Berlioz and Weinberger from Cleveland and Rodziński

Artur Rodziński

Today we have more of the recordings Artur Rodziński made with the Cleveland Orchestra during his decade as its music director (1933-43). They include one of their first recordings, of Jaromir Weinberger's Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree, and a later session devoted to Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique

The Berlioz piece is the more substantial, so let's examine that recording first. It derives from an April 14, 1941 session in Severance Hall solely devoted to the work.

As far as I can tell, this is the only time the conductor turned his attention to Berlioz in the recording studio. Rodziński's emphasis on clarity and discipline are always admirable, but perhaps not the first qualities that come to mind when thinking about the music of Berlioz. I generally admire the conductor's approach, but this is a work that perhaps requires more fantasy than Rodziński could evoke. My favorite recording is led by Leonard Bernstein with the Orchestre National de France in the 1970s. He emphasizes the hallucinatory qualities of the work, which supposedly were influenced by Berlioz's experience with opium. 

The composer had developed a program for the work which involves a despairing young artist, an obsessive love, an opium-induced dream of his own execution and finally a witches' sabbath. But he later downplayed the program, writing in the preface to its second edition, "The author hopes that the symphony provides on its own sufficient musical interest independently of any dramatic intention." This is certainly the spirit in which Rodziński takes up the work, but one can't help but feel that something is missing. (The New York Times' Howard Taubman would disagree; he praised the recording's "driving, biting impact" in his 1942 review, and the reviewer in The New Records was similarly enthusiastic. These notices and two concert reviews are in the download.)

The transfer came from a early-1950s Columbia Entré LP with reasonably good sound.

Weinberger - Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree

Jaromir Weinberger

The Symphonie Fantastique was well over a century old when Rodziński recorded it, but Jaromir Weinberger's Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree had premiered in October 1939, only a few months before the date with the Columbia engineers.

The Bohemian Weinberger (1896-1967) was newly arrived in the U.S., one of the many refugees from Hitler's Germany. His reputation as a composer had been made 13 years before with the success of his Schwanda the Bagpiper. The Polka and Fugue from this opera are heard even today on orchestral programs.

Weinberger was a facile composer with a gift for melody; both characteristics are apparent in the work under discussion, which has the formal name "Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree," Variations and Fugue on an Old English Tune. The old tune in question was likely originally a dance; it had been set by Giles Farnaby and William Byrd 300 years earlier.

John Barbirolli premiered Weinberger's work with the New York Philharmonic in October 1939, but did not record it. Rodziński raced Constant Lambert into the studio to deliver the premiere recording. Lambert's session with the London Philharmonic was on December 21, 1939. Sources differ on the Cleveland date: Michael Gray says it was December 13, 1939; Donald Rosenberg in The Cleveland Orchestra Story specifies January 9-10, 1940.

The Weinberger is an enjoyable piece neatly done by the Clevelanders. My transfer is taken from a 1970s Cleveland Orchestra promotional LP. The album is marked stereo, but as far as I can tell, the only stereo signal consists of surface noise and a very loud rumble, which I have eliminated. Note (February 2024): in preparing the Lambert recording for a post, I noticed that the Rodziński was considerably off-pitch, which I have now rectified.

The download includes reviews of the recording from the New York Times and The New Records, an article by Weinberger published a few days before the concert premiere, and a review of the premiere itself.

One final note: the pianist in the work is Boris Goldovsky, then the Cleveland chorus master, later an opera conductor and impresario and radio personality on the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts.

LINK

Rodziński admires his likeness, produced by sculptor William McVay

The J's with Jamie - Hey, Look Us Over! Plus Their Columbia Singles

So far this blog's slow-motion look at the career and recordings of the J's with Jamie hasn't included that group's best LP - their first, Hey, Look Us Over! That's because I owned only a mono copy until recently. Now, with a good stereo pressing in hand and digitized, I am presenting it along with a significant bonus - all the 14 single sides that weren't included on their second and final Columbia LP, The Remarkable J's with Jamie.

Hey, Look Us Over!

The title Hey, Look Us Over comes from the song "Hey, Look Me Over," which Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh wrote for the 1960 musical Wildcat, where it was introduced by Lucille Ball, of all people. This was one of a spate of show tune marches that may have been kicked off by Meredith Willson and The Music Man's "76 Trombones" in 1957. Its high spirits also may have spawned such songs as "I Ain't Down Yet" (The Unsinkable Molly Brown) and "If They Could See Me Now" (Sweet Charity).

The idea of using "Hey, Look Me Over" or its plural cousin as an album title appealed to any number of artists - including Jerry Vale, Vicki Carr, Julius LaRosa, Susan Maugham, the Pete King Chorale and even Stan Freberg.

