Saint-Saens Organ Symphony

[pzaur]

If you can get your hands on this recording it's fantastic.
Saint-Saens Organ Symphony Chicago/Barenboim

-pat

 

[jostenmeat]

If you can get your hands on this recording it's fantastic.
Saint-Saens Organ Symphony Chicago/Barenboim

-pat

CSO fanboyism aside, how does it compare to Bernstein/NYP?

I really like this composer. He has a very elegant and unique style, which I think is hard to pin down temporally for many people. While I do like the old school romanticism in his 3rd Symphony, I do sometimes think it gets a little long. I guess the organ might make the long wait worth it though.

 

[PeterWhite]

CSO fanboyism aside, how does it compare to Bernstein/NYP?

I've never cared much for Leonard's conducting. He was from the Herr Karajan school of conducting. Think - Gestapo officer in Hogan's Heroes.

YOU VILL PLAY ZE NOTES!

YOU VILL NOT PLAY ZE MUSIC!

YOU VILL PLAY ONLY ZE NOTES!

IF YOU PLAY ZE MUSIC, YOU VILL BE SHOT!!!!!!

;-)

 

[jostenmeat]

I've never cared much for Leonard's conducting. He was from the Herr Karajan school of conducting. Think - Gestapo officer in Hogan's Heroes.

YOU VILL PLAY ZE NOTES!

YOU VILL NOT PLAY ZE MUSIC!

YOU VILL PLAY ONLY ZE NOTES!

IF YOU PLAY ZE MUSIC, YOU VILL BE SHOT!!!!!!

;-)

Interesting, that's the first time I've heard that about Bernstein. It's definitely not an impression one would easily get by watching the Young People's Concerts, for instance.

For salty demeanors, I've heard anecdotally that Stokowski could be pretty rough.

When I think of more endearing reputations, I suppose I think of Solti.

Still, I'll take Bernstein's body of work over Barenboim's!

 

[pzaur]

CSO fanboyism aside, how does it compare to Bernstein/NYP?

I really like this composer. He has a very elegant and unique style, which I think is hard to pin down temporally for many people. While I do like the old school romanticism in his 3rd Symphony, I do sometimes think it gets a little long. I guess the organ might make the long wait worth it though.

I couldn't compare. I've never heard the Bernstein recording.
Barenboim's early work with CSO is top rate (70's era). His more recent stuff has a lot to be desired...there was a lot of disagreement between the orchestra and conductor over interpretation.

-pat

 

[PeterWhite]

Interesting, that's the first time I've heard that about Bernstein. It's definitely not an impression one would easily get by watching the Young People's Concerts, for instance.

For salty demeanors, I've heard anecdotally that Stokowski could be pretty rough.

When I think of more endearing reputations, I suppose I think of Solti.

Still, I'll take Bernstein's body of work over Barenboim's!

Personally, he was actually quite "personable". I met him sometime around 1972 in Boston. I was interning at WGBH and they were recording some of the Young People's Concerts. It's his conducting I was referring to. Compare one of his performances with Claudio Abbado or Gerard Schwarz. With Bernstein, you hear one note after the other, perfectly played, in perfect time, everything quite precise, and to my ear, mechanical. With the latter two as examples, you hear the music.

I never much cared for Beethoven's 6th symphony, until I heard the Y Chamber Symphony under Schwarz play it.

 

[jostenmeat]

To each his own.

 

[pzaur]

CSO fanboyism aside...

Hey! I resemble that statement!
Still, they're one of the most consistent orchestras in the land.

-pat

 

[skizzerflake]

Bottom line...how's the bottom? The low organ notes have long been my test for the bottom in speakers and subs. I'm not that crazy about the piece, but I always have a recording in case I want to move my floors.

 

[pzaur]

Bottom line...how's the bottom? The low organ notes have long been my test for the bottom in speakers and subs. I'm not that crazy about the piece, but I always have a recording in case I want to move my floors.

I could feel it and hear it. I'm using past-tense because I returned my buddies subwoofer to him today. It was on loan to me for a week so I could hear what I was missing.

The Pittsburgh Symphony recording with Maazel is very well recorded. The Danse Macabre track alone is worth enough to pick up this disc. The trombones let loose, in a good way, in the final moments of the recording. Very nice.

The CSO recording is a little more "on edge" than others I have heard. Being the CSO, the brass section very easily takes over and is incredibly balanced the entire time. Tuba and bass trombone are never lost in the mix. In fact, they balance out the chords better than any other recording I have heard.

The Pittsburgh and Chicago recordings are completely different. Pittsburgh recording sounds much more elegant, refined, or posh while the Chicago recording is more "on edge", carnalistic (in places), or exciting.

I will say that you know when the organ is playing with the CSO recording...

-pat

-pat