Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Sound Frontiers: Building a Library - Chopin's Piano Concerto No 1

Live at Southbank Centre with Andrew McGregor. Includes Building a Library: Chopin: Piano Concerto No 1; Kathleen Ferrier's 1946 recording of Gluck's What Is Life?; Music from 1946.

with Andrew McGregor live from Southbank Centre
9.30

Building a Library: Sara Mohr-Pietsch comes up with a personal recommendation for Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor from among the huge number of available versions. These include some of the greatest pianistic names of the past century including Paderewski, Rubinstein and Gilels to those of today, not forgetting those played on instruments of the kind played by the composer himself.

10.15
Kathleen Ferrier's 1946 recording of Gluck's 'What is Life?'. Hilary Finch looks at a recording which seemed to hold within it the hopes, fears, and lingering grief of its day - and it became an icon of its time.

1045
Mark Lowther joins Andrew to look at recordings of music premiered in 1946 by composers including Richard Strauss, Aaron Copland and Charles Ives. Together they compare recordings by artists associated with the works' premieres with more recent versions.

1145
Disc of the Week: Andrew makes a personal choice from among the latest outstanding releases.

3 hours, 12 minutes

Music Played

  • Igor Stravinsky

    Symphony in Three Movements

    Orchestra: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
    • DGG 479 4650.
    • DGG.
    • 16.
  • Igor Stravinsky

    Symphony in 3 Movements

    Orchestra: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
  • Ronald Stevenson

    Peter Grimes Fantasy

    Performer: Kenneth Hamilton.
    • Prima Facie PFCD050.
    • Prima Facie.
    • 1.
  • Ronald Stevenson

    Peter Grimes Fantasy

    Performer: Kenneth Hamilton.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Goldberg Variations: Aria, Variations 1 & 2 (BWV.988)

    Performer: Mahan Esfahani.
    • DG: 479 5929.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 001.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Goldberg Variations: Aria, Variations 1 & 2 (BWV.988)

    Performer: Mahan Esfahani.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Concerto for 2 violins in D major RV 513 (i. Allegro molto)

    Performer: Giuliano Carmignola. Performer: Amandine Beyer.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Concerto for two violins in D Major (RV.513) (i)

    Performer: Giuliano Carmignola. Performer: Amandine Beyer. Ensemble: Gli Incogniti.
    • Harmonia Mundi HMC 902249.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 019.
  • Igor Stravinsky

    Petrushka (ii. In Petrushka's Cell)

    Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski.
    • LPO-0091.
    • LPO.
    • 002.
  • B茅la Bart贸k

    The Miraculous Mandarin (extract)

    Choir: Philharmonia Voices. Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Esa鈥怭ekka Salonen.
    • SIGNUM: SIGCD466.
    • Signum.
    • 009.
  • Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Piano Concerto no.1 1st movement

    Performer: Evgeny Kissin.
  • B茅la Bart贸k

    Piano Concerto No. 3 (1st mvt.)

    Orchestra: Wiener Symphoniker. Conductor: Michael Gielen.
  • Charles Ives

    Symphony No. 3 (1st mvt.)

    Orchestra: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas.
  • Aaron Copland

    Symphony No.3 (4th mvt)

    Orchestra: New York Philharmonic. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
  • Aaron Copland

    Symphony No. 3 (4th mvt.)

    Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Serge Koussevitsky.
  • Benjamin Britten

    Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

    Orchestra: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Neeme J盲rvi.
  • S茅bastien de Brossard

    Trio Sonata in A minor SdB.223

    Ensemble: La Nuova Musica. Director: David Bates.
    • Francois Couperin : Lecons de Tenebres.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 014.
  • S茅bastien de Brossard

    Trio Sonata in A minor

    Performer: Lucy Crowe. Performer: Elizabeth Watts.
  • Fran莽ois Couperin

    Troisi猫me Le莽on de T茅n猫bres (opening)

    Singer: Lucy Crowe. Singer: Elizabeth Watts. Ensemble: La Nuova Musica. Conductor: David Bates.
    • Francois Couperin: Lecons de Tenebres.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 015.
  • S茅bastien de Brossard

    Stabat Mater (i - iii.) SdB.8

    Performer: David Bates. Ensemble: La Nuova Musica.
    • Francois Couperin : Lecons de Tenebres.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 021.

