TROTTERBOOKS.COM
RARE REPERTOIRE (19th Century)
(Including some not-so-rare works in special performance)
updated: 01/23/2006
ALBENIZ:
Iberia (Orch. by Arbos). George Sebastian; “Musical Treasures Symphony Orch.” [My guess is the Paris Philharmonic or the Paris Conservetoire, but who knows?]
Navarro (orch. by Arbos). Surinach; Paris Philharmonic Orch. [Superbly idiomatic.]
“El Puerto” from “Iberia”. Benno Pierweijer, piano [4:15] [Winner of Dutch Prix d’excellence. Great talent.]
ARENSKY:
“Arabian Nights”, Suite from the ballet, Op. 50. SVETLANOV; USSR State S.O. (T: 21:18)
Fantasia on Themes of Ryabinin SVETLANOV: USSR State S.O. (T: 14:37)
Fantasia on Russian Epic Themes for Piano & Orch, Op. 48. Felicia Blumenthal; Jiri Waldhans; Brno Philharmonic O. (T: 25:20)
“The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”, Op. 46 (Music to Pushkin’s Poem). Melik-Pashayev; Bolshoi Orchestra & Chorus. (T. 22:50)
Suite No. 2, “Silhouettes”, Op. 23. SVETLANOV; USSR State S.O. (T: 20:42)
Symphony No. 1, Op. 4. SVETLANOV; USSR S.O. (T: 34:54). “ “
Symphony No. 2, Op. 24. SVETLANOV/ USSR State SO (T: 22:34)
Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 46. SVETLANOV; USSR State S.O. (T: 9:06)
ARRIAGA:
Symphony in D Major. Hans Bauer; New Philharmonia O.
AULIN, Tor:
Music for Strindberg’s “Master Olaf”. Goeran Nilson; Oerebro S.O. (T: 27:23)
BALAKIREV:
Islamey, tone poem. Von MATACIC; Philharmonia
“In Bohemia”, Symphonic Poem. SVETLANOV; USSR S.O. (T: 12:03)
“King Lear”, Incidental Music. SVETLANOV; USSR S.O. (T: 36:47) (Substantial work)
Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, Op. 1. Igor Zhukov; A. Dimitriev; USSR R & TV “Large” Orchestra. (T: 13:32)
Piano Sonata in B-flat Major. Louis Kentner, piano. (T: 25:53)
“Russia”, tone poem. Von MATACIC; Philharmonia O.
Symphony No. 2 in D Minor. ROZHDESTVENSKY: Moscow Radio S.O. (T: 33:38)
“Thamar”, tone poem. Von MATACIC: Philharmonia O.
BEETHOVEN:
“Andante”, for Horn & Piano. Herman Jeurissen, horn; Carlos Moerdijk, piano. [4:20]
Choral Fantasia, Op. 80. Andor Foldes, piano; Fritz Lehmann; Berlin Phil.; RIAS Chamber Choir, circa 1956. (10:37) [Worth listing because of Foldes’ unique take on the solo part, which is rounder, more impressionistically-colored than almost every other pianist’s; this approach brings out subtle beauties, especially harmonic, that more muscular onslaughts don’t project; Lehmann’s work is fine, too; unfortunately, this release dates from the period when Decca LPs had no raised rims and were pressed on brittle, frangible compound, causing them to distort audibly and even turn gray after 8-10 playings, so there’s considerable crackle and grunge on the disc, which even the ol’ Groove-Sucker couldn’t remove. I offer it for its unique qualities – it really is a distinguished interpretation of this wild, shaggy, almost-impossible-to-perform work, but be aware that the Source is hardly in pristine condition. Sorry. It was originally issued as filler on Eugene Jochum’s first, 3-sided Bruckner Ninth, which isn’t so hot to begin with if you ask me. He was over-rated and the one time I saw him in concert, he delivered a spineless, lazy, soft-cored Beethoven Seventh that wasn’t even worth listening to.]
Grosse Fugue. Arthur Winograd; Winograd Ensemble. (15:27) (Honestly, now, doesn’t it really sound better with a full string complement?)
Leonore Overture No. 3. Toscanini; NBCSO, live, 11/4/1939]
Piano Concerto No. 1. w/ Frager; Tennstedt; NY Philharmonic; live, 1980
Piano Concerto No. 1. Frantisek Rauch, piano; Karel Sejna, Czech Philharmonic Orch.
Piano Concerto No. 1. w/ Malcolm Frager & Antonio Ros-marba; Hague Philharmonic 4:41]
Sonata No. 23, Op. 57 “Appasionata”. Ikuyo Kamiya. [Get this one for the sound, not the performance, although the latter ain’t bad. Source is a massive slab of virgin vinyl from Japanese Victor, direct cut recording, at 45 rpm. It’s the most awesome reproduction of a Boesendorfer Imperial Grand you’ve ever heard – incredibly rich and powerful, an enormous cascade of glorious piano tone, and if Ms. Kamiya’s performance isn’t note-perfect and she sometimes sounds dangerously close to spinning out of control, just think what kind of cajones it took to record this piece without the safety net of tape edits! Each movement was played through start to finish without a break, several takes, the best were chosen for this disc, which apparently was pressed in a very limited edition. I only managed to scarf one up because of my connections as the classical buyer for Peaches No. 37, during the brief halcyon period when those stores really did try to stock everything and before the whole bubble burst into a zillion pieces because the L.A. studs who ran the chain kept snorting the profits up their noses and buying exotic muscle cars. It doesn’t take an accounting whiz to figure out that you cannot go around the country opening million-dollar stores on bogus credit ratings forever – sooner or later, the labels had to be paid, and they weren’t. So the product stopped coming in and in the space of six months, Peaches went from a retail skyrocket to a debt-encumbered turd in the toilet. But not before I got my hot little hands on this stunningly beautiful disc. And, hey, digital is digital, so it sounds just as great on a CD copy as it does on the Source.]
Symphony No. 1. Leo Druehuys/ Charlotte Symphony Orch., live 1981. (T::24:30)
Symphony No. 2. Monteux; San Francisco Symphony Orch. [38:40] [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”. Klaus Tennstedt; New York Philharmonic; live, 1980. [Odd that Tennstedt didn’t was a commercial recording of the Eroica, but considering how inferior most of his studio work was to his live air-checks, maybe it’s just as well. Anyway, this was obviously one hell of an all-Beethoven concert, with Frager tearing-up-the-pea-patch in the concerto & Tennstedt chiseling a fresh, vital, intensely punchy Eroica from the poor ol’ Philharrmonic, who play it like they haven’t heard themselves play it three hundred previous times. Fills in a major gap in the spotty Tennstedt discography.]
Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”. Knappertsbusch; Bavarian Radio Symphony, live, 1950. [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Symphony No. 3. Wyn Morris; Sinfonica of London.
Symphony No. 4. Carlos Kleiber; Bavarian State Symphony Orch., live, 1982. [Lives up to the hype.]
Symphony No. 4. Monteux; San Francisco Symphony Orch. [32:29] [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Symphony No. 5. Leibowitz; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Symphony No. 5. “Hans Wolf” and the “Viennese Symphony Orch” [One of those “Mystery Orchestra” items on an utterly obscure label, “Paris” records. I’ve never seen another specimen of this label (“Tested by Hi Fi Laboratory” claims the cover, proudly. Beneath the scratches – lots of ‘em, but not too grossly distracting if you’re a tolerant listener – you can hear a half-way good reading in warm but oddly focused sound, almost certainly a broadcasting studio; attacks and cut-offs are sometimes ragged, but there’s plenty of energy to the playing. I’ve decided to list it, along with the Schubert “Unfinished” below, because you just never know who the performers on these bogusly-attributed recordings might really be! If anyone reading this has a clue, let me know. The copyright date is 1954; otherwise there’s no information about the recording anywhere on label or in the generic program notes. I know this isn’t licensed or stolen from the Concert Hall roster; it doesn’t sound a thing like the work of Goehr, Swoboda, or Swarowsky, but all I can tell you confidently that is damn sure isn’t by someone whose real name is “Hans Wolf”!]
Symphony No. 5. Unidentified conductor; Cento Soli Orchestra of Paris. [This long-extinct orchestra made some very good discs for obscure micro-labels in the early LP-era – this one is on the “Classics International” label ((yeah, right…)) and it could be Rene Liebowitz, or Jean Martinon, or Ewald Lipschitz, for all I know. But it isn’t a negligible performance, by any means, being for the most part fierce, gnarly and aggressive. Nor does the orchestra sound particularly “French”, which is a Good Thing in this music. Somebody Out There knows who the conductor is, I’m sure; if you do, let me know, because this is a pretty good Fifth in rough but fairly decent sound.]
Symphony No. 5. Keilberth/ Habourg State Symphony Orch.
Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”. Kleiber; London Philharmonic Orch. [Crisp & elegant]
“ “ “ “ . Konwitschny; Leipzig Gewandhaus Orch. [42:44]
Symphony No. 7. Carlos Paita [See remarks under “Conductors”]
Symphony No. 7. Otto Ackermann; Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. [Ackermann was Music Director in Zurich since Christ was a corporal, but left little trace outside of that charming Swiss city – and only one significant recording of international repute, the Schwarzkopf version of Der Rosenkavalier. I didn’t expect much when I went to burn a copy of this MMS 10-incher. Boy, was I wrong! It’s a very individual and a really boffo-socko performance, very cleanly recorded and played with infectious élan by the Swiss band, I love surprises like this!]
