Francescatti in Bach and Prokofiev, Plus Reups

One of the great 20th century violinists who tends to be overlooked these days is the subject of today's post - the elegant Frenchman Zino Francescatti (1902-81).

It's not clear why Francescatti has been forgotten by some - his skill and artistry were and are unquestioned. I have always suspected it might have something to do with the diminutive he used as a first name: "Zino" in place of his given name, René-Charles. How can you be taken seriously with such a silly name, eh?

Whatever the reason for his eclipse, the present coupling should convince you that he was a transcendent artist. It is a coupling of the second Prokofiev concerto, taped in October 1952 with the New Yorkers under Dimitri Mitropoulos, and Bach's E major concerto, recorded the following January with the Clevelanders and George Szell. (The cover says the latter group is the "Columbia Symphony," but the recording was in Severance Hall with its resident band.)

Francescatti and Mitropoulos listen to a playback

I admit some bias about Francescatti - his recordings introduced me to several of the standard-repertoire concertos when I was young. I plan to transfer some of his other early LPs as time goes by.

Reups

Jane Froman - With a Song in My Heart. Issued in conjunction with the 1952 biopic of the radio singer, with fine singing by Froman herself. This is the only LP among the reups; the items below are from my companion singles blog.

Lauritz Melchior. Two sentimental songs ("Ave Maria" and "The Rosary") by the heldentenor, whom M-G-M was trying to turn into both a movie star and a pop singer. Neither effort took hold.

Patty Andrews. A good 1952 single ("I'll Walk Alone" and "That's the Chance You Take") by the solo voice of the Andrews Sisters.

Ralph Flanagan - Top Pops. The Flanagan big band takes on some hits of the day, circa 1953-54, in this EP.

The Barkleys of Broadway. Transfers and scans from the original 1948 78 set derived from the soundtrack of the last Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers film.

Waltzes by Richard Strauss and Tchaikovsky - Philadelphia/Ormandy. A circa 1954 EP coupling the Rosenkavalier Waltzes with the waltz from the Serenade for Strings. The orchestral playing here is near miraculous. Cover by the quirky Jim Flora.

The links above lead to the original posts. Download links to all items are in the comments. The Froman LP and Ormandy EP have been remastered.

Mendelssohn Special with Kletzki, Szell, Barbirolli, Borries and Celibidache

Rummaging through my collection a while back, I came across several interesting discs with the music of Felix Mendelssohn, and decided to transfer them for this post, and possibly one more to come.

Here are the details of today’s offering. The sound quality varies, but is never less than good.

Symphony No. 3 (Israel Philharmonic/Paul Kletzki). This particular record was among the first to be made by the orchestra, dating from April/May 1954. The download includes scans of an eight-page commemorative booklet included in the American Angel release. Kletzki leads a good performance, although the coda, marked Allegro maestoso assai, is more maestoso than allegro.

Symphony No. 4 (Hallé Orchestra/John Barbirolli) and Violin Concerto (Siegfried Borries; Berlin Philharmonic/Sergiu Celibidache). This coupling on RCA Victor’s Bluebird budget label combined Manchester and Berlin sessions that both transpired in February 1948. Barbirolli elicits a spruce performance from the resuscitated Hallé, which remained underpowered in the strings five years after the conductor revived its fortunes. Siegfried Borries, then the concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, offers an assured reading of the concerto, with an excellent accompaniment led by Celibidache during his postwar years as the orchestra’s conductor.

Symphony No. 4 (Cleveland Orchestra/George Szell) and Music from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Philharmonic-Symphony of New York/Szell). The fine Cleveland performance is from November 1947 dates in Severance Hall; the terrific New York rendition of the Midsummer Night’s Dream music is from January 1951 and Columbia’s 30th Street studio. I don’t like making comparisons, but for me the New York band of this period was second to none. This particular coupling had two different covers, both of which are in the download along with images from a 78 set and 10-inch LP.

If there is interest, I will transfer Mendelssohn overtures from Adrian Boult and Midsummer Night’s Dream excerpts from Sargent and Old Vic forces including Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann and Stanley Holloway.

George Szell blisses out to a 1951 recording session playback

Szell, Ormandy, Böhm and Maag Conduct Mozart and Haydn

Two early LPs for you today showing mid-20th century approaches to Mozart and Haydn from leading conductors and orchestras.

Ormandy attempts to poke a cellist in the eye

The Columbia album has an April 1947 edition of Mozart's Symphony No. 39 from the Cleveland Orchestra, early in George Szell's tenure with that ensemble.

