What are you listening to now?

[Quijote]

I'll have to get back with you on that one (I'm at work); it's from a complete set, but I cannot remember which label.

I imagine you have the EMI set (with the Dresden band), which I have too, though I also have Tintner (1873 version, Royal Scottish National Kilts* [a little joke]), and Wildner (1877 version, New Phil. of Westphalia*).
They are all fine, but I'm going for the "original" 1873 as my guiding score as it has none of the later "fussy" revisions. That said, after having read Julian Hornton's Bruckner's Symphonies : Analysis, Reception and Cultural Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2004), I think I am going to have to accept a very convincing argument that such is the complex issue of original versions and compositional intent that we should just accept that there are (and always will be) such versions and go with the one we prefer, or indeed embrace all of them.
Why not? I mean, in the case of Beethoven, we have the F major Op. 18 quartet, and the one B "supressed" (the Amenda? Please check spelling). I like both; or rather, I'll go for B's later word about it, but I will in any case listen to the "original" version quite happily.

[Quijote]

And I will listen quite happily to the "Amenda" version of Op. 18 becasue I can. And I'm worth it.

[Sorrano]

Philip, I also have the Tintner performance with the Nationally Royal Kilted Orchestra, and will be listening to that (back and forth) with the Jochum performance. Your solution with the various versions is about the only one we really can take. (I am reading the book, slowly and surely; it will be a long process, but in conjunction I am determined to give each of the symphonies a good listen, as well.)

[Quijote]

I think it's time for a little sketch. here it is :

Vienna, circa 1877, at the Strumpet's Legs, (a very bordellic tavern). They have retired there for refreshments after yet another disasterous performance of this "Wagnerian" symphony.
The dramatic players :
Anton Bruckner : Himself;
Joseph Schalk : Sorrano;
Frau Verrückt (owner of this hostelery) : Philip;
Various whores and other revellers : Other unspecified BRS forum members.

Frau Verrückt (in a high, Monty Python-type falsetto voice) : 'Ere, Anton, wanna another drink, big boy?
AB : Good God, leave me alone, will you ! (head in his hands)
JS : Stop worrying, Master. Look, I have a few ideas about how we can "increase the vector of listener engagement" (in a sort of USA management-speak-cum-James Murdoch accent).
AB : What on earth are you talking about, my symphony is a wreck!
JS : Wrong attitude, Anton baby! Hear me out, big-shot, this is where it's at : we cut the high-brow stuff, we go for the common denominator, give 'em easy-to-whistle tchunes, sorry, I mean melodies, reorchestrate the big tuttis with tons of timpani and cymbals, give 'em what they want, innit?
AB : You mean like Beethoven did?
JS : No, you naive fool, sorry, I mean Master! No, we don't do the Beethoven thing, we give 'em something new. Look, I've already prepared a few sketeches. Just drink this bottle of scotch will you, and then sign on the bottom line, OK?
FV : Don't do it, my love, 'e's a crook, I knew it as soon as I saw 'im ! (in a mock Cockney-cum-Vienna accent)
JS : Silence, whore ! (Throws potato sack over her head and tapes it up tight).
AB : Are you sure about all this, Joseph? I mean, all I want is people to appreciate my work.
JS : Yeah, like John Cage told me the other day ... er ...
AB : John Cage?
JS : Er, nothing, must've been a time warp thingie or something ...
AB : Time varp?
JS : Oh lord ... (sighing).

End of Act 1

[Sorrano]

Lol! *Applaud*

[Quijote]

Applause is a fine thing; hard cash for my efforts is another ...

[Quijote]

I think Beethoven* was once asked if he would rather have some sort of imperial "prize" instead of the lolly for his compositional efforts. What exactly was his response?

[Sorrano]

Applause is a fine thing; hard cash for my efforts is another ...

I know....<wink>

[Roehre]

Today

Marinu:
Flute sonata H.306 (1945) (R3: Proms matinee)

Dutilleux:
Flute sonatina (1943) (R3: Proms matinee)

Prokofiev:
Flute sonata in D op.94 (1943) (R3: Proms matinee)

Tchaikovsky:
1812 op. 49

[Sorrano]

EMI or DGG?

It's the DGG recording. How is the EMI in comparison?

[Roehre]

The difference is mainly the recording, but to be fair, from the DGG set only the 1958 recorded Fifth shows a bit of its age.

For sentimental reasons I prefer the DGG (it was my first Bruckner set ever, in 1974, part of the DGG 75th anniversary The Symphony Edition).

[Chris]

Beethoven - Leonore (1806 version)

[Sorrano]

This morning: Mendelssohn's Suite from a Midsummer Night's Dream

[Roehre]

Today:

Guerrero:
2 Songs (R3: CC)

Weiner:
Fasching (Carnaval) op.5 (1907) (R3: CC)

Victoria part 2 (R3: CotW)

Britten:
Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge op.10 (R3: Proms repeat)

Colin Matthews:
No Man's Land (R3: Proms repeat)

Dutilleux:
Slava’s Fanfare (1997) (R3: Proms)
(Btw: a new definition of “Duration 4 minutes”)

Coryn:
Due Pitture per Orchestra (1989)

Anonymus (Spanish, c1300):
4 Planctus

[Quijote]

This past week I've been in the process of listening (comparatively) to different performances of Bruckner's 2nd Symphony. I've listened to Barenboim and Jochum so far, but the 3rd performance is a bit of a mystery. The disc cover reports the conductor to be Alberto Lizzio (Philharmonia Slavonica), which is considered pseudonymous for various conductors. However, when my Zune software accessed it, it reported an entirely different conductor and orchestra: Hans Zanotelli with the South German Philharmonic. The actual disc cover, as well, is different from what is displayed. The label is AAO Music while the actual disc has the label PILZ. My question, then, is Hans Zanotelli a legitimate name or another psuedo name? [...]

I read about this recently too, Sorrano (i.e. pseudonymous conductors and orchestras) in some back-issue of the Bruckner Journal. I can't remember which one, I downloaded [for free!] all their issues from March 1997 to November 2007 and there are too many for me to easily locate the one that refers to this point.