New recording of Williams' Violin Concerto No. 1

[Miguel Andrade 1,267]

https://www.discogs.com/release/29790961-Bernstein-Williams-James-Ehnes-Saint-Louis-Symphony-Orchestra-Stéphane-Denève-Serenade-Violin-Conc

 

This might actual come from a live recording from November 2019, with Williams in attendance. If that's the case, the original concert line up included Barber's Adagio and Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony.

Of course, until more info is out, they might have the recorded the concerto during the rehearsals. 

[Bayesian 1,366]

On 18/2/2024 at 4:30 AM, Miguel Andrade said:

https://www.discogs.com/release/29790961-Bernstein-Williams-James-Ehnes-Saint-Louis-Symphony-Orchestra-Stéphane-Denève-Serenade-Violin-Conc

 

This might actual come from a live recording from November 2019, with Williams in attendance. If that's the case, the original concert line up included Barber's Adagio and Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony.

Of course, until more info is out, they might have the recorded the concerto during the rehearsals. 

Thanks for sharing this! It's nice that the first concerto still gets some attention. Although Discogs has pics of the album, it doesn't appear on Amazon or even Pentatone's website. Anyone have any luck finding it for sale?

[BB-8 3,516]

3 hours ago, Bayesian said:

Thanks for sharing this! It's nice that the first concerto still gets some attention. Although Discogs has pics of the album, it doesn't appear on Amazon or even Pentatone's website. Anyone have any luck finding it for sale?

It's due for release at Amazon.de 26 April 2024.

 

https://www.amazon.de/Williams-Violinkonzert-Nr-1-Bernstein-Serenade

[crlbrg 382]

Also appears on Pentatone's official release schedule for 2024 https://issuu.com/pentatone/docs/pentatone_releases_2024_issuu - page 11.

 

Sadly, searching that document only brings up that 1 result...but it's great to have Williams on another label. Not sure, but I don't think there were any of his works on Pentatone.

[ChrisAfonso 188]

Great news! Love this piece

That will be the 4th recording of it, right? I wonder if it will have any reworked passages, like the cello concerto...

[GerateWohl 4,429]

Yes, it is nice. But still another recording of the Viola Concerto, the Horn or the Clarinet Concerto would have been more welcome.

 

By the way, his most recorded concerto remains the Tuba Concerto?

[ChrisAfonso 188]

Yeah, the viola concerto is in dire need of a good-quality recording.

[Tom Guernsey 2,304]

1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

Yes, it is nice. But still another recording of the Viola Concerto, the Horn or the Clarinet Concerto would have been more welcome.

 

 

45 minutes ago, ChrisAfonso said:

Yeah, the viola concerto is in dire need of a good-quality recording.

 

Agree, the Viola Concerto definitely needs a decent recording. I'm quite a fan of the viola (Vagn Holmboe's viola concerto is well worth checking out and eminently listenable, perhaps more so than some of JW's concert works) so anything else to expand the repertoire is welcome. The existing recording of the horn concerto is pretty good but additional interpretations always welcome. I still haven't got the clarinet concerto recording given the negative comments about the recording.

 

1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

By the way, his most recorded concerto remains the Tuba Concerto?

I think it might be the trumpet concerto now, I have 4 versions, 3 of the tuba concerto.

[GerateWohl 4,429]

37 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I think it might be the trumpet concerto now, I have 4 versions, 3 of the tuba concerto.

The discography shows 8 versions of the tuba concerto: 

https://www.jwfan.com/discography/music/composer/concert.htm

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,304]

2 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

The discography shows 8 versions of the tuba concerto: 

https://www.jwfan.com/discography/music/composer/concert.htm

 

Blimey! Quite a few of the more obscure ones clearly passed me by... I'm certainly glad to have more than the ASV one, which appears to have been the only available for some time. Having owned that version for a while, I recall seeing it performed in concert in London (JW conducting) and enjoying it a whole lot more than the ASV disc which is rather lethargic. I have the BIS and Naxos recordings, both of which are excellent.

 

Giving the viola concerto a spin now... the sound isn't bad, albeit clearly not mixed properly, but it's definitely a lot more accessible and immediately enjoyable than either of his violin concertos. You can pick out a lot more of his film music style too.

[GerateWohl 4,429]

I only have the recording with Andreas Hofmeir on Tuba, which is a whole album of Tuba concertos and it is actually quite nice. But I think, I just listened twice to it, not more.

