I miss the Vox label. When I was growing up, Vox and Nonesuch offered me many points of discovery at an unbeatable bargain price. Typically these Vox issues could be found at a local bookstore with a big sticker advertising $1.98. Great price for a kid on a budget though I must admit that the productions were at times variable, as you all know.
One great, and consistent find, was the large body of work recorded by the underrated Romanian conductor Jonel Perlea. Advertised by Vox as an "exclusive Vox artist," Perlea recorded just about all the heavy hitters of the repertoire, most records made with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra originally called the German Philharmonic of Prague and staffed by a majority of Central Europeans. To Be honest, I cannot recall a bad Perlea performance, though engineering, and often preparation were less then first rate due to money and time constraints.
I offer here the contents of two Perlea records, focusing on the music of Central Europe. PL 9500, from 1955, features Smetana's Moldau, Dvorak's Scherzo Capriccioso, Kodaly's Dances of Galanta and Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody No. 1. STPL 511.240, from 1963, contains the contents of Side 1: Brahms' Hungarian Dances 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 17, 19, and 21. This all adds up to a nicely filled cd of lively, well played and idiomatic music making. I especially want to point out the outstanding account of the Romanian Rhapsody. Perlea's got this in his blood for sure and the orchestra sound like they are enjoying it immensely!
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