|
|
Currently available transfers 2011
Jan - June 2011 transfers still available
July - Dec 2010 transfers still available
Jan - June 2010 transfers still available
July - Dec 2009 transfers still available
June 7th 2009
May 31st 2009
Enrique Jorda conducts Haydn Symphony 88
Leo Blech conducts Haydn Symphony 94 “Surprise”
Royalton Kisch conducts Haydn Symphony 99
May 26th 2009
Georg Hann sings Verdi, Rossini and Cornelius
Harry Secombe sings operatic arias
Franz André conducts Tchaikovsky’s and Beethoven’s 4th Symphonies, Debussy’s La Mer, Franck’s Le Chasseur Maudit, Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre, Mussorgsky’s Bare Mountain
April 23rd 2009
Albert Coates conducts Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Overture (1921)
Paul Kletzki conducts Leonore No.3
André Gertler plays Berg’s Violin Concerto, with Paul Kletzki conducting
April 12th 2009
April 10th 2009
March 27th 2009
Benno Moisewitsch plays Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto, conducted by Landon Ronald
John Drinkwater reads some of his own poems
March 15th 2009
March 10th 2009
Eleanor Jones-Hudson sings arias by Handel, Haydn and Puccini
March 8th 2009
Goossens conducts Delibes, Auber, Wolf-Ferrari, Sibelius on acoustic Columbias
(many older items removed from site)
February 22nd 2009
Mendelssohn Symphony No.4 (Hamilton Harty)
Shostakovich Symphony No.5 (Vladimir Golschmann)
Mendelssohn Walpurgisnacht (“Mario Bernardi”)
Frank Mullings sings Handel
Salvatore Salvati sings Donizetti and Mascagni
Clarence Raybould conducts overtures to Egmont and Raymond
Eugene Goossens conducts Die Meistersinger overture
Robert Heger conducts the Love Scene from R Strauss’s Feuersnot
February 3rd 2009
February 1st 2009
Landon Ronald and Henry Gibson conduct German’s Welsh Rhapsody
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf sings Addio del passato from La Traviata
January 26th 2009
January 20th 2009
January 17th 2009
Mark Hambourg plays Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto, conducted by Landon Ronald (improved transfer)
Artur Rodzinski conducts Mozart’s Clarinet and Bassoon Concertos, with Wlach and Oehlberger
Howard Barlow conducts Haydn’s Surprise Symphony
Minnie Nast and Eva Plaschke-von der Osten sing duets from Der Rosenkavalier
Vladimir Golschmann conducts Sibelius Symphony No.7 and Mozart Symphony No.38
December 31st 2008 and January 1st 2009
Henry Wood conducts Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music, Greensleeves Fantasia and Wasps Overture
Malcolm Sargent conducts Mendelssohn’s Ruy Blas Overture
Jascha Horenstein conducts Haydn’s Surprise Symphony
2008 transfers still available
LP transfers still on site
|
|
June 7th 2009
|
|
Today brings another recording by the little remembered Franz André - his mid 1950s recording of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony.
|
|
Mediafire link for Beethoven - Symphony No.7 - Franz André
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Beethoven - Symphony No.7 in A major Op.92
Telefunken LT 7023 (Uruguayan issue)
Matrices LP 036847, 036848-IIV
Recorded 3rd October 1952, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels
Released February 1954
L' Orchestre Symphonique de la Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge, Franz André
The pressing I worked from is a little worn and battered, so there is some noise, particularly in the second movement. The French sounding woodwinds add a distinctive colour to this recording.
|
|
May 31st 2009
|
|
Today is the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn. To commemorate this day, and one of my favourite composers, here are three symphony recordings, all from Decca 78s.
|
|
Mediafire link for Haydn - Symphony 88 - Enrique Jorda
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Haydn – Symphony No.88 in G major
I. Adagio – Allegro (2 sides)
II. Largo (2 sides)
III. Minuet (Allegretto) and Trio (1 side)
IV. Allegro con spirito (1 side)
DECCA AK.1472 - 74 (auto coupling)
Matrices AR 9972-2, 9973-2, 9974-3, 9975-2, 9976-1, 9977-2
Recorded 9th January 1946, Kingsway Hall, London
National Symphony Orchestra, Enrique Jorda
|
|
Mediafire link for Haydn - Symphony 94 Surprise - Leo Blech
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Haydn – Symphony No.94 in G major “The Surprise”
I. Adagio cantabile – Vivace assai (2 sides)
II. Andante (2 sides)
III. Menuetto (Allegro molto) and Trio (1 side)
IV. Allegro di molto (1 side)
DECCA AK.2204 - 06 (auto coupling)
Matrices SAR 249-1, 250-1, 251-1, 252-2, 253-1, 254-1
Recorded 2nd July 1947
L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Leo Blech
|
|
Mediafire link for Haydn - Symphony 99 - Royalton Kisch
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Haydn – Symphony No.99 in E flat major
I. Adagio – Vivace assai (2 sides)
II. Adagio (2 sides)
III. Minuet and Trio (Allegretto) (1 side)
IV. Vivace (1 side)
DECCA AX.340 -42 (auto coupling)
Matrices AR 14496-1, 14497-1, 14498-1, 14499-1, 14500-1, 14501-1
Recorded 17th January 1950, Kingsway Hall, London
London Symphony Orchestra, Royalton Kisch
|
|
May 26th 2009
|
|
The Viennese bass, Georg Hann, was born in 1897, and died in Munich in 1950, still at the height of his powers. He left a substantial recorded legacy.
|
|
Mediafire link for Georg Hann singing Verdi, Rossini, Cornelius
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Cornelius - Der Barbier von Bagdad:
Mein Sohn, sei Allahs Frieden (Auftrittslied des Abul)
Er lebt, er lebt (Schluß-Szene)
Deutsche Grammophon 72012 (variable micrograde 78)
Matrices 01838LKK, 01839LKK (dated 30.5.50 and 5.6.50)
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Robert Heger
Lorenz Fehenberger, tenor
Georg Hann, bass
Karl Hoppe, baritone (only in Er lebt, er lebt)
Verdi - Falstaff - Die Ehre, Gauner!
