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LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN THE ATTIC!
1/23/2006
THE ELGAR ARCHIVES!
THE OLIVER DANIEL/DONALD J. OTT ARCHIVE OF RECORDED AMERICAN MUSIC
New listings for the Holidays, 2005
CONDUCTORSBASILE, Arturo [He made a goodly number of recordings for the old RCA/Readers Digest box set series, with either the St. Cecilia Academy Orchestra of Rome or his home-town outfit, the Orchestra of the Bologna Theater. Like many other supposedly sophisticated collectors, I turned my nose up at those sets when they first appeared – I mean, come ON, who the hell is Arturo Basille and how good could the Orchestra of Bologna Sandwiches possibly be? Well, nowadays I snap up any of those sets I can find in good condition. Firstly, the sound was always excellent (Robert Gerhardt produced all of them); secondly, Arturo Basile, like Massimo Freccia, was a first-rate musician and the Bolgna band was surprisingly good, with a hefty, rather dark, surprisingly "un-Italian" sound. Basile had a penchant for slow tempi and expansive phrasing – his version of the Water Music is perhaps the slowest on records, but also very stately and majestic. All the recordings listed below are mono, but very good mono, and most are in good to very good condition – a few light scratches here and there but no discernable groove-wear. I’m sure this conductor must have some fans out there; if you’re one of them, here you go.]
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. w/ Orch. of the St. Cecelia Academy.
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture. w/ Bologna Theater Orchestra.
Handel: Water Music Suite. w/ Orch. of the St. Cecelia Academy. [As I mentioned in the header note, this is a surprising interpretation: very broad, stately, majestic; & surprisingly well-played.]
Rossini: "Barber of Seville Overture" w/ Orchestra of Santa Cecilia.
Strauss, J.: Overture to "Die Fledermaus". w/ Theater Orch. of Bologna.
Strauss, J: Wiener Blut. w/ Bologna Theater Orchestra. [Fully competitive w/ more famous versions.]
Strauss, R.: Till Eulenspiegel…Op. 28. w/ Theater Orch. of Bologna. [Sprightly & well-played.]
Verdi: "La Forza del Destino" Overture. w/ Bologna Theater Orchestra
Wagner: "Tristan und Isolde" – Prelude & Liesbestodt w/ Orch. of the Bologna Theater
VAN BEINUM:
Haydn: Symphony No. 101, "The Clock".
w/ Concertgebouw Orch., live, 1958.
BERNSTEIN:
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1.
w/ Glenn Gould; NY Philharmonic; live, 1962. [See comments under "Gould" in "Solo Virtuosi". PLEASE DO!!]
BOULT:
Franck: Symphony in D Minor. w/ "London Festival Orchestra" [That was Reader’s Digest code-name for the London Symphony. Boult once again surprises the listener by conducting against his own unfairly stuffy stereotype. While there’s nothing especially "French" about this interpretation, it’s very kinetic and muscular.]
BUSCH, Fritz:
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, "Eroica".
w/ Niederosterreichisches Tonkunstler orchestra;live in Vienna, 1950. [43:35]Brahms: Symphony No. 2.
Danish State Radio Symphony, live, Oct. 20 & 21, 1944 [33:45]Brahms: Symphonie No. 4.
w/ Vienna Symphony Orch., live, 1950 [ ]" : Tragic overture, Op. 81. w/ Danish State Radio Symphony; live, 9/14/1950 [12:35]
Dvorak: Carnival Overture. W. Danish State Radio Orch, live, rec. 11/28/1955 Time [9:12]
Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major. w/ Danish State Radio Symphony, live, 1/21/1951
[20:25]" : Symphony no. 88,
Danish State Radio Orch., live, 11/4-7, 1949 [Time: 22:38}Mozart; Serenade No. 13, K. 525, "Eine Kleine Nachmusik". W. Danish National Radio Symhony, live
, 10/10/ 1949 [14:46’]Mozart: German Dances, K, 571, No’s 1,5,6,8
. w/ Danish Natl Radio Symphony, live, 10/10/ 48. [4:32]Mozart: Symphony no. 36, "Linz", w/ Danish State Radio Orch.; rec, live 11/7/1949 [Time 26:42]
Von Weber: Overture to "Der Freischutz". w/ Danish State Radio Orch., live, 10/22/1948]
COPPOLA, Piero:
Faure: Shylock, Op. 57. w/ Orchestre des Concerts du Conservatoire.
Rec. April, 1932. [12:50}FIEDLER:
Puccini: "Madame Butterfly", Suite w/out Words. w/ Boston Pops Orchestra
FISTOULARI, Anatole:
"Flirtations of Springtime" & "Dancing in the fields" from "The Seasons". w/ London Philharmonic Orch. [I don’t know if Fistoulari, a very famous ballet conductor in his time, recorded The Seasons in its entirety – a search of old catalogues doesn’t reveal such a disc – but these charming excerpts indicate it would have been an excellent version if he had; altogether about 8.5 minutes’ worth of prime Glazunov.]
FRECCIA, Massimo:
Haydn: Symphony No. 94, "Surprise". w/ Orch. of the St. Cecilia Academy, Rome.
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, "Italian". w/ Orch. of Academy of St. Cecilia, Rome.
Mozart: Symphony No. 40. Orch. of St. Cecilia Academy.
[A real head-scratcher. Freccia is usually a dependable interpreter with plenty of zip and flare. But this is a really scrappy, provincial-sounding Fortieth, with patches of string playing that are inexcusable from an orchestra of this caliber. Nor is the recorded sound anything special. I guess everyone had an off-day when this was taped. Recommended only to Freccia Completists, of whom there must be 15 in the entire civilized world.]Wagner: "Tristan & Isolde" – Prelude & liedestod. w/ Bologna Theater Orchestra. [You’ve heard much less impressive readings from much more famous outfits.]
FURTWANGLER:
Mahler: Songs of a Wayfarer. w/ Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Philharmonia Orchestra. [Furtwangler’s only surviving Mahler recording, and as near to perfection as it gets. F-D is in prime, early voice, investing each song with deep emotion and nuance. Excellent mono sound.]
GERHARDT, Charles
[See comments in the main downloadable Conductors’ file; besides being one of the great record producers of all time, he was a sensitive and passionate conductor; many of the orchestral transcriptions of piano pieces etc listed here are also his work and he was damn near as good as Stokowski in that sphere. You cannot go wrong with a Gerhardt performance, period.]Elgar: Chansion de Matin.w/ London Philharmonic Orch.
