Ahronovitch Conducts Nielsen

The Russian-Israeli conductor Yuri Ahronovitch (1932-2002) made only a few commercial records, although he was a most interesting musical personality.

Among those recordings was this 1981 live performance of Nielsen's Symphony No. 3 ("Sinfonia Espansiva") with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, transferred here from a Unicorn-Kanchana LP.

Yuri Ahronovitch

This is a well-judged, well-played version of Nielsen's wonderful symphony. Ahronovitch was known for his subjective interpretations, but there is little evidence here of that tendency, except for his slamming on the brakes before the symphony's final chord. Unicorn-Kanchana seemingly decided to set up its microphones in the last row of the hall, but the distant sonics are well balanced.

Both the audience and the orchestra were impressed. Unicorn includes four minutes of applause at the conclusion of the performance (which I have put into a separate track), and the orchestra serenades Ahronovitch with a "tusch", a type of musical salute heard occasionally at European concerts. This is the only commercial recording in my collection with such a fanfare, and I have to say it startled me the first time I heard it many years ago.

Ahronovitch, a pupil of Natan Rakhlin, became conductor of the USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra when he was only 32, holding that post until emigrating to Israel in 1972. Later he was chief conductor of the Cologne Gürzenich Orchestra and the Stockholm Philharmonic.

This is a later recording than I usually post, but I transferred it for another site, and decided to make it available to followers of this blog as well. I will also be transferring Ahronovitch's recording of Taneyev's Fourth Symphony, with the London Symphony.

LINK

NB - Several years ago I posted the first recording of Nielsen's third symphony, also made with the Danish Radio Symphony, and conducted by Erik Tuxen. I've newly remastered that recording, and it is now available via this post.

Holiday Music from 1960s Cleveland

After my post of Christmas music from Oberlin College, a few readers thanked me for presenting local artists. So here is an excellent holiday LP from one of the great churches in nearby Cleveland.

It originates from the Church of the Covenant, a Presbyterian congregation in University Circle, just a block away from Severance Hall. The Covenant, as it is called, has a long-standing and robust music program, well displayed in this album, which I believe dates from the mid to late 1960s.

Side 1 of Music at the Covenant, presents Christmas music, with side 2 focusing primarily on Easter.

Henry Fusner

Leading the Covenant Choir is church music director and organist Henry Fusner, who was in residence there from 1956-70, before moving on to a long career in Nashville. Joy Lawrence directs the delightful Youth Choirs and Bell Ringers. The soloists are Cinderella Paradiso, soprano, Ruth Porter, contralto, William Martin, tenor, and Marshall Bell, baritone.

As you might expect, the choir handles Romantic and 20th century works more smoothly than Palestrina and Gibbons. But the standard of execution is impressive, and this program is sure to please. The sound is high quality mono, engineered by Vlad Maleckar, who was responsible for Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts for many years.

The recording was presumably made in the church, an imposing Ralph Adams Cram design dating from 1911.

Church of the Covenant

More Ames Brothers for Christmas

Last time out, I presented a collection of the Ames Brothers' 1949-52 Christmas records, while noting that it was missing two items: the "Twelve Days of Christmas" and the "Wassail Song."

My great friend Ernie, who has more Christmas records than Santa, has now come to our rescue by providing those absent items. They are contained on his transfer of the brothers' first holiday album for Coral, Sing a Song of Christmas.

Just to be clear: the other six songs on this album are also included on The Sounds of Christmas Harmony, presented below. Still, this allows us to complete the Ames Brothers holiday collection on Coral records.

If you enjoy Christmas music as much as I do, you should make it a point to head on over to Ernie's blog, where he is in the midst of posting rare holiday music each day this month. Not to be missed!

Christmas Harmony from the Ames Brothers

The Ames Brothers achieved their first successes on Decca's new subsidiary, Coral Records, beginning in 1949, and it wasn't long before the label had them recording the latest holiday songs, along with traditional carols.

This 12-inch LP collects most of those efforts, beginning on side 1 with the 1949 coupling of "White Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland." The brothers are in great form here, as throughout, spirits undimmed by Roy Ross's clunky arrangements.

From 1951 comes "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and "Jing-a-Ling-a Tingle" (a lively polka), with Marty Manning showing a Western swing influence in his charts.

The 1952 holiday season brought "Sing a Song of Santa Claus" and "Winter's Here Again," backed by Ray Bloch. That year, Coral collected this coupling with Christmas singles by Eileen Barton, Johnny Desmond and Don Cornell into a special 10-inch LP, The NEW Christmas Songs, which I shared back in the early days of the blog. I've now remastered that recording and brought it back here.

1952 ad

The second side of the Ames Brothers LP collects carols the siblings set down in 1950 for their first Christmas album, a 10-incher that also included "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Wassail Song," which are missing here. The group handles the sacred items just as well as the secular tunes on side 1.

