Having been 'brought up' with high expectations of Colin Davis's Seventh with the Bostonians and a broadcast tape of Jan Krenz conducting 7 with either the BBC Phil or BBC Scottish, I found the work unexciting/lacklustre. [Same applies to the always venerated Elgar 1 and 2 by EMI/Boult in the 1970s; always preferred the high calorific versions of 1 and 2 by Decca/Solti]. Before that, and on a teenager's limited budget and limited equipment (Philips cassette recorder EL3302), I purchased a DG cassette of Sibelius 4 (or was it 6?) and 7. His seventh was just too 'refained' and too smooth. After this, hearing Mravinsky in his super high tension Seventh (on a secondhand EMI/Melodiya LP from a shop in Bristol) was overwhelming ... and I am still overwhelmed despite have heard more than a few excellent versions since then. For me that Leningrad trombonist intoning the great sepulchral theme like something from primeval times still lingers, grips and raises a frisson. I go back to it from time to time and it has never disappointed me. Since then Segerstam's version of Ondine and the old reading by Ormandy/Philadelphia on CBS-Sony have registered strongly but have not displaced Mravinsky in Moscow in 1965.
A minority report from me but one I wanted to contribute to this strand and encourage others to hear Mravinsky in this work and in The Swan. Make up your own mind. Rob
Message Thread
« Back to index | View thread »
Thank you for taking part in the MusicWeb International Forum.
Len Mullenger - Founder of MusicWeb