New Recording of Korngold's Symphony in F# and other works

[Gareth Vaughan]

Well, that's just me, I'm afraid. I would rather read a book than watch television any day.

[Alan Howe]

I agree with Gareth. I'd also rather read musical criticism as well. It's all to do with the fact that the printed word can be more easily reviewed and weighed by the reader, whereas video is essentially transient. Video also takes far more time to say much the same thing than the printed word, which makes it a thorough waste of the viewer's time.

Anyway, I suggest that we now attend to what Hurwitz is actually saying about Wilson's recording rather than his video presentations.

[eschiss1]

surprised a little that Chandos has now recorded the symphony-twice-.

[Alan Howe]

I'm not. Wilson is box office gold here in the UK. Chandos no doubt think they can make a mint out of his recordings. And the Downes recording is getting on for thirty years old...

[hyperdanny]

I confess that I still have to "get" maestro Wilson...the (admittedly few) recordings that I have heard seemed to me "efficient", but oimpersonal and in general too fast.
But maybe one day I'll see the light.
What I will NEVER get is Chandos repertoire policy, especially in the last few years.
It seems that when they get ahold of some respected conductor , or some new exciting one, all they can produce is endless dupiication, from other labels but especially (and that's what baffles me most) cloning themselves.
They're doing it with sir Andrew Davis : he's basically redoing the same Elgar and Vaughan Williams he already did with excellent results for Teldec.
They're doing it with John Storgards (if memory serves, Chandos has now 3 Nielsen complete cycles)
And now the new hot British guy...Korngold (Downes, yes it's old, but it's digital, and it's good) , and the 1.000.000th Respighi (and their own Tortelier's was better, and Copland ..who needed it?).
All this, with all the repertoire that needs to be recorded and heard.
All this, with funding for recordings more and more difficult to find, especially in the arts-starving covid economy.
This is exactly the kind of policy that brought the industry to collapse in the 90's.
Sorry for the rant, but I love Chandos, and I just can't understand.

[Alan Howe]

You're right about the Chandos/repertoire issue. Too much duplication. As for John Wilson, he's very, very good at what he does. I just hope he sticks with the lighter end of the repertoire.

[TerraEpon]

All this, with funding for recordings more and more difficult to find, especially in the arts-starving covid economy.

You just answered your own question here. Despite people like us, MOST record sales come from more popular music. Another recording of Beethoven symphonies is almost sure to outsell a recording of Raff or Korngold or whoever.

[hyperdanny]

I understand and share your point in general, but I don't think it applies to the specific issue. (Chandos).
What they are duplicating (or even triplicating) is not more Beethoven of Brahms, it is stuff that, at best, is in the second tier of commercial appeal: Nielsen , Korngold, Copland, Elgar, RVW (which I worship, especially the latter, but let's face it, outside the UK they're superficially known).
AND, and that's my core point, they're cloning (and hurting) themselves,

[Alan Howe]

I think they're probably selling a lot of CDs. It's more likely to be us who will be hurting, not Chandos...

[Ilja]

You just answered your own question here. Despite people like us, MOST record sales come from more popular music. Another recording of Beethoven symphonies is almost sure to outsell a recording of Raff or Korngold or whoever.

I have to disagree here. While there is much more general interest in Beethoven than there is in Raff, a new Beethoven cycle is also near to impossible to market since the competition is so fierce. A Raff recording, on the other hand, will always be noticed by a community of dedicated collectors. That group amounts to about 1500 people worldwide, but that can be enough.


What we're seeing is music executives still acting on impulses that have become obsolete some time ago.

[eschiss1]

So long as they're aiming at that 1500, how about Striegler, or W Taubert ; 4 + each, Romantic/ e2c...