked as advertised.  Praise seems to be given to the big names whilst others giving better performances can be ignored. Whilst we have different things that we like or our ears listen for, there is such a thing as performance quality, which can be recognised. Apart from that, for me, it is also about taking risks in being prepared to do it differently, having an imaginative vision of the piece as a whole and having a good feel for pace. The big names are technically good but often sound much the same.  However, the field shortens with a lot of unsung music because there are fewer versions released and the big names are happier bashing out the popular stuff that is easier and more profitable.

[ArturPS]

It reminds me of an apparently true but nasty experiment many years back when a new teacher was told which students were top and bottom and although it was complete rubbish nevertheless they then got marked as advertised.  Praise seems to be given to the big names whilst others giving better performances can be ignored. Whilst we have different things that we like or our ears listen for, there is such a thing as performance quality, which can be recognised. Apart from that, for me, it is also about taking risks in being prepared to do it differently, having an imaginative vision of the piece as a whole and having a good feel for pace. The big names are technically good but often sound much the same.  However, the field shortens with a lot of unsung music because there are fewer versions released and the big names are happier bashing out the popular stuff that is easier and more profitable.

But the thing with big names is that usually the ensembles (I should have restricted the initial post to symphonic/large ensembles) are much better. Some playing of unsung music can become quite ugly, even if the spirit is there.

[Alan Howe]

The fact is that great orchestras can play in a thoroughly routine manner and great conductors can have an off-night (or three); in the same way, lesser orchestras can rise above themselves and a less well-known conductor can sometimes be magnificent. In my experience, many recordings of unsung music recorded these days by orchestras and conductors of less than the front rank leave very little to be desired and some are quite superb.
We may wish that all the great orchestras and conductors might routinely programme and record unsung music - but it ain't going to happen...

[mbhaub]

I've been looking over the programming for the summer festivals and the upcoming concert seasons for orchestras in the US. It's becoming so predictable, so boring, so repetitious. Orchestra after orchestra: Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and on and on. Some orchestras occassionally pull out some odd piece (Manfred Symphony) and a fair amount of ultra-modern. But the sense of adventure just isn't there at all. Even the great touring orchestras like Berlin and Vienna in Carnegie Hall are doing pretty routine stuff. With each new generation of conductors they must prove themselves with the traditional core repertoire I suppose. Thank the almighty for the recording companies, the tireless producers, and the few conductors we have to go outside the box.

[Amphissa]

I have not looked at the recent programs, but the Concertgebouw used to feature works by Dutch composers and other lesser known composers from the region.

I keep waiting for an American orchestra to jump in with a big season of nothing but American composers. Yes, it would require Gershwin, Bernstein and Copeland to attract the audiences. But how great it would be to hear the NYPO, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Atlanta orchestra give a full season of solid performances of Hansen, Paine, Beach, Foote, Chadwick, Parker, et al.

[Ilja]

Awful as it is, I am convinced that as a living art, symphonic classical music, at least in the concert hall, is as good as dead. The increasing reduction of the repertory, the 'star system' and obsessively risk-averse impresarios have each played a role in killing off an art form that not so long ago seemed to be an integral part of our global cultural ecosystem. Recent attempts to launch new 'stars' would have been laughable had they not pointed out the Inherent breakdown of the whole genre.

New potential 'customers' are repelled by the omnipresence of form (the conscious construction of all sorts of barriers against first-time visitors) over function (presenting an exciting cultural product). I wouldn't be surprised if ten years from now, about a quarter of the world's orchestras are gone. And in their present state, I'm not all that certain I could object. I just hope that a number of gems can be recorded - because they DO have a chance to stay with us.

But then, I'm an optimist.

[Amphissa]

The interesting thing is, in the U.S. at least, there are more orchestras than ever playing music. The number of community orchestras and regional orchestras is amazing. In the large area surrounding NY city, to include New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and western Connecticut, there are probably 35-50 community orchestras. The musicians are often employed in other lines of work, but play for the love of it. And their audiences are there because they love the music, not the glamor of Lincoln Center and its stars.

So, yes, I agree, a lot of the big orchestras may go bankrupt and shutter their doors. And I agree that a large part of the reason is the constant repetition of warhorses. IMO, though, there will always be orchestras playing music. Every large city will have an orchestra. And the many community and regional orchestras will continue. Unfortunately, most of the community and regional orchestras are just as fixated on standard repertoire as the large orchestras.

Where are the exciting young maestros who will take a community orchestra into new territory? The American Symphony Orchestra was founded to play lesser known composers and works. It has performed some excellent programs (Wellesz, Gliere, etc). But to my mind, under leadership of Botstein, it has not fulfilled its promise. Where is a great maestro who will take the Orchestra of St Lukes or the Park Avenue Community Orchestra into new and exciting territory?

[eschiss1]

It's once, not a pattern, and 2 decades ago, not now, but the Orchestra of St. Lukes did have three concerts in May of 1990 with works of Moór (concerto op.69), Reznicek (violin concerto and 3 symphonies), Weingartner (Lustige-ouverture), Popper (one of the cello concertos), ... enter Forgotten Romantics into Worldcat.org .
A few years ago, before its conductor of the time died, there was the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players in New York City and its associated orchestra the Jupiter Symphony. Still pretty good in repertoire choice - judging from the calendar at Jupiter Symphony their chamber concerts include a pretty good selection including Weingartner's octet, Szell's piano quintet, Farrenc's first piano quintet, etc. (oh, and Thieriot's Octet op62, Röntgen's trio op.21, Martucci's quintet...) Doesn't quite answer your question, I know...