CONDUCTORS:

Rimsky Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol. w/ Suisse-Romande Orchestra [This is Ansermet’s first, mono, recording, and it has irresistible sparkle and panache, if not the lush Slavicism of Beecham (in Coq d’Or ) or the barn-burning flamboyant virtuosity of Stokowski and the Czech Phil (in the Capriccio] – that kind of showmanship wasn’t in Ansermet’s blood. But his virtues of clarity, elegant phrasing, and Gallic élan are definitely well-represented. This is a VERY early London 12-inch (only no. 627 in their catalogue) and hard to find in playable condition. My copies got some brief rough spots, but it’s as clean as any you’re likely to find and the basic sound is honest and full.]

Rimsky-Korsakov: Le Coq d’Or Suite. w/ Suisse-Romande Orchestra

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, "Pathetique". w/ Halle Orchestra [43:41] [One doesn’t usually think of Sir John as a "Tchaikovsky guy", and I certainly never paid any attention to this release during the brief time Vanguard licensed it from Pye Records in the U.K., but upon hearing it recently for the first time I was mightily impressed. Sir John was a conductor of great passion and emotionalism (sometimes to the detriment of precise ensemble), and this music obviously struck a deep nerve in his Italian-British soul. In short, it proved to be one hell of an exciting, moving resplendent "Pathetique", in very fine stereo sound (it was taped in 1963). Just one example of many: he brings out vividly, in Movement III, the gruff but usually subdued brass counterpoint beneath the march rhythm, giving the culminating bars a jagged, startling edginess so effective, so powerful in context, that you wonder why so few other conductors have focused on it (I’ve only heard that kind of emphasis once in a live performance by the Russian State Symphony, live at Wake Forest University, under a second-string conductor so obscure I can’t even remember his name! It was simply electrifying (and predictably, I heard some patrons grumping as they exited about "vulgarity" and dynamics "so loud it hurt my ears". Really? Okay, you old bag, next time sit in the balcony! Maybe the composer wanted it to hurt your ears! Anyway, Barbirolli does much the same thing, only he also does it, sparingly and tastefully, in other movements as well. Result? A very fresh, potent, virile reading of a sagging old warhorse that’s almost never played at face value anymore! This almost totally forgotten recording now joins my Short List of favorite "Pathetiques" (Bernstein’s last, darkest, longest recording (conducting on the edge of the Abyss!); Mravinsky/Leningrad Philharmonic in an iteration never released over here – I bought my copy in Leningrad; Furtwangler’s noble pre-war Berlin classic; Paul Van Kempen’s near-berserk ear-assault with the Concertgebouw; Mengelberg’s with the same band; and the live Stokowski reading from Music & Arts – don’t bother with the studio one on RCA, as it offers but a pale shadow of the intensity Stokie could bring to this score; the fourth movement in the live Croydon performance is conducted so magnificently, so cunningly, that I always get goosebumps and sometimes tears. Them’s my favorites…for the moment, anyhow, and now I humbly add Sir John’s to the list) If you love this piece, too, I recommend this obscure reading most urgently.]

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, Op. 125. w/ Frankfurt Radio Symphony & Choir; Teresa Stich-Randall; Marga Hoffgen; Karl Friederich; Gottlob Frick; live, 9/ 29/ 1954 [No timing on Source]

Brahms: Symphony No. 1, Op. 68. w/ RIAS Orchestra, Berlin, live, 4/13/1950

Mozart: Symphony No. 35, "Haffner" w/ RIAS Orchestra, Berlin, live; 4/9/ 1951

Schubert: Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished"). Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; live 8/25/1957

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7. w/ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; rec. 1961’ stereo [Most interesting! Sir Colin, then just beginning his fast-track ascent, turns in a much more animated, subjective, and impassioned reading than you might expect from his later, mature-period Beethoven, which tended to be a too much stiff-upper-lip for my taste. The early HMV stereo is effective despite a slight touch of congestion in the more heavily modulated passages. Quite a nice surprise, actually.]

Stravinsky: Jeux de Cartes. w/ Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; live, early 80s. [22:25]

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1. w/ Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, 1954. [It’s always worthwhile listening to a Jallas interpretation; he was, after all, the composer’s son-in-law. Good sound for its age, too.]

Brahms: Symphony No. 4. w/ Berlin Philharmonic; live, 7/8/1951. [Broad, autumnal, very poetic reading, in surprisingly fine sound for a mono air-check of this age. A more compelling reading, I think, than Jochum’s commercial one. No timing given on Source.]

Dvorak: Symphony No. 8. w/ Cincinnati Symphony Orch. [A vibrant, well-played, surprisingly idiomatic reading; what makes this a special listing is the fact that it is also in STEREO, and dates from 1953 (in that format it was issued only as a "binaural" tape and there weren’t many systems capable of play-back!).

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances. Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; live, 1978 [Crackling with fire and dash, oozing with Slavic soul! Except for two one-second drop-outs from the FM signal, the sound is resplendent. The more I hear this piece – the composer’s last for orchestra – the more I think it may well be his greatest work in that form. If Kondrashin’s fiery reading doesn’t convince you of that, no conductor’s will.]

Beethoven: Cantata on the Death of Emperor Franz Josef II, Op. 196-a. w/ Ilona Steingruber, soprano; Alfred Poell, baritone; Vienna Symphony & Singakademie Choir. [This is an admitted potboiler, albeit one of remarkable dimensions, and is rarely given live; it’s just more trouble than it’s worth. There’ve never been a large number of recordings available at any given time, but those that have appeared have all been worthy. Krauss was an excellent conductor for this kind of work, giving it shape, a strong backbone, judicious tempi, finding just the right mixture of public sentiment and private expressiveness, imparting a glow of elegance and never pushing for heights of drama that simply aren’t in the score to begin with. I don’t know the date of the recording, but it sounds perfectly consistent with the early Fifties, when Krauss was at his best (well, he died fairly young, so maybe that’s not such a hot compliment); anyhow, the interpretation is right on the money to my ears, and if you’re curious to hear this heffalumping concoction you’ll not find a better introduction to it. Pity there’s no stereo, but the mono sound is decently balanced and the performers sound wholly committed.]

Faure: Requiem. Nadine Sautereau, soprano; Bernard Demigny, baritone; Paris Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus. [An exceedingly rare recording, Sourced from a relatively unblemished MMS 10-incher. Leibowitz collectors take note – never been reissued.]

Mendelssohn: Fingal’s Cave Overture, Op. 26. w/ Hamburg Philharmonic. [Excellent]

Sibelius: Finlandia. w/ Philharmonia Orchestra.

Von Weber: Invitation to the Dance. w/ Philharmonia Orchestra, rec. 1951

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, "Eroica". w/ Concertgebouw of Amsterdam [47:30]

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3. [It’s on the elusive and always grotty-sounding "Royale" label; there’s not even a bogus name for the orchestra; not even a crude anagram for the soloist. Whoever they are, they’re good – really good. It’s an alert, crisply articulated reading with solid orchestral backing in what sounds like an acoustically faithful concert hall. More experienced and better-funded collectors than I have tried mightily to locate any documents from Royale and its ilk – all have vanished. What makes it even more curious is that SOMETIMES these labels identified their artists; SOMETIMES they made punny little anagrams and pig-Latin allusions to real artists who might or might not be on the discs; and sometimes, like here, they were mute as the sphinx. Like 99 % of the copies you’ll ever see from these ancient gypsy labels, this concerto was issued on brittle, rimless, noisy surfaces, a compound I have labeled "Not-Vinyl", and if you played them more than five times, the stylus started audibly chewing into the grooves; twenty plays and the discs began to turn gray. And they’re all filthy – literally; you didn’t have to touch them, just walking near them was enough to suck fingerprints, food grease, cat dander, and fuzzy crap you probably don’t want to know more about all over the playing surfaces. I’ve got better and I’ve got worse – you CAN hear the music pretty good. I’ll dub these suckers for ten bucks instead of twelve, as long as you’re aware of what you’re getting!]