Rossini - Der Barbier von Sevilla - Die Verleumdung sie ist ein Lüftchen
Deutsche Grammophon 68396
Matrices 01244KK, 2125-GE 9 (dated 15.6.49 and Mechan Copt. 1943 respectively)
Bavarian State Orchestra, Walther Knör (Verdi)
Orchester des Deutschen Opernhauses Berlin, Arthur Rother (Rossini)
Georg Hann, bass
|
|
Harry Secombe is well remembered in English speaking countries as one of the Goons, star of film musicals, and here in the UK, for presenting religious choral programmes on television. His tenor voice is well remembered, and he recorded extensively, including an LP of operatic arias and duets.
|
|
Mediafire link for Harry Secombe sings operatic arias
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Harry Secombe sings operatic arias
Bizet - Carmen - Flower song
Puccini - Tosca - Strange harmony of contrasts
Verdi - Rigoletto - La donna e mobile
Leoncavallo - I Pagliacci - On with the motley
Verdi - La Traviata - The Drinking Song (Brindisi)
Flotow - Martha - M'appari
Meyerbeer - L'Africaine - O paradiso
Puccini - Turandot - None shall sleep
Puccini - Tosca - When the stars were brightly shining
Verdi - Il Trovatore - Miserere
Wing (Philips) WL1220
Matrices WL 1220 1L, 2L
Recorded 1957 (solos) and 1958 (duets)
Orchestra, Emmanuel Young
Orchestra, Wally Stott (Strange harmony and On with the motley)
Adele Leigh, soprano (in Brindisi and Miserere)
Harry Secombe, tenor
|
|
Recordings by Franz André (1893-1975) have appeared here on two occasions. He recorded extensively for Telefunken with L' Orchestre Symphonique de la Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge, of which he was the founder in 1935, and remained their principal conductor until 1957. However, he did also record with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1940s, and is represented on microgroove 78s and 45rpm albums..
|
|
Mediafire link for Franck, Mussorgsky and Saint-Saens conducted by Franz André
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Franck - Le Chasseur Maudit
Decca X 10079/80 (Issued on English DECCA K1485/6)
Matrices AR 10191-2, 10192-2, 10193-2, 10194-2
Recorded 2nd April 1946
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Franz André
Mussorgsky - Night on the Bare Mountain
Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre
Telefunken Füllschrift VSK 9012 (Microgroove 78)
Matrices 9-036712-IV, 9-036713-III
Recorded 9th April 1952, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels
L' Orchestre Symphonique de la Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge, Franz André
|
|
Mediafire link for Debussy - La Mer - Franz André
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Debussy - La Mer
Capitol Telefunken KCM 8010 (album of three 45rpm 7” discs)
Matrices 45-8049-ID3, 8050-ID4, 8051-ID1, 8052-ID2, 8053-ID4, 8054-ID2
Recorded 17th November 1941
L' Orchestre Symphonique de la Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge, Franz André (credited as Brussels Radio Symphony Orchestra)
|
|
Mediafire link for Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.4 - Franz André
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.4 in F minor Op.36
Telefunken GMA 6
Matrices LP0-36726-2A, 36727-3A
Recorded 9th April 1954, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels
Released October 1954
I. Andante sostenuto
II. Andantino in modo di canzone
III. Scherzo (Pizzicato ostinato)
IV. Finale (Allegro con fuoco)
L' Orchestre Symphonique de la Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge, Franz André
|
|
Mediafire link for Beethoven - Symphony No.4 - Franz André
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Beethoven - Symphony No.4 in Bb major Op.60
Telefunken TW 30149
Matrices LP-36959-III, 36960-IV
Recorded 2nd October 1953, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels
Released March 1954
L' Orchestre Symphonique de la Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge, Franz André
|
|
April 23rd 2009
|
|
I couldn’t let Albert Coates’s birthday pass without a transfer of at least one of his recordings, and rather than go for his more common early electrical recordings, I’ve chosen his acoustic recording of the Meistersinger Overture. The other items for this update feature the conductor Paul Kletzki: his recording of Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No.3, and his accompaniment to André Gertler’s performance of the Berg violin concerto - the first LP era recording of this work, and one “long awaited in this country” according to the original Gramophone review.
|
|
Mediafire link for Wagner - Die Meistersigner Overture - Albert Coates
(This is an mp3 file – left click the link, download the file)
|
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Overture
His Master’s Voice D 590
Matrices Cc 606-II, 607-II (single side numbers 3-0680, 3-0679)
Recorded 28th October 1921, Hayes, Room 1
Symphony Orchestra, Albert Coates
|
|
Mediafire link for Beethoven - Leonore Overture No.3 - Paul Kletzki
(This is an mp3 file – left click the link, download the file)
|
Beethoven - Leonore Overture No.3 Op.72a
Columbia LX 1069-70
Matrices CAX 10101-1, 10102-1, 10103-2, 10104-2
Recorded 13th October 1947, Abbey Road Studio No.1, London
Philharmonia Orchestra, Paul Kletzki
|
|
Mediafire link for Berg - Violin Concerto - Gertler & Kletzki
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Berg - Violin Concerto
Columbia 33C 1030 (10” LP)
Matrices XA 361-1N, 362-2N
Recorded 17th - 19th August 1953, Kingsway Hall, London
Philharmonia Orchestra, Paul Kletzki
André Gertler, violin
|
|
April 12th 2009
|
|
To maintain my quota of acoustic orchestral recordings, and to mark the 60th anniversary of the death of Joaquin Turina, this weekend I’m making available the earliest recording of any of his orchestral works. The Danzas Fantasticas were completed in 1919, with the score published in Madrid in 1921. Sir Henry Wood recorded them for Columbia in December 1922. Not only was this the first orchestral record of music by Turina, it was the only one to be made by the acoustic process. Wood notes in his autobiography, “My Life of Music,” that he gave the first English performance of this suite.
|
|
Mediafire link for Turina - Danzas Fantasticas - Henry Wood
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Turina - Danzas Fantasticas
Columbia L 1467-8
Matrices 75239-2. 75240-2, 75241-2, 75242-2
Recorded 13th December 1922, London
Available from April 1923 to July 1927
New Queen's Hall Orchestra, Sir Henry J. Wood
This was the premiere recording of this work, and in fact the only acoustic recording of Turina's orchestral music. This piece was completed in 1919, and the score published in Madrid in 1921 - Wood was most definitely conducting modern music here.
The record labels state the speed as 80rpm, but all sides run at around 81rpm.
Curiously, there is an overlap of approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds between sides 1 and 2. In the files for download I’ve included both edited and unedited versions of the first dance.