Symphony No. 7. Erich Burgel (sp?); Chicago Symphony, live, 1986 (?) [Powerful, broadly inflected performance by an interesting Romanian conductor who seems to have vanished off the radar since the mid-eighties. This was a good enough 7th to alert me to watch for his name on future recordings – it never appeared, at least not in the U.S. Anybody have some news about this guy? He sounded damned good to me.]
Symphony No. 8. Konwitschny; Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Symphony No. 9. Leo Dreihuys; Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and chorus. Soloists: Joseph Bias, bass; Richard Kennedy, tenor; Joy Heinbaugh, sop.; Donna Dease, alto. (Trust me: this live 1981 gala performance, issued on handsomely-engineered LPs as a fund-raising premium for the Charlotte orchestra’s 50th anniversary and spotlighting the best Music Director this band ever had – I grew up in that town, and can testify to how agonizingly mediocre his predecessors were – is at least as good as half the commercial recordings of the Ninth, and sometimes it nudges Olympus – as in the Big Timpani Moment of the first movement. Dreihuys’s interpretation walks the line between Toscanini’s whip-lash and Walter’s sing-to-me gemutlichkeit , which is not a bad thing at all. Richly satisfying choral work from members of several local universities; first-rate sound; good clean pressings – you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.) (T: 1 hr/ 12 mins)
Symphony No. 9, Op. 125. w/ Ferenc Fricksay. Berlin aPhjijSt. Hedwig’s Choir; Irmgard Siefried; Ernst Halfliger; Fischer-Dieskau; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. [70:19]
Symphony No. 9. Horenstein; Vienna Pro Musica Symphony & “Singverein” Choir. [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Symphony No. 9. Andre Cleytens; Berlin Philharmonic Orch & Choir of St. Hedwig’s Cathedral. [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
BERLIOZ:
L’Enfance du Christ. Thomas Schermann; The Little Orchestra Society; Choral Arts Society; Mary Davenport, contralto; Leopold Simoneau. Tenor; Martial Singher, baritone; Donald Gramm, bass. Time: approx 92:00. [This is the recording by which a whole generation became familiar with this sublime and consoling work; before dubbing the master CD, I doubt I’d listened to it in 25 years. But I was riveted – Schermann’s “Little” orchestra sounds just full enough for this intimate score, never scrawny; he employed some of NY’s finest freelancers as well as NY Philharmonic players moonlighting; and his soloists are all first-class. I’d been expecting to consign this version to the category of:: “Well, it was the only one we had available” – rather like the Eduard Flipse Mahler VIth, but also like the Flipse, when I re-listened after taking it for granted for half my life, I was very pleasantly surprised. Does this score *really* benefit from stereo? Or digital sound? Not when it blooms under this kind of affection and sensitivity – there are lots of “landmark” recordings which were important for one reason or another at one time or another, and many of them sound like a dog’s breakfast today. Not so in this case. It’s a lovely and loving and finely-shaded interpretation of a work that always has more substance and quiet genius in it than we remember. A splendid AND important recording. Source has some light wispy scratches – God knows what kind of rig I was playing records on in 1960 – but on the whole it’s in remarkably clean condition.]
Queen Mab Scherzo (from Romeo & Juliet, Op. 17). Rec. 2/9/1942 [3:44]
Symphonie Fantastique. Arvid Jansons; Leningrad Philharmonic. [52:23] [Who the hell is Arvid Jansons? Well, he’s Mariss Jansons’ father; Latvian; principle conductor of the orchestral forces at the Riga Conservatory; widely guest-conducted in the Baltic region, seldom outside of it. I heard him do a first-rate Dvorak “New World” with the Finnish Radio Symphony in 1964. He certainly has his own ideas about how this blockbuster should go – in the sense that he doesn’t bust any blocks with it, but instead gives it a refined, translucent-teacup interpretation that somehow isn’t dull (although by all rights it should be). The quavering Russian horns add some interest; recorded sound is very good, and the score’s more poetic moments respond well to his loving, restrained approach. The blood-and-thunder quotient is very low, however, so if your paradigm in this music is Munch or Paray, look elsewhere. But if you think the work is already bombastic enough, you might really enjoy what Jansons does with it. BTW, this is the only recording by him I’ve ever seen on these shores…]
BIZET:
“Gypsy Dance” from “Carmen”. Henri Rene; RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
“March, Berceuse, and Galop” from “Jeux d’Enfants”. Douglas Gamley; National Philharmonic Orchestra
BORODIN:
In the Steppes of Central Asia. Mitropoulos; NYPSO. [The best-selling Columbia studio version; still impressive.]
Polovtsian Dances. Mitropoulos; NYPSO. [See comments under “Conductors”]
“Prince Igor” – “March” from. Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra
String Quartet No. 2, D Major. The Rimsky-Korsakov Quartet; T. 26:23] [I don’t need another version of this piece; I acquired the recording so I could hear the Rachmaninoff fragments. But, this turns out to be a fully competitive version of this lush quartet – warm and well-balanced playing, without too much swooning. The music’s gorgeous in any form or version, but it has more stature when it’s allowed to speak for itself. Superb.]
Symphony No. 1, E flat major. Kurt Graunke; Musical Treasures Symphony Orch. [Who are they? God knows. Graunke was a real person, though, one of those elusive East European conductors who left a few faint traces in the Urania catalogue and hasn’t been heard of before or since. He turns in here a bright, energetic account of Borodin’s sunniest and most tuneful symphony; the orchestra plays with verve, if little refinement; the sound is decent.]
BOZZA, Eugene:
“En Foret”, Op. 40. Herman Jeurissen, horn; Carlos Moerdijk, piano. [7:00]
BRAHMS:
Academic Fesitval Overture. Tamas Pal; Hungarian Radio & TV Symphony Orch.
“ “ “ . Victor Desarzens; Vienna State Opera Orchestra
Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80. Koussevitzky; Boston Symphony (studio) 1947 [9:35]
“ “ “ “ “ . Sawallisch; Vienna Symphony Orch.
Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53. Irina Arkipova, mezzo.; Igor Markevitch; Russian State Symphony Orch. [12:42] [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Something-or-other for Horn & Piano. Herman Jeurissen, horn; Carlos Moerdijk, piano. [4:20]
Double Concerto in A minor. w/ Pablo Casals, cello; Jacques Thibaud, violin, and Alfred Cortot conducting the “Casals Orchestra of Barcelona”, recorded in 1929. [This treasured recording seems to have vanished from the collectors’ radar in recent years – I haven’t seen a remastering, although I suppose Naxos will get to it eventually, since the mid-Seventies. True, the sound of the orchestra – whose playing is rather provincial to begin with – is but dimly captured, but the soloists come through vividly and their playing has a porcelain-like, patrician elegance that speaks of a world long gone in History and human spirituality. This is noble music-making, by any standard you care to apply, and Cortot’s conducting is fully supportive, despite the thin-sounding orchestra. If you love the Double Concerto, you simply must hear this 76-year-old interpretation, if only for the gem-like radiance of tone produced by the two soloists. The slow movement, portamento and all, is to die for!].
Horn Trio in E-Flat [See “Boston Symphony Chamber Players”]
German Requiem. Kempe; Berlin Philharmonic Orch. & Choir of St. Hedwig’s Cathedral. [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Piano Concerto No. 1. Van Cliburn; Johannos; Dallas Symphony live, 1967
Six Hungarian Dances (No’s 1,3-6, 10 ). Hans Hagen; Vienna Symphony Orch. [17:35 ]
Seven Songs, Op. 32. Fischer-Dieskau; Hertha Klust, piano
Symphony No. 1. Rodzinski; NY Philharmonic [see comments under “Rodzinski”]
Symphony No. 1. Klemperer; Cologne Radio S.O., live, 11/17/55
“ “ “ . Sawallisch;Vienna Symphony Orch.
Symphony No. 2. “ “ “ “
Symphony No. 3. Sawallisch; Vienna Symphony Orch.
Symphony No. 3. Tomas Pal; Hungarian Radio & TV Orchestra
Symphony No. 4. Sawallisch; Vienna Symphony Orch.
Symphony No. 4 . Otto Gerdes; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. [I may not remember this anecdote exactly right – this record is 34 years old and about as obscure as a stereo-era Berlin Philharmonic recording can be, but I seem to remember that Gerdes – while formally trained as a conductor – was primarily active as the producer of many Herbert von Karajan recordings during the Seventies. One of the perks that came with the job (no doubt a demanding one!) was that Gerdes got to play make-a-wish by conducting the Berlin Phil in a single commercial recording, his choice of music. He chose the Brahms 4th. I thought this anecdote was sufficiently cool to warrant satisfying my curiosity, so I bought the disc. Well, von Karajan had nothing to worry about, but all the same it’s not bad; not bad at all; it’s big, blowsy, gesturally Romantic and handsomely recorded. The Berlin Phil couldn’t play this music badly if it tried, and it doesn’t let Otto down. If I heard this interpretation in a routine concert by the Greensboro Symphony, I’d not feel cheated; once every few years I take it out and re-play it, just to make sure my memory’s OK, and it always is. But in a Brahms symphony, the excellent simply crushes the merely good, so I offer it as a curio and to satisfy the eighteen people in the world who are Otto Gerdes fans. BTW, the Meistersinger Prelude that fills out the disc is a damn sight better than the Brahms – fully competitive; why that should make any difference, I don’t know, but I thought I should tell you anyhow.]
