Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Sat, Nov 10 2012, 12:21AM
Hello all!
I was wondering whether or not anyone here knows when (and hopefully also where) this recording was done. It's part of "M. Rostropovich: the Complete EMI Recordings". It's in the "Russian Years" section [perhaps you might have that set if not the complete one?]. They have listed the date for the Britten cello suite No. 2 as either blank or possibly 1964 or 1966 (looking at the dates of the pieces before and after this one). Since this work wasn't written until 1967 and first premiered in 1968 (in Aldeburgh), this is rather confusing to say the least! LOL
I'm wondering if perhaps someone here might be able to shed some light on the matter? I'm not currently subscribing to Gramophone, so I can't try and look up a review in their archives. Possibly the liner notes were not copied properly from that Russian set?
Best wishes,
Petra
Sat, Nov 10 2012, 11:26AM
#2
RE: Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Aren't these the same recordings issued by Decca? If so, those were recorded in July 1968 in The Maltings Concert Hall in Snape (UK).
Sat, Nov 10 2012, 12:50PM
#3
RE: Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Hi Petra,
I have a CD of Rostropovich playing the Britten 2nd Suite, the Bridge Cello Sonata, a transcription of a Handel aria (which I haven't yet identified), and the 5th Bach Suite, and he is joined by pianist Alexander Dedukhin for the Bridge and the Handel. It is CD no 93 of a Brilliant Classics set called 'Legendary Russian Soloists of the 20th Century'. The CD number is 8713/93, so presumably 8713 was the number of the box set - I only have this single CD from it which I picked up on eBay a couple of years ago
According to the cardboard sleeve, the Britten, Bridge and Handel were recorded on 11th November 1968 - it is clearly a live performance with some audience noise and polite applause at the end of each work. (The Bach Suite is given a recording date of 15th December 1960) The copyright info is 'Pipeline Music,Inc under exclusive license from Gostelradiofund,Russian Federation'
I've no idea whether this is the same recording as the one you have, so my info may help, or may just confuse issues futher!
Alan
Sat, Nov 10 2012, 3:06PM
#4
RE: Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Hello gents! Thanks for your helpful attempts. I appreciate it! I took a look at an older EMI CD that I also own which has recordings made in Russia [It's one of those "Great Artists of the Century" ones. This one featuring Rostropovich.]. This one, in the track info area, also says "unknown". :--(
I haven't heard the Decca recordings before. I should probably get those. If I'm recalling correctly, Decca recently issued a box of his complete Decca recordings? Has anyone heard them before here? If so, any thoughts? Sounds like Ganymedehas at least the Britten one? Was that one recorded live at the Aldeburgh Festival in front of an audience or at a different date?
By the way, whilst poking around (err, "researching" this question), I ran across this interesting article about a film. Has anyone watched it? I wonder whether or not it's available for sale?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jun/16/benjamin-britten-mstislav-ro...
Best wishes and thanks again,
Petra
p.s. Alan, I'll try and find out more about that set, so thank you! :--)
Sat, Nov 10 2012, 3:38PM
#5
RE: Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Hi Petra,
(1) The Decca recordings of the Britten works are definitely the ones to have. They are all studio recordings and, when they were made in the 60s, Decca were the best recordings you could buy. The only reason I haven't acquired the box is that I have at least 50% of it on single CDs bought when the digital tranfers of Decca's entire Britten series were first issued in the late 1980s and early 1990s - Suites 1 & 2 with the Cello Sonata, the Cello Symphony (with the Sinfonia da Requiem and Cantata Misericordium). Also the Bridge Cello Sonata & Schubert Arpeggione coupling was issued singly. Those have all now been deleted to make way for the Box set. The one problem is that Rostropovich never made a studio recording of Cello Suite No 3.
(2) I saw the 'premiere' of John Bridcut's Rostropovich film at the cinema in Aldeburgh as part of the 2011 festival, and it was excellent. It was subsequently shown on BBC UK TV a few months later but, as far as I know, has not been issued commercially.
Alan
Sat, Nov 10 2012, 3:56PM
#6
RE: Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Hi Petra,
(1) The Decca recordings of the Britten works are definitely the ones to have. They are all studio recordings and, when they were made in the 60s, Decca were the best recordings you could buy. The only reason I haven't acquired the box is that I have at least 50% of it on single CDs bought when the digital tranfers of Decca's entire Britten series were first issued in the late 1980s and early 1990s - Suites 1 & 2 with the Cello Sonata, the Cello Symphony (with the Sinfonia da Requiem and Cantata Misericordium). Also the Bridge Cello Sonata & Schubert Arpeggione coupling was issued singly. Those have all now been deleted to make way for the Box set. The one problem is that Rostropovich never made a studio recording of Cello Suite No 3.