Scriabin: Prelude, Op. 9. no. 2 (Transcribed by Gerhardt) w/ London Philharmonic
INGELBRCHT, Desiree:
Faure: Pelleas et Melisande, Op. 80. Orchestre du Theatre des Champs-Elysees; rec. Dec. 1954 [20:02] [Ingelbrecht recorded exclusively French rep. with French orchestras, during the days when French orchestras sounded French – quavering, watery horns; thin but expressive strings; suavely-phrased but rather nasal woodwinds; indifferent percussion. Many collectors find the sound "charming" or "idiomatic"; others find it simply "provincial" and a manifestation of "Gallic indifference". As for me, it just depends on the mood I bring to the listening-session. I do, however, find much to enjoy in Ingelbrecht’s fresh, vernal, deeply committed interpretations. His delicacy with the lyrical parts of this exquisite suite evokes an aching, non-specific nostalgia – golden afternoons now lost to Time – that always brings a lump to my throat; and his orchestras, though decidedly second-rate in comparison to those of Germany, America and the U.K., were accorded beautifully balanced mono sound by the engineers of Pathe-Marconi and French EMI. I’ll be listing a large batch of his Debussy & Ravel interpretations later on, and they have an undeniable sweetness, insightful phrasing, and considerable tensile strength – "idiomatic", then, in the same way that Tallich’s Dvorak and Smetana were idiomatic; as unmistakably French as Tallich’s were "Czech". Maybe the overall standard of orchestral execution has reached a much higher standard nowadays, but it’s also arguable that all the Big Name bands tend to sound alike; those who still profess to know, blindfolded, when they’re hearing the Vienna Philharmonic instead of the London Symphony, are either psychic or bluffing.]
KEILBERTH, Joseph:
Strauss: Die Aegyptische Helena. w/ Leonie Rysanek; Orchestra & Chorus of the Bavarian Radio; live; August, 1956. [Time: 136:44]
VAN KEMPEN, Paul:
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7. w/ Berlin Philharmonic Orch. [Time: 37:28]
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5, Op. 82. w/ Concertgebouw Orchestra, live, at the Sibelius Festival in Helsinki, 1954. [Splendid example of van Kempen’s flair for drama and color, inherited nou doubt from his seven years as a first-desk violinist under Mengelberg – after turning to the baton, he led the orchestras of Dresden and succeeded Karajan in Aachen in 1942 or ’43. His return to Amsterdam after Mengelberg’s banishment, resulted in a handful of superlative recordings on Epic. Alas, van Kempen died only about a year after this live performance was taped.
KLEMPERER:
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5, K. 219. w/ Jan Bresser, violin; Concertgebouw Orchestra, live, 1/18/1951. [Prime Klemperer, no trace here of the elephantine stolidity that afflicted so many of his later commercial recordings. Soloist is outstanding, too.]
KOSTELANETZ:
Puccini; La Boheme, Suite w/out words. w/ NY Philharmonic orch.
LIEBOWITZ, Rene:
Debussy: Clair de Lune. w/ London Proms Orchestra. [Another odd jewel from Readers Digest. As with the work listed below, the fire-breathing Liebowitz proves himself a sensitive colorist and mood-painted. Whose transcription this is, the notes don’t tell us. Not Stokowski’s; probably Gerhardt’s. but dozens of versions exist. This one’s appropriately ravishing.]
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. w/ "London Festival orchestra". [Now this is more like it! Liebowitz seems to have snapped out from under the spell he was in during the Stravinsky sessions and delivers a passionate, surging account of this most sensual of all tone poems. Very ripe & satisfying, almost on par with Stokowski’s – any of them.]
Stravinsky: Le Sacred du Printemps. w/ Orch of St. Ceclia Academy, Rome. [Wow, talk about a schizoid interpretation! I expected Liebowitz, fierce advocate of modernism that he was, to play Hell-and-Jesus with this work, but the only portions of it that really come off are the quieter, more atmospheric passages – these, Liebowitz shapes, with uncanny imagination and subtlety equal to any conductor’s, a palpable sense of spooky, nocturnal ritual. But the blood-and-guts passages, he restrains to the point of timidity! The percussion, for God’s sake, is kept on such a tight leash that those earth-cracking bass drum thwacks hardly rippled the water in my dog’s drinking bowl! And the brass playing is strictly from Palookaville – wheezy, insecure, and downright cowardly. What manner of weirdness was going on at these sessions???]
Weber: Overture to "Der Freischutz". w/ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. [Top-drawer.]
LEINSDORF:
Puccini: "Intermezzo" – Madama Butterly. w/ RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra.
MENGELBERG:
Berlioz: 3 Excerpts from "Damnation of Faust". w/ Concergebouw, Amsterdam; LIVE, 10/6/38. [12:42]
Debussy: Fantasie for Piano & Orchestra. w/ Concertgebouw and GIESEKING, live, 10/6/1938. [20:32] [Gieseking was in his prime, Mengelberg adored Debussy’s music; the engineers didn’t fail the occasion. All concerned give this early work all the conviction and passion they can summon, which turns it into prime Debussy, not the usual airy-fairy pot-boiler it’s made to sound like when pianists do it today.]
Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite, Op. 13. w/ Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; LIVE, 12/12/1940. [24:17] [My friends, this is the WORLD PREMIER of this modern classic, and it don’t get no better’n this! Mengelberg was eating his Wheaties on that day and he turns in a sensational, ravishingly colorful reading. Fortunately, the engineers of Radio Nederland were also in top form, so, on their massive glass masters, they captured an amazingly broad dynamic range and many timbral nuances. For modern sound, I recommend the COMPLETE version on London (well, Decca these days), with Istvan Kertesz and Peter Ustinov reading the spoken text, but for those who’d like to hear this music when it was absolutely fresh and unknown, I cannot thump the drum hard enough for the Flying Dutchman and his incomparable ensemble. Some recordings never lose their capacity to astonish, and this is one of them.]
Kodaly: Peacock Variations. w/ Concertgebouw Orch., live, 11/13/1939. [Take ewverything I said above and double it – the sexiest version of this delicious concerto-for-orchestra ever wuz!]
MITROPOULOS:
Bizet: Carmen (complete). w/ Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus, live, 1/12/1957; Rise Stevens, Carmen; Maria del Monacco; Franco Guarrera. 2 CDs.
Gould; M
instrel Show. Minneapolis Symphony, 1942. [Approx. 3:56]Kreneck, Ernst: Ballad of the Railroads.
Minneapolis Symphony, live, mid-Forties. [What a great idea! Kreneck simply took a handful of pages from the local RR timetable and set them to music! The "Modernist" style, in this case, is appealing even to the most conservative listener, because it makes for an underlying rhythmic pulse that actually does mimic the "clack-a-tee-CLACK, clack-a-tee-CLACK!" of passenger carshurtling west at high speeds! At the world premier, pn the evening of , the audience actually gave Kreneck a standing ovation, moving the lonely, exiled composer to tears. Kreneck had given the Mid-Westerners something authentic and instantly resonant; they recognized its quality; from that night on, until Kreneck moved to , Florida, to relocate in a climate much more suiited to a middle-aged man with severe asthma problems, Ernst Kreneck and the good people of the Twin Cities "adopted" each other. The composer is still honored and anecdotes about his eccentricities (and his personal generosity) are still being passed along to the "next generation"almost a half-century later!. To their own bewilderment, mitropoulos had made the good-natured but basically out
KRENECK ANECDOTES HERE ] " " : Cantata for Wartime. Minneapolis Symphony & U. of Minnesota Chorus, c. 1943, live." " : Piano Concerto No. 3. w/ Mitropoulos playing AND conducting! [Atonality with a Smiley Face – Kreneck really didn’t much like docecaphony, but felt obliged to go along with it for the sake of his career. Actually, the concerto isn’t all that fierce or hermetic, at least not the way Dimitri plays and conducts it; if you can handle Prokofiev at his thorniest, the leap from that style to Kreneck’s isn’t gigantic and the music is often damned good. Off-the-air sound on my Scource is rather cruddy, but to best of my knowledge (TBOMK], there simply IS no other recording of this work, at least not under Mitropoulos, who was Kreneck’s greatest advocate and most passionate interpreter.]
