Shostakovich 4 - Karel Ančerl live 1962

A great broadcast recording in very good sound.

SHOSTAKOVICH

Symphony No. 4 

Czech Philharmonc Orchestra 

Karel Ančerl 

Live - Smetana Hall, Prague, 13 May 1962

(Prague Spring Festival, 12 May / 04 Jun 1962)

FLAC

Strauss, Mendelssohn - Mitropoulos

 

Here another long time out of print CD in a new rip. The mid-price "Virtuoso" label didn't have a long life, but in the late 1980s recovered several interesting unreleased historical recordings, even if more or less everything later reappeared in other reissues. These, in particular, are available also on two different Medici Masters CDs. Anyway, the source is enough good. As you'll see from the scans, it was the period when the durations of the tracks were sometimes not reported. This thing annoyed me a lot and I took care to mark them (ruining the booklets in a completely unnecessary way). 

STRAUSS

Also Sprach Zarathustra

(September 7, 1959)

MENDELSSOHN

Symphony no. 3 "Scottish"

(October 24, 1960 - misdated on the booklet)

Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester

DIMITRI MITROPOULOS

FLAC & Complete Scans

Munch conducts Roussel - Live 1964-66

 

Another superb Munch CD "brought to safety". As in the previous case, new rip with full scans.

But in THIS case, since it's a much less popular repertoire (and for which there are not so many recordings of high artistic level), it is of course an even more precious document. Very nice and vivid sound for live material of the period.

ROUSSEL

Symphony No. 3

Symphony No. 4

Bacchus et Ariane, Suite no. 2

CHARLES MUNCH, conductor

Live Recordings

N.3 Edinburgh Festival, August 19, 1964.

N'4 19th Festival international de musique, Besançon, France, September 13, 1966.

Bacchus recorded at Théâtre des Champs Elysées, November 22, 1966.

FLAC & Complete scans

Mahler 3 - Erich Leinsdorf - live 1990

I really enjoyed this 1990 Leinsdorf live recording: but above all the SOBR offers a particular lush, opulent, really fantastic sound; from this point of view it is one of the most gorgeous versions of the Third I know. 

As always I checked and there is an upload on YT, but - sound quality aside - in that source the introduction of the IV movement is missing.

MAHLER 

Symphony no. 3

  

Marjana Lipovšek, ms

Tölzer Knabenchor   

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

ERICH LEINSDORF

    

Live recording - Herkulessaal - October 10, 1990

FLAC

Note: It was a very old post, so at the moment I don't know where is my original Gershwin CD and where is the digital copy. I'll try to find it and I hope to prepare a reupload.

 

Munch conducts Berlioz - live 1963-67

 

I don't think I've seen this wonderful CD around, at least not recently: so I propose it to you a new rip, complete with scans. Like other French Munch live recordings of this period, it has a very special nervousness and electricity, which are particularly suitable for this repertoire.

Fortunately, everything is well picked up by a sound quality that is up to the situation. 

BERLIOZ

Symphonie Fantastique (Live june 23, 1963)

Le Corsaire, ov (Live september 25, 1967)

Benvenuto Cellini, ov (Live september 13, 1966) 

CHARLES MUNCH

FLAC & Complete Scans

Tchaikovsky 5 & rehearsals - Stokowski

 

Well, three posts to make up for an inactive December. Best wishes to everyone for a beautiful new year!

According to the BBC Proms Chronology, Stokowski conducted 5 concerts in all on these dates: 

23 and 30 july 1963, 15 and 17 september 1964, 10 september 1966. The largest and most detailed online discography of the maestro confirms the informations provided on the booklet, so I don't know what to add. Although this other concert took place at the RAH, it was not supposed to be part of the Proms... although the date (August 1973) suggests otherwise. I've not found any "definitive" news on the matter. Even the name of the orchestra sounds quite mysterious to me... but in the end, from the Philadelphians to a Conservatory orchestra, from the Houston Symphony to the Czech Philharmonic, after a couple of rehearsals they all became a Stokowski Symphony Orchestra.

What really matters, anyway, is that it is an involved performance of the Fifth, enriched by a large excerpt of rehearsals.

TCHAIKOVSKY

Symphony no. 5 

Performance + 35 min rehearsals

International Festival Orchestra

LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI

Live - August 1973

FLAC & scans

Honegger conducts Le Roi David (1951)

 

A truly historic document, as always when an important composer - whatever his strengths and limitations as a conductor - presents his own music from the podium. However, we are talking about a good overall result: also noteworthy is the presence of another composer, Maurice Duruflé - best known for his Requiem - who sits at the organ.

