Charles Munch conducts Blackwood and Haieff

Over on SymphonyShare, the ever resourceful Karl Miller posted a very useful offering of selected compositions by Easley Blackwood. Here's my contribution to the cause of Blackwood.

Charles Munch recorded the the Symphony No. 1 of Blackwood and the Symphony No. 2 of Alex Haieff in 1958.  About the Blackwood, courtesy of the Amazon site, ""The First Symphony's premiere performances brought Blackwood praise as "a stoutly original musical thinker" (Time, November 24, 1958). Howard Taubman of The New York Times called him "a composer of uncommon gifts." High Fidelity reviewer Alfred Frankenstein (February 1960) wrote of being captivated by "its freshness, its vitality, its dramatic, epical qualities, and the sense of a lively, original, uncompromising talent at work." Eric Salzman, reviewing the recording for The New York Times (Jan 31, 1960), called the work a "wild, grandiose and eclectic work full of almost Lisztian gestures . . . this young composer wants his symphony to embrace and reconcile a whole world of varying musical materials." "

I think Charles Munch proves a worthy advocate of these works, though I would've loved to have heard what Bernstein's way with the works might have been.  I only have the mono version of the lp but I think the music comes across just fine in that limited format.

Addendum:  Buster reminded me that I forgot to mention the filler! I have included from a Turnabout lp, Elie Siegmeister's Clarinet Concerto recorded in London in 1971 by Jack Brymer, with the composer conducting the LSO.  Earlier, Buster had posted on Big 10 Inch,  Siegmeister's Ozark Suite with Mitropoulos conducting the Minneapolis SO. Siegmeister was a highly adaptable composer who could write in a style reminiscent of Copland and then switch off to something that was akin to Les Six with the drop of a hat! The Clarinet Concerto is a very lovely composition which really requires a virtuoso, like the great Brymer, to make it soar and sing.  

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Alfred Brendel performs operatic transcriptions by Liszt

Here's a transfer that I made some time ago of Alfred Brendel playing a variety of operatic transcriptions by Franz Liszt.

A shame that few pianists venture into this repertoire anymore. Originally created to bring grand opera to the masses before recorded music was possible, these gems encapsulate key moments from their respective works in an ingenious, and wholly listenable, way. Liszt really was the master of taking the orchestrated score and breaking it down for piano two or four hands.

Brendel tackles this program of Bellini, Donizetti, Wagner etc..in the most coherent and vital way. I think this late 50's Vox recording captures the young Brendel at his most adventurous, when his repertoire was exceedingly diverse and imaginative.

An interesting byway in recording.

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Leonid Hambro and Jascha Zayde perform Saint Saens, Debussy, Franck, and Poulenc

I seem to have developed a "thing" for four hand piano music over the last few years. I cannot really explain why this is so but the combination of two like minded individuals, pounding the ivories in great music is, well...so irresistible!

Here we have the contents of two LP's, issued on Columbia and Command Classics, that feature the talents of the all but forgotten piano duo of Leonid Hambro and Jascha Zayde. Hambro is best known for his long association with the legendary Victor Borge while Zayde, I must confess, was totally unknown to me. Turns out that Zayde was a fixture on New York radio for many years while Hambro, after pretty much retiring from concertizing, taught at the university level. Together, they prove to be excellent collaborators and they play with good taste and superb musicianship in this program of French music.

I want to call attention here to the exquisite performance of Carnival of the Animals with words by Ogden Nash recited by the great Noel Coward. This really is, in my opinion, a definitive take on this delightful work, Hambro and Zayde are magnificent and Andre Kostelanetz leads his New York musicians to the manner born. You will enjoy this immensely!

I have another Hambro and Zayde LP, Mozart and Schubert, and I will upload at sometime down the line.

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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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Two First Symphonies: Tchaikovsky and Kalinnikov conducted by Yevgeny Svetlanov

I'm actually sitting in the local public library while my 8 year old attends a workshop. So, now's as good a time as any to offer another post that's been sitting in the dock for awhile. I will come back to the reload of the Boult (previous post) later at home, where my files reside, I promise!

Two first symphonies here, both flawed to some extent, yet each containing interesting material just the same. Tchaikovsky's "Winter Dreams" and Kalinnikov's Symphony No. 1 have both had somewhat erratic histories and today languish out of the performing mainstream. Kalinnikov, especially, achieved some popularity 60 to 70 years ago, however his conservative style coupled with a tendency to offer "too much of good thing" has all but relegated him to obscurity. Too bad!

Not to fear! Yevgeny Svetlanov rescues both of these works from the routine and offers up a strong case on why they should be more centered within the repertoire. Idiomatic musicianship, exciting playing, and oh, that distinctive Russian sound make for a stirring listening experience. I said it before, I'll say it again, oh how I miss that once distinctive Russian orchestral experience! Both of these performances are from the last 60's, early 70's with Svetlanov's own Academic Symphony Orchestra of the USSR captured at the height of its Soviet era best. Sound is typical Melodiya; Tchaikovsky was released on Quintessence while the Kalinnikov appeared on Columbia Masterworks. All courtesy of the good old days of detente!

