Music for the Holidays, Plus Limited-Time Uploads

This is the time for sharing holiday music, and today I want to point you to two of my favorite sites for Christmas tunes, and let you know about a new compilation from our own David Federman. Plus Santa himself in the form of 8H Haggis arrives with a vast array of presents for all good little girls and boys - especially those who are fond of Eugene Ormandy's records.

Big Apple Bash - A New Year's Musical Narrative

First, David's contribution, which he is calling "Big Apple Bash - A New Year's Musical Narrative." He tells us, "If you think there's a crisis in Christmas music, then there's an absolute catastrophe in New Years music. This mix is the first attempt of two to remedy this cultural malady." The selection takes you through one festive night in New York City, particularly focusing on the music of the 1930s. There are 30 songs here, all winners.

David explained his compilation in the comments to a previous post, but I have included his introductory remarks in the download. You can find the link in the comments to the post.

Two Great Sites for Christmas Music

Just a brief plug for two of my blogging pals, who have been at this even longer than me. Ernie of Ernie (Not Bert) specializes in Christmas music. If he doesn't have it, it doesn't exist. This year, he's been posting holiday music since Thanksgiving, and has already pumped out 30 LPs. My favorite is the Capitol Christmas promo LP set from 1957, with Fred Waring introducing all of the label's holiday offerings from that year, but there are lots of oddities and rarities on Ernie's site.

Meanwhile, my friend Lee of the Music You Possibly Won't Hear Anyplace Else blog is already on his third Christmas compilation of the year. Lee specializes in restoring 78s, and the sounds he wrings from these relics is a constant source of amazement to me. This is what Christmas sounded like to your grandparents and great-grandparents.

Limited-Time Uploads from 8H

The music machine called 8H Haggis has been particularly industrious lately, so much so that I am having a hard time keeping up with him. This week's booty features an enormous collection of Eugene Ormandy recordings, all processed with the unusual care that 8H lavishes on every project.

As always, see the comments to the posts below for what 8H has for you, as well as his amusing and enlightening comments. I suggest searching on the composer or artist to minimize scrolling. Note that these are limited-time uploads - the links may not last for more than a few weeks.

In the Two from Morton Gould, More Christmas Presents, Plus Limited-Time Uploads comments

Coates - London Suite/Morton Gould
Copland - Symphony No. 3/Antal Dorati
Debussy - La Mer/Bruno Walter
Respighi - Vetrate di Chiesa (Church Windows)/Antal Dorati
Strauss - Don Juan/Bruno Walter
Strauss - Sinfonia Domestica/Bruno Walter
Stravinsky - Petrushka/Ernest Ansermet
Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture, Capriccio Italien/Antal Dorati
Vaughan Williams - Greensleeves and Tallis Fantasias, English Folksong Suite/Morton Gould

Plus an 8H Haggis Historic Schumann Symphony Cycle:
Symphony No. 1/Sir Adrian Boult
Symphony No. 2/Georg-Ludwig Jochum
Symphony No. 3/Arturo Toscanini
Symphony No. 4/Eugene Goossens

In the A Pre-Climate Change Christmas - the Complete Set comments

Bartók - Second Suite/Antal Dorati
Bartók - First Suite/János Ferencsik
Mozart - Piano Sonata K.331, Fantasia in c K. 457, Sonata in c K. 475/Paul Badura-Skoda
Mozart - Piano Trios (K. 496, 542, 458)/Jean Fournier, Antonio Janigro, Paul Badura-Skoda
Mozart - Piano Concertos Nos. 19 and 27/Paul Badura-Skoda, Felix Prohaska
Mozart - Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 24/Paul Badura-Skoda (conducting from the keyboard)

In the Unre-released Charles Munch, Part 1 comments

Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3 (live)/Charles Munch (improved sound)