This set was reviewed enthusiastically in an early issue of Gramophone magazine, from April 1923. Half the review is taken up with a grumble about the repetition of recorded repertoire (how things change!), particularly Coppelia, Sylvia, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Peer Gynt :
Both Sir Henry Wood and the Columbia company are to be commended for these records of a composer almost unknown in this country. It is a relief to find conductors deserting the beaten track, even when they give its less charming things than these dances. ... The “Danzas Fantasticas" are unlike anything else that has been recorded. The Spanish idiom is unfamiliar in England, and these two excellent records of dances, which are really fantastic and really Spanish, should be in every representative collection of orchestral records. It is difficult to choose between the two, but on the whole I think I prefer the "Exaltacion."
|
|
April 10th 2009
|
|
As the Easter weekend approaches, and soon after that, the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death, it seemed to be time for a Messiah recording. This Pye recording from 1958 is announced on the blue folder it was issued in as “Handel’s Messiah - the original manuscript.” This is perhaps misleading - while the performance observes the traditional cuts for the period (with Part III particularly abbreviated), Susskind has removed the two centuries of orchestral accretions to the score, giving us an early attempt at Handel’s original scoring. It’s still very much a mid 20th century account of the work though, with nothing in the way of double-dotting, ornamentation or the fast tempos to which we are now more accustomed.
|
|
Replaced with improved transfer
|
Handel - Messiah
Pye Golden Guinea GSGL 10062
Matrices GSGL 10062 A-1L, B-2L, C-2L, D-2L, E-1L, F-1L
Recorded 1958
The London Orchestra, Walter Susskind
London Philharmonic Choir (Choirmaster Frederick Jackson)
April Cantelo, soprano
Helen Watts, contralto
Wilfred Brown, tenor
Roger Stalman, bass
George Malcolm, harpsichord
Harold Darke, organ
This set of three stereo LPs (auto coupling) was in rather variable condition, with side 4 being particularly noisy. There are one or two places where the stereo focus drifts. I have corrected occasional pitch variations (in particular at an edit in “But who may abide.”) “The London Orchestra” is so named on the records, and is likely to be the London Philharmonic.
This recording was reviewed in Gramophone in November 1960, and its reissues on Pye’s budget Marble Arch label (both in full and as a single disc of highlights) were reviewed more briefly in February 1966:
Gramophone November 1960
The extent of that most flourishing of all musico-industrial concerns, Handel's Messiah, may be gauged by the juxtaposition of the five complete casts now available: only one artist (Jennifer Vyvyan) appears in two sets - the Decca and RCA versions. Otherwise, the casts are completely independent. The newest one, which makes its appearance on an inexpensive label, is oddly enough one of the best balanced of all these quartets. The singers are English, and they have been around for many years. Their interpretations of Messiah are known to audiences and congregations all over Britain. Now they make their recorded debut in this taxing oratorio, and the four of them acquit themselves brilliantly.
April Cantelo, whose singing of the soprano arias is splendidly forthright and confident, is more heedful than many of her possibly more flexible sisters to the underlying drama of the text. The upper range of her voice is more than clear: it has a silvery edge to it that she uses with uncommon intelligence, so that even a short passage like "And suddenly there was with the Angel..." remains fixed in the mind as a moment of genuine biblical drama. Her "Rejoice greatly" and "I know that ray Redeemer liveth" are also magnificent and afford ready proof of sheer technique as well as a remarkable control of timbre.
Helen Watts, in her deeply-felt interpretation of "He was despised", gives what is (for me) the best performance on record. Her voice is rich without being overopulent; it has all the qualities of a fine contralto without any loss of mobility. "O thou that tellest" is beautifully sung, although there are places where individual notes in a run are half-aspirated.
Wilfred Brown adds lustre to the tenor solos in a unique and personal way. The timbre of his voice is neither heroic nor lachrymose, but it has individual qualities that add up to something far more impressive than those. His intonation is rocksteady, and his upward range so well developed that the high notes in "Thou shalt break them" emerge almost effortlessly, whereas one senses strain in the performances of Vickers, Maran and Herbert. Brown's vivid performance of this aria is one of the most praiseworthy in the entire set, for he sings the words as if he really meant them; indeed, I found myself moving subconsciously a few feet further from the speakers when he arrived at "Thou shalt dash them in pieces". My equipment, unlike the potter's vessel, remains happily unharmed but my mental impressions of this aria were almost tactile, and I think that many singers could learn a lot from listening to it. "Every valley" is beautifully phrased and evokes a verdant pastoral picture which Handel was surely aiming at.
Roger Stalman's fine bass voice is heard to advantage in "But who may abide". In "The people that walked in darkness" it is again strong and sonorous, though I felt that some variation in timbre might have helped to bring out more vividly the meaning of the words. "Why do the nations", with all its ferocious roulades, holds no terrors for this singer. He has great powers of sostenuto as well as ample flexibility, but I felt that in "The trumpet shall sound" he fell a little below his own high standard.
The orchestra plays well, the chorus does its best but is often poorly balanced, and Susskind seems to have little idea of Handelian style.
The stereo version improves the chorus balance to some extent, but accentuates the heaviness of the orchestral basses. Those who benefit most are the four soloists.
Gramophone February 1966
First the single disc of selections. Two months back I was writing about a similar record issued by Saga for half a crown less. The contralto and bass soloists were the same, and so were the orchestra and chorus, and the conductor was Frederick Jackson. Both discs are astonishingly good value. The Susskind one under review offers the more conventional selection in the more conventional performance. This tends to be in the beefy old-fashioned style, whereas the Jackson is a little more 'musicological'. But there is not all that difference, and both are good of their kind. I prefer Susskind's tenor, as also his soprano; the solo singing is extremely and consistently good. Against this is the fact that you can't get the Susskind in stereo, and you can the Jackson.
But if you want the Susskind, there does seem every reason to go a splash (it's a very tiny one) and get the lot for 30s. Well, not actually every item. As so often where Messiah is concerned, the word 'complete' means that the lesser-known numbers are left out; you hear what you normally hear in the concert hall. I mustn't enthuse too much about this enjoyable performance. The choral singing is nothing like as good as it is on the new Klemperer discs (and the "Amen" chorus at the end is taken much too slowly) but the Klemperer discs do cost nearly four times as much.
|
|
March 27th 2009
|
|
Regular visitors to this site will not be surprised to find a recording conducted by Landon Ronald. In this case, for the anniversary year, it’s Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No.1 with Benno Moiseiwitsch. The other item is a spoken word recording - the poet and playwright John Drinkwater reading some of his own works. The two men are connected by violinist Daisy Kennedy (of whom I have only a single recording, which appeared here some time ago.) Moiseiwitsch was her first husband, and Drinkwater was her second.
These recordings are included in a single zip file together with Kennedy’s recording of Saint-Saens Rondo Capriccioso, conducted by Hamilton Harty.
|
|
Mediafire link for Moiseiwitsch, Drinkwater and Kennedy
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Mendelssohn - Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor Op.25
His Master's Voice D 969-71
Matrices Cc 5655-III, 5656-II, 5657-I, 5658-I, 5659-II, 5660-II (single side numbers 05832/7)
Recorded 27th January 1925
I. Molto allegro con fuoco (2 sides)
II. Andante (2 sides)
III. Presto: Molto allegro e vivace (2 sides)
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Landon Ronald
Benno Moiseiwitsch, piano
|
|
|
Lecture 70: John Drinkwater reading his own poems
Part 1: Mystery; Vagabond; Moonlit Apples; Birthright
Part 2: Cotswold Love; Anthony Crumble; Mrs. Willow; Mamble
Columbia D 40140
Matrices WAX 4608-1, 4609-2 (11340, 11330)
Recorded 30th January 1929
The sides are labelled as:
Made in England & Published by
Columbia Graphophone Co. Ltd.