Symphony No. 4, Op. 98. Koussevitzky; Boston Symphony (studio version), Nov., 1939 [38:57]
Tragic Overture. Ladovit Rajter; Slovak Philharmonic Orch.
“ “ . Sawallisch; Vienna Symphony Orch.
“ “ . Markewvitch; Russian State Symphony Orch. [11:35] [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Variations & Fugue on a Theme by Handel. (Orchestration by Edmund RUBBRA) TOSCANINI; NBC S.O. (Live, 1939; T: 22:58)
Variations on a Theme by Haydn. Sawallisch; Vienna Symphony Orch.
Violin Cincerto. Oistrakh, w/ Kondrashin; Moscow State Philharmonic. [Source is a quasi-pirate tape from the USSR, transferred & mastered by the energetic but impossible-to- find Remington label. Sound ia merely OK, but this is [rime early-career Oistrakh and the lavish out-pouring of tone is rapturous. Kondrashin’s accompaniment is alert & sensitive. And outstanding version!]
Violin Concerto. w/ Efram Zimbalist & Koussevitzky. [See “Koussevitzky” under “Conductors”]
BRUCKNER:
Psalm 112. Henry Swoboda; Vienna Symphony & Kammerchor. [The VSO must have had their second-stringers in for this and the following recording session – playing is ragged & provincial. Swoboda’s usually pretty good, but these readings wouldn’t be competitive if there weren’t so few recordings of them. A place-holder recording only.]
Psalm 115. Swoboda; Vienna Symphony & Kammerchor.
Symphony “No. 0” in D minor (Nowak ed.) See “Conductors” under “Asahima”
Symphony No. 2. Carl Melles; Austrian Broadcast Orch. (T: 50:28)
“ : w/ Horst Stein; Vienna Philharmonic.(T. 56:50) He’s faded in and out of focus on the European scene for decades, but remains little known and rarely recorded. Maybe Stein just has a lousy agent, but every one of his records that I’ve heard has been first-rate. This Bruckner 2 (and his 6th) compares favorable with Giulini’s, Jochums, even Karajan. If any of you know the story behind this guy, please share it with me. Why isn’t he better known?
Symphony No. 3. Takashi Asahima; Osaka Philharmonic. [Japan’s greatest interpreter of Austro-German repertoire, Asahima’s Bruckner stands comparison with anyone’s, even Furtwangler’s. I am very happy I can offer his complete Bruckner cycle, on splendid Japanese JVC pressings. Try one, you Brucknertites, and you’ll want ‘em all.]
Symphony No. 4. Klemperer; Vienna Symphony. [See comments under “Conductors”]
Symphony No. 4, “Romantic”. Hollreiser; Bamberg Symphony Orch. [50:50]
Symphony No. 5. Ormandy; Phliadelphia Orchestra.
Symphony No. 5. Knappertsbusch; Vienna Phil (1956 – uses the now-discredited early version, but what a gas to hear all those startling cymbal crashes and drum rolls!
Symphony No. 6 (Original version) – See Conductors Listings under “Asahina”
Symphony No. 7. Furtwangler; Berlin Philharmonic [See “Conductors” for more details]
Symphony No. 7. Rosbaud; SW Deutsche Rundfunk Orch, Baden-Baden. [63:02]
Symphony No. 8. Furtwangler; Berlin Philharmonic Orch. [In “Breitklang” see “Conductors”]
Symphony No. 8. Takashi Asahina; Osaka Philharmonic. (Elder statesman among living Japanese conductors, Asahama leads his second-tier orchestra in a fervent, deeply insightful reading. (T: 85:46).
Symphony No. 9. Abendroth; Leipzig R.S.O. [See “Conductors” under “Abendroth”]
Te Deum. Klemperer; BBC Symphony & Chorus; live, late-Sixties. [Sound is somewhat congested & is either mono or very very minimal stereo. Tremendous reading, though; Klemperer at his craggy best.]
Te Deum. “ w/ Philadelphis Orch. & Temple U. Chorus; Soloists.
BRUCH:
Violin Concerto. Oistrakh; Horenstein; London S.O.
CHAUSSON:
Soire de Fete, Op 32. Jose Serebrier; Belgian R.S.O. (T: 14:48)
Symphony, Op. 20. “ “ (T: 32:13)
The Tempest, Op. 18. “ “ (T: 8:09)
CHOPIN:
Fantasie-Impromptu, Op. 66. Robert Goldsand, piano. [A fine, under-recorded artist; alas, the third movement of the Sonata has a couple of nasty, persistent scratches on the Source – a very scarce MMS ten-incher – that compromise your listening pleasure for the first 5 minutes of the Funeral March.]
Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17, No. 4. [See “Stokowski” under “Conductors”]
Sonata No. 2, B-flat Minor, Op. 35. Robert Goldsand, piano
CLEMENTI (1752-1832):
Symphony in B, Op. 18/ No. 2. Fasano; Virtuosi di Roma
CZAPER, Joseph (1825-1915):
A Spiritual Overture, Op. 50. Sixten Eckerberg; Gothenburg Symphony Orch., live 12/12/1964. [9:03] [Czaper was Bohemian, but settled in southern Sweden – for reasons now obscure – in 1847. Having adopted Gothenburg as his home town, he contributed greatly to its cultural life, founding a chamber music society and conducting the city’s first orchestra, which only lasted for two seasons (1864-1866) due to financial problems. He was by all accounts a well-liked and respected member of the community and a musician of wide-ranging professionalism. While there is nothing I can detect that’s very “spiritual” here (or “original”, for that matter), it’s a well-made piece that reflects all the major musical styles of the post-Beethoven scene in Europe; it is still faithfully performed, every decade or so, in Sweden, but it’s the only one of Czaper’s more than 100 formal compositions that still is. On first hearing, I thought perhaps it was an obscure overture by Schumann, so collectors of the Early Romantics might find it a worthy addition to their holdings, if not a truly memorable one.]
DELIBES:
“Sylvia” – Waltz from. Fistoulari; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
DIEPENBROCK, Alphons:
Suite from the Incidental Music to “Marsyas”. Haitink; Concertgebouw of Amsterdam. [13:46]. As it happened, 1962 was the 100th anniversary of this hitherto-neglected composer’s birth. Too bad he didn’t make it long enough to hear how sensitively Haitink and his home town orchestra render this unassuming but characterful suite. Not as dark and emotionally hefty as the tone poems, but still quite nice.]
D’INDY: The “Wallenstein Trilogy”. w/ Mitropoulos; NYPSO, live, 4/14/1954. [First – and probably last – NY performance of a major programmatic work by a composer who AT LEAST deserves to be known for something other than the “French Mountain Aire” number. Give Dimitri credit for lavishing many hours in preparation.]
DONIZETTI, Daetano:
“Don Pasquale” Overture. Claudio Scimone; Monte-Carlo Ntl Opera O. (T: 10:38)
“Linda di Chamonix” Ovt. “ “ “ “ “ (T. 6:56)
“Marin Faliero” Ovt. “ “ “ “ “ (T. 7:213)
“Les Martyrs” Ovt. “ “ “ “ “ (T. 8:02)
“Maria di Rohan” Ovt. “ “ “ “ “ (T. 6:56)
DVORAK:
Biblical Songs. Jindrich Jindrak, bar.; Smetacek; Prague S.O. (T: 14:10)
Carnival Overture, Op. 92. Swoboda; Vienna State Opera Orch.
Carnival Overture, Op. 92. Arthur Fiedler; Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The Golden Spinning Wheel, Op. 109. TALICH; Czech P.O. (His earliest LP performance, sourced from ancient Urania disc. Some light wear, nothing to spoil the electrifying interpretation.)
Mass in D Major. , Op. 86. Smetacek; Czech Phil. Chorus; Prague S.O. (T:39:18)
The Midday Witch, Op. 108. TALICH; Czech P.O. (See comments under “Golden Spinning Wheel”)
Psalm 149, Op. 79. Smetacek; Czech Phil. Chorus; Prague S.O. (T: 9:10)
Quartet in F, Op. 96, “American”. The Pascal String Quartet. [From one of those 10-inch Musical Masterworks Society gems. I’m note sure they recorded for anybody else, although they played with finesses & high spirits equal to those of many a more famous outfit. Certainly their reputation was very high at one time (they made the first-ever integral set of the Beethoven Quartets for their sister label, Concert Hall Society, and that recording one the coveted Grand Prix du Disque in 1952. So relax, you’re in good hands with these gentlemen… ]
Slavonic Dances, No.1, 2, 4, & 8. Sevitzky; Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. [Quite good, actually…]
Slavonic Dance in E Minor, Op. 72. Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra
Slavonic Rhapsody No. 1, D major, Op. 45. Karel Sejna; Czech Philharmonic Orch.
Slavonic Rhapsody No. 2, G Minor, Op. 45. “ “ “ “ “ [Ferociously nationalistic, even militant, tone poems almost never performed. Even in Czechoslovakia. Stirring performances by Sejna and the CPO.]
Symphony No. 5. Johannes Schuler; Leipzig Radio S.O. (May be a pseudonym, or just one of those East German utterly obscure conductors Urania issued sometimes. Anyway, this was sold as “Symphony No. 3”, it’s how thousands of us learned the piece, and it’s a rowdy, pumping-iron performance; sonics DO show their age and origin, I’m afraid.)
