Sherman Walt plays four bassoon concerti of Vivaldi

 My! I'm glad that I found this lp. What a wonderful reminder of the artistry of the greatest American bassoonist of the last century, namely one Sherman Walt. Joined by his colleagues from the Boston Symphony, in Zimbler Sinfonietta guise, Walt offers sterling renditions of four of the maybe twenty or so bassoon concertos of Vivaldi.

Sherman Walt was for some 30 years, give or take, the principal bassoonist of the BSO and one of the most respected musicians in my fair city. Walt had a distinctive timbre and keen musicianship and his presence, along with the likes of Joseph Silverstein, Harold Wright, Jules Eskin and Armando Ghitalla were reason enough for guest conductors to die to come to Boston. Walt, as he displays in this recording, makes the funky bassoon sound so effortless though it is in fact mighty challenging and not easy to master. The sad thing about Walt is that he was killed in a car accident only months after retiring from the BSO after a distinguished, and  highly influential, tenure, one that reached far beyond the city limits of Boston.

No doubt everyone here is having a bit of fun and I'm at a loss why this record has been lost. Well, I found it albeit in the mono edition, and here it is. Enjoy some terrific playing! Released in 1959 by RCA.

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HiFi Feast for Orchestra with Argeo Quadri conducting

Today, a really neat orchestral compilation conducted by Italian maestro Argeo Quadri. With the Philharmonic Symphony of London (I believe it is the LPO in disguise though it could be the RPO too), Quadri leads bouyant performances of  Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre and Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah, Chabrier's Marche Joyeuse and  Espana, Mossolov's The Iron Foundry, and Revueltas' Sensemaya and Cuauhnahuac. This is mid 50's Westminster monaural sound with an impressive dynamic range.

 Argeo Quadri was primarily a conductor of opera and he spent many years as a resident in Vienna. Westminster, obviously playing into the Toscanini craze and legend of the 50's, signed Quadri as their resident Italian, probably in the hopes that another Italian, known for firm technical control and a fidelity to the score, would increase their sales exponentially. Quadri made a number of records, a very fine Sheherazade, a strong Respighi issue (posted here on this blog) and surprisingly, an excellent set of Corelli's Op 6 Concerti Grossi. Unfortunately for Westminster, Quadri did not develop into a seller like Scherchen, Rodzinski, or Boult. Probably a lot of that had to do with the fact that Quadri did not have much of a physical presence on this side of the Atlantic nor was he a larger than life figure as was Westminster stallwart Scherchen. Quadri also was not a martinet or an excessively ruthless person. All speculation, of course.

Argeo Quadri

The surprise of this program has to be the inclusion of the two pieces by Revueltas. I suppose that these were new to the London players and I find it fascinating that this Italian opera conductor would program these little known works when no one else did, maybe with the exception of Stokowski. The results are positively splendid, with the orchestra playing in a "by the seat of the pants" fashion. Juxtaposed with warhorses Espana and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Quadri manages to craft a varied and interesting program. I think you will like this alot. Oh....and if Iron Foundry doesn't get your attention!?

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David Glazer and the Kohon Quartet performing Hummel and Weber

A transfer of a lovely lp that I made some time ago. I was listening to it today and thought I'd better post it here before it slipped my mind....I am getting old too fast! David Glazer and the Kohon Quartet performing the clarinet quintets of Hummel and Weber. This Vox lp dates from 1963 and my copy is the mono edition in very good sound.

Of the two pieces presented here, the Hummel, I think, is the superior offering. At his best, Johann Nepomuk Hummel bridged the years between Mozart and Beethoven by taking composing elements of both and incorporating them into his own, relaxed, Viennese kind of way. You can hear Mozart in the quick passages and Beethoven in the softly lyrical slow movement. Its really exquisite music beautifully performed by one of the great 20th century clarinetists with this very underrated American string quartet. Hummel really was at his best in the works he wrote for smaller ensembles.

The Weber is enjoyable but does not plumb the depths of inspiration that this composer found in his dramatic writing for the human voice. Weber wrote a lot for the clarinet and his compositions display a great understanding of the technical capabilities of the instrument. The Weber is a showpiece for clarinet accompanied by string quartet rather than a work written for 5 instruments in equal partnership as is the case with Hummel. However, paired as they are, the styles work well and the variety makes this an engaging, nearly hour listen.

