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LISZT: Hungaria; Orpheus; Prometheus; Hamlet; Hunnenschlacht – Thomas Beeecham/Stanislav Macura/ Ernest Ansermet/Mark Erklär – Praga Digitals

LISZT: Hungaria; Orpheus; Prometheus; Hamlet; Hunnenschlacht – Thomas Beeecham/Stanislav Macura/ Ernest Ansermet/Mark Erklär – Praga Digitals

by | Oct 28, 2017 | Classical Reissue Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

LISZT: Hungaria; Orpheus; Prometheus; Hamlet; Hunnenschlacht – USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra/ Mark Ermler/ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Thomas Beecham/ Prague Radio Symphony/ Stanislav Macura/ Orchestra de la Suisse Romande/ Ernest Ansermet – Praga Digitals SACD PRD 250 384, 75:21 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: The sequel to Volume One proves equally as stirring. For a review of Volume One in this series, please see Gary Lemco’s August 14th, 2017 posting. I share his satisfaction and enthusiasm for the first edition, and only second it with this wonderful sequel. I need to make mention that the sound is phenomenal in its remastered two-channel SACD guise, ranging from 1958 to 1989. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that these are not cheap, coming in around $23 on Amazon, a little steep for rereleases of any stripe. However, would I buy them? You bet! The nationalistic fervor provided by Liszt’s 1854 Hungaria allowed it to achieve enormous success right from the beginning, with the composer conducting the premiere in 1856. His Heroic March in Hungarian Style provided the basis for the piece, and Liszt himself said that “all wept, both men and women.” Ermler and his USSR band, colorful, […]

Beecham, ABC Blue Network Concerts, Vol. 3 = MOZART: Symphony No. 31; HANDEL: Piano Concerto in A Major; CHABRIER: Espana – Betty Humby, p./ Blue Network Sym. Orch./ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio

Beecham, ABC Blue Network Concerts, Vol. 3 = MOZART: Symphony No. 31; HANDEL: Piano Concerto in A Major; CHABRIER: Espana – Betty Humby, p./ Blue Network Sym. Orch./ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio

by | Jul 21, 2016 | Classical Reissue Reviews

The third of the Blue Network concerts by Beecham restores the sense of musical festivity and stylistic brilliance.  Beecham – The ABC Blue Network Concerts, Vol. 3 = MOZART: Symphony No. 31 in D Major, K. 297; HANDEL: Piano Concerto in A Major; CHABRIER: Espana – Betty Humby, p./ Blue Network Sym. Orch./ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio PASC 477, 54:40 [var. formats avail. from www.pristineclassical.com] ****:  The concert by Sir Thomas Beecham and the “Blue Network Symphony Orchestra” of 21 April 1945 certainly assumes a more optimistic tone than that which occurred as President Franklin Roosevelt had been laid to rest. The high energy of the occasion bursts forth immediately, with Mozart’s 1778 D Major “Paris” Symphony, expressly conceived to parody the musical conceits of the day, such as the so-called premier coup d’archet, or the Parisian version of unison Mannheim rocket figures at a symphonic opening. The addition of trumpets and tympani – and the clarinets – increases the often ceremonial pomp of the performance. Throughout the performance, Beecham emphasizes the suave grandeur Mozart controls in this, his largest symphonic structure in his oeuvre at the time. The virtuoso syncopations of the last movement move with a […]