Symphony No. 5, Op. 76. Walter GOEHR; Netherlands Philharmonic Orch.
Symphony No. 7. Kubelik; New York Philharmonic; live, c. mid-Eighties. [Splendid, of course.]
Symphony No. 9. Gerhardt Pfluger; Leipzig Radio Symphony Orch. (The Source is one of those whacky blue-label Music Treasures offerings, apparently licensed from Urania, who originally licensed or simply appropriated the tapes from East Germany. Pfluger’s name appeared on a bunch of Uranias; this is only example I’ve seen of it on any other label, and it’s a lovable, shaggy, Central-European interpretation that underlines the link between Dvorak & Brahms; some cruddy scratches of surface-damage early on Side One, but despite those flaws and a generally woolly acoustic, I still enjoy the performance hugely, though I’m not exactly sure why. I guess I root for the underdog, and poor Pfluger showed enough talent to assume a solid career for him if he’s been able to get across the Wall. That clutch of antique Uranias is his only legacy, and the podium work to be heard on them is not banal.]
Symphony No. 9. Stokowski; His Symphony Orchestra [See comments under “Conductors”.]
Symphony No. 9. Paul Kletzki; Czech Philharmonic Orch. [As good as any you’ll find.]
“ “ “. Arthur Fiedler; Boston Symphony Orchestra. [See comments under “Conductors”]
Te Deum, Op. 103. Smetacek; Czech Phil Chorus; Prague S.O. (T: 18:14)
Waltzes, Op. 54, Nos 1 & 4. TALICH: Prague Soloists O. (See comments under “Golden Spinning Wheel”)
FAURE:
Apres un Reve. Eric Hammerstein; London Proms Orchestra.
Ballade for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 19. w/ Ingemar Bergfelt, piano; Sixten Eckenberg; Gothenburg Symphon7 Orchestra, live 9/1/1962 (13:52]
Berceuse from the Dolly Suite. Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra.
Clair de Lune, Op. 46/2. Jitske Steendam, sop.; Wim Dirriwachter, piano. [3:00]
FIBICH, Zdenek: [Generally regarded as a light-weight, compared to Dvorak & Smetana, Fibich’s two symphonies are, indeed, rather low-calorie works, but filled with attractive melodies and a pervasive warmth that makes him well worth getting to know. In shorter forms – tone poems & overtures – his touch was much more confident. One of these days, I’ll get around to listing “In the Tatras Mountains”, a tone poem that covers almost the same ground as Strauss’s Alpine Symphony, but does it in one-fifth of the time! Try Fibich, if you like Czech music; he’s not a “great” composer, but he was a damned good one.]
Twilight, an Idyll for Orchestra, Op. 39. Karel Sejna; Czech Philharmonic O
FLOTHIUS, Marius:
Concertino. Netherlands String Quartet. [10:35]
FOOTE:
Suite for Strings, Op. 63. [See “Koussevitzky”]
FRANCK:
Pastorale (arranged by Gerhardt.) Charles Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra
Psyche, Symphonic Fragments. Jemal Dalgat; Moscow Radio S.O. (T: 25:11)
Psyche, Symphonic Poem. Willem van Otterloo; Apotheose Choir & Orchestra of the Netherlands Radio Union. [25:22]
Symphony in D Minor. Munch; Rotterdam Philharmonic; Live; date unk.[See under “Munch” in “Conductors”]
FUCIK, Julius (1872-1916):
Entry of the Gladiators. Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra. [Didn’t this poor sod write anything else? Matter of fact, he did – some 300 numbered Opuses. Once an earnest pupil of Dvorak, Fucik early on realized that his real talent lay in the genre of “Light Music” & wisely chose to follow that route; his career was one of solid achievement & great popularity with the audience. By all accounts, a happy man! ]
GLAZUNOV (OK, so he lived well into the 20th Century, but most of his work was written, or sounds like it was written, in the 19th. My call.)
Concert Waltz No. 1, Op. 47. SAMOSUD; USSR State R.S.O
Concert Waltz No. 2, Op. 51. SAMOSUD; USSR State R. S. O.
Cortege Solennel, Op. 91. Rozhdestvensky; USSR Radio S.O. (T: 4:50)
Finnish Fantasy, Op. 88. w/ USSR Radio Symphony
“Composition”, Op. 21 w/ “ “ “
“Composition” Op. 68. w/ “ “ “ [Okay, here’s the story: I bought this Melodiya domestic pressing, which came in an album sleeve about as sturdy and appealing as the toilet paper in the cheap Intourist hotel where I was staying. I bought it for the Miaskovsky work on the flip side, and of the three shorter Glazunov works, the only one I either recognize or can parse from my tiny knowledge of Cyrillic is the Finnish Fantasy, which is a rousing piece of schlock if ever Glazunov wrote one – yet another quotation of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, I suppose in reference to the Finns’ Lutheranism. All I could decipher of the two other works was their opus numbers. For 43 years I’ve been too lazy to research the damn thing, so if there are any Glazunov mavens reading this who know what those pieces are, an email would be appreciated. In any case, Gauk’s blustery, lurid readings are lots of fun – not even Russian horns sound like this any more! –and the recorded sound is equally un-subtle LP has a few minor blemishes, some of which were on the disc when I bought it, but nothing major.]
Lyric Poem, Op. 12. SAMOSUD; USSR State R.S.O. (c. 1963)
The Seasons. Composer conducting anonymous but very good Soviet orchestra, 1943. Very stylish and dramatic performance, in surprising rich sound [35:13] [Definitive]
Symphony No. 6 in C Minor, Op. 58. Vladimir Fedosiev; USSR “Large” Radio & TV Symphony Orch. [No timing listed]
GRIEG:
Piano Concerto in A Minor. w/ Van Cliburn, live; Johannos; Dallas Symphony; live, 1967
Two Elegiac Melodies. Eric Tuxen; Danish State Radio Symphony.
GRIFFES:
Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan. Kostelanetz; NY Philharmonic. [9:56]
The White Peacock. “ “ “ [5: 25]
HALVORSEN:
Entry of the Boyars. Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra. [One of the craziest pieces of music ever composed. Nothing “Russian” about it (that is where they keep the Boyars, isn’t it?). Always sounds to me like a herd of rabid chipmunks dancing a conga-line under the full moon.]
HUMPERDINCK:
Dream Pantomime from “Hansel & Gretel”. Massimo Freccia; Orchestra Filharmonico di
Roma
IPPOLITOV-IVANOV:
Caucasian Sketches. Fistourlari; London Philharmonc Orch. [Sensitive & water-colory as opposed to the usual thick oil paint. Refreshingly different interpretation]
IVANOVICI, Ion (1845-1902):
Danube Waves. Charles Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra
JANSA, Leopold (1795-1875):
Duo for Violin & Viola, Op. 70. Members of the Collegium Classicum
KALKBRENNER, Friederich (1784-1885):
Grand Quintet with Piano. Mary Louise Boehm, piano; Chamber Ensemble of the NW German Radio. [29:41] [A very interesting man; until musical style changed profoundly in the 1830s, Kalkbrenner was esteemed as few other living composers were. He lived a very long life (he was still giving concerts in 1880, when Sir Charles Grove wrote a curiously disdainful review of a London appearance), and his catalogue runs to 183 opus numbers. His most pleasing works display an elegant balance between lightweight sentiment (most often expressed in passages of cantilena lyricism), and passages of crowed-pleasing bravura display. He simply could not adapt to the weightier emotions, plusher sonorities, and loftier ideals expressed by the High Romantics; therefore his music fell from favor. It has never regained acceptance. This quintet clings to the outer fringes of the active repertoire, and if you’re fortunate enough to have a terrific double-bass player and a first-rate pianist in your chamber ensemble, you could do worse than to program it. Profundity of expression isn’t going to happen in Kalkbrenner, but the effortless flow of melodies and the confident technical mastery make for a very enjoyable half-hour of music that seems to peek cautiously over the boundary fence of Romanticism, and then pull back into the security of the aristocratic parlor where this composer felt so at home and where his music was most welcomed.]
KUHLAU, Friedrich (1786-1832):
Incidental Music to “Elf-Hill”, Op. 100. Johan Hye-Knudsen; Royal Danish Orchestra, [29:55]
LACHNER, Franz:
“Oriental; Andaluza; Rondalla”. w/ Carlos Surinach; Paris Philharmonic Orch.
Octet, Op. 156. Consortium Classicum.
Nonet in F Minor, Op. ? Consotrium Classicum.
LALO:
Symphonie Espagnole. Yehudi Menuhin; Jean Fournet; Orchestre Colonne. [Early LP version, when Menuhin was still in top form; excellent performance by all; LP has two short skips in it, otherwise is in good shape.]
LANDRE, Guillaume:
String Quartet No. 2. Netherlands String Quartet. [10:15]
LANGE-MUELLER, Peter Erasmus (1850-1926):
Incidental Music to “Once Upon A Time”, Op. 25. Johan Hye-Knudsen; Royal Danish Orchestra & Chorus. [28:15]
LEHAR, Franz:
Gold & Silver Waltz. Charles Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra.
LEIDESDORF, Joseph:
Quintet in E. Consortium Classicum
LIAPUNOV (1859-1924)
Transcendental Etudes, Vol. III. Louis Kentner, piano. (T: 50:37)
LISZT, Franz: [The epitome of Romantic adventurism; the consummate virtuoso. And a composer whose range was astonishing.]