On the J's with Jamie LP, "Hey, Look Me Over" is followed by a nice blend of old songs ("The Touch of Your Hand," "But Not for Me," "Smile") and recent pop or show tunes ("A Lot of Livin' to Do," "Fly Me to the Moon," "The Second Time Around"). The set closes with the wonderful Matt Dennis-Tom Adair "Will You Still Me Mine," which is perfectly suited to this group's sunny virtuosity.

The album's imaginative orchestrations were by Hoyt Jones, a Chicago-based arranger who later arranged the 1977 Art Van Damme/Singers Unlimited LP Invitation. Len Dresslar and Gene Shelton of the J's with Jamie were charter members of the Singers Unlimited. Jones also contributed charts for the local rock groups the New Colony Six and the Ides of March during the 60s.

The Columbia Singles

The J's with Jamie's two Columbia LPs both date from 1963, but the group released singles for the company from 1962-64. These were mainly show tunes, although not the most popular of the species. Even so, their choices make for good listening from lesser-heard sources.

The group's first single came out in April 1962 and coupled two songs from Harold Rome's I Can Get It for You Wholesale: "The Sound of Money" and "Momma, Momma, Momma." The former is distinctly superior to the latter, and was included on The Remarkable J's with Jamie. The latter is in this set.

The next single, from June, led with a good Cahn/Van Heusen song, "Let's Not Be Sensible," from The Road to Hong Kong. The 45 also had a Milton Schafer-Ronny Graham song, "One Little World Apart," from their short-lived musical Bravo Giovanni. Both are fine songs sympathetically handled.

The group's next effort was "Nowhere to Go But Up," which was introduced by Dorothy Loudon in the show of the same name. The J's issued their worthy version in September 1962; the James Lipton-Sol Berkowitz musical opened and closed in mid-November. The flip side of this 45 was "Laugh It Up," which also is on The Remarkable J's with Jamie. It came from the Irving Berlin show Mr. President.

Another show tune, Cahn and Van Heusen's "Come on Strong," was featured in the short-lived Garson Kanin production of the same name. The show Come on Strong was not a musical; however, the song was heard as incidental music in the second act, via a Lena Horne recording. It's a characterful number that fits Jamie as well as Lena. 

Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh followed Wildcat with the Sid Caesar showcase Little Me. It had a impressive score, but the J's chose the title song rather than "I've Got Your Number" or "The Other Side of the Tracks." "Little Me" does suit their upbeat, skillful style, admittedly. Both Little Me and Come on Strong date from late 1962.

"Your Dog" promo picture sleeve

The group's next single wasn't until August 1963, and represented a break from the parade of show tunes. Columbia matched the J's with Chicago-based arranger Dick Marx, who likely had done commercial work with them. The pick side was "Your Dog," is a rhythm song done to a turn. The other original was "For the Last Time," a compose-by-numbers pop song characteristic of its era.

The record label showcased the group during the September Music Operators of America convention, and they serenaded the crowd with a special version of "Wimoweh" called "MOA." Columbia issued it on a promotional copy of the "Your Dog"/"For the Last Time" single, and it's included in the download. Most enjoyable material, even with contrived lyrics.

The group's follow-up single was the title song from Meredith Willson's show Here's Love, which appeared on the second album. It's backing was "Au Revoir," a Gilbert Bécaud composition. It's not one of his best songs and not particularly suited to the J's style.

Late in 1963, Columbia came out with a coupling of Stuart Hamblen's "This Ole House," which was featured on the second album. It was backed with the non-album track "London (Is a Little Bit of All Right)," a Noël Coward song from The Girl Who Came to Supper. The noisy Tessie O'Shea introduced the latter number. You have to enjoy cod-English accents to like this one.

At the end of the year, the J's won an award for "Most Played Vocal Group," which they celebrated via the Billboard ad above.

March 1964 saw a release of "Yoshiko" coupled with Stephen Sondheim's "Everybody Says Don't" from Anyone Can Whistle. The latter is the group's most successful show tune recording, and can be found on their second LP. The former is, as far as I can tell, an attempt to follow up on the success of Kyu Sakamoto's "Ue o Muite Arukō," which had been nonsensically retitled "Sukiyaki" for the US market. The "Yoshiko" composer was Elijah Whitney, Jr. It's actually one of the catchiest items in this collection.

The J's final Columbia single is one of their best. The A-side is a vocal version of the "Theme from A Summer Place," which had been an instrumental hit for Percy Faith in 1960. The reverse is Bock and Harnick's "Popsicles in Paris." This came from the 1964 New York World's Fair show To Broadway with Love, and seems tailor made for the group.

Hey, Look Us Over! comes from my collection. I am indebted to a very old series of posts on the WFMU site for the single transfers. These were lossy originals in the strident and boomy sound that Columbia favored for its singles of the time, but have been suitably tamed and pitch-corrected in this remastering.