Dmitriev: From "The Russian Primary Chronicle" Cantata. [See comments under "Composers"]

Elgar: Pomp & Circumstance No. 1, Op. 39. w/ "Proms Festival Orchestra"; live; opening concert of the 1951 Proms season; audience joins in; very splendid moment; there’ll always be an Elgar! See more comments under "Composers"]

Brahms: Symphony No. 2. w/ NWDR Symphony Orchestra of Hamburg. [An exceedingly rare Capitol LP, in very good shape, apparently recorded during this relatively young orchestra’s first American tour. An under-appreciated conductor, though deeply respected, H.S-I began his career in the opera pits of second-tier cities (Wuppertal, Darmstadt, Rostock), spent the war years as chief conductor of the German Opera House in Berlin, and founded the NDWR orchestra in 1945, as a way to rehabilitate the cultural life of Hamburg. His Beethoven cycle for London, though currently long O/P, was well-regarded. His reading of the Sibelius Second – already listed – is one of my favorites. For what it’s worth, my uncle John Scott Trotter (yes, the "band leader", who was also a thoroughly trained classical musician and one hell of a nice guy) was close friend of this conductor (as he was of Sir George Solti), and regarded him as a musician and a man of abiding integrity, and also a great companion for extensive beer-drinking and bull-shitting, which is not as aspect of H.S.-I.’s personality that comes through in his photos – what a distinguished-looking gentleman!]

Mozart: Symphony No. 38, "Prague". w/ Chicago Symphony.

Schumann: Symphony No. 4. w/ Chicago Symphony [Two recently acquired and exceedingly rare Columbia "Entre" transfers, c. 1951. Decent sound and sturdy, eloquent readings. Three minor, uncorrectable Skippies – pretty reasonable considering the age of the LP – two in the Schumann, one in the Mozart, both very brief interruptions.]

Harp Concerto in D Major, ("God Save the King"). Annie Challan, harp; Couraud; Antiqua Musica Ensemble [9:47]

Cantata on the Death of Emperor Franz Joseph II, Op. 196-A. Clemens Krauss; Soloists; Vienna Symphony Orchestra & Singakademie Choir. [42:35][See comments under "Conductors"]

Piano Concerto No. 3. Artists, date, and venue utterly unknown. [See "Mystery Maestro of the Month"]

Piano Sonata No. 23, F Minor, Op. 57, "Appasionata". Nicolas Medtner, piano. [See comments under "Chamber Ensembles & Solo Virtuosi"]

Quartet No. 13, B Flat Major, Op. 130. Fine Arts Quartet

Symphony No. 3, "Eroica". Pierre Monteux; Concertgebouw of Amsterdam. [47:30]

Symphony No. 7. Colin Davis; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; rec. 1961 [See comments under "Conductors"]

Symphony No. 9, Op 125. Karl Bohm; Frankfurt Radio Symphony & Chorus; live, 9/29/ 1954 [See comments under "Conductors"]

Symphony No. 1. Performers, date, and venue unknown. Source is a good quality off-air copy of a BBC broadcast, sent to me about 20 years ago by a colleague in the UK. He thought I would "love it". I thanked him profusely, of course, but in truth I’ve never been able to warm to this wartime symphony by one of Australian’s most distinguished composers. I don’t know why, either, because it’s the sort of piece I generally DO warm up to very fast. Anyhow, I can vouch for Sir Arthur’s impeccable craftsmanship, sincerity and noble intent – you may well find it a major and deeply satisfying work. In time, I may, too, but I’ll need to listen a few more times (probably played it thrice since I got it, including yesterday when I dubbed it on to a blank CD) and I will say that it’s a deep enough work to require a bit more exposure than THAT. Anyway, here ‘tis. Apparently, the chap who dubbed it for me timed it out when HE dubbed it, so it clocks in at 38:41 and the performers, whoever they are, play it very well.]

Symphony No. 1. Karl Bohm; RIAS symphony, Berlin; Live, 4/13/ 1950 [See comments under "Conductors"]

Symphony No. 2. Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt; NDWR Symphony Orchestra. [A very rare early Capital LP, recorded during this young orchestra’s first U.S. tour; S-I conducts with his customary strength and insight, generating considerable drama. Good mono sound. A fine conductor’s only recording of this repertoire staple.]

Symphony No. 4. Eugene Jochum; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; live, 7/8/1951. [See comments under "Conductors"]

"Il Festino della sera del’ Giovedi Grasso Avanti Cena’". Franco Saraceni; The Luca Marenzio Ensemble [16:00]

Symphony No. 9 (first recordings of original score). Dr. Siegmund von Hausseger; Munich Philharmonic Orchestra; rec. 1938 [As most Brucknerites know, the situation vis-à-vis the composer’s original orchestrations was confused and contentious for many years. Bruckner’s friend, and self-described "disciple", Ferdinand Loewe, seeking only to make the Master’s works more "accessible" to a wider audience, extensively reworked many passages in this symphony, smoothing the harmonies, rounding the climaxes, "helping" the composer to make proper, textbook transitions, and in general doing a major job of painting moustaches on the Mona Lisa. After a manuscript score was located and painstakingly compared to Leowe’s published version, many musicologists believed the edited version was much inferior, minimizing the composer’s originality and his rough-hewn power. One night in April, 1932 – before an invited audience – the Munich orchestra played both versions side by side. Loewe’s good intentions were unanimously judged a near-forgery, and from that night on, the composer’s original version has been the accepted and sanctified iteration. This recording documents it for the first time, only six years after that "contest", and von Hausseger was a Bruckner specialist respected throughout the world. He was also, on the evidence of this profoundly stirring recording, a conductor of no small genius, for this relic compares favorably – in flow, tempo-relationships, and overall cumulative sweep -- with any modern recording you care to name. Only an occasional, minor, horn bobble indicates the less-than-world-class status of the Munich orchestra at this time. And the sound captured by the German Telefunken engineers is astonishingly full, rich, and clear, with wide dynamics, ample hall ambience, and impressive weight in the climaxes. Everyone who loves Bruckner’s music should hear this – my Source is an ancient Past Master’s LP, in fine condition, which in turn was carefully transferred from a pristine pre-war set of German 78s. It’s one of the rarest and most distinguished items in my holdings.]

