Those early RCA ‘Living Stereo’ recordings of Reiner, Munch, Stokowski et al were very special. As were the Decca recordings from the same time, witness the ‘Solti Ring’ (which I don’t think will ever be matched).
We seem to have gone backwards, in so many ways, in recording techniques since those exciting early stereo years.
graham55. Interesting how the LSO Morrison book plays down the CK critics and your copy reviews from the next days press are nearly all negative. Thank you for the DVD links.
Being a glutton for punishment I have gone onto another book, this time by the late John Georgiadis: Bow to Baton. I am on P18 so a bit early as to how it will go. So far very readable.
It looks like CK was a conductor who caught your imagination.
With me it had to be Leonard Bernstein. I only saw him once about three years befor he died. Lucky to get good Proms seats when he conducted Mahler 5 on 10th September 1987. He was part way though recording the complete symphonies and had the VPO at the Albert Hall. What a class orchestra especially when you saw and heard them live.
Hello, Douglas, the fallout from the Kleiber/LSO concert is, sadly, a matter of record. I hope that you enjoy the DVDs, and that you’ll see for yourself the magnetism, or charisma, or whatever the word might be, that Kleiber possessed.
Sadly, I never had the chance to see Bernstein conduct in concert.
I did see the Vienna Philharmonic once, at a concert in London’s dreadful Barbican concert hall. I’m ashamed to admit that I can’t remember who the conductor was (I’ll look out the programme when I get home) or what was in the first half of the concert. They were on unfamiliar territory in the second half, with Stravinsky’s ‘Rite Of Spring’.
They are truly a special orchestra, and I look forward to the broadcast of their New Year’s Day concert every year.
Being Dutch, I’m blessed with ‘my’ Concertgebouw - it’s a place though where farting still sounds good. Whatever one does it sound great. Having visited the Barbican hall about 5 times I noticed that it is a quite different place! I like it though. It’s a dry sounding hall, but if the orchestra knows how to handle that, it sounds great. I remember the Los Angelos Philharmonic playing Bruckner 4 and during the concert they improved. They started like playing in a hall with reverb, but growing in the performance they lengthened their end notes which gave some extra accoustics. In part 4 they were unleashed and it was fantastic.
I’ve also listened to Beethoven 7 conducted by Rattle in the Barbican and that was spectacular. Since the echo is short, the rhythms were all perfect it was an entirely transparent rhythmic performance, great to listen too. It was like an anatomical lesson - everything was naked and visible in the music.
Well, that’s why I like the Barbican hall. IMO it comes down to an artist knowing how to use it.
That’s a very fair opinion, and I won’t argue.
I used to work for the best part of 30 years within walking distance of the Barbican, and the dry acoustics of the concert hall are entirely in keeping with the brutalistic architecture of the Barbican Centre as a whole. It’s home (and has been for about 30 years or so) to London’s best orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, who have got used to its very dry acoustics. But there’s not much fat on the sound, and it’s nothing like the famous Musikverein in Vienna, host to the fabulous Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Day concerts.
Simon Rattle, the London Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductor has been calling for London to have a decent classical concert hall for years, because the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall all have significant shortcomings.
I fear that Rattle won’t get his wish.
My Barbican Hall experiences made me realise the importance of a good seat. A poor seat in that hall and you may as well listen to a transistor on the train, A good seat is wonderful. I have since paid and selected with great care in all halls.
I’ll be making my first visit to the Concertgebouw next month. Ivan Fischer conducting Bartok and Beethoven.
In my only visit to Barbican for a concert, I was very disappointed with the sound. Worse than Avery Fisher aka David Geffen.
I would love to visit the Concertgebouw, particularly to see/hear the Concertgebouw Orchestra play.
It has the reputation of being one of the world’s great concert halls. on a par with Vienna’s Musikverein.
DG released a fascinating DVD many years ago of Carlos Kleiber conducting that wonderful Orchestra playing Beethoven’s Fourth And Seventh Symphonies.
Ah the dear old RAH, where even a novice composer could be sure of hearing their latest piece twice! At least, that was, before the flying saucers were installed.
IMHO by far the nicest concert hall in London is the Wigmore. Only suitable for small ensembles such as Baroque orchestras and chamber music, but it does have fabulous acoustics.
For larger concert halls and staying in UK, I reckon Manchester’s Bridgewater and, especially, Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, both outclass anything in London for acoustics. Perhaps Rattle should consider returning to Brum.
Roger
I haven’t been there for a while, but their seats aren’t the most comfortable, are they? 
But I agree Wigmore Hall (formerly known as Bechstein Hall; their pianos went to Debenhams apparently…) is a great space.
I thought that the name was changed during one of the two C20 World Wars, because the name ‘Bechstein’ was considered too German.
It is my understanding that the Hall was actually owned by Bechstein but in the context of WW1 enemy property was seized by the state, and it became the Wigmore Hall. The state also seized about 200 Bechstein pianos, which were auctioned.
Somebody here has probably better historical knowledge – please jump in. 
I believe Debenhams (yes!) bought the Bechstein business in 1916 including the hall. Apparently they paid around half what the hall cost to build for the whole company. It became Wigmore Hall in 1917.
I believe it is now run by a trust with a Board of Trustees.
Please correct if any of that is wrong!
Roger
I have been to Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul on Friday – the programme: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 played by the hugely talented Behzod Abduraimov, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10.
I enjoyed both pieces immensely, but I felt like spending more time with Shostakovich afterwards, including his most powerful Cello Concerto No. 2.
Cello!? Well, you can’t go wrong with Sol Gabetta, can you?
Any suggestions for other recordings of this fabulous concerto?
P.S. And the Sonata for Violoncello and Piano in D minor on this disc is much more than a “filler” – awesome stuff too. 
Hello there.
Have a look around to see if you can find a recording of the work by the (other) great Russian cellist Daniil Shafran. He was very much in the shadow of his contemporary Rostropovich and didn’t escape to the West.Nor did he have a recording contract with one of the big Western labels.
But Shafran was a wonderful cellist, and you will be well rewarded if you find any of his recordings. Good luck.
Other cellists to look for are Jacqueline DuPre and Heinrich Schiff, who both recorded for EMI, although some years apart.
(Normally I’d have a look for recordings first, before writing, but my Mac needs desperately to update itself, as it’s misbehaving at the moment. and its search capabilities are compromised.)
May Night remains an underperformed and recorded work, but it’s really one of Leoncavallo’s better works. Domingo deserves huge credit for recording it.
Cheers
EJ
I always assumed that Leoncavello was a one hit wonder. Seems not.
Five - every year from 1952 to 56. The '55 set has become famous for its sound but for the performance, one the 1953 recordings (Krauss or Keilberth shared the Ring that year) is well worth finding, especially if you’d like to hear Windgassen and Hotter at their best.
Thanks! Good info that helps put it in perspective.