In the Bartok from Sándor and Ormandy, Plus Miaskovsky comments

An Ormandy Extravaganza:
Bach - Air on the G string
Barati - Concerto for String Orchestra
Bartók - Divertimento
Bartók - Four Pieces for Orchestra
Bartók - Second Piano Concerto/Alexis Weissenberg
Beethoven - Eroica (1981 recording)
Beethoven - Violin Concerto/Zino Francescatti
Brahms - Symphony No. 2 (1953)
Brahms - Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Brahms - Violin Concerto/Zino Francescatti
Bruckner- Symphony No. 7 (1968)
Casella - Paganiniana
Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Guitar Concerto No. 1/John Williams
Corelli - Christmas Concerto
Debussy - Iberia (1951)
Dvorak - New World Symphony (1966)
Elgar - Cockaigne Overture
First Chair with music by Griffes, Phillips, Purcell/Clarke, Handel Weber, Beethoven, and Chabrier
First Chair Encores, Vol. I
Gabrieli/Stein - Sonata Pian e Forte
Ginastera - Concerto for String Orchestra
Haydn - Symphonies Nos. 7 (1950) & 100 (1953)
Haydn - Symphony No. 101 (1949) & No. 99 (1954)
Mendelssohn - Scherzo from the Octet
Paganini - Violin Concerto No. 1/Zino Francescatti
Paganini/Ormandy - Moto Perpetuo
Poulenc - Organ Concerto/E. Power Biggs (1962)
Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky (1979)
Prokofiev - Scythian Suite
Rachmaninoff - Symphony No. 3, Vocalise (1954)
Rachmaninoff - The Bells (1954)
Ravel - La Valse (1953)
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe
Respighi - Feste Romane
Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter Overture (1946)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade (1953)
Schoenberg - Theme and Variations
Schoenberg - Verklaerte Nacht
Schubert - Symphony No. 9
Sibelius - En Saga & Tapiola
Sibelius - Four Legends from the Kalevala (1951)
Strauss, J. - Fledermaus music et al. (1956)
Strauss, J. - Waltzes (1934-35)
Strauss, R. - Der Rosekavalier Suite (1947), Death and Transfiguration (1945-46)
Strauss, R. - Suites from Der Rosenkavalier & Die Frau ohne Schatten (1957)
Strauss, R. - Don Juan & Don Quixote (both 1955)
Strauss, R. - Ein Heldenleben (1954)
Tchaikovsky - Pathetique (1953)
Tchaikovsky - Romeo & Juliet, 1812 Festival Overture, Marche Slave
Tchaikovsky - Serenade in C
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5 (1950)
Telemann - Concertos for various instruments
Vaughan Williams - Tallis Fantasia (1963)
Vivaldi - Concerti for 2 Violins/David Oistrakh & Isaac Stern
Wagner - Orchestral Program
Walton - Belshazzar's Feast
Walton - Violin Concerto/Zino Francescatti
Yardumian - Armenian Suite

In the 20 Christmas Tunes from Vintage 78s comments
"Echo-Konzerte" (music by Mozart, Haydn, Vivaldi and Roman)/Rudolf Baumgartner
Liszt - A Faust Symphony/János Ferencsik
Liszt - Missa Solemnis/János Ferencsik
Nicolai - Te Deum/Carl Mathieu Lange

In The First Recording of Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony comments

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5/Sir Adrian Boult
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5/Paul Kletzki

In the Mewton-Wood in Tchaikovsky 1 comments

Haydn - Symphonies No. 30 ("Allelujah") & 31 ("Hornsignal")/Hans Swarowsky

In the Kurtz Conducts Chopin, Villa-Lobos and Herold comments

Berlioz - Harold in Italy/David Oistrakh conducting
Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 2/Gyorgy Sandor, Rolf Reinhardt
CPE Bach program/Jean-Pierre Rampal, Robert Bex, Pierre Boulez
Kabalevsky - The Comedians Suite/Efrem Kurtz
Lecocq - Ballet Suite "Mam'zelle Angot"/Efrem Kurtz
Paganini - Violin Concerto No. 4, Bottesini - Grand Duo/Ruggiero Ricci, Piero Bellugi
Rameau - Suite from Castor and Pollux, Gluck - Suite from Orfée/Charles Mackerras
Schumann - "Fanfares and Fantasy Pieces"/Nobuko Imai, Harold Wright, Harris Goldsmith
Villa-Lobos - Little Train of the Caipira/Artur Rodziński

Follow @BusterBig10Inch

20 Christmas Tunes from Vintage 78s

My record record-transferring paraphernalia has had a bad case of the troubles for some weeks now. The main turntable isn't tracking properly and is having some speed issues. My usual analog-to-digital converter has been flaky. And even my audio drivers are acting up, resetting themselves to mono repeatedly for no good reason.

