Newell Jenkins and the Orchestra Academia dell'Orso in Boccherini and Cambini

Here's another fine Dover offering: Newell Jenkins conducting the Orchestra Academia dell' Orso in the Symphony in C major and Cello Concerto in D major, Op 34 of Boccherini and the Sinfonia Concertante No 1 in C major for Oboe, Bassoon and Orchestra of Giuseppe Cambini. I must say that Cambini is new to me and I'd characterize his music as Salieri light, enjoyable but hardly memorable.

Newell Jenkins was for many years the director and inspiration for New York's Clarion Concerts. Dr Jenkins introduced many late baroque and classical works to the US and also performed valuable scholarship on the music of the 18th century. I don't believe that the orchestra here is Italian based as the soloists do not have Italian surnames. My guess is that this orchestra is a New York pickup group of some sort, maybe even the Clarion Concerts orchestra using another name for contractural purposes. Perhaps someone can enlighten me further on this? Anyhow, enjoy!

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The Haydn and Hummel Trumpet Concertos: a doubletake!

You know, I've been playing the trumpet for a good thirty five years, though I do not consider myself a professional musician. I've played all sorts of stuff, shows, orchestral concerts, quintets, parades, you name it! Today, I focus my autumn season on Oktoberfests - where else can you actually go to play and drink great beer and, get paid for it!?

Ok..enough of me. When I was growing up, there were two trumpeters who I greatly admired because, well they just had unbelievable technique and personality; the two are none other then Maurice Andre and Timofey Dokschitser. In his day, Andre was the most celebrated "classical" trumpeter in the west as was Dokschitser behind the Iron Curtain. Both men possessed breathtaking technical abilities and very, VERY, personal, instantly recognizable styles. Interestingly, their type of playing and musicianship has gone out of fashion to be replaced by the rather generic sounding, yet brilliant technical abilities of today's young trumpeters. Oh well.

Here we have both Maurice and Timofey playing those two well worn masterpieces, the Haydn and Hummel concertos. I think you will enjoy the comparisons here. I believe that Andre plays both concertos on a C trumpet while Dokschitser opts for the big, robust sound of the Bb trumpet. Andre's brilliance contrasts well with Dokschitser's big sound and ever present, Russian style vibrato. Both play a tour de force!

As for the recordings, I find Andre's RCA-Erato pressings rather tinny, the Hummel is harsh in places possibly due to worn vinyl??, while the Dokschitser fares better, although there is a "hiccup" in the slow movement of the Haydn. Not sure of the recording dates but probably late 60's, early 70's. Anyway, have a listen and recall a time when trumpeters were allowed to possess the all too important quality of individualism. What a concept!

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Rene Leibowitz conducts Rossini overtures with the Pasdeloup Orchestra

Here's an early Urania stereo release of Rossini Overtures performed by the Pasdeloup Orchestra under the estimable Rene Leibowitz. The usual suspects are here, La Gazza Ladra, William Tell, Semiramide and The Italian Girl in Algiers. All are splendidly rendered by this most French of orchestras under its cosmopolitan maestro.

Rene Leibowitz was one of the last century's best kept secrets. Polish born, he spent most of his adult life in France concentrating on composing, teaching, advocating 20th century music and keeping alive the great French opera/operetta tradition of the 19th century. This man had an enormous repetoire from early Baroque to cutting edge modern masters in fact, one may be able to say that only Hermann Scherchen conducted more styles, traditions and periods the Leibowitz.

Perhaps though, Leibowitz's greatest recorded legacy were series of Reader's Digest recordings that he collaborated on with the great producer Charles Gerhardt while in London during the 1960's. Having at his disposal such great orchestras as the LPO and RPO, Leibowitz set down magnificent accounts of the great musical masters, the highlight being a superlative Beethoven cycle that many critics have placed at the very top in their rankings....some say it is THE set for all time. That set is available on Chesky and I would encourage everyone to seek it out; the playing, the fidelity to the score and the conductorial vision is what sets it apart from all others. It is a treasure.

I hope you like these Rossini overtures. I will shortly be posting Leibowitz's take on the Respighi-Rossini  Le Boutique Fantastique.


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Brahms' 4th symphony conducted by Victor de Sabata on the eve of WWII

Victor de Sabata is nearly forgotten. A conductor-composer like Furtwangler, in his day de Sabata was recognized as a fiery genius, an individual who demanded technical perfection from players but was nonetheless able to coax warmth and beautiful sounds from the orchestras that he conducted. One player was to have remrked that de Sabata was like a cross between Jesus Christ and Satan! I wonder what that means!

Here is a fine performance of the Brahms 4th symphony played by a glorious Berlin Philharmonic. Sense of line in impeccable, technical precision is without question and that Brahms "lushness" radiates. Nothing is flabby and the music just falls into place as it should. It's interesting to compare this to Bruno Walter's London recording from around the same period. Walter is leaner and the British musicians lack that burnished tone that is characteristic of the finest Central European ensembles.

I almost wish that de Sabata had recorded the complete cycle of Brahms. He made few records, as he detested the process and his guest appearances were often limited to those ensembles who could accommodate his rehearsal demands. In addition, de Sabata was somewhat tainted by his willingness to work in fascist Italy and Germany when others, Toscanini first and foremost, had thumbed their noses at those brutal regimes.

This historical document is sourced from a Heliodor LP.