"The Sounds of Christmas Harmony" collection dates from 1957. By that time the Ames boys had moved on to RCA Victor, and the issuance of thus Coral LP was likely inspired by the new Christmas LP that they had taped for RCA.

Christmas disharmony

Christmas in Oberlin, 1957

I looked close to home for my next holiday share - nearby Oberlin College, located west of Cleveland.

This Christmas program by the Oberlin College Choir, directed by Robert Fountain, dates from the holiday season 60 years ago. The conductor programmed pieces from the 16th century composer Tomás Luis de Victoria through to his contemporaries Randall Thompson, Normand Lockwood and Herbert Howells.

Fountain was one of the best regarded college choral directors of his time, spending equally long periods at Oberlin (where he was also director of the noted Conservatory of Music for a time) and later the University of Wisconsin.

An Oberlin Choir tour to the Soviet Union, 1964: Fountain is flanked by students Walter Denny and Joy Blackett; his wife Clara is at right.

This is a cleanly recorded, nicely sung and well balanced program that honors both the choir and its director.

My copy of the record came in a dark green cover; apparently it also appeared in the white cover shown in the picture above, which I have lifted from the web. I've transformed the back cover into a black-and-white facsimile as well, so the words can be read more easily.

There is no information on the cover about the recording location, but it was probably in Oberlin's Finney Chapel, a beautiful Cass Gilbert building dating from 1908.

Finney Chapel

Seasonal Fare from Mid-Century England

This post is an opportunity to present some of my favorite singers from England's postwar music scene. Dame Vera Lynn has appeared here before, but Lita Roza, Dame Gracie Fields and the wonderful Anne Shelton have not.

The theme, given the time of year, is Christmas music or at least vaguely seasonal fare, with a good mix of familiar and unfamiliar songs. All are from Decca London 78s in my collection.

Vera Lynn

Let's start with three selections from the most famous and beloved vocalist of the group - Dame Vera Lynn, still with us at age 100. Her items are all relatively unfamiliar, and attractive in their own ways - "Christmas Time" and "Jolly Jolly Jingle" from 1950, and the gorgeous "Once Upon a Wintertime" from 1948. "Jolly Jolly Jingle," with small group accompaniment, is notable for being more relaxed and uptempo than most of Dame Vera's repertoire. The other backings are by the ubiquitous Bob Farnon.

Gracie Fields

Our next artist, Gracie Fields, is equally renowned, but perhaps more as a music hall and film personality than as a great pop vocalist. That said, she does well with a warm rendition of "White Christmas," but can't make much out of the awkward and treacly "Christmas Love." The accompaniments on this 1948 issue are again by Bob Farnon.

Anne Shelton

One of the great voices of the time was undoubtedly that of contralto Anne Shelton, allied to her considerable expressive skill as a singer. Her selections start with the familiar "Greensleeves" (from circa 1948), then move on to the affecting "This Is the Time of the Year" (circa 1948-9) and a beautiful version of "While the Angelus Was Ringing" (from 1949). The latter song was a hit for Edith Piaf a few years before as "Les Trois Cloches" and made a comeback as "The Three Bells" for the Browns in 1959. Shelton's orchestra leaders are Jay Wilbur, Bernie Landes and Roy Robertson, respectively.

Lita Roza

We complete our miniature survey with a single from a slightly newer artist, Lita Roza, who is perhaps the least known of the quartet here in the US, although well regarded among pop vocal enthusiasts. Her first hit was in 1953 (the same year as this single) with a cover of Patti Page's notorious "How Much Is that Doggy In the Window?" Perhaps under the spell of the Singing Rage, Roza at times tries to sing with her tongue stuck to her palate, but the vocals still emerge well enough, surprisingly enough. Here she assays "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot," a song that careens into the mawkish given half a chance. Roza manages to just avoid the trap. The best versions are probably the warm and caring renditions by Vera Lynn and Nat Cole. We end up with the "St. Nicolas Waltz," which, appropriately, seems inspired by Patti Page's hit version of the "Tennessee Waltz." The only differences: a seasonal rather than geographic orientation, and it isn't nearly as good a song. Well worth listening to, though, and nicely done. Johnny Douglas with the backings.

Many of the singles I have presented here are from old store stock or deejay copies. Not these, though, so I hope you will forgive some background rustle and a few other sonic artifacts from Christmases long ago.

Nöel-France with the Janequin Chorale

For our second Christmas post, we move from Flanders to France for this fine 10-inch LP dating from 1955.

Jean Périsson

Nöel-France presents a selection of fare that is mainly unfamiliar to this middle American, in enchanting performances by the Janequin Chorale, led by Jean Périsson.

The liner notes tell us that the Chorale is an outgrowth of an ensemble led by Marcel Couraud, a relatively well known conductor. His younger colleague Périsson had won the Besançon conducing competition a few years before, and was embarking on a long career (he is apparently still with us). This is one of Périsson's few recordings.

Périsson provided the arrangements for the first six carols on the LP. The intimate sound is very pleasing - an enjoyable disc!