Lully (
Arr. Mottl): Minuet from "The Temple of Peace", K. 197. w/ Minneapolis Symphony [3:38]Mendelssohn: "Scherzo" from Octet, Op. 20. Minneapolis Symphony [3:35]
Mozart: Thamos, King of Egypt. entr’acte No. 1, K. 345. w/ Minneapolis Symphony, [3:45]
" : " " " " " " No.. 2, K. 345. w/ " " [3:58]
Mussorgsky: Boris Gudonov. w/ Georgio Tozzi as Boris; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus; abridged and sung in English. See detailed comments under "Opera" heading.]
MONTEUX:
Berlioz:
Harold in Italy. w/ Klaas Boon, viola; Concertgebouw Orchestra, live, 1963ORMANDY:
Wagner: "Siegfried" – "Forest Murmurs". w/ Philadelphia Orchestra
STOKOWSKI:
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7. w/ Philadephia Orchestra [35:47] [I suppose I do lard on the superlatives too much in these listings, but I can’t help it; enthusiasms run amok when you’re feeling messianic. Prefatory remarks: over 30-odd years, whenever I’ve wanted to convert a skeptic into a Stokowskian, the Allegretto of this Seventh is one of the first things I slap on for them – provided they’re musically hip enough to know the difference between merely excellent string-playing and the superhuman. By 1927, Stokie had converted the Philadelphia into the sleekest, most tonally resplendent orchestra the world had ever known. He’s institutionalized "free bowing" (i.e., each string player goes up or down with the bow according to his musical instinct and personal comfort, as opposed to the drill-field unanimity that audiences think looks so cool but really doesn’t have to do squat with how the strings sound) , his primary object being to create the most seamless, creamy, voluptuous legato (the notes flowing together in liquidity, not sounding separately or detache), and this early electrical recording was the general public’s first exposure to how sheerly gorgeous that effect could be. But you can also hear how exquisite was his care for balances, how suave and eloquent his winds were (note especially the meltingly beautiful oboe phrasing of Marcel Tabuteau and the flute of Willy Kincaid). This is Beethoven revealed with feline grace and heart-on-sleeve emotion, yet with a full measure of the drama and power one expects from this symphony. Unless you’re one of those odd people who think ravishing beauty in Beethoven is somehow unchaste or indecent, that he MUST sound always like the unbuttoned roughneck, I think you’ll find this reading revelatory – and the recorded sound per se to be light-years ahead of what other conductors in America at least, were obtaining via early electric technology. Over the past 80-odd years, even critics who generally had reservations about Stokie’s "excesses" admitted that this was one of the ten (or twenty, or whatever) Greatest Orchestral Recordings ever issued. The same goes for the dark, rapturously played Schubert. Both were recorded in 1927, making them among the earliest versions of both warhorses to be waxed. My Source copy is a "Parnassus" LP from the late Sixties, painstakingly, even gloriously remastered (without benefit of digital gimmickery!) by legendary restoration wizard Leslie Gerber; it’s been out of print since about 1970. Note: there was an equally superb remastered CD on the late, lamented Biddulph label, which you might run across by chance. Honestly, it doesn’t sound all that much better than this one – a shade less underlying surface noise, to be sure, but in terms of orchestral tone and presence, it’s a toss-up. Quite simply, one of the most glorious recordings ever made, and still, after almost a century, a Seventh against which all subsequent versions have to be measured. For those who’ve hesitated to get their feet wet in ancient "historic" artifacts, for fear of the noise and crummy dynamics, this is the one to start with. There was far more audio information contained in the grooves of the best 78s than home equipment was capable of reproducing in those days; this is proof – if it’s your first "historic" purchase, well, over the years many pilgrims for whom I’ve played it have experienced a Road-to-Damascus epiphany and become life-long collecting addicts. You’ve been warned, and I hope beguiled.]
Mussorgsky: "Boris Goudonov", Symphonic Synthesis. w/ L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.
Schubert: Symphony no. 8, "Unfinished". w/ Philadelphia Orchestra, 1927. [21:56}
SWAROWSKI, Hans:
Brahms: Symphony No. 4, Op. 98. w/ Suddeutsche Philharmonic Orch. [The elusive Maestro Swarowski strikes again, sourced from an unknown Canadian label, delivering a crisp, punchy, dynamic Fourth and a Tragic Overture to match. The sound is good mid-70s stereo but the highs take on a slight edge in the louder parts of both works. Worth having if you’re into Swarowski…]
Brahms: Tragic Overture. w/ South German Philharmonic.
Repertoire
BACH:
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1.
Arturo Basile; Orch. of the St. Cecilia Academy.
BEETHOVEN:
Egmont Overture. Scherchen; Archive du RadioLugano, live, 1964
Symphony No. 1. Scherchen; Orchestra of Radio Lugano, live, 1964
Symphony No. 2. Scherchen; Orchestra of Radio Lugano, live 1963
Symphony No. 7. Stokowski; Philadelphia Orchestra, 1927. [See extensive comments under "Conductors"]
Symphony No. 7. Van Kempen; Berlin Philharmopnic Orch.. [37:28]
Wellington’s Victory. Scherchen; Stuttgart Radio Symphony, live, 1962 [Includes a 15-minute excerpt from the rehearsal, in German of course, but very revealing. Scherchen isn’t in the least temperamental or over-bearing; he patiently and precisely tells the orchestra how he wants it to go and why & the musicians respond with clearly audible differences between one playing and the next. As for the performance, Ye Gods, what a shit-kicker! Scherchen rides this pot-boiler like a lathered mule and turns the work into a whirlwind of excitement. Y’know, this isn’t such a BAD piece after all!]
BERLIOZ:
Harold in Italy. Klaas Boon, viola; Monteux; Concertgebouw, live, c. 1963
Roman Carnival Overture. Basile; Bologna Theater Orchestra
BIZET:
"Carmen" Prelude. Bsalie; Bologna Theater Orchestra.
BRAHMS:
Piano Concerto No. 1. w/ Glenn Gould; Bernstein; NY Philharmonic, live, 1962. [See comments under "Solo Virtuosi". Please! It’s too cool to miss! Not, I think, very good, but definitely ‘way cool!]
Seven Songs, Op. 32. Fischer-Dieskau; Hertha Klust, piano.
Symphony No. 3. Oivin Fjelstad; Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. [From a seemingly unlikely Source, a meaty, big-boned interpretation, exceedingly committed and well-played. Another nice surprise from the Readers Digest series.]
BRUCKNER:
Symphony No. 3. Volkmar Andrae; Vienna Symphony Orch. [A very respected conductor in his day, Andrae made damn few recordings & almost none of them reached the U. S. This is Sourced from an ancient Epic LP in remarkably good condition. Nice sound; intelligent and probing interpretation, if not the last word in Gothic splendor – for that, you gotta go with Knappertsbusch or Schuricht…it just so happens that I have both.]