Sole Official Publishers for
International Educational Society.
The address is given on side 1 as 26, Buckingham Gate, Westminster, S. W. 1, and on side 2 as 98, Clerkenwell Road, E.C. 1
JOHN DRINKWATER (1882-1937)
Associated with Barry Jackson in the formation of the company that developed into the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in and for which his plays up to and including "Abraham Lincoln" were written. Published New Numbers in conjunction with Lascelles Abercrombie, Rupert Brooke and Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, and was a contributor to the five volumes of Mr. Marsh's Georgian Poetry. In addition to his poetry and plays, he has written various critical studies, including volumes on Byron, Charles II, and Charles James Fox.
The texts of these poems are available on the John Drinkwater page on this site.
|
|
March 15th 2009
|
|
Jules Gressier conducted a number of abridged French operetta recordings for Pathé in the early 1950s, and the one given here is undoubtedly the best known from this repertoire.
|
|
Mediafire link for abridged Orphée aux enfers - Gressier
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Offenbach - Orphée aux enfers
Pathé DTX 30143
Recorded 22nd to 24th December 1952
Orchestre de l'Association des Concerts Lamoureux, Jules Gressier
Choeur Raymond Saint-Paul
Liliane Berton (soprano), Diane
Fréda Betti (soprano), L'Opinion Publique
Claudine Collart (soprano), Euridice
Deva Dassy (mezzo-soprano), Vénus & Junon
Claude Devos (tenor), Orphée
Aimé Doniat (baritone), Pluton-Aristée & Mercure
Pierre Germain (tenor), Mars
Andrée Grandjean (soprano), Cupidon
Huguette Prudhon (soprano), Minerve
Michel Roux (baritone), Jupiter
Georges Alès, solo violin
1 Introduction
2 Act I - Duo de Concerto (Ah! C'est ainsi... C'est déplorable, c'est affroyable)
3 Act II - Choeur du sommeil (Dormons, que notre somme) - Couplets (Je suis Cupidon, Je suis Vénus)
4 Act II - Le réveil des dieux (Par Saturne! Quel est ce bruit?)
5 Act II - Couplets de Diana (Quand Diane descend dans la plaine)
6 Act II - Rondeau des métamorphoses (Pour séduire Alcmène la fière)
7 Act II - Final (Il approche! Il s'avance)
8 Act III - Duo de la mouche (Il m'a semblé sur mon épaule)
9 Act IV - Choeur infernal et Hymne à Bacchus (Vive le vin! Vive Pluton!)
10 Act IV - Menuet et Galop Infernal (Maintenant, je veux... Ce bal est original)
11 Act IV - Final (Ne regarde pas en arrièrre)
|
|
March 10th 2009
|
|
Eleanor Jones-Hudson (1874-1946), the Welsh soprano and wife of the flautist Eli Hudson has appeared here in a number of ensemble recordings, so it seems time to present some of her solo work. In this anniversary year, it’s somehow appropriate to hear her in two of the best known soprano arias by Handel and Haydn. As an extra, there’s an example of her operatic singing, with Musetta’s waltz song in English.
|
|
Download - Handel - Messiah - I know that my Redeemer liveth - Eleanor Jones-Hudson
Download - Haydn - The Creation - With verdure clad - Eleanor Jones-Hudson
Download - Puccini - La Bohème - Musette’s Song - Eleanor Jones-Hudson
(mp3 files – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Handel - Messiah - I know that my Redeemer liveth
Haydn - The Creation - With verdure clad
Zonophone The Twin Serial A 10
Matrices 4366f, 4365f (single side numbers Z-043014, Z-043017)
Recorded 31st July 1910
Orchestra
Eleanor Jones-Hudson, soprano
(credited as Madame Deering)
In the Handel aria bars 1- 14, 40-91, 154-160 are omitted.
In the Haydn aria bars 64-82 are omitted
These two sides are very worn, and suffer from blasting on Madame Jones-Hudson’s high notes.
Puccini - La Bohème - Musette's Song
His Master's Voice G.C.-3770
Matrix 8837e (single side number 3770)
Recorded 1908
Orchestra
Eleanor Jones-Hudson, soprano
|
|
March 8th 2009
|
|
I’ve been busy tidying up the site, so haven’t done much transfer work recently. But, finally to welcome March, yet more acoustic recordings by Eugene Goossens, all with the London Symphony Orchestra.
|
|
Mediafire link for Wolf-Ferrari, Sibelius, Auber, Delibes - LSO, Goossens
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Wolf-Ferrari - Il Segreto di Susanna - Overture
Sibelius - Scènes Historiques No.3 - Festivo
Columbia 908
Matrices 75139-1, 75148-1 (4048, 4057)
Recorded 5th, 7th July 1922, Columbia’s Petty France Studio, London
London Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Goossens
Auber - Crown Diamonds - Overture
Columbia 918
Matrices 75141-1, 75142-1 (4050, 4051)
Recorded 5th July 1922, Columbia’s Petty France Studio, London
London Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Goossens
Delibes - Le Roi l'a Dit - Overture
Columbia 923
Matrices 75137-1, 75138-1 (4046, 4047)
Recorded 5th July 1922, Columbia’s Petty France Studio, London
London Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Goossens
The Sibelius work is a premier recording, and was in fact the only acoustic recording of this work. It has several small cuts, removing bars 7-10, 5 after D to 9 before E, 13 after F to H, 7 after I to 6 before L.
|
|
February 22nd 2009
|
|
This latest update sees a site redesign, and a number of new transfers on site. In the orchestral arena, we have Harty’s sparkling account of Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony (afflicted by swish), Golschmann’s early 1950s LP recording of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony, overtures conducted by Clarence Raybould (on Regal), and Eugene Goossens (on Edison Bell), and a Strauss excerpt under the baton of Robert Heger.
