HANDEL - Royal Fireworks - suggestions?
Dan Szymborski
In article <3553bc04...@news5.bellatlantic.net>, TMoore says...
> Can anyone suggest a good recording of Handel's Music for the Royal
> Fireworks? I don't care if it's analog or digital. Thanks.
Well, my first choice is easily the Fennell on Telarc. I've never
heard a recording (or performance) with more excitement or flair. I
also enjoyed Mackerras' performance (also on modern instruments), but
while it has some sublime woodwind playing, it can't match Fennell for
sheer energy.
If period instruments are a must, I'd go for Jordi Savall's recording
on Astree, if you can find it.
In all honesty, however, this is one piece that I don't really care to
be historically-informed in. I'm sure some of the big HIP fans have
some more suggestions.
--
Dan Szymborski
Cze...@earthlink.com
TMoore
Can anyone suggest a good recording of Handel's Music for the Royal
Fireworks? I don't care if it's analog or digital. Thanks.
T
(Remove NOSPAM to email)
Simon Roberts
TMoore (NOSPAM...@bellatlantic.net) wrote:
: Can anyone suggest a good recording of Handel's Music for the Royal
: Fireworks? I don't care if it's analog or digital. Thanks.
But do you care if it's HIP or modern, all wind or wind and strings (plus
percussion, of course)?
My choice would be HIP and wind plus strings, and there I would choose
either Savall or Tafelmusik's new disc on Sony. Since Savall comes with
the Water Music, and Tafelmusik's with the concerti a due cori, you may
want to pick according to coupling; both offer superior playing and
exciting performances. I found Norrington's recent recording
astonishingly tame.
If you want HIP and all winds, no strings, the alternatives aren't as
good, not only because the combination of instruments doesn't seem to me
as interesting, but because the HIP conductors involved -- Robert King and
Pinnock -- are at best second rate musicians who just plow their way
through the music in a vaguely anarchic manner. King's comes with rather
good performances of the Coronation Anthems, Pinnock's with lesser known
orchestral works. I prefer the non-HIP all wind versions by Mackerras and
Somary.
The best non-HIP winds/strings version I've heard is Leppard's, which,
unlike, say, Marriner's efforts, sounds suitably pompous and festive
rather than merely bouncy -- but I don't think his is still in print.
And I suppose I should confess a fondness for a cheap Vox disc called "the
heroic Mr. Handel", which offers some pretty thrilling playing in an
arrangement for brass, organ and percussion.
Now if only some of the better musicians listed above -- preferably Savall
-- would tackle Handel's best orchestral music, the 12 concerti grossi op.
6....
Simon
Donald Patterson
TMoore wrote:
>
> Can anyone suggest a good recording of Handel's Music for the Royal
> Fireworks? I don't care if it's analog or digital. Thanks.
>
>
> (Remove NOSPAM to email)
Fennell/Cleveland Symphony Winds on Telarc
Get this one first.
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>The best non-HIP winds/strings version I've heard is Leppard's, which,
>unlike, say, Marriner's efforts, sounds suitably pompous and festive
>rather than merely bouncy -- but I don't think his is still in print.
Leppard's is part of the bargain Philips box of Handel's complete orchestral
music.
Marc Perman
jat...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
Donald Patterson (don...@erols.comatose) wrote:
: TMoore wrote:
: >
: > Can anyone suggest a good recording of Handel's Music for the Royal
: > Fireworks? I don't care if it's analog or digital. Thanks.
: >
: > T
: >
: > (Remove NOSPAM to email)
: Fennell/Cleveland Symphony Winds on Telarc
I have a number of different recordings of this piece (all are on period
instruments):
- The King's Consort/Robert King (Hyperion): original arrangement and the
absolutely *best* performance on CD!
