Stokowski - The first Wide range & Stereo recordings 1931-32

A CD published in the late '90s.
(I don't know if the content has been reprinted by other labels).


BERLIOZ
Le Carnaval romain

WEBER/BERLIOZ
Invitation to the Dance

MENDELSSOHN
Scherzo from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

WAGNER
Prelude & Liebestod
from "Tristan und Isolde"

SCRIABIN
Poeme de Feu, op. 60
(two excerpts in stereo)


MUSORGSKIJ
Pictures at an Exhibition
(two excerpts in stereo and two in mono)

Bell Telephone Laboritories, 1931-32


FLAC
(scans & tracklist included)

Bruno Walter conducts & plays Wagner

Although all these live recordings are quite rare
and certainly valuable,
the big reason of interest are the "Wesendonck Lieder".

In fact, Walter is not on the podium: he sits at the piano
accompanying one of the greatest Wagnerian singers
of the XX Century, Kirsten Flagstad.


WAGNER
Siegfried Idyll

TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
Prelude & Liebestod
Margaret Marshall, sp

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
BRUNO WALTER

July 14, 1953  (misdated on the booklet)



PARSIFAL
Prelude

New York Philharmonic Orchestra
BRUNO WALTER
March 23, 1952


Wesendonck-Lieder

Kirsten Flagstad, sp
BRUNO WALTER, pf

New York, Carnegie Hall
March 23, 1952


FLAC
(scans included)

Beethoven 9 NYPO Rodzinski, live 1946

BEETHOVEN
Symphony no. 9

Dorothy Kirsten
Nan Merriman
Donald Dame
Todd Duncan

Westminster Choir
(John Finley Williamson, chorus master)
New York Philharmonic
ARTUR RODZINSKI

Live - NY, Carnegie Hall
April 14, 1946


An important addition to Rodzinski's discography,
with particular reference to his "golden age" with the NYPO.

Here you can listen an extremely fast (60min)
and "clean" reading of the Ninth Symphony;
perhaps not particularly inspired,
although not "violent" like the last Toscanini performances.

In particular, sometimes it's refreshing to listen to the Adagio
in delicate and flowing versions like this
rather than in the more usual "very-slow-and-over-expressive" ones.

The sound is very good for a mid 40s live and the orchestra is at its best.

FLAC

Verdi - Requiem - Szell, Cleveland 1968

GIUSEPPE VERDI
Messa di Requiem

Gabriella Tucci, soprano
Janet Baker, alto
Pierre Duval, tenor
Martti Talvela, bass

Cleveland Orchestra & Chorus
GEORGE SZELL


Live, Severance Hall
Cleveland - february 5, 1968


Like Mozart's Requiem and Bruckner Te Deum,
another great choral work never "officially" recorded by Szell;
available for a short period in the 90s only on a Melodram CD (OOP, of course).

FLAC

Mitropoulos conducts Copland, Barber etc NYPO 1952-58

AARON COPLAND
Appalachian Spring, suite

ROBERT SHERWOOD
Introduction and Allegro

ALBERTO GINASTERA
Creole Dance

MOZART CAMARGO GUARNIERI
Prologo y Fuga

SAMUEL BARBER
Medea's Meditadion
and Dance of Vengeance, op. 23a

New York Philharmonic
DIMITRI MITROPOULOS



Some Mitropoulos rarities: live recordings 1952-1958


Flac & scans with details

Schoenberg, Webern, Hindemith NYPO Mitropoulos

SCHOENBERG
Erwartung, op. 17  (Dorothy Dow, soprano)


WEBERN
Passacaglia, op. 1


HINDEMITH
"Die Harmone der Welt", Symphony


New York Philharmonic
DIMITRI MITROPOULOS

nov 18, 1951
jan 1, 1960
oct 25, 1953

FLAC (complete scans & details included)

Mitropoulos, Rubinstein & NYPO

Another AS Disc, of course OOP.

Flac - Complete scans included.

Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem - Wiener Philharmoniker, Walter (1953)

JOHANNES BRAHMS

Tragic Overture, op. 81

Ein Deutsches Requiem, op. 54

Irmgard Seefried, sp
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, br


Edinburg Choral Union
Wiener Philharmoniker
BRUNO WALTER

Live - Edinburgh Festival
September 8, 1953



EDR is available on a CD Andromeda,
but here you can find also the Tragic Overture
performed during the same concert.

Brisk tempos as in the NYPO studio recording
realized by Walter the following year (20, 28 & 29 december 1954).
So, the overall duration is just over 79 minutes.

Flac

Karel Ancerl live in Köln 1970

Brahms
Variations on a Theme by Haydn Op. 56a

Dvorák
Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 53
(Saschko Gawriloff, violin)

Janácek
Sinfonietta


Köln Radio Symphony Orchestra (WDR)
KAREL ANCERL

Live - Köln
February 20, 1970

 
A complete concert (72 min) in excellent stereo sound.

Flac


Note.
"Beecham in Helsinki" is available again: updated link (may 25).
See the comment list in the post.

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde - NYPO Rodzinsky 1944

Considering also the previous posts dedicated to Rodzinsky in New York,
it seems natural to continue the series with this CD (of course OOP).

Preceded by Mengelberg (1929, 1930) and Walter (1934, 1941),
Rodzinski was the third to conduct this work
on the podium of the NYPO (16, 17, 19 november 1944).

In New York he also conducted the Symphonies nn. 1&2 and the Gesellenlieder,
but unfortunately no recordings of those concerts seems to survive.

The audience applauds at the end of each Movement / Lied.
What to say? I do not know.
Maybe that night the MET was closed and the opera fanatics,
wandering around, had reached Carnegie Hall.
One moment... no, a concert at 3 o'clock, saturday afternoon.
Well, everything explains itself.

It remains only to imagine
how a casual audience could have properly appreciated what was being proposed,
but perhaps is better to ignore it and concentrate on listening.

CD ripped in Flac, scans included

Wagner - Monteux

"Standard Hour"
complete broadcast
with announcements.

WAGNER

Tannhauser, overture
Lohengrin, prelude I
Lohengrin, "Elsa's dream"
Die Walküre, "Du bist der lenz"
Die Walküre, Magic fire music
Tristan und Isolde, Prelude & Liebestod


Helen Traubel, sp
San Francisco Symphony
PIERRE MONTEUX

Live - April 22, 1951
Richmond (California), New Memorial Auditorium

Let's stay on Wagner

a little bit more.

Flac

Wagner - Meistersinger - Toscanini 1937

 

WAGNER
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg


Hans Sachs  Hans Hermann Nissen
Eva  Maria Reining
Pogner  Herbert Alsen
Jago  Herbert Alsen
Beckmesser  Hermann Wiedemann
Stolzing  Henk Noor
David  Richard Sallaba
Magdalena  Kerstin Thorborg
Walther  Charles Kullmann
Kothner  Viktor Madin
Vogelgesang  Georg Maikl
Nachtigall  Rolf Telasko
Zorn  Anton Dermota
Eisslinger  Eduard Fritsch
Moser  Hermann Gallos
Ortel  Alfred Muzzarelli
Schwarz  Carl Bissuti
Foltz  Karl Ettl

Wiener Staatsoper Choir
Wiener Philharmoniker
ARTURO TOSCANINI

Salzburg, Festspielhaus
August 5, 1937

(Sometimes misdated August 23 or August 8; but the opera was performed on August 5, 12 & 20).


As you know, this is not a opera-oriented blog (with few exceptions).
However, this vol. 33 is a must, because it concludes a long sequence of Toscanini rarities.

In particular, all the BBC-NYPO-WP live material in my possession.

This volume is too big, so I split the archive into two files.
Considering that we're talking about
the only AT complete recording of a Wagnerian opera, it could not be missing.

Toscanini conducting is not as heavy as the download.
It is difficult for me to think about a more fresh, better, alive, fun  rendition of the second act.

I don't have the Andante box (I'm pretty sure it's an excellent restoration),
but I've listened to several attempts  to "improve" a recording that cannot be ideal.
So I prefer to present this source, more "honest" and less "interventionist".
All in all, perfectly listenable
(some things included in other volumes are certainly in worse condition).


