Rimsky-Korsakov/Skazka

[Hovite]

Incidentally, I have never heard Kalinnikov

Certainly pick up the symphonies: "Kalinnikov would bring to mind early Tchaikovsky."

http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs53417a.php

or Ippolitov-Ivanov. How good are they?

A minor composer, but: "a masterful purveyor of the musical picture-postcard"

http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/a/asv01102a.php

[Pengelli]

That doesn't sound like a very cheerful experience,Mark! I,personally, always found 'them' (!) very good & the catalogues were so meticulously annotated. 'They' probably took so long to compile & print maybe that's why he had to lay off all the staff!
What is even stranger is that the whole tone of the catalogues gave an impression that it was some kind of family concern. I should point out also,that I was buying LP's from them around the late 70's,early 80's,so it is possible that it could have changed hands or business might have picked up a little,by the time I found their ad.
A great story,though. I often wonder what the people are like 'at the other end' of these ads. And,by the way,was he,by any chance,wearing a Russian hat?!
   Of course I am being a little 'rose tinted' here in my memories of Melodiya LP's. But,I was a teenager then,so everything was still new and exciting.
    Collets bookshop was another source.
 
   

[Mark Thomas]

by the way,was he,by any chance,wearing a Russian hat?!

As far as I recall, and it's almost forty years ago now, he was an east end "geezer" with a very heavy grey woollen greatcoat (Soviet army surplus, perhaps?) but no hat. About fifty, maybe? He struck me at the time as a most unlikely music lover...

[sdtom]

Still quite busy with going through all of my Rimsky material. Wish I could hear the Kondrashin Capriccio Espagnol, something I never purchased but I have several others and a hard copy of the JVC CD was $70 at Amazon a bit steep for my budget. Right now I'm tending to enjoy what Dorati and the London did with the recording. Any thoughts???

[Delicious Manager]

sdtom - the Kondrashin Capriccio espagnol has been reissued, along with the other recordings from the same sessions of Tchaikovsky's Capriccio italien (one of the best of this piece), Kabalevsky's The Comedians and Khachaturian's Maskerade ON RCA Victor Living Stereo. You will find it very cheaply on Amazon.

[mbhaub]

I really hate it when they start messing with "standard" spellings. It makes cataloging a real mess. For example, how many spellings are there for Mussorgsky? When you catalog it,which do you use? Prokofieff should always be that way, after all that's how he signed his own signature. But almost everyone spells it Prokofiev, which may be correct, but I think the composer's own wishes override any language purist. And Conus! Is it Conyus, Konyus, Konus? There are of course, many more examples, and I have noticed lately Scheherazade becoming Sheherazade. But for me, the latter spelling was always the Ravel, the former R-K. So now when I see "Sheherazade" I'm not instantly sure what Scheherazade they're talking about.

The Kondrashin Capriccio is legendary, and it is quite exciting. But it was a rush job, and whatever it's qualities (and they are many), there are many other versions that hold their own. Maazel's from the 1960's with Berlin is certainly in that category, and the Mackerras on Telarc is also quite thrilling and is coupled with a top-notch SCHEHERAZADE. The Paray is dreadful if anyone is considering it.

And as luck would have it, my main orchestra of which I am a member is opening our season with the Kalinnikov 1st! Haven't played it for several years and it's always a fun romp.

[Delicious Manager]

Actually, Kondrashin's Sheherazade is considered one of the best. It was the only studio recording Philips managed to complete with the great maestro after he'd moved to the Netherlands in December 1978 ('defected' while on tour, effectively) and was appointed joint principal conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra (alongside Haitink, who invited him do do so). Kondrashin's early and untimely death in March 1981 put a stop to all that, sadly.

I don't agree about 'spellings'. Just because something has been wrong for a long time doesn't automatically make it right. I think you will find there's an Atlantic gap here. 'Rachmaninoff' and 'Prokofieff' are common in English-speaking North America, while 'Rachmaninov' (or occasionally 'Rakhmaninov' or 'Rachmaninof') is common in the UK. So, there isn't really a 'standard' spelling at all. And, of course, every language transliterates these names differently again.

