Hanson Conducts Grieg and Hanson, with Firkušný

I recently posted this transfer on another site in response to a request, and thought I'd offer it here as well. The request was for a recording of Grieg's Holberg Suite, and my version is by the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra conducted by Howard Hanson. The Grieg is coupled with the first recording of Hanson's own Piano Concerto. The soloist is the estimable Rudolf Firkušný, who introduced the work in Boston in 1948.

Howard Hanson

Hanson is known these days for his Mercury recordings from the 1950s and 60s. Earlier, however, he conducted his Eastman-Rochester forces for both Victor and Columbia.

I believe these are his earliest Columbia efforts, made in that label's 30th Street Studio in December 1950. Later Columbia had him tape a coupling of his second symphony and MacDowell's second piano concerto (with Jesús María Sanromá), and also Wallingford Riegger's third symphony. I believe I have the former but not the latter disc.

Rudolf Firkušný

The concerto allies Hanson's spacious, romantic manner (here almost quoting Rachmaninoff in the opening theme) with the percussive, motoric approach to the piano that was then in vogue. Firkušný's performance is all you could hope for. The pianist had made records as early as 1937, for HMV, and had become a Columbia artist in 1949.

The performance of the Grieg is spirited, although the string sound of the Rochester band lacks glamour.

I actually transferred this for the blog a few years ago but never posted it because there is a bit of surface noise in the first minute or so of the concerto. It does not now strike me as all that distracting, and the balance of the recorded sound is very good.