CHOPIN:
Nocturne in E-flat. Gordon Langford; National Philharmonic Orch. [No clue who did the transcription; probably Gerhardt]
Les Sylphides. Sir Alexander Gibson; "London Festival Orchestra".
DEBUSSY:
Clair de Lune. Liebowitz; London Promenade Orchestra. {See comments under "Conductors"]
Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun. Liebowitz; "London festival Orchestra".[Interesting trivia: in the original lP release, this was squeezed on to side 2 of Liebowitz’s "Rite of Spring", and the transition from the barbaric hacking at then of of the Stravinsky to the soft zephyrs of the Debussy is so lurching it’ll make you dizzy.]
DVORAK:
Carnival Overture, Op. 92.
Sir Alexander Gibson; "London festival Orchestra"
FAURE:
[These new listings are Sourced from a pristine Pathe-Marconi set of the complete French recordings of Faure’s music as performed, conducted, or sung by persons who actually knew the great composer, who lived from 1845-1924. Exquisitely produced, as a gate-fold album illustrated with numerous quite wonderful photos of the composer, his star pupils, colleagues, and one or two lovers/wives/mistresses, this commemorative 50th anniversary-of-his-death set was never exported to the U.S. except in very small quantities to a handful of specialty record stores, which is where I grabbed mine. The engineering was always good for its time, and these deluxe-vinyl remasterings were the finest that mid-Seventies technology could create. My discs are in near-mint condition and contain revelation after revelation. The contents quite neatly fill two CDs, and although you may of course cherry-pick individual cuts for your order, I can’t imagine any lover of Faure’s gentle art who would not want the entire set. Untold beauties lie in these old grooves; in many cases, these first recordings have never been equaled, much less surpassed.]Autumne, Op. 18/ No. 3. Ninon Vallin, soprano; pianist unnamed. Rec. Sept., 1928. [2:55]
Barcarolle No. 1, Op. 26. The composer @ piano; rec. in 1913 [4:30]
Berceuse, Op. 16. w/ Eugene Ysaye, violin; C. Decreus, piano. Rec. 1912. [4:25]
Dans les ruines d’un abbaye, op. 2/ No. 1. w/ Maggie Teyte, sop.; Gerald Moore, piano. Rec.1942 [2:45]
Le don silencieux, Op. 92. w/ Neomie Perugia, sop.; Irene Aitoff, piano. Rec. Oct., 1945. [2:06]
Elegie, Op. 24. w/ Maurice Faure, piano; Maurice Marechal, cello. Rec. Nov. 1928. [4:26]
L’horizon chimerique, Op. 118. Charles Panzera, baritone; Magdekeune Panzera-Baillot, piano. Rec. Npv. 1936 [ 8:40]
Le jardin clos – Dans la nymphee, Op. 106/no. 5. Neomie Perugia, sop.; Joseph Benbenuti, piano. Rec. June, 1941. [2:10]
Mirages, Op. 113/ no. 3. w/ Pierre Bernac, baritone; Francis Poulenc, piano. Rec. July, 1936. [3:15]
Pelleas et Melisande, Op. 80. w/ Desiree Ingelbrecht; Orchestre du Theatre des Champs-Elysses. Rec. 1954. [20:02]
"Penelope", Drama Lyrique. Germaine Cernay, mezzo; Gustave Cloez; "Grand Orchestre". Rec. 1929-1930. [8:51]
Prison, Op. 83/ No. 1. Pierre Bernac, baritone; Francis Poulenc, piano. Rec. 1936 [2:05]
Le Secret, Op. 23/ No. 3. Vanni Marcoux, bass; Piero copolla, piano. Rec. June, 1931. [2:35]
"Shylock", Op. 57.
Piero Coppola; Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire. Rec. April, 1932. [12:45]Soir, Op. 83/ No. 2. Claire Croiza, mezzo; George Reeves, piano. Rec. July, 1930. [2:50]
Quartet in C Minor, Op. 121.
Krettly Quartet. Rec. Dec., 1928. [23:10]
FRANCK:
Symphony in D Minor. Sir Adrian Boult; London "Festival Symphony" (sic). [Very exciting.]
GLAZUNOV:
"Flirtations of Spring" & "Dancing in the Fields" from "The Seasons". Fistoulari; London Philharmonic Orch. [See comments under "Conductors"]
GRIEG:
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46. Sir Alexander Gibson; London Festival Orchestra
HANDEL:
Water Music Suite. Arturo Basile; Orch. of the St. Cecelia Academy. [Slow, stately, regal; very good.]
HAYDN:
Symphony No. 101, "The Clock".
Van Beinum; Concertgebouw Orch, live, 1958
HARRISON, Lou:
Symphony No. 3. Russell-Davies; Philadelphia Orchestra; live, 1985. [If any piece can win a mass audience for Lou Harrison, it’s this big-hearted, lusciously orchestrated, symphony, with its sparking gamelan-inspired riffs and easy-to-dig melodies. Reportedly, the orchestra loved playing it and they certainly sound like that in this live air-check. Lou Harrison loved life, and people, and music, and his works are never morose or dark in mood – introspective, yes, they can be that, but never pessimistic or angry. He’s almost as easy to like as Hovhaness! So what’s keeping his music off concert programs? Sloth and indifference, I guess. So be thou neither! Obtain ye this 26-minute symphony and smile with pleasure at every note!]
HAYDN:
Symphony No. 94, "Surprise". Freccia; Orchestra of St. Cecilia Academy, Rome.
Symphony No. 101, "The Clock". Van Beinum; Concertgebouw Orch., live, 1958
HINDEMITH:
Concerto for Horn & Orchestra. Dennis Brain, horn; composer; Philharmonia Orch.
Sinfonia Serena. Composer conducting; orchestra unidentified on Source (could be Berlin Philharmonic; sound is good mid-Fifties mono.) [I’ve always found this rarely-heard composition to be one of Hindemith’s most substantial orchestral works; he conducts is with flair and feeling, which is good, because nobody else seems to be conducting it at all, since his death…]
Twelve Easy 5-tone Pieces for Children, Op. 45/ No. 4. Marga Richter, piano. ["For children", maybe; this "adult" finds the music charming, utterly unpretentious, and fully worthy of inclusion in any eclectic recital program. Ms. Richter’s (on one of those marvelous old blue-jacketed MGM LPs) version was the first ever issued and still sounds splendid.]
HOVHANESS:
Elibris. Braithewaite; New Zealand Chamber Orchestra. [10:51]
Mountain Idylls. Marvin Rosen, piano. [4:45]
The Mystic Flute. Marvin Rosen, piano. [1:30]
The Prayer of St. Gregory. Chris Gecker, trumpet; Richard Auldin Clark; Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. [4:36]
Sonata for Fred the Cat. Marvin Rosen, piano. [8:15] [Hovhaness knew cats, all right, as any fellow cat-lover can tell from reading the sub-titles of this curious work’s movements: "Give a Cat a Twig and he Takes a Tree"; "Purr Dance"; "Fred the Cat and the Distant Mountain"; "Fred the Cat Flies to Heaven". R.I.P., Fred!]
KODALY:
Peacock Variations. Mengelberg; Concertgebouw Orch., 11/23/1939.