(See entry under “Petri” in “Virtuosi & Chamber” catalogue.)
Christus – “Play of the Shepherds” and “March of the12th Night”. Zinman; Rotterdam Philharmonic; live, mid-Seventies. [Let’s have a show of hands, shall we? How many of you have listened to Christus all the way through? Not you, Skippy; I know what you listen to! Uh-huh. I thought as much! Neither have I. But as uneven, shaggy, and impossibly ambitious as the whole sprawling composition IS (Franz labored on it for 13 years or something like that), there is a lot of excellent music to be mined out of the turgid morass of its structure And by God (as it were), Zinman conducts the most rousing account of these two sections I’ve ever heard. Look, I’ll be happy to dub the entire oratorio for you, if you want two and a half CDs worth of monumental gestures, but give these two parts an audition first! If you like ‘em, you’ll surely find the whole gargantuan work agreeable. If you don’t, my advice just saved you $36.00. NOTE: I should tell you that the tape ran out about two minutes before the end of the “12th Night March”; sorry – you’re not missing a slam-bang climax; the music just sort of fades away into the darkness. It’s still worth hearing Zinman’s committed reading, while it lasts.]
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. Hans Hagen; Vienna Symphony Orch. [10:20]
“ “ “ “ . Fiedler; Boston Pops Orch. [One of the best]
Les Preludes. Paul Hupperts; Utrecht Philharmonic. [Sourced from one of those weird MMS ten-inchers, this crisply recorded interpretation features an otherwise-obscure conductor who was , apparently, Mengelberg’s understudy, No one would mistake the Utrecht outfit for the Concertgebouw, but by God Huppert’s shows some of the same dramatic flair as his colleague – this is one helluvva Les Preludes. If you shun the piece, you really won’t care, but for what it’s worth, the dark, silk-unrolling tone of the Strauss tone poem may seduce you. Obviously, the Utrecht orchestra was no provincial band of mediocrities – discipline is sharp, attacks punchy & crisp; one of the better versions I own of the piece that used to be called “Les Quaaludes”]
Les Preludes. Paul Hupperts; Utrecht Philharmonic. [Sourced from one of those weird MMS ten-inchers, this crisply recorded interpretation features an otherwise-obscure conductor who was , apparently, Mengelberg’s understudy, No one would mistake the Utrecht outfit for the Concertgebouw, but by God Huppert’s shows some of the same dramatic flair as his colleague – this is one helluvva Les Preludes. If you shun the piece, you really won’t care, but for what it’s worth, the dark, silk-unroiling tone of the Strauss tone poem may seduce you. Obviously, the Utrecht orchestra was no provincial band of mediocrities – discipline is sharp, attacks punchy & crisp; one of the better versions I own of the piece that used to be called “Les Quaaludes”]
Sonata in B Minor. Lazar Berman, piano. [27:50] [See my comments under “Beethoven: “Appassionata”…]
MAHLER:
Songs of Wayfarer. w/ Furtwangler; Fisher-Dieskau; Philharmonia
Symphony No. 1. Rosbaud; Dresden State Orch., live, mid-70s. [Staggering; explosive!]
Symphony No. 5. Vaclav Neumann; Czech Philharmonic Orch.(T.63:17)
Symphony No. 6. VON KARAJAN; Berlin Philharmonic; Salzburg, 1977
Symphony No. 6. Hartmudt Haenschen; Slovenian P{hilharmonic Orchestra, live, ’89 [79:02] [Quite a buzz about Maestro Haenschen, who’s so far recorded only for super-budjet labels with the kind of orchestras they have in Macedonia… He’s good, though – crisp & punchy execution here, fearless strings, sensible tempos throughout, and very nicely recorded. I’ve seen these CDs being sold for under five bucks I predict an interesting future for Maestro Haenschen…]
Symphony No. 6, “Tragic”. Leinsdorf; Boston Symphony [See comments under “Conductors”]
Symphony No. 10. Sir Simon Rattle; Los Angeles Philharmonic; live, 1981. [Y’know, if this bloke stops clowning around and gets his crumpets together, he might make a half-way decent Mahler conductor one day…]
MASSENET:
Espada. Georges Sebastien; Paris Opera Orchestra
MENDELSSOHN:
Caprice Brilliant, Op. 22. Johana Graudon, piano; Mitropoulos; Minneapolis Symphony
Incidental Music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Op. 21 & 61. w/ Edwina Eustis & Florence Kirk, sops; Women’s Glee Club of Philadelphia. Rec. 1/11-12/1942 [41:28]
String Symphony No. 9. Wm. Boughton; English String Orch. (T: 23:13)
“ “ No. 11. “ “ “ “ “ (T: 29.33)
“ “ No. 12. “ “ “ “ “ (T: 17:51)
Symphony No. 4 “Italian”. Szell; Cleveland Orchestra. [His first, 1949, LP version; great!]
Violin Concerto. Fritz Kreisler; Leo Blech; Berlin State Opera Orch., c. 1930
Violin Concerto in D minor. Menuhin, violin & conducting the RCA Symphony Orch. [See comment under VIRTUOSI & CHAMBER]
MUSSORGSKY:
Night on Bald Mountain. Leopold Ludwig; “Musical Treasures Symphony”
Prelude to “Khovantchina”. Victor Desarzens; Winterthur Symphony Orch.
NEPOMUCENO, Alberto:
String Quartet No. 3 in D Minor. Brazilian String Quartet.
NORMAN, Ludwig (1831-1885):
Festival Overture in C Major, Op. 60. Matti Rubenstein; Gothenburg Symphony Orch., live, 6/26/1940 [7:45]
NOVAK, Vitezalav:
De Profundis. Jaroslav Vogel; Brno S. O. (T: 24:21) (Vogel was to the Brno Orchestra what Talich was to the Czech Philharmonic, and a True Believer in this composer, bringing out all the earthiness and charm and melodic beauty in these neglected scores.)
Lady Godiva. Vogel; Brno S.O. (T: 16:00)
On the Matter of Eternal Longing, Op. 33. Karel Sejna; Czech Philharmonic. [Another ripe melodic tone poem by this marvelous contemporary of Smetana, compellingly played by the CPO.]
South Bohemian Suite for Large Orch., Op. 64. Vogel; Brno Phil. (T: 27:88)
OFFENBACH:
Barcarolle from “Tales of Hoffmann”. Eric Hammerstein; London Proms Orchestra.
Can-Can from “Gaite Parisienne”. Leibowitz; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
PADEREWSKI:
Fantasia on Polish Themes, Op. 19. Felicia Blumenthal; Robert Wagner; Innsbruck Symphony Orch. (T: 22:35)
PAGANINI:
Caprice No. 24 (Arranged by Gerhardt). Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra
Moto Perpetuo, Op. 11 (Orchestrated by TOSCANINI) w/ NBCSO, 1940; T: 4:38)
PARRY, Sir Hubert:
Church Anthem “I was Glad:, w/ Sir David Willkocks & Choir of King’s Church, Cambridge (T: Approx. 7:30)
RANGSTROEM, Ture:
Dithyramb, Symphonic Poem. Goeran Nilson; Oerero S. O. (T: 16:59)
RAFF, Joachim:
Symphony No. 3 (“Leonore”), Op. 177. Matthias Bamert; Berlin R.S.O. (T: 52:03)
REGER, Max: [One of my more novel conceptions of Hell is to be marooned on a desert island with a big boom-box, a thousand years worth of batteries, and absolutely nothing to listen to except the complete organ music of Max Reger… Unfair, I know, but what is one to make of him? Well, his melodic gifts were, um, modest, but when he wasn’t gagging in counterpoint like a heavy smoker drowning in his morning phlegm, Reger could write pleasant, inconsequential little chamber pieces. He composed warehouses full of them, in fact. But nobody ever plays ‘em and when was the last time you said to your date, as you were heading for a chamber music concert, “Gee, honey, wouldn’t it be swell if they played some Reger tonight?”]:
Serenade in G Major, Op. 141-A. Robert Willoughby, flute; Marylin McDonald, violin; John Tartaglia, viola. [T:15:16]
Suite in A minor, Op. 103-A. Wilbur Price, piano; Robert Willoughby, flute. [T: 24:11]
REZNICEK, Emil (1860-1945):
Symphony in F. Gordon Wright; Philharmonia Hungarica. [Approx. 45:00] [An interesting book could be written about the “One-Hit Wonders” of classical music! He was an exact contemporary of Richard Strauss, Sibelius, Mahler; he was very well acquainted with the musical cross-currents of his time; he was accepted as a colleague, albeit somewhat diffidently by the more gregarious “poetic” (translation: hard-drinking followed by a few cubes of absinthe) souls such as Hugo Wolf, but he was essentially rather shy and did not press either his company of his music upon others. Consequently, he was able to arrange first performances of his major compositions more easily than second or third ones! With introversion came self-criticism, and Reznicek was forever tinkering with published scores and trying vainly to have last-minute revisions pasted over pages that were already in the galleys. He was tortured by having to those people printed scores, which he knew to be riddles with minute typos and other nicky-nacky details. His one great success, the opera Dona Diana, was just that – his one great success. But he also composer four sympohonies, a better-than-fair violin concerto, several large-scale works for chorus and orchestra, and a wide assortment of shorter pieces in many genres. This first symphony is a major discovery, written while under the spell of Mahler’s “Titan” symphony, which Reznicek had heard only recently before he started composing. It’s a huge, sprawling, often grandiose work, especially in the second movement, subtitled (with tongue-in-cheek or not? You decide!) “Funeral March for a Dead Actor”! Against a dark, brooding background, skittering lightning bolts of brass…scurrying terrified-animal skirls in the woodwinds…rising tempest winds lash the strings…a barely controlled feeling of impending violence wells up through the overall orchestral fabric until, irresistibly, a seismic eruption tears-open the sound and roiling half-mocking, half-serious fanfares come boiling and seething into the air high above. Gordon Wright, a tall, barrel-chested, ursine fellow from Alaska (where he conducts a state-wide chamber orchestra – is also American chairman of the Reznicek Society and worked with the composer’s widow in preparation for this recordings. His zeal communicates well (despite the serious decline evident in the ensemble playing of the Philharmonia Hungarica), imparting to the performance as a whole an almost feverish intensity. If you’ve responded emotionally to similar “in memoriam” works by Suk, Rott, Korngold, et. al, I think you’ll be equally blown-away by Reznicek’s towering essay. There’s one small skip on Side One, otherwise the Source LP is in spanking good condition. In sum: here’s yet another late-Romantic blockbuster which hasn’t been given it’s chance to find an audience.]