Flac

Monteux in Copenhagen 1962

BERLIOZ
Benvenuto Cellini, overture

TCHAIKOVSKY
Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Erling Bløndal Bengtsson, cello

BRAHMS
Symphony no. 3 in F, Op. 90

DR SymfoniOrkestret
PIERRE MONTEUX

Copenhagen, Radiohusets Koncertsal
Live recording - 7 october 1962

+ Bonus - Radio interview 1959

 Very good sound.

Flac

BACH-STOKOWSKI Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 (1946)

BACH-STOKOWSKI
Matthäus-Passion BWV 244
(Abridged - Sung in English)


Olive Mae Beach, soprano
Clemence Gifford, contralto
Joseph Sullivan, tenor
Leopold Wintner, baritone
Tudor Williams, bass


Los Angeles Chorus (Chorus Master: J. Arthur Lewis)
Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra
LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI

Live, Hollywood Bowl
August 29, 1946


I couldn't post it in time for Good Friday, but it was laborious.

Never "officially" published, a concert broadcasted for the U.S. Army.

This "collage" includes all the other Stokowski known excerpts
from Bach's Johannes & Matthaus Passions (details in the folder)
and his transcription of the Chorale from Oster-Oratorium BWV 249.

Flac, cover & back with details

Mahler 5 Houston Symphony, Barbirolli Live in NY 1966

MAHLER

Symphony no. 5

Houston Symphony

SIR JOHN BARBIROLLI

Live in New York, Carnegie Hall

March 24, 1966

Like the previous "Titan" conducted by Krips,
this unpublished Fifth is also very "adventurous",
outside the box and completely different from the 1969 studio version.

Contrarily to the "routine Mahler" which unfortunately is often heard today,
this is a visionary and suffered performance rich of surprises and contrasts.


Flac

Beethoven 9 WP Szell - Live 1969

BEETHOVEN
Symphony No.9 in D minor, op.125

Gundula Janowitz
Meriel Dickinson
Ernst Haefliger
Walter Berry

Chor der Wiener Singakademie
Wiener Philharmoniker
GEORGE SZELL

Live - Musikverein, Wien
June 22, 1969


Apart from the famous studio Recording in Severance Hall (1961),
another performance by Szell (live in London, 1968) is available on a BBC Legends double CD:
here is the only other known recording of this symphony by Szell.

Ok, maybe it's not essential to have another version of the Ninth,
but I like it for many reasons.
It is meticulous in a very "Szellian way"
(1st mov: extremely well shaped and not too fast;
on the contrary the adagio is not too slow)
and everything is "merged" with the inimitable WP timbre.


Flac
(see comments)

Pergolesi - Stabat Mater BP Abbado 1968

PERGOLESI
Stabat Mater

Janowitz, Forrester
Berliner Philharmoniker
CLAUDIO ABBADO


Live recording
Salzburg - august 6, 1968




Published in 1992, attached to the italian magazine "Il sabato".

A very rare live recording
not released later on commercial CDs.


"Philharmonica di Berlino"
and "44.96" (you'll read after downloading)
leave a bit perplexed,
but the quality of the recording is more than acceptable
and the two singers are exceptional.

BTW, the real duration is 45.04.


Flac with scans included

Bruckner Te Deum & Mozart Requiem - Szell live 1968

BRUCKNER Te Deum
MOZART Requiem

Judith Raskin
Florence Kopleff
Ernst Haefliger
Thomas Paul


Cleveland Chorus & Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell

Live, Cleveland
Severance Hall - may 9, 1968



A particularly interesting concert, especially because
both works are not included in Szell's "official" discography.


Flac

Bruckner - Symphony in D minor "Die Nullte" - Van Beinum

ANTON BRUCKNER
Symphony in D minor "Die Nullte"
1869 Ed. Woess. published by Universal Edition [1924]

RUDOLF ESCHER
Musique pour l'esprit en deuil


Congertebouw Orchestra Amsterdam
EDUARD VAN BEINUM

March 13, 1955 (Bruckner)
September 1, 1951 (Escher)


Apart from a Nixa LP (Henk Spruit, 1952),
should be the oldest surviving recording of this symphony.

