This time out he does full justice to that warhorse of warhorses, the Tchaikovsky first concerto. Normally this is a work that makes my ears sag in anticipation, but I enjoyed preparing this version a great deal. Mewton-Wood's usual conductor, Walter Goehr, gets good playing from his anonymous players, and the sound isn't bad at all.
That said, the producers must have scoured the vinyl farms of the world in search of the noisiest substances to use for this pressing. The quiet opening of the second movement arose from a strange backwash of rustles, rattles, and even squeaks, which I have nearly eradicated in the latest remastering. Thankfully any remaining noise should not detract from a glorious performance.
But then I am a convert - judge for yourself!
4 comments:
Thank you, so great!
Thanks again, Buster!
Thanks, Buster, for the inimitable Mewton-Wood, a truly great artist. There is an Australian CD reissue of the
entire Tchaikovsky piano concerti from these old early-50s recordings, sans the ghastly surface noise (made, presumably, from tapes not disks) and the difference is often night-and-day. Makes one appreciate the work of Messrs. Mewton-Wood and Goehr all the more.
Speaking of the latter: here are three of the four Tchaikovsky Suites for Orchestra, originally from Concert
Hall Lps of the same era as the PC 1, above, and thus in monophonic sound of rather dim quality. I also have had Goehr's Suite No. 4 but only on an audio cassette I've not digitized; there are pitch problems and also a VERY bad edit by Concert Hall, leaving out a snippet of music--so I haven't bothered with it. I have never seen it on any blogs or gray-market CD reissues; so perhaps either it's too rare, or other engineers
have thrown up their hands in defeat.
https://www38.zippyshare.com/d/YCKi2ahQ/22233/Tchaikovsky%20Suites%201%2c%202%2c%203%20-%20Winterthur%20Orch
%2c%20Goehr.zip
--or--
https://www38.zippyshare.com/v/YCKi2ahQ/file.html
I couldn't resist adding some more Tchaikovsky from just a few years later: in the period around the introduction of stereo open reel tapes and later disks. I suspect that these may have been taped in 2-channel mode around 1956 or 7, as they first came to light on monaural releases, from Urania (the old ORIGINAL label, not the modern Italian CD incarnation.) These are authentic performances by the estimable maestro, the very scholarly Hans Swarowsky
(teacher of Mehta and many other celebrated later artists.) These performances are much in the same solid and professional style as Goehr and Boult, and never go in for flashy effects. In at least two instances, the LPs were my first introduction to the works; I'm not exactly permanently *imprinted* as I do rather like more
extroverted interpretations than these! In recent years, they'be been bandied about on various CDs as the work of Alfred Scholz (a real person--a German record producer and pupil of HS) and also the pseudonymous Alberto Lizzio and Henry Adolf. But, a comparison of those with the actual antique Urania LPs reveals the truth.
These are in mp3-format files of the complete symphonies and suites, all tracks of each in one file per work,
with embedded original covers. Often Urania used their old mono art but added a sticker for the stereo releases; in their last years they eschewed the old photos and produced hideously ugly and often quite crass 'artwork'. The older covers have a certain dated charm, a la the Steinweiss masterpieces of the late forties!
The orchestra(s?) are identified as the Vienna Philharmonia, likely members of the VPO or VSO.
https://www38.zippyshare.com/d/dGx9cOjn/29766/PIT%20Sym%201%2c%202%2c%203%20-%20Vienna%20Philharmusica%2c
%20Swarowsky%20-%20Urania%20stereo.zip
--or--
https://www38.zippyshare.com/v/dGx9cOjn/file.html
All of the above files are LIMITED TIME ONLY and will be deleted by ZS on or about 11/15/18.
8H Haggis
A Really Nifty Authentic Swarowsky Record of Haydn:
HS recorded the early Haydn Symphonies No. 30 ("Allelujah") and 31 ("Hornsignal") in stereo, in the early
sixties, and they were released in America on the Vanguard Records' midpriced line called Cardinal. I was
familiar with the Hornsignal in both Dorati's and Toscanini's versions but was thoroughly delighted by
Swarowsky's, which immediately became my favorite version--scarcely no other released since has dislodged it.
The Cardinal cover attributed both performances to the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, which is (in effect), as
used by many old LP labels, pretty much a generic description that might *actually* mean the players were from
the Wiener Volksoper, the Wiener Symphoniker, the Tonkuenstler-Orchester, or maybe palyers who entertain at the
Schweizerhaus Biergarten for all we know (or perhaps indeed all of the above.)
Whereas, the European issue on the Amadeo label, stating that it was licensed from Vanguard, stipulates the
"Pro Arte Symphony Orchestra of Vienna" for Sym 30, and the "Orchestra of the Wiener Volksoper" for Sym 31.
THAT I actually believe--though what the heck was the "Pro Arte Symphony Orchestra of Vienna"? This reminds one
of so many old Vox LPs dating nearly back to the forties, using the identical pseudonym. More on this topic of
the mysterious orchestras on Swarowsky records may be found in the interesting article by Christoopher Howell
on FORGOTTEN ARTISTS - HANS SWAROWSKY (1899-1975), which may be found here:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Jul14/Swarowsky_forgotten.htm
I found this transfer of the two Haydn symphonies on a web blog, oh, about five or six years back; at the time
the Cardinal record cover was found readily by me on the net, but I did not then own a nice 24-bit color
printer; so I made only a black and white version (slightly modified) which I printed out as a cover for my own
CDR. I include a scan of my printout; apologies for the rather fuzzy reproduction under the circumstances.
Of the couple of dozen Cardinals in my vinyl collection, this release was easily my favorite one. I *love* the
slightly inflected rhythmic style of the central European ensemble, which might quickly transition, next, into
a Strauss polka with the same insouciant lilt.
{75 MB, mp3s; cover and track info included; LIMITED TIME OFFERING, which will *probably* be discontinued by ZS
after 12/24/18.}
https://www12.zippyshare.com/d/AyXJABCL/21902/Haydn%20Symphonies%2030%2c%2031%20-%20VSOO%2c%20Swarowsky.zip
-or-
https://www12.zippyshare.com/v/AyXJABCL/file.html
8H Haggis
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