9.00am

Kenneth Hamilton plays Ronald Stevenson
NOVELLO arr. Ronald Stevenson: We'll Gather Lilacs (from Perchance to Dream)
RACHMANINOV arr. Ronald Stevenson: Lilacs Op. 21 No. 5
STEVENSON: Fantasy on Peter Grimes; Three Scottish Ballads; Beltane Bonfire; Heroic Song for Hugh MacDiarmid; Symphonic Elegy for Liszt; Chorale and Fugue in Reverse on Themes of Robert and Clara Schumann; Elizabethan Pieces (3) after John Bull
TAUBER arr. Ronald Stevenson: My Heart and I (from Old Chelsea)
Kenneth Hamilton (piano)
PRIMA FACIE PFCD050 (CD)

BACH, J S: Goldberg Variations, BWV988
Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord)
DG 4795929 (CD)

Vivaldi: Concertos for 2 violins
VIVALDI: Concerto For 2 Violins In C RV 507; Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV 529; Concerto for 2 Violins in C minor, RV510; Concerto in C major for Two Violins, RV 505; Concerto for strings No. 8, RV 127; Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV527; Concerto for Two Violins, RV513
Giuliano Carmignola (violin), Amandine Beyer (violin), Gli incogniti
HARMONIA MUNDI HMC902249 (CD)

9.30am Building a Library

Sara Mohr-Pietsch compares recordings of Chopin鈥檚 Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor Op. 11 and recommends a version.

Building a Library Recommendations

Top recommendation:

Chopin - Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor Op. 11; Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor Op. 21
Martha Argerich (piano), Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit (conductor)
WARNER CLASSICS 5567982 (CD)

Other recordings:

Below is a shortlist of other recordings which Sara Mohr-Pietsch also liked, although we can鈥檛 guarantee the availability of these discs.

Evgeny Kissin (piano), Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitri Kitayenko (conductor)
MELODIYA MELCD1001994 (CD)

Janina Fialkowska (piano), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey (conductor)
ATMA ACD22643 (CD)

Daniel Barenboim (piano), Staatskapelle Berlin, Andris Nelsons (conductor)
DG 4779520 (CD)

Maria Joao Pires (piano), Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Emmanuel Krivine (conductor),
DG 4794370 (5CD)

Moriz Rosenthal (piano), Berlin State Opera Orchestra, Frieder Weissmann
ALTARA ALT1014-D (download only)

10.20am New Releases recorded live at the Southbank Centre

Vladimir Jurowski conducts Stravinsky
STRAVINSKY: Petrushka (1911 version); Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Orpheus
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski (conductor)
LPO LPO0091 (CD)

Bartok: The Miraculous Mandarin
BARTOK: The Miraculous Mandarin Op. 19, Sz. 73 (suite); Dance Suite, BB 86, Sz. 77; Contrasts for violin, clarinet & piano, BB 116, Sz. 111
Philharmonia Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor), Zsolt-Tihamer Visontay (violin), Mark Van de Wiel (clarinet), Yefim Bronfman (piano)
SIGNUM SIGCD466 (CD)

10.35am Kathleen Ferrier and the Year 1946

Kathleen Ferrier's 1946 recording of Gluck's 'What is Life?' (鈥楥he far貌 senza Euridice鈥 from Orfeo ed Euridice). Hilary Finch looks at a recording which seemed to hold within it the hopes, fears, and lingering grief of its day - and it became an icon of its time.

Kathleen Ferrier: The Complete Decca Recordings
DECCA 4783589 (14CD)

10.50am Recordings of music from 1946

Mark Lowther joins Andrew to look at recordings of music premiered in 1946 by composers including Richard Strauss, Aaron Copland and Charles Ives. Together they compare recordings by artists associated with the works' premieres with more recent versions.

Herbert von Karajan - The Great Recordings
BEETHOVEN: Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Cello in C major Op. 56
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2 in D major Op. 73
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7 in E Major
DEBUSSY: La Mer; Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune
MOZART: Masonic Funeral Music in C minor, K477
RAVEL: Bolero; Alborada del gracioso (orchestral version); La Valse
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 4 in A minor Op. 63; Symphony No. 5 in E flat major Op. 82; En Saga Op. 9; Lemminkainen Suite Op. 22: The Swan of Tuonela (No. 2); Karelia Suite Op. 11; Finlandia Op. 26; Valse Triste Op. 44 No. 1; Tapiola Op. 112
STRAUSS, R: Metamorphosen; Don Quixote Op. 35; Symphonia Domestica Op. 53
WAGNER: Der fliegende Hollander: Overture; Parsifal: Prelude to Act 1; Parsifal: Prelude to Act 3; Tannhauser: Overture and Venusberg Music; Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Overture; Tristan und Isolde: Prelude & Liebestod; Lohengrin: Preludes to Acts 1 & 3
David Oistrakh (violin), Mstislav Rostropovich (cello), Sviatoslav Richter (piano), Wiener Philharmoniker, Orchestre de Paris, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (conductor)
WARNER CLASSICS 5160912 (download)