"Musique pour l'esprit en deuil" (1941-1943)
was first performed in 1947 by the COA under van Beinum.
A work well known in the Netherlands
and reproposed with the same orchestra by Bernard Haitink and Riccardo Chailly.


Flac & Cue

RT 032 Rossini, Mozart, Brahms BBC SO Toscanini 1938

ROSSINI
La Scala di Seta, Overture

MOZART
Symphony No.41 in C, K. 551

BRAHMS
Liebeslieder-Waltzer Op. 52 (*)

(Ethel Bartlett and Rae Robertson, pf)

BBC Singers (Chorusmaster Leslie Woodgate) (*)

BBC Symphony Orchestra
ARTURO TOSCANINI

Live - Queen's Hall, London
June 3, 1938

(In the second part was performed Schubert's "Great", but someone thought it well not to record it.)


WARNING: some little gaps in Mozart & Brahms

These are the last toscanini recordings with the BBC Symphony in my possession,
with a final surprise: the "Jupiter" Symphony.

A pinnacle of Toscanini's Mozart
together with the "Haffner" Symphony (NYPO & BBC)
and the complete Magic Flute (WP 1937):
one of the best "Jupiter" ever recorded.

Unfortunately the flaws make the listening a bit frustrating, but as in the case of Don Quixote with Feuermann is better so that give up altogether. BTW I recently learned that a better source is preserved: I hope that sooner or later it will be published.

Flac
see comments

Furtwängler Symphonic Concerto - Kubelik live 1963

Furtwängler
Symphonic Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in B minor

Erik Then-Berg, pf
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
RAFAEL KUBELIK
27 june 1963


tt 63:47


Written between 1924 and 1937, the work received its world premiere in Munich on October 1937,
with Edwin Fischer as the piano soloist; Furtwängler conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.


"The piano concerto is cast in three movements: The first (Schwer, pesante in B minor) is an extensive sonata form movement of more than 30 minutes duration.
A second movement there follows an Adagio solenne in D major.
It is influenced by Bruckner's and Brahms' adagio style and lasts about 11 minutes.
The third movement (Allegro moderato in B minor)
is composed in free-form and has some hints of a rondo.
The work concludes in dark and gloomy mood with pianissimo dynamics." (Wiki)


FLAC
(see comments)



- Schönberg - Verklärte Nacht & Kammersymphonie n. 1 - Horenstein reuploaded
- Stokowski - Saygun Yunus Emre reuploaded

Mahler Symphony no. 1 - Josef Krips (Buffalo, live 1957)

MAHLER
Symphony no. 1

VERDI
La forza del destino, overture

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
JOSEF KRIPS

Live - Buffalo, Kleinhans Hall
November 11, 1957.


In my opinion a terribly underrated conductor:
apart from the famous Mozart-Philips cycle, still a model of brilliance and good taste,
I discovered gradually his skill in the most different repertoires.
Almost nothing of what I heard from him is superfluous, many things are beautiful.

Now, about this Mahler 1 (never on CD, if I'm not wrong).
Fast and "airy" tempos, a delicious "valzerish" Trio in the Scherzo...
and a comic horn fail (obviously unwanted by the author) at the very end of the Trio,
before the reprise of "Tempo primo" (mis. 281-284).
Of course the Finale lacks in "grandeur" compared to Bernstein, Horenstein, Tennstedt, Haitink, Giulini, Kubelik and others, but the lyrical passages are rendered very well.

Hope you too will enjoy this fresh and antirethoric reading of M1.

The sound is just a bit congested in fortissimo, but overall really good considering the period.


FLAC
see comments

RT 031 Beethoven 5 (1939) BBCSO Toscanini

GEMINIANI
Concerto Grosso in g minor, op. 3 n. 2 (*)

BEETHOVEN
Symphony no. 5 in c minor, op. 67 (**)

BBC Symphony Orchestra
ARTURO TOSCANINI


Live - London, Queen's Hall
June 12, 1935 (*) - May 12, 1939 (**)


bonus

BEETHOVEN
Symphony no. 5 in c minor, op. 67

Grosses Odeon Streich Orchester Berlin
Friedrich Kark (?)
Odeon Records, 1910 or 1911



All in all it was not my intention to resume immediately the "Rare Toscanini",
but also considering the kind request by Louis
I've planned three additional volumes to conclude our BBCSO & Salzburg Festival survey.

