Tag: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

SACD

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ivor Bolton – Franz Adolf Berwald: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (2005) [SACD / Membran – 222816-203]

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The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ivor Bolton - Franz Adolf Berwald: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (2005)

Title: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ivor Bolton – Franz Adolf Berwald: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (2005)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

This is the only Membran from the current batch thats getting 5 stars for both recording quality and performance. I am very fond of this music having grown to like the Bjorlin box of his 4 symphonies concertos and poems. I totally disagree that the later DGG version was anywhere near as good in either lp or CD format. The Chandos release was slightly better than the DGG but I am now totally convinced that this version by the same orchestra as Bjorlin used is a winner. These two of his best symphonies are some where between Mendlessohn/Schumann/ Brahms and Schubert in style. If you are not familiar with these works I would suggest you just buy them and then start asking why his other works are not available. To be honest only the Violin concerto rises to the same heights. Interestingly enough this was recorded at CTS studios London and its slowly becoming clear as to which venues produced the better sonics in these pretty varied quality Membran reissues.Its also nice to have something other than the standard rep… 60 minutes of delight. Strong recommendation..usual average out of date booklet and artwork with usual shortish gap between movements .Doesnt matter here…best of the batch so far …Dave sa-cd.net

hraudio | discogs

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SACD

Deep Purple & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Concerto For Group And Orchestra (1969) [Reissue 2002] [SACD / Harvest – 7243-541009-2]

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Deep Purple & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Concerto For Group And Orchestra (1969) [Reissue 2002]

Title: Deep Purple & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Concerto For Group And Orchestra (1969) [Reissue 2002]
Genre: Classical, Hard Rock, Symphonic Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Back in 1970, it seemed as though any British group that could was starting to utilize classical elements in their work — for some, like ELP, that meant quoting from the classics as often and loudly as possible, while for others, like Yes, it meant incorporating classical structures into their albums and songs. Deep Purple, at the behest of keyboardman Jon Lord, fell briefly into the camp of this offshoot of early progressive rock with the Concerto for Group and Orchestra. For most fans, the album represented the nadir of the classic (i.e., post-Rod Evans) group: minutes of orchestral meandering lead into some perfectly good hard rock jamming by the band, but the trip is almost not worth the effort. Ritchie Blackmore sounds great and plays his heart out, and you can tell this band is going to go somewhere, just by virtue of the energy that they put into these extended pieces. The classical influences mostly seem drawn from movie music composers Dimitri Tiomkin and Franz Waxman (and Elmer Bernstein), with some nods to Rachmaninoff, Sibelius, and Mahler, and they rather just lay there. Buried in the middle of the second movement is a perfectly good song, but you’ve got to get to it through eight minutes of orchestral noodling on either side. The third movement is almost bracing enough to make up for the flaws of the other two, though by itself, it wouldn’t make the album worthwhile — Pink Floyd proved far more adept at mixing group and orchestra, and making long, slow, lugubrious pieces interesting. As a bonus, however, the producers have added a pair of hard rock numbers by the group alone, “Wring That Neck” and “Child in Time,” that were played at the same concert. They and the third movement of the established piece make this worth a listen.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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