While these problems get sorted out, I've been plunging into the limitless depths of the Internet Archive in search of items to bring to you. Today I am kicking off the Christmas sharing season with a selection of 20 holiday tunes taken from vintage 78s, as extensively remastered and repitched by me. The sound on all these is very good, with the one exception noted.

The selections date from 1945 to 1957, when 78s were being phased out. (I am just old enough to have purchased quite a few new 78s myself - I've been a record collector as long as I can remember.) I've selected familiar items in versions you may not heard and unfamiliar songs, sprinkling R&B, jazz and country selections among the pop platters, plus a polka!

The earliest item in our collection is from orchestra leader Mark Warnow and vocalist Dick Todd, the "Canadian Crosby." Both were mainstays of radio's Your Hit Parade in 1945. As far as I know, "All Around the Xmas Tree" was only recorded by them.

Next we have one of the innumerable jazz takes on "Jingle Bells." This specimen comes from a 1946 single helmed by veteran pianist Frank Signorelli, who was in the Original Memphis Five way back in 1917, and later in the ODJB. He's best known for writing "I'll Never Be the Same."

Also in 1946, Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers had a success with "Winter Wonderland." Capitol had a habit of reissuing this number during subsequent holiday seasons. This pressing is from 1950.

Steel guitar virtuoso Leon McAuliffe made his name with Bob Wills' band during the 1930s. In 1947, he recorded "A Cowboy's Christmas Song" for Majestic, with a vocal by Gene Autry sound-alike Jimmy Hall.

Another little known song, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," comes from 1948 and the tonsils of Crosbyite John Laurenz, who recorded for Mercury, Pan-American and Jubilee during his career. If there are any Bowery Boys fans out there, you may be interested to know that Laurenz dubbed Huntz Hall's vocals in the great Blues Busters, in which Satch becomes the world's most unlikely romantic crooner.

Also in 1948, country artist Doye O'Dell became the first to record "Blue Christmas." It wasn't a hit then, but the following year, Ernest Tubb did well with it, as did Hugo Winterhalter with the pop version in today's collection.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" has endured so many awful recordings since it debuted in 1949 (in Neptune's Daughter), that it's refreshing to encounter one that throws away the coy aspect of the song in favor of a more straightforward approach. That's what you get from Pearl Bailey as the knowing female who is all too willing to be ensnared by the raspy wolfishness of Hot Lips Page, a trumpeter by trade. Their version came out on Columbia's budget label, Harmony, which Pearlie Mae manages to name-check during the proceedings.

Poor Hot Lips Page didn't even rate a mention in this ad

Frankie Yankovic, the most popular polka artist of the time, came up with "Christmas Polka" in 1949. As with many of Frankie's records, the chorus is nothing exciting, but the break is a wonder to behold. Yankovic also recorded a "Merry Christmas Polka" in 1950, but I believe the bigger hit version was by the Andrews Sisters.

Al Hibbler taped "White Christmas" for Decca later in the 50s, but today's version is an earlier one he did with the Ellingtonians for Mercer Ellington's label right at mid-century. The Ellingtonians were a side group from Duke's band led by Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Billy Strayhorn. Duke himself even showed up on one of their record dates. There is some overloading on the peaks here, which I have tried to moderate. This was caused by the transfer being done at too high a level, a no-no in digital recording.

Nineteen fifty also was the year for "Silver Bells," from Bob Hope's epic The Lemon Drop Kid. The hit versions were by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards for Decca and Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely for Capitol. Here we have Mercury's entry in this race, performed by Richard Hayes and Kitty Kallen.

Our final work from 1950 is the first of three tunes set down by the great Billy Eckstine for M-G-M - another version of "Blue Christmas." Skipping ahead slightly to 1953, we have Eckstine's two-sided holiday effort for the year, the unfamiliar "Christmas Eve" and the all-too-familiar "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve." The label says the conductor here is Lionel Newman. My ears say the arranger on "What Are You Doing" is Nelson Riddle.

M-G-M's holiday lineup for 1953

From 1952 or 1953, we have a "White Christmas" from the combination of adenoidal crooner Jack Russell and the Honey Dreamers, a vocal group that has appeared on this blog before. Russell was unknown to me, although he does appear on some Peter Pan children's records, as do the Honey Dreamers.

We move to Nashville and 1954 for an Ernest Tubb side called "Lonely Christmas Eve," with strong backing by some talented studio vets, including Owen Bradley on piano and Billy Byrd on guitar.

