Brahms is one of my favorites, but his music has appeared here much too infrequently. So I thought I would make amends by this quick post of an excellent performance of the composer's Double Concerto. The distinguished soloists are the violinist Gioconda de Vito (1907-94) and cellist Amadeo Baldovino (1916-98). Rudolf Schwarz (1905-94) conducts the wonderful Philharmonia Orchestra in this 1952 recording.
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| Gioconda de Vito |
De Vito had a narrow repertoire concentrating on 19th century composers and earlier. Among more modern music, she apparently performed only the concerto by Ildebrando Pizzetti, which she premiered.
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| Amadeo Baldovino |
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| Rudolf Schwarz by Louis Kahan |
HMV recorded the concerto in perhaps the greatest recording locale of all time, London's Kingsway Hall, known for its glorious resonance. There is a little too much of that glory in the sound here, but not enough to detract from a enjoyable performance by all involved (although the central Andante becomes quite a leisurely stroll in their hands).
This recording comes from a lossless needle drop found on Internet Archive and cleaned up by me. The original was on UK HMV, but this transfer is from a US RCA Victor pressing, issued during the short time when Victor was the HMV licensee in the States.
29 comments:
Link (Apple lossless format):
https://mega.nz/file/PB0USC6B#yJz9_U2F3ACG-o6TchezlwrFTtr4djY2RFDd7-wsq-Y
Wow, thanks!
Merci beaucoup pour ce très bel enregistrement que je ne connaissais que de réputation ! Tu possèdes des trésors. Merci encore.
Thierry - De rien!
Your always welcome, Grover!
Short time! Victor and HMV had deep ties going back to 1901, and ever since they had distributed each other's recordings in the parts of the world they had amicably divided up between themselves back then. They were even part shareholders in each other until shortly after Victor was sold to RCA in 1929 and HMV merged with (British) Columbia to form EMI in 1931.
But after having typed the above, I suddenly realised that you probably meant to refer to the time when RCA used the HMV label name in the US. That was brief, from 1952 to 1956 – when RCA and EMI finally turned from allies into competitors (and EMI bought Capitol to regain its lost foothold in the US).
Boursin - Yes, precisely.
Very interesting stuff, and two performers I was previously unaware of; so thank you, as always.
Among Rudolf Schwarz's conducting assignments in the UK was the premiere of Britten's Nocturne (a favorite of mine).
The mention of Kingsway Hall stirred up some pleasant memories (quite aside from the many fine recordings made there). Many years ago I was fortunate enough to be a guest of one of its ministers (the hall is otherwise a Methodist church, with a large otherwise unused auditorium that became a prime London rehearsal and recording venue). I was surprised at how unpoliced access to the hall was; people could and did wander in while recording was going on. Once I was walking up a stairwell to the upstairs flat and found myself passing by the offstage brass for an opera, waiting on a landing for their cue. Luckily they were between takes, so I didn't spoil anything.
JAC - I envy your being able to wander through a place I've read about (and heard!) for so many years. Alas, I believe it is now gone.
I had to look it up just now to be sure; I hadn't thought about it in years (my memory of being there seems so improbable, it's like it happened to someone else). Yes, recording stopped there in 1984, and the building was demolished in 1998.
Then there was the Kingsway Symphony Orchestra, apparently a pick-up band for recordings made there. They are relatively well represented at the Internet Archive. Especially the version of Leroy Anderson's "Fiddle Faddle" and the sub-Anderson "Pizzicato Rhumba" are big favourites here.
Boursin - Interesting that they would import the American Tutti Camerata to record there, but I just read that he was friends with the head of UK Decca, Sir Edward Lewis.
Many thanks, Buster - I look forward to becoming acquainted with this recording of a great work. All good wishes Peter
Thanks Buster for this rare and energetic recording. You transfer, as always, is excellent, keeping perfectly atmosphere and musicality. I know some people disliking this piece (in particular because of a 'trivial' finale, what I never felt personally), compared to the violin and the 2 piano concertos...listening to that version they could change their mind. The soloists are subtle, committed and so well supported by Rudolf Schwartz (who also recorded a fantastic Mahler 5/LSO/Everest). There is a version of with same team of the violin concerto...do you, by chance, have it? thanks in advance...
Thanks, Peter - best to you as well!
Hi Jean - Thanks for your kind comments! I did have this violin concerto transfer (not my own) in the archives. It isn't tracked, but probably sounds pretty good.
https://mega.nz/file/yZMGBDpL#miO8kLY37d7fLoOgrlKS77wXD8Hxlor7qfLwvCA4_y0
Thank you so much; can't wait to listen to it. Will be back to you...
After the Double Ctowas interesting to listen to the Violin Cto. Thanks again ! I enjoyed in particular Schwarz's conducting: not heavy, not emphatic, beautiful woodwind section.
What an amazing range of music and performers you offer us, Buster. This recording would surely have passed under my radar and, of course, at the time the Heifetz/Feuermann recording would not have been all that old.
As my old computer's sound card finally collapsed, I am still getting my new box up to snuff and I had been downloading files without actually hearing them. Lots of catching up to do.
As you no doubt know, a number of influential critics, starting with Bernard Shaw, hated Brahms.
I am mostly pro-Johannes and his clarinet compositions obsessed me when I could still play but I will admit to having some doubts about the First Symphony. That pizzicato passage in the final movement annoys the hell out of me for some reason and the violin solo in the slow movement also seems icky to me.
Oh, hey, BTW, Kingsway Hall was great but Queen's Hall in London (destroyed by German bombs early in WW2) may have been even greater.
Charlot,
Thanks, indeed, for the compliments!
Bernard Shaw was an opinionated fellow, but so I am, and I love Brahms immoderately, even the pizzicato passage you mention. I particularly like the Double Concerto, despite or even because of the lite finale that centuri mentions below.
centuri - Thanks as always for your comments! I wonder if I have any other Schwarz recordings. I am sure I don't have the Mahler you mentioned.
Corrected:
I think we had a Kingsway Symphony record in our small collection when I was a kid. If it was on a lousy pressing and cost 79 cents, that would be the one.
I don't recall Leroy Anderson hits but a version of "Cherokee" was on it.
Shaw would have declared himself above the petty Brahms vs. Wagner stances of the late 19th century, yet I think he fell into it a bit despite himself. He would occasionally bestir himself to speak up for Brahms as a confectioner of delightful trifles, who shouldn't try to turn them into symphonies, or (heaven forfend) a Requiem. But that was then; late in life when he edited a collection of his music columns, he apologized for several of his youthful excesses.
But then, his ideal of what a Germanic composer should be, "securely above all other German composers of the last hundred years, save only Mozart and Beethoven, Weber and Wagner," was... Hermann Goetz.
Unlike Shaw, I haven't paid much attention to Goetz (my loss, no noubt), although I think I have a recording of his piano concerto on the Genesis label.
* doubt
I'd venture to say that Shaw's passion for Goetz (he really meant it -- it comes out repeatedly over a half century of writing) is a bit of a mystery to all who read him. I tried Goetz's opera The Taming of the Shrew once, and couldn't stick with it long.
On the other hand, I definitely hear what Shaw was enthusiastic about with Cornelius's Barber of Baghdad.
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