- Audio CD (13 Sep 1999)
- SPARS Code: ADD
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: BBC Legends
- ASIN: B000026CTT
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 312,570 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Symphony No. 35 In D Major, K395 'Haffner': I Allegro con spirito |
| 2. Symphony No. 35 In D Major, K395 'Haffner': II (Andante) |
| 3. Symphony No. 35 In D Major, K395 'Haffner': III Menuetto - Trio - Menuetto |
| 4. Symphony No. 35 In D Major, K395 'Haffner': IV Finale. Presto |
| 5. Introduction By Sir Thomas Beecham |
| 6. Symphony No. 29 In A Major, K201 (186a): I Allegro Moderato |
| 7. Symphony No. 29 In A Major, K201 (186a): II Andante |
| 8. Symphony No. 29 In A Major, K201 (186a): III Menuetto - Trio - Menuetto |
| 9. Symphony No. 29 In A Major, K201 (186a): IV Allegro con spirito |
| 10. Introduction By Sir Thomas Beecham |
| 11. Symphony No. 38 In D Major, K504 'Prague': I Adagio - Allegro |
| 12. Symphony No. 38 In D Major, K504 'Prague': II Andante |
| 13. Symphony No. 38 In D Major, K504 'Prague': III Presto |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Being a fan of Sir Tommy's Mozart since my college days,
I've always loved the pre-war LPO series of the Symphonies...
with two exceptions: one major, one minor.
I've always loved the pre-war LPO series of the Symphonies...
with two exceptions: one major, one minor.
The major problem:
the 1937 29th Symphony, with its orchestral "klinkers" and
its eccentrically slow first movement...The piece was still
new to Beecham and his band (it was new to just about everyone; this was its first commercial recording !) And as we all know, Beecham never re-recorded the 29th commercially.
The minor problem...The 1940 Prague Symphony(the 38th)shares with its 1950 RPO remake the problem of changes of tempo between the edited takes, in the first movement. In the LPO version, slight shifts of tempo are noticeable; in the later RPO, Columbia disasterously tried to strike a constant "tempo" between takes by varying the pitch: yow, painful !
Given these two problems, this BBC disc is manna from heaven...
By 1949, Sir Tommy had grown into the 29th; the tempi are much more "natural" sounding, and the whole thing hangs together MUCH better than before...There really IS a decent Beecham recording of the 29th!
And the live 1958 38th doesn't have that tempo/editing problem:
it's just a splendid unfolding of a musical treasure, a belated blessing to reach us only now- in the 21st century.
Last but not least, Sir Tommy's slighty naughty spoken intros to the 29th and the 38th are a spice to such toothsome teacakes,
a touch of aristocratic grace we can no longer have. Same goes for his music-making; lucky for us, there's this disc. Grab it wherever possible, it could "go" soon, and our world doesn't value such things very much...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Beecham's recordings from the 1930s of Mozart symphonies lead the field for many decades. Excellent transfers are still available. This BBC release offers later performances from radio broadcasts given in 1949 and 1958, by which time Beecham's interpretations had mellowed. His tempi in the broadcasts are a little slower generally. In the case of No 29, however, he abandons the excessively slow tempo for the Minuet which he adopted in his 1930s recording. His reading of the "Prague" Symphony has gained in stature. Nos 35 and 29 receive the better recording. Loud and soft contrasts are lacking, perhaps due to the exigencies of broadcasting. The string playing throughout is silky smooth. Two of Sir Thomas's spoken introductions are included.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Vintage Beecham.
16 Oct 2000
Beecham's recordings from the 1930s of Mozart symphonies lead the field for many decades. Excellent transfers are still available. This BBC release offers later performances from radio broadcasts given in 1949 and 1958, by which time Beecham's interpretations had mellowed. His tempi in the broadcasts are a little slower generally. In the case of No 29, however, he abandons the excessively slow tempo for the Minuet which he adopted in his 1930s recording. His reading of the "Prague" Symphony has gained in stature. Nos 35 and 29 receive the better recording. Loud and soft contrasts are lacking, perhaps due to the exigencies of broadcasting. The string playing throughout is silky smooth. Two of Sir Thomas's spoken introductions are included.
Best 1st mvt of Prague ever heard
5 Sep 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase
OK I am not saying the rest are not the best. It's just that I paid more attention to this particular mvt which has been one of my favorites. I own Beecham's 1940 recording with LPO, Bernstein with Wiener Phil, Walter with Columbia, Britten, and Mackerras, and have heard some others on Youtube. This is my favorite version -- the only one that makes me wave my fists, pretending I am the conductor.
No matter how good other conductors interpret the music of Mozart, Beecham's Mozart always has the poise that I never found in others (and very subtle between poise and rudeness I think) which is so essential in my view to Mozart's music. LPO seemed to be a bit too excited in the 1940 one and their tempo was slightly out of control. This one with RPO has a better tempo, and the nuances have been taken better care of.
No matter how good other conductors interpret the music of Mozart, Beecham's Mozart always has the poise that I never found in others (and very subtle between poise and rudeness I think) which is so essential in my view to Mozart's music. LPO seemed to be a bit too excited in the 1940 one and their tempo was slightly out of control. This one with RPO has a better tempo, and the nuances have been taken better care of.
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