Vocal music comes in the form of two Handel arias from Frank Mullings (with Raybould conducting), two operatic arias from the tenor Salvatore Salvati, and a performance of Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht, from a probably pseudonymous Everest LP.
|
|
Mediafire link for Mendelssohn - Symphony No.4 Italian - Hamilton Harty
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Mendelssohn - Symphony No.4 in A major Op.90 "Italian"
Columbia DX 342-4
Matrices WAX 6054-2, 6055-2, 6056-1, 6-57=2, 6058-1, 6059-1 (14899, 14902, 14901, 14900, 14912, 14916)
Recorded 10th April 1931
I. Allegro vivace (1½ sides)
II. Andante con moto (1½ sides)
III. Con moto moderato (1 side)
IV. Finale: Saltarello-Presto (2 sides)
Hallé Orchestra, Sir Hamilton Harty
|
|
Mediafire link for Shostakovich - Symphony No.5 - Vladimir Golschmann
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Shostakovich - Symphony No.5 in D major Op.47
Capitol Classics CTL.7077
Matrices P1.8268Y-1B, P2.8268Z.1B
Recorded 1953
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Golschmann
|
|
Mediafire link for Mendelssohn - Walpurgisnacht
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Mendelssohn - Die erste Walpurgisnacht Op.60
Everest 3229 (Electronic Stereo)
Recorded ?
Overture: The Change of Winter to Spring
1. A Druid and Chorus of the People
2. An Aged Woman and Chorus of the People
3. A Druid Priest and Chorus of Druids
4. Chorus of Druid Guards and People
5. A Druid Guard
6. Chorus of Guards and People
7. A Druid Priest and Chorus
8. A Christian Guard and Chorus of Guards
9. A Druid Priest and Chorus of Druids and People
“Lorenzo Bernardi and Chorus and Orchestra of the Leipzig Bach Festival”
This recording, presumably from a German or Austrian radio source, leaves its soloists (soprano, tenor and bass) unnamed. The conductor and other performers seem to be pseudonymous. Although the first side of the record is roughly at correct pitch, the second side drifts downwards until a horrendous edit about a minute from the end, where the pitch and ambience are suddenly hugely different. This final section may even come from a different performance. I have endeavoured to fix the pitch, and reduce the jarring effect of the change of sound quality. I’ve also mixed the sound back to mono.
I’ve included the closing passage of the work prior to pitch adjustment, so that the grating effect of this awful edit can be fully appreciated.
If any recognises any of the soloists or indeed the whole performance, do let me know!
|
|
Download - Donizetti - La Favorita - Una vergine - Salvati
Download - Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana - Brindisi - Salvati
(mp3 files – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Donizetti - La Favorita - Una vergine
Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana - Brindisi
Phonycord Flexible Nr 151
Matrices 8235, 8241
Recorded 1930
Orchestra
Salvatore Salvati, tenor
These are taken from a flexible disc recording, which was badly warped, and not easily persuaded to lie flat. They therefore had to be recorded below speed to ensure the stylus tracked the groove, and this has had an effect on the level of surface noise.
|
|
Download - Handel - Semele - Where’er you walk - Mullings
Download - Handel - Jephtha - Deeper and Deeper Still - Mullings
(mp3 files – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Handel - Semele - Where’er you walk
Handel - Jephtha - Deeper and Deeper Still
Columbia 9350
Matrices WAX 1898-1, 1900-1 (6585, 6583)
Recorded 13th September 1926
Available from 12th February 1928 to January 1937
Orchestra, Clarence Raybould
Frank Mullings, tenor
This was a reissue of L1344, available from October 1926 to February 1928. An earlier version of L1344 was available from February 1920 to October 1926 - with recordings made on 5th May 1919, with Hamilton Harty conducting.
Curiously, although the Semele aria maintains correct pitch, the Jephtha increases speed slightly. The Jephtha aria is also notable for the variety of tone colour used by Mullings.
|
|
Download - Beethoven - Egmont - Raybould
Download - Thomas - Raymond - Raybould
(mp3 files – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Beethoven - Egmont Overture
Regal G1084
Matrices WAX 5186-1, 5187-2 (12757/8)
Recorded 3rd October 1929
Available from February 1930 to March 1941
Classic Symphony Orchestra, Clarence Raybould
Thomas - Raymond - Overture
Regal MX8
Matrices WAX 5318-1, 5319-2 (13162, 13161)
Recorded 4th January 1930. Recorded in a concert hall
Available from June 1930 to March 1941
Classic Symphony Orchestra, Clarence Raybould
All of the above sides play at slightly below 78rpm.
|
|
Download - R. Strauss - Feuersnot - Love Scene - Heger
(mp3 file – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
R. Strauss - Feuersnot - Love Scene
His Master’s Voice C1841
Matrices CW 2161-IA, CW 2162-II (6-0659/60)
Recorded January 1929
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Robert Heger
The recording session was between the 9th and 25th January 1929.
|
|
Download - Wagner - The Meistersingers - Overture - Goossens
(mp3 file – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Wagner - The Meistersingers - Overture
Edison Bell Velvet Face 523
Matrices X1163K-1, X1164F-2
Recorded 1921
Available from October 1922
Goossens Orchestra, Eugene Goossens
Both sides play at almost 82rpm.
There is a gap of several bars between the two sides. The first side finishes on the first beat of bar 96 (with an E major chord), and the second starts at bar 122 (with an E flat major chord). This prevents an adequate side join.
|
|
February 3rd
|
|
As Mendelssohn’s 200th birthday arrives, it seems apt to provide a few more items by this wonderful composer. Thus we have a symphony, and a wonderful bass aria which was much loved by English speaking singers, yet seems sadly neglected now.
|
|
Download - Mendelssohn - Son and Stranger - I am a roamer - Robert Easton
Download - Gounod - Philemon and Baucis - Vulcan’s Song - Robert Easton
(mp3 files – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Mendelssohn - Son and Stranger - I am a roamer
Gounod - Philemon and Baucis - Vulcan's song
Columbia 9210
Matrices WAX 2330-1, 2331-1 (7116/7)
Recorded 7th April 1927
Available from September 1927 to January 1946
Orchestra, A W Leggett
Robert Easton, bass
The Mendelssohn plays in C major at 80rpm, the Gounod in A minor (a semitone below score pitch).
This recording was reviewed in The Gramophone, September 1927:
Robert Easton. – The two records on this disc present a singular contrast – the same fine bass voice in both pieces, but a difference of style and effect that is simply astonishing. It is, however, no mystery, no problem beyond solution. The singer knows how to make every point in I'm a roamer. He gets away with it from the starting-gate, and from that point is a winner as well as a roamer – tone, rhythm, words, humour, everything pat and perfect to the finish. With Vulcan's Song it is otherwise. Here too slow, there too fast; now too deliberate and heavy; nearly always too lugubrious – the true significance of Vulcan's allusive remarks and the satire of his own ugliness and deformity, showing what a mistake it is for him to quit Venus and his own fireside to go on nocturnal adventures – the humour of all this is utterly lost, thanks partly, perhaps, to the fatuity of the English translation. That, I suppose, is why Santley always insisted on singing this song in French.
|
|
Mediafire link for Mendelssohn - Symphony No.4 Italian - Mario Rossi
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Mendelssohn - Symphony No.4 in A major Op.90 "Italian"
Vivaldi - Olimpiade - Andante
Decca AK 1974-7
Matrices AR 11730-1, 11731-1, 11732-1, 11733-1, 11734-1, 11735-1, 11736-1, 11737-2
Recorded 1947
I. Allegro vivace (2 sides)
II. Andante con moto (1½ sides)
III. Con moto moderato (1½ sides)
IV. Finale: Saltarello-Presto (2 sides)
Turin Symphony Orchestra, Mario Rossi
This recording received a detailed review in The Gramophone, December 1948:
Turin Symphony Orchestra (Mario Rossi): Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, "Italian" (Mendelssohn); Andante from "L'Olimpiade" (Vivaldi arr. Mortari). Decca AK1974-7 (12 in., 27s. 4d.).
