CD Purchase

 

 

 

 

 

Klassic Haus continues in its Cincinnati Symphony/Decca recording series reissues with Nielsen's Inextiguishable symphony, first released in 1965 during the world-wide Nielsen music revival. Once again, Max  Rudolf presents a well-paced reading of this intriguing symphony. The CD also features the light-hearted overture to Nielsen's comic opera Maskarade. This CD is sourced from a near-mint LP copy;  very hard to find in good condition,  as domestic Decca surfaces were seldom quiet even when new. An enjoyable disc from start to finish!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

320kbps MP3
$5.00

The early-music revival that began in earnest in the 1950s bore much fruit from the recording industry, most notably in Europe. This CD first release of this DGG/Archive disc of Handel's Water Music is by Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, recorded in the spacious acoustics of  the Neumünsterkirche in Zurich in 1965. A mint LP provided a perfect source for restoration, and the recording does not show its age at all. Quite a discovery!     

 

 

 

 CD $12.00

Lawrance Collingwood's recording with the London Symphony of Elgar's Nursery Suite,  Serenade for Strings, and  Three Bavarian Dances  was well received when it was released in 1954. This CD is sourced from a mint Columbia/EMI (UK) LP; some harshness heard on Side 1 of the LP has been tamed, and the restoration provides a warm, open sound that serves Elgar's music well. Another rare find! 

 

                                                 -See also Concerti- 

 

 

16. Steffe: Battle Hymn of The Republic 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Bagley: National Emblem March 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dimitri Mitropoulos' tenure in New York lasted seven years, until the 1956-57 season, when he also shared the podium with Leonard Bernstein, who was to take up full leadership in 1958. This was one of the most exciting periods in the history of the Philharmonic, and produced many memorable recordings for Columbia. This recording, taped in November 1953, has fleet interpretations, with the New York Philharmonic in fine form. A Columbia "6-Eye" disc in seldom-played condition was used for transfer. A worthy addition to the recorded legacy of Dimitri Mitropoulos.

 

 

 

 

 

The Barbirolli-conducted Vanguard disc is one I found unopened in an antique shop in Bellingham, Washington! The performances, recorded by PYE,  are robust, straightforward readings, with the Halle Orchestra in fine form. The Piano Concerto is a lyrically-conceived reading, with Viktor Yeresko offering an insightful interpretation, Gennady Rozhdestvensky leading the Moscow Radio Symphony, from a domestic Melodiya/Angel release. 2 CD set for a special price

                                                         -See also in Concerti-

 

 

Authoritative performances, warmly recorded in Decca's

ffrr trademark technique. The London Philharmonic is in terrific form here, with the legendary Eduard van Beinem at the helm. Two discs in seldom-played condition were used to produce this must-have CD.  Historic renditions, lovingly restored by Klassic Haus.

 

 

 

 

This is another well-recorded mono disc, derived from very good condition RCA LP, and can be considered a companion disc to KHCD-2010-008 - Boston Pops 25th Anniversary Album (see above). A fine collection of chestnuts and rare pieces, all played to perfection by the Boston Pops. A confection to be savored during a sultry summer evening, or whenever a soothing musical moment is needed.

Track List:

1. Liebestraum - Liszt (orch. Victor Herbert)

2. Candlelight Waltz - Mason

3. Liebeslied - Kreisler

4. Liebesfreud - Kreisler

5. Faust Waltzes - Gounod

6. Espana Waltz - Waldteufel

7. Moonlight Sonata (First Mvt., arr Walter Piston)

8. Caprice Viennois - Kreisler

9. Tres Jolie Waltz - Waldteufel

10. Kammenoi-Orstrow - Rubenstein 

 

Joseph Haydn's new contract with Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy began in May 1761. The very first works he composed for his small orchestra were these exquisite little symphonies. They were written, as was Bach's first music for his post in Leipzig, to impress and to exploit the talents of the Esterhazy orchestra. These works could be considered Haydn's "doctorate"; he displayed in full not only his consummate musicianship but also his sense of tact - for these works are symphonies and concerti all at once, providing for the solo grouping in the concerto grosso manner, contrasting with the larger body of the orchestra. These gems are wonderfully played by the Chamber Orchestra of The Saar, conducted by Karl Ristenpart, in a warm, spacious recording previously found on a Nonesuch LP.

 

 

 

 

As long as there have been composers , there has been music depicting the glories and horrors of war. These tableaus of  the  struggle and glorification of war are guaranteed to quicken even the faintest of heart. In the Battle Music selections, there are two tone-poems (written before music was designated as such) by Biber and Dandreau, which describe the preparations of battle (including, in the Biber, the general admonishing his troops) the battle, and the aftermath (again, Biber with the moanings of the wounded). The Neubauer Sinfonie is most sympathetic, lyrical and descriptive. His "general" is depicted as a genial sort, admonishing his troops as played by a bassoon solo with orchestral support, and the battle scene is reminiscent at times of Beethoven's "Wellington's Victory" without the bombast of cannon and muskets. The military brass music heard here is a part of the brilliant but murderous age of Napoleon. The French fanfares, marches and choruses depict the glories of war and displays of power in quasi-Roman pomp and grandeur. This CD compiles two Nonesuch albums, both in quite good condition before restoration, and provides a rare look into a time and place that glorified war in music.