Also from 1954, jump blues artist Oscar McLollie joins us for a two-sided entry on Modern, the boisterous "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" and the lugubrious "God Gave Us Christmas." As with many of McLollie's efforts, these are Leon René productions.

Johnny Desmond, who has been featured here a few times, offers up "Happy Holidays to You," which comes from 1955. This is the flip of "Santo Natale," which I vaguely recall sharing here before.

To close things off, we have two earnest efforts from Big Maybelle, "Silent Night" and "White Christmas," on Savoy. Maybelle started out as the less colorfully named Mabel Smith, band singer for Tiny Bradshaw. Okeh records bestowed the fancier name on her when she joined its roster. This single comes from 1957, when the 78 era was drawing to a close.

Please enjoy these tunes, and the entire festive season! More soon, if my recording apparatus cooperates.

Kurtz Conducts Chopin, Villa-Lobos and Herold

The Alex Steinweiss cover above is particularly appropriate for this recording - conductor Efrem Kurtz made his name as a ballet conductor, principally with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo.

Here, the Russian-born maestro leads the Gretchaninov orchestration of the Les Sylphides ballet, drawn from the works of Chopin. The LP also contains the Villa-Lobos symphonic poem Uirapurú. As a bonus, I've added Kurtz's rendition of Hérold's Zampa Overture, taken from a Columbia Harmony compilation LP.

Efrem Kurtz

Kurtz conducts the excellent Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York in all three recordings. The Chopin and Villa-Lobos pieces date from an October 1949 recording session in Columbia's 30th Street studios. The Hérold comes from an April 1945 session in Carnegie Hall.

Kurtz had emigrated to the US in 1944 to become the music director of the Kansas City Philharmonic. I don't believe he made any recordings with that ensemble. The Zampa overture was his first American recording, and the first music he recorded that wasn't drawn from the ballet. His US recordings were all with the New York Philharmonic until he moved to the music directorship of the Houston Symphony in 1948. There, Columbia engaged him to direct suites from South Pacific and Kiss Me, Kate, followed by music from Satie and Auric. I have the LP of the two French suites, and will transfer it at a later date.

After the Chopin/Villa-Lobos sessions, Kurtz began recording for English Columbia, first with the Royal Philharmonic, later with the Philharmonia. He also continued his sessions in New York. He left Houston in 1954, becoming music director in Liverpool from 1955 to 1957. The balance of his career was as guest conductor. Kurtz died in 1995 at the age of 94.

The Chopin is elegantly done, the Hérold is lively, and the mystical Villa-Lobos is impressive, as are all the Kurtz recordings I have heard. The sound is very good.

Follow @BusterBig10Inch

A Pre-Climate Change Christmas - the Complete Set

Yesterday I wrote about and posted a link to David Federman's second holiday collection, A Pre-Climate Change Christmas, but somehow I only included 17 of his 30 tracks in the download. This was not my attempt at editing - or "curation" in the modern terminology. It was a good, old-fashioned foul-up.

Today I've made amends by uploading the complete collection. You can download it by following this LINK.

Two from Morton Gould, More Christmas Presents, Plus Limited-Time Uploads

As usual, things have been hectic in the comments pages of this blog; I can hardly keep up with our friends 8H Haggis and David Federman. But before I provide my usual synopsis of their activity, I have a few contributions of my own.

Morton Gould - After Dark and Movie Time

I am always happy to return to the records of Morton Gould - such a remarkable musician. Today I have two LPs for you, both rescued from the impenetrable depths of Internet Archive, where I go searching for hidden treasure every once in a while. I had to do a fair amount of work on these vinyl jewels to get them sounding right, but the results are worthwhile. (The irony is that I believe I own both of these records.)

The earlier album is After Dark, a compilation of smoky standards dressed up in Gould's handsome arrangements. This 10-inch LP dates from 1951.

The second LP is Movie Time, another 10-incher, from circa 1952. Here, Gould takes on songs from musical productions, casting himself in the role of solo pianist. The results are just right.

Gould has often appeared on this blog as composer, arranger, pianist and conductor. Follow this link if you want to check out some of my earlier uploads, which go back many years.

Pre-Climate Change Christmas

David F. has completed his second Christmas compilation, and it it just as delightful as his first. Dubbed a "Pre-Climate Change Christmas," this collection again looks back to when we all were much younger. It includes several songs I have not encountered before, so I am particularly excited to cue them up for the holidays. David tells us that "these selections mostly date from the 1930s and 40s when winters were expected to be white and, in 1941, bitter enough to stop Hitler in Russia."