(2) I saw the 'premiere' of John Bridcut's Rostropovich film at the cinema in Aldeburgh as part of the 2011 festival, and it was excellent. It was subsequently shown on BBC UK TV a few months later but, as far as I know, has not been issued commercially.
Alan
Alan,
Oh, lucky you! :-) Well, I'll have to keep an eye out for it. One of these days, I'd love to "hop over the pond" and go to that festival (and the Proms, and lots of other festivals too!).
I'll keep an eye out for the Decca set (at a reasonable price). I purchased the EMI set some time ago and am now trying to create a catalogue of my CDs, etc. [Am currently teaching myself how to use Apple's "Numbers" program on my Mac]. We'll see how long I'll bother to do this! LOL ;--)
Best wishes,
Petra
Sat, Nov 10 2012, 11:57PM
#7
RE: Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Petra, the Decca recording of the first two Cello Suites by Britten with Rostropovich is the definitive one of these works. However, if your recording belongs to the "complete EMI recordings", I doubt if this one in the relevant box is the one from Decca. In any case, EMI ought to write specifically that it has been taken under license of Universal or Decca. Otherwise, it should be an obscure unknown (maybe live) recording. By the way, the original Decca recordings were stunningly vivid and realistic.
Parla
Mon, Nov 12 2012, 11:05PM
#8
RE: Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Petra,
I discovered that I also have the EMI 'Great Artists of the Century' Rostropovich CD! - as well as the 2nd Cello Suite, it also has the Moscow World Premiere of the Cello Symphony on 12th March 1964, with Britten conducting, and Rozhdestvensky conducting the Shostakovich 1st Cello Concerto on 10th Feb 1961. My copy also says that the place and date of the recording of the 2nd Suite are 'Unknown'
After some careful comparative listening, I have convinced myself that that is, indeed, the same recording of the 2nd Suite as I also have on my Brilliant Classics CD (mainly because the audience coughs etc all come in the same places!) which gave a date of 11th November 1968 for it.
Since there seems to be no reason to disbelieve that date (it's just 5 months after the Aldeburgh festival premiere - which I do distinctly remember listening to live on BBC radio at the time btw! - which seems right) we do seem to have answered the first part of your question. As far as the venue is concerned, it seems very likely it was in Russia, given the provenance of the two issues of it we now have, but we don't know any more! (Yet??)
Alan
Tue, Nov 13 2012, 3:45PM
#9
RE: Question about the date of some recordings: Rostropovich
Petra,
I discovered that I also have the EMI 'Great Artists of the Century' Rostropovich CD! - as well as the 2nd Cello Suite, it also has the Moscow World Premiere of the Cello Symphony on 12th March 1964, with Britten conducting, and Rozhdestvensky conducting the Shostakovich 1st Cello Concerto on 10th Feb 1961. My copy also says that the place and date of the recording of the 2nd Suite are 'Unknown'
After some careful comparative listening, I have convinced myself that that is, indeed, the same recording of the 2nd Suite as I also have on my Brilliant Classics CD (mainly because the audience coughs etc all come in the same places!) which gave a date of 11th November 1968 for it.
Since there seems to be no reason to disbelieve that date (it's just 5 months after the Aldeburgh festival premiere - which I do distinctly remember listening to live on BBC radio at the time btw! - which seems right) we do seem to have answered the first part of your question. As far as the venue is concerned, it seems very likely it was in Russia, given the provenance of the two issues of it we now have, but we don't know any more! (Yet??)
Alan
Alan,
Why thank you kind sir for all of your diligent "detective" work on my behalf! :--)
Best wishes,
Petra
Hmmm...I tried to correct something, but couldn't do edit! Anyway.....
Hello all!
I was wondering whether or not anyone here knows when (and hopefully also where) this recording was done. It's part of "M. Rostropovich: the Complete EMI Recordings". It's in the "Russian Years" section [perhaps you might have that set if not the complete one?]. They have listed the date for the Britten cello suite No. 2 as either blank or possibly 1964 or 1966 (looking at the dates of the pieces before and after this one). Since this work wasn't written until 1967 and first premiered in 1968 (at the Aldeburgh Festival), this is rather confusing to say the least! LOL
I'm wondering if perhaps someone here might be able to shed some light on the matter? I'm not currently subscribing to Gramophone, so I can't try and look up a review in their archives. Possibly the liner notes were not copied properly from that Russian set?
Best wishes,
Petra