Mahler Barbirolli

Sir John Barbirolli, Halle Orchestra, BBC NSO - Carl Nielsen: Symphony No.5; Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.7 (2016) 2CDs

Carl Nielsen: Symphony No.5; Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.7 (2016) 2CDs
Hallé Orchestra; BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra; Sir John Barbirolli, conductor

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 446 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 252 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: The Barbirolli Society | # SJB 1084-85 | Time: 01:58:19

The Barbirolli Societys latest release is a 2-CD set of the complete concert given in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester on 20 October 1960, with the combined forces of the Hallé and BBC Northern Symphony Orchestras. The concert consisted of Nielsens Symphony No.5 and Mahlers Symphony No.7. Michael Kennedy, writing in 2000, stated: Performances of the (Mahler) Seventh were much rarer then than they are today, and Mahlerian scholars and enthusiasts flocked to Manchester for the event, among them Deryck Cooke who was profoundly impressed by Sir Johns ability to make the works structure cohere. This was an especially significant comment coming from Cooke, who harboured many doubts about the symphony and confessed to finding it most problematical.
Sir John Barbirolli - Encore, Sir John (2021) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

Sir John Barbirolli - Encore, Sir John (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/192 kHz | Time - 46:06 | 1.81 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover

John Barbirolli studied cello as a boy, making his debut public appearance at the age of 12. He received a formal education at Trinity College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, from which he graduated in 1916. Upon graduation, he found a position in the Queen's Hall Orchestra, becoming its youngest member. He made his professional solo debut as a cellist in Aeolian Hall, London, in 1917. During World War I he joined the British Army; while in the service he got his first taste of conducting by leading an all-volunteer orchestra. After his service ended in 1919, he returned to the Queen's Hall Orchestra. He also resumed performances as a cello soloist, appearing with the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra. He joined and toured with the International String Quartet beginning in 1923. Soon after, he organized and conducted a chamber orchestra in Chelsea. The British National Opera Company engaged him to conduct on tour.
John Barbirolli - Gustav Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1, 5, 6 & 9; Lieder [5CDs] (2021)

John Barbirolli - Gustav Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1, 5, 6 & 9; Lieder (2021)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 1.81 Gb | Total time: 06:00:53 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Warner Classics | # 0190295004286 | Recorded: 1957-1969

"Barbirolli's famous 1969 version on any count is one of the greatest, most warmly affecting performances ever committed to disc, expansive, yet concentrated in feeling: the Adagietto is very moving… A classic version." The Penguin Guide to Classical Music about the 5th Symphony
Gustav Mahler - The Complete Works (150th Anniversary Box) (2010)

Gustav Mahler - The Complete Works (150th Anniversary Box) (2010)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks, cue, log, scans) - 4.5 GB
19:00:40 | Classical | Label: EMI

For Gustav Mahler's 150th birthday, EMI has assembled a 16-disc box set of his complete works, including not only the ten symphonies, Das Lied von der Erde, and the song cycles, but also the early cantata, Das klagende Lied, and the extant movement from the Piano Quartet in A minor, two works which arguably can be called Mahler rarities. Having all these pieces together in one large collection is undeniably a great convenience, and many will consider buying this set not only for that reason, but also for the historic nature of the recordings. The roster of conductors features such legends as Sir John Barbirolli, Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, George Szell, and Jascha Horenstein, along with later Mahlerians, Klaus Tennstedt, Sir Simon Rattle, and Carlo Maria Giulini, all of whom left remarkable recordings that still are essential listening.
John Barbirolli - Sibelius: Symphony No. 2, Op. 43 & The Swan of Tuonela (1967/2020)

John Barbirolli - Sibelius: Symphony No. 2, Op. 43 & The Swan of Tuonela (1967/2020)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 259 MB | Tracks: 5 | 53:56 min
Style: Classical | Label: Warner Classics

Born in London of Italian-French parents, Sir John Barbirolli (1899–1970) trained as a cellist and played in theatre and café orchestras before joining the Queen’s Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood in 1916. His conducting career began with the formation of his own orchestra in 1924, and between 1926 and 1933 he was active as an opera conductor at Covent Garden and elsewhere. Orchestral appointments followed: the Scottish Orchestra (1933–36), the New York Philharmonic (1936–42), the Hallé Orchestra (1943–70) and the Houston Symphony (1961–67). Barbirolli guest conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras and was especially admired as an interpreter of the music of Mahler, Sibelius, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Delius, Puccini and Verdi. He made many outstanding recordings, including the complete Brahms and Sibelius symphonies, as well as operas by Verdi and Puccini and much English repertoire.
Sir John Barbirolli - French Music. Debussy, Ravel, Chabrier, Berlioz (2024)

Sir John Barbirolli - French Music. Debussy, Ravel, Chabrier, Berlioz (2024)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 991 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 540 Mb | 03:54:22
Classical | Label: Warner Classics