Canticum in Honorem Sancti Ludovici Regis Galliae. Louis Devos; Musica Polyphonica Ensemble; Madrigal Choir of Ghent [16:09]

Mors Saulis et Jonathae. Louis Devos; Musica Polyphonica Ensemble; Madrigal Choir of Ghent [38:26]

From "The Russian Primary Chronicle", Oratorio for Bass, Tenor, Chorus and Orchestra. Rozhdestvensky; Alexie Martynov, tenor; Anatoli Safiulin, bass; Boys Choir of the Moscow Choral Academy; USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orch. [48:00] [The "Primary Chronicle" is a priceless Eleventh Century document tracing the rise of the powerful dynasty of Kiev, Russia’s first capitol, and already it’s filled with tub-thumping allusions to the rough state’s "historic destiny", along with disparagements of the unsavory barbarian tribes inhabiting that region at that remote time. It’s also a work of rough-hewn poetic power in many places, although not quite as stirring as "The Ballad of Igor’s Raid", which is my favorite ancient Russian work. Dmitriev’s a basically conservative composer, in subject matter, but he eschews the rousing populist style of Alexander Nevsky, say. He transcribes the ancient verses into stark, dark, at times harmonically acidic musical stanzas (Movement II has some "Tales from the Crypt" string glissandi that creeped me out!) \, and the vocalists mostly declaim in a kind of Slavic form of Sprechstimme. There’s also a ghostly harpsichord part that twines in and out of the musical line in the manner of a jittery serpent. This is a rather idiosyncratic take on the subject matter, and doesn’t sound much like what you’d expect from the title. But it’s a strong, at times gripping, cantata, which Rozhdestvensky conducts with total dedication. The early stereo from Melodiya is very clean and well-balanced. In sum, a genuine "sleeper", and a piece that should have wide appeal to fans of 20^th Century Russian music.]

Harp Concerto in C Major. Annie Challan, harp; Marcel Couaud; Antiqua Musica Ensemble [13:54]

Pomp & Circumstances No. 1, Op. 39. [A very special souvenir, this: the grand opening of the 1951 "Proms" season at Royal Albert Hall. Bizarrely, the first 2-3 NOTES of the music are missing – not just on my dub, but on the tape itself. Sorry about that, but the rest of this grandiose, ceremonial performance comes through vividly, especially that Goosebump Moment when the audience starts singing lustily – Sir Malcolm thoughtfully broadens the tempo so everybody can stay together – along with the elemental organ bass. Very stirring! The original recordist, whoever he was, thoughtfully omitted the yells and clapping at the end. Yes, it’s corny, but consider what Great Britain had recently gone through, in 1951, and you can understand where this Edwardian fervor comes from.]

"Caligula", scenes from. Roger Norrington; Orchestra & Chorus of the Monte Carlo Opera.

"Prometheus", scenes from. Roger Norrington; Orchestra & Chorus of the Monte Carlo Opera. [One of Sir Roger’s earliest recordings, before he discovered the "original" instrument schtick that broke him out of the pack and launched his career. He was a pedantic conductor even then, and Faure’s portrait of Caligula is pretty mild – some minor exoticism in the score, but no allusions to madness, cruelty, and incest! Phooey! Still, it’s agreeable music, if rather pale, and this is the only recording.]

Requiem. Rene Leibowitz; Soloists, Chorus & Paris Philharmonic Orchestra. [See comments under "Conductors"]

Piano Quintet. Stanley Quartet, U. of Michigan, w/ Beveridge Webster, piano [22:38]

"Andrea Chenier" – "La momma morta!" ["Quick, daughter, fetch the priest!"] Eva Marton; Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti [See comments under "Opera & Solo Vocalists"]

String Octet, Op. 5. The Dornbusch & Buchberger String Quartets [What a marvelous surprise this turned out to be! No trace of the blood-and-thunder of "Ilya Murometz" or the glib facility of the harp concerto here! The octet is superbly structured, using the two quartets antiphonally sometimes, and at others to produce a lush, quasi-orchestral wash of Slavic tone colors, Gliere sounds like a ripe combination of Borodin and Dvorak (with more than a touch of Schumann smiling through the swirling lines of the Allegro assai finale)! It doesn’t out-stay its welcome, nor does it ever fall back on clichés. It’s a fresh, mostly sunny work, filled with high spirits and instantly beguiling tunes. The two quartets – neither of which I’d ever heard of until I lucked-out finding this disc -- hail from southern Germany, but they have a wonderful Slavic swing to their playing that really sells this inexplicably obscure piece. TBOMK (for new visitors that’s my acronym for "To the best of my knowledge) this is the first and only recording of this charming work (that’s probably true as well for the Shostakovich octet), and I can scarcely imagine a better one. The sonics are also fine: spacious and warm and very natural. Where has this piece been all my life?]

Ballet Music from the Operas. Leppard; English Chamber Orchestra. [Delightful, suave music-making in warm crystalline sound from a L’Oiseau-Lyre LP in near mint condition and 44 years old!]

Symphony No. 12 in E. Max Goberman; Vienna State Opera Orch. [14:09]

Symphony No. 13 in D " " " " " " [17:24]

Symphony No. 14 in A. " " " " " " [12:38]

Symphony No. 15 in D. " " " " " " [17:57]

Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 30. Ladislav Slovak; Michal Karin, piano; Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra.

Heroic Ballad for String Orchestra, Op. 32. Ludovit Rajter; Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra [When the ambitious series "Musica Nova Bohemia et Slovenia" first appeared, those regions were still firmly controlled by Communist regimes, albeit not as brutal as they were in the Stalinist era. Mr. Kardos, for instances, was for many years a bureaucratic functionary in an organization known by the acronym "SLUK", which, despite its James-Bond-ian connotations, only stood for "Slovak Artistic and Popular Ensemble)! It’s hard to say what kind of composer he is now, or became after the Velvet Revolution – neither of these pieces is BAD, mind you, nor stiflingly conformist, as some of Khrennikov’s (poor sod) works are to an almost embarrassing degree. The Ballad is obviously a tub-thumping musical propaganda piece, and the "heroism" evoked by this string ensemble is sincere but not especially moving (if you want to hear what a composer of genius can do with such subjects, just listen to the Shostakovich Eleventh! I find both of these works mildly enjoyable; the full-orchestra piece would be much more so, if Kardos demonstrated an ability to come up with – like Bartok in his Concerto.For Orchestra -- even a handful of memorable themes. Here, there’s much hustle and bustle, but not enough really outstanding solo passages to give the work as a whole the ‘concertante:" quality its name implied. God knows both conductors and musicians strive mightily to ignite the scores, but both works have fundamentally "hollow" feeling about them. I suppose, at the end of the day, these are as close to "definitive" readings as we’re likely to get. The mono sound is good, if a little on the shrill side, but the Slovak orchestra sounds like the country cousin of the Czech Philharmonic, and the series presentation (flimsy fold-over albums, heavy platters with NO protective rims) didn’t protect the LPs inside very well. Some obnoxious noises at the start of the Concerto for Orchestra cause momentary snarls, but most of the album is perfectly listenable, if unexceptional even by Communist Bloc monaural standards. Why beat around the bush? Collectors who’re interested in this era and this region, will find the music sporadically engaging; for the rest of us, it’s a virtual paradigm of "second-rate" noodling as only a truly servile Party Hack could grind it out.]