MAHLER:
Songs of a Wayfarer. w/ Fischer-Dieskau & Furtwangler; Philharmonia Orchestra [Unsurpassed]
Symphony No. 8.
Wyn Morris; Symphonica of London (sic); Joyce Barker; Elizabeth Simon; Norma Burrowes; Joyce Blackham; Alfreda Hodgson; John Mitchinson; Raymond Myers; Gwynne Howell; New Philharmonia Chorus; Ambrosian Singers; Finchley Children’s Music Group; Bruckner-Mahler Choral Society, etc. [93:10] [I dunno what’s happened to this bloke; retired? Expired? Can’t find work? I sincerely hope Morris is still with us and still in robust health; and that we haven’t heard the last of him. He achieved fame worldwide in 1973, when Phillips released his account of the final, published, iteration of the Derycke Cooke version of Mahler’s unfinished Tenth. That recording, and Morris’s interpretation, won the approval of Anna Mahler, the composer’s daughter, and it quickly eclipsed Ormandy’s noble pioneering interpretation of the not-yet-finalized Cooke version. The next Wyn Morris record I encountered was an "Eroica" on a small import label. My recollection: a broad, weighty, ceremonial-sounding interpretation that achieved cumulative significance at the expense of moment-to-moment excitement and energy. American critics lacerated it with nit-picking, however, and if Morris made any records between that Beethoven and this Mahler, I never heard about them. The impression had taken hold that he was something of a pedant, who got lucky once, and had slunk back to the academic chambers whence he’d emerged. RCA kind of sneaked this Mahler 8th on to the market in…well, sometime in either the very late 70s or very early 80s, charging a two-fer-one price to attract customers. Not many were attracted; the Morris set faded into Deletion Limbo within a year of its appearance, neither widely reviewed nor well-distributed.It’s a pity. Mostly recorded in a live concert, patched up later, Morris’s account uses a huge pick-up orchestra of London’s best freelancers, a gaggle of little-known but thoroughly committed soloists, and choristers who respond to his knowing direction with just as much fervor and commitment as the singers in Solti’s incandescent top-of-the-heap recording of several years later. Morris was/is one of England’s most distinguished choral conductors, so one would expect fine work in that department. But the orchestra too plays fabulously, and the whole stupendous array is captured in warm, spacious, middle-distance sonics, with ample room for the enormous climaxes. Few conductors even try to lead this immense work until they feel equal to it; maybe that’s why so many of the Eighths on disc are so good. You can’t go wrong with the following versions: Solti, Morris, Mitropoulos, Bernstein (both I and II; the Vienna one should be experienced on DVD so you can actually see the epic scale of the music as well as hear it), Stokowski, and possibly the new Kent Nagano one. Rattle/Berlin might not be bad, but based on what I’ve heard ol’ mop-top do to Mahler in the past, I’m not optimistic. Kubelick doesn’t have a freakin’ clue, and Haitink is just plain dull (though I do admire some of his other Mahler recordings deeply). So, despite its short shelf-live in America, the obscurity of its performers and the flash-in-the-pan reputation of its conductor, this Wyn Morris evocation of Mahler’s biggest symphony is easily recommendable. Just because I think Morris got a raw deal from the critics, I’m offering this (normally two-CD) titanic account for the price of a single: $13.50. Be sure and suggest what else you want on the second disc, as you’ll have about 55 minutes’ space to fill]
MENDELLSOHN:
"Nocturne’ from "Midsummer Night’s Dream". Victor Desarzens; Vienna State Opera Orch.
Symphony No. 4, Op. 90, "Italian". Freccia; Orchestra of the St. Cecilia Academy, Rome
MORRICONE, Enio
[Yes, besides being one of the best & most prolific film-music composers of our time, Morricone writes ‘serious’ music, too. I don’t think it’s anywhere near as good as Nino Rota’s – Morricone’s so determined NOT to sound like his spaghetti westerns that his "serious" music sounds like the worst, most tune-less, abrasively audience-dismissive dreck that American academix were cranking out by the cubic quarter-note from about the mid-Fifties to the mid-Seventies, when the Counter Revolution started gathering steam. Of the works listed below, the only one I like is the "Four Pieces for Guitar", which at least incorporates some gestures of accessibility and might well find a place as the Token Contemporary work on many a solo recital. The rest of this music, frankly, has no comfortable points of reference I can grasp, nor any other device to aid the listener who’s trying to get a handle on what Morricone’s up to. My Source LP, of very short duration, contains not one word as to the identity of performers, conductor, or recording venue. But dubs of all the short stand-alone works and you’ll still have room for the "Fistful of Dollar" suite, which puts everything else in the shade.]"A Fistful of Dollars" – Soundtrack. Composer conducting RCA Italiano Orchestra [34:38]
Four Pieces for Guitar. Performers, date & Venue not specified.
Music for Eleven Violins. " " " " " "
Ricercare for Pianoforte. " " " " " "
Sextet. " " " " " "
Suoni per Dino. " " " " " "
Three Studies. " " " " " "
MOZART:
Symphony No. 40. Freccia; orchestra of St. Cecilia Academy. [See comments under ‘conductors"]
Violin Concerto No. 5. w/ Jan Bresser, violin; Klemperer; Concertgebouw Orch. live, 1/18/1951
MUSSORGSKY:
"Boris Goudonov", Symphonic Synthesis. Stokowski; L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.
POULENC:
La Bal Masque. Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano. [One of F-K’s finest recordings.]
PUCCINI:
La Boheme – Suite of Music, no words! Fiedler; Boston Pops Orch.
Madame Butterfly, " " " " . Kostelanetz; NY Philharmonic Orch.
RAVEL:
Chansons Madecasses. Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano.
RIHM, Wolfgang:
La Musique Creuse le Ciel (Sp?) for 2 Pianos & Orchestra. Soloists unidentified on Source; Eliahu Inbal; Berlin Radio Symphony Orch; live, circa late 70s. [I, who know virtually nothing about the French language, would translate this as "The Music Hollows-out the Sky". It’s from Baudelaire and the only reason this music might hollow out anything is by its sheer grinding abrasiveness. Well, not strictly true I guess. Rihm’s a serious composer, not a mountebank and I have one other piece by him, a string quartet, that I remember being impressed by when last I heard it. This cookie is a jaw-breaker, though, with only a few, very fragmentary concessions to listeners in search of discernable themes motifs and…well, no, there aren’t any real "Melodies" here, and the virtually unrelieved forte or louder sounds may induce migraines in some. But I did listen to it twice, anew, before listing it, and at the beginning and end are some moments that actually make sense and even drew me in a bit. Maybe a few more hearings will reveal more, but I don’t plan on cranking it up again any time soon. Daunting but definitely serious, anarcho-expressionist post-war Kraut dogmatic stuff; the average audience will bolt for the exits after five minutes. Still, there’s something here and it might grow on you. If only Rihm would lighten up a bit now and then… Time is about 20 minutes; the duo-pianists deserve a medal even for making their parts clear and audible above the seething racket; heroic podium work by Inbal, who seems to have made something of a Cause out of Rihm’s music. Somebody has to do it, I reckon, and it’s not a "bravo-generator" by any means. Decent FM stereo sound, with traces of static here are there – most of you won’t even notice, I suspect.].
