More from Rodzinski and the PSONY

I've heard gazillion recordings of the Nutcracker Suite and so have you. After a while, the music just seems to play itself for god's sake. Well, if you are tired of the hum drum, cookie cutter, totally auto pilot approach, give this a listen. In short, this is the finest take on this overrecorded ballet suite that you are apt to lean an ear towards. There is a bounce in all the numbers and articulation, which often is glossed over, is crisp and clean. Most important, sunshine and a child's sense of merriment abounds in this most childlike of scores. My only regret is that there are a couple of unfortunate skips in the Miniature Overture due to the poor quality of the lp; everything else cleaned up rather well. A gem!

Nutcracker is not the end of the story. Tchaikovsky's Suite No 4 "Mozartiana" is served up in spades, the "prayer" will make your heart melt. To be truthful, I've never much cared for any of these suites or given them much thought but this Rodzinski recording opened my eyes up to Mozart's melodies brilliantly realized by the great Russian master. This is superb arranging and orchestration folks and, Rodzinski knows how to present the palette of colors truthfully and tastefully. 

And....as a fill, I've incorporated a 10 inch by Ormandy of Rimsky's Russian Easter Overture and Prokofiev's Classical Symphony. Each is immaculately performed by this great Philadelphia orchestra. These recordings made during Ormandy's first 20 years in Philly are the real deal.  There is an excitement level, an intensity you might say, that wore off as the stereophonic era took hold and made its way into digital.  Note: The cover above is not from my copy but from the French edition of the record.

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Tchaikovsky and Rimsky - Korsakov led by Scherchen!

Ah! A special treat here...at least for me! Yes, Scherchen leading strong, monaural recordings of Rimsky - Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture and Tchaikovsky's 1812 with the London Symphony and then Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 4 with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. I want to point out that the 1812 here is, in my opinion, better then the stereo remake with the VSOO. The LSO sounds like they are on a firmer footing then the often erratic Viennese ensemble.

The most pleasant aspect of these recordings is that Scherchen does not take the proceedings over the top, as was his case at times with Beethoven and Mahler, to name just two. The 1812, in particular is presented as good, noble music and every part is musically rendered sensibly and almost businesslike but with personality. Those expecting cannons and muskets and wind machines or whatever, should note that this performance is for musical instruments alone, and, played as they are here, the sounds of battle are conveyed in a wholly appropriate and effective manner. The Russian Easter overture has the requisite nobility and seriousness of the holiday, this is a broad approach taking into account the spiritual aspects of the most important holiday in the orthodox calendar.

The surprise of the 4th symphony is that precision is quite good and eccentricities are non existent. In fact I think Scherchen's approach is not far off from  that other fine 4th of the early 50's, Kubelik's marvelous Chicago recording. Especially delightful for me are the urgent, yet sensitive, pizzicato's  in the Scherzo. Again, I'll stress that the VSOO is very well behaved and obviously Scherchen took great pains to work out various technical challenges. All in all, a fine 4th!

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Argeo Quadri conducts Scheherazade

An extremely pleasant discovery! Recently, I happened to come across a couple of old Westminster issues conducted by Argeo Quadri, a name that honestly meant nothing to me. This will be the first of two transfers and based on the musical evidence here, I am at a loss on why I do not know Quadri.

Argeo Quadri was for most of his career an opera "house" conductor and his career was Europe centered and based out of Vienna. For whatever reason, his discography is small but certainly vital, consisting of a handful of orchestral issues, full length operas and "recital" accompaniment albums. This recording in question, Rimsky Korsakov's masterpiece Scheherazade, is truly outstanding, brilliantly interpreted and played with a vitality that I find lacking in many recordings of this overplayed warhorse. In Quadri's hands, the work comes alive and the you can sense that the Viennese musicians are playing on the edge of their seats. This is one time where the overworked and often under rehearsed Vienna State Opera Orchestra sound positively razor sharp and whip smart. Quadri's sense of story telling and structure is second to none and his Viennese musicians play with a wonderfully idiomatic flair!

I want to stress that this was a great surprise for me. An Austrian orchestra under an Italian opera conductor playing the socks off of a piece that has had gazillion recordings by some of the greatest maestros of the last 75-80 years. I will be offering Quadri's magnificent traversals of the Pines and Fountains of Rome as my next post.

This recording was released in 1953. By the way, I want to point out the wonderful cover art by Otto Rado. Really exquisite isn't it? Enjoy!

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Sviatoslav Richter performs Russian concertos with Kondrashin conducting

A transfer I did sometime ago and I've had it in the can for a while. This one does not benefit from ClickRepair but rather Click Removal in Audacity. And, I believe that the files are mp3 if that matters.

The Monitor label released  a sizeable number of these early to mid 60's Soviet produced recordings and many were benchmark quality, at least for performance!  I would consider these peak Richter performances with Kondrashin and the Moscow PO to be right up there in terms of performance, insight, command of repertoire and interpretative quality. In Richter's hands, the Rimsky comes off as being a minor masterful creation, something that it ain't, certainly not approaching the genius of a Scheherazade. The Prokofiev 1 is a masterpiece and is given a reading that befits its status as one of the great piano concertos of the 20th century. And, the Glazunov 1's interpretation leaves one wondering why this little gem is not more securely fastened to the standard repertoire list. Richter and Kondrashin are like minded artists and this release is a terrific illustration of how the soloists/collaborator role should be followed.

Everything here is quite listenable if forever imprisoned in that distinctive "Melodiya" sound, love it or leave it, depending on your kind of audio preference. Richter is one of the great giants of the keyboard, in any kind of sound!

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Antal Dorati's first recording of Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade

Here's a find from the three for a dollar box at "In Your Ear!"  This, of course, is Antal Dorati's first recording (1937) of Rimsky Korsakov's timeless masterpiece "Scheherazade." This RCA Bluebird reissue features the playing of Beecham's London Philharmonic.

A couple of things that I would like to note. First, this is the quickest performance of the work that I know of: it clocks in at about 39 minutes. Most other performances are a good 3 to 5 minutes slower, including Dorati's numerous remakes. Second, the playing of the LPO is decidedly not first rate. I was surprised at the number, and prominence, of the careless attacks and less then crisp articulations from the winds. Strangely, many of the hallmarks of preparation that Dorati performances are known for are for the most part absent here. I wonder if rehearsal time was seriously limited?

Warts aside...this is an important document from a very fine conductor who produced many excellent recordings in a long and successful career. The Scheherazade here is a young man's take on the work and what it lacks in polish, it makes up for in zeal.  I am happy to have discovered it in that box filled with three for a buck discs!

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