"Gayne" Suite. Composer; Philharmonia Orchestra. [Khatchaturian was a vigorous and skilled conductor – of his own music, at least; I’ve read he was also good at others’ music too, but he never recorded any or performed any live outside the borders of the USSR). I saw him rehearse his still unrecorded First Symphony and his still unrecorded (in the West at least) Cello Concerto at Stokowski’s invitation, with the American Symphony in 1968; for a description of the man and his bluff but hearty podium style, see the Cumulative 20^th Century catalogue where those two pieces are offered for dubs – this website may be the only place in the world where those two works can be ordered. It helps, of course, if you’re really fond of Khatchaturian, whom most intellectuals profess to despise (I can dig it; the man hadn’t a CLUE when it came to formal development and variations; on the other hand, how many adept technicians could write the sort of earthy pungent melodies HE could knock off by the tractor-load?). This here’s his FIRST recording for a Western label (Angel / EMI). Walter Legg imported him from the USSR in 1958 or 1959 and turned him loose on the ever-so-well-bred musicians of the Philharmonia – whom Khatchaturian turned into a mob of sweaty Armenian stevedores by the time the tape was rolling. Despite being taped only in mono (far as I know; never seen a stereo copy), the sonics are still terrific and except for a minor spot of inner groove distortion which NO stylus I’ve ever installed could track, my copy is in excellent shape. I know, I know – you probably don’t much care, but chill out. Be not another effete snob! Ol’ Aram’s music can be FUN. And what honest composer, in his heart of hearts, wouldn’t confess that he’d commit every unspeakable crime in the annals of villainy to have just ONE cross-over hit like the "Sabre Dance"???]

"Masquerade" Suite. Composer; Philharmonia Orchestra.

"Der Raucher’ A Rhapsody for Cello & Orchestra. Karel Chalupa, cello; Jan Stych; Martinu Chamber Orchestra. [This is really an enjoyable piece, a chamber-sized cello concerto with first-rate themes skillfully developed. And yet, the title puzzles me to the point of vexation! In German "Raucher" means "the smoker" or "a smoker". It’s quite an unambiguous word, has no subtle nuances, it simply means: "one who smokes". What this has to do with the music, I’m at a total loss to tell you. The brief program notes on my Source copy include only the spare biography and something about how the composer "intended this work to be a showcase for his gifts as a melodist". Fair enough; Herr Kont certainly CAN write a nice tune… But perhaps he can only do so whilst puffing on a big Freudian cigar. Or maybe the cellist is required to puff while he plays. Anybody out there who knows German better than I do (haven’t spoken any for 40-odd years) and has a suggestion, I’d be very happy to hear from you! What the hell, it’s a good piece, about 18 minutes long and impeccably performed here.]

Serenade for Orchestra, Op. 48. Karl Osterreicher; Lower Austrian Tonkunstler Orchestra. [So "Karl the Austrian" ("Osterreicher") is now conducting this band – who would have thunk it? This is an interesting piece, too; sort of like what Hindemith might be composing if he’d lived until the late Nineties. It’s maybe a bit too clever and coy for it’s own good (when a composer intentionally takes the musical line in a totally unexpected direction TOO many times, it becomes a gimmick, just like too much dissonance in a piece that really doesn’t need more than a pinch of it to make its point. Milhaud did this trick too many times, for one, and Herr Leukauf isn’t quite in that league yet. Still. This IS clever and entertaining music, in a performance that really sparkles. Recommended for the adventurous.]

LOEILLET, Jean-Baptiste (1680-1730): [All I can tell you is that he came from a large musical family – several relatives held court positions – which came from and flourished in, the region around Ghent. The music is extremely pleasant and well-crafted, it decorates the background while you sweep the floors or fold the laundry, and that’s about all it was SUPPOSED to do. Originality of style and personal emotion, well, those came before him (in the yeastiest decades of the Baroque) and after him (the Mannheim School of Classicism and the early Romantics). "Sewing machine music" sounds like too much of a put-down, because when you’re in the right mood for this kind of stuff, um…you’re in the right mood for it! It’s certainly attractive, after the fashion of the period and in this conformist style; even more so is the impeccable playing of Herr Conrad and his two colleagues, and the absolutely beautiful in-the-room-with-you sound of this very obscure record; close to mint condition, too.]

Sonata in A Minor, Op. 1 / No. 1. Ferdinand Conrad, recorder; Hugo Ruf, harpsichord; Johannes Koch, viola da gamba. [8:40]

Sonata in D Minor, Op. 1 / No. 2. Ferdinand Conrad, recorder; Hugo Ruf, harpsichord; Johannes Koch, viola da gamba. [10:01]

Sonata in G Major, Op. 1 / No. 3. Ferdinand Conrad, recorder; Hugo Ruf, harpsichord; Johannes Koch, viola da gamba [6:39]

Sonata in B-Flat Major, Op. 3 / No. 9. Ferdinand Conrad, recorder; Hugo Ruf, harpsichord; Johannes Koch, viola da gamba [8:29]

Sonata in F Minor, Op. 4 / No. 11. Ferdinand Conrad, recorder; Hugo Ruf, harpsichord; Johannes Koch, viola da gamba [8:18]

Symphony No. 8. Conductor, orchestra & venue, unknown – clearly it’s taped from a BBC broadcast; maybe the FIRST broadcast, although it must not be the actual premiere, due to the lack of any audience noises. The general consensus seems to be forming that Lloyd was one of the best second-rate neo-romantic composers of the late 20^th Century (how’s that for damning with faint praise?), but I think time will sort things out to the extent that he squeaks by into the first-rate category. I don’t think that George (no, I didn’t know him personally, but we swapped a few letters; I and two other collectors must have been among his first enthusiastic American fans and even HAVING "fans" was such a novel experience for the already-seventy-year-old composer that he was happy to write some rather long, chatty letters in his own very clear and legible hand) really gave a damn. It was enough for him to know his music was being recorded, at long last, and that some people, at least, were intensely drawn to it. Yes, he had a hard time writing memorable tunes, but also yes, he was magnificently gifted as an orchestrator, which kind of made up for that (a banal melody exquisitely set to orchestral colors of remarkable vividness and variety, can almost be MADE to sound fabulous!). He was a warm, genuine, big-hearted man who was under no illusions about "immortality" and other similar nonsense; he merely wanted to write music, and he hoped that music would please an audience, even if it was only a small audience – creating earthquakes and revolutions? He didn’t have time for that nonsense! But what eloquence and heart his music had, at least in the movements and sections where his craft and his inspiration were in synch. In the 8^th, they mostly were. For those who aren’t familiar with Lloyd’s biography: he was a "promising" young composer already when WW 2 broke out. Lloyd wasn’t in good enough shape physically to be an infantryman, and he didn’t have the eyesight required of airmen or the technical aptitude to be an engineer. He believed he could do the most good for the Allied cause by joining the merchant marine branch, which was desperately in need of sailors by 1940, when the U-boats were simply running amok in mid-ocean and the Brits were so short of proper escort vessels that they were bolting 1914 cannon to the foredecks of fishing trawlers and welding depth-charge racks to their fantails, hoping thereby to turn the humble but sea-worthy fishing craft into "instant destroyers". For anti-aircraft protection, the trawlers carried a pair of antique Colt machine guns (c. 1905!) screwed on to iron stanchions on the bridge-wings – about as lethal against the giant long-range Luftwaffe "Condors" as a pair of Red Ryder BB-guns.

