Just to return to Britten: did anyone catch the Pears/Concertgebouw/Colin Davis live Les Illuminations on TTN this morning?

It's sitting on my hard drive at the moment, Mary: I've not yet had a chance to listen to it. So far as I can see, it's the same performance issued commercially in the Concertgebouw Live Vol.3 box, which means it must have been recorded in the sixties. Pears makes a further appearance in the Vol. 4 box, which I do have, in Lutos?awski's Paroles Tissées. I'll report back when I've been able to listen.

My fonts have the Polish struck-though 'L' (semi 'w' in sound) which apparently doesn't register on this site: hence the question-mark in what I'll have to type as Lutoslawski's name..

Good old Bach eh?

Just out of interest, I have on my ipod the recording that I love , of Rostropovitch playing the unaccompanied sonatas and I bought recently the Tortelier version. I was always fond of Tortelier when I was younger - I loved the emotion and sheer excitement of his playing although not technically perfect !

Any opinions on these 2 versions?

 #36        It seems to me that you have got the best of both worlds, A.

I only have the Rostropovich recordings but I hear the music afresh at every listening.    Worth having, too, for the Dali drawing on the front cover.

However, I did hear Paul Tortelier play the Cello Suites when the New Gallery (Regent Street, W1) reopened its doors as a Concert Hall in the mid 70's.   I used to sit upstairs at the side of the horseshoe, for around 50p.   Tortelier had just got into his stride: the ferocious intensity, along with the serenity of being elsewhere; when a persistent cougher started with the vehemence of a trained seal.   The woman was seated in an aisle seat, around Row F, and there was audible mutterings of "Leave".    A brief respite before she started again.    Tortelier, clearly distracted, returned to terra firma and physically crumpled over his cello.    He then drew himself up before making an impassioned,       "P L  EE    AA  SS  E!     You must be very unhappy to cough during the museek."        The woman rose, glanced round the Hall, before departing to a thunderous stony silence.      M. Tortelier wisely broke at this point but returned with commitment for a real musical treat.

You've now tempted me to seek his EMI recordings but, even with a lapse of more than 30 years, I've never forgotten his recital.   It was also the last time I saw Gerald Moore in an audience.

Mary (and I guess Ollie and GG amongst others), it's from 1966, in rather edgy mono but as a peformance it's certainly worth hearing: Pears in good voice and the orchestra in excellent shape under Davis (who is also intermittently audible): there's a palpable sense of keen cooperation and the sound improves as the performance progresses. It's a very good balance, with Pears further back than one is used to from the Decca recordings; on the other hand one can hear his voice coming back from the hall. It's turned up on TTN before, so perhaps it will be repeated again. Incidentally I've just noticed a bar or so filched by Tippett for the Triple Concerto.

My emergency prescription (this is a partial reply to Chafing Dish as well I guess; generally when I'm feeling rotten the last thing in the world I want to listen to is something mellifluous) consists starting with of a bit of Finnissy (Snowdrift first, courtesy of Ian, then others if I feel the need) usually; or maybe some Flynn if I'm not feeling *that* bad.  I generally manage to work myself up until I can take some Sorabji (in the hothouse usually; Gulistan if it's something more serious).  Usually feeling better by the time I've worked through that.   A bit regimented, but there you go.

Er, when I was at school we called it Dankgesang - has scholarship changed its mind?