More from Luboshutz and Nemenoff plus....

 

Hambro and Zayde! More music for piano four hands. Yes, you all know how much I this stuff and well, I cannot resist. Luboshutz and Nemenoff on a mono Remington and Hambro and Zayde on an Enoch Light stereo special.

What I enjoy about these two records is that the artists play with the utmost taste and discretion. Nothing is thrown off slapdash for pure effect and every piece receives the serious attention to the proper style that it justly deserves. There is a little of everything here and together, a fine 75+ minutes of satisfying music making is offered.

Details in the downloads. I think there is about 10 -12 years between both these recordings.

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The Waltz King with Arthur Fiedler and Eugene Ormandy

A nice RCA compilation of the music of Johann Strauss the younger featuring the conducting talents of Arthur Fiedler with the Boston Pops and Eugene Ormandy with the Minneapolis Symphony. I would guess that the Ormandy recordings are from the mid 1930's and the Fiedler ones probably 10-12 years later. Interestingly, Fiedler is given top billing here over Ormandy, who by the time of this reissue was solidly in the Columbia Masterworks camp with his Philadelphia Orchestra.

Both of these conductors are naturals with Strauss since each would have played violin in salon bands during their student years and early musical careers, absorbing the style and the oeuvre. I especially want to point out the skill and care that Ormandy brings to these works: his preparation, understanding and purposefulness yields brilliant and incisive playing by the very fine Minneapolis orchestra. It is amazing what details and genius is reveled when these works are not played as an afterthought. You know, I would have loved to have heard a complete album recorded by Beecham but alas, we have none. Beecham, of course, could yield dazzling results with repertoire that others spun an "oh hum" towards. Happily, maestros Ormandy and Fiedler are anything but ordinary.

Sunday is wonderful for Strauss!

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Reiner and Ormandy in Tunes from the Homeland

 


The spirit of Hungary from the Keystone State! Here are two fine Columbia issues from the late 40's featuring Hungarians Ferenc Reiner and Jeno Blau. We of course know them as Fritz Reiner and Eugene Ormandy.

The Reiner disc is another document from his Pittsburgh years. I love these recordings from Pittsburgh because they capture Reiner in manner which is almost the polar opposite of what we came to expect from Chicago. In the Windy City, Reiner was known as a severe, humorless perfectionist who drove his orchestra hard and without remorse. Pittsburgh recordings tend to be more flexible and relaxed, sounding at times spontaneous and inspired by the minute.

The selection of Hungarian Dances by Brahms are tossed off winningly and quite naturally. I swear that Reiner has tweaked Brahms' orchestrations ever so slightly though the liner notes say nothing on the subject. As for the Stauss waltzes, another example of Reiner's treatment of these gems as more then mere entertainment and fluff. Reiner really was one of the finest conductors of this genre; interestingly, another perfectionist, Carlos Kleiber, is supreme here as well. Great, idiomatic, interpretations here despite the oddly very dated and stuffy sound.

The Ormandy disc fares much better with sound probably because the Philadelphia Orchestra was the Cadillac in the Columbia garage. Ormandy is well within his element with the two Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies and the Philadelphians play these with all the expected virtuosity of a very great orchestra. I never take these Liszt pieces for granted because poor conducting sabotages the hell out of them while great conducting rivets the listener to his or her seat. Ormandy's traversal is close to great and there is sparkle and wit here. The best Hungarian Rhapsodies, for my money, are Scherchen's mono set from London. It's absolutely terrific - Scherchen at his most inspired finest! The Ormandy record is paired, rather strangely I think, with Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite. This is vintage Ormandy fare and he played Grieg as well, or better then, his contemporaries.

A nice full program here with two fine conductors recorded in their prime with two terrific, but very different orchestras.

SORRY - MEDIAFIRE REMOVED THE LINK

A Josef Lhevinne recital

Above is the Camden release cover to my Victrola reissue. This is a recital by the great Russian-American pianist, Josef Lhevinne. These recordings date between 1928 and 1935 and capture the pianist during his final decade on God's Green Earth.

Josef Lhevinne was a genius. Regarded as maybe the greatest technical player of his day, he is above known for his devotion to teaching  at his beloved Juilliard where he, and his equally talented wife Rosina, built the greatest program for aspiring pianists during the 20th century. To his students and contemporaries he represented the pinnacle of taste, craftsmanship, and technical proficiency.

The performances on this record of Chopin, Schumann, Debussy and Johann Strauss are beautifully rendered  with the highest level of musical excellence. Lhevinne has not only the highest regard for the written note but his presentation is set forth with respect, humility and responsibility. You can hear this being conveyed through his ten fingers onto the eighty eight keys. This is a must hear experience. I especially want to call attention to the Debussy which pairs Josef and Rosina in the real definition of marital bliss!

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Antal Dorati conducts his arrangements of Johann Strauss, Richard Strauss and Jacques Offenbach

In over 35 years of listening to the classics, I can honestly say that one of the greatest influences on me has been Antal Dorati, in particular early Dorati from the mid 40's through late 50's. What strikes me most about early Dorati is the excitement, the sense of occasion that he brought to, and inspired, in his performances from Dallas and Minneapolis.