Wonderful stuff..pour a glass of wine or crack open a good ale and relax in your favorite easy chair!

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Hans Swarowsky leads excerpts from Berlioz's "Romeo and Juliet"

Excerpts from Berlioz's dramatic symphony "Romeo and Juliet" and Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" led by Hans Swarowsky on a Musical Masterpieces (Treasures) of the World issue. Probably recorded in the mid to late 50's, this monaural lp features the "Musical Masterpieces Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra" better know as the Vienna State Opera Orchestra though not, of course, the orchestra that comprises the famed Vienna Philharmonic. Whew!

Much has been written about Swarowsky and his actual, and non actual, recordings. Considered by many the greatest conducting professor of the twentieth century Swarowsky, himself, cut many recordings from Vienna during the 1950's and 60's, often for budget labels that worked on shoestring budgets and within tight time constraints. I'd suspect that Swarowsky's pay as a professor was not all that terrific and churning out records was a great way to supplement his, and his musical students', income. Since Swarowsky probably knew intimately many of his orchestral colleagues, the results he got were most often faithful and fully representative of the score and composer, though admittedly not the last word in technical perfection.

All that said, the performance here of the Berlioz is quite good indeed. Overall, I find Romeo and Juliet to be a bit wayward, not as cohesive as Symphony Fantastique, and in the wrong hands it can become a colossal bore. Happily, Swarowsky has the right hands, a strong sense of line, and an intuitive sense of drama. The listener's attention is held firm and one can only wish that Swarowsky had taken on the complete score. Dukas' perennial favorite too is afforded a splendid reading and the story is brilliantly etched from the musical score.

A rather nice remembrance of an influential man whose legacy has often been tarnished by careless marketing and the natural pitfalls of the bargain basement recording business.

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Brahms' choral works with the Akademie Kammerchor Wien

A very nice anthology, by Westminster, of choral pieces from different periods in Brahms' life. Conductors Henry Swoboda and Reinhold Schmidt lead persuasive accounts of Nanie, Gesang Der Parzen, Marienlieder, and Songs for Women's Voices in faithful monaural sound.

If you do not know the choral pieces of Brahms, you are missing something real special. Like any of his ensemble pieces for instruments, Brahms achieves a beautiful blend of lush sounds while never sacrificing articulation and clear phrasing. The music itself lends itself well to the text and the result is an experience which is pleasing to the ear and faithful to the message. Brahms' choral music captures the spirituality of the man that he could not fully express in his instrumental and chamber works. In order to capture Brahms' essence, you have to spend some time listening to the music he wrote for the most perfect of instruments.

No doubt, the Akademie Kammerchor prove to be excellent proponents of this interesting and varied program. These Viennese choristers most assuredly had this music in their blood and you can hear the love and respect they have for Brahms. You will love this program!

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More from Erno Balogh in Bach

A while back, I posted three part inventions of Bach performed by Erno Balogh and here today are the two part inventions on Lyrichord LL1, in good monaural sound.

Aside from the obvious superlatives regarding Balogh's playing, this is a must hear. Everything is perfect, the phrasing, the dynamics, the phrasing, the insight. If Bach is a god, as Casals said, then Balogh is an archangel.

Indispensable and an antidote to our troubled times.

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Arthur Winograd and the MGM Orchestra in Kodaly and Rozsa

I know that a number of people have been waiting for this particular lp and I was lucky to find it this week in the three for a dollar pile! Here we have Arthur Winograd leading the MGM Orchestra in Kodaly's 'Summer Evening' and Rozsa's "Hungarian Serenade." I believe this record was recorded in 1957 and it is issued here in a good, though dryly recorded, monaural pressing.

Zoltan Kodaly

This may have been the premiere recording of the two works on this record. Sadly, both are pretty much forgotten today and its a shame since they are atmospheric, expertly written and, very, very listenable. Summer Evening was Kodaly's graduation piece from the conservatory in Budapest and it's excellence earned him a scholarship to study abroad. As with most of Kodaly's output, it is highly influenced by folk music and this tone poem of sorts is a collection of episodes that are strung together into one cohesive piece. Kodaly revised it in 1930 and this is the version presented by Winograd.