The role of narrator is entrusted to the actor Jean Hervé, who in his youth played for the French national rugby team, also winning the gold medal at the 1900 Paris Olympics; very curious because, as you know, Honegger was the author of an orchestral piece entitled "Rugby" (the Symphonic Movement n. 2).

HONEGGER

Le Roi David, psaume symphonique en 3 parties 

d'après le drame de René Morax, H 37B (1921)

Janine Micheau, soprano

Jeannine Collard, mezzo-soprano

Pierre Mollet, baritone

Jean Hervé, speaker

Maurice Duruflé, organ

Chorale Elisabeth Brasseur

Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française

ARTHUR HONEGGER, conductor

Studio recording - Paris (Eglise Saint-Roch), october 1951

[2 LP Ducretet Thomson LPG 8342/3] 

FLAC

Mahler - Des Knaben Wunderhorn - BSO Seiji Ozawa - live

 

Despite the extensive work on Mahler by Ozawa, from the Philips cycle in Boston plus the First Symphony with Blumine (DG) to the most recent CDs with the Saito Kinen, we don't have an "official" recording of Des Knaben Wunderhorn. A fact that, of course, increases the value of this document, also considering the caliber of the two soloists. 

MAHLER

Des Knaben Wunderhorn

01 Revelge

02 Rheinlegendchen

03 Verlor'ne Müh

04 Lob des hohen Verstandes

05 Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt

06 Trost im Unglück

07 Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?

08 Das irdische Leben

09 Lied des Verfolgten im Turm

10 Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen

11 Der Schildwache Nachtlied

12 Der Tamboursg'sell

Brigitte Fassbaender

Thomas Allen

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Seiji Ozawa 

23 IV 1988

FLAC

All Dvorak Concert - Szell, Rostropovich

 

Well, this is really something! Conductor and soloist are at their best and the sound recording is quite vivid. One of the best - if not the best - Szell concert with the NYPO I've heard so far. Although I personally love more relaxed, rich in chiaroscuro (like Giulini & Concertgebouw on Sony) or "idiomatic" versions of the Seventh Symphony (Kubelik, Neumann and so on), Szell's imperiousness and fire are enthralling, also because the intensity of singing is certainly not sacrificed to rhythmic impetus.

In addition to the presence of Rostropovich, it is difficult to imagine a more qualified conductor for the Concerto, considering the very long attendance with this page also documented by the historic recording with Casals and the Czech Philharmonic (1937) and of course with Fournier and the Berliner Philarmoniker in 1962, both splendid and indispensable.

Antonín Dvořák 

 

Carnival Overture, Op. 92

Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70

Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104

MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVICH, cello

New York Philharmonic

GEORGE SZELL 

New York - November 20, 1965

FLAC

 

Note: There is a new working mediafire link for the Mahler 2 Bernstein/Cleveland 1970 (posted in the comments section).

Mozart, Martin, Strauss - Fournier & Szell live in Cleveland, 1967

 

Pierre Fournier also performed the World Premiere of Frank Martin's Concerto in Basel on January 26, 1967. Here is the American premiere, a few months later. With variable sound quality the Concerto and the Don Quixote can be found around (I don't know if it's the same for the two Mozart Marches), anyway here you can listen for the complete program and the source is very good. Final announcement included. 

MOZART

Two Marches KV. 335 n.1 & KV. 408 n.3

FRANK MARTIN

Cello Concerto

(First American Performance)

STRAUSS

Don Quixote

Pierre Fournier (cello)

Abraham Skernick (viola)

Cleveland Orchestra

GEORGE SZELL 

Live - Cleveland, Severance Hall

October 25, 1967

FLAC

Piero Coppola - The Debussy Recordings

 

DEBUSSY 

Trois Nocturnes (May 1938)

La Damoiselle élue (Nov. 1934)

2 Danses (March 1929)

La Mer (Oct. 1932)

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un Faune (Jan. 1930)

Iberia (March 1935)

Rhapsodie pour clarinette (Feb. 1931)

Rhapsodie pour saxophone (March 1929)

Le Martyre de St-Sebastien (Nov. 1931)

Printemps (Oct. 1935)

Petite Suite (Jan. 1930)

Deux Arabesques (Sept. 1924)

Tarantelle Styrienne (April 1932)

L'Isle joyeuse (Sept. 1929)

La Soirée dans Grenade (March 1935)

Cloches à travers les feuilles (March 1935)

Children's Corner (Oct. 1934)

Ballades de François Villon (Nov. 1931)

Orchestre du Gramophone

Orchestre des Concerts Pasdeloup

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire

PIERO COPPOLA

3 CD - Flac & Scans

Rodzinski conducts Prokofiev (1957-58)

 

Two documents that testify the high level of this orchestra in the 50s: after all, they usually worked with Walter, Furtwängler, Karajan, Barbirolli, Celibidache etcetera... and of course Rodzinski himself. The sound quality is more than good for the period and it's remarkable that Alexander Nevsky is sung in Russian (a few years earlier even the German Requiem had been performed by Walter in Italian!); the reading of the Fifth is perhaps more discontinuous but still remarkable, with beautiful moments and an exciting Finale.