Despite my occasional complaints about the material, this is a highly enjoyable collection that finished the group's best period. The British Invasion had arrived by the time the J's with Jamie switched to ABC Paramount records late in 1964 and changed their name to Jamie and the J. Silvia Singers. Beatles songs and the like were much less well suited to them than show tunes. Even so, I plan to present the second and final release by the successor group before too long.

Ravel and Debussy from Cleveland, Rodziński and Leinsdorf (Plus a Bonus)

The Cleveland Orchestra did not spring into being upon the accession of George Szell to the music directorship in 1946. Three chief conductors had preceded him: Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodziński and Erich Leinsdorf.

This blog has concerned itself with Rodziński's recorded output since its founding, including several Cleveland efforts: Jerome Kern's Showboat Scenario for Orchestra, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, and Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet and 1812 Overture, in addition to many recordings from New York, one from Vienna and one from Chicago.

Last year I posted several of Leinsdorf's Cleveland outings: the Schumann Symphony No. 1, Rimsky-Korsakov's Antar, plus pieces by Schubert and Mozart.

Today we return to Cleveland for music of the Impressionists: Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 and Rapsodie Espagnole and Debussy's La Mer from Rodziński, and instrumental music from Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, as arranged and conducted by Leinsdorf.

A single link to all these items is at the end of the post. 

Today's bonus is in the form of another welcome compilation from David Federman: "From Dearth to Mirth," a concept we can all support, I am sure. Details and a link below.

Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 and Rapsodie Espagnole

Artur Rodziński

After the Cleveland Orchestra and Rodziński began recording for the reorganized Columbia Records company in 1939, it wasn't long until the conductor turned his attentions to the music of Ravel, first the Rapsodie Espagnole in 1940, then the Suite No. 2 from the Daphnis et Chloé ballet music the next year.

Critics differ about the merits of his readings. In the reviews included in the download, some contemporary writers longed for the more lush sounds of Stokowski or Koussevitzky. However, I am inclined to agree with critic Donald Rosenberg, who wrote, "Rodziński's limber approach and his attention to balance and tuning are ideal for the two French scores" and Howard Taubman of the New York Times, who praised the Rapsodie's "precision, rhythmic vitality and rich orchestral color."

My transfer comes from a circa 1949 first-generation LP transfer with good sound and surfaces. The download also includes the second generation cover in addition to the 1949 "tombstone" above.

Debussy's La Mer

Rodziński added a recording of Debussy's La Mer to his Cleveland discography during late 1941 sessions that also included the Daphnis et Chloé music, and the Kern and Mendelssohn works mentioned above.

Here again, some critics longed for the coloristic effects of a Koussevitzky, but I find Rodziński's control and clarity to be well suited to a score that is as fascinating and impassive as the sea it depicts.

La Mer was originally issued in a 78 set with the cover above. My transfer comes from a first-generation 10-inch LP with very good sound.

Artur Rodziński ... 'as featured in Collier's'

Debussy (arr. Leinsdorf) - Pelléas et Mélisande Suite

Erich Leinsdorf

Erich Leinsdorf made all his recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra in late February 1946, after George Szell had been appointed to succeed him as music director. Included were the recordings mentioned above, along with Dvořák, Brahms and Leinsdorf's own arrangement of instrumental interludes from Debussy's opera Pelléas et Mélisande.

Critic Edward Tatnall Canby was taken with Leinsdorf's work, not the least because it was, in his view, "a fine way to sample a rare opera." But the music is not particularly characteristic of the complete score, where the vocal lines are primary. The composer wrote the interludes to cover scene changes, and his debt to Wagner is more apparent in this music than elsewhere.

Leinsdorf was a volatile conductor at this early stage in his development, but that tendency is not in evidence here. The performance is enjoyable, but it does not (and perhaps could not) capture the unique sound world of the opera.

This transfer has been cleaned up from needle drops of the original 78 set, as found on Internet Archive. The sound is very good, but there is some surface rustle that will be apparent on headphones.

Although the recording was made in early 1946, the album did not come out until 1949, by which time Leinsdorf was the music director in Rochester. It was issued simultaneously via the 78 set and the new LP format.

Bonus: 'From Dearth to Mirth'

In his collection "From Dearth to Mirth," David has assembled a 27-song set from days gone by (the only days we recognize on this blog). He notes, "I seek out music that consoled my parents in times equivalent to ours when tyrants trod the earth. I call it 'Three-Cheers-For-Good-Times' music and I’m presenting a generous sampling of it in this mix."