Variations & Epilogue for Cello & Piano. Nikolai & Joanna Graudan, cello & Piano [15:45] [A fascinating and ingenious work, by a composer too-little known; part of Columbia Records wonderful, but too-noble-to-survive series "Modern American Music"]

Fantasia Baetica for Oboe & Orchestra. Josef Hanusovsky, oboe; Vlastimil Horak; Bratislava Chamber Orchestra. [This piece is a real beauty, and I’d never have guessed the composer’s origins from just listening to it. It’s so lush and pastoral, so drenched in beguiling melodies, so relaxed in its neo-romantic viewpoint, that it sounds for all the world like a newly discovered work by Vaughan-Williams, Butterworth, Frank Bridge, or another of the British "cow-pat" school of pastoralists. I’m not kidding, folks, this one’s a dandy! If any oboe players happen to read this, and might be looking for a not-too-difficult, not-too-long novelty for their repertoire, why not give this a listen? It’s gorgeous, and it doesn’t last but about 23 minutes.]

"Double Trouble", Comic Opera in One Act. Performers, date, and venue unknown. [See comments under "Opera & Choral"]

"S’Andasse Amour A Caccia". Madrigal for 5 Voice. Franco Saraceni; The Luca Marenzio Ensemble

"Vattene Pur Crudel, Madrigal, 5 Voices. Franco Saraceni; The Luca Marenzio Ensemble [7:30]

Symphony No. 35, K. 385, "Haffner". Karl Bohm; RIAS Symphony, Berlin; live, 4/9/ 1951 [See comments under "Conductors"]

Symphony No. 38, "Prague". Frederick Stock; Chicago Symphony [See comments under "Conductors"]

Intermezzo in Modo Classico (Orch. by Rimsky-Korsakov). James Conlon; Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; live, 1983 [8:55]

Triumphal March. Conlon; Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; live, 1983 [6:10]

Harp Concerto No. 4, E-Flat Major. Annie Challan, harp; Marcel Couraud; Antiqua Musica Ensemble. [20:47]

Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34. Amsterdam Chamber Ensemble; live, 1982 [8:26]

Piano Concerto No. 2, G Minor, Op. 16. Horatio Gutierrez, piano; Neeme Jarvi; Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; live, 1982 [31:45]

"Manon Lescaut" – "Sola, perduta abbandonata…" Eva Marton, soprano; Conductor: Antoni Ros-Marba [See comments under "Opera & Solo Vocalists"]

"Tosca" –Act II – Entire "Vissi d’Arte" scene. Eva Marton, soprano; Kostas Paskalis, tenor; Conductor: Alberto Erede

"Swing Suite". Composer and His band, 1945. [10:40] [I’m making a judgment call here; this really isn’t a patch on the "fusion" works of Gershwin or even Grofe, but obviously Raeburn was attempting to write a ""concert swing" piece, and obviously he was a highly trained musician, and some parts of this thing really impressed me – he flirts with atonality, makes considerable use of dissonance, deploys some exotic (for a swing band!) instrumentation, and a pervasive "serious" feel warrant including it here, for those who might be curious. I think it’s worthy of being remembered to THAT extent, anyhow.]

"Le Temple de la Gloire", Orchestral Suite. Leppard; English Chamber Orchestra [See comments under "Gretry" above]

Cantata Profana: "The Poor One" – 12 Movements on Words by Joszef Attila. Andras Koradi; Hungarian State Orchestra & Budapest Chorus. [25:21] [See comments under "Opera and Choral Music"]

"The Julia Songs" – Lyrical Cantata on the Poems of Balassa Balint. Joszef Reti, tenor; Zoltan Vasarhelyi; Orchestra & Choir of the Hungarian Radio & Television. [25:12] [See comments under "Opera and Choral music."]

Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished". Karl Bohm; Vienna Philharmonic; live, 8/25/1954 [See comments under "Conductors"]

Symphony no. 4. Frederick Stock; Chicago Symphony Orchestra. [See comments, "Conductors"]

String Quartet, 1931. Amati String Quartet. [11:41]

Prelude & Scherzo for Eight Strings, Op. 11. The Dornbusch & Buchberger String Quartets. [This little-known work is the flip side of the delightful Gliere octet listed above, and while I dimly recall reading about or hearing a long-ago Melodiya recording, this is the first – and probably only – stereo incarnation, and that does wonders for the antiphonal passages in which the composer plays one quartet’s unison sound against that of the other, or has one quartet carry the themes while the other quartet decorates them, elaborates upon them, or has a confrontational dialogue with the other. It’s a darker and less "folksy" work than the Gliere, with some startlingly edgy extreme-register swoops and slithers, sounding very much like a "fingerprint" device used by the mature Shostakovich in numerous compositions written long after this one (1925-1926). Its moods are much more mercurial and the abrupt, almost ill-tempered scherzo doesn’t "resolve" anything so much as it hurls an enigma in your face. Again, as with the Gliere, these two obscure German string quartets really deliver the goods, carving into Shostakovich’s idiom with enormous gusto and really impressive technical aplomb. The work is too brief, perhaps (just under ten minutes), but the composer precociously generates an almost symphonic sense of dialogue, which these admirable musicians bite into to like a starving mastiff chomping on a juicy bone. Exhilarating as hell!]

Finlandia. Nicolai Malko; Philharmonia Orch. [See comments under "Conductors"]

"Dalibor" – Complete Opera. Jaroslav Krombholc; Prague National Theater forces {See description under "Opera & choral"]

Jeu de Cartes. Haitink; Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; live, early 80s. [22:25]

Symphony for Wind Instruments. Jarvi; Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; live, 1983 [8:15]

Symphony of Psalms. Zinman; Rotterdam Philharmonic; Netherlands Radio Choir [20:50]

Symphony No. 6, "Pathetique". Sir John Barbirolli; Halle Orchestra; studio/stereo 1963 [See near-hysterical rave under "Conductors"!]

"Boccachio" – Highlights from. Anton Paulik; Soloists, chorus and orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper. [See details under "Opera and Choral"]

"Aida" – "Ritorna vincitor". Eva Marton, soprano; Elio Boncompagni, conductor [See comments under Opera & Solo vocalists"]-

"Don Carlos" – "Tu che le vanita" w/ Hector Urbon, conductor [See comments under "Opera & Solo Vocalists"]

"La Forza del Destino" –Pace, pace, mio dio…" Eva Marton, soprano; Michael Halasz, conductor

"La Forza del Destino" – "Son giunta…madre pietosa Vergine." Eva Marton, soprano; Michael Halasz, conductor [See comments under "Opera & Solo Vocalists"]

Invitation to the Dance. Igor Markevitch; Philharmonia Orchestra, 1951

"Jewels of the Madonna", Intermezzi Acts II and III. Vincent Bellezza; London Symphony Orchestra. [Never heard of him before; excellent reading, though…]

Bach, J.C.: Harp Concerto D Major, ("God Save the King"). w/ Marcel Couraud; Antiqua Musica Ensemble [9:48]

Eichner, Ernst: Harp Concerto, C Major. w/ Marcel Couraud; Antiqua Musica Ensemble [13:54]

Petrini, Franz: Harp Concerto No. 4, E-Flat Major. w/ Marcel Couraud; Antiqua Musica Ensemble.

Kont: "Der Raucher", Rhapsody for Cello & Orchestra. w/ Jan Stych; Martinu Chamber Orchestra. [See comments under "Composers"]

Rachmaninoff: Sonata No. 2, B Flat Minor, Op. 36. [21:45]

Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme by Corelli, Op. 42 [17:34] [Scintillating readings in excellent sound.]