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:
Capriccio Espangole. Desarzens; Vienna State Opera Orchestra
Concert Fantasy on Russian Themes, Op. 33. Liana Isakkadze, violin; Ivan Shpiller; Moscow Radio & TV Orchestra
Concerto for Trombone & Marching Band. Soloist: Shin-ici Go, (and boy has he got the chops!)
Concert Fantasy on Russian Themes, Op. 33. w/Liana Isakadze, violin; Ivan Shpiller; Moscow Radio & TV Orch
Fantasy on Serbian Themes, Op. 6. Maxim Shostakovich; Moscow Radio & TV Sym.
Introduction & March from “L’Coq d’Or. Desarzens; Winterthur Symphony
“Legend of the Invisible City of Kiteszh” – Suite from. Rozhdestvensky; Chicago Symphony Orch, live, 1991.
Mazurka on Polish Folk Tunes. Liana Isakadze, violin; Ivan Shpiller; Moscow Radio & TV Orch.
Overture & Entr’acte to L. Mey’s Drama “Pskovitianka”. Mikhail Yurovsky; Moscow Radio & TV Symphony.
String Quartet in F, Op. 12. The Rimsky-Korsakov Quartet. [24:11]
ROMBERG, Bernhard (1767-1841):
Cello Concerto, Op. 72. Werner Thomas-Mifume, cello; Georg Schoehe; Bamberg S. O. (T: 17:28)
ROSSINI:
Overture, “Il Signor Bruschino”. Sir Malcolm Sargent; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
RUBENSTEIN, Anton (1829-1894):
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Major, Op. 25. Michael Fardink, piano; Paul Freeman; Royal Philharmonic Orch. [39:58] [The only Rubenstein concerto you ever hear about or find a recording of is the Fourth. I think this early effort beats the socks off of that one. It’s fresh, vital, full of high spirits and Good Toons (contrasted by a tasty bit of Russian melancholy in the andante con moto ), and the orchestration is lovely. It’s instantly likeable, yet holds up well on repeated hearings. So help me God, any soloist who delivered a decent reading of this work in concert would get a tsunami of applause. It’s going to appeal to everybody who likes Rachmaninoff, but it’s not nearly as heavy or as long – it seems to float by like a big carnival balloon. TBOMK, this is its only recording outside of the former USSR and – except for one obnoxious skip in Movement III – it’s in pristine condition and features warm, clear, easy-to-listen-to sonics. A sleeper if there ever was one, and not a piece that requires the skills of Horowitz to play. Aspiring pianists: here’s your “calling card” work! It’s at least as ingratiating as any of the Saint-Saens concerti and it’s RUSSIAN!]
ROTT, Hans (1858-1884) – Both his life and his creative output were cut short by madness and tuberculosis, but in his first and only symphony, Rott managed to meld the lofty spirituality of Bruckner with Mahler’s kitchen-sink extravagance. Indeed, Mahler admitted to being deeply influenced by Rott’s symphony, and you’ll have a great time playing Spot The Influence, even as you enjoy a grand Romantic wallow of a piece. Source here is live performance in 1989, by a community/student outfit known as the “Cincinnati Philharmonia”, but their playing is astonishingly good, as is conductor Gerhard Samuels’ grasp of this sprawling score):
Symphony in E Major (1878). (T: 57:52)
SAINT-SAENS:
Cypres et Lauriers, Op. 156. Performers & date not identified on Source tape; good stereo, sounds French, and it’s one helluvva treat. Augmented brass, two harps, and a gorgeous throbbing organ obligato not unlike that of the Third Symphony. A little research showed me, however, that this tone poem was composed almost a quarter-century after the “Organ Symphony”. Aside from the logistics of the organ, I can’t imagine why we don’t hear this first-rate music more often. I mean, come on people,. This is SAINT-SAENS, not Stockhausen! Anyhow, if you’re curious but you don’t want to buy an anonymous version, there’s a Plasson/Orchestre du Tollouse performance on EMI that ought to be excellent, as he usually doesn’t disappoint in this repertoire. But whoever’s playing on my Source is also idiomatic and the recorded sound is first-rate; the work times-out at around 15 minutes, so it’d make a dandy “filler”.]
Symphony No. 3. Swarowsky; Vienna Symphony; Franz Eibner, organ ot the Musikverein, Vienna.
Symphony No. 3, Op. 78. w/ Feike Asma, organist; Roberto Benzi; Hague Philharmonic.[39:01]
SCHMIDT, Franz:
Variations on a Hussar’s Song. Hans Bauer; New Philharmonia O.
SCHUBERT:
Adagio & Rondo Concertante, D. 487. w/ Consortium Classicum.
An die Nachtigall, Op. 98/1 Jitske Steendam, sop.; Wim Dirriwachter, piano. [1:00]
“Andante” from Quartet in A Minor. Netherlands String Quartet. [7:14]
Fruehlingsglaube, Op. 22/2, Jitske Steendam, sop.; Wim Dirriwachter, piano [2:49]
“Gastein” Symphony. Felix Prohaska; Vienna State Opera O.
Liebe schwaermt aud alle Wegen. “ “ “ “ “ [1:20]
Moment Musicale No. 3. [See “Stokowski” under “Conductors]
Minuets (3) for Wind Ensemble (w/o “D” number). Concortium Classicum
Nonet, D. 79. Consortium Classicum Ensemble
Octet (“Unfinished”) in F. D. 72. Consortium Classicum
Octet in F Major, Op. 166. Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble.
Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 111, “Trout”. Pina Pozzi, piano; Winterthur String Quartet
Quartet No. 12 (“Quartettsatz”), Op. post. Julliard String Quartet
Quartet No. 14, “Death & the Maiden”. “ “ “
Song: “Auf dem Strom”, D. 943. Ian Partridge, tenor; Werner Genuit, paino.
Trio for Violin, Viola & Cello, in D, D. 471. Constortium Classicum
Staendchen, Horch horch die Lerch. Jitske Steedman, sop; Wim Dirriwachter, piano [2:05]
Symphony No. 3. Paul Hupperts; Utrecht Symphony Orch. [TBOMK – “To the best of my knowledge”, a translation for newcomers – Hupperts only recorded for the weirdly erratic but wholly admirable Musical Masterworks Society, whose trademark was issuing 10-inch LPs long after most labels gave up on them. He was a protégée of Mengelberg; and while no listener would mistake the Utrecht boys for their illustrious colleagues in the Concertgebouw, they evidently had a solid rapport with their little-known music director. Most of their MMS recordings preserve interpretations that are incisive, dramatic, even bold – the Mengelberg influence, no question! So this is a very lively account, full of energy and handsomely played. What delightful music it is. First-rate work from a second-rate orchestra, enshrined in third-rate monaural sound – if you’re familiar with any other MMS recordings, you know what I mean. At least my Source copy is relatively scratch-free and the balances are about where they should be.]
Symphony No. 4. Paul Sacher; Vienna Symphony Orch. [Excellent version by another fine conductor too little known on this side of the Atlantic.]
Symphony No. 6 – Scherzo only. Boulez; Concertgebouw Orchestra [5:30]
Symphony No 8, “Unfinished”. Ostensibly by “H. Arthur Brown” and the “Salzburg Festival Orchestra”, which would make it the Vienna Philharmonic, which is the main ensemble for that event, and it sure isn’t them! Same general sonic and interpretive qualities as the “mystery” Beethoven Fifth listed above…but I’ve seen that same pseudonym before, I think, on other micro labels from the Fifties. Maybe it was a collective pseudonym, like “Allen Smithee” was for the black-listed Hollywood screen-writers. Maybe there was a black-list for conductors, too…]
Symphony No. 9, C Major. Bruno Walter w/ Stockholm Philharmonic Orch. Date unknown. [See ecstatic comment under “Walter” above!]