PROKOFIEV

Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78

Irene Companeez, alto

Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Roma della RAI

ARTUR RODZINSKI

May 22, 1958

Symphony No. 5

Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma della Rai

ARTUR RODZINSKI

May 11, 1957

 

FLAC 

Oskar Fried & Berliner Philharmoniker (the 1928 recordings)

 

LISZT

Les Préludes

RIMSKI-KORSAKOV

Shéhérazade, Symphonic Suite op. 35

STRAVINSKY

L'Oiseau de feu, suite

Berliner Philharmoniker

OSKAR FRIED

Polydor studio recordings 1928

FLAC + Scans with details

Brahms PC2 Pollini-Ormandy live 1971

 

Here we are again! And here's something interesting, in really good sound. In addition, the first mov. performed during the Geneva Competition in 1958, when Pollini (16 year old) won the second prize.

BRAHMS

Piano Concerto no. 2

Maurizio Pollini, pf

Philadelphia Orchestra

Eugene Ormandy

Philadelphia, October 1971 *

Piano Concerto no. 2 (I. Mov)

Maurizio Pollini, pf

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Edmond Appia

Genève, 1958

* The Philadelphia Orchestra chronology gives the following dates: 22, 23 & 25 October 1971

FLAC separated + cover/back

Weber, Brahms - Mravinsky

 

An interesting Mravinsky rarity: mainly because we can listen here some of his early recordings (not much remains of him until the mid-50s) and above all because he's not on the podium, as usual, of the Leningrad Philharmonic.

WEBER

Oberon, Overture

Invitation to the Dance, op. 65

Der Freischütz, Overture

BRAHMS

Symphony no. 4

USSR Symphony Orchestra

EVGENI MRAVINSKY

Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory - December 29, 1954

FLAC + complete scans

Ancerl conducts Beethoven 6 & Martinu 5

Another rare Ancerl live. A delightful Beethoven 6, in search of simplicity rather than the timbral ecstasy (in opposite ways) of Karajan and Celibidache, or Scherchen's analysis, or the "cosmic" solemnity of Bernstein, Giulini, Furtwängler, Klemperer... And it really works, perhaps because of the "Bohemian sweetness" of the conductor. It just flows so naturally... Wow. 

I don't particularly like Martinu's 5 (maybe you could suggest a very "catching" version), but even here Ancerl is excellent. Really good stereo sound, by the way.

FLAC & Complete scans with details

Schumann - Piano Concerto op. 54 - Pollini, Karajan live 1974

 

Well, these two audio documents are full of questions that I turn to you, if you have any opinions  or if you know anything about it.

It is quite well known that Pollini was a rather shy man and apart from Abbado, Böhm (his favorite conductors: I know he also appreciated Jochum very much), followed by Boulez, Muti and a few others, he never established large and continuous collaborations... Perhaps some of you have news about the meeting with Karajan. Very interesting document, anyway: it is a nervous and sensitive reading by Pollini (particularly in the Finale) that I have not always found in his other live/studio recordings of the Concerto.

There are also doubts about the authenticity of this Beethoven 4 by Michelangeli... Perhaps someone better informed can clarify.

SCHUMANN

Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54

 

Maurizio Pollini, pf

Wiener Philharmoniker

Herbert von Karajan 

Salzburg, 15 August 1974 

BEETHOVEN 

Piano Concerto N. 4, Op. 58

 

(Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, pf - wrong attribution)

MARIA TIPO, pf

Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra

Zivojin Zdravkovic

Belgrade, 7 October 1973  

FLAC + Scans

Mahler 5 - Ancerl - Toronto, live

MAHLER

Symphony No. 5

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

KAREL ANCERL

Live - November 4, 1969

FLAC + Scans

 

Mitropoulos rarities

 

I fished out this CD bought several years ago, I don't remember where (maybe in a used record store?) I take the opportunity to "save" it by making a digital copy and here it is!

A group of little-known recordings by Mitropoulos, in good sound for the period. 

The most interesting are the Spanish Rhapsody (with Egon Petri) and the Bach-Casella Ciaccona from the Partita II. The "Orchestra of Radio Italiana" is the Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI (2 June 1950)

Complete booklet with details included.

FLAC

Enescu - Complete Columbia recordings 1924-29

The previous post dedicated to Enescu was very well received, so I'll add this. 

A very rare OOP CD.

