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The Radio 3 Boards > Admin Boards > Viewable archives > Proms 2007 > Prom 19: Hallé - Mark Elder
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Author Topic: Prom 19: Hallé - Mark Elder  (Read 457 times)
tonybob
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« on: 07:40:06, 27-07-2007 »
i love mark elder - the Hallé being Nottinghams resident orchestra and all - but what an odd programme...
no doubt he'll string it together with one of his talks. (?)
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sososo s & i.
Ron Dough
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« Reply #1 on: 09:35:08, 27-07-2007 »
As I've mentioned elsewhere, the loss of the original Britten song-cycle from this Prom is a great pity: whereas before the programme change I would seriously have tried to get to the RAH had I been anywhere near, I've been deprived of my main impetus for so doing.
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Tony Watson
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« Reply #2 on: 14:01:50, 27-07-2007 »
Quote from: tonybob on 07:40:06, 27-07-2007
what an odd programme...

The prospectus tries to explain it as following the Shakespeare and Auden themes, with each piece of music depicting antagonism (but then the programme has changed since and lots of music depicts antagonism of some sort). I'm sorry about the substitution too, as I've never heard Our Hunting Fathers.
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Andy D
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« Reply #3 on: 21:58:23, 27-07-2007 »
I turned on right at the end of the Britten. I assume from what Tony W said that it was originally going to be Our Hunting Fathers - I've got a recording of this made from the proms in the mid 70s* but I haven't played it a lot (ie not at all for about 30 years).

Found the interval talk on "outdoor" Shakespeare very interesting - wonder how all these outdoor performances are coping with the dreadful weather.

Nielsen 4 was one of the first symphonies I got to know since I bought it on a Heliodor LP in the late 60s performed by the Royal Danish Orchestra under Igor Markevitch. I have to admit that I only bought it because it was in stereo, whereas nearly all other budget LPs were in mono in those days  Grin - I didn't have a clue what it was like. But I loved it. And I loved hearing it again tonight under Mark Elder who I do admire. However when I listened I could still hear (in my head) the fade out at the end of the 2nd movement which is at the end of side 1 of my LP - necessary since it goes attacca into the 3rd movement.

* just looked it up and it's prom no 11 27/7/76 (exactly 31 years ago!) Heather Harper, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Sir Charles Groves. First item was Beethoven no 7, final was Havergal Brian no 9
« Last Edit: 22:16:47, 27-07-2007 by Andy D » Logged
pim_derks
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« Reply #4 on: 22:31:04, 27-07-2007 »
Quote from: Andy D on 21:58:23, 27-07-2007
I turned on right at the end of the Britten. I assume from what Tony W said that it was originally going to be Our Hunting Fathers - I've got a recording of this made from the proms in the mid 70s* but I haven't played it a lot (ie not at all for about 30 years).

Found the interval talk on "outdoor" Shakespeare very interesting - wonder how all these outdoor performances are coping with the dreadful weather.

Nielsen 4 was one of the first symphonies I got to know since I bought it on a Heliodor LP in the late 60s performed by the Royal Danish Orchestra under Igor Markevitch. I have to admit that I only bought it because it was in stereo, whereas nearly all other budget LPs were in mono in those days  Grin - I didn't have a clue what it was like. But I loved it. And I loved hearing it again tonight under Mark Elder who I do admire. However when I listened I could still hear (in my head) the fade out at the end of the 2nd movement which is at the end of side 1 of my LP - necessary since it goes attacca into the 3rd movement.

* just looked it up and it's prom no 11 27/7/76 (exactly 31 years ago!) Heather Harper, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Sir Charles Groves. First item was Beethoven no 7, final was Havergal Brian no 9

Thanks for sharing all this, Andy. Has the Groves Prom been issued on LP or CD?

There's another great Harper recording of Our Hunting Fathers. It was recorded in Manchester on 12 February 1986, with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Edward Downes. It was issued on the Carlton label as part of the BBC Radio Classics series in 1996.

Do you know if the Markevitch recording of Nielsen's Fourth Symphony has been re-issued on CD?

Another great recording of Nielsen's Fourth Symphony is the one Jean Martinon made with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for RCA. It was re-issued last year. Truly one of the greatest orchestral recordings ever.
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"People hate anything well made. It gives them a guilty conscience." John Betjeman
eruanto
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« Reply #5 on: 23:46:08, 27-07-2007 »
Hum. I wasn't sure about this one.

The level of together-ness (particularly in the Nielsen) seemed a little sloppy to me, for all the hype about the Hallé's current form. Particularly after having watched the BBCMM DVD of the same piece from Proms 2005 - I can remember being there that night as well and being blown away by the trombones' statement of the main theme. Tonight's was nothing like so impressive, I'm afraid... The forces did seem rather contained throughout.

But that Debussy / Matthews job was nicely done, for what it was. Made a good story!

I have yet to truly comprehend the Britten - it was scheduled last year as well and I just got lost. It was better this time but still not fully there.
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Notoriously Bombastic
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« Reply #6 on: 00:31:23, 28-07-2007 »
Still, a good overall band sound.  Interesting you mention not being blown away by the trombones - I felt that the tenors in particular were trying a bit too hard tonight, and there were a few casualties.  I did enjoy the horn sound though, particularly in the Strauss.

NB
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Mary Chambers
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« Reply #7 on: 10:23:56, 28-07-2007 »
I've said all this and a bit more in the Other Place, but anyway....

It was a great shame Our Hunting Fathers had to go - you'd have thought they could have found somebody who could sing it - but I thought it was good performance of Illuminations, a gorgeous piece, all too often poorly (or at least only routinely) done.

The best performance of Our Hunting Fathers is the very intense Pears/Britten one that was issued on BBC Legends. Not available at the moment as far as I can see - why not?

I can't work up any interest in Nielsen, I'm afraid.
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #8 on: 10:54:15, 28-07-2007 »
Les Illuminations had already had at least two other Proms performances this decade (last year and 2002) so perhaps now it could have a rest. Since we have an extra Beethoven Choral this year to make up for last year's lost one, perhaps they could schedule Our Hunting Fathers for next year - and give Robert Murray another chance perhaps?

As I've mentioned at ToP, Mary, it is still possible to obtain the Pears OHF, as part of a six-disc set from the States:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000042NZF/ref=sr_1_olp_26/002-9708327-3448047?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1185614099&sr=1-26
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oliver sudden
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« Reply #9 on: 14:57:19, 28-07-2007 »
Shoot me down in flames if you like but I do find the Bostridge Our Hunting Fathers with Harding on EMI one of his best things; for that matter also the older Serenade with Marie Luise Neunecker playing* horn, which on at least one release is its discmate.

*(I typed "on horn" first but that's a bit silly isn't it since when you're playing horn it's actually the horn that's on you...)
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #10 on: 15:21:57, 28-07-2007 »
No. I'll not shoot you down in flames, Oz. It is amongst his finer efforts (though I've the other incarnation, with the Quatre Chansons Françaises, so I can't comment on the Serenade) but there is something very heroic about Pears blazing his way through it: a work, which after all, was not written with his (or any male voice) in mind, and doesn't fit him like a glove. He really has to work at it, and to my way of thinking that elicits an unusually fiery performance from him; it's the same voice, but being used in a rather different way.
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