Schubert: Symphony No. 9. Toscanini; Philadelphia Orchestra; Recorded 11/16/1941. [45:24]
SCHUMANN:
“Manfred”, complete. Beecham (See comment under “Conductors”)
Overture, Scherzo & Finale, Op. 52. Mitropoulos; New York Philharmonic, live, 3/11/1951. [See comment about all Schumann/Mitropoulos liostings under CONDUCTORS]
Piano Concerto in A Minor. Noel Mewton-Wood, piano; Walter Goehr; Netherlands Philharmonic Orch. [Another somewhat scratchy jewel from the old MMS label, featuring the sensationally refined and elegant pianism of young Mewton-Wood, who died just as his international career was about to go stratospheric. All we have to preserve his artistry is a handful of usually far-from-pristine ten-inch discs with mediocre orchestral accompaniments. Scratches and all, it’s worth having just to hear the luster and lambency the soloist brings to his part.]
Piano Concerto in A Minor. Dame Myra Hess; Mitropoulos; New york Philharmonic Orch., live, 2/10/1952. [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Piano Trio in F Minor, Op.80, Beaux Arts Trio.
Symphony No. 1, “Spring”. Mitropoulos; New York Philharmonic Orch., live, 11/15/1953, 31:25. [Without equivocation, the most exciting reading of this snoozer I’ve ever heard. Tons of coimmentary under CONDUCTORS]
SMETANA:
Bartered Bride Overture. Jaroslav Vogel; Brno Philharmonic Orch.
The Moldau. Wallenstein; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Festive Symphony. Karel Sejna; Czech Philharmonic Orch. [T: 43:35] [Betcha didn’t know Smetana even wrote a symphony – I sure as hell didn’t until I stumbled on to this 1967. Supraphon recording by Sejna – not the most inspired of the Good Czechs, but certainly up to the occasion. Written very early in Smetana’s career – he actually began composing it in 1853, when he was nineteen! – it reveals a musician of uncommon talent and as-yet very shallow craftsmanship. After the high-spirited opening fanfare, very nationalistic in mood, the young composer doesn’t really have many ideas for developing it, so he repeats and repeats, with a little modulation or change of tone-color to mark “progress” until he can safely get away with repeating the opening fanfare, only louder and more heavily scored. And so it goes throughout most of this likeable but much-too-long exercise. Sejna and the Czech Phil do everything in their considerable powers to infuse the work with vitality; it would be churlish to fault them. And the bright, Prague Hall-of-Artists acoustic helps, as always, but compared to the river of masterpieces that would soon flow from Smetana’s pen, the “Festive” is small beer. Smetana completists will want this, though, as it appears to be the only recording the work’s ever going to get and there are just enough good passages to warrant playing it once a year or so.]
Haakon Yarl. Sejna; Czech Philharmonic Orch.. [Now this is more like it! Dating from 1861, when the composer, for some reason, became fascinated with Swedish themes and stories, it’s a good rousing tone poem; I’m sure the Swedes loved it. I do, too, once in a while. My Source is a 45-year-old mono Artia LP with a few minor dings, but eminently listenable – the unique tang of the CPO woodwinds comes through very nicely and Sejna imparts just the right amount of rhythmic lilt to the workmanlike themes. Same comments apply to the other two tone poems listed below.]
“Polka” from “The Bartered Bride”. Douglas Gamley; National Philharmonic Orchestra [I still think it should be “The Buttered Bride”…]
Richard III. Sejna; Czech Philharmonic Orch.
Wallenstein’s Camp. Sejna; Czech Philharmonic Orch. [Probably the best of the lot; stirring fanfares!]
SPOHR, Louis (1784-1859):
Clarinet Concerto in F Minor, Op. No. not given. Ludwig George Jochum; Linz Orch.
Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Op. 57. John Denman, clarinet; Hazel Vivienne (???); Sadlers Wells Opera Orch.
Quintet for Piano, Flute, Clarinet, Horn & Bassoon, Op. 52. Chamber Ensemble of the North German Radio Orchestra. [Poor Spohr; his once-lofty – and largely deserved – reputation just got crushed between Beethoven and Brahms. His output was large and varied – what excellent works might be gathering dust? The quintet, at least, does get performed now and then; finding five musicians who’re up to its challenges couldn’t be easy. These little-known German artists deliver a warm, affectionate reading that flatters the music and pleases the ear. There was only room in Europe for one titan at a time – hell, if Schubert didn’t tower so loftily above his colleagues, we would all get to hear a lot more of Franz Lachner’s delightful music than we do. Anyhow, it’s a fine, impeccably-crafted quintet.]
[OK, so he wasn’t Beethoven, or even Hummel, or even Franz Lachner…but I like his music just fine.]
“Quartet” Concerto, Op. 131. w/ Ludwig George Jochum & Linz Bruckner Orch. (Source is very scarce Urania LP in remarkably pristine condition. And I doubt that Eugene could handle the accompaniment any better than ol’ Ludwig George.)
STANFORD, Sir Charles Villiers:
Irish Symphony. Norman del Mar; Bournemouth Sinfonietta.
STRAUSS, Johann:
Artist’s Life Waltz. Horenstein; Vienna State Opera Orchestra
Lagoon Waltz from “A Night in Venice”. Horenstein; Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Radetzky March. Douglas Gamley; National Philharmonic Orchestra
Roses from the South Waltz. Josef Leo Gruber; Vienna Volksoper Orchestra.
Song: “O Schoner Mai” (“Oh Beautiful May”) from Prince Methusalem. Judith Blegen, soprano; Anton Paulik; Vienna State Opera Orchestra
A thousand & One Nights. Horenstein; Vienna State Opera Orchestra
SUK, Joseph:
Quartet No. 2, Op. 31. Ondricek String Quartet
TCHAIKOVSKY, Boris:
Introduction & Mazurka from Incidental Music to Ostrovsky’s drama “Dimitri the Imposter”. Evgenii Akhulov; Moscow Radio S. O. & Chorus. (T. 5:12)
Interludes from the opera “Undine”: Evgenii Akhulov; Moscow Radio S. O. (T. 13:13)
TCHAIKOVSKY, Peter Ilych:
Overture 1812. Frantisek Stupka; Prague Natl. Theater Orchestra
Overture in C Minor (1866). Lazarev; USSR Academic Symphony Orch.
Overture in F Major (1865) “ “ “ “
The Jurists’ March in D Major (1885). Alexander Lazarev; USSR Academic Symphony Orch.
Serenade for Strings. Mravinsky; Leningrad Philharmonic Orch., rec, 3/17/1949 [29:19]
Serenade for Strings – Waltz only. Charles Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra
Slav March (“On a Serbian-Russian Theme), Op.31. Lazarev; USSR Academic Symphony Orch.
Solemn March in D Major (1883). Ditto. [Alas, no detailed notes on this 1975 Melodiya LP, just the titles. But it’s all relatively unfamiliar Tchaikovsky, right? Um, not entirely, no. The so-called “Slav March (On Serbian-Russian Themes) is actually (what sounds like) an early draft of March Slav, except for the fact that (get this now!) at every place in the score where Tchaikovsky quotes the Romanov-era anthem “God Save the Tsar”, some Stalinist-era hack has excised the composer’s music and inserted a crudely congruent passage from Glinka’s “Russlan and Ludmilla”!! First time I heard it, my jaw dropped open. The record’s worth having just for those few bars alone. Mind you, the other pieces aren’t bad – just chips from the work bench (“Hey, Modest, we’re overdue on the rent again!” “Next time, when the Jurists ask you to compose a march for them, Pyotr, don’t be such a horse’s pa-toot! Take the kopecks and run!” “I’ll dash something off for them, don’t worry. I just don’t understand why ‘jurists’ even need a march…”) and they’re performed here with enough gusto to disguise how minor they really are. Decent stereo sound, too. Here’s a one-shot chance to fill in the teensiest gaps of your Tchaikovsky collection – how often do all these rarities show up on the same disc? Or at all, for that matter?]
Symphony No. 1, Op. 15, “Winter Dreams”. Rozhdestvensky; Chicago Symphony Orch. Live, 1991 [Blazingly intense & soulful.]
Symphony No. 4. Enesco; USSR Symphony Orch, 1949. [See “Enesco” under “Conductors”]
“ “ “ . Mravinsky; Leningrad Philharmonic Orch; rec. early Fifties [40:21]
Symphony No. 4. Barenboim w/ NY Philharmonic. (This is Barenboim’s over-hyped first recording with a BIG orchestras; too bad it was also one of the most cantankerous orchestras in the world. Opinions vary wildly (most critics sniffily dismissed it), but I tend to like this version – it’s a war of wills between Barenboim and the Orchestra that Takes No Prisoners, which gives the interpretation a lot of juice. Or, as one friend prefers to say, “barely controlled hysteria”.)
Symphony No. 5. Koussevitzky; Boston Symphony Orch; studio, 1944. [47:18] [See lots of comment under CONDUCTORS]
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique”. Toscanini; Philadelphia orchestra; Rec. 2/8/1942 [42:17]
Swan Lake, complete. Antal Dorati; Minneapolis Symphony. (All 3 LPs, in good shape; see comments under “Dorati”. One of the glories of the pre-stereo catalogue!]
“Swan Lake” Suite. w/ Swarowsky; Vienna Symphony Orch.
“ “ -- Grand Waltz only. Freccia; London Philharmonic Orchestra
Trio for Violin, Viola & Cello, in D, D. 471. Argerich, Kremer & Maisky, live, location & date unknown [Doesn’t sound like “mionor” Tchaikovsky the way these three play it!]
