For the LP issue, Columbia top-billed the first recording of Gould's Spirituals for Orchestra, even though its companion item, Copland's Lincoln Portrait, has turned out to be a far more popular composition than the Gould, worthy though that may be.
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| Cover of 78 set |
The sonorous narrator in the Lincoln Portrait is actor-singer Kenneth Spencer, who at the time was on Broadway in an acclaimed revival of Show Boat. In the previous few years, Spencer had been in several films, including A Walk in the Sun, whose soundtrack turned up on this blog last year. Spencer moved to Germany in 1950.
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| 1947 ad |
I mentioned that this was the first recording of Gould's Spirituals. The second recording appeared on this blog some years ago, emanating from the unlikely source of the Hague Philharmonic and Willem van Otterloo. Gould himself did not get to tape it until 1965, when he led the Chicago Symphony for RCA Victor. Then in 1978 he conducted the London Philharmonic in a direct-to-disc effort for Crystal Clear.
Now on to a few reups.
Raymond Scott - Raymond Scott's Drawing Room (remastered). An early LP compiling some of Scott's best known compositions in their 1930s recordings, including those cartoon staples "Powerhouse" and "The Toy Trumpet." (Also see my other blog for a recent post of a Scott-scored trip to the moon.)
So This is Paris (OST). Tony Curtis warbles on this obscure soundtrack from a 1954 musical. Also features Gloria De Haven and Gene Nelson, who actually could sing.
Danny Thomas and Peggy Lee - Songs from The Jazz Singer (remastered). In 1952, the Warner Bros. figured they would remake The Jazz Singer and cast a non-singer in the lead role. What could go wrong? You can find out here, in this, another obscure soundtrack (actually "songs from the film"), with Danny Thomas, who was long on charm but short on chops. I've added the three songs from the film recorded for another label by co-star Peggy Lee, who, again, actually could sing.
The links above lead to the original posts. Download links are in the comments there; also in the comments to this post.
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| Columbia goes overboard for Rodziński in 1945 ad |
17 comments:
Links (Apple lossless):
Gould - Spirituals, Copland - Lincoln Portrait
https://www.mediafire.com/?ynd3fizbi96gu2u
Raymond Scott - Raymond Scott's Drawing Room (remastered)
http://www.mediafire.com/file/8xbsvnxz49kxw77
So This is Paris (OST)
https://www.mediafire.com/?prfz54c7y035sjl
Danny Thomas and Peggy Lee - Songs from The Jazz Singer
https://www.mediafire.com/?o6oshf84tnd1174
Thanks a million Buster for posting this rare version of Gould's Spirituals under Rodzinski. This work is -in my opinion- one of the masterpieces of the talented and prolific composer. I discovered it under the great Susskind (Everest LP). From memory, I have the version under Gould himself with Chicago forces (RCA)......do you have the one with LPO? Would love to hear it......Thanks again !!
Thank you very much Buster!
You are great!
Hi centuri - I believe I do have that version of the Gould. I'll see if I can find it.
Fantastic !! THX !!!
Fantastic !! THX !!!
The Rodzinski transfer is superb! Thank you very much for sharing this rarity.
Paul Goldstein
Paul - Thanks so much for the kind words!
how did I miss this Copland!!! thanks Buster so much
Thank you!
Here are three outstanding Rodzinsky performances with the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York. First, a 10-inch Columbia LP that reissued some 78s mastered in the mid-forties: Liszt's Mephisto Waltz and Enescu's Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1. This is virtually my all-time favorite performance of the Liszt!
Then, the brief Wolf-Ferrari Overture to "The Secret of Suzanna", which was the side-filler to the Bizet Symphony set by the same artists (1945 recording); the transfer here is taken from a mid-60s Columbia NYP historic sampler LP.
https://www106.zippyshare.com/v/vGSnTcUX/file.html
(64 MB, FLACs and mp3, plus a cover pic)
Sorry: the unregistered Zippyshare upload expires by 8/23/18.
8H Haggis
How 'bout some Copland central-Americana to complement the above? I refer to "El Salon Mexico" in both the live Toscanini-NBC Symphony broadcast of 1942, and his protege Guido Cantelli's performance with the NYP from 1945. I have not quite finished working on the original Toscanini concert, which included several other pieces listed in the documentation file I've added; please note that the transfer I obtained with just SLIGHTLY sharp in pitch, and perhaps the Cantelli is not quite as flat in pitch, compared to a modern digital recording with A=440. The speed difference is not enough to explain the few tens of seconds' difference in pacing; Cantelli is slower and broader. The rhythmic challenges of the work are discussed in an included interview of Aaron Copland by announcer Ben Grauer, host of the NBC Symphony concerts from 1943 to the end in '54, taken from the Don Gillis archives of artifacts from the NBC Radio programs "Toscanini-The Man Behind the Legend". Copland's comments are *very* interesting, to say the least: he explains that his reaction to Toscanini's performance was pleasure and satisfaction (while the conductor himself was highly nervous and self-critical, feeling that he was definitely out of his element and working to the maximum of his capacity, having been trained in the music of the 19th century!) These challenges would be almost "child's play" for Cantelli--or Bernstein. Yet, for my money, it is the old record by Koussevitzky (which you, Buster, uploaded in a VERY listenable transfer, fuller and richer than any I've heard on CD!) which is a much more nuanced performance (though it is actually very slightly imperfect in ensemble when 'the going gets rough'.) So, in conclusion: the old Italian Maestro does acquit himself quite admirably -- given the typical characteristics of his literal approach -- making this work as viscerally exciting as one could want: while not saying exactly the last word on the subject.
https://www91.zippyshare.com/v/Ru0fxeci/file.html
30-days availability of this upload, as of date of filing on 8/30/18.
8H Haggis
P. S. For my money, Toscanini's version is simply more FUN than Cantelli's.
Correction: Cantelli's is from *1955* not 1945 as any fool can see. My excuse is that the infernal blogspot editor box misbehaves so badly on my PC that I can virtually NEVER get the text played back smoothly in order to proof-read. If I do not take the trouble to write my post beforehand in a text editor and THEN correct it and paste it into the blogspot torture-box, I am prone to such mistypes all over the place...8HH
Here is the second side of the Everest LP containing Walter Susskind's performance of the Gould "Spirituals" as played by the LSO.
https://www16.zippyshare.com/v/RgJFG1bX/file.html
Get it ASAP, as this 25 MB zipped archive of mp3s will expire around 10/30/18.
I might add parenthetically that amongst the half-dozen most musically thrilling and satisfying live performances I've ever attended in my life was a concert by the Cleveland Orchestra under Susskind back in the late seventies or thereabouts, given in Los Altos, CA at Flint Center. I was only too familiar with Angel and Everest phonograph records by Susskind and expected a fine concert; but what I heard thrilled me beyond all expectation: it was utterly electrifying.
8H Haggis
8H - I used to be very fond of Cantelli's recordings, but lately I have found him to be something of a bore. Again, looking forward to Toscanini's take on Americana.
Thank you, 8H, for your Toscanini uploads. The Copland is wonderful. By any chance would you have the 1939 broadcast of Brahms's Handel variations arranged by Rubbra? This is become something of a personal white whale for me. Thanks again, for all your other offerings.
(Blush).My words should have been "has become", not "is become". Mea maxima culpa.
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