Born in London of Italian-French parents, Sir John Barbirolli (1899–1970) trained as a cellist and played in theatre and café orchestras before joining the Queen’s Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood in 1916. His conducting career began with the formation of his own orchestra in 1924, and between 1926 and 1933 he was active as an opera conductor at Covent Garden and elsewhere. Orchestral appointments followed: the Scottish Orchestra (1933–36), the New York Philharmonic (1936–42), the Hallé Orchestra (1943–70) and the Houston Symphony (1961–67). Barbirolli guest conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras and was especially admired as an interpreter of the music of Mahler, Sibelius, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Delius, Puccini and Verdi. He made many outstanding recordings, including the complete Brahms and Sibelius symphonies, as well as operas by Verdi and Puccini and much English repertoire.
Halle Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli - Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto, Enigma Variations, Introduction and Allegro, Elegy (1991)

Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto, Enigma Variations, Introduction and Allegro, Elegy (1991)
Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli; André Navarra, cello

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 347 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 203 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: EMI | # CDM 7639552 | Time: 01:13:08

Barbirolli made later recordings of all the works on this CD and these have become cornerstones of the catalogue. These are earlier recordings that he did with his own orchestra, the Halle, in the 1950s. To start with, the recording quality is pretty amazing. They were recorded on 35mm film tape rather than half inch recording tape by the Mercury team and have astonishing immediacy and amazingly lifelike. Barbirolli uses an organ in the finale of the Enigma Variations. The recording is a little bass heavy but this is a small caveat. For people who consider Barbirolli to be a bit indulgent as a conductor, these recordings may come as a surprise. The performances are very direct and nicely flowing. They therefore complement rather than compete with the later recordings. Of course, Barbirolli's later recording of the Cello Concerto with Jacqueline du Pre is a very famous and special rendition of the work. However, it is not without its detractors. Andre Navarra, by contrast, plays with golden tone. He plays gorgeously. Highly recommended.
Halle Orchestra & Choir, Sir John Barbirolli, Soloists - Edward Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38 (1999) 2 CDs

Edward Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38 (1999) 2 CDs
Richard Lewis, tenor; Dame Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano; Kim Borg, bass
Hallé Orchestra & Choir; Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus; Ambrosian Singers;
conducted by Sir John Barbirolli

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 488 Mb | Scans included | Time: 01:38:16
Classical, Choral, Oratorio | Label: EMI | # 7243 5 73579 2 0

'The Dream of Gerontius' is probably Edward Elgar's masterpiece and certainly one of the glories of the English oratorio tradition. A setting of Cardinal Newman's poem about a man's death and the journey of his soul toward heaven, it is one of the most heartwarming affirmations of faith and salvation in all of music and also a work of great intensity and passion, influenced by both Mahler and Italian opera. Several great British conductors have left their mark on 'Gerontius,' but none was more strongly associated with it than Sir John Barbirolli, who directed it many times before making this famous recording, which he regarded as a testament of his own faith, in 1964. While Barbirolli's Halle Orchestra and the combined choirs distinguish themselves mightily, the crowning asset of this vividly dramatic reading is Janet Baker's glowing performance as the Angel, a breath of life which makes an already powerful experience unforgettable.
London Symphony Orchestra & Sir John Barbirolli - Ireland, Bax & Delius: English Tone Pictures (Remastered) (1967/2020)

London Symphony Orchestra & Sir John Barbirolli - Ireland, Bax & Delius: English Tone Pictures (Remastered) (1967/2020)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 286 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 142 Mb | 00:54:41
Classical | Label: Warner Classics

English Tone Pictures by Sir John Barbirolli - Side One features two very gifted composers in John Ireland and Arnold Bax, Band 1 features John Ireland (1879-1962) who is described as one of the most gifted composers of the English 'Renaissance'. Arnold Bax confessed himself a brazen romantic; yet his romanticism was as much intellectual as purely emotional, and though his music is full of personal feeling he was not an emotionally self indulgent composer.
London Symphony Orchestra & Sir John Barbirolli - Ireland, Bax & Delius: English Tone Pictures (1967/2020) [Of Dgt Dwnl 24/192]

London Symphony Orchestra & Sir John Barbirolli - Ireland, Bax & Delius: English Tone Pictures (Remastered) (1967/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/192 kHz | Front Cover | Time - 54:41 minutes | 1,98 GB
Classical | Label: Warner Classics

English Tone Pictures by Sir John Barbirolli - Side One features two very gifted composers in John Ireland and Arnold Bax, Band 1 features John Ireland (1879-1962) who is described as one of the most gifted composers of the English 'Renaissance'. Arnold Bax confessed himself a brazen romantic; yet his romanticism was as much intellectual as purely emotional, and though his music is full of personal feeling he was not an emotionally self indulgent composer.