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:
Russian Easter Overture. Basile; Bologna Theater Orchestra.
ROSKOTT, Carl:
Violin Concerto. Franco Gulli; Sheldon Morgenstern; Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra; live (world premier), July, 1985. [Carl used to conduct one of the two student orchestras at the Eastern Music Festival; I thought he was terrific; so did the students. This is the only music by him I’ve heard; I think it’s quite a respectable concerto, with a hoe-down ending that brought the crowd to its feet (I was present for this concert; I may even have reviewed it; don’t recall). In any case, what a treat to hear a violinist of Gulli’s quality give your concerto its first performance. Shelly & the orchestra did a fine job on the accompaniment, too. A really nice piece, all in all, and splendidly performed.]
SCHUBERT:
Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished". Oivin Fjeldstad; Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
SIBELIUS:
Finlandia, Op. Op. 26/ no. 7. Sir Alexander Gibson; "London Festival Orchestra"
[I’ve never been a big fan of Gibson’s Sibelius, although a lot of Sibelians seem to like his work a lot – he’s always struck me as being much like Sir Charles Groves in his emotional reticence and moderation, attitudes which might be fine for Bach or Mozart but just won’t do for the Finn. But in this Readers Digest session, at least, Gibson caught fire and turned in a searingly intense Finlandia – one of the better ones ever recorded, I think, and made extra vivid by Gerhardt’s spacious, richly detailed sound (even though my set is mono only). Outstanding and very moving in the final peroration.}Songs, Orchestral. w/ flagstad & Fjeldstad. [See listing under "Vocal Soloists"]
Symphony No. 5, Op.82. Paul van Kempen; Concertgebouw Orchestra, live, 1954
The Swan of Tuonela, Op. 22/ no.2. Gibson; "London Festival Orchestra"
STRAUSS, Johann:
Overture to "Die Fledermaus". Arturo Basile. Orchestra. of the Bologna Theater..
Wiener Blut. " " " " "
STRAUSS, R.
Till Eulespiegel…Op.28. Arturo Basile; Bologna Theater Orchestra. [Again, very spirited version; played with terrific zip.]
STRAUSS, Richard:
Till Eulenspiegel, Op. 28. Arturo Basile; Theater Orchestra of Bologna
STRAVINSKY:
Le Sacre du Printemps. Liebowitz; "London Festival" Orchestra. [See comments under "Conductors"]
TCHAIKOVSKY:
Symphony No. 6, "Pathetique". Sir Alexander Gibson; London Festival Orchestra (sic)
VERDI:
Overture to "La Forza del Destino". Basile; Bologna Theater Orchestra.
WAGNER:
"Traume" (Dreams). Douglas Gamley; London Proms Orchestra
"Tristan und Isolde’, Prelude & liebestodt.
Arturo Basille; Orch. of the Bologna Theater
CHAMBER ENSEMBLES & SOLO VIRTUOSI
AITOFF, Irene [Piano]:
Faure: Le don silencieux, Op. 92. w/ Noemie Preugia, soprano. Rec. Oct., 1945 [2:06]
BENVENUTI, Joseph [Piano]:
Faure: Le jardin clos; Dans le Nymphee, Op. 106/ No. 5. w/ Noemie Perugua, soprano. Rec. 1936. [2:10]
BRAIN, Dennis [Horn]:
Hindemith: Concerto for Horn & Orchestra.
Composer; Philharmonia Orchestra. [I suppose, by now and since nothing new has appeared from the BBC’s recently opened vaults, that every scrap of Brain’s extant recorded performances has been issued. Sad that the inventory is so small, but then, nobody expected him to die so young. This, I think, is the only "contemporary" score Brain recorded, but it’s a gem. This, and his Angel recordings of the Mozart & Strauss horn concerti should be in the library of everyone who loves great French horn playing.]
GIESEKING, Walter (Piano):
Debussy: Fantasie for Piano & Orchestra. w/ Mengelberg & Concertgebouw of Amsterdam; LIVE, 10/10/38. [20:32] [See comments under "Conductors"]
GOULD, Glenn:
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. One.
w/ Leonard Bernstein; NY Philharmonic. [It was one of those occasions that define a turning point in the history of musical performance – as distinct from "the history of music" per se – and no one who was there will ever forget it. The young Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould, who had just caused a sensation with his recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, was about to make his NY Philharmonic debut, with a composition about as far removed from Bach’s as could be imagined: the titanic Brahms’ D Minor. The hype was deafening, but curiously hollow; Mr. Gould was rumored to be uncomfortable with public performances in general, and his ideas about Romantic repertoire were known to be, um, eccentric. Would he attempt to play the Brahms as though it were Bach? Would he have an attack of the Vapours on stage and faint in mid-crescendo? Would he have visions and speak in Tongues?Even more titillating: the word on 57th Street was that soloist and conductor had been at loggerheads over the concerto all week; that neither man would even speak to the other, so bitter was the acrimony (or the clash of egos! How delightful!). Well, by the time the house lights dimmed, on the evening of April-something 1962, Carnegie Hall was sold out, and the phalanx of music critics were being studied through opera glasses like fillies at a carriage race as excited music lovers sought some cue as to what might be in store.
Then, when concert-time rolled around, out strode Lenny, baton rather nervously clutched in his fists, his handsome features curving into a sardonic mask (oh, you bet your ass he was milking the occasion, just as Gould, in his crazier and less explainable way, was also doing; both of these gentlemen were, after all, Performers – as Gould continued to be even after he stopped "performing"!!). After a spatter of anxious applause, the audience fell dead-silent, everyone leaning forward to catch Lenny’s introductory remarks. I won’t spoil their effect by quoting them here.
The morning-after reviews were all over the map, their metaphors strained in the director of a bullfight or a heavyweight title bout rather than a routine subscription concert of the ol’ NY Philharmonic! The evening instantly became Legend; Gould’s career sky-rocketed and tales of his personality quirks and odd behavior even reached the tabloids. Lenny never worked with him again, of course, which is kind of sad, since a re-match would have been seismic in its impact, and dear dotty old Glenn just continued to get weirder and weirder (and more and more brilliant!) after he announced that he was giving up public performances altogether. I won’t tell you what I think of this near-mythical performance, so you can come to it as prejudice-free as possible. Except to say this: you’ll never hear another Brahms First remotely like it. So shut the doors, crank up the volume, lay in a good cigar and some expensive brandy, and play the sucker…several times. My Source tape includes nervous audience-rustling, Lenny’s dramatically-paced walk to the edge of the stage, his spoken disclaimer, and, eventually of course, the performance itself. And the audience’s reaction, afterwards. After you’ve heard it, drop me an email and let me know what you think. I’m curious.
KRETTLY Quartet:
Faure: Quartet in C Minor, Op. 121. Rec. 1928. [23:10]
MOORE, Gerald [Piano]:
Faure: Dans Les ruines d’une abbaye, Op. 2/ No. 1. w/ Maggie Teyte, sop. Rec. 1942 [2:45]
PANZERA-BAILLOT, Magdalena [Piano]:
Faure: L’horizon chimerique, Op. 118. w/ Charles Panzera, baritone. Rec. 1936 [8:40]
POULENC, Francis [Piano]:
Faure: Mirages, Op. 113/ No. 3. w/ Pierre Bernac, baritone. Rec. 1936 [3:15]
"
: Prison, Op. 83/ No. 1. " " " " " " [2::05]RICHTER, Marga (Piano):
Hindemith: 12 Easy five-tone Pieces for Children, Op. 45/ No. 4.