Miklos Rozsa

The Hungarian Serenade by Rosza is one of this composer's earliest pieces, written after he had abandoned the study of chemistry for music, and it was premiered in Paris. Though Rosza admittedly did not like living in Hungary, he, from time to time, drew inspiration from his native country for his compositions. This "suite" of short pieces is an absolute delight since the writing is witty, sharp, and perfectly structured. Rosza, like Korngold, suffered from being pegged as a film composer but here is a terrific opportunity to hear music that was written long before this composer began his successful tenure in Hollywood.

Arthur Winograd

Winograd and the superb MGM players prove to be honest and thoughtful interpreters of this fare. Though a Dorati might have brought a bit more authentic atmosphere to the music, Winograd acquits himself well in, again, music that was probably quite unfamiliar to many of the musicians. Very enjoyable listening these sounds from old Hungary.

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Trumpet, Flute and Horn Concerti of Haydn conducted by Fritz Lehan

Posting again from a very warm Bulgaria, here's a nice mono Mace lp of Haydn wind concerti featuring the Consortium Musicum with Fritz Lehan leading soloists Helmut Schneidewind on trumpet, Valerie Noack on flute and Erich Penzel playing horn. These recordings date from the early 60's.

I enjoy this simple and honest way with Haydn. In particular, I've heard a lot of recordings of the trumpet concerto and enjoy very few of them, usually because of excessive brightness in tone and technical displays that jar the overall ebb and flow of the writing. I'm happy to say that Schneidewind plays warmly and collaborates with the members of the Consortium Musicum in a concertante style which I attribute to Lehan's firm leadership and a partnership of intrepretive ideas.

On my vacation: Here in Bulgaria, we spent several days in Sandanski, a spa town of sorts close to the Greek border and the reputed home of Spartacus, the "Thracian barbarian" who led a great slave revolt in the last days of the Roman Republic. In the days of Communist Bulgaria, the leaders played up the Spartacus connection as one of the first great "proletarian" uprisings. From Sandanski, the important and impressive historical sites of Rila Monastery, Melnik, and Rozhen Monastery are within easy distance. While in Sandanski, we took a brief trip to Rupite, the final resting place of Baba Vanga, a mystic who combined prophetic insights with Orthodox Christian teachings. Some consider her a saint and on her grave was an icon of her with a saint's halo. In Melnik, the famed caves hold barrels of rich red wine that is definitely the drink of the gods. We will be traveling for a few nights to Hisar, which is an ancient spa town with waters possessing curing powers  for a whole host of diseases and ailments....not that I have any ailments at this time..or that I know of! Bulgaria is an amazing country, with great beauty, variety and a rich history. Also, I will mention that the fruits and vegetables here are the best, simply delicious, a treat for the eyes and the tongue!

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Independence Day with The Goldman Band

It's the grand old 4th of July and here I am in Bulgaria thinking of fireworks, band concerts and the like. Actually, I had the good fortune to catch a free concert by the Sofia Brass Band this past Saturday and they opened the program with, what else but the Stars and Stripes Forever! So, in the spirit of the festivities, I'm able to post from abroad a classic band recording by the famed Goldman band under their founder Edwin Franko Goldman. This particular issue was the first in Columbia's "Harmony" series, the budget label that was the forerunner of the much larger, and expansive Odyssey one.

Edwin Franko Goldman is probably the most influential, and important American Bandmaster after Sousa. Besides being a superb conductor, he was a terrific composer and arranger, excellent cornetist, teacher, and founder of the American Bandmaster's Association, probably the most important fraternal band instructors organization in the world. The Goldman Band, in its heyday, was a great professional band, that set incredibly high standards for band performance and did much to popularize the medium beyond the setting in the park. These performances of Sousa marches by the Goldman Band carry on the tradition of Sousa and set the stage for Fennell and his revolutionary work at Eastman. Important documents they are indeed and a clear and clean record of a bridge of style from the 19th to the 20th century. I'm not sure of the recording dates here but I would guess the 1940's.

I have included four of Goldman's own marches as fillers. These recordings are from the mid 30's and are available on the Internet Archive. Excellent music it is with a strong imprint of Sousa.

Happy 236!

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