Enescu - Complete Columbia Recordings (EMI/Shellman, Japan, 1995)

FLAC - Scans, tracklist & infos included

Beethoven 2 and Brahms 4 - Knappertsbusch 1952

 

A long time OOP CD which contains a 1952 concert 

(with extremely good sound for the period).

Kna's severe and "massive" style is perfectly recognizable even on the podium of an orchestra that is certainly not among the most famous; indeed, these are more energetic and "focused" interpretations than many others left by the german conductor. So I would recommend the listening even if this repertoire offers hundreds (if not thousands, by now) of alternatives: in particular for the powerful overhang given to the Passacaglia that closes Brahms' Fourth.

Beethoven 2 and Brahms 4

Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Bremen

HANS KNAPPERTSBUSCH

Live -  12 XII 1952 - Grosser Glockensaal

FLAC

 

Bruckner 2 - Giulini, BSO Live 1974

 

The studio recording of the Second with Giulini on the podium 

of the Wiener Symphoniker is generally considered one of the best in the catalogue: 

very interesting, therefore, also listening to a live version in good sound like this one.

Bruckner Symphony no. 2

Boston Symphony Orchestra

CARLO MARIA GIULINI

Live recording - Boston, 29 march 1974

FLAC

Klemperer in Budapest - live 1948-50

 

Bach - Magnificat & Brandenburg Concerto no. 5

Wagner - Lohengrin Preludes I-III, Meistersinger Preludes I-III

Budapest Symphony Orchestra

Hungarian State Opera Orchestra

OTTO KLEMPERER

Budapest 1948-50

FLAC + Complete scans & Details

Mahler 6 - Abbado, WS 1967

A little late (but the last few weeks have been very busy), 

a small tribute on the tenth anniversary of his death (20 January 2014). 

CD Hunt, of course OOP.

MAHLER

Symphony no. 6

Wiener Symphoniker

CLAUDIO ABBADO

Live - Wien. May 24, 1967

FLAC (separated tracks) + complete scans

Kodrashin conducts Prokofiev & Bartók

PROKOFIEV

Scythian Suite

BARTOK

Music for strings, percussion and celesta

Moscow Philharmonic

KIRILL KONDRASHIN

Melodiya, 1974

FLAC and scans

Bruckner 9 - Lovro von Matačić

Among Matacić's many Brucknerian documents, I propose one of my favorites. 

A recording that did not have a great circulation, 

but a profoundly honest and thoughtful approach to Bruckner's symphonic last word.

Anton Bruckner - Symphony No.9

 

WIENER SYMPHONIKER

 Lovro von Matačić

 Recorded: 12 & 13 march 1983. - TT: 59'34''.

FLAC with Scans

Rachmaninoff PC 2&3 Gieseking, Mengelberg (1940)

 

Two live recordings (1940) released several times, 

but I don't think currently available on CD. 

This is the 1997 Da Capo transfer.

RACHMANINOFF

Piano Concertos 2&3

Walter Gieseking

Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam

WILLEM MENGELBERG

Live October 31, 1940 (no. 2) and March 28, 1940 (no. 3)

FLAC

Bruckner 4 - Solti & CSO live in Salzburg

 

Here you can find a remarkable Bruckner Fourth captured during the big CSO Europe Tour in 1981. As always is matter of taste: anyway, if you like Solti's style here you will find rush, compactness and energy but also breathing space, without that almost "brutal" and dismissive tone of some of his later Brucknerian recordings (impression I also had listening to him live in the Fourth and Eighth in the early 90s).

Bruckner

Symphony no. 4

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

SIR GEORG SOLTI

Live, 30 august 1981

Salzburg, Großes Festspielhaus

FLAC - 4 separated tracks

Copland, Thompson & Sousa - BSO Koussevitzky

 

Another rare OOP Koussevitzky CD with an all-american program.

The narrator in "A Lincoln Portrait" is Melvyn Douglas (1901-1981).

works by Aaron Copland, Randall Thompson and John Philip Sousa

Boston Symphony Orchestra

SERGE KOUSSEVITZKY

FLAC

Haydn, Strauss, Mahler - Schwarzkopf, Cleveland Orchestra, Szell - live 1968

 

You may have already heard this Schwarzkopf-Szell 1968 Fourth live. Anyway, here you can also find the first part of that concert: surely no less interesting, speaking of one of Haydn's greatest interpreters and an equally renowned Straussian singer.

HAYDN - Symphony no. 93

STRAUSS  - 4 Orchesterlieder 

(Ruhe, meine Seele - Meinem Kinde - Morgen - Wiegenlied)

MAHLER - Symphony no. 4

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano

The Cleveland Orchestra

GEORGE SZELL

July 26, 1968 - Blossom Festival

FLAC (6 files)