YSAYE, Eugene [Violin]:
Faure: Berceuse, Op. 16. w/ C. Decreus, piano. Rec. 1912 [4:25]
opera, chorale & solo vocalists
ANTHOLOGIES:
"Opera W/out Words"!
[ Yes, just the Good Stuff – the big juicy tunes, without all those boring, interminable, let’s-take’-twenty-minutes-to-say-what-real-people-can-say-in-four-minutes episodes that, let’s face it, most music-lovers only pretend they like. This compilation gives you 15-20-minute syntheses of the most dramatic and moving music in the whole opera, distilled to its essence and passionately led by Conductors Who Understand. Juicy, intense performances all, and not a single croaked, garbled word of Italian or Russian anywhere to be heard! Your order will be kept confidential – there are more of you than you might think! Your Maestri on this occasion are all excellent stick-men: Fiedler, Stokowski and Kostelanetz; and the opera chosen are "La Boheme", "Boris Goudonov", and "Madame Butterfly". Guilty pleasure? You bet!]BERNAC, Pierre [Baritone]:
Faure: Mirages, Op. 113/ No. 3. w/ Francis Poulenc, piano. Rec. 1936 [3:15]
" : Prison, Op. 83/ No. 1. w/ " " " " " [2:05]
CERNAY, Germaine [mezzo-soprano]:
Faure: "Penelope", Drama Lyrique. w/ Gustave Cloetz; "Grand Orchestre". Rec. 1929 – 1930. [8:51]
CROIZA, Claire [mezzo-soprano]:
Faure: Soir, Op. 83/ No. 2. w/ George Reeves, piano. Rec. 1930. [2:50]
FISHER-DIESKAU, DIETRICH (Baritone):
Brahms: Seven Songs, Op. 32. w/ Hertha Klust, piano
Faure: La Bonne Chausson, Op. 61. w/ Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano
Mahler: Songs of a Wayfarer. w/ Furtwangler; Philharmonia Orchestra
Poulenc: Le Bal Masque. w/ Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano
Ravel: Chansons Madecasses. w/ Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano
FLAGSTAD, Kirsten (Soprano):
Sibelius: Orchestral Songs. w/ Oivin Fjeldstad; London Symphony Orchestra. [You don’t really want me to type out all these names in Swedish, do you? I thought not. Suffice it to say that we have here, in definitive and resplendent versions: Op. 17/Nos 1 & 6; Op. 37/ Nos 1, 4, and 5; Op. 38/Nos. 1, 2, 6; Op. 36/Nos. 2, 6, 1, 4; Op. 60/No. 1; and "Arioso", Op. 3]
MARCAUX, Vanni [Bass]:
Faure: Le Secret, Op. 23/ No. 3.
w/ Piero Coppola, piano. Rec. 1931 [2:35]
TEYTE, Maggie [Soprano]:
Faure: Dans les ruines d’une abbaye, Op. 2/no. 1. w/ Gerald Moore,. Piano. Rec. Jan. 1942. [2:45]
VALLIN, Nino [Soprano]:
Faure: Automne, Op. 18/ No. 3.
Unidentified pianist. Rec. 1928. [2:55]
OPERAS, COMPLETE
BIZET:
Carmen.
Mitropoulos; Rise Stevens; Maria Del Monacco; Franco Guarrera; Metropolitan Opera Orch. & Chorus; live, January 12, 1957. [Cast to die for; Dimitri in the pit; electricity of a live broadcast – imagine how good it is, and the double that!]
MUSSORGSKY:
Boris Godunov. Mitropoulos; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus; Georgia Tozzi, Boris; Nell Rankin, Marina; Charles Kullman, Shuiski; Albert Da Costa, Grigori; abridged to fit two LPs, issued by Metropolitan Opera Recording Society circa 1955-1956; it’s also sung in English but the translation is much less objectionable than you’d imagine. The main attraction, of course, is Dimitri’s impassioned conducting, which is positively incandescent. Mono sound, of course, but well-balanced, powerful and easy to listen to. Source LPs had a few light pops and crackles, but no major scratches – it’s rare to find a set in such good shape. Gives you an idea why Mitropoulos was such a hit in the opera pit. I’m undecided about Tozzi’s Boris; his voice lacks the black-earth Slavic power of George London, never mind Chaliapin, but his acting, diction and projection are very good. Highly recommended and growing rarer with each passing year. 2 CDs. Note: the original issue had about 16 minutes of English narration, bridge passes I guess; I’ve taken the liberty of editing that material out. I don’t think anybody will mind.]
STRAUSS:
Die Aegyptische Helena.
Keilberth; Leonie Rysaneck; Bernd Aldenhoff; Annelies Kupper; Hermann Uhde; Orchestra & Chorus of the Bavarian State Opera, live performance; August, 1956. Two CDs; Time: 136: 44. [Of the six opera Strauss collaborated on with Hugo von Hoffmanstahl, this is the least known, least popular, and least performed. Strauss told his librettist he wanted something along the lines of Offenbach’s frothy La Belle Helene; the dour Hoffmanstahl obliged by concocting an almost grotesquely serious and multi-layered, ponderously "philosophical" story that Strauss tried mightily to clothe in sparkling musical raiment, but between composer’s intent and librettist’s high-mindedness, the notion of "entertainment" got squeezed dry; not even Strauss’s brilliant handling of the orchestral part could flog this turkey to life. The world premier (Dresden, 1928, under Fritz Busch) generated puzzlement and downright antagonism from critics and audiences alike; a "second chance" Salzburg revival five years later (revised, tightened score; lavish sets & production values; and the ever-ebullient podium work of Clemens Krauss notwithstanding) only confirmed the earlier verdict: everybody has an off-day now and then. And this was Strauss’s ‘bad day’, writ huge and seemingly interminable. Keilberth & Co. do their considerable best to kick this sodden confection into a state of vitality, but to my ears at least, it’s still an immense soporific failure. The opera does have its partisans and if you’re one of them, you’ll probably admire much that you hear. For new-comers contemplating the plunge into Strauss’s operatic universe, please take Uncle Bill’s advice and start elsewhere…Salome and Elektra always get the blood pumping, and neither of those operas is nearly as long as this one.]choral works
FAURE:
"Penelope", Drama Lyrique, excerpts.
w/ gustave Cloetz; "Grand Orchestre" (Rec. 1929-1930) [8:51
Film Music & Musical Theater
ANTHOLOGY
MEL BROOKS’S Greatest Hits.
[Time, approximately 41 minutes] [Composer John Morris made a perfect member of the brook’s comedy-ensemble. Side One is a riotous medley from "High Anxiety" and Side Two reprises the killer songs in each of Mel’s funniest flicks: "Springtime for Hitler", "Puttin’ on the Ritz", "I’m Tired…" etc., etc. "Come on, Germans, let’s dance!!"]