Loeillet: Sonata in B-flat Minor, Op. 3 / No. 9 [8:40]

" : " " G Major, Op. 1 / No. 3. [10:01]

" : " " F Minor, Op. 4 / No. 11. [6:39]

" : " " D Minor, Op. 1 / No. 2. [8:29]

" : " " A Minor, Op. 1 / No. 1. [8:19] [See comments under "Composers"]

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2, G Minor, Op. 19. w/ Neeme Jarvi; Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; live, 1983 [31:45]

Mueller: Fantasia Baetica. w/ Horak; Bratislava Chamber Orchestra. [See enraptured comments under "Composers"]

Banchieri: "Il Festino della sera del Giovedi "Grasso Avanti Cena", Madrigal for 5 Voices.. [16:00]

Monteverdi: "S’andasse Amour A Caccia", Madrigal for 5 voices. [2:00]

" : "Vattene Pur Crudel", Madrigal for 5 Voices. [7:30]

Beethoven: Sonata No. 23, F Minor, Op. 57, "Appastionata". [Since the COMPOSER Nicolai Medtner lived until 1951, this COULD be a late recording by HIM; I’ll assume it is – the sonics are right, the tempi, while not "slow", have the kind of serene breadth that comes with a contented old age, plus I’ve never encountered another recording by anyone younger who has this name. Source is an ultra-rare RCA "Bluebird" LP, c. 1952-54, and there are a few nasty pops near the start, after which the sound becomes quite listenable. A poetic, expansive, refreshingly relaxed reading, and quite a rare one, in ANY condition.]

Finney, Ross Lee: Piano Quintet. w/ Beveridge Webster, piano

Dohnanyi: Quintet in E-Flat minor, Op. 26. w/ Erno Szgedi, piano. [23:57] [A fascinating work given a near-definitive performance, in superlative sound.]

"Italian Operatic Heroines, Vol. I." [This appears to be a self-produced LP, or a "quasi-pirate" compilation from the mid-Seventies – when Ms. Marton’s career was at apogee – and has very nice production values on the album jacket itself. Recorded sound varies from cut to cut, but is mostly good. Curiously, the venues are not identified – for legal reasons, I presume – but opera fans can narrow it down by means of the conductors’ names, which are all very respectable. No timings given, but chances are that if you’re interested in such a recording, you already have a good idea of that. Probably a very scarce item, as I’ve never seen another copy nor read about it. The LP is immaculate.]

Giordano: "Andrea Chenier" – "La momma morta!" ["Quick, daughter, fetch the priest!"] Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti

Puccini: "Manon Lescaut" – "Solo, perduta abbandonata…" Conductor: Antoni Ros-Marba

" : "Tosca" –Act II – Entire "Vissi d’Arte" scene. W/ tenor Kostas Paskalis; Conductor: Alberto Erede

Verdi: "Aida" – "Son giunta…Madre pietosa Vergine". Conductor: Elio Boncompagni

" : "Don Carlos" – "Tu che le vanita" w/ Hector Urbon, conductor

" : "La Forza del Destino" – "Pace, pace mio dio" Conductor: Michael Halasz

" : " " " " --"Son giunta…Madre pietosa Vergine". " "

Town Hall Recital, October 16, 1959. [This must have been one hell of a recital, to judge from the audience’s response! Mr. Valletti’s light, pecan-colored tenor voice has an almost Vegas-slick appeal; and how he belts it out across the footlights! He has that gift of seeming to be singing right TO YOU, and as the record goes on, he just gets hotter and more charismatic. Note, too, the novelty of some of his repertoire! There’s an ineradicable thumb-print of schmutz that ruins the first 90 seconds of Side One (can’t be removed without ruining the grooves beneath; sorry), but otherwise the LP’s in good shape, and is just a wonderful live recital!]

Pasquini: Cantate d’amore – "Al Tramontar del Giorno". [4:43]

Mozart: Concert Aria: "Misero, O sogno…" [8:30]

Berlioz: "Villanelle", [1:37] / "Sur les Lagunes" [5:08] / L’ilre Inconnue…" [3:01]

Wolf: "Der Musikant" [1:44] / "Verschwiegne Liebe" [2:38] / Der Gaertner" [1"10] / "Und Willst Du Deinen Liebstan Sterben Sehen" [2:06] / "Heimweh" [2:16]

Obradors: "Tres Morillas" [2:17] / "Del Cabello mas Sutil" [2:21]

Calleja: "Granadinas" [3:26]

Boito: "Mefistofele": "[3:02]

Cilea: "LArlesiana" – "Lamento di Federico"/ [3:42]

COMPLETE OPERAS

"Double Trouble", Comic Opera in One Act. Performers, date and venue unknown. [I suspect this tape – mailed to me by a fellow collector who was careless in labeling stuff – might derive from a fairly early Louisville Orchestra Society release, but it would have to be a mighty early one, since I subscribed 1961-1964 and never heard of it. It’s a gas, really, although I could have used a libretto to learn what the hell is going on. I can’t tell you anything about the composer, or the origins of the piece, or who the singers are. At its best, though, the score reminds me of Bernstein in a very cheeky mood. I like that, and if you like that too, you may really enjoy this. It JUST MISSES being funny enough and clever enough to stand alongside Virgil Thomson’s operas, maybe even Poulenc’s entertainments. I’d surely like to know more about the composer, too, in case anyone reading this knows something about him…) And please don’t tell me I can look him up on the Internet; if I did that for every obscure composer in these archives, I’d never have time to brush my teeth).]

"Dalibor". Jaroslav Krombholc; Orchestra; soloists; chorus of the Prague National Theater; rec. 1967. [It’s a stirring opera, with a noble protagonist, defiance of despotism, a love angle, exciting set-piece choruses, and some of Smetana’s most impassioned music. Unfortunately, it doesn’t export worth a damn – it’s complicated, prolix (the libretto, that is) and if you’re not already conversant with Czech history, you’ll spend so much time trying to figure out the plot, you’ll miss some of the music. But it’s glorious music, and this is about as fine a performance as you can imagine. Krombholc and his performers have this score in their blood and sing it passionately; the orchestra plays with zeal and energy; the early Supraphon stereo is very good, and my Source copy’s near-mint. Please note that it requires TWO CDs. I supposed I could copy the libretto (which is translated into almost laughably Victorian diction), but I’d have to charge you extra. If you’re interested, email me and we’ll work something out!]

"Boccachio" – Highlights from. Anton Paulik; Soloists (Elisabeth Roon; Waldemar Kmentt; Kurt Preger; Gerda Schyrer; Walter Berry; Dagmar Hermann; Laszlo Szemere; Leo Heppe); Orchestra and Chorus of the Vienna Volksoper. [A treasurable "Readers’ Digest" condensation, conducted with life-long authority by Paulik and performed with palpable zest. The original U.S. release, on Columbia, came in about 1952 and left 4-5 years later, never to return. I got lucky and snagged a thrift-shop copy that appears to have been played seldom if at all. Good sound for its time. A delight.]

Cantata on the Death of Emperor Franz Joseph, Op. 196-A. Clemens Krauss; Ilona Steingruber, soprano; Alfred Poell, tenor; Singakademie Choir & Vienna Symphony Orchestra [Dated mono sound doesn’t spoil the warmth and aristocratic elegance Krauss mines from this most-neglected of all Beethoven’s works for chorus & Orchestra, but not even HIS devotion can cause me to think better of a work I consider the dullest thing Beethoven ever composed. I mean, come ON, if Hummel had written this somnolent pot-boiler, it would never have been recorded! Still, this version comes close to making it tolerable for me…once every ten years or so. See more detailed comments under "Conductors"]

Canticum in Memorem Sancti Ludovici, Regis Galliae. [See details under "Composers"]

Mors Saulis et Jonathae. [See details under "Composers"]

From "The Russian Primary Chronicle" Oratorio. [See description under "Composers"]

Requiem. Rene Liebowitz; Paris Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus & Soloists. [One of the rarest Leibowitz recordings, from an impossible-to-find 10-inch MMS disc.]

