30 December 2022

Strauss - Norman & Tennstedt, LPO


 



Hard to imagine anything more gorgeous than Jessye Norman's singing alongside Tennstedt's conducting: a great all-Strauss concert indeed.

Have a Good Year!

See you here in 2023.


STRAUSS


Der Bürger als Edelmann, Suite op. 60


5 Orchesterlieder

(Cäcilie, Zueignung, Wiegenlied, 

Ruhe meine Seele, Meinem Kinde)


Salomes Tanz & Final Scene


Jessye Norman

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Klaus Tennstedt


London, Royal Festival Hall

Live - May 4, 1986


FLAC

12 December 2022

Mahler 5 - Leinsdorf, CSO - Live


 


Very different from the more sober Mahler-Leinsdorf studio recordings (I like his Boston Third, but meh... not so much nn. 1, 5 & 6). This Fifth is more intense and rich of contrasts; the CSO offers great moments. Fast tempos (the total duration is 65 minutes) and an extremely exciting finale.


Mahler

Symphony no. 5


Chicago Symphony Orchestra

ERICH LEINSDORF 


Orchestra Hall, Chicago

January 19, 1978


FLAC







22 November 2022

Bernstein conducts Bernstein & Bach


 


Bernstein had already performed his Chicester Psalms in Rome with the same orchestra (1967, recording previously posted here); he also presented his work many years later, conducting the Santa Cecilia Orchestra. The curious fact is that at the opening of this 1973 concert - in the presence of Pope Paul VI - for the first time a musical page with a Hebrew text was performed in Vatican City!


BERNSTEIN

Chichester Psalms


BACH

Magnificat in D Major, BWV 243


soprano I, soprano II, elements of the children's choir

controtenore, William Zukof

tenore, Eberhard Buchner

basso, Kurt Moll


Harvard Glee Club and Newark Boys Chorus

choir masters: James Mc Carthy, F. John Adams, Gianni Lazzari

Orchestra e Coro di Roma della Rai

LEONARD BERNSTEIN


Live - June 23, 1973

Sala Nervi, Città del Vaticano


FLAC







18 November 2022

Schubert / Szell - Octet - George Szell






SCHUBERT

Octet in F major, D. 803 (arr. Szell)


Members of the Cleveland Orchestra

GEORGE SZELL

December 16, 1965 - Severance Hall, Cleveland


The work is performed in a "enlarged" version prepared by Szell: 

Horn, clarinet, bassoon and a small string orchestra (17 players, 4-4-4-3-2).


FLAC (separated files)







27 October 2022

Leinsdorf & NBC Orchestra


 


Gluck

Iphigénie en Aulide, Overture 


Rimskij-Korsakov

Sheherazade, Op. 35

(Mischa Mischakoff, violin)


NBC Symphony Orchestra 

ERICH LEINSDORF 

17 april 1948 - NY, studio 8H


 FLAC (commentary included)






21 October 2022

Igor Markevitch in Bucharest - 1965

 




TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony no. 6 in B Minor, op. 74

STRAVINSKY: Le Sacre du Printemps


Romanian National Radio Orchestra

IGOR MARKEVITCH


Mihail Jora Concert Hall

Bucharest - November 5, 1965



In very good sound quality, a concert recorded for the Romanian Radio.


FLAC





10 October 2022

Ansermet & NBC Orchestra


 



Béla Bartók

Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106


Igor Stravinsky

The Firebird, suite


NBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

ERNEST ANSERMET

New York  - NBC - Studio 8H 

January 8, 1949

(announcements included)


FLAC 




2 October 2022

Webern, Berg, Schönberg - Karl Böhm WP live 1969


 


Webern: Passacaglia op. 1

Berg: Der Wein (*)

Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande


Dorothy Dorow, soprano (*)

Wiener Philharmoniker

Karl Böhm


Wiener Konzerthaus - Live, 1 June 1969

FLAC (separated files, with commentary)


16 September 2022

Mahler 2 - Ormandy, Cleveland


 


MAHLER

Symphony no. 2


Veronica Tyler, soprano

Helen Watts, contralto


Cleveland Orchestra & Chours

Eugene Ormandy


Cleveland, 2 november 1972


FLAC (Separated files)






5 September 2022

Boulez in Amsterdam, 1967


 

Arnold Schönberg: Variations for Orchestra, op.31

Béla Bartók: Piano Concerto no.2, Sz.95  (Theo Bruins, pf)

Claude Debussy: Jeux


Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam 

Pierre Boulez

Amsterdam, Concertgebouw - February 5, 1967


FLAC






7 August 2022

Schubert - Symphony no. 9 (8) "The Great" - Jochum live





One last post before some weeks of vacation. Have a good August!


