Suites from Handel Operas & Oratorios as presented by Boris Brott

A while back, I offered a transfer of an Everest lp conducted by Canadian musicologist and conductor, Alexander Brott. The album, Beethoven - Young Prometheus contains arrangements for orchestra of studies completed by Beethoven as he was learning the art of composition. Fascinating listening.

Today, a stereo lp released in 1967 by Mace featuring Alexander Brott's son, Boris, conducting music from Handel operas and oratorios (Rodrigo, Martillo, Solomon, Jeptha) with the Northern Sinfonia of England. I believe this was Boris' first recording and it is a very convincing effort, though the Northern Sinfonia in this recording is hardly a first rate ensemble.

Boris Brott is not too well known south of the southern Canadian border but in his homeland he is well regarded as a conductor, educator, impresario, and motivational speaker. His background bears a striking resemblance to that of Boston's Benjamin Zander. Throughout his six decade career, Brott has conducted all of the major Canadian orchestras and has served as a distinguished professor at McGill University. He has been a tireless promoter of classical music and the education of children in music in Canada. For my northern friends, Brott would be regarded as a musical treasure.

Brott's Handel is sensibly performed on modern instruments and it bears a striking similarity to what Marriner would have produced around the same time period. In short, pleasing and musically stylish with a hint of period performance to it. When you think of it, it is so difficult to go wrong with Handel since his music is so well written and sparkingly tuneful. It really brings a smile to one's face!

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Stereo Jack's to bite the dust

If you happen to live in Greater Boston and love records, you know Stereo Jacks. Nestled between Harvard and Porter Squares on Massachusetts Ave, Jack's has been providing invaluable service to loyal patrons since 1982. In particular, it is probably THE place to go for jazz though Jack always has a good revolving selection of classical lps.  His dollar bin area is well stocked and the quality of the merchandise in terms of condition and value is beaten by no one.

I found out yesterday that Jack is closing shop. The lease has run out and the owner of the building has a pizza joint lined up for the space. Jack is sixty five and doesn't want to move and setup shop again. I can't blame him; a lot of work to reorganize and, in this economy, it could be all for naught.

Jack's has been a great place to haunt on a regular basis. As you can see by the picture above, it is orderly, neat, and an easy place to browse through. Though I enjoy rummaging through the Goodwill or both In Your Ear! locations, those places require time, patience and aerobic positions. Jack's is easy, just stand and thumb through the bins. No strain, pain, dirt, dust. I'll miss that!

I wish Jack well. He has served the community notably. His no-nonsense, somewhat gruff manner is a style of business that is fading fast and, will be missed. Knowledge, love, dedication, that individual touch...you don't find it at the Big Box. Jack's has been a happy escape for me and I'm sure, many, many others.

Godspeed Jack!

Orazio Frugoni performs Saint Saens

Though I have the Saga issue cover above, this offering today of Saint Saens' 2nd and 5th piano concertos originates from a mid 50's Vox lp. The featured performer is Italian born Orazio Frugoni and the Vienna Symphony is led by the esteemed Hans Swarowsky.

Orazio Frugoni's name has rather sadly faded from memory. Fifty years ago, he was a well recorded artist and teacher whose name rose to prominence for his advocacy of the piano music of Mendelssohn. In particular, Frugoni introduced the youthful, but excellent,  "two piano" piano concertos of Mendelssohn to the general public. However, during the 1960's Frugoni decided to primarily concertize "live" and teach, moving away from the recording process. He eventually returned to Italy as director of the fine arts academy in Florence and continued teaching and adjudicating through to the end of his life.

The music of Saint Saens is always a joy to listen to because it is tuneful and unencumbered by angst or emotional excess. It is for the most part music of entertainment and taken on its own terms is superb listening. Certainly Saint Saens understood the full breadth and scope of the keyboard since he, himself, was considered a master of the keyboard. Frugoni's performance here is musically sound and his technique captures the magic of the writing. Swarowsky, as to be expected, provides strong partnership with the redoubtable Vienna orchestra happily playing along. The mono sound is good, if not special, typical Vox from Vienna. Enjoy.