[Tom Guernsey 2,304]

1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

I only have the recording with Andreas Hofmeir on Tuba, which is a whole album of Tuba concertos and it is actually quite nice. But I think, I just listened twice to it, not more.

Definitely worth revisiting, although I think the average JW fan will enjoy the orchestral bits when the tuba isn't playing! 

[Thor 7,582]

I tend to only have one recording of a piece (that I'm pleased with) that I listen to. Maximum two. For the violin concerto, 90% of the time, I play the old Peskanov recording. The Gil Shaham, I've probably only played twice. But this particular work is covered for me, even if I applaud any new recording on principal grounds, of course.

 

As alluded to by Geratewohl above, I'm more anxious to get premiere recordings of unreleased works, or those that have bad recordings.

[lairdo 727]

I listened to this concert live

On 18/2/2024 at 5:30 AM, Miguel Andrade said:

This might actual come from a live recording from November 2019, with Williams in attendance. If that's the case, the original concert line up included Barber's Adagio and Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony.

Of course, until more info is out, they might have the recorded the concerto during the rehearsals. 

 

Yes, I believe the concerto is from that concert (and discogs shows a recording window of Nov 2019). This was streamed on the St Louis local classical radio station on Nov 2 2019, the day after John Williams conducted the orchestra. I grabbed a recording of it at the time.  Although I think Deneve and Ehnes have played the concerto at other venues too but the is the one from that weekend.

https://www.slsostories.org/post/organ-symphony

 

The Bernstein piece is from a concert in January 2023:

https://www.slsostories.org/post/program-notes-bernstein-and-sibelius

 

Very cool this is officially coming out. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jay 37,456]

 

 

Williams: Violin Concerto No. 1 & Bernstein: Serenade

Artist(s): James Ehnes, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Stéphane Denève
Composer(s): Leonard Bernstein, John Williams
Release Date: 26-04-2024
PTC: 5187148

    Physical
    Download
    Streaming

€ 18,00

    
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Serenade after Plato's Symposium
1) I. Phaedrus: Pausanias. Lento - Allegro marcato 6:27
2) II. Aristophanes. Allegretto 4:23
3) III. Eryximachus. Presto 1:32
4) IV. Agathon. Adagio 7:36
5) V. Socrates: Alcibiades. Molto tenuto - Allegro molto vivace 11:00

 

John Williams (1932)
Violin Concerto No. 1
6) I. Moderato 10:58
7) II. Slowly. In peaceful contemplation 9:35
8) III. Broadly. Maestoso - Quickly 9:57

 

Total Tracks 8
Total Duration 01hr 01min

 

Album information

 

CROSSING THE BOUNDARIES OF FILM AND CONCERT MUSIC

The St. Louis Symphony and their music director Stéphane Denève present a wonderful program featuring two of the most accomplished American composers in history: Leonard Bernstein with his Serenade and John Williams with his Concerto for violin and orchestra, both performed by star James Ehnes, one of the most exceptional North American violinists. John Williams himself was present at the recording of his violin concerto, working together with the St. Louis Symphony, Denève, and Ehnes. Both works evolve around love: Bernstein’s Serenade was inspired by musings on love from Plato’s Symposium while Williams’s work was arguably inspired and eventually dedicated to his suddenly deceased wife. By combining these two concert pieces, this album puts the symphonic work of Bernstein and Williams at the center, two composers who weren’t afraid of crossing the boundaries between film music and “serious” classical genres at a time when these worlds were generally kept far apart. Especially in Williams’ concerto, there are still hints of his work as a film composer; the slow movement brings to mind a scene of emotional gravity.
 

https://www.pentatonemusic.com/product/williams-violin-concerto-no-1-bernstein-serenade/

 

 

Streaming links:

 

https://tidal.com/browse/album/358566780

https://music.apple.com/us/album/bernstein-serenade-williams-violin-concerto-no-1/1739772195

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ldikosBwZtgcfqYQOifCr9fr8UAPqdass

https://open.spotify.com/album/2zIcElNstU79VQDFtcOFM0?si=ORhmjB2uT_ONHs183H4mCg

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZXVX8GD

[Marian Schedenig 8,239]

Also on Amazon.de:
https://www.amazon.de/Williams-Violinkonzert-Nr-1-Bernstein-Serenade/dp/B0CTJ8MSV9/

[WilliamsStarShip2282 308]

Nice mastering and sound quality for this recording, good orchestra. I get where Deneve was going with some of the interpretations, but sometimes it comes across as half baked, especially in the third movement. Still a nice recording though, glad I got it. There are clearly some small revisions to it though (maybe even just re-balances) but the third movement has changes/ additions to the violin part I think.