UPDATE: the link I posted previously contained only 17 of the 30 songs in David's collection. I've now uploaded the complete set - you can download it by following this LINK.

More Paul Whiteman

A quick note for those of you who have been following Lee Hartsfeld's massive upload of Paul Whiteman 78s from the 1920s and early 30s. Lee has posted his fifth compilation (go here) and promises more to come. His transfers are amazingly vivid.

Limited-Time Uploads

Speaking of skilled artisans in sound, here are the latest products from the workshop of the industrious 8H Haggis. As always, see the comments to the posts below for what 8H has for you. I suggest searching on the composer or artist to minimize scrolling. Note that these are limited-time uploads - the links may not last for more than a few weeks.

In the A Little More Bizet from Rodzinski comments

Bizet - Symphony in C/Artur Rodziński
Franck - D-Minor Symphony/Artur Rodziński
Saint-Saëns - Piano Concerto No. 4/Artur Rubinstein, Artur Rodziński

In the More Limited Time Uploads comments

C.P.E. Bach - Orchestral Symphonies/Leslie Jones
J.C. Bach - Sinfonias for Double Orchestra/Leslie Jones
Haydn - Symphonies Nos. 3, 39, 73/Leslie Jones

In the Reups, Remasters, Limited-Time Uploads, and the Christmas Season Begins Comments

Brahms - Double Concerto/Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Enrico Mainardi, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Bruckner - Overture in G minor, Symphony No. 7/Willem van Otterloo
Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 2/Menahem Pressler, Hans Swarowsky
Glazunov - Stenka Razin/Leo Borchard
Handel - Water Music/Eduard van Beinum
Haydn - "Quinten" and "Joke" String Quartets/Pascal Quartet
Mendelssohn - Piano Concerto No. 1/Menahem Pressler, Hans Swarowsky
Mozart - Piano Concertos No. 17, 24/Menahem Pressler, Wilfried Boettcher
Mozart - Piano Concertos No. 12, 13/Cor de Groot, Willem van Otterloo
Nielsen - Symphony No. 1/Thomas Jensen
Rodgers - "Victory at Sea" Suite/Charles Gerhardt
Saint-Saëns - Violin Concerto No. 3/Arthur Grumiaux, Jean Fournet
Schubert - Rosamunde Excerpts/Jean Meylan
Schubert - Symphony No. 8/Hermann Scherchen
Schumann - Piano Concerto/Walter Gieseking, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 7/Arturo Toscanini
Suppe - Overtures/Georg Solti

Plus these series:

Westminster Keyboard Kornucopia
Albéniz - Iberia/José Echániz
C.P.E. Bach - Keyboard Works/Nina Malkina
Cimarosa - Harpsichord Sonatas/Robert Veyron-Lacroix
Schumann - Fantasy Pieces, Fantasy in C/Jörg Demus

Historic Recordings of Edvard Grieg

Holberg Suite/Boyd Neel

Homage March from Sigurd Jorsalfar/Constant Lambert

Lyric Suite/Landon Ronald

Norwegian Dances, Symphonic Dances/Erik Tuxen

Peer Gynt Suite No. 1/Eugene Goossens

Peer Gynt Suite No. 2/Fabien Sevitzky

Violin Sonata/Fritz Kreisler, Sergei Rachmaninoff

Recordings by Werner Janssen
Henry Cowell - Ancient Desert Drone
Henry Gilbert - Dance in the Place Congo
Villa-Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1
Friedrich Witt - Jena Symphony

In the Hanson Conducts MacDowell comments

Chávez - Toccata for Percussion/Gotham Percussion Players

Granados - Dances/Georges Sébastian

Respighi - Brazilian Impressions/Georges Sébastian

Schubert - Symphonies No. 3, 6/Georges Sébastian

In the Prokofiev Suites for Children comments

Reicha and Voříšek - Symphonies/Prague Chamber Orchestra

In the Whiteman, Previn and a Profusion of Limited-Time Uploads comments

Grieg - Piano Concerto/Yuri Boukoff, Artur Rodziński
Scriabin et al. - Concert Works/Paul Badura-Skoda, Artur Rodziński, Henry Swoboda

Follow @BusterBig10Inch

Elmer Bernstein - Themes for General Electric

Here is a highly enjoyable LP from the great film maestro Elmer Bernstein, conducting his own compositions.

