Pim, the DVD is ridiculously cheap via Amazon Marketplace. It's well worth getting. The "Extra" I mentioned, Stravinsky conducting the 1945 Firebird Suite (he would not do the 1919 one since it brought him no performance royalties), give the lie to his lack of conducting ability. Sure Craft conducted The Rite and the Huxley Variations at that concert, but there is no mistaking Stravinsky's control of the orchestra in the Suite. I remember hearing a sparkling "Fireworks" from the same concert too, and it was he who conducted that.

 A good excuse to defer domestic chores this morning  after the arrival of the Spanish Love Songs CD: Bridge 9228; performed by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Joseph Kaiser, with piano accompaniment by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett; the New York Festival of Song; recorded in concert at the Caramoor Festival in July 2004.

A selection of single items from Granados,Turina, Rodrigo, Montsalvatge, Mompou, Roussel, Ravel, Schumann, and a wider selection from Wolf's Spanisches Liederbuch; followed by two zarzuela excerpts before the  concert ended with Sondheim's 'Barcelona' (Company) - the audience quickly *got* the context of the morning after!

I've been a devotee of Lorraine H L since hearing her as Irene in the DVD recording of Handel's 'Theodora',  Glyndebourne's 1996 production.  She always gave that 'little extra something' which marks the great performer - a mixture of joy and intensity?   I miss her so much but this is a disc to treasure.

I have mostly been listening to Sibelius Syms 1-4 conducted by Paavo Bergluund on EMI Classics for which I cannot find an image.

This music contains so many joys for me. Every moment in the music seems so full with possibility - every one seems like a cell that could lead to more life, even when it just suggests it rather than actually doing so. I love the Tchaikovsky-like momentary surges of melody too but presented without any of the feeling of destination-hysteria that seems to fuel many of Tchaikovsky's tunes. I love both ways, but the contrast is delicious!

I like this one:

I have Nos 5-7, with a dark green cover, in a slimline double case - I must have bought it around 1994/5 - is that the complementary volume to Daniel's then?

No, it was from his more recent cycle on Ondine. Helsinki PO, I think, but I'd have to check at work. They're available in a box set now but I don't think it would be as cheap as £9.99!

It is! (Often through extreme slowness ...)

I haven't listened through many of the symphonies complete though, that No 2 just happened to be the closest to hand when I needed somewhere to snatch my snatch from. It did end up being a rather interesting choice, though, as you said!

The cycle I quite like but found 'controversial' was Oramo's ... especially some of the tempi in the finale of the Fifth. But as martle and others will tell you (I believe Mr Barrett may also have a copy in his possession, although I don't know whether he's ever listened to it ) the Fifth I would really proselytise for is Celibidache's Danish Radio recording, briefly available in a 4CD mixed-composer set on DG and now pretty hard to track down - although a PM to me would do the trick.

Funnily enough, I have the Fifth and Sixth conducted by Kajanus and Schneevoigt respectively (from 1932 and 1934), just arrived from MDT this morning and joining the to-be-spun pile chez t_i_n.

Yes, that's the one.


Is that the 4-disc Swedish RSO set which included Sibelius 2&5 and the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Jacqueline Du Pré? I remember reading a review, possibly by Rob Cowan, which I successfully ignored!     (I had, in my defence, already spent quite a bit on the DG Celi boxes of Russian rep, Debussy and Ravel box, and the Brahms Symphonies).  PM heading your way, tinners!

I'm fairly certain it was Rob reviewing it in Gramophone...he did quite a number of the Celi boxes, which first alerted me to the Brahms recordings, which are a wonderful wallow. I seem to remember he was very positive about them, especially the Sibelius and Dvorak; there's no mention of them when I looked in the Gramofile database, but that's not always very reliable...

Have had some good listening lately. The Nash Ensemble playing chamber music by Bax and Samuel Coleridge Taylor(What a marvellous composer!) and Bliss Chamber music on Naxos with the Magini String Quartet. etc.

Yesterday I had Handley's account of VWs TT Fantasia, Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus and Job.

Tippett Midsummer Marriage Ritual Dances, Fantasia Concertante on Corelli; Double String Concerto(BBCSO,  Sir Andrew Davies)

Bax Spring Fire(Symphony). Incidentally, I always noticed that, but he never included it in his numered canon. Symphonic Scherzo and Northern Ballad no.1(RPO/Handley)