London Symphony Orchestra

London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis – Sibelius: Symphony No 2 & Pohjola’s Daughter (2007)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 58:38  minutes | 2,33 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: nativeDSDmusic | Booklet, Front Cover |  © LSO Live

Sibelius’s Pohjola’s Daughter is usually classified as a ’tone poem’– in other words, not a ’pure’ symphonic work, but one in which a literary or pictorial idea is represented in music. But Sibelius’s description was ’Symphonic Fantasy’ – which is exactly how the onemovement Seventh Symphony was entitled when it first appeared in 1924. It is quite possible to appreciate Pohjola’s Daughter simply as a colourful and highly compact one-movement symphony. All the same, unlike the Seventh Symphony, Pohjola’s Daughter does come with a story, printed in verse form in the score. It tells how V.in.m.inen – the wizard-hero of the Finnish folk-epic, the Kalevala – sees the daughter of the moon-god Pohjola sitting at her spinning wheel atop a rainbow. Instantly he falls in love with her, and begs her to join him. She agrees to come down when V.in.m.inen has conjured a boat from her spindle – in other words: ’Thanks, but no thanks’. V.in.m.inen tries heroically, but fails. Furious, humiliated, he springs onto his sleigh and vanishes.

(more…)

Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra – Walton: Symphony No 1 (2006)
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 45:53 minutes | Scans NOT included | 2,57 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front, Scans NOT included | 953 MB
Features Stereo and Multichannel Surround Sound | LSO Live # LSO0576

By the time he began working on his First Symphony, William Walton had already established himself as the most exciting young British composer of the day. The work proved to be one of the twentieth century’s greatest symphonies. Volcanic sentiments simmer beneath its surface and the music conveys the tensions of the 1930s whilst always remaining consistently timeless in its appeal. For fans of the English symphony, of the twentieth century symphony, and of the just plain great symphony, this 2005 recording of Walton’s First by Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra will irrefutably prove that God is in his heaven and all is right in the world.

(more…)

Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra – Smetana: Ma vlast (2005)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 75:00 minutes | Scans NOT included | 4,17 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans NOT included | 1,35 GB

Name the best-loved performances of Smetana’s Má Vlast? Vaclav Talich’s passionate 1929 recording, his affectionate 1941 recording, or his magisterial 1954 recording? Rafael Kubelik’s ardent 1952 recording, his lyrical 1971 recording, or his emotional 1990 recording? Right every time. Now name the most forgotten performances of Smetana’s Má Vlast. Paavo Berglund’s uncomprehending 1978 recording, Zubin Mehta’s exaggerated 1991 recording, or Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s excessive 2001 recording? Right again.

While this impromptu musical quiz doesn’t conclusively prove anything, a trend does become obvious – Czechs conduct Má Vlast better than non-Czechs in some ineffable but undeniable way. For a Czech conductor, the six tone poems in Smetana’s symphonic cycle are the musical incarnation of his/her country and every melody, harmony, and rhythm is redolent of his/her homeland. For a non-Czech conductor, Má Vlast is inevitably an acquired taste and so far only the Czech-by-training Charles Mackerras has captured something of the work’s sense of ardent patriotism. Even so sympathetic a conductor as Colin Davis leading so fine an orchestra as the London Symphony cannot quite catch the strong nationalist flavor of Má Vlast. Although Davis’ Dvorák’s recordings are rightly prized for their strength and sensitivity, Davis’ Má Vlast, while superbly conducted and colorfully executed, fails to get beneath the skin of the music. Listeners whose hearts swell at the majestic harp chords of Vysehrad, whose pulse quickens at rolling woodwinds of Vltava, or whose eyes tear up at the heroic brass of Blaník may be left impressed but unmoved by Davis and the LSO’s performance. LSO Live’s sound is a bit dry, a little cramped, and slightly recessed.

(more…)