SCHUBERT
Symphony no. 9 (8) "The Great"

RSO Berlin
EUGEN JOCHUM

Live - Berlin, Philharmonie
May 19, 1986

FLAC








 

30 July 2022

All Beethoven Concert in Montreux - Backhaus & Böhm (1959)


BEETHOVEN

Egmont, overture op. 84

Piano Concerto no. 4, op. 58 (*)

Symphony no. 7, op. 92


Wilhelm Backhaus, pf (*)

Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam

Karl Böhm

Live in Montreux - 11 September 1959

 

FLAC




Alban Berg op. 6 - Three Live Performances - Claudio Abbado

 



ALBAN BERG
Three Orchestral Pieces, op. 6


Philharmonia Orchestra
Luzern, 4 september 1968

Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra
Budapest, 30 september 1969

London Symphony Orchestra
London, 6 december 1983

CLAUDIO ABBADO


Three unpublished live recordings. In addition to the rarity of the material, the evolution of the conductor is very impressive: the London performance shows a true "possession" of the complex score, certainly not achieved in the previous two.


FLAC




9 July 2022

Mozart, Strauss - WP, Karl Böhm - Live 1975





MOZART
Symphony no. 34

STRAUSS
Ein Heldenleben (*)

Gerhart Hetzel, vl (*)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Karl Böhm

Live - Wien - May 4, 1975

FLAC

 



2 July 2022

The Young Glenn Gould (1947-53)

 



Berg - Sonata op, 1

Bach - Concerto Italiano

Mozart - Fantasy In F Minor, K.594 

etc.


Material published for the first time in the second half of the '80s and reprinted in the early '90.

Detailed tracklist & recording infos included


FLAC + Scans



19 June 2022

Mahler 8 - Georges Sébastian ORTF 1964





MAHLER

Symphony No. 8 


Liane Synek, soprano drammatico

Colette Herzog, soprano

Ruth Hesse, mezzosoprano

Helga Jenckel, mezzosoprano

William Blankenship, tenore

Hans Otto Kloose, baritono 

Gerd Nienstedt, basso


Maîtrise de l'ORTF, Orchestre National de l'ORTF, Choeurs de l'ORTF

Georges Sébastian


November 26, 1964

First Performance in France

FLAC




7 June 2022

Bruckner 7 - Böhm, BP Live 77




BRUCKNER

Symphony no. 7

Berliner Philharmoniker

Karl Böhm

March 24, 1977


FLAC


I don't know if it's the same for you ... anyway, Böhm for me is sometimes the most boring, other times the most sensational. In particular with Mozart and Bruckner. 

For example, the 4th Decca is one of my ten favorite studio symphonic recordings ever (and maybe number 1 for recording quality). At the same time, listening to his Bruckner 7&8 DG I almost fall asleep. 

BUT in my humble opinion this Berlin 7th is REALLY good :)

Let me know, if you like. :)





6 June 2022

Mozart - Requiem - Celibidache 1972


 


MOZART

Requiem KV. 626

Margareta Hallin, sopran.

Gurli Plesner, alt.

Claes-Hakan Ahnsjö, tenor. 

Ulrik Cold, bass.


DR Symphony Orchestra & Concert Choir

Sergiu Celibidache 


Copenhagen - Radiohusets Concert Hall, 9 novembre 1972)





4 June 2022

Barbirolli conducts Two WP in New York (1939-41)

 




MARIO CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO

Piano Concerto n.2

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, pf

Live - November 2, 1939 - World Premiere


MISCHA PORTNOFF

Piano Concerto

Nadia Reisenberg, pf

Live - February 23, 1941 - World Premiere


NYPO - John Barbirolli

FLAC


22 May 2022

Berlioz - Harold en Italie - Barshai, Oistrakh cond


 

BERLIOZ

Harold en Italie, op. 16

Rudolf Barshai, vla

URSS State Sympnony Orchestra

David Oistrakh

Recording 1969


FLAC - Cover & Back 




25 April 2022

Bruckner 8 (II-IV) Karajan 1944


 

FLAC and Scans

Ansermet & OSR Live 1960


 


BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D major, op. 77 

Arthur Grumiaux, violin


STRAVINSKY Symphony in Three Movements


DEBUSSY Ibéria


Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

ERNEST ANSERMET


LIVE - 27 January 1960

Victoria Hall, Genève


FLAC




15 April 2022

Vaughan Williams conducts Bach


 


BACH 

St. Matthew Passion BWV 244 

Tenor [Evangelist]: Eric Greene; Bass [Jesus]: Gordon Clinton; Soprano: Pauline Brockless; Contralto: Nancy Evans; Tenor: Wilfred Brown; Bass-Baritone: John Carol Case

Eric Gritton, piano - Dr. William Cole, organ (electric).

Leith Hill Music Festival Chorus & Orchestra

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Mar 5, 1958 - Recorded at Dorking Halls, Leith Hill, England.


Many numbers omitted, sung in english, a famous and admired composer but not a "great" conductor in the sense commonly given to this appellation, "old fashioned" and anti-philological (piano and electric organ for the continuo!), an obscure orchestra and singers certainly not as famous as many who recorded Bach's masterpiece... everything seems to suggest that we are in front of something "avoidable": a curiosity, at best, due to the prestige of RVW. It is just the opposite. Like the older Mengelberg recording, this one has something magnetic, absolutely unique and unrepeatable. Published on 4 LPs, then on 2 CD Pearl out of print. 