MAHLER: Symphony No. 9; R. STRAUSS: Metamorphosen for 23 Solo Strings
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Simon Rattle (conductor)
EMI 556580 2 (2CD)

Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica
STRAUSS, R: Symphonia Domestica Op. 53; Oboe Concerto in D; Eine Alpensinfonie Op. 64; Duett-Concertino for Clarinet, Bassoon & Strings, AV147
Jonathan Small (oboe), Nicholas Cox (clarinet), Alan Pendlebury (bassoon), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz (conductor)
AVIE AV2071 (2CD)

HONEGGER: Symphony No. 2 in D for strings and trumpet; Symphony No. 3, H186 'Liturgique'
STRAVINSKY: Concerto in D for string orchestra 'Basler'
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan (conductor)
DG 4474352 (CD)

BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73; HONEGGER: Symphony No. 3 鈥楲iturgique鈥
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch (conductor)
MULTISONIC 31 0025-2 (CD)

Honegger: Symphony No. 3
HONEGGER: Symphony No. 3, H186 'Liturgique'
POULENC: Gloria
Luba Orgonasova (soprano), The Netherlands Radio Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons (conductor)
RCO LIVE RCO06003 (Hybrid SACD)

Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky
STRAVINSKY: Symphony of Psalms; Symphony in C; Concerto in E flat for chamber orchestra 'Dumbarton Oaks'; Violin Concerto in D; Symphony in 3 movements; Concerto in D for string orchestra 'Basler'; Ebony Concerto; Concerto for Piano & Wind Instruments; Movements for Piano & Orchestra; Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra; Violin Concerto in D
Isaac Stern (violin), Columbia Symphony Orchestra
SONY 88875126242 (3CD)

STRAVINSKY: Symphony in E flat Op. 1; Symphony in C; Ode (Elegiacal Chant in three parts); Symphony in 3 Movements; Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Le Baiser de la Fee
Nash Ensemble, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Simon Rattle (conductor), Sir Alexander Gibson (conductor), Neeme Jarvi (conductor)
CHANDOS CHAN241-8 (2CD)

Gyorgy Sandor Plays Bartok
BARTOK: Piano Concerto No. 1, BB 91, Sz. 83; Piano Concerto No. 2, BB 101, Sz. 95; Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion, BB 115, Sz. 110; Rhapsody for piano & orchestra Op. 1, BB36b, Sz. 27; Scherzo (Burlesque) for piano & orchestra, Sz. 28
Otto Schad, Rolf Reinhardt, Richard Sohm, Gyorgy Sandor (piano), Southwest German Radio Orchestra (Baden-Baden), Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Luxembourg Radio Orchestra, Michael Gielen (conductor), Pierre Cao (conductor)
VOX CDX25506 (2CD)

BARTOK: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 3 (complete)
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano), 成人快手 Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)
CHANDOS CHAN10610 (CD)

IVES, C: Symphony No. 2; The Unanswered Question; Central Park in the Dark
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (conductor), Gunther Schuller (conductor)
SONY SK94731 (download)

Ives: Symphonies Nos. 2 & No. 3, 'The Camp Meeting'
IVES, C: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 3 'The Camp Meeting'
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)
SONY G010001222765X (download)

Copland: Symphony No. 3 and Quiet City
COPLAND: Symphony No. 3; Quiet City
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (conductor)
DG 4191702 (CD)

Koussevitzky Conducts Copland
COPLAND: Quiet City; Symphony No. 3; Appalachian Spring Suite
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky (conductor)
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC458 (download)

BRITTEN: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op. 34; Symphony for Cello and Orchestra Op. 68; Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes Op. 33a
PART: Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten
Truls Mork (cello), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi (conductor)
BIS BISCD420 (CD)

11.45am Disc of the Week

Francois Couperin: Lecons de Tenebres
BROSSARD: Stabat Mater and Trio Sonatas
COUPERIN, F: Trois Lecons de Tenebres
Lucy Crowe (soprano), Elizabeth Watts (sopranos), La Nuova Musica, David Bates
HARMONIA MUNDI HMU807659 (Hybrid SACD)

Broadcast

  • Sat 24 Sep 2016 09:00

Composers A to Z

Composers A to Z

Visit the extensive Radio 3 audio archive of programmes about composers and their works.

Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast

Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast

All episodes since 2010, listed alphabetically by composer surname.

Why the music we love as teens stays with us for life

Cognitive neuropyschology can explain why we return to old favourites again and again.