He adds that "your job as listener is to try to take this music as sincerely as it was intended and be cheered by it. As you will see, George and Ira Gershwin invested heavily in the effort to cheer up America--contributing two largely forgotten Jazz Age gems, 'Clap Yo' Hands' and 'Oh Gee Oh Joy,' songs to this giddy mix. So there's no need for smirks, just smiles. They will come fairly easy to regular patrons of Buster’s blog. Or at least I am counting on it."

LINK to Ravel and Debussy

LINK to 'From Death to Mirth'

The Vagabond Alfred Drake, Plus Singles

This post presents Alfred Drake's sole operetta recording, Friml's The Vagabond King, dating from 1951, and adds nine of his lesser-known single sides from that period, including four Kiss Me. Kate songs not derived from the original cast album.

The site already has covered quite a lot of Drake's recorded output from mid-century - Roberta, Brigadoon, Sing Out Sweet Land and Down in the Valley, while avoiding his biggest hits, Oklahoma! and the Kiss Me, Kate cast album.

The Vagabond King

Friml's operetta was based on the legend of François Villon, as related in Justin Huntly McCarthy's book and play If I Were King. The musical version dates from 1925. It had a brief Broadway revival in 1943, and there have been a few Hollywood productions.

Drake's recording is from 1951, and while it is the only operetta he officially recorded (if I am not mistaken, which is always possible), he was not a stranger to the genre. His first appearances on Broadway were in the Civic Light Opera Company's 1935 repertory stagings of Gilbert & Sullivan, and his next New York role was in Benatzky's White Horse Inn. These all were in the ensemble, but he soon was to break out singing the title song in Rodgers and Hart's 1937 hit Babes in Arms, a piece that must have been wonderfully well suited to his powerful baritone. He wasn't to become famous, however, until 1943 and Oklahoma!

For The Vagabond King, Decca paired him with soprano Mimi Benzell, with mezzo Frances Bible also making a few appearances.

Mimi Benzell was the first and only vocalist with 'no time for applause,' if this 1952 ad is to be believed

Benzell (1918-70) was one of the many opera singers of the day who branched out into the popular arts. She was often on television and even had a nightclub act, along with a presence in the ads of the day. On this LP she seems one-dimensional, which may have been the idea, I suppose.

Frances Bible

Frances Bible (1919-2001) appeared with the New York City Opera for 30 years, and with several other US companies. Although she was quite accomplished, she never became widely known, probably because her career was confined to America.

Directing the orchestra is Broadway veteran Jay Blackton, who conducted many of the great musical productions of the 1940s through 70s, starting with Oklahoma! Blackton was an arranger, too, but I don't know if he handled the orchestrations for this recording.

This was one of a series of operettas the Decca released around mid-century, but the only one that featured Drake or the other vocalists appearing here.

1944-51 Decca and RCA Victor Singles

Drake primarily recorded for Decca during this period, starting with his appearance in Oklahoma! During that show's run, the US Army asked the Music War Committee of the Theater Wing for a song celebrating the infantry. Oscar Hammerstein chaired that committee, so he and Richard Rodgers produced "We're on Our Way (Infantry Song)," and Drake recorded it with Waring's Pennsylvanians. That was on June 1, 1944, a few days before D-Day.

While Drake was starring in Kiss Me, Kate on Broadway, in addition to the Columbia original cast production he also, strangely, recorded four of its numbers for RCA Victor, where he had signed early in 1949. "So in Love" and "Were Thine That Special Face" were solos, with Jane Pickens joining him for "Wunderbar" and "Why Can't You Behave." (He did not sing the latter in the show.) The backings are by old friend Lehman Engel.

Jane Pickens and Alfred Drake

RCA also had Drake do a bravura version of "Malagueña" during the same 1949 sessions, backed with the more placid "In the Spring of the Year," an Alec Wilder composition I somehow missed for my recent Buster's Unusual Spring compilation. Arranger Henri René unaccountably introduces Lecuona's "Malagueña" with what sounds like a cimbalom solo. (It works, though!) This was touted as the first vocal recording of "Malagueña," with lyrics by Marian Banks, but Jimmy Dorsey and Bob Eberly had done the song earlier in the decade with Bob Russell lyrics under the title "At the Cross-Roads." You can hear the latter in my Lecuona compilation from a few years ago.

Our final 78 comes from 1951. Decca had Drake revive two songs for this release. "The World Is Mine (Tonight)" is a George Posford song with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz, writing as Holt Marvell. Maschwitz is best known for "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "These Foolish Things." Nino Martini introduced the song in the 1936 film The Gay Desperado. 

The flip side was even older: 1911's "Till the Sands of the Desert Grow Cold" with lyrics by George Graff, Jr., and music by Ernest R. Ball.

The Vagabond King comes from my collection; the singles were cleaned up from lossless copies on Internet Archive. The sound in all cases is very good.

1949 Billboard ad