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  • Sir Thomas Beecham: Handel arrangements

    From Roland van Gaalen@vangaalenusenet@gmail.com to rec.music.classical on Sun Jul 14 23:35:07 2024
    From Newsgroup: rec.music.classical

    On 25 December 2006 I wrote:

    << A few years ago, I bought this recording from "The Beecham Collection" series:
    Suite de Ballet:-The Origin of Design recorded 1932
    The Gods Go A'Begging (excerpts) recorded 1933-37
    The Gods Go A'Begging (excerpts) recorded 1949
    Piano Concert in A major (Lady Beecham, piano) 1945
    At that time I had my doubts. I don't anymore. This is very entertaining
    music; the Handelian splendor is definitely there, brilliantly played.
    Ref: SOMM-BEECHAM 7
    Sir Thomas Beecham
    London Philh; Royal Philh >>

    I have changed my mind!

    Entertaining? Hardly.

    There is no 'Handelian splendor'.

    The tunes are nice, but the arrangements are in the style of mid 20th
    century orchestral easy listening music.
    --
    Roland van Gaalen
    The Netherlands
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  • From herst@herst@online.nl (Herman) to rec.music.classical on Mon Jul 15 10:31:45 2024
    From Newsgroup: rec.music.classical

    Pretty awful...

    What is wrong with these English people?
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  • From Roland van Gaalen@vangaalenusenet@gmail.com to rec.music.classical on Mon Jul 15 14:11:57 2024
    From Newsgroup: rec.music.classical

    On 15/07/2024 12:31, Herman wrote:
    Pretty awful...

    What is wrong with these English people?
    Tastes change.

    So does the general cultural frame of reference.

    Another example: the Alcina suite arranged by Georg G||hler and recorded
    in 1929 by the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra with Mengelberg conducting:

    "... Comparing Mengelberg's Handel with Beecham's (in say, _The Gods go a-Begging_ or _Love in Bath_) one notes Mengelberg's more obvious
    projection of rhythm, the incisive attack of his NYPSO strings and his
    stylish but unsentimental handling of the Sarabande. ... a Handel style
    that's actually closer to Harnoncourt's than to Beecham's. ...".

    [Quotation from the liner notes by Robert Cowen to Pearl GEMM CD 9474;
    my CD, made in 1991, is bronzed, at least on the side of the label, but
    still playable.]

    https://www.willemmengelberg.nl/?q=content/h|nndel-alcina
    --
    Roland van Gaalen
    The Netherlands


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