Scherchen conducts overtures by Weber and French opera composers

From a three lp mono reissue by Westminster, we have a whole bunch of overtures conducted by Hermann Scherchen with the Paris National Opera Orchestra. There are five overtures by Carl Maria von Weber as well as overtures by French opera composers Adam, Auber, Boeldieu, Lalo and Thomas. I have not transferred all 3 lps but only recordings from Paris, which fills nicely fills a cd.

As with all Scherchen issues, there is plenty of excitement and often scrappy playing. Scherchen certainly has the measure of the music and his imprint is firmly on these gems. They are all a delight from start to finish. As always, I am left thinking what results Scherchen would have gotten with a truly first rate orchestra at his disposal.

I believe all of these recordings date from the late 50's and were originally released in both stereo and monaural.

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Scherchen's First Messiah from London

Several months ago I was extremely fortunate to come across a near mint Bach Guild issue of this 1953 recording at one of my favorite haunts. It was to be a good day as I blew the dust off of the box set and set down my wrinkled one dollar bill on the proprietor's counter.

Indeed, this is the Scherchen Messiah to have, NOT the Vienna remake from 1959. I'll cut to the chase and tell you that yes, Scherchen pulls and stretches tempos, some are almost glacial while others bounce around merrily; His Burden is Light is simply incandescent. Orchestral textures are light for the times and the LSO is not at all first rate and yes, portamento slips in when you least expect. Soloists are ok if strained in certain passages, since Scherchen challenges their breathing and control like no other conductor. This is, a very personal Messiah, maybe too personal but...the choral contributions are well, simply excellent. The London Philharmonic Chorus is rather smallish but under renowned chorus master Frederick Jackson, their phrasing and diction is magnificent. I stress diction, you can understand every word, it is that immaculate. I absolutely love it - they listen to each other!

Back to personal. Scherchen's Messiah is like no other. It is so well thought out and it is appropriately dramatic and inspirational. This is of the first "complete" versions ever recorded and one that faithfully adheres to the orchestration specified by Handel for 1742 Dublin, no more, no less. At about 2 hours and 45 minutes, this is not Messiah lite but rather, a lesson to be learned properly and fully, digested as a whole. We need to be thankful to Scherchen for brushing the cobwebs off of tradition and presenting works, like Messiah, as close to the composer's intent as possible. A remarkable achievement in itself.

There are three downloads here, two lp sides per download. I have not broken down lp sides since these recordings have no bands. I read that this was done this way in order to accommodate the work onto 3 lps. I have included notes that list what sections are included on respective lp sides. I do not find this arrangement to be at all inconvenient.

I'd like to stress, again, that this Messiah requires careful reflection and must be taken on its own, special terms. For most listeners, the suggested Colin Davis LSO version is well suited to meet their listening requirements as it presents Handel's masterpiece in a straightforward and inobtrusive way. Scherchen, like everything Scherchen, is not so simple. As a deeply intellectual man, there are discoveries to be made as layers are pulled back, much like peeling an artichoke. But, time and patience is worth the effort. And, I cannot stress the really fine contribution by the chorus here!

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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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DOWNLOAD SYMPHONY NO 4

Bach's Musical Offering in the Vuataz edition - Hermann Schechen conducting

I'm going to say very little here. Scherchen, Bach, you either love it or hate it. Simple as that.

I was most fortunate to locate this Musical Offering, recorded in 1951, this past week - it was in the plastic sleeve without jacket, located on the bottom of a pile of junk records. And! Surprise, surprise! the lp turned out to be in a splendid condition. This recording features 9 members of the Vienna Symphony in Scherchen's second take on Bach's highly original, at least I think so, work. This is the Roger Vuataz edition; Scherchen would call upon Vuataz's edition of the Art of the Fugue at a later date.

For this recording, Scherchen dispensed with a fuller string complement and opted for a minimalist approach, really the first of its kind. By adopting this approach, Bach's lines and textures are cleanly presented  and the listener is able to clearly hear the beauty of the polyphonic writing. The results are striking and for my hears, immensely pleasurable.

As a filler, I have included the Brandenburg Concerto No 5 from Karl Haas' traversal of the cycle for Westminster. Unfortunately, I possess only 3, 4 and 5. At some point, I would like to be able to present the integral set.  As for the fifth concerto, it is extremely well done by forces that are not much bigger then Scherchen's chamber ensemble. Again, detail is laid bare and as with the Scherchen, the recording by Westminster is very well done for its day, most excellent monophonic results.

Rather pleasant listening for a Sunday..at least until the Patriots - Bills game commences!

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Hermann Scherchen conducts Beethoven overtures

Here's a little more Scherchen for you Scherchen lovers. A bunch of Beethoven overtures from Vienna circa 1952 or so. European Archive had this available but it was a mess so I obtained a copy of the record and transferred it myself.