It is backed by a recording of Haydn's Symphony No. 88 set down by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy in December of the same year.

Also on offer is a London LP with two additional Mozart symphonies. First is No. 36 with Karl Böhm leading the Vienna Philharmonic. I enjoyed this rendition, which is from September 1950, but Lionel Salter in The Gramophone certainly did not, as you will see in an appended review.

Young Peter Maag

The other side of the LP has the Suisse Romande Orchestra under Peter Maag performing Symphony No. 29, in what was the Swiss conductor's first recording - at least the first to have been released. The taping is from October 1950. I believe this was during a time when Maag was Ernst Ansermet's assistant in Geneva.

'Merry Overtures' from Cleveland

I prepared this transfer because I've been reading the recent biography of conductor George Szell written by Michael Charry, and when looking for a Cleveland Orchestra record to listen to, this one came to hand.

It's a collection of overtures - an idea whose time has passed, but one I favor - and this is an especially good one.

Merry Overtures is a vintage 1957 recording, which was the year that the Szell-led Cleveland troupe began to be recognized as a leading orchestra after a highly successful European tour. The group set down these items in the months following that expedition. The Szell discography claims that the first comes from Severance Hall on October 25, 1957, with the following overtures taped in the city's Masonic Auditorium in November 1957 and March 1958. (For many years, Cleveland Orchestra recordings were made in that auditorium, which was more resonant that Severance.)

Szell and bassoonist George Goslee

I've published Cleveland Orchestra recordings from the 1940s, and the playing there is always quite good, but these are of a different order altogether. This collection is superb; it shows why the orchestra gained renown.

This LP has never been reissued as a package, although as far as I can tell, all the pieces and parts except perhaps for the Rossini overture have been parcelled out to other LPs or CDs. This Epic album was mono-only, but I believe some or all of the items were taped in stereo. I am sure I have a stereo copy of the Mozart, and perhaps others. No matter - the mono sound is glowing and does full justice to a great orchestra beginning to achieve its considerable potential.

By the way, the grandees on the cover are not in Severance Hall - a note says the photo was taken in Carnegie Hall. It's not normal for tails and tiaras to be worn at orchestra concerts these days, but perhaps the custom was considerably more formal in the 50s.

Revisiting Schumann by Szell and the Clevelanders

This is the third anniversary of this blog, and as I have done on previous anniversaries, I am revisiting one of my old uploads, in the hope of improving my earlier effort.

This time it's one of the first recordings by George Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra - here in a new transfer from a much better pressing (no skip in the first movement), in lossless format and with better scans. The only thing I don't like more is the cover. The earlier cover had a attractive buff background (same design).

Szell in 1947

Rereading my earlier commentary, I have to say I agree with most of it, so at least I am consistent with my opinions. Having redone the transfer, I would now say that the recording is more dry than dull. Here's what I had to say then:

"I prepared this 10-inch LP for upload some time ago but didn't follow through because the sound was opaque and because there is a skip in the first movement that can't be repaired.

"Then I heard a recording of a concert performance of Schumann's second symphony by these forces - and it was so good that I just had to bring this version of the fourth symphony to the blog.

"Columbia taped this edition of the fourth symphony in Severance Hall in November 1947. At that time, Szell and the Cleveland band were somewhat new to one another. Nonetheless, this performance displays many of the characteristics of the later performance I heard. Szell has everything under serious control and the orchestra follows his every move with precision and a kind of controlled passion.

"Everyone who listens to music likes to think about how they would perform a piece - and this is not the way I would do it, for sure. But it is a fascinating approach that I do enjoy."

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by during the past three years. It's been fun.

Schumann by Szell and the Clevelanders

I prepared this 10-inch LP for upload some time ago but didn't follow through because the sound was opaque and because there is a skip in the first movement that can't be repaired.

Then I heard a recording of a concert performance of Schumann's second symphony by these forces - and it was so good that I just had to bring this version of the fourth symphony to the blog.

Columbia taped this edition of the fourth symphony in Severance Hall in November 1947. At that time, Szell and the Cleveland band were somewhat new to one another. Nonetheless, this performance displays many of the characteristics of the later performance I heard. Szell has everything under serious control and the orchestra follows his every move with precision and a kind of controlled passion.

Everyone who listens to music likes to think about how they would perform a piece - and this is not the way I would do it, for sure. But it is a fascinating approach that I do enjoy.

I have been able to open out the sound on this recording to a degree, although it is not what you would call airy. Sorry about the glitch in the first movement.

NEW, REMASTERED TRANSFER (JUNE 2014)