The MusicWeb Message Board: Re: Ralph Moore Surveys

I think you make a good point, Barry. For me, providing a reviewer has explained clearly why they like/dislike a particular recording, then their opinion is just as valid as anyone else's. For example, your list above contains a desire for a Survey on Bruckner's Fifth Symphony and, currently, my top recommendation for that work is Herbert von Karajan's studio account on DG - however, some people find Karajan's approach too 'heavy' for this music, in which case that particular recording is certainly not for them.

Similarly, a reviewer needs to keep an open-mind. I have been guilty in the past of dismissing a certain recording, only to then re-listen to it on a different sound set-up to conclude it to be one of the finest accounts of all (in case you are wondering, it was Suk's Asrael Symphony with Claus Peter Flor and the Malaysian PO on BIS). So providing the rationale is given and is sound (ie 'so-and-so was a very bad man, so had no business conducting the Missa Solemnis', is prejudice, not criticism), then all is well and good. Indeed, we have seen just that recently on MWI - Ralph Moore's survey on Hansel und Gretel ( https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2019/May/Humperdinck_Hansel_survey.pdf ) drew different conclusions to my own: https://musicwebinternational.com/2024/12/humperdincks-hansel-und-gretel/ . You will just have to decide yourself which one of us "knows what they are talking about" !

Lee

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Hi, Lee.
Thanks for those links, I will check them out. Ralph is, of course, being modest - it was a selfish wish of mine that his thoroughness and fairness in his mostly opera surveys could be transferred to my own tastes, i.e. predominantly instrumental rather than vocal.
Of course, human nature being what it is, in a sense we are just looking for confirmation of our own prejudices in things like this - if the reviewer (surveyor?) picks our favourite recording of a piece, we salute their sagacity and consummate taste; if they pick a different one - or worse, have a bad word to say about our own favourite - we toss them aside with a ''well, they don't know what they are talking about...''.
Or is that just me?!

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Hi Barry

Ralph is of course very modest, even if he has unintentionally insinuated that Clint Eastwood would think I am a bad man for not knowing my limits. Many would probably agree with him.

You may be interested to know that one of the works on your list, Mahler's Seventh Symphony, has had it's own survey here:

https://musicwebinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Mahler-sy7-survey-LD.pdf

I cannot promise it matches the high standards of Ralph, but it is fairly comprehensive, with the caveat that I suspect the new Rattle/Bav RSO release may well have made the final recommendations had it been available when published:

An alternative survey on the Mahler VII can also been found here on MWI:

https://www.musicweb-international.com/mahler/mahler7.htm

The Mahler Seventh Survey took two years to complete - there are that many recordings ! So you may also be pleased to note others on Mahler Symphony 1 ( https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/Feb/Mahler-sy1-survey-LD.pdf ), as well as Bruckner's Symphony No 8 (here: https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2020/May/Bruckner_sy8_survey.pdf ).

I am aiming to have a similar survey on the Mahler VIII completed by December this year, although am toying with the idea of completing a further one on Shostakovich's Symphony No 4, to reflect that composer's centenary year in 2025. The problem, as always, is time - running a business, being part of a family with young(ish) boys are all time-consuming activities which distract from the main event! So if anybody has a preference for which of the Mahler VIII or the Shostakovich IV for this year, then do let me know, as finishing both over the next 6 months will be impossible.

Best wishes,

Lee

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If I may make a Symphonies suggestion: Brahms 2, Dvorak 5, Bruckner 5, Tchaikovsky 4, Mahler 7, Sibelius 3, Nielsen 5, Vaughan Williams 5, Shostakovich 8, Mozart's 'Haffner', Haydn's 'Oxford', and not forgetting the greatest symphony of them all - Beethoven 7.
Chosen, as they are my favourite symphonies by each of those composers, of course.

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As you are no doubt aware, Dave, I have concentrated on opera as my specialist area of interest, although I have surveyed a few favourite orchestral and instrumental pieces. Maybe you would like to suggest works and I'll see if I feel
competent to tackle them?

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I know these must be a lot of work to prepare, but I'd love to see more surveys of non-vocal repertoire from Ralph Moore.