- The Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwood (L'Oiseau-Lyre): a close second
- The English Consort/Trevor Pinnock (Archiv): not bad, but a bit
lacklustre in places
- Tafelmusik/Jeanne Lamon (Sony): not bad, but a bit more spontaneity
would have been appreciated
- English Baroque Soloists/Garddiner (Philips): same as Pinnock's
- London Classical Players/Norrington (Virgin Veritas): they do Beethoven
better--rather disappointing
There was one analog recording on LP and audio cassette released about 20
years ago on Angel conducted by Charles Mackerras which was the best one
up to that time. I haven't heard if it's been re-issued on CD. This one
was recorded outdoors, though I don't think it was a period performance.
Unfortunately, I wore out my cassette copy of this one....
--
*******************************************************************************
* Bernhard Michael Jatzeck *
* *
* jat...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca *
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*******************************************************************************
jat...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
Simon Roberts (si...@dept.english.upenn.edu) wrote:
<snip>
: My choice would be HIP and wind plus strings, and there I would choose
: either Savall or Tafelmusik's new disc on Sony. Since Savall comes with
: the Water Music, and Tafelmusik's with the concerti a due cori, you may
: want to pick according to coupling; both offer superior playing and
: exciting performances. I found Norrington's recent recording
: astonishingly tame.
I agree about the one by Norrington. Not one of their better ones. I
thought the Tafelmusik recording lacked some spark.
: If you want HIP and all winds, no strings, the alternatives aren't as
: good, not only because the combination of instruments doesn't seem to me
: as interesting, but because the HIP conductors involved -- Robert King and
: Pinnock -- are at best second rate musicians who just plow their way
: through the music in a vaguely anarchic manner. King's comes with rather
: good performances of the Coronation Anthems, Pinnock's with lesser known
: orchestral works. I prefer the non-HIP all wind versions by Mackerras and
: Somary.
I have to disagree about King's recording. "Music for the Royal
Fireworks" was to celebrate the end of a war and this one is brash and
joyous. The musicians are having a lot of fun with this one.
The English Consort under Pinnock can play the notes, but their
performance is somewhat lacking in soul. The one by Mackerras was the
first I had in my collection. I wore out my cassette copy of it.
<snip>
Have you heard the one by Gardiner? I wasn't particularly overwhelmed by
it.
Simon Roberts
jat...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca wrote:
[snip]
: I have to disagree about King's recording. "Music for the Royal
: Fireworks" was to celebrate the end of a war and this one is brash and
: joyous. The musicians are having a lot of fun with this one.
I guess we just hear things differently; I'm all for brashness and joy
here, but don't perceive that much in King's performance, which to my ears
is rythmically rather limp and lacks forward impetus, especially in the
fast section of the overture.
: The English Consort under Pinnock can play the notes, but their
: performance is somewhat lacking in soul. The one by Mackerras was the
: first I had in my collection. I wore out my cassette copy of it.
Do you have/have you heard both of Pinnock's; i.e., the wind/strings
version and his new all wind recording? Your comments on King made me go
and sample bits of both his and Pinnock II and I must say that to my taste
the new Pinnock is vastly better than King, especially in the first
movement, which has much more panache and drive and sounds -- if, like me,
you prefer closer, more detailed sound -- more exciting.
: <snip>
: Have you heard the one by Gardiner? I wasn't particularly overwhelmed by
: it.
Yes; I replaced it with Tafelmusik's. So I guess I will somewhat revise
my initial comments and suggest two: Savall and Pinnock II.
Simon
Alan Cooper
Donald Patterson <don...@erols.comatose> wrote:
>Fennell/Cleveland Symphony Winds on Telarc
>
>Get this one first.
Absolutely. Another performance that makes a delightful racket is
Somary/ECO on Vanguard.
Alan Cooper
jat...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
Simon Roberts (si...@dept.english.upenn.edu) wrote:
: jat...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca wrote:
<snip>
: I guess we just hear things differently; I'm all for brashness and joy
: here, but don't perceive that much in King's performance, which to my ears
: is rythmically rather limp and lacks forward impetus, especially in the
: fast section of the overture.
