Stokowski conducted the Brahms 4th for the first time in Philadelphia in 1914. Sixty years later, at the age of 92, he conducted it for the last time in his final public concert, given in London's Royal Albert with the New Philharmonia. The criticswere bowled over, as was the audience. The BBC broadcast was given first-rate engineering and the whole concert was issued on CD. The Brahms is on YouTube and the comments underneath echo the critical acclaim given at the time:
"How can you better this performance!" ... "By far the best performance I've ever heard - overwhelming, breathtaking!" ... "Such infectious passion, such insane sound from a stellar orchestra!" ... "Such an amazing and beautiful performance!" ... "Sublime!" ... "A miracle!" ... "Splendid performance with incredible sound quality and musical expression." ... "This is the best recording I have ever heard of Brahms 4th!" ... "Bravo!" ... and lots more like that too.
Not bad for a 92-year-old! ... And how useful it is that someone invented YouTube so that we can hear all these great performances from the past ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l_Go4pYc8A&t=1474s
On Friday, February 17, 2023 at 4:32:57 AM UTC-8, Kerrison wrote:were bowled over, as was the audience. The BBC broadcast was given first-rate engineering and the whole concert was issued on CD. The Brahms is on YouTube and the comments underneath echo the critical acclaim given at the time:
Stokowski conducted the Brahms 4th for the first time in Philadelphia in 1914. Sixty years later, at the age of 92, he conducted it for the last time in his final public concert, given in London's Royal Albert with the New Philharmonia. The critics
Sublime!" ... "A miracle!" ... "Splendid performance with incredible sound quality and musical expression." ... "This is the best recording I have ever heard of Brahms 4th!" ... "Bravo!" ... and lots more like that too."How can you better this performance!" ... "By far the best performance I've ever heard - overwhelming, breathtaking!" ... "Such infectious passion, such insane sound from a stellar orchestra!" ... "Such an amazing and beautiful performance!" ... "
Not bad for a 92-year-old! ... And how useful it is that someone invented YouTube so that we can hear all these great performances from the past ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l_Go4pYc8A&t=1474s
The greatest since Furtwängler, with much better playing and infinitely better sound. Stupendous!
The greatest since Furtwängler, with much better playing and infinitely better sound. Stupendous!
On Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 10:45:03 AM, Bob Harper wrote:
The greatest since Furtwängler, with much
better playing and infinitely better sound.
Stupendous!
Whoa. Seriously?? Are you willing to confirm yr
ownership of this statement 48 hours later?
On Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 9:51:20 AM UTC-8, Oscar wrote:
On Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 10:45:03 AM, Bob Harper wrote:
The greatest since Furtwängler, with much
better playing and infinitely better sound.
Stupendous!
Whoa. Seriously?? Are you willing to confirm yrIsn't it time to start requiring notarized affidavits
ownership of this statement 48 hours later?
for all statements made in this ng?
To paraphrase a famous Rosenthal bon mot,
Furtwangler was no Furtwangler. His reputation
far exceeds the quality of his performances and
of his work as a composer. His 2nd symphony
is quite handy as a compendium of all German
synphonic styles from Mozart to Mahler. That's
about it.
dk
The astonishing thing about Furtwangler is that his reputation
is almost entirely based on endless recyclings of the same old Austro-Germanic repertoire. His discography reveals a dozen
Beethoven 5ths and a dozen "Eroicas" and large dollops of
Brahms to Wagner, yet precious little else from outside the
Teutonic school. Stokowski on the other hand had one of the
widest orchestral repertoires of any of the great 20th century
conductors,
yet for comparison one looks in vain at Furtwangler's repertoire
for any sign of such works as the Sibelius 2nd, the Shostakovich
5th, Elgar's "Enigma Variations," Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade," Debussy's "La Mer," and so on. We do get the last three Tchaikovsky symphonies from Furtwangler but I've not heard it suggested that
any of these set the world on fire. Still, I guess if Teutonic repertoire
is solely what one is after, Wilhelm is presumably your man!
On Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 6:19:25 PM UTC, Dan Koren wrote:to Wagner, yet precious little else from outside the Teutonic school. Stokowski on the other hand had one of the widest orchestral repertoires of any of the great 20th century conductors, yet for comparison one looks in vain at Furtwangler's repertoire
On Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 9:51:20 AM UTC-8, Oscar wrote:
On Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 10:45:03 AM, Bob Harper wrote:
The greatest since Furtwängler, with much
better playing and infinitely better sound.