The three performances here feature three orchestras tackling works arranged by Dorati and recorded during the late 1940's by RCA Victor:

• The ballet "Graduation Ball" based on music of Johann Strauss the Younger performed by the Dallas Sympony Orchestra
• The suite from the ballet "Helen of Troy" by Offenbach performed by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
• The suite from "Der Rosenkavalier" of Richard Strauss performed by the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra (pseudonym for the Philadelphia Orchestra which was under contract to Columbia)

In all of the works, Dorati elicits sharp playing and sensitive phrasing from the musicians. In addition, Dorati keeps the pulse steady and accurate and this is no easy feat as these suites are scenes that require flawless transitions in order to move along convincingly, rather in a transparent way I would say. It is so easy for suites like these to become fragments strewn together but Dorati does not let that happen. I think one reason why these arrangements are all but forgotten is that few conductors could pull this off as convincingly as Dorati. These are great examples of the art and talent of Antal Dorati: composer, conductor, leader.

These records were in so-so shape. Overall, the transfers came out better than I had imagined however, there are a couple of spots where added noise removal would jeopardize overall sound. I don't think this will prove too much of a problem as the historical reason for listening to these recordings outweigh any technical limitations.

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The music of Johann Strauss the younger presented Rodzinski and Rosenthal

A couple nice mid 50's recordings of music by the Waltz King.

Probably many of you would not expect Strauss waltzes by Artur Rodzinski but here it is. Recorded in mono with Beecham's RPO, these charmers sparkle with great tunes, of course, coupled with that Rodzinski ear for detail. Amazing how others just gloss over little things - witness the New Year's concerts from Vienna!  Without a doubt, the RPO was the right orchestra to record this fare with since Beecham did not give short shrift to the "lighter" classics but treated them to the care and attention that they deserve. The orchestra was well prepped to dive into Strauss with vim and vigor!

Manuel Rosenthal probably would more likely come to mind  for dance music and with good reason since he was one of the more renowned proponents of "dance" music in the 20th century. Rosenthal leads the Paris Opera Orchestra here - in fine form, on a Capitol mono release, in Roger Desormiere's arrangement of Strauss into a ballet known as Le Beau Danube. This arrangement is wonderfully crafted and it's a damn shame that these kind of ballet suites are hardly ever heard anymore. One thing I'll say is that a number of bloggers in the last year have done Rosenthal great justice by resurrecting lps that have otherwise fallen into the great vinyl black hole. This man was a very, very fine conductor and musician as evidenced by recordings that I have been privileged to listen to. Such is the case with Le Beau Danube.

Johann Strauss the younger was a truly talented and gifted composer. These two recordings bear witness to that statement through the superior efforts of Artur Rodzinski and Manuel Rosenthal. Enjoy!

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Arthur Fiedler conducts the music of Johann Strauss "the waltz king"

A wonderful recent acquisition we have here. Music from Johann Strauss the younger's two magical operetta's Die Fledermaus and The Gypsy Baron performed by the marvelous Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler. Released in 1960, this Dynagroove stereo lp captures the Pops-Fiedler relationship at its very height of musical prowess.

You know, many folks over the years have tried to degrade the achievements of Arthur Fiedler. Critics derided his rather unorthodox baton technique, musicians complained of his somewhat irascible manner, and the public failed to recognize his complete musical gifts, seeing him as a spinner of popular tunes in an orchestral setting. All this aside, Fiedler was a remarkably well educated and cosmopolitan man, an excellent violinist, and a man who had a knack for understanding the business side of things, in other words, he knew what would sell and increase the prestige of Boston as a world musical center. As a conductor, Fiedler's recordings and live performances were scrupulously prepared and the musical results were unfailingly excellent and enjoyable. Fiedler really, really tried hard to gain prominence as a "serious" conductor and perhaps this is why he never put out a bad product.

This collection of Strauss will put a smile on your face. The younger Johann Strauss had that rare gift, like John Philip Sousa, of continuously creating enchanting melodies that both uplifted and were memorable, no easy feat! Fiedler takes full advantage of this palette and his splendid orchestra brings style, immaculate execution and unfailing wit to every waltz, polka, galop,and march. I tell you, when this repertoire is played by a first class orchestra with a sympathetic conductor, the results are mighty impressive all around. No less a genius than Carlos Kleiber found his greatest joy when conducting the music of the "waltz king."

As a filler, I've included 6 polkas of Strauss, from an early 50's mono recording, featuring Fiedler and Pops.

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Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony in Brahms and J Strauss!

Here is a truly magnificent offering...well, in my own humble opinion.

I've heard lots of recordings in 30+ years, LOTS, and I can say that of every conductor and orchestra, one partnership stands out in my mind for uniform excellence in performance and sheer excitement level: I'm talking about the wonderful years that Antal Dorati spent in Minneapolis. Though Dorati inherited a good orchestra, though at times undisciplined ensemble,  from Dmitri Mitropoulos, he alone was responsible for building it into a better, more responsive orchestra that played under him with an incredible amount of kinetic energy and fierce discipline.

The main offering here is Brahms' Third Symphony, coupled with the Tragic and Academic Festival Overtures. Here is an absolutely outstanding example of what Dorati accomplished in the upper midwest. Details are not obscured, performances are sharp and again, the excitement level is something that you can actually feel! It's a real shame that Mercury chose to release Dorati's remake in London rather then  this first effort at the third. Though the London is very good (and in stereo), this third is even better. This Minneapolis effort dates from 1955.

As a filler, I've included two Johann Strauss the younger waltzes from 1956: Artists Life and Voices of Spring. I feel these are more then appropriate fillers since Brahms had a high regard for his esteemed colleague in Vienna. Dorati's instinct for dance is well displayed here and these waltzes make great "encores" to the Brahms program.

Enjoy..as much as I do!

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