[Tom 4,685]

"By combining these two concert pieces, this album puts the symphonic work of Bernstein and Williams at the center, two composers who weren’t afraid of crossing the boundaries between film music and “serious” classical genres at a time when these worlds were generally kept far apart. Especially in Williams’ concerto, there are still hints of his work as a film composer; the slow movement brings to mind a scene of emotional gravity."

 

I do not think that the final sentence is meant as a criticism, but I find it odd.  All of the most famous violin concertos have emotional gravity, usually most pronounced in the middle movement.  Why on earth would this be a reason that Williams concerto is less "serious" at this point?  

[Faleel 5,400]

2 hours ago, Tom said:

"By combining these two concert pieces, this album puts the symphonic work of Bernstein and Williams at the center, two composers who weren’t afraid of crossing the boundaries between film music and “serious” classical genres at a time when these worlds were generally kept far apart. Especially in Williams’ concerto, there are still hints of his work as a film composer; the slow movement brings to mind a scene of emotional gravity."

 

I do not think that the final sentence is meant as a criticism, but I find it odd.  All of the most famous violin concertos have emotional gravity, usually most pronounced in the middle movement.  Why on earth would this be a reason that Williams concerto is less "serious" at this point?  

 it says evokes a scene of emotional gravity, not that it has emotional gravity.

[Miguel Andrade 1,267]

7 hours ago, Tom said:

"By combining these two concert pieces, this album puts the symphonic work of Bernstein and Williams at the center, two composers who weren’t afraid of crossing the boundaries between film music and “serious” classical genres at a time when these worlds were generally kept far apart. Especially in Williams’ concerto, there are still hints of his work as a film composer; the slow movement brings to mind a scene of emotional gravity."

 

I do not think that the final sentence is meant as a criticism, but I find it odd.  All of the most famous violin concertos have emotional gravity, usually most pronounced in the middle movement.  Why on earth would this be a reason that Williams concerto is less "serious" at this point?  

 

I don't read it that way. I actually see it as the other way around: his film music is as good as any great concert work.

[Tom 4,685]

On 29/04/2024 at 2:32 AM, Miguel Andrade said:

 

I don't read it that way. I actually see it as the other way around: his film music is as good as any great concert work.

I like that interpretation better.  Perhaps I am too defensive when it comes to comments about Williams. 

[ChrisAfonso 188]

Just got the CD - on first listen, very fine performances of both pieces! Indeed there seem to be revisions to the concerto, and overall to me it sounded a bit more restrained than I remember earlier recordings to be. Have to dig deeper on repeat listens.

[lairdo 727]

My CD hasn't shipped yet, but I have listened a few times via Tidal. 

 

For me, the Bernstein is the standout aspect of the release. This is not to do with Williams being mostly a film composer and Lenny being a concert composer (since much of Lenny's best works were for the theater and this piece has lots of West Side Story's sound coming through - they were composed around the same time). It's just that I think Ehnes has the feel of Bernstein more than Williams here. Perhaps it is the very upfront micing of the Violin compared to other recordings of both pieces. Not sure.

Overall, I certainly am glad for the release and want more to come out, but I am not sure this tops the Shaham Boston Symphony version for me.

 

Also, just stumbled on the site NativeDSD that offers an exclusive 5.1 version (just of the Williams alone - the combo album is 2 ch only. Looks like the Williams concert was recorded in DXD format.). https://www.nativedsd.com/product/ptc5187338-williams-violin-concerto-no-1/

[Jurassic Shark 12,164]

Gramophone podcast.

 

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/podcasts/article/james-ehnes-on-leonard-bernstein-and-john-williams

[Naïve Old Fart 9,638]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but... the 'Violin Concerto' is the one that he wrote circa 1974, and was recorded by the LSO, and released in 1983?

[Miguel Andrade 1,267]

42 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but... the 'Violin Concerto' is the one that he wrote circa 1974, and was recorded by the LSO, and released in 1983?

 

And premiered in 1981...