Dvorak and Smetana played by the Stradivari Records Quartet

I love the quartets of Dvorak and Smetana and, I was very pleased to pick up this old lp recently. It is a mono Stradivari Records release featuring the "From My Life" and "American" quartets of Smetana and Dvorak respectively. These masterworks are played by the Stradivari Records String Quartet, presumably a house creation of New York based musicians? In short, these are nice renditions, idiomatic and well played by the quartet. Really, these works are so well written, with beautiful melodies and phrases, that it is quite difficult to NOT present them well. Not to worry here!

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Jonel Perlea conducts delights from Central Europe

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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Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops go Hungarian and Czech

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops....thirty years gone and the maestro and his orchestra are still household names! This very nice album, LM 9017, is typical Fiedler fare done with panache, good taste and with  a whiff of effervesence. The featured program has Smetana's Vltava (The Moldau), Brahms' Hungarian Dances 1 - 6 and a rarity at the time, Dvorak's Hutsitska (Hussite) Overture.

Though most people equate Fiedler with "popular" fare, he was a highly accomplished violinist with exquisite taste who longed to be taken seriously as a master of the podium. He demanded much of himself and treated all music with respect and purposefulness. The results speak for themselves: best seller after best seller and financial stability for the parent organization, the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Ultimately, Fiedler was rewarded by the BSO by being allowed to conduct and record with it, by then music director William Steinberg. The product of the collaboration was a very fine New World Symphony.

Here, Fiedler displays a real flair for the Smetana, Dvorak and Brahms pieces on this album. Whether the earthy feel of a peasant dance or the pull of Vltava's currents, everything just sounds so right, natural is the word, and the musicianship is impeccable. What a great and responsive orchestra the Pops was during the late 40's through mid 50's when these recordings were made.  I hope you enjoy!

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