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Eugene Ormandy with those Fabulous Philadelphians in Bartok

I've really grown to appreciate the 1940's through 50's recordings that Ormandy made with his incredible Philadelphia band. Here's a very good one, the 1954 recording of Bartok's masterpiece, the Concerto for Orchestra. Ormandy would go on to record this two more times, in stereo, but I think the overall playing and energy level, not to mention concentration of the conductor is not to be beaten here.

This recording had the unfortunate timimg of having to compete with Reiner's Chicago stereo remake. Reiner was considered ,and billed as, the leading authority in Bartok's music, perhaps only rivaled by Fricsay, who was European based and little known on these shores. Reiner's record is excellent and has stood the test of time, but no doubt but there is much to enjoy here too. Ormandy, being a native Hungarian, understood the idiom well and was able to project the work honestly and with sufficient authority. And, this is a piece made for the virtuoso talents of the Philadelphia Orchestra as the section chairs have the opportunity to shine brilliantly. Great listening.

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The Golden Age of Brass with Roger Voisin and The Brass Ensemble

Well...guess I've been on a brass kick lately, what with the two Stagliano posts, so here is something by a distinguished colleague of James Stagliano's, namely Roger Voisin. Recorded in 1954 for Unicorn and re released on the Kapp label, Voisin leads the Boston based "The Brass Ensemble" in a program of favorites from the late Remaissance and early Baroque periods.

This recording is important for several reasons. First, it is one of the first, if not the first to explore the vast baroque literature that had been written for, or arranged for, brass instruments. Second, it is a testament to the lifelong work of Robert King as arranger and advocate of brass music for various sized ensembles. I mentioned in a previous post that Mr King for years ran a successful and indispensable mail order service for brass players just a few miles from my boyhood home. King arranged scores of pieces for quartet, quintet, octet etc. and his reasonably priced charts were the basis of many a brass ensembles' library. And, they are fun to play!

Roger Voisin needs no introduction however, I'll say that he was a man that dedicated his life to trumpet performance, brass music literature, scores of students and the city of Boston, of which he loved so deeply. Roger was one of the last proponents of the great French School of trumpet playing that dominated orchestras like the BSO for over half a century. I remember him from several master classes as kindly, patient, but authoritative just the same.

I have to admit that I was expecting more favorable musical results here. Most of the record sounds like it was recorded in someone's den, way too small an acoustic for the sounds of trumpets, trombones, horns and tuba. The overall playing at times is downright sloppy with out of tune horns, bunches of flubbed notes and numerous suspect entrances. I am also surprised at how Roger and Armando Ghitalla have a difficult time blending throughout the program. My suspicion is that these were no more than run throughs and that the recording process was maybe semi professional at best.. I recall that when Roger recorded his 4 or 5 lp set of trumpet concertos for Kapp, there were many instances where he sounded down right labored and worn out. I suspect that Kapp was trying to get everything done in one shot come hell or high water. Whatever the case, this particular record should be best remembered as possibly he first of its kind so as a historical document, it is vital, imperative and worth a listen. However, to be frank, all the repertoire has since been recorded in better acoustic, by technically sure musicians under proper recording circumstances.

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By request..James Stagliano in the Mozart Horn concertos

While it is fresh on my mind..here's James Stagliano performing the four horn concertos of Mozart with the Zimbler Sinfonietta. Not sure of the date on these stereo recordings but probably early 60's. These recordings were originally on Boston Records, I believe, and here are reissued in the Sinequan series by RCA Special Products.

What strikes me about these performances is the intimacy. The orchestra is very small, in fact maybe too small for some of the tutti passages. Stagliano's approach is, surprisingly, less virtuosic and more collegial. In other words, he's looking at this as chamber music with longtime friends and not aa a one off concert with a resident orchestra and him as a visiting artist. I like this! A great player.

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Mravinsky conducts Shostakovich's Symphony No 10 (1954)

Evgeni Mravinsky, Shostakovich, Leningrad Philharmonic, 1954. It doesn't get much better than this!

I was fortunate to lay my hands on this MK release of what might be the first recorded performance of Shostakovich's epic masterpiece, the tenth symphony.Though I have the excellent early 80's Erato recording, nothing compares to Mravinsky in his prime (age 51) conducting what was probably one of the top five orchestras in the world at the time.  This is Shostakovich with a full and exhausting emotional range, played by an orchestra of out of this world virtuosity.

