Beethoven 5, with Walter Conducting, Bernstein Commenting

Omnibus was a relatively long-lived series on U.S. television that was concerned with the arts and sciences. Leonard Bernstein was one of its star performers with his lectures on musical subjects.

Bernstein on Omnibus, demonstrating
his ideal conducting posture

Columbia issued this LP in (I believe) 1955 to capitalize on Bernstein's first Omnibus appearance, in which he discussed and conducted some of Beethoven's discarded sketches for the first movement of the fifth symphony. This vinyl version is not the soundtrack to the TV show; it was recorded specially for the LP medium, although it covered the same ground as the telecast.

The record company coupled Bernstein's commentary with its February 1950 recording of Bruno Walter leading the New York Philharmonic, the second of that conductor's readings for Columbia. It's a good effort, more dynamic than the fifth contained in well-known stereo cycle from late in Walter's life.

For his part, Bernstein compels your attention whether his comments are insightful or commonplace, a trait shared with his conducting. Columbia was apparently excited by this issue, to the point of preparing a gatefold cover (scans are in the download) and inventing a logo for Lenny (see image at right) that looks to me like a jalapeno in cross-section. Maybe I eat too much Mexican food.

I actually transferred the Walter recording from its earlier incarnation on ML4790 because my copy of CL918 has a pressing fault on that side. The cover of ML4790, with its focus on Walter's nostrils, is below. The sound is good.

I have been slowly making my way through Walter's mono Beethoven cycle for Columbia. This link takes you to the previous entries. I also have a few other recordings of Bernstein's commentary, which I hope to present at some future time.

'A Walk in the Sun' and Earl Robinson

Several years ago, I posted an LP split between leftist balladeers Earl Robinson and Tony Kraber. That Mercury album reissued 78s made for the Keynote label earlier in the 1940s.

Robinson

Today we return to Robinson's 40s output in the form of one of the most unusual soundtrack albums ever released. It collates the songs that Robinson composed for Lewis Milestone's harrowing 1945 war film, A Walk in the Sun, which follows a platoon of U.S. soldiers during and after the 1943 invasion of Italy at Salerno. The words by Millard Lampell comment on the action.

Robinson became known for composing "Joe Hill," "The House I Live In," and "Ballad for Americans." Background on him can be found on my earlier post. Lampell was a founding member of the Almanac Singers with Pete Seeger and Lee Hays, an important group that later included Woody Guthrie and recorded for Keynote. Lampell, who had become a screenwriter, was blacklisted in the 1950s, as was Robinson.

The Almanac Singers: Guthrie, Hays, Lampell, Seeger

Strictly speaking, this 78 album on the Asch label is not from the soundtrack; instead it is "songs from the film," with Robinson providing the vocals in place of Kenneth Spencer, who was heard in the film.

The Asch album contains five songs from A Walk in the Sun, with the excellent "Song of the Free Men" the fill-up on the sixth side. The sound is very good.

I have newly remastered the Robinson-Kraber LP I posted earlier. The download now includes cover scans from Kraber's Keynote album, which I recently acquired. The liner notes contain the singer's commentary on each of the songs.