 

 

This Beethoven "Eroica" recording comes from a Checkmate LP, an imprint of the Nonesuch label. Checkmate LPs were mastered at half speed, using master tapes that had been recorded with the then-new Dolby A 301 Audio Noise Reduction System. The result was an LP that had crisper high-frequency reproduction. Indeed, most Checkmate LPs came off sounding a bit brittle, so discreet softening of the extreme highs while remastering resulted in a more pleasing, realistic sound-stage. Ristenpart's interpretation is moderately paced with much inner voice detail throughout;  the Marcia funebrae is particularly memorable in its fervor and lyricism.  The Mozart Divertimenti come from a Nonesuch disc, inscribing the last recording sessions he directed in November, 1967. Always insightful, stylish, assured and spontaneous, these recordings reassert Karl Ristenpart's interpretive prowess. 

 

 

 

Max Goberman (1911 – 31 December 1962) studied conducting with Fritz Reiner.  He conducted ballets, Broadway musicals (including the original productions of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town and West Side Story), and the classical repertoire. He was working on the first recording of the complete symphonies of Joseph Haydn, as well as the music of Vivaldi,  but died before these projects were completed. These Beethoven recordings are derived from a Library of Recorded Masterpieces LP (Goberman's subscription series), made in the last three months of 1962 by the same production team that recorded in Vienna for Vanguard Records. Masterful performances of the 8th Symphony, Leonore Overture No. 1 and Fidelio Overture, with the addition of a rousing rendition of the cantata "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage" (the Vienna Radio Chorus is miked a bit forward, but balances overall are fine). The Maelzel Canon was originally an improvisation based on the ticking theme of the Allegretto of the 8th Symphony, and performed at an informal dinner with Beethoven's friends, Johann Maelzel among them. Quite an enjoyable program, from a gifted conductor who died much too soon. 

 

Vanguard Records issued the "Scheherazade" recording as "Vanguard Stereophonic Demonstration Disc" in late 1959. Half of the LP back cover was devoted to how stereo discs were produced, type of playback equipment required, balance and phasing, and placement of loudspeakers. The recording itself is middle-distance perspective, with subtle highlighting of solo instruments (typical of some early stereo recordings). The CD was produced using a near-mint Stereolab black-label LP. The Khatchaturian recording, derived from a Philips Universo blue-label disc, was a filler for Herbert Kegel's recording of Shostakovich's "Execution of Stepan Rasin". The Monte Carlo orchestra plays with appropriate brashness in the Dance of the Shields, and lyric passion in the Adagio. 

 

 

 

Continuing the series of Cincinnati Symphony recordings reissues on Klassic Haus is this well-paced, detailed  "Eroica" with Max Rudolf conducting. A Decca (USA) LP in very good condition was used for this transfer. The recording itself was made using the then-new Dolby Audio Noise Reduction System, and the result is a very wide-range sound-stage, with great inner voice detail, and Cincinnati's Music Hall's  wonderful acoustics embracing the proceedings. The Brahms Tragic Overture is from a Command reel tape, with the Pittsburgh Symphony providing a compelling performance with William Steinberg conducting. 

 

Bruckner's so-called "Study Symphony" composed between February and May 1863, was written before he fell under the spell of Richard Wagner and, in spite of the intelligible influences of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, there are more than mere anticipations of  Bruckner's  later symphonic form and style. This recording, from an EMI-Electrola LP,  inscribes the first commercial release (in 1972) of the Symphony in f minor. The still-seldom recorded Overture in g minor, composed within the same period as the Symphony, is performed with appropriate stylishness by the London Symphony conducted by Elyakum Shapirra. 

 

 

 

Shostakovich's epic symphony penned during the horrific siege of Leningrad receives a brilliantly blistering account from a Melodiya recording made in the mid-60s, with Yevegeny Svetlanov conducting  the USSR Symphony . A one-of -a-kind performance from a rare domestic Melodiya/Angel  3 3/4 ips reel tape in very good condition; a judicious bit of lower bass was added to the mix to add some weight to the sound. The results are quite satisfactory, and restores a unique traversal of this 20th century Russian masterpiece. 

 

Franz Schubert's youthful Symphonies No. 1 & 2 are given refreshingly vibrant performances by Karl Ristenpart and  the Stuttgart Symphony. This release is transferred from a never-opened Nonesuch disc, the recording itself previously released on the Checkmate label (an imprint of Nonesuch) in the mid-60s, engineered by Marc Aubort, using the then-new Dolby recording system. This CD reissue, produced by request of several Klassic Haus customers, provides a rare opportunity to hear Ristenpart conducting early Romantic literature.