OT: anyone know what's coming next from Andris Nelsons (Bruckner and/or Shosty)?

[erikwilson7]

Funnily enough, it's been hard for me to get into 7 due to it's length, but it's the duration of an average Mahler symphony. Maybe time just passes by quicker with Mahler.

[barryguerrero]

L.O.L.!

At the very end of S7, the timpani - doubled with the bass drum - pound out the same lick that the celeste has at the end of "In diesem Wetter" (Kindertotenlieder).

[erikwilson7]

Wait, Das Lied or Kindertotenlieder? I just listened through all of Mahler’s celesta parts to find it.

I do like the first movement of S7 a LOT. Reminds me of Bolero on steroids.

Also the timpani solo at the end of S10 is incredible; DSCH motif! Favorite recordings? Mine is V. Petrenko for pretty much all of the symphonies, but 10 especially.

[barryguerrero]

Sorry, I meant "KTL" - the end of "Im diesem Wetter". My bad, and I'll fix my post.

[erikwilson7]

That's a fascinating connection, and I wonder if it was intentional. I know Shosty was fond of Mahler's music.

[barryguerrero]

I think more than just fond. According to the Volkov book, Shostakovich, at a young age, had pretty much memorized all of Mahler's output. Clearly the 4th symphony is as much an homage to Mahler, as it is Shosty's first "tombstone for the Russian people" (Volkov, again).

[Roland Flessner]

Barry, please note that S4 and S11 were released as a two-disc set. I borrowed a copy from the library.

A 15th with the BSO could be really good. I don't really care about S12, 13 or  14 (13 is OK). I know I should, but I just don't. I think the 15th was a huge breakthrough. I certainly don't care about either S2 or S3 either. It's funny they haven't addressed S4 yet. It's so typical of DG these days to just give up.

[barryguerrero]

Yes, I had forgotten that fact at the time I wrote that. I had that two-disc set! I chose to keep the Yannhick Nezet-Seguin one instead, which comes in a box of a bunch of recordings he made in Rotterdam. It's a very good box! N-S.'s radio broadcast of S4 with Philadelphia is absolutely out of this world.

I'm not that crazy about S11, but do like it more than S12 - S14.

[Roland Flessner]

S4 really is a great work, despite its length and structural weaknesses. Chung/Philadelphia on DG, which I recently acquired, is quite good as an "objective" approach. Previn/CSO, which didn't impress me on previous hearings, is outstanding.

Whenever I hear S12, I have the same reaction: I don't need to hear this again for a long time. It seems many listeners put S11 in the same category, but in recent years its star seems to have risen, including with me. I like Bychkov/BPO, one of few BPO recordings where the tamtam sounds really respectable.

Speaking of Previn/CSO, his S4 and S5 were recorded at Medinah Temple; many CSO recordings were made there because the record companies found Orchestra Hall unsatisfactory after the 1967 remodel. The CSO recorded there over the course of three decades, until the mid-'90s. As it happens, I just finished a contract job that had me walking by the building frequently on my way to work. It is incredibly beautiful. It had fallen into disrepair, but was extensively remodeled and served as the site of a Bloomingdale's Home store until last year. Now, it is a "flagship retail opportunity."

[barryguerrero]

.    .     .    which means that it will probably sit vacant for quite a bit longer, possibly falling into an even deep state of disrepair. Such a pity. It's probably going to be a good while before the CSO can record anything large again. They'll also need to solve their Music Director situation at some point, as Muti just isn't the answer. He's becoming more irascible by the moment, and he might even get himself banned from La Scala. 

[Roland Flessner]

The building is now well maintained and, we hope, will take on a new purpose soon. You can find a lot of info at http://medinahtemple.com/

Orchestral studio recordings now being rare in the US, future CSO releases will probably be live performances from Orchestra Hall, or possibly somewhere on tour. I don't think they ever performed live at Medinah, but I heard a top-level community orchestra there. Performance and acoustics left little to be desired.

I was skeptical about Muti when he was hired, but the few performances I've heard him lead have been excellent. For example, I wouldn't have imagined that he would connect with Haydn, but a performance of the "Clock" symphony (101), was outstanding. He also conducted a terrific "Feste Romane." He's been criticized for overly stodgy programming, but the CSO has long ghettoized contemporary music with the MusicNOW series across the street at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park. It's a smaller venue, good for ensembles up to medium size, but acoustics are excellent.

[barryguerrero]

Yes, it's not surprising that Muti did "Roman Festivals" and the Haydn "Clock" symphony really well. And don't get me wrong; I think his actual conducting abilities are very good. It's just that his 'people skills' seem to be declining rather rapidly, from everything I'm hearing.

I'm glad to read that Medinah Temple won't be falling into disrepair. I'll read the article.