No doubt Mravinsky was one of the greatest conductors of his age. Fiercely patriotic to mother Russia and commanding a presence that few challenged, he led scores of premieres, raised orchestral standards to new, unheard of heights and was considered by most to be the final arbitrar in interpretation of 19th and 20th century Russian composers. His legacy is well preserved on many recorded discs and live performances.

What strikes me most is that Mravinsky was an undemonstrative man yet exacted a level of excitement and intensity that many can only dream of. Reading about him reminds me of Fritz Reiner, very little physical movement but powerful, communicative eyes that had power of almost hypnotic ability. And, not to forget that Mravinsky had an apparent authority that no one would question or confront, and this includes even members of the Soviet leadership! Musicians feared him, politicians stayed clear, and composers were careful not to tread over the line. I read that one musician equated a Mravinsky rehearsal as a "bombing mission" saying the the members of the orchestra would whisper "incoming!" when Mravinsky appeared. Wow!

But the results?! Judge for yourself. Listen to Shostkovich played by one of that composer's greatest advocates, by an orchestra of immaculate precision playing in a sonority which has all but disappeared from the major Russian orchestras of today.

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James Stagliano and Arthur Berv - Baroque Style

Some fun listening here from two of the 20th century's greatest orchestral horn players, James Stagliano and Arthur Berv. These two giants of the horn play works from the baroque period and have a hell of a good time doing so!

Both of these soloists had long and prestigious careers. Arthur Berv, at the time of this recording, was well into his fifth decade of performing. Elevated to the principal horn chair at age 19 by none other than Toscanini, he never looked back and preceded to set a standard of excellence that successive hornists have aspired towards. For the most part, Berv's career centered around New York as he performed with every New York ensemble of consequence.

One of Berv's younger and most talented colleagues was James Stagliano, longtime principal of the Boston Symphony. Stagliano had horn playing in his genes as his uncle was recognized as a great orchestral player and teacher. Prior to becoming a member of the BSO, Stagliano played in Los Angeles and Cleveland where he developed a reputation of being able to play at an exceptionally high register. While in Boston, Stagliano recorded a number of recordings of which one of the best features the four horn concertos of Mozart with the Zimbler Sinfonietta. I have this recording and can transfer it if there is sufficient interest in the art of James Stagliano.

Stagliano and Berv play wonderfully together and I note that Berv plays the second parts. This is a compliment of the high regard which the older musician held the younger one. The orchestra is the "Kapp Sinfonietta" probably a New York pickup group and they are ably led by Richard Dunn of whom I know nothing. With a program of Telemann and Handel you can't go wrong you know.

So, enjoy some really great horn playing. I wish that I had the stereo lp instead of the mono edition but beggars cannot be choosers!

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Sir Adrian Boult conducts music of Vaughan Williams

Here's the Vanguard release of the Nixa-Westminster lp (c.1952)  from the picture above. Sir Adrian Boult conducts the "Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra" in music of Vaughan Williams. Featured pieces are A Norfolk Rhapsody, Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, the Greensleeves Fantasia and Gordon Jacob's orchestral arrangement of an English Folk Song Suite for Band.

Boult recorded these pieces many times, as you well know. In my opinion, these might be the best of em all, well played, enthusiasm unbridled, and interpretation beyond reproach. When you listen to Boult, you are left wondering why this music has not traveled better, outside of the UK, US and the former dominions of the UK, Vaughan Williams is a rare commodity.

I especially enjoy Jacob's arrangement of Folk Song Suite. I've played this piece many times in concert band and have not found a totally convincing orchestral performance of this masterpiece, until now. The closest satisfying rendition was by Morton Gould and this is taking into account Boult's later LSO version, which is for me, disappointing. Vaughan Williams intended this piece for the sonority of a band and getting an orchestra to adapt to that style and sound is a huge challenge. I think Boult achieves this here, for the most part.

Boult was always a keen advocate of the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams and probably no one made as many convincing recordings of this great composer's music. This is one of the best of them.

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