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William Steinberg, Wagner and the Pittsburgh Symphony

   

That's get it over with...that first record jacket looks like something out of a 70's all girl porn flick. I wonder if this reissue experienced record (pardon the pun)sales??!!! Westminster Gold, the brainchild reissue label of ABC, certainly was known more for their quirky record jackets then for the poor quality, cheap vinyl in which they pressed, often classic performances, onto. Here is an example:  two rather fine Wagner compilations, originally recorded by Enoch Light's Command Classics during the early to mid 1960's.

Hans Wilhelm Steinberg was like millions of European immigrants who came to the United States during the first half of the last century; essentially he was born anew and he became in many ways more American then someone native born. Not only did he change his name to William, but he referred to himself as "Buffalo Bill" during his years as music director in that city. Steinberg took great interest in American music, sports and culture and was widely admired for his devotion to the audiences during his tenures in Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Boston. A man of courtly mannerisms, but authoritative nonetheless, Steinberg's interpretations were noted for their clarity, freedom from excess, and above all honesty - no gimmicks.

These two Wagner compilations are yet another example of a Jewish musician who, though driven from his homeland and noting the way that the Nazi's exploited Wagner, chose to recognize the music's genius above the creator's apparent faults. This is above all musical Wagner and Steinberg's beloved Pittsburgh orchestra matches his vision every step of the way. The fault in these recordings lies in the pressings; Wetsminster Gold was a budget shop and their pressings had all the very worst characteristics of a budget label. I do hope that you, the listener, can overlook the less the stellar transfers and just enjoy the music presented in an honest, straightforward, unsentimental manner, as only William Steinberg could do.

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The Lenox Quartet play Beethoven

From a Dover LP, HCR 5240, we have the Lenox Quartet performing Beethoven's quartets op 18, no 1 and op 59, no 3.  Admittedly I know little of this ensemble other then it was at least the second time a quartet was formed under the Lenox name. The musicians in this particular incarnation came from the Pittsburgh Symphony and they played for around 10 years together, as the Lenox Quartet, from the the early 60's to early 70's. They are:

Peter Marsh, Theodora Manta, violins
Paul Hersh, viola
Donald McCall, cello

These performances are freshly free of mannerisms and the musicians let the music speak for itself. Though the ensemble does not have a particularly strong interpretive profile, I do find their approach appropriate and musically satisfying. I believe these performances are a good antidote to more well known ensembles that tend to take a more willful approach towards interpretive practices.

This recording was released in 1964.

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How about an orchestra of cellos under Heitor Villa Lobos?!

Well..ok..I've been busy this weekend, but probably not the RIGHT kind of busy! My son is off with his buddy and the wife is sleeping off a stomach virus and here I am....blogging away!

An orchestra of cellos! This truly is different. How many pieces do you know that are expressively written for an orchestra of cellos? Metamorphosen and then....I can "hear" the silence. Anyhow, this rather interesting LP was found by me as part of free lot available on craigslist. The prolific composer Heitor Villa Lobos assembled New York's finest cello players, during the 1950's, into the Violincello Orchestra and either arranged music for them to play or, wrote specifically for them. Villa Lobos was a cellist by trade so he knew the instrument intimately and, obviously loved it deeply. Here, we have his Fantasie Concertante on Side 1 and arrangements from Bach's Well Tempered Klavier on Side 2.

Though admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of the thought of a cello orchestra, I can admire the musicianship and dedication to the concept by Villa Lobos. This LP was released in 1959 by Everest and unfortunately, my copy is the mono version though the cover here says stereo. If anything, this is an interesting novelty, worth a listen.

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Luis Herrera de la Fuente conducts music from Mexico

A little while back, Buster at the Big 10 Inch posted an intriguing issue of classical music from Colombia. In the spirit of recognizing our friends "south of the border," I offer a very fine disc from Musart of Mexican works conducted by the "dean of all Mexican music," Maestro Luis Herrera de la Fuente.

If you do not know Mexican classical music from the past century's mid point, here is the place to start. We have Ayala's Tribu, Galindo's Sones de Mariachi, Revueltas' Homenaj a Garcia Lorca and of course, Moncayo's wonderful Huapango. Let me tell you, if you are having the worst, crappiest, messiest day, listen to Huapango and it'll put you right! Everything is beautifully realized by the Maestro and his National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico.

A note on the Maestro. Talent, energy and determination have been hallmarks of his career. Though we do not know him well in the States, in Central America, he was and is, The Man. I believe he is still somewhat active and he's well into his 90's. After listening to this disc, you will wonder why you don't know Herrera de la Fuente.

Though I cannot nail down a record date, I believe this originates from the late 50's, early 60's.

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Charles Munch, the BSO and........Bach!

Munch and Bach??? Munch and Berlioz yes, but Munch and Bach?

Well...YES... and very fine music making it is! We have here the Brandenburgs numbers 4 through 6 played with panache, a lightness of touch and exquisite musicianship. After all, with soloists like Richard Burgin, Lukas Foss and a very young Doriot Anthony Dwyer on flute, would you expect otherwise?

Back to Munch and Bach. Though modern day listeners will remember Charles Munch as the quintessential "French" conductor, he did spend his early years studying and playing the violin in Germany and, he also served in the Imperial German Army during  WWI as his native city Strasbourg was part of the German Empire. So strong  the German ties that Munch was asked to become the concertmaster of the famed Gewandhaus Orchestra while Furtwangler was the conductor of that esteemed ensemble. One can imagine that during his time in Leipzig, Munch had plenty of time to absorb and participate in the rich musical tradition that culminated in the genius of Bach. Munch and Bach...YES!

So...very much a surprise here for sure. I hope to locate a nice copy of the first three Brandenburgs, if for anything to hear Roger Voisin play that clarino part! Enjoy!

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