FLAC - Scans with tracklist & infos



8 April 2022

Quartetto Italiano - Live 1951-1970


 


Following the Quartetto Italiano rarities previoulsly uploaded,

here you can find 4 unpublished live recordings:


TARTINI Sonata a Quattro in Sol Maggiore

(January 29, 1951)

BOCCHERINI Quartetto op. 6 n. 1

(March 23, 1966)

CHERUBINI Quartetto in Fa Maggiore op. posth

(April 15, 1959)

HAYDN  Streichquartett op. 76 n. 2

(March 18, 1970)


QUARTETTO ITALIANO

Paolo Borciani vl I, Elisa Pegreffi vl II

Piero Farulli vla, Franco Rossi vc


FLAC






1 April 2022

Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Strauss - Krauss



SCHUBERT
Sinfonie No. 5 B-Dur, D.458
1. Allegro
2. Andante con moto
3. Menuetto. Allegro molto
4. Allegro vivace
Berliner Philharmoniker / Clemens Krauss
Berlin, 24 November 1944


TCHAIKOVSKY
Sinfonie No. 5 e-moll op. 64
1. Announcements
2. Andante - Allegro con anima
3. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza (incomplete)
4. Valse. Allegro moderato
5. Finale. Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace (incomplete)
Berliner Philharmoniker / Clemens Krauss
Berlin, 3 October 1939

STRAUSS
Drei Lieder
1. Einkehr op. 47/2
2. Wie sollten wir geheim sie halten op. 19/4
3. Zueignung op. 10/1
Viorica Ursuleac, Sopran
Clemens Krauss, pf
June 1940

FLAC




 

31 March 2022

Oistrakh conducts DSCH and Strauss


 


I continue with some recordings by Oistrakh as conductor... 


SHOSTAKOVICH

Symphony no. 9


STRAUSS

Till Eulenspiegel


Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

DAVID OISTRAKH

Live 1970


FLAC  + Cover and back








 

27 February 2022

Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique - Bernstein live 1968




An exciting performance in very good sound.

 

BERLIOZ

Symphonie Fantastique

New York Philharmonic

LEONARD BERNSTEIN

Live in Montreux - September 13, 1968


FLAC



18 February 2022

Knappertsbusch - Wien 1962


 

HAYDN

Symphony no. 88 in G


STRAUSS

Tod und Verklärung


SCHUMANN

Symphony no. 4 



Wiener Philharmoniker

HANS KNAPPERTSBUSCH


Live - Wien, Musikverein

16 december 1962


FLAC


11 February 2022

Bruckner 5 Rozhdestvensky





BRUCKNER
Symphony no. 5

URSS Ministry of Culture Orchestra
GENNADI ROZHDESTVENSKY


FLAC - Scans & infos




 

4 February 2022

Prokofiev 5 (1963), Semyon Kotko suite - Rozhdestvensky




 

PROKOFIEV

Symphony No. 5

Semyon Kotko, suite op. 81 bis 

GENNADI ROZHDESTVENSKY


FLAC + scans & infos

29 January 2022

Scherchen & ORTF Live 1964


 


BEETHOVEN

Symphony no. 6


SCHOENBERG

Variations for Orchestra, op. 31


Orchestre National de l'ORTF 

HERMANN SCHERCHEN


Live - Paris, January 20, 1964


Flac & scans


22 January 2022

Prokofiev 6, Romeo - Mravinsky in Wien


 


An unpublished concert by Mravinsky in Vienna: 

no news regarding the repertoire, but extraordinary performances.



PROKOFIEV

Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2, Op. 64c

(Contains: The Montagues and the Capulets; Juliet-the litle girl;  Friar Laurence; Dance; Romeo and Juliet before parting; Dance of the maids from the Antilles; Romeo at the Juliet's grave)


Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor, Op. 111


Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra

YEVGENY MRAVINSKY


LIVE - Wien, Musikverein

June 3, 1982


FLAC (4 separated tracks)




16 January 2022

Brahms 3 & 4 - Bruno Walter


 



Early studio recordings in great sound for the period.

BRAHMS

Symphony no. 3
Wiener Philharmoniker
May 18-19, 1936

Symphony no. 4
BBC Symphony Orchestra
May 21, 1934

BRUNO WALTER

FLAC + Scans



11 January 2022

Mahler 1 - Rosbaud 1961

 



Another couple of CDs out of print

(although the recordings have been reissued by other labels).




MAHLER

Symphony no. 1

SWR Baden-Baden

HANS ROSBAUD

September 13, 1961


FLAC


Beethoven 9 WP Walter (live 1955)





BEETHOVEN

Symphony no. 9

Wiener Staatsopernchor
Wiener Philharmoniker

BRUNO WALTER

Wien - November 13, 1955


FLAC + Scans with details