Cantata Profana: "The Poor One" – 12 Movements on Words by Joszef Attila. Andras Koradi; Hungarian State Orchestra & Budapest Chorus. [25:21] [A spotty work, if you don’t know WHO "Joszef Attila" was, as Hungaroton supplied no translations when this LP was exported – for all of about 48 hours – overseas. The performers are fervent, though, so some portions take wing anyhow.]

"The Julia Songs" – Lyrical Cantata on the Poems of Balassa Balint. Joszef Reti, tenor; Zoltan Vasarhelyi; Orchestra & Choir of the Hungarian Radio & Television. [25:12] [Now this is very different – you don’t need translations! It’s a straight-on cycle of love poems, and the composer’s set them exquisitely! Most of the cycle is carried forth by the chorus, with beautifully placed decorative segments by a few winds, a harpsichord, and a harp. The Hungarian flavor is subtle but spicy; the medieval quality is timeless, floating, quietly ardent. I doubt I’d listened to this album more than twice in the 35 years I’ve owned it, and I must have been drunk or asleep or playing a solitaire wargame when I did, because I now think it’s quite ravishing! The poems are by Balassa Balint (1551-1594), the first great named Hungarian lyric poet; Balint, in turn, adapted the verses from a much older Turkish original, adding embellishments and verses whenever he (or she, I don’t know from Hungarian; in fact, the name might be "Balint Balassa"…) felt like it. Whatever; it’s truly beautiful stuff – the composer’s teacher, Zoltan Kodaly, would be proud.]

Symphony of Psalms. Zinman; Rotterdam Philharmonic; Netherlands Radio Choir [20:50]

celtic & related musics

Eponymous First Album. [They’re all North Carolina musicians, from up around Black Mountain; they don’t have a vocalist; they only do instrumental sets. They’ve got a dude named Jerry Read Smith who plays the hammered dulcimer the way Alan Stivell plays the bardic harp—which is to say, like Heifits plays the fiddle. The rest of the instrumentation consists of bouzoukis, fiddles, guitars, flutes, bodhran drums, whistles, a couple of kinds of pipes, a mandolin or two, keyboards, and the occasional improvised percussion, such as muted bells, washboard, and spoons. They’re really, really good, and their arrangements are fresh and un-hackneyed. I guess at one time they were much better known – the Source LP dates from late Seventies and it’s from a regional label that vanished about 16 years ago – and I surely hope they’re still kicking around! Recorded sound, incidentally, is fine.]

Heartdance/ Give Us a Drink of Water [6:52]

The Road to Logan [2:40]

Wille Coleman’s Reel / Tom Morrison’sReel / The Banshee [4:77]

Tom’s Aire [2:55}

Farrell O’Gara [2:35]

Sean Ryan’s Jig/ The Star of Meunster [4:45]

Julia Delaney / The Longford Tinker/ The Silver Spear [4:55]

O’Carolyn’s Draught [3:28]

Jack McCaan / The Road Home 3:53]

Sir David Davidson / Meadowlark [4:35]

"Grands Succes" compilation. [A double-album from French Fontana, gathering a splendid cross-section of Alan’s greatest songs into one smooth-flowing rhapsody. I kid you not: Stivell was (IS, I hope, although I haven’t seen a new release from him in ten years) one of the greatest artists to surface out of the folk-rock sub-genre; he is to the solo Celtic harp what Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention were to groups. He can evoke the misty, legend haunted ruins of Ys, the half-sinister court of the faeries, the fish-hook-in-your-guts pain of lost love, the wild seascapes of Brittany, the drunken joy of a pub reel, and now and then, he can rock like a bastard. A compleat musician! And if you’re at all susceptible to the spell of the Celtic Thing, you MUST hear his work. I vow this in print: IF "Warrener’s Beastie" ever gets turned into a movie (and what a film it would make, given the awe-inspiring wild scenery of the Faeroe Islands!), I want Stivell to write the music! He could take the raw, barbaric dance tunes of the Faeroes (which date, many of them, back to the Tenth Century), and orchestrate them for an ensemble of pipes, harp, winds, and God knows what, and create the perfect soundtrack, the absolutely perfect musical counterpoint to the visuals! Why, I might even refuse to sign the contract unless Stivell was given first crack at the soundtrack score! (And then again, if there were enough zeroes attached to the check, I might shrug and let them give it to Danny Elfman…as long as it isn’t John Williams or Henry Mancini!) Anyway, despite the unreadability of some titles, here are the contents, which time-out to almost exactly 80 minutes:]

Ian Morrisson Reel

"The Wild Side of Life". [A rare early Decca LP, corny as it can be, but also wonderfully charming, and a useful reminder that Burl Ives really WAS an important figure in the folk music revival (not to mention a splendid actor and story-teller). These arrangements are shamelessly schlocky, including clippety-clop horses’ hooves in the background of "One Hour Ahead of the Posse" The basic sound is quite good, c. 1953, and while there are some scratches, none of them are ruinous or even very distracting. It’s an oddity, a nostalgia trip, and almost a parody album, but Ives’ multi-faceted skills allow him to pull it off. This one’s a true collectable and I’ve seen copies in worse condition selling for $20. Good luck finding it anywhere else…]

The Original Drum Battle. [The "book value" for THIS record, in THIS condition (A-) is at least $24.00, so even though my approach to jazz/ blues has always been scatter-shot, and my listings usually comprise 2-3 items a month, do not make the mistake of thinking I aint got some discs of real, lasting value. This is the legendary Verve V6-8484, recorded live in Carnegie Hall – as part of the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" series – and it’s in pristine condition, has great sound, and showcases two of the all-time greatest drummers in the genre. Their side-men on this occasion were Willie Smith (sax) and Hank Jones (piano). There’s not a scratch on it, folks. Here’s the contents…]

Idaho

Out of This World. [A now obscure but once popular band leader; this is more "swing" than "jazz", and I don’t have enough items of that sub-genre to justify ANOTHER whole catalogue, so here it shall remain. I looked it up, and it has considerable "collectors’ value", so conceivably there’s somebody out there who will be very happy to order a dub. I didn’t expect to pay much attention to this while I was dubbing it – I find Swing much less interesting than jazz, and second-hand nostalgia isn’t my bag – but I have to say, Maestro Raeburn has quite a bag of tricks. From clashing dissonance (opening bars of the Swing Suite) to some very novel orchestrations – I could be wrong, but I’ll bet this guy was a classically trained musician, for he obviously knows a bit about Stravinsky and maybe Schonberg! Cool! Contents, timings, and dates of the selections are:]

Suite for Swing, Parts 1-4. [10:46] Rec. October, 1945

Forgetful (Vocal by David Allyn). [3:19] " " "

Bagdad (Arr. by Ralph Flannigan). [2:07] Rec. Sept. 1944.