FRIEDHOFFER: "The Best Years of Our Lives". Frank Collora; London Philharmonic Orchestra. [Not a "war movie" per see, this still-potent movie examines what happens to a representative handful of men & their families as the inevitably less heightened but long-desired patterns of their "real" lives tries to reassert itself in the aftermath of WW-2. Friedhoffer’s score is more an extended, leitmotif-filled meditation on the interconnectedness of things, the fickleness of Being, the restlessness of the human heart. Inspired performances and a nuanced, literate script are enhanced by one of the more complex, subtle, and powerfully affective soundtracks composed since "Gone with the Wind". It stands remarkably well on its own too, its mood-shifts so strong and clear as to serve for counterpoint to the acting, the language, the milieu. The Hollywood moguls sometimes knew when to leave well enough alone, and Friedhoffer’s brooding score raked in an Oscar – as it surely deserved to.
MORRICONE, Enio: "A Fistful of Dollars" – Soundtrack.
Composer; RCA Italiano Orchestra [34:38] [Still ranks as one of the greatest Western soundtracks ever composed; I think it also stands alone as a suite surprisingly well.]
TIOMPKIN: "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964)
. First composer approached to work on this score was, natchurally, Ben Hur himself, Miklos Rosa; who turned it down, having had a belly full of Roman spectacle for as while. Dimiti Tiompkin wasn’t the fellow for either secretive emotions or grand public parades (never mind epic battle scenes), but he surely does try hard here. Dutifully he cranks out generic marchjing-legion stuff. obligatory Persecuted Christians hymns, all the usual numbers, but nothing rises above the level of rather ordinary craftsman ship. Rosza’s treatment of the material would have struck new ground, but as he wrote in his charming autobiographical sketches from Hungary, "I couldn’t very well be the only man in Hollywood capable grinding out yet another Biblical blockbuster…" If you do admire Tiompkins’ work, you’ll need this to acquire a complete collection. Or if you collect "epics" scores, you’ll perhaps find more here than I do. At least it IS a rare record, and we’ll dub it for you both fast and (relatively) cheap.]
FOLK -- CELTIC & RELATED
OLDFIELD, Sally: "Water Bearer".
[Like most who bought this album, I was betting on genetics. After all, Mike Oldfield’s Ommadawn was perhaps the greatest art-rock tone poem anyone’s ever composed (why no major ballet company hasn’t choreographed it is a mystery): sensual, evocative of vast mysterious landscapes and forbidden rites, building to an orgiastic climax not all that inferior to Le Sacre du Printemps it’s a genuine 20th Century musical masterpiece (Tubular Bells, or as we in the Record Biz called it, "Tubular Balls") isn’t bad either, but it’s just a warm-up compared to Oldfield’s towering second album…so I figured, maybe his sister had a touch of genius, too. Well, no, not even close, but all the same, Water Bearer has its charms. Quirky lyrics, toe-tapping elfven back-ups, a quartet of odes based on Tolkien’s Silmarillion, which will either entertain you hugely or drive you screaming from the room, depending on how you feel about that almost-but-not-quite compendium of Middle Earth floatsam. I adore the title-cut (although I haven’t the foggiest idea what kind of "water bearer" Ms. Oldfield’s referring to – pretty sure it isn’t Gunga Din, though. And I like "Night of the Hunter’s Moon" on the B side. The rest of the tracks kind of blur together in a warm, pleasant, wall-papery mist. Problem is, I think, her voice: she had a minimalist range of maybe 1.3 octaves and she has to force the lyrics much too often to create the illusion of a broader range – when she does so, the vocal timbre oozes into the penny-whistle’s and the result is just too fey for words, conjuring images of a conga-line of garden gnomes in drag. What the hell; it’s a nice, rather strange off-shoot of the Seventies folk-rock/ art-rock phenomenon; good background music for your next Mescaline party – if you or any of your friends know where to score any (and remember, you can always contact me by emails sent to this web site; the server automatically routes them to my AOL address…cough, cough)STIVELL, Alan: "Celtic Rock".
[Awful, deceptive title! Mind you, Stivell DID record some rock-ish numbers, and they’re mighty fetching, too, like everything he does, but this album ain’t got any of ‘em. The contents are a grab-bag of what sound like out-takes left over from earlier albums; it’s VERY Celtic, but as a "rock" album it makes Steeleye Span sound like The Ramones. Just ignore the title; here’s more prime late-Seventies Stivell, with the Master sometimes setting aside his magic harp in favor of the bagpipes, the harmonium, the Irish flute and even the kettle drums. Needless to say, he plays all these instruments superbly, and his husky, light baritone voice has never sounded more alluring. The back-up band is large and potent; the sonics are vivid. Not among my favorite Stivell albums, but, hey, the guy never made a bad one.]
FOLK MUSIC -- NON- CELTIC
MUNDO BIZARROCHADBOURNE, Eugene:
The Birth of Shockabilly. [Yes, friends, "the birth of Shockabilly", Eugene’s legendary EP (which he once told me could be played "at either thirty-three or forty-five, whichever you feel like" manages both to satirize country & western & early rock-n-roll and to glorify them with blistering covers of "Your Good Girl is Gonna Go Bad" and "Heart Full of Soul" He’s assisted by Mark Kramer on the World’s Cheesiest Electronic Organ and David Licht on percussion. If my ears do not deceive me, Gene also includes a couple of extended solos on The Rake. For those who’ve never experienced a Chadbourne concert, The Rake is, as the name implies, an ordinary leaf rake whose times have been jiggered with all kinds of electrodes, pick-ups, and deranged "Prepared Piano" attachments – Eugene changes the hardware every night he’s scheduled to perform, so even if you’ve heard The Rake before, you may be startled and/or repulsed by the sounds that come out of it from one venue to another. BTW, I did dub this in both 33 r.p.m. and 45 r.p.m. It sounds great at either speed, although at 33 Eugene’s normally gruff voice takes on the eerie timbre of a frog sucking on nitrous oxide. Hell, after a few good tokes, it sounds great at 78 r.p.m., too!]]
Don’t Punk Out! w/ Frank Lowe, tenor sax. [America’s premier cross-genre wild man in a generously filled LP – pressed in a limited edition of 3,000 copies & long out-of-print. Eugene plays (and abuses/fondles/makes-love-to/ almost destroys) a 6-string amplified guitar, a 6-string UN-amplified guitar; and a 12-string that’s got at least 95,000 miles on it. Materials range from an arrangement of Sonny Rollins’s "Fire Down Below" to Lowe’s mock-epic (4:22) "Phantom to Tower" to Eugene’s "45 First Avenue" improve (2:50) to Billy Patterson’s "If it Should Happen" (4:05). Total time is 43:12.]
SHEL SILVERSTEIN’S STAG PARTY.
FAURE,
La Bonne Chansonj, Op. 61.
Fischer-Diekau; Instrumentralists; Swallisch, PianoMENDELLSSOHN;
Scherzo from the Octet, 0p.. 20. FISCHER-Diescau; Sawallisch, piano.-
POULENC:
Le Bal Masque. w/ Composer playing various instruments [18:14] (mau bes unnjn
RAVEL:
Chansons Madecasses.
Fischer-Fieskau