Scherchen includes a couple of less often played overtures, namely Consecration of the House and Namensfeier along with the usual suspects, Coriolan, Creatures of Prometheus etc. All works are whipped up into a proper frenzy though one gets the impression at times that the maestro is pushing the envelope with these Viennese musicians. Oh bother, Scherchen is just a wonderful advocate for Beethoven...nuff said!

You know, I often wonder what Scherchen would have done if he had had access to truly world class orchestras, like the BSO, Cleveland Orchestra, Concertgebouw. The man had such an incredibly huge and varied repertoire and his creative mind was second to none. Was it is socialist politics that closed some doors? Was it his acceptance of often slipshod orchestral execution? Again, I am left wondering, what if and why?

Mono recordings in FLAC files for your listening...

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The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross - the legendary Scherchen recording.

I finally found a decent copy of this rather legendary recording. This is for Maready at The High Pony Tail. He requested the Seven Last Words sometime ago and while rummaging through a rather uninspiring shop during lunch the other day, I came across this Westminster Gold reissue for 2 bucks. Though I would prefer the original vinyl release, this will do and ClickRepair cleaned it up rather nicely.

Oddly, there have been too few recordings of this oratorio version dealing with the meditations of Christ along the seven stages of the cross. I know of Harnoncourt's reading and I'd bet money that he was somehow involved with the Scherchen recording while a string player in the Vienna SO. Just a hunch since both men have very individualistic approaches that often diverge in a quirky kind of way. I do have several versions of the string quartet version on hand but I do not find one adagio after another satisfying in the quartet medium as I do with the oratorio presentation.

Scherchen really connects with Haydn in a way not dissimiliar to Bernstein. His reading is very much one that revolves around the words, the message, and not necessarily the music. For me, this works exceedingly well. Though a powerful intellect and a rather scientific kind of thinker (Scherchen was a keen student of rational socialist thought), the conductor makes a powerful connection with the religious and mystical side of this passion of Christ. This connection pays great dividends, especially when working with second tier soloists and a knowingly inconsistent Viennese band. Not to digress too much, but I wonder what Scherchen would have accomplished with truly first rate musicians at his disposal. A topic for another posting indeed!

This recording dates from 1962, is stereo and FLACs are awaiting download.

Oh! and please remember to check the Vinyl Fatigue blog for the series of Scherchen led Bach cantatas. You will not be disappointed!

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Hermann Scherchen conducts Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives

Beethoven's "Christ on a Mount of Olives" is an unusual composition for this composer. A dramatic, contemplative work, it does not, at face value, soar to the heights of excitement and inspiration of his symphonies, concertos or chamber music of the period. However, when removed from comparison to these works in question, Christ on the Mount of Olives tells the story of a moving moment in Christ's life as he was to journey from man to God in the final days of his mortal existence on earth.

I find it quite interesting that Scherchen provides a most satisfying recording of this complicated work as he  presents it on its own terms. Though Scherchen was a socialist and believer in man's ability to shape the world in his image, it is quite amazing that he can relate and communicate these moments of reflection and change in Christ's life so vividly. A comparison to mind, well, in a different way, is Leonard's Bernstein's superior way with Haydn's masses, Catholic works, though Bernstein himself was a Jew. Fascinating, at least from where I sit. I'm sure that somone has written an anaylsis on the subject.

Scherchen has long been controversial in Beethoven, though I personally love his fresh approach, albeit with the characteristic orchestral sloppiness that he would gloss over because that was secondary to him. Scherchen has to be listened to on his own terms and accepted for what he is: a genius who had an exceptionally broad range of tastes, who believed that humanity held the key to its own survival. I suppose this is the underlying reason why his "Christ" works so well?

For this recording, the soloists are Jan Peerce, Maria Stader, and Otto Wiener. Scherchen leads the usual forces of the Vienna Academy and State Opera Orchestra. My recording is the 1962, Westminster issue, not the Westminster Gold reissue. There are only 2 tracks for this performance, "sides 1 and 2" due to the very small breaks between scenes.

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Reine Gianoli and Paul Badura Skoda in Mozart's Two Piano Concerto K 242

Charm Nick at Grumpy's Classics Cave recently posted the pianist Reine Gianoli performing Bach. I'm going to piggy back on that with this offering of Mozart's Two Piano Concerto K 242. Unfortunately, the flip side with K 365 was in a bad shape and beyond my restorative abilities.

There is some very fine playing going on here between Gianoli and Badura Skoda. The latter is probably one of the finest Mozartian's of the last century. I think that Hermann Scherchen leads a suitable accompaniment without the mannerisms that he was sometimes known for. Admittedly, I had not heard of Gianoli before I picked up this record. Listening to her here and on Charm Nick's posting in Bach reveals a strong player with good technique who also has an almost willful approach to the music. In fact, I believe that Gianoli imparts a lot of herself in the music, maybe bordering on over the top. Well, you be the judge.

An interesting discovery, nonetheless.

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