Sylvia Marlowe Plays Falla, Surinach and Rieti

After my recent post of harpsichordist Sylvia Marlowe playing the music of Vittorio Rieti, friend of the blog centuri asked if I had her recording of the Falla Harpsichord Concerto.

I do, indeed, and it is the centerpiece of this 1955 Capitol LP. Also on the record are Carlos Surinach's "Tientos" and the second of Marlowe's three traversals of Rieti's Partita.

Sylvia Marlowe

Marlowe is accompanied by the Concert Arts Players. "Concert Arts" was a nom de disque that Capitol hung on a variety of studio ensembles in the 1950s. I haven't been able to track down any further information about the musicians. The lack of credit seems ungenerous on the part of Capitol and perhaps Marlowe - these are all chamber works. The Falla is scored for six instruments, the Rieti for seven and the Surinach only three!

Regardless, it is a good record. The Falla is widely considered a masterpiece and the beguiling Rieti work is here even more persuasive than in the 1966 recording I posted not long ago. If I don't much care for the overbearing timps in "Tientos," it is a relatively brief work. (It seems to me that I also own Surinach's own recording of this piece, made in the same year for M-G-M.)

As I mentioned in my earlier Marlowe post, she specialized in contemporary music as much as the more often-heard baroque repertoire for the harpsichord. She also ventured into the realm of popular music - earlier in her career she made a living as a cabaret and radio attraction, and her first records were of popular music. Earlier this week I posted two boogie-woogie pieces that she borrowed from the repertoire of pianist Meade "Lux" Lewis, from a 78 dating from about a decade before this LP. Boogie on down to my other blog for those sides.

Follow @BusterBig10Inch

Sylvia Marlowe Plays Vittorio Rieti

The eminent American harpsichordist Sylvia Marlow (1908-1981) is heard today in two works dedicated to her by the composer Vittorio Rieti (1898-1994).

In the Concerto for Harpsichord, the orchestra is conducted by Samuel Baron, better known as a flutist, although he conducted throughout his career. Baron also takes part in the Partita for Flute, Oboe, String Quartet and Harpsichord, conducted by Marlowe from the keyboard.

Vittorio Rieti

These are delightful works in a neoclassical vein from the pen of Rieti, an Italian who was resident in the US after 1940. Despite the scowling portrait of the composer at left, Rieti's music is known for its charm. He composed two ballet scores for Serge Diaghilev during the 1920s, both choreographed by George Balanchine. The composer and choreographer continued to work together after both moved to America.

Marlowe was particularly fond of the Partita, which she commissioned and recorded three times. The Harpsichord Music Society, which she founded, commissioned the concerto.

Known both for her mastery of the baroque repertoire and her dedication to contemporary composers, Marlowe was one of the key figures in bringing renewed attention to the harpsichord during the mid-20th century.

Sylvia Marlowe

The performances here are everything you might wish, and the upfront sound is what American Decca was providing on disc during the 1960s. (These date from June 1966.) If anything, though, Marlowe's instrument is buried in the mix - in contrast to many other harpsichord records of the day, where the instrument is unrealistically loud. One minor drawback to the sound is the presence of some rustle in the right channel.

This transfer was in response to a request on another forum.

Follow @BusterBig10Inch