Who Started Love? (Vocal by Margie Wood). [2:45] Rec. Sept. 1944

Boyd Meets Girl. [2:40] Rec. May, 1945

The Eagle Flies. [3:38] Rec. Dec. 1945

Out of This World (Vocal by David Allyn). [2:55] Rec. Dec. 1945

Out of Nowhere [2:53] Rec. Dec. 1945

I Got Rhythm. [2:01] Rec. Oct. 1943

Memphis in June (Vocal by Ginny Powell) [3:50] Rec. Oct. 1943

How Deep Is the Ocean [3:00] Rec. Dec. 1945

Magic in the Moonlight. [2:50] Rec. Dec. 1945

Early Byrd. [2:20] Rec. Oct. 1943

"Boots and Stockings". [All right, wipe that smirk off your face – it’s not THAT kind of an album (sad to say). It’s…er…Christmas music. It’s not my sort of collectable, but it’s sure as hell SOMEBODY’S because we sold copies of it at the record store for as much as fifteen bucks. I scarfed one up when the store had to close, and it’s a verified "first pressing", 1969. It’s in very good shape. Do I REALLY need to type out the song titles? I mean, can’t you guess? "Frosty the Snowman"…"Silver Bells"… If I hadn’t seen this LP walk out of the store three times, for more money than I’m charging for a dub, I would have just left it in the slush pile when we closed. But somewhere, there are a lot of nostalgic people who dig it, and who am I to put them down? Especially when I’m trying to sell them a copy. If you want it, here it is. Good condition; cheap price. Mazel tov!]

The Following Morning. w/ Rainer Bruninghaus, piano; horns, celli and oboe of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. [33:48] [ECM Seventies "chamber music jazz" at its mellowest and most evocative. Superb playing, audiophile sonics, as was customary for this label during that period.]

ROCK and POP

"Drums Along the Hudson" – [Their first album and 3/4ths of the cuts are terrific. A quintessential mid-Eighties pop band, one of the last raucous gasps of rock-n-roll during that phantom window-of-opportunity between the death rattle of Disco and the tidal wave of sewage exemplified by Madonna and Boy George, vanguard of the techno-savages who roared in like an army of swishy, glittered covered Visigoths, to sweep away the last vestiges of Sixties’ musical sensibilities. What other albums, in my opinion, ride the cusp of the cultural razor blade like this one? Oh, The Cars’ first album, Dire Straits, and … um….er (What’d you say, Skippy? ‘Shudthefugup, Bill, and play the record! I’m tryin’ to dance here!’) [[Mutter, grump…You ungrateful little maggot! While you’re passed out, I shall stuff a wad of bubblegum into your I Pod!]]

"Black Bible". [I was never a big heavy metal fan, but once in a while I find something so outrageous and so utterly without redeeming social value that I glom on to it. This EP is, or so I’m told, a much-sought-after collectable, being the limited edition DEMO of this band’s most sacrilegious head-bangers, and if these aint them, God knows what the worse ones sound like. Not for the faint-hearted or the church-going…]

Circus of Death. [Were these guys for real, or were they doing a "Spinal Tap" parody so good that maybe "Spinal Tap" was a parody of "Quick Change"? Like, some of the songs are so funny, in their exaggeration of Death Metal clichés, that nobody could take them seriously…I hope. Dead-pan serious or expert self-mockery, I have no idea, and couldn’t care less (What’d you say, Skippy? ‘It’s supposed to be I could care less’? I KNOW that. I also think it’s one of the stuffiest, dumbest, more pedantic nit-picks in the whole English language, so why don’t you take THIS" [[Sound of hard object repeatedly smashing into bones and finger-joints]] and crawl into your cage and conjugate the verb ‘to defecate’ one thousand times, you little patch of sentient toe-jam!!" Anyway, this too is considered a highly collectable rarity, so I’m offering a DJ promo copy, only played the one time it took to dub the thing. Should you by some chance desire the actual disc, not a dub, email me and we can dicker about it. I’m not exactly joined-at-the-hip to this record, pal…]

"Do Re Mi". [Snappy, literate Broadway smash from the 1961season; Phil Silvers and Nancy Walker starred, and Garson Kanin directed. A couple of the songs turn up now and again ("Fireworks", "Make Someone Happy"…) but it didn’t have a succession of show-stoppers, a la South Pacific. Pity. All it had were sparkling, intelligent AND entertaining lyrics by Comdon & Green , set to thoroughly entertaining music by Jule Styne, and a book, by Garson Kanin, that makes the schlock of Cats seem as sophisticated as Three Blind Mice. They just don’t write ‘em like this any more, folks, and our culture is impoverished because of that – the Zeitgeist is too hostile, the ticket prices too goddamned high for what you get from "an evening at the theater".

"Forever Amber". "Hollywood Cinema Orchestra" [Another buried treasure from "Cinema Records" and, like the Tiomkin suite listed below, it’s dubbed straight from the optical track; in this case, however, the sound is much cleaner and less overloaded in the load parts. Raskin never quite made the Olympus of Movie Music Composers, like Herrmann and Rosza, say, or even Tiomkin, but he was a very skilled hack and you could depend on him to deliver the type of music needed by the metric ton.]

"Duel in the Sun". "Hollywood Cinema Orchestra", conducted by Nobody [Doesn’t have a memorable "title cut" like High Noon, but Tiomkin skillfully melds Indian-and-Cavalry, Mexican-Cantina, and Passion-Among-the-Cacti clichés into a taut, dramatic score that served this Western classic very well. Recording is one of those jobs taken direct from the optical track, so it’s congested and rough-sounding, but it’s the only recording I know of and all these LPs from the "Cinema" label are quite rare. Condition is good, very few scratches.]

"Duel in the Sun" – see "Tiomkin" above

"Do Re Mi" – See "Comdon & Green" above

"Forever Amber" – See "Raskin" above

SPOKEN WORD, POETRY & COMEDY

WALLACE STEVENS reads His Poetry: [Stevens had a cultured, highly persuasive voice, imparting wisdom without sounding pedantic. I find his readings captivating, as indeed do I find much of his poetry; I must warn you, though, that there’s a severe little warp right on the rim of the disc; I tried every trick I knew, but could only reduce the problem, not eliminate it. However, it diminishes about two minutes into the readings, and thereafter it fades into a regularly-spaced background noise and eventually disappears. Altogether, it distorts about four minutes out of forty-seven, so given the rarity of this record, I have no qualms about offering it. But because it is flawed, I’m reducing the price to a very reasonable $7.00 (if you order the Wallace Stevens alone) and a mere $10.00 if you fill up the rest of the blank CD with something else of your choice. Is that a good deal, or what? Here are the poems on the record:]

The Theory of Poetry: A Prose Note Large Red Man Reading

Prologues to What is Possible

MUNDO BIZARRO !!

[This album came in a plain white folder with the label GLUED to it, mimeographed. I think the performer(s) is/are Ba’hai cultists…or something. Do we take this stuff seriously, or is it a parody? Does anyone care? All I know is that in a grisly, campy sort of way, it’s fun to listen to occasionally, and God knows you’re not going to run into copies very often. Maybe a copy will run into YOU,.however, in which case you’d better know how to pronounce "Ya-Balla-U-LLah" correctly or Cthulhu will rise from the sea and wrap his slimy tentacles around your brain-stem…]

New Listings for Aug 2007

New Listings for July 2007

New Listings for June 2007

New Listings for November 2006

New Listings for Mid-Summer 2006

New Listings for Mar 2006

New Listings for Jan 2006

New Listings for Sept 2005