<snip>
I first heard this one on the old "Off the Record" on what used to be
called CBC Stereo just after it was released. Over the years, I usually
found Bob Kerr's judgement on recordings to be quite accurate and I don't
recall him having anything bad to say about this one.
: Do you have/have you heard both of Pinnock's; i.e., the wind/strings
: version and his new all wind recording? Your comments on King made me go
: and sample bits of both his and Pinnock II and I must say that to my taste
: the new Pinnock is vastly better than King, especially in the first
: movement, which has much more panache and drive and sounds -- if, like me,
: you prefer closer, more detailed sound -- more exciting.
I've got the latest one by Pinnock. It's OK, but it's somewhat mechanical
in its performance. That's why I like the one by King, as I sense that
the musicians are putting a bit of themselves into it rather than merely
following the score.
: : Have you heard the one by Gardiner? I wasn't particularly overwhelmed by
: : it.
<snip>
woo...@prodigy.net
In article <3553bc04...@news5.bellatlantic.net>,
NOSPAM...@bellatlantic.net (TMoore) wrote:
>
> Can anyone suggest a good recording of Handel's Music for the Royal
> Fireworks? I don't care if it's analog or digital. Thanks.
>
All this music has to be is noisy and fun. Many conductors seem to miss the
point and are way too polite with this tub-thumper.
Ho-hum: Marriner/Philips (the dullest I've ever heard), Gardiner/Philips
Not bad: Hogwood/L'Oiseau-Lyre, Pinnock/Archiv (#1, with strings -- great horn
work in the fast part of the overture), King/Hyperion (all-wind version, with
a gaggle of period oboes (24) who have a "foreman" listed even and a nice
flatulent blast from the period counter-bassoon at the beginning -- but rather
tame withal).
FUN: Paillard/Erato (all wind, a bit vulgar, with Maurice Andre and pals
playing very loudly and flat sometimes, but great snare drums in La
Rejouissance), Savall/Astree (my current favorite: imaginative, fun and noisy
with a surprisingly small band). I got this for a pretty good price [less
than $20...good for Astree!] from Music Boulevard.
WEIRD: Stokowski/London: well what did you expect? But rather entertaining.
I've heard Fennell/Teldec on the radio, but don't really know it that well.
I'd like to. And I'm curious about Pinnock #2 with all-winds.
Tom Wood
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Ed Boxer
>I've heard Fennell/Teldec on the radio, but don't really know it that well.
>I'd like to.
The Fennell, with the Cleveland Symphonic Winds, is absolutely spectacular.
And it comes with superb performances of the Holst Band Suites. But it is on
Telarc - not Teldec.
Ed "Boxer" Jones
Check out my home page: http://www.GeoCities.com/WestHollywood/9172
A Guide to Opera on CD; Boxing; my Lego creations; Drum and Bugle Corps; Key
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Norman M. Schwartz
Ed Boxer <edb...@aol.com> wrote in article
<199805120335...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
> >I've heard Fennell/Teldec on the radio, but don't really know it that
well.
> >I'd like to.
>
> The Fennell, with the Cleveland Symphonic Winds, is absolutely
spectacular.
> And it comes with superb performances of the Holst Band Suites. But it
is on
> Telarc - not Teldec.
> Ed "Boxer" Jones
But ain't that the "muffled" label featuring inferior artists? I guess they
slipped up here!
Norman
Simon Roberts
Norman M. Schwartz (NM...@worldnet.att.net) wrote:
: Ed Boxer <edb...@aol.com> wrote in article
I'm afraid I think this is another example of that. I really don't hear
whatever it is that others like about this disc.
Simon
dancertm
I don't knwo who asked the original question, but I have two
recordings. One I bought in London years ago on LP by Leppard
conducting the original orchestration, and this "band" is HUGE! All of
my LP's are in storage now, but I think it's in Vanguard. Not sure if
you can even find it, but it's wonderful. My recent recording on CD is
by Trevor Pinnock. Also includes the Concerti due cori both in F
major.
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