TROTTERBOOKS.COM
LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN THE ATTIC!
(New Listings for July 2005)
New Sections:
Opera and Esoterica
Solo Virtuosi & Chamber Ensembles
FILM MUSIC AND MUSICAL THEATER
All Attic Classic pages updated!
Solo Virtuosi & Chamber Ensembles
CONDUCTOR LISTINGS:
COLLINS, Anthony:
Elgar: Falstaff, Op. 60, w/ London SO
GOOSENS, Sir Eugene:
Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony, Op. 58, w/ London SO.
MARKEVITCH:
Stravinsky: Le Sacred du Printemps. Live, RIAS Orchestra of Berlin, 1952. Markevitch never gave a dull or low-voltage performance of this score, and if you appreciate his raw-barbaric-yowp approach (why bother playing Le Sacre at all if you want to prettify it?), you’ll want to add this, probably the earliest of his performances that survives, to your "Rite of Spring" collection.
REPERTORY LISTINGS:
BLISS, Sir Arthur:
A Colour Symphony. Composer conducting; London SO.
ENESCO, Georges:
Octet in C Major, Op. 7. Silvestri; String Ensemble of the Romanian Sate SO. (Here we’re shown an aesthetic about as far removed from that of the Romanian Rhapsodies as you can imagine – more austere than folksy and never likely to be a crowd-pleaser, but it really, really deserves an occasional hearing. I think this is its only recording, and, predictably, Silvestri makes the juices flow with ideal idiomatic rhythms & colors. (Time: pproximately 38 minutes)
KVANDAL, Johan:
"Antagonia", Op. 38. (Concerto for two String Orchestras & Percussion). Karsten Andersen; Norwegian Youth SO. (Time: 24:11)
Concerto for Oboe & Strings, Op. 46. Mariss Jansons; Erik Niord Larsen, oboe; Oslo PO. (Time: 20:09)
Concerto for Violin & Orch., Op. 52. Frantisek Veselka, violin; Jiri Starek; Trondheim SO. (Time: 30:02)
STOLTZER, Thomas (1480-1526) – A major, recent, and most felicitous discovery for me! Stoltzer was court composer to Ludwig II of Hungary/Bohemia, and left more than 150 works in every style of his time, from Church music of great seriousness to charming instrumental ditties. Not to stretch an analogy, but I am reminded of Albrecht Deurer (damn, I wish these keyboards had umlauts!), at least in terms of range and technical skill. His death was as absurd as his career was stellar: he fell into a freezing river during a trip from the court at Ofen to Prague, and was dead before his companions could fish him out.
The Four German Psalms:
Psalm 37, "Fret not thyself because of Evil-Doers" (Time: 19:19)
Psalm 12, "Help Lord, for the Faithful Fall" (Time: 7:05)
Psalm 13, "How long wilt Thou forget me, O Lord?" (Time: 4:35)
Psalm 86, "Bow down thine ear, O Lord". (Time: 10:32)
Also these works by Stoltzer:
Missa Duplex, for any time of the Year. (Time: 17:14)
Accessit ad pedes (And stood at his feet), a responsory. (Time: 3:48)
O admirabile commercium (O, wondrous exchange…), a Christmas antiphon (T: 2:54)
In Gottes Namen fahren wir (In God’s name fare we forth) (Time: 1:20)
Koenig ein Herr… (King and Lord of all…) (4-part setting of lyrics by Duke Albrecht of Prussia) (Time: 5:47)
De Sancto Martino (Hymn to St. Martin) (Time: 2:42)
Octo Tonarum Melodiae (Delightful instrumental pieces for varied combos; total timing is 9:11)
All performances by the Capella Antiqua of Munich; Konrad Ruhland, conductor
ANTHEMS FROM KING’S COLLEGE ("English Cathedral Anthems from 1890-1940")
Bainton, Ernest: And I saw a new Heaven…
Bairstow, Edward: Let all Mortal Flesh…
Bullock, Ernest: Give us the Wings of Faith
Darke, Harold: O Gladsome Light!
Gardner, Henry Balfour: The Evening Hymn
Hadley, Patrick: My Beloved Spake
Harris, William: Faire is the Heaven…
Harwood, Basil: O, How Glorious…
Lay, Henry: A Prayer for King Henry VI.
Naylar, Edward: Vox Decentis: Clama…
Parry, Sir Hubert: I was glad…
Stanford, Sir Charles: Beati Quorum via.
Wood, Charles: Hail, Gladdening Light!
All performed by Sir David Willcox & the Choir of King’s College Church, Cambridge. Organist: James Lancelot
SOLOISTS & CHAMBER GROUPS:
BADURA-SKODA, PAUL:
Beethoven: Sonata No. 14 ("Moonlight"), 1st movement only!!
Brahms: Rhapsody in G Minor, Op. 79/No. 4
Chopin: Nocturne No 8 (Op. 27/No. 1)
" : Waltz No. 6 (Op. 64 – "Minute Waltz") (Guess the timing!)
Strauss, Johann: Pizzicato Polka (arr. by Schulhoff)
Weber: Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65
MORAVEC:
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 14, K. 449, w/ Josef Vlac, Czech PO. (T: 22:02)
" : Piano Concerto No. 23, K. 488, w/ Vlac; Czech PO. (T: 26:53)
SHOWS, SOUNDTRACKS, & SPOKEN WORD:
"Spoon River Anthology" (Edgar Lee Masters) From the early Sixties, in good stereo, a staged reading/production of Masters’ poetic epic. An impressive cast: Betty Garrett; Robert Elston; Joyce van Patten; Charles Aidman. (Source tape has no timings; approx. 50 minutes)
"To Have and Have Not" (Ernest Hemingway) Charming example of Golden Age Radio Theater (October 14, 1946), starring Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall!
ODDBALL FIND OF THE MONTH:
"Mickey Spillane Reads a Mike Hammer Adventure". (w/ music by Stan Purdy). (Source is a 10-inch LP issued by the "VL" label – maybe their only release! I had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Spillane -- who really is a most charming, quick-witted, and affable gentleman without the slightest pretensions of "literary" stature – as in, "Of course I write this stuff for money! And I’ve had a damned good time doing it, too!" – and as far as he remembers, only two thousand copies were pressed; distribution was apparently by pack mules and mentally deficient St. Bernards, because he himself never saw a copy in any record store, and was flabbergasted to see me holding one. Exactly where I found it, I cannot remember – "thrift" store probably, sometime around 1959 – and it had been "rode hard and put up wet" by the time I bought it, so expect considerable sonic grunge. But what a camp classic! Spillane reads his own script in a voice like a bucket full of rusty bolts, and Purdy’s soundtrack makes the music from "Peter Gunn" sound like late Beethoven, but it too is charming in its generic "tough guy" style. I wish the Source were in better condition, but at least it’s playable and understandable, and your chances of ever hearing it or finding another copy are significantly less than your chances of spotting the Loch Ness Monster in the Central Park reservoir. Timing is roughly 25 minutes. If you’ve read this far, you already know whether this is for you or not, but without doubt, it’s been one of my most popular Party Records for four decades – wait until you hear Spillane’s hard-breathing dialogue with the slinky dame named…Velda!