The album includes themes that Bernstein composed for the 1958-59 season of the General Electric Theater. As the cover above tells us, Ronald Reagan, later to become US President, was the host and "program supervisor" for the series - and apparently owned a hunk of it. The show was successful, running for nearly a decade on TV.

Bernstein in the studio, circa late 1950s

That noted authority, Wikipedia, passes along the theory that then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy pressured GE to fire Reagan, insisting that the company would receive no government contracts unless it did so. The whole tale strikes me as being unlikely.

But back to the music, which is highly effective, as usual with Bernstein, a true master. I transferred this record many years ago for sharing on another forum. I recently revisited the files and redid the sound for posting here.

The LP is strongly recommended if you like film music.

Reups, Remasters, Limited-Time Uploads, and the Christmas Season Begins

At the Big 10-Inch Record, it's always Christmas - or so I like to think. Today we have a huge pile of presents for the music lover, courtesy of the ever-prolific 8H Haggis, along with a bunch of additional gifts from Santa Buster. (Santa Busta? Santer Buster?)

And to really get the Christmas season underway, old friend David Federman has prepared a new compilation of seasonal songs, promising that it is just the beginning of a series. Let's start with David's goodies.

A Homeland Security Christmas

David is calling his digital mix tape "A Homeland Security Christmas." I am going to let you read David's own thoughts for an explanation, but let me mention that his intention is to highlight great songs from previous generations. "Man, did our parents have standards!" he notes. "And not just as gauges of excellence and workmanship, but songs worthy of cherishing.

"This mix is meant to put you in a kind of ancestral state of mind as you imagine job- and war-worried people trying to spend time alone or together in hope and happiness."

Please go to the comments section of the All Saints' Day post to read David's comments and a link to his 31-song compilation. His own link only will be good for a few days, but I have added a more permanent link just below his comments.

Paul Whiteman, Parts 3 and 4

I know many of you were interested in the Paul Whiteman records posted here and on the blog of good friend Lee Hartsfeld. Just wanted to let you know that Lee has added two new groups of Whiteman songs - go here and here.

Reups and Remasters

As my own contribution to the festivities, I have prepared a pile of reuploads. Most of them are of recent vintage, so I have not revisited the sound. But a few date back many years, so I have remastered these, and they now have much better sound. A few words on these spiffed-up items, then a list of the other reups.

The superb, wildly imaginative pianist Johnny Costa was the subject of a relatively early post on this blog. I can recommend this LP to any of you who have enjoyed the André Previn or Cy Coleman albums I have posted. Costa was that good. LINK to original post.

Another early post was the original 10-inch version of the soundtrack to the famous Marlon Brando motorcycle opera The Wild One. Leith Stevens was credited with the score, but props to Shorty Rogers and his jazz troupe, who performed it. Superb stuff in excellent sound. LINK to original post.

The other reups:

Leo Sowerby - Prairie, From the Northland (ARS Orchestra/Dean Dixon) - LINK

Robert Ward - Symphony No. 3, Leon Stein - Three Hassidic Dances (Cincinnati SO/Thor Johnson) - LINK

Barber - Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Elenor Steber, Dumbarton Oaks CO/William Strickland); Four Excursions (Rudolf Firkušný, p.) - LINK

Django Reinhardt - Le Jazz Hot (contribution from my pal flyingfinger) - LINK

Roy Harris - Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra (Johana Harris, p., M-G-M SO/Izler Solomon); Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (Nell Tangeman, ms.) - LINK

Americana for Solo Winds (works by Barlow, Rogers, Copland, Kennan, Keller, and Hanson, conducted by Hanson) - LINK

Arnold - English Dances (London PO/ Sir Adrian Boult) - LINK

Limited-Time Uploads from 8H Haggis

Now let me offer just a synopsis of what our man 8H has been up to in the comments section. As always, see the comments to the posts below for what 8H has for you. I suggest searching on the composer or artist to minimize scrolling.