So here you can find the Fifth performed in London on may 12, 1939.
Certainly one of his most beautiful and compelling, if not the best I know.
The audience seems to agree, judging from the final ovation.

According to the most complete and accurate Toscanini discographies another recording of this work by the same artists survives (Queen's Hall - may 23, 1938); unfortunately not (yet) in my possession.

The "program" was a bit short, so I decided to add a curiosity in appendix.
Many believe that the first recording of the Fifth is the famous version by Nikisch (1913).

This one was realized in 1910 or 1911.
The "Grosses Odeon Streich Orchester Berlin" is actually a Symphony Orchestra.
The conductor is uncredited: in the opinion of some Friedrich Kark (1869-1939), according to others Eduard Künneke (1895-1953)...
but he was a bit too young at the time.



Volume 32 will be a surprise for many of you ... At least I hope so.


Flac
(see comments)

Hermann Scherchen - The complete Ravel recordings

HERMANN SCHERCHEN
The Complete Ravel Recordings

Ma Mere l'oye
RIAS-Sinfonieorchester
january 30, 1949

Concerto in D for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra
Robert Casadesus, piano
Koelner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester
march 11, 1957

Boléro
Orchester Der Wiener Staatsoper
studio, 1957

La Valse
Südfunk-Sinfonieorchester Köln
october 25, 1962

HERMANN SCHERCHEN


As far as I know, never presented together on a single CD.
So, the only 4 known Ravel recordings by Scherchen
are finally grouped here.

You will notice the difference in the names of the Köln orchestras,
but the most famous, founded as Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk Orchestra, became Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, then WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln. Morover, the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln should not be confused with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln... Mein Gott!
In short, I left the names as I found them. ;-)

Thanks a lot for your "welcome back" messages.
It's nice to "see" (virtually) you here again!
Certainly we'll have the opportunity to exchange opinions and "personal greetings" in the near future.
I'm preparing several things and I'll try to recover even some deleted posts.

As you can see, I'm experimenting various file hosting services
looking for the most "friendly" and fast for the uploader and the downloader.

I embrace you all!

Flac
see comments

Mahler 2 - Cleveland, Bernstein (1970)

MAHLER
Symphony no. 2

Lorna HEYWOOD, sp
Christa LUDWIG, ms
Cleveland Chorus & Orchestra
LEONARD BERNSTEIN
July.9.1970
Blossom Music Festival



How to resurrect a blog?
Well, making it rise again through a change of rules.

Unfortunately, the rules have been set by me.
Fortunately have been changed by me.

So, remaining firm the concept that I'll not upload recent material,
sometimes in the case of unpublished live concerts we'll get to the '80s.

It may happen that you already have some of these proposals in your collection:
I can't check the whole web to see if it is like this or not,
but I'll try to select the best sources even in case of historical documents already known and widespread.

In particular, this is not the only mahlerian surprise in my drawer.


About this 2nd...

Perhaps a discontinuous and less inspired reading compared to the famous versions "officially" recorded in audio...
and video (with the London Symphony in Ely Cathedral, the most majestic and overwhelming), but full of beautiful moments and worthy of careful listening.

Not to mention the sound of the Cleveland,
already an additional interest.

A summer performance during the Blossom Festival:
so a "casual" audience was present,
also judging by the applause that followed I and II mov.

BTW It's the only appearance of Lenny on the podium of this orchestra;
morover, just in the days of the illness of George Szell, already hospitalized;
he died a few days later (July 30th).


Warning: a bit of tape hiss (untouched) which one must get used to for a while
and a disgraceful little "jump" in the terrifying "collapse" at the very end of the first movement.