Nor do I worry about there being two Sheherazades in the same way i don't fret over there being more than one Eugene Onegin ((T)chaikovsky, Prokofiev), Nocturnes (Chopin, Debussy) or many, many Romeo and Juliets (Berlioz, Gounod, Kabalevsky, Prokofiev, (T)chaikovsky, et al).

[Pengelli]

I have the recording by Beecham in my collection. I wonder what you think of that? Also,Goossens,on an LP. (I have of course heard other interpretations over the years. At one point,I seemed to have heard it so many times,I could practicaly hum the work all the way through,from beginning to end!)

[Delicious Manager]

I'd forgotten about Beecham. It's MANY years since I heard it (I don't own a copy), but remember it being very fine indeed. His Balakirev First Symphony was also wonderful.

[sdtom]

I just ordered the Kondrashin recording for $8.00 from Amazon. I'll wait to finish my review of Capriccio Espagnol until I've had the opportunity to fully digest it. I will say that right now I find the Dorati recording to my liking even though there is a tad too much treble. I like the pace and I also like how he plays the beginning of the 4th part Scena e canto gitano with the violin, flute, and a silence before the gong is hit. Different from any recording I have of it.

[Pengelli]

It's hard not to like anything Beecham conducted. (I wish he had lived long enough to record some Holbrooke! He was thinking about it,apparently) As to the Goossens,I only mentioned it, because some people rave about Everest recordings, his career ended in disgrace,and the LP sleeve has an interesting cover. It strikes me as quite an exciting reading,although not as characterful as Beechams more red blooded reading. By the way,I looked Eugene Goossens up just now on Wikipedia,out of curiosity. I must say, I knew about the Porno scandal,but not Rosaleen Norton,(an occultist!). Yikes! Learn something new every day,(albeit,not exactly that new!). Apparently,the scandal inspired a novel,a play,an opera and a film. Mind you,I can't help wondering if the poor old duffer was set up??!
   Anyway,back to Skazka'......

[mbhaub]

The Beecham Scheherazade is one of the most beautiful of all, but not the most electric of it's vintage. It's very sensuous, exotic and belongs in every collection in my opinion. The recorded sound shows its age. I have a lot of Beecham recordings and it's true: there's not a dud among them, and many (Bizet, Grieg, Haydn, Balakirev, Handel) he remains unmatched. I wish Beecham had recorded Gliere's 3rd symphony and the Rachmaninoff 2nd.

Goosens in a scandal? I've got to look this up!

[eschiss1]

Yep - see Goossens scandal among other references.

[Pengelli]

I've got to say this,terrible paintings!But I assume he had more than her painting skills on his mind. Dear,oh,dear! I suppose he was lucky they hadn't invented the internet. Rosaleen sounds pretty tame by todays standards.

[Pengelli]

Think I'll put the Kondrashin on my list. I need a more up to date interpretation,although,to be fair,the Beecham is a belter,sonically, for it's age. A nice cover too. What you call,'fin de siecle'. (And I hope I've got that right!).
   Oh,and yes,futile though,I know,but I wish Beecham had done Gliere,too.
My first encounter with the Gliere was the old Unicorn Kanchana set,with that wierd painting of that warrior on a horse,on the front,which grabbed my attention,straight away. It was in my local branch library,back in the days when libraries still had some really interesting records. I was a teenager,then. I have the recording by the late lamented Edward Downes,now. It's tauter,and more exciting,I supose,but the Unicorn recording had a timeless,legendary quality about it that I,sorely, miss.By the way,does anyone think Gliere's Second is worth the 'dosh'? I keep mulling over whether to buy it,but can't make my mind up! Oh,and I have listened to excerpts. I remember one of those old record guides disparaging the first movement as sounding like the soundtrack for an old silent western(?).