Here by request is an early LP of music conducted by Leopold Stokowski - Borodin's "Polovtsian Dances" from Prince Igor and Falla's "El Amor Brujo." In other words, a work sometimes called "Love the Sorcerer" conducted by a musician sometimes called the Old Sorcerer.
Our friend David says this Falla is the best he's heard, and indeed this 1946 version with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony is not the only notable version led by the conductor. He also did a vivid stereo version with the Philadelphia Orchestra. This one is characteristically atmospheric and nicely recorded.
The label says the Polovtsian Dances were "transcribed" by Stokowski. I have no idea what that means, although it suggests that Stoki has adjusted things for recording purposes. This session, with a pickup orchestra, is from 1950.
I'm not the world's biggest Stokowski admirer, although I notice that I do seem to have quite a few recordings by him, including both the Falla versions. And in truth I do enjoy them!
5 comments:
Buster,
Stokowski and Merriman are still, for me, the pair to beat when it comes to recordings of this great score. Your transfer sounds very good. Thank you very much for proving that memory is sometimes accurate.
yes, stoki reorchestrated sometimes a work or simply transcribed a piano or organ work for orchestra -examples: reorchestration: his "more russian" reorchestration of mussorgsky pictures at an exhibition (the original orchestration was a french one by ravel); transcriptions: a lot a lot : the famous bach transcriptions, vivid wagner transcriptions for orchestra and amazing and bombastic chopin ...
Hi Buster,
......still trawling!
Heard this on the BBC, maybe 20 years ago. Nan Merriman made a big impression - very idiomatic.
Any chance of a re-up please?
Many thanks.
Cheers,
Douglas (UK)
Remastered version (Apple lossless):
https://mega.nz/#!nRsxDCzJ!jrf4NedC6wu-sOR11Xoi6PSHyJDwrak-ZcN_HNRDNZU
Very much obliged Buster.
Cheers,
Douglas (UK)
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