FLAC
see comments


- Bruckner Mass 3 Celi reuploaded
- Pictures Reiner/Dorati reuploaded
- Bruno Walter portrait reuploaded
- Tchaikovsky 5 Furtwängler reuploaded
- Stokowski conducts Harrison, Weber, Goeb reuploaded

A new start

Probably you thought I was missing, at this point.

Well, no. I'll be here again with some news very soon.

 I'm reloading the weap... ehm, most old posts.
All Toscanini and many others
(Beecham, Rodzinski etc) are now updated.

I hope that our community will reborn and many "neophytes" will be added.

So, let me know through comments if you feel like going over these parts once in a while...

If so, very soon this blog will restart with regular new posts.

best

Guido

Meanwhile...

- Strauss 4 Burleske reuploaded
- Tristan Act 2 Barbirolli NY reuploaded
- Beecham in Helsinki and Beecham All Mozart 1947 reuploaded
- Furtwängler rehearsals (Beethoven) reuploaded
- DSCH 5 Horenstein reuploaded
- Malko Tchaikovsky 4 reuploaded

RT 030 Mozart - Die Zauberflöte - Salzburg 1937

MOZART
Die Zauberflöte K.620


Tamino............... Helge Rosvaenge
Pamina............... Jarmila Novotna
Queen of the Night... Julia Osvath
Sarastro............. Alexander Kipnis
Papageno............. Willi Dormgraf-Fassbaender
Papagena............. Dora Komarek
Monostatos........... William Wernigk
First priest......... Alfred Jerger

Wiener Staatsopernchor
Wiener Philharmoniker
ARTURO TOSCANINI

Live, Salzburg - July 30, 1937

Flac & Cover

Mega
Updated link

(see comments)

Leopold Stokowski conducts Harrison, Weber, Goeb (reup)

LOU SILVER HARRISON (1917-2003)
Suite for Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra (17')

I. Overture: Allegro
II. Elegy: Adagio
III. First Gamelan: Allegro
IV. Aria: Lento espressivo
V. Second Gamelan: Allegro moderato
VI. Chorale: Andante
Anahid Ajemian, violin - Maro Ajemian, piano
Leopold Stokowski Symphony Orchestra
LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI
October 29, 1952


BEN WEBER (1916-1979)
Symphony on Poems of William Blake, Op. 33 (28')

I. To Autumn II. Never Seek To Tell Thy Love
III. Mad Song IV. To Spring
Leopold Stokowski Symphony Orchestra
LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI
October 30 & 31, 1952


ROGER GOEB (1914-1997)
Symphony No. 3 (24')

I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante
III. Vivace

CBS Symphony Orchestra
LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI
April 29, 1952

Flac - reupload
(see comments)

Rare Toscanini 029 - Verdi Falstaff act I + Beethoven 4 NYPO 1936

BEETHOVEN
Symphony No4 in B-flat major, op.60

New York Philharmonic
ARTURO TOSCANINI
NY, Carnegie Hall - February 2, 1936



VERDI
Falstaff - Act I

Falstaff: Mariano Stabile
Mrs. Ford: Franca Somigli
Mrs. Meg Page: Mita Vasari
Mrs. Quickly: Angelica Cravcenco
Ford: Piero Biasini
Nannetta: Augusta Oltrabella
Fenton: Dino Borgioli
Dr. Cajus: Alfredo Tedeschi
Bardolfo: Giuseppi Nessi
Pistola: Virgilio Lazzari

Wiener Philharmoniker
ARTURO TOSCANINI

LIVE - Festspielhaus, Salzburg - August 20, 1936
(shortwave broadcast)


Cover - Flac

Mega
Updated link
(see comments)

RT 028 Verdi - Falstaff - Toscanini Salzburg 1937

Dear friends, I'm here again.
Thanks a lot for all your kind & encouraging messages!!


Here the link for Rare Toscanini 028, the awesome Falstaff performed in Salzburg (1937) -  Upcoming the 1st act recorded in 1936.



Cover - Flac

Mega
Updated link

https://mega.nz/#!DH4yzaaQ!z2Uq-dYsb6BvkTCOQCPaUGbDJLYzHmlynKGCX-s5gws