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Music from England conducted by Sir Adrian Boult

Here's one for my friends in the UK, who've recently been through the most tumultuous general election in years! There is no better way to soothe emotions and bring the masses back together then with great music conducted by Sir Adrian Boult.

I've assembled a program of England's best through three centuries. Handel's Water Music is performed by the "Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra" on a Westminster release while Elgar's Three Bavarian Dances and Arnold's English Dances are from a London issue with the more familiar London Philharmonic name of the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra. All recordings date from the mid 50's.

Boult's Handel is very, very well done. Though performed by a larger body of strings then we are now accustomed to, everything is done so....tastefully...yes, that's the word... that any thoughts of period instrumentation etc..are quickly forgotten. Beautiful playing and Boult moves the music in just the "right" way. Elgar's Bavarian Dances are tossed off with aplomb;  lilting, playful, sparkling with sunshine and rustic peasant humor. The first dance always reminds me so, so much of Dvorak. It's really delightful. Arnold's English Dances are marvelous miniatures; tuneful and simply virtuostic for the orchestra. If you do not know them, you'll love them on first hearing. It doesn't get any better than this.

The older I get, I appreciate musicians like Sir Adrian Boult more and more.  Good musicianship, thoughtful preparation, devotion to the music and....taste.

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Mitch Miller on the oboe - works of Vaughan Williams and de Falla

Last week, Buster at the Big Ten Inch posted a lovely lp featuring the oboe talents of Mitch Miller in works of Mozart, J C Bach and J S Bach. Most people know Mitch as "sing along with Mitch" however ,they are unaware of his talents as a classical oboist and musical impresario. His importance in the musical environment of our country cannot be understated.

Inspired by Buster, I dug out two of those leathery green Mercury albums featuring Mitch on the oboe, but the vinyl contents were in a sorry shape. I was hoping that Buster had these items but alas, it wasn't to be. So, in earnest, I took them out and retrieved what I could for mine, and I hope,your listening pleasure. This amounted to two of four sides.

Mitch is featured as soloist in the Vaughan Williams oboe concerto and the Pavana and Gigue of Luis Milan, the latter a 16th century composer. He is ably backed by the Saidenberg Little Symphony. As a supporting artist, Mitch plays in de Falla's harpsichord concerto with the esteemed Ralph Kirkpatrick as the soloist. The first two works were recorded in 1947 and the de Falla, I'd say c. 1950.

No doubt, Mitch Miller was a self assured artist on the oboe. His technical command of the instrument is beyond reproach and his ideas on phrasing are sound and musical. A true musician Mitch Miller and an American icon at that!

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Hugo Rignold conducts Dukas, Ravel and Dvorak

A while back, David Gideon at reDiscovery posted a paperback issue featuring the English conductor Hugo Rignold in Rimsky-Korsakov's Suite from The Golden Cockeral and Mussorgsky's Night on a Bald Mountain in the R-K orchestration. Both performances struck me as quite good and rather idiomatic. So with those fresh in mind, I set out to locate a few more examples of Hugo Rignold's art.

Here we have a Somerset recording of Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice and Ravel's Bolero and, an Alshire LP with Dvorak's New World Symphony. All performances feature the London Philharmonic and they date from around 1960.

Of the three compositions, Sorcerer's is the strongest performance with exemplary playing and an insightful interpretation that really goes all out to tell the story in music. Bolero is good, though others have done a far stronger job of building the tension through dynamics and phrasing. This piece REALLY needs significant rehearsal in order to maximize its effect. The New World Symphony practically plays itself although Rignold exhibits a strong sensibility for Dvorak's musical language by stressing the "folk" elements of the score. This recording does possess the tell tale signs of a "rush job," most notably in some intonation problems with the horns. That aside, there is an excitement level present and an overall firm grasp of the symphony is readily apparent.

It would appear that Rignold had a brief recording career, for whatever reason I don't know. From the evidence of these recordings, and those available through reDiscovery, it seems a bit of a pity that Hugo Rignold is all but forgotten today.

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By chance...I happened upon more...drumroll.. Arthur Winograd!

I was looking for something else in my cellar and, by luck, chanced upon another Arthur Winograd issue; this time, it is the maestro conducting the Mozart serenades K. 375 and K. 388 for wind ensemble. The cover above is from the Heliodor release, mine is the plain white jacket MGM record.

Outside of a small blip at the beginning of the last movement of K 375, the lp was in very good shape. I did not separate movements but each serenade is contained in its entirety within one file.

It's a shame that the wind ensemble is not named. There is some fine playing going on here and it would have been nice to know who, or where the musicians are from. That sais, I'm glad I came upon this - I had forgotten I had it. Nice to offer yet another example of Winograd's art.

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