BBC Northern Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux – Beethoven, Haydn & Others: Orchestral Works (Live) (2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

BBC Northern Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux – Beethoven, Haydn & Others: Orchestral Works (Live) (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 02:39:52 minutes | 1,45 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © SOMM Recordings

SOMM Recordings is thrilled to announce Pierre Monteux Live, a two-CD set comprised entirely of first releases including never-before-issued performances led by the legendary conductor. Among these is a spectacular 50th Anniversary performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with the composer in attendance, given a half-century to the day after Monteux himself conducted the storied Paris world premiere! This recording captures an extraordinary moment of historical continuity: between 1913 and 1963 five decades elapsed in the evolution of 20th-century music, in the taste and understanding of the public and in the lives of both creator and pioneering interpreter. The concert was broadcast live on the BBC from the Royal Albert Hall and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra who referred to Monteux affectionately as their “Maître”. Both the devoted playing and the emotional audience acclaim are preserved in vividly present sound.

This set also commemorates the revered conductor – on the 60th anniversary of his death and ahead of the 150th anniversary of his birth – with moving testimony from LSO musicians involved in the landmark Stravinsky concert. These interviews were recorded between 1992 and 1995 by this set’s producer, Jon Tolansky, co-founder of Music Preserved and the author of documentary features on composers and performers. Monteux is also heard speaking on tape here, in a 1955 interview and a 1959 rehearsal of the LSO in Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony, providing a window onto the man’s intellect, work ethic and rapport with fellow musicians.

Rounding out this set are still more never-before-issued recordings of Monteux conducting the BBC Northern Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in music by Haydn, Weber and Beethoven, as well as works by Ravel, who, like Stravinsky, was a composer Monteux knew personally. To the highly discriminating players of the RPO of 1960, Monteux was a favourite guest conductor. As with The Rite of Spring, he represented a direct link to the origins of Daphnis and Chloé, another Ballets Russes production that Monteux led in its world premiere. The RPO’s Principal Clarinet, Jack Brymer, remembered “this wonderfully energetic and meticulous little man” who “even in his eighties … had the touch of elegance, the humour, the exquisite good taste” and “could produce a sudden sforzato second to none by a tiny stab of his baton.”

The recordings of the performances in this album, all made privately off-air from various sources, have been fastidiously polished by Restoration Engineer Paul Baily. Jon Tolansky and Paul Baily’s collaboration on the recent Sir Adrian Boult Conducts (ARIADNE 5024-2) was honoured with the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Records Critics’ Award) in the Historical Recordings category.

Tracklist:
1-01. BBC Northern Orchestra – Jubel-Ouvertüre, Op. 59 (Live) (08:31)
1-02. BBC Northern Orchestra – Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”: I. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande. Allegro ma non troppo (Live) (09:53)
1-03. BBC Northern Orchestra – Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”: II. Scene am Bach. Andante molto moto (Live) (11:32)
1-04. BBC Northern Orchestra – Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”: III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute. Allegro (Live) (05:12)
1-05. BBC Northern Orchestra – Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”: IV. Gewitter. Sturm. Allegro (Live) (03:28)
1-06. BBC Northern Orchestra – Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”: V. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm. Allegretto (Live) (09:07)
1-07. BBC Northern Orchestra – Rapsodie espagnole, M. 54: I. Prélude à la nuit (Live) (04:10)
1-08. BBC Northern Orchestra – Rapsodie espagnole, M. 54: II. Malagueña (Live) (02:19)
1-09. BBC Northern Orchestra – Rapsodie espagnole, M. 54: III. Habanera (Live) (02:33)
1-10. BBC Northern Orchestra – Rapsodie espagnole, M. 54: IV. Feria (Live) (06:39)
1-11. Jack Brymer – Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, M. 57b (Live) (16:14)
2-01. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Hob. I:104 “Salomon”: I. Adagio – Allegro (Live) (06:54)
2-02. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Hob. I:104 “Salomon”: II. Andante (Live) (06:46)
2-03. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Hob. I:104 “Salomon”: III. Menuetto. Allegro (Live) (05:05)
2-04. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Hob. I:104 “Salomon”: IV. Finale. Spiritoso (Live) (04:58)
2-05. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 1 “The Adoration of the Earth”: I. Introduction (Live) (03:10)
2-06. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 1 “The Adoration of the Earth”: II. Augurs of Spring (Live) (03:34)
2-07. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 1 “The Adoration of the Earth”: III. Ritual of Abduction (Live) (01:29)
2-08. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 1 “The Adoration of the Earth”: IV. Spring Rounds (Live) (03:24)
2-09. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 1 “The Adoration of the Earth”: V. Ritual of the Rival Tribes (Live) (01:52)
2-10. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 1 “The Adoration of the Earth”: VI. Procession of the Sage. The Sage (Live) (01:17)
2-11. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 1 “The Adoration of the Earth”: VII. Dance of the Earth (Live) (01:34)
2-12. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 2 “The Sacrifice”: VIII. Introduction (Live) (04:23)
2-13. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 2 “The Sacrifice”: IX. Mystic Circles of the Young Girls (Live) (03:10)
2-14. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 2 “The Sacrifice”: X. Glorification of the Chosen One (Live) (01:45)
2-15. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 2 “The Sacrifice”: XI. Evocation of the Ancestors (Live) (00:41)
2-16. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 2 “The Sacrifice”: XII. Ritual Action of the Ancestors (Live) (03:17)
2-17. London Symphony Orchestra – The Rite of Spring, K015, Pt. 2 “The Sacrifice”: XIII. Sacrificial Dance (Live) (04:52)
2-18. Alvar Lidell – Narration (1) (Live) (01:21)
2-19. Gervase de Peyer – Narration (2) (02:27)
2-20. Ernest Fleischmann – Narration (3) (01:40)
2-21. Hugh Maguire – Narration (4) (05:19)
2-22. Sir Neville Marriner – Narration (5) (00:46)
2-23. Erich Gruenberg – Narration (6) (00:56)
2-24. James Holland – Narration (7) (02:57)
2-25. Francis Coleman – Narration (8) (02:23)
2-26. Pierre Monteux – Narration (9) (01:18)
2-27. London Symphony Orchestra – Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70, B. 141: I. Allegro maestoso (Excerpts) (Live) (01:44)
2-28. London Symphony Orchestra – Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70, B. 141: II. Poco adagio (Excerpts) (Live) (01:12)

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