Solomon - Mozart Concertos and Sonatas

We have heard a great deal from Solomon in recent months, and for good reason - he was an exceptional pianist who played the classical and Romantic repertoire superbly.

Today we look into his 1952-55 Mozart discs, encompassing three familiar concertos and two sonatas. These are the entirety of his recordings of this composer, save for a 1943 sonata disc that I don't have. Solomon's career was cut short by a paralyzing stroke in 1956, when he was 54.

I transferred the Mozart works on this program from a 1970s reissue. The cover images you see below are from the original LPs. Scans of the reissue and the originals are in the download.

Concertos in A major, K488, and C minor, K491

Solomon's traversals of the Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K488, and No. 24 in C minor, K491, came on May 10-12, 1955 in Abbey Road Studio No. 1. Conducting the Philharmonia was Herbert Menges, a childhood friend of the pianist who was one of his favorite accompanists.

Solomon's biographer, Bryan Crimp, wrote, "Unlike his recent concerto collaborations in the studio with Kubelik and Cluytens, Solomon felt no sense of disappointment with any of these recordings. Much of their success can be attributed to the rapport Solomon enjoyed with Menges." He added that while Menges was not considered a top-rank conductor, "He was, however, a thorough and hard-working professional who was quite prepared to collaborate before the sessions, as is apparent in the resulting accompaniments."

The two works are contrasted - the A major being generally optimistic and the C minor powerful and dark. Solomon is fully up to the demands of the music, technically and artistically. The orchestra plays elegantly and the sound is very good, enhanced - as these all are - by ambient stereo.

Herbert Menges

The Gramophone's Robin Golding was in awe of the performances: "This is classical playing at its very best, with no suggestion of sentimentality or self-indulgence, yet with what Harold C. Schonberg (whose tribute to Solomon from his book The Great Pianists is reproduced on the sleeve) describes as 'an incomparable blend of intellect and heart', adding, 'It was an intellect which both respected the text and comprehended the architecture of the score; the heart inspired a lyrical warmth and a radiant generosity. The resultant performance was an act of genuine recreation.'"

He continued, "AP [earlier reviewer Andrew Porter] thought that Solomon’s account of K488 - one of the most familiar of all Mozart’s concertos, but one of the most difficult to bring off really convincingly - was the best he had ever heard, on records or off, and I am still inclined to agree with him. Here is a blend of delicacy and strength, of crisp articulation and a feeling for the long breathed phrase, which give to the first movement and the finale a suppleness and resilience that elude many pianists, while Solomon’s shaping of the wide curves of the melodic line in the Adagio is extraordinarily poignant."

Golding adds that the minor-key K491 is a worthy foil to K488: "strong and purposeful in the outer movements, but never melodramatic, wonderfully limpid in the Larghetto; and it is in this latter movement that the playing of the Philharmonia Orchestra ... and particularly that of its princely wind section, is to be heard at its superlative best."

Concerto in B flat major, K450, Sonata in A major, K331

The concerto in B flat, K450, is largely a sunny work, which may conceal its real difficulties for the soloist. Solomon, in his pearly perfection, does not give a hint that any of these passages are challenging.

This concerto recording, from 1953, comes from Kingsway Hall rather than Abbey Road, and has more spacious sound. The conductor here is the Romanian Otto Ackermann, then resident in Switzerland. He was another reliable leader who made a good number of records for EMI, often as accompanist.

The concerto has appeared here before, in a pressing issued in the US. This is a new transfer.

The Sonata in A major, K331, is one of the composer's most often heard pieces - at least the finale. It is the movement Mozart marked Rondo "alla Turca;" it is sometimes called the Turkish Rondo. The music echoes the distinctive sound of the Turkish Janissary bands, which was then (1784) in vogue. The style also can be heard in Mozart's 1782 opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail, set in Turkey.

This Sonata and the K576 Sonata discussed below were recorded in 1952 in Abbey Road Studio No. 3. For the reissue, HMV coupled them on one 36-minute LP side, and in order to squeeze them both in, apparently sped up the tapes so that the music played quite sharp. I've adjusted the speed, hopefully accurately.

Sonata in D major, K576

The D major Sonata, K576 first came out on one side of a 10-inch LP, coupled with a Haydn sonata I don't have.

In The Gramophone Robin Golding wrote that the Sonata "with its taut, two-part contrapuntal writing, suits Solomon particularly well, and it provides an impressive tailpiece to a group of performances that are regrettably small in number though gigantic in stature. The mono recordings, like Solomon’s interpretations, do not seem to have aged