THOMAS, Ambroise:
Overture, “Mignon”. Leibowitz; RCA Italiana Orchestra
TORROBA, Federico:
“Madronos”, for solo guitar. Tom Burmanje, guitar. [2:45]
“VARSITY” – Mystery Label runs amok! [What a strange record! “Varsity” issued cheap-o collections (“Symphonic Highlights”, they called ‘em) that made absolutely no sense whatsoever – this one contains excerpts from just two composers, and every one of them is a “first movement” only! No unifying theme of any kind, and from the acoustic it’s obvious that the mysterious “National Opera Orchestra” – we aren’t told which “nation”! – is actually several different bands. No conductor is listed; perhaps none wanted this atrocity on his record, so to speak. It’s pressed on stiff, inflexible stuff that resembles dry modeling clay more than actual vinyl, a compound guaranteed to slough-away in microscopic dust each time a stylus went through the grooves, so that the entire disc would turn gray and become literally unplayable after ten or twelve auditions! The cover art is hideous, too. You still see these curios floating around thrift shops occasionally, but almost never in playable condition. This one’s got a few minor skips, but it’s basically listenable, and I’ve included it for two reasons: 1) these damn records are hideously, sinisterly appealing in some perverse way (the readings are spirited and the sound is pretty good, so maybe there were real orchestra/conductor involved in the venture, and, 2) if there was somebody half-way good involved, one of you might know who it was and I’m hoping you’ll tell me!]
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1, first movement only
“ : Symphony No. 6, first movement only
Mozart: Symphony No. 31, first etc.
“ : Symphony No. 38, first etc…
“ : Symphony No. 41, first movement…
VERD I:
“La Donna e Mobile” from “Rigoletto”. Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra
VERDI: REQUIEM. James Christian Pfohl conducting the orchestra & chorus of the BREVARD MUSIC FESTIVAL, 1950. SOLOISTS: Norma Hyde, soprano; Margaret Thuenmann, contralto; Norman McFadden, tenor; Julian Patrick, baritone. [I could scarcely believe my eyes when I ran across this antique at the local Salvation Army thrift store, two weeks ago. I had no idea it existed; it couldn’t have been pressed in large numbers, nor distributed in retail stores. A fund-raising premium? A souvenir for the students, families, and financial backers? I’ll find out the next time I visit the lovely, serene Brevard campus, where my youngest son will be enrolled as a sophomore not long after this update goes on line. Conductor Pfohl was the original founder of the Brevard Festival, which is now, of course, one of the finest and best-attended summer music “camps” (as the album notes quaintly describe it) in the entire south-east. Pfohl was also conductor of the Charlotte Symphony and a member of the Davidson College music department faculty. I must have seen him conduct numerous times, but always before age 13, which is when I really got interested in classical music. I can’t remember anything about his podium style or his interpretations – the Charlotte orchestra at that time was so scrappy and rancid-sounding that the poor man had his hands full just getting them to start and stop together. But his real claim to fame lies in the founding of the Brevard Festival, so there’s more of interest in this recording than just nostalgia (and the number of musicians who are Brevard alumni must by now be legion!). How did the performers sound in 1950, only one year after the first season?
Not bad, actually. It’s a smallish orchestra, around 55-60 players, I would guess, and the chorus couldn’t have been much larger. The four soloists turn in decent, dedicated work (the ladies outshine the men by a country mile). It’s hard to tell about Pfohl’s interpretation – there are lots of times, especially in the “Libera me”, when he’s obviously stuck with a very deliberate “rehearsal” tempo because that’s the only one he can adopt and still keep everybody together. The recorded sound is very odd (and the engineering is credited to the “Christian Recording Studios” whose technicians, presumably, didn’t have a whole lot of experience recording big symphonic block-busters). The strings are thin, but reasonably well balanced; the winds are subdued, but they sound pretty good when you can hear them properly. Alas, the brass and percussion are so distant and timidly-miked that they might as well be playing in another room – that’s just deadly in the “Dies Irae”, where the bass drum, for God’s sake, is all-but-inaudible!
The album itself is also kind of strange. It’s an old-fashioned set with heavy board covers, embossed leatherette spine and each of the two discs comes in a heavy-gauge manila sleeve. But GET THIS: they’re pressed on translucent RED vinyl! The labels are completely blank, too. I had to audition the discs before numbering the sides. Over the 55 years this set was in somebody’s bookcase, it’s collected quite a few light scratches, but only one major skip-spot. After my groove-sucker had a few passes over them, the surfaces were in better shape than I would have guessed possible.
I still found this a more-than-passable performance, considering the size of the forces available and the transient make-up of the personnel. Everyone seems to be giving it their all (except for the engineers, who should have been fired after the first play-back test) and a lot of their dedication still comes through! For those of you who’ve attended the Brevard Festival, either as audience members or as alumni, this set is self-recommending: an aural snapshot of this now-famous event, taken during its raw, economically shaky infancy.
Please note that, due to the conductor’s careful, slow tempi in the more challenging sections, I cannot squeeze the entire piece on to one CD. But I feel really chintzy about charging for two CDs when one of them contains only the final movement. So I’m selling this one for the price of a single CD ($13.50, as usual), and if you WANT some more music to fill up the second disc, go ahead and pick out about an hour’s worth and I’ll throw that in as a bonus, for no extra charge. Fair enough?]
Requiem. Toscanini; Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, recorded in the autumn of 1950. [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
VIOTTI, Giovanni:
Violin Concerto No. 5. Yehudi Menuhin, live; other performers & date unknown [Wish I could tell you more, but from the sound and the relatively un-flawed bowing by Menuhin, I would guess mid-Fifties. It’s an unabashed show-off piece, but the tunes are good, the pyrotechnics thrilling, and Menuhin tosses it off with the kind of what-me-worry? insouciance that would become such a painful struggle for him from the Sixties on. Decent mono off-the-radio sound, favors the soloist – as it should, since he or she has all the good parts. Studio recordings of the Viotti concerti are pretty rare; this performance is good fun, as is the music – nothing profound was intended and within those parameters, Viotti composed very assured and highly agreeable music.]
VOLKMANN, Robert (1815-1883): (Well, Brahms thought he was a fair-to-middling colleague, so if you like Brahms, here’s a solid if uninspired contemporary…)
Cello Concerto, Op. 33. Thomas Blees, cello; Alois Springer; Hamburg S.O.
Piano Concerto, Op. 42. Pierre Cao, piano; Alois Springer; Lumembourg R.S.
WAGNER:
“Lohengrin”, Preludes fo Acts 1 & 3. Hans Swarowsky; Vienna Symphony
Magic Fire Music from “Die Walkure” Hans Swarowsky; Vienna Symphony Orch.
“Die Meistersinger”—Dance of the Apprentices only. Massimo Freccia; Vienna State Opera Orchestra
“Die Meistersinger”, Prelude to. Hans Swarowsky; Vienna Symphony Orch.
Polonia Overture Gerhard Pfluger; Radio Leipzig S.O. (Generic but rather stirring…)
Ride of the Valkyries from “Die Walkure”. Hans Swarowsky; Vienna Symphony. [See comment under CONDUCTORS]
Siegfried’s Rhine Journey from “Gotterdammerung”. Hans Swarowsky; Vienna Symphony Orch.
Symphony in C Major. Adolf Fritz Guhl (Don’t you LOVE that name?); S.O. of Radio Berlin (East), c. 1950. (For 30 years, this was the only recording of this pleasant, tuneful, academic exercise in sonata form. You would never guess this young student would later write so many masterpieces…)
Traume (Dreams). Douglas Gamley; RCA Victor Symphony Orch. [A valentine from the composer to Mathilde Wesendonck, the Bavarian cow he was temporarily smitten with in the mid-1850s. “Oh, Richard, you shouldn’t have!”]
WALDTEUFEL, Emile (1837-1915):
Estudiantina Waltz. Charles Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra
Von WEBER:
Concertino for Clarinet & Orch., Op. 26. Michele Zukovsky, Clarinet; MEHTA; Los Angelese Philharmonic Orch. (T: 9:25)
“Der Freishuetz”. Furtwangler; see data under “Operas”
Piano Concerto No. 1. Malcolm Frager, piano; Schoenzler; London S.O. (T: 20:02)
Piano Concerto No. 2. “ “ “ “ (T: 23:42)
Symphony No. 1. Hans-Hubert Schoenzler; London S. O. (T: 24:39)
Symphony No. 2. “ “ “ “ (Time: 29:59)
“Turandot” Overture & March. Hans-Hubert Schoenzler; London S.O. (T: 6:34)
WEINBERGER:
“Polka & Fugue” from “Schwanda”. Gerhardt; National Philharmonic Orchestra [Is there any word in any language funnier than the German word for “bagpiper”?]
WIENIAWSKI,
Concert Polonaise, Op. 4. Glenn Dichterow, violin; MEHTA; Los Angeles P.O. (T: 4:28)
Scherzo & Tarantelle, Op. 16. Glenn Dichterow, violin; MEHTA; L A. Phil. (5:26)
WIJDEVELD, Wolfgang:
Sonata for Violin & Piano. Joan Berkhemer, violin; Jan Gruithuyzen, piano. [7:10]
WOLF, Hugo:
Italian Serenade. Knappertsbusch; Berlin Philharmonic, live, 1952.
Italian Serenade – Excerpt. Netherlands String Quartet. [6:45]