In the Whiteman, Previn and a Profusion of Limited-Time Uploads comments

"The Virtuoso Harpsichord"/Anton Heiler
Barber - School for Scandal Overture/Werner Janssen
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique/Arvid Jansons
Boccherini-Gruetzmacher - Cello Concerto/Danil Shafran, Arvid Jansons
Cherubini - Symphony in D/Carlo Zecchi
Debussy - Martyrdom of St. Sebastien/Victor Alessandro (don't miss this one)
Grieg - Piano Concerto/Richard Farrell, George Weldon (Farrell is terrific)
Liszt - Piano Concerto No. 1/Richard Farrell, George Weldon
Liszt - Tasso/Arvid Jansons
Mozart - Lucio Silla Overture/Antal Dorati
Mozart - Symphonies Nos. 39 and 41/Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnole, Le Coq d'Or suite/Ernest Ansermet
Schumann - Cello Concerto/Danil Shafran, Arvid Jansons
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker/Antal Dorati
Tchaikovsky - The Sleeping Beauty/Antal Dorati
Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto/Ruben Aragonyan, Arvid Jansons
Tchaikovsy - Suite No. 1/Arvid Jansons
Thomson - "The Mother of Us All" Suite/Werner Janssen
Thomson - Cello Concerto/Luigi Silva, Werner Janssen
Weber - Symphony No. 2/Willem van Otterloo
Plus a "mystery download" (my hint: very interesting operatic recordings)

Plus an extravaganza devoted to the obscure but Haggis-approved conductor C. A. Bünte:

Barber - Symphony No. 1
Beethoven, Schubert - German Dances
Beethoven - Consecration of the House Overture
Beethoven - Early Piano Concerto in E-flat (Galling, p.)
Beethoven - Symphony No. 3
Brahms - Serenade No. 1
Busoni - Konzertstueck (Glazer, p.); Rondo Arlecchinesco (Moser, t.)
Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (Bianca, p.)
Glinka - Ruslan und Ludmilla Overture
Harris - Symphony No. 3

In The First Recording of Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony comments

Vaughan Williams - English Folksong Suite, Greensleeves Fantasia, Norfolk Rhapsody, Tallis Fantasia/Sir Adrian Boult

In the Hanson Conducts MacDowell comments

Dvorak - Symphony No. 7/Sir John Barbirolli
Dvorak - Symphony No. 8, Scherzo Capriccioso/Sir John Barbirolli
Elgar - Enigma Variations; Purcell-Barbirolli - Suite/Sir John Barbirolli
Grieg - Peer Gynt music, Symphonic Dances/Sir John Barbirolli
Haydn Oboe Concerto (Evelyn Barbirolli); Dvorak Serenade in d/Sir John Barbirolli
Hovhaness - Prelude and Quadruple Fugue; Lo Presti- The Masks; Sessions - The Black Maskers/Howard Hanson
Prokofiev - Symphony No. 4, L'Enfant Prodigue suite/Georges Sebastian
Schumann - Symphony No. 3/Paul Paray
Suppe - Overtures/Sir John Barbirolli
Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 8, Bax, Butterworth/Sir John Barbirolli

In the Kostelanetz Conducts Grofé and Kern, Plus Many Bonus Items comments

Villa-Lobos - saxophone works/Vincent Abato, NY Woodwind Quintet
Saxophone concerti/Eugene Rousseau

In the More Limited-Time Uploads comments

Haydn - Organ Concerto in C and Sinfonia Concertante in Bb/soloists, Karl Ristenpart
Haydn - Symphonies Nos. 13, 19, 29, 31, 44, 45, 49, 64/Leslie Jones
Haydn - Symphonies Nos. 44 and 57/Szymon Goldberg
Haydn - Symphonies Nos. 55 and 85/Roberto Benzi
Haydn - Trumpet Concerto; Divertimento for Flute; Serenade; and "Das Echo"/soloists, Kurt Redel
Mendelssohn's Quartet No. 1/Fine Arts Quartet
Mozart - Quartets/Roth Quartet
Rosza - Overture to a Symphony Concert; Theme, Variations, and Finale/Miklos Rosza
Saint-Saens - Tone Poems/Louis Fourestier
Schubert - Quartets Nos. 13 & 14/Fine Arts Quartet
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 7/William Steinberg (a rare one with the Buffalo PO)
Strauss-Dorati - Graduation Ball/Antal Dorati

And finally...

Another plug for my new Twitter feed. Links to all the posts here and on the singles blog when those posts appear. Links to other items of interest (to me, anyway) on the web. And a new benefit - periodic uploads for Twitter followers only. (Like I said, it's the start of the holiday season!)

Just click the link below.

Follow @BusterBig10Inch