Stupendous!
Whoa. Seriously?? Are you willing to confirm yrIsn't it time to start requiring notarized affidavits
ownership of this statement 48 hours later?
for all statements made in this ng?
To paraphrase a famous Rosenthal bon mot,
Furtwangler was no Furtwangler. His reputation
far exceeds the quality of his performances and
of his work as a composer. His 2nd symphony
is quite handy as a compendium of all German
synphonic styles from Mozart to Mahler. That's
about it.
dkThe astonishing thing about Furtwangler is that his reputation is almost entirely based on endless recyclings of the same old Austro-Germanic repertoire. His discography reveals a dozen Beethoven 5ths and a dozen "Eroicas" and large dollops of Brahms
On Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 7:05:33 AM UTC-8, Kerrison wrote:
The astonishing thing about Furtwangler is that his reputationShould check this assertion against Ormandy's repertoire.
is almost entirely based on endless recyclings of the same old Austro-Germanic repertoire. His discography reveals a dozen
Beethoven 5ths and a dozen "Eroicas" and large dollops of
Brahms to Wagner, yet precious little else from outside the
Teutonic school. Stokowski on the other hand had one of the
widest orchestral repertoires of any of the great 20th century
conductors,
yet for comparison one looks in vain at Furtwangler's repertoireHe was Hitler's and Goebbels' man too. Except for Franck and a
for any sign of such works as the Sibelius 2nd, the Shostakovich
5th, Elgar's "Enigma Variations," Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade," Debussy's "La Mer," and so on. We do get the last three Tchaikovsky symphonies from Furtwangler but I've not heard it suggested that
any of these set the world on fire. Still, I guess if Teutonic repertoire is solely what one is after, Wilhelm is presumably your man!
handful of Tchaikovsky symphonies, Furtwanglersky was blind
and deaf to British, French and Italian composers. Apparently he
was also blind and deaf to Jewish composers like Mendelssohn,
Mahler and Bloch. Coincidence? One wonders .....
Herman, make a note: he also hated other conductors!
https://slippedisc.com/2019/11/what-furtwangler-thought-of-other-conductors/
dk
- In my day, Furtwängler and Bruno Walter and Kleiber and I HATED each other. It was more healthy.
Otto Klemperer
https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/classical-quotes----lots-of-them
I think this may be a fair assessment of Furtwangler's WWII behavior:
https://holocaustmusic.ort.org/politics-and-propaganda/third-reich/furtwangler-wilhelm/
Certainly the view that a moral person would
have left Nazi Germany and the view that he
thought he could do more good (naively
perhaps) both have merit.
On Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 7:05:33 AM UTC-8, Kerrison wrote:
The astonishing thing about Furtwangler is that his reputation
is almost entirely based on endless recyclings of the same old
Austro-Germanic repertoire. His discography reveals a dozen
Beethoven 5ths and a dozen "Eroicas" and large dollops of
Brahms to Wagner, yet precious little else from outside the
Teutonic school. Stokowski on the other hand had one of the
widest orchestral repertoires of any of the great 20th century
conductors,
Should check this assertion against Ormandy's repertoire.
yet for comparison one looks in vain at Furtwangler's repertoire
for any sign of such works as the Sibelius 2nd, the Shostakovich
5th, Elgar's "Enigma Variations," Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade,"
Debussy's "La Mer," and so on. We do get the last three Tchaikovsky
symphonies from Furtwangler but I've not heard it suggested that
any of these set the world on fire. Still, I guess if Teutonic repertoire
is solely what one is after, Wilhelm is presumably your man!
He was Hitler's and Goebbels' man too. Except for Franck and a
handful of Tchaikovsky symphonies, Furtwanglersky was blind
and deaf to British, French and Italian composers. Apparently he
was also blind and deaf to Jewish composers like Mendelssohn,
Mahler and Bloch. Coincidence? One wonders .....
Herman, make a note: he also hated other conductors!
https://slippedisc.com/2019/11/what-furtwangler-thought-of-other-conductors/
dk
On Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 10:45:03 AM, Bob Harper wrote:
The greatest since Furtwängler, with much better playing and infinitely better sound. Stupendous!Whoa. Seriously?? Are you willing to confirm yr ownership of this statement 48 hours later?
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