I cannot imagine why Decca have decided to withdraw the Unger version in six months' time in favour of this new one. It is true that Unger took the first movement rather deliberately and was altogether too perfunctory about the Andante; but he was well recorded, and on points his version wins hands down over this new competitor. Perhaps the idea was that it would be interesting to have an Italian orchestra playing a work which owed all its inspiration to Italy – for this is not one of your made-up titles stuck on afterwards by a publisher. Mendelssohn had started off at the age of 25 for an extended tour of Austria, Italy and Switzerland, and his sketches and letters vividly record the impressions made on his naturally vivacious mind: in 1831 he wrote from Rome, "The Italian Symphony makes rapid progress: it will be the gayest piece I have yet composed, especially the last movement. I have not yet made up my mind about the Adagio (sic), and think I shall reserve it for Naples." He finished the work on his return home, and conducted the first performance himself in 1833 for a concert of the Philharmonic Society of London. The curious thing is that this symphony, for all its seeming spontaneity and the sunny freshness of its writing, caused Mendelssohn exceptional difficulty, and right up to the year of his death he was still considering making alterations to it.
W.R.A., writing of the recent Barbirolli recording of the Italian, said that it achieved “high clarity at the expense of warmth.” Here almost the reverse is true: there is plenty of spirit, even if the orchestra is not particularly well disciplined, but far greater definition, both of playing and recording, is necessary. Rossi starts off at an impetuous speed; the woodwind repeated chords are a mere indistinct background; the strings, when they enter with their exuberant tune, skitter over the quavers and clip the rhythm. It is all, clearly, just too fast for the players' comfort: phrases are snatched, and there is frequently little continuity of the melodic line. But there is interesting perspective and plenty of vitality. If the staccato string passage leading to the second subject is untidy, the second subject itself is treated with the most delicious lightness and grace. It is a pity that the exposition is not repeated: it is becoming a bad habit to alter Mendelssohn's carefully-calculated proportions by cutting the repeat.
After the first movement the rot begins to set in. The Andante is played sympathetically, but (especially at the end) oh! so slowly. This seems to have depressed the orchestra so much that it plays the third movement without much conviction, and the Trio is dreary in the extreme – it is taken very slowly, the horns ignore the phrasing (which is clearly marked in bar-lengths), and the violins' dancing figure is laborious and leaden-footed. By contrast, in the Saltarello, the Roman carnival seems to have gone to the players' heads, and the rhythm is none too stable (notice how the woodwind soloists jump their fourth beats at letter C, side 7). This movement certainly cannot compare with Unger's version.
The fill-up is interesting: a gracious elegiac Andante from one of the 38 operas of Vivaldi, the red-headed priest on whose music Bach drew so much. L'Olimpiade, one of Metastasio's most popular libretti, was set by about a dozen composers, and Vivaldi's opera was revived in 1939 at the Siena Festival.
The LP issue was reviewed briefly in The Gramophone, September 1950:
*MENDELSSOHN. Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, "The Italian." Turin Symphony Orchestra (Mario Rossi). Decca LX3004 ( 10 in., 29s. 6d.).
In December, 1948, my colleague L.S. devoted nearly a column to a review of the 78 version or this symphony. He wrote with no great enthusiasm, and I agree with all his strictures. Indeed, as a whole, it is a poor performance, and therefore I cannot understand why Decca has bothered to issue it on L.P. There is certainly no improvement in the quality of the recording. L.S. said that "far greater definition, both of playing and recording, is necessary." It still is. R.H.
|
|
February 1st
|
|
There are just a few items today, with more to follow later in the week. Edward German’s “Welsh Rhapsody” was, surprisingly, not one of the many works that German himself conducted for the Gramophone Company. Pioneering acoustic versions were left to Dan Godfrey (on one side), Henry Gibson and the Mayfair Orchestra (2 sides) and Bainbridge Robinson with Boosey’s Concert Orchestra (4 sides). Electrical recordings followed from Landon Ronald with the LSO and Basil Cameron with the Hastings Municipal Orchestra in 1930, and the City of Birmingham Orchestra under George Weldon came later. The July 1931 issue of The Gramophone had the following to say about Ronald’s recording:
German is always likeable, because he knows his job inside out - the job of inventing good tunes, working them up into not-too-complex patterns, and orchestrating them in firm, bright colours (with a special ear to the values of the wind, as you may notice in this Rhapsody, which he wrote for the Cardiff Festival in 1904). This time he did not invent the tunes, but took them from the splendid folk store of Wales. The first movement builds on the air to "Loudly proclaim o'er land and sea This is the home of liberty" a capital, lusty opening. About a third of the way on side 2 we run right into the scherzo section, beginning with the fleet “Hunting the Hare” and using secondly “The Bells of Aberdovey” (with some neat combinations of the two). A minor-key reminiscence of the Bells tune, an inch in on side 3, changes the scene reflectively for the third movement, in which oboes and lower strings give out “David of the White Rock”, which is briefly treated, and ends pp; directly, we know what is going to happen, for the instruments hint excitingly at “Men of Harlech”, and then we sit back and, if we are not too blasé, feel a touch of the old patriotic thrill as the grand old march recalls the pageant of stormy history. All very simple and ol-fashioned, you may say; but it is done by a man who, I repeat, knows his job inside out, and there are too few who have learnt their job as German did, graduating in the most valuable of all arenas, that of the theatre. Without over-smiting, the L.S.O. paints warmly and well, and no one could keep the thing in perspective better than Ronald. The tunes on which the movements are based should have been noted on the labels.
