What's your favourite re-recording of Korngold's Captain Blood overture?

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

Gerhardt / National Philharmonic Orchestra:

 

 

 

Kaufman / Brandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra:

 

 

 

Previn / London Symphony Orchestra:

 

 

 

Halffter:

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

It's a close race, but Gerhardt is leading with one vote!

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

I wasn't familiar with the Halffter. It's good! Though perhaps a touch too matter-of-fact-ish.

 

All four are good recordings, with the Previn perhaps being more different than the others - not necessarily in a positive way (it sounds a bit less idiomatically Korngoldian than the others; but curiously, it's the only piece on that Previn album that's performed at normal speed). In the end, I still picked Kaufman. The performance is perhaps not quite as clear as Gerhardt's and Halffter's in direct comparison, but there's still something about the contrast between the A and B parts and the lush sweep of the B that's just a tad more pronounced than in the other versions.

 

Kaufman also has the big advantage of recording the original film version (or at least something close to it; I'd have the check). The other three are the standard concert version (of unknown - to me - origin; was Gerhardt the first to record/perform that, or are there earlier examples?), with the uncomfortably redundant repeat of the ABA part after the middle section (the original also begins with a recapitulation of the A theme, but turns it into a coda, whereas the concert arrangement simply repeats the whole AB block from the top, and when the B part is repeated ad verbatim, it really feels like a cheap copy & paste job.

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

14 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

In the end, I still picked Kaufman. The performance is perhaps not quite as clear as Gerhardt's and Halffter's in direct comparison, but there's still something about the contrast between the A and B parts and the lush sweep of the B that's just a tad more pronounced than in the other versions.

 

I think the Kaufman recording has a suitable momentum for the piece. My main issue with it is that the heroic brass theme is partially obscured by the acoustics and mixing, to the point that it's difficult to discern individual (short) notes. 

 

14 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Kaufman also has the big advantage of recording the original film version.

 

So is the Previn recording, but it's shortened at the tail end since it cuts to the coda of the finale.

 

14 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

the uncomfortably redundant repeat of the ABA part after the middle section (the original also begins with a recapitulation of the A theme, but turns it into a coda, whereas the concert arrangement simply repeats the whole AB block from the top, and when the B part is repeated ad verbatim, it really feels like a cheap copy & paste job.

 

Agreed, with so much repetition there should have been more variation.

[Thor 7,495]

I've only ever had the Gerhardt version, which suits my need. I don't generally seek out a lot of alternatives if I'm pleased with the one I got. Did this ever get its own soundtrack release (rerecorded or otherwise)?

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

The Kaufman suite is the longest re-recording. Of course, the original recording was released by Tsunami, and as Marian once pointed out, the sound is quite good for a Tsunami release.

 

 

What's funny, @bruce marshall?

[Thor 7,495]

Interesting. That Kaufman thing seems more like a proper soundtrack, yes, rather than a suite.

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

I'd rather take the original recording.

[Thor 7,495]

Old, crackly sound? No, thank you.

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

It doesn't crackle at all. Try it!

 

EDIT: Go to bed, Bruce!

[Thor 7,495]

I don't really listen to original tracks of scores of a certain age, regardless how well they've been "cleaned up".

[Jurassic Shark 12,067]

You're starting to sound like a crackly old record yourself.

[Thor 7,495]

That’s a compliment!

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

The Kaufman album also has the advantage of some seriously good couplings. The Rozsa (excuse my spelling laziness) is nice, though I've never been a big fan of that specific piece. The Steiner is more enjoyable and (seemingly?) less derivative than most of his stuff. And Young's Scaramouche is one of my favourite Golden Age scores (and films), and is presented in an extensive suite that is really all you need from that score. I also have the FSM, but I never really recall anything significant that I'd miss in the suite.

 

6 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I think the Kaufman recording has a suitable momentum for the piece. My main issue with it is that the heroic brass theme is partially obscured by the acoustics and mixing, to the point that it's difficult to discern individual (short) notes.

 

 

The acoustics are very distant in comparison with the other recordings, and thus lack some detail. But on their own, and on good speakers, it still sounds fine - or rather, it sounds natural, like a real performance with perhaps too much reverb. I'd much rather listen to this than the original A.I. album.