The two recordings given below are Henry Gibson’s abridged 1916 account, and Landon Ronald’s 1930 recording. In addition to these, a little opera: a test pressing of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s 1950 Addio del passato, included as an extra in a recent record order, as one of the other discs in the order had a rim flake that the seller hadn’t previously spotted.
|
|
Download - German - Welsh Rhapsody - Henry Gibson
Download - German - Welsh Rhapsody - Landon Ronald
(mp3 files – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
German - Welsh Rhapsody
His Master's Voice C 701
Matrices HO 1453ac, 1455ac (2-0654/5)
Recorded 27th January 1916
Issued September 1916
Mayfair Orchestra, Henry Gibson
German - Welsh Rhapsody
His Master's Voice D 1939-40
Recorded 17th September 1930
Matrices Cc 19731-II, Cc 19732-II, Cc 19733-I, Cc 19734-1 (32-1763/6)
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Landon Ronald
|
|
Download - Verdi - La Traviata - Addio del passato - Schwarzkopf
(mp3 file – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Verdi - La Traviata - Addio del passato
Columbia one-sided test pressing (issued on LX 1370)
Matrix CAX 10947-2
Recorded 1950
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano
Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galliera
|
|
January 26th
|
|
Today brings another two brief updates, because I’ve been busy. There’s an early LP of Rodzinski conducting Pictures at an Exhibition. The record I’ve taken this from is in terrible condition, so there is a considerable amount of noise that could not be removed. The other item is Henry Wood conducting an arrangement of a Handel overture – as “inauthentic” a performance as one could wish for.
|
|
Mediafire link for Mussorgsky-Ravel - Pictures at an Exhibition - Rodzinski
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Mussorgsky-Ravel – Pictures at an Exhibition
Columbia Masterworks ML 4033
Matrices F XLP 254 3A, F XLP 255 3C
Recorded 1945
Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York, Artur Rodzinski
1. Promenade
2. Gnomes
3. Promenade
4. The Old Castle
5. Promenade
6. Tuileries
7. Bydlo
8. Promenade
9. Ballet of chicks in their shells
10. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle
11. The market place at Limoges
12. Catacombs
13. Cum mortuis in lingua mortua
14. The hut on Fowls' Legs
15. The great gate at Kiev
Tracks 11 and 12 are combined into one mp3 file to avoid a break in sound. The gap between tracks 14 and 15 is as on the LP
|
|
Download - Handel - Berenice - Overture - Henry Wood
(mp3 file – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Handel - Berenice - Overture
Decca K.819
Matrices TA 2041-II, 2042-II
Recorded 7th November 1935
Released May 1936
The Queen's Hall Orchestra, Sir Henry J. Wood
Charles Woodhouse, leader
The minuet from this overture can also be heard in a performance by Reginald Jacques, further down this page.
|
|
January 20th
|
|
Because I’ve been busy, here’s yet another update. This time there are three Scheherezades – two are highly abridged, one only slightly. Landon Ronald’s acoustic account (now available to download from Historic Recordings ) takes one side for each movement. The early electrical version by Eugene Goossens adopts the same principle, and contains only a little more music, evidently being intended as a replacement for the acoustic version. The “complete” version recorded by French Columbia is conducted by Philippe Gaubert on 11 sides, including a cut between the end of side 10 and the start of 11. I don’t know why it wasn’t simply recorded complete on 12 sides.
|
|
Mediafire link for Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherezade - Goossens
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherezade Op.35
His Master's Voice C 1287-8
Matrices CR 561-IIA, 562-II, 563-IV, 564-I (4-0868/71)
Recorded 13th (parts 1, 2, 4) and 15th (part 3) July 1926
Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden, Eugene Goossens
This abridged recording by Eugene Goossens uses almost the same cuts as Landon Ronald’s acoustic account, simply adding one or two extra passages that Ronald decided wouldn’t fit on. These include the opening twelve bars of the first movement, a section between A and B in the third movement, and in the fourth movement, the section between A and B, and from W to a little before X.
The parts of the score included in the recording are given below. Page references are to Hawkes Pocket Score – section letters appear common to all scores.
First Record: start (p3) to end (p4); E (p19) to 6 after F (p26); 5 after H (p30) to M (p38); 11 after M (p39) to end (p41)
Second Record: start to bar 4 (p42-3); A (p44) to B (p45); C (p47) to D (p50); H (p62) to 16 after I (p68); 6 before L (p73) to L (p74); N (p79) to P (p87); R (p92) to end (p96)
Third Record: start (p97) to B (p101); C (p105) to H (p116); I (p119) to K (p120); P (p133) to end (p134)
Fourth Record: 24 before A (p140) to bar before E (p147); K (p158) to N (p168); P (p173) to bar before Q (p176); W (p197) to 10 after X (p213); 15 after X (p216) to 10 after Y (p221); Z (p222) to 6 after Z (p224)
|
|
Mediafire link for Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherezade - Philippe Gaubert
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Scheherezade - Suite Symphonique Op.35
Columbia Masterworks Album 156 (DBX 1-6)
Matrices WLX 418, 419, 420, 476-2, 477-2, 478-1, 375, 376, 377, 416, 417 (9722, 9723, 9724, 10559, 10560, 10561, 9529, 9528, 9527, 9728, 9706
Recorded 6th July 1928, April 1929
I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship (3 sides)
II. The Story of the Kalandar Prince (3 sides)
III. The Young Prince and the Young Princess (2 and a half sides)
IV. Festival of Bagdad: The Sea – The Ship is Wrecked (2 and a half sides)
L'Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Paris, Philippe Gaubert
Bizet - L'Arlesienne Suite - Adagietto No.1 for Strings
Matrix WAX 5048 (12368)
Recorded 11th to 15th June 1929
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, Willem Mengelberg
Gaubert’s account of Scheherezade is substantially complete, and demonstrates the excellent sound obtained by French Columbia (though the noise level is high on some sides). Curiously, side 10 ends 28 bars after V and side 11 starts at W, an omission of 44 bars. Given that the work was going to be issued on 6 double sided records, it’s unclear why 12 sides were not used, rendering the cut unnecessary, along with the unusual filler side. The French Columbia issue of this set was coupled with Gaubert's account of the Menuet from Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin.
|
|
January 17th
|
|
There’s quite a mixture of items for mid-January. Firstly, I’ve had another attempt at Mark Hambourg’s recording of the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto – the HMV surfaces are rough, and the recording isn’t the easiest to deal with, but I’ve certainly improved on my previous attempt. It also brings the name of Landon Ronald to my site – there’ll be much more to follow. In addition, I’ve transferred a Westminster LP with Artur Rodzinski conducting Mozart’s Clarinet and Bassoon Concertos. Then it’s back to two of this year’s anniversary composers. Haydn’s Surprise symphony has already appeared on this site in versions by Horenstein, Weissmann and Sargent. The next account is with Howard Barlow conducting the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra. And as a little nod to the sixtieth anniversary of the death of Richard Strauss, two of the sides recorded by Minnie Nast and Eva Plaschke-von der Osten, the creators of Sophie and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. Finally, I’ve transferred an early LP of Vladimir Golschmann conducting Sibelius’s 7th Symphony and Mozart’s Prague.
|
|
Mediafire link for Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1 - Hambourg, Ronald
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Tchaikovksy – Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor Op.23
His Master’s Voice D 1130-33
Matrices CR 736-IA, 737-I, 738-IA, 739-I, 732-IIA, 733-IA, 734-IA, 735-IA (single side numbers 05951/4, 05947/50)
Recorded 28th September 1926, Kingsway Hall, London
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Sir Landon Ronald
Mark Hambourg, piano
|
|
Mediafire link for Mozart concerti - Rodzinski
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Mozart – Clarinet Concerto in A major K.622
Mozart – Bassoon Concerto in Bb major K.191
Whitehall WH20060
Matrices XTV 21725/6 (M18287A/B)
Recorded June 27th to July 11th 1954, Vienna Konzerthaus, Mozartsaal
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Artur Rodzinski
Leopold Wlach, clarinet
Karl Oehlberger, bassoon
|
|
Mediafire link for Haydn - Surprise Symphony - Howard Barlow
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Haydn – Symphony No.94 in G major “The Surprise”
I. Adagio cantabile – Vivace assai (2 sides)
II. Andante (2 sides)
III. Menuetto (Allegro molto) and Trio (1 side)
IV. Allegro di molto (1 side)
Columbia (UK) DX 929-931
Matrices XCO 24147/52
Recorded 20th February 1939, New York
Columbia Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, Howard Barlow
This UK Columbia set has a very high level of surface noise and crackle, and proved much more difficult to restore than other UK Columbias of a similar vintage, despite the good recording quality.
|
|
Download - R Strauss - Rosenkavalier - Mit ihren Augen - Nast, Osten
Download - R Strauss - Rosenkavalier - Ist ein Traum - Nast, Osten
(mp3 files – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Richard Strauss – Der Rosenkavalier:
Mit ihren Augen voll Tränen (Act 2)
Ist ein Traum, kann nicht wirklich sein (Act 3)
His Master’s Voice D 1002
Matrices 2305½c, 2304c (single side numbers 044184, 044183)
Recorded 25th August 1911, Berlin
Minnie Nast, soprano
Eva Plaschke-von der Osten, soprano
with Orchestra
Der Rosenkavalier was premiered in Dresden on January 26th 1911. These two sides were part of a group made seven months later in Berlin. Eva von der Osten and Minnie Nast created the roles of Octavian and Sophie. Margarethe Siems, the creator of the Marschallin, also took part in the session, recording solo and ensemble pieces.
“Mit ihren Augen” runs from 2 bars before fig 115 to fig 129
“Ist ein Traum” runs from 2 bars before fig 297 to fig 300, then has a transition section, before running fig 303 to 2 bars after fig 305
|
|
Mediafire link for Sibelius and Mozart - Vladimir Golschmann
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Sibelius – Symphony No.7 in C Op.105
Mozart – Symphony No.38 in D major “Prague”
RCA Victor Bluebird Classics LBC-1067
Matrices E3RP-5266-1S, 5267-1S
Recorded 1942 (Sibelius), 1945 (Mozart)
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Golschmann
This very early American LP was in poor condition, with considerable surface noise, and suffers some blasting in bass-heavy passages.
|
|
December 31st 2008 and January 1st 2009
|
|
To round off this Vaughan Williams anniversary year, here are the remainder of Henry Wood’s recordings of Vaughan Williams’s music: The Serenade to Music, The Wasps Overture and the Fantasia on Greensleeves. To complement these, there is another recording of the Greensleeves Fantasia from around the same time, this one conducted by Reginald Jacques, who also leads us into 2009 with some anniversaries – 70 years since the death of John Faulds, 250 years since Handel’s death and 350 years since Purcell’s birth.
And finally, two more anniversaries being celebrated in 2009 – the bicentenary of Mendelssohn’s birth, for which we have Malcolm Sargent conducting Ruy Blas, and the bicentenary of Haydn’s death, with Jascha Horenstein conducting the Surprise Symphony. Both recordings are 80 years old in 2009.
|
|
Mediafire link for Vaughan Williams - Serenade to Music, Wasps, Greensleeves - Henry Wood
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Vaughan Williams – The Wasps – Overture
Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on Greensleeves
Originally issued on Decca K.821/2
Matrices TA 2136, 2137, 2138 (The Wasps), TA 2139 (Greensleeves)
Recorded 22nd April 1936
The Queen's Hall Orchestra, Sir Henry J. Wood
George Stratton, leader
The present transfers are made from the Decca Ace of Clubs LP reissue, ACL 255.
Vaughan Williams – Serenade to Music
Originally issued on Columbia LX 757-8
Matrices CAX 8367, 8368, 8369, 8370
Recorded 15th October 1938
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Henry J. Wood
Isobel Baillie, soprano - Lilian Stiles Allen, soprano - Elsie Suddaby, soprano - Eva Turner, soprano
Margaret Balfour, contralto - Muriel Brunskill, contralto - Astra Desmond, contralto - Mary Jarred, contralto
Parry Jones, tenor - Heddle Nash, tenor - Frank Titterton, tenor - Walter Widdop, tenor
Norman Allin, bass - Robert Easton, bass - Roy Henderson, baritone - Harold Williams, baritone
The present transfer is made from the Columbia 7” 45rpm reissue on SED 5553. A better transfer, from the original 78s is now available on the main page.
|
|
Download - Mendelssohn - Ruy Blas Overture - Malcolm Sargent
(mp3 files – right click the link, then select “Save as”)
|
Mendelssohn – Ruy Blas - Overture
His Master’s Voice C 1813
Matrices Cc 17933-II, 17934-I (32-1065/6)
Recorded 16th December 1929, Kingsway Hall, London
London Symphony Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent
(The orchestra is credited on the record labels only as “Symphony Orchestra”)
|
|
Mediafire link for Haydn - Surprise Symphony - Jascha Horenstein
(These are zip files – left click the link, download the files, then unzip when downloaded)
|
Haydn – Symphony No.94 in G major “The Surprise”
I. Adagio cantabile – Vivace assai (2 sides)
II. Andante (2 sides)
III. Menuetto (Allegro molto) and Trio (1 side)
IV. Allegro di molto (1 side)
Polydor 66914-6
Matrices 132, 133, 134½, 135, 136, 137½ BV VI (B 21217/22)
Recorded 1929, Berlin
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein
|
|
|
|
|
Recordings digitized using Stanton ST.150 turntable with Stanton 500 cartridge. Various styli supplied by Expert Stylus Company. Digital sound processing, including equalization, filtering to remove rumble and hum, speed adjustments and dehissing, using DC6, by Diamond Cut productions. Declicking and decrackling using ClickRepair. Re-equalisation using HarBal.
All recordings remastered from original analogue recordings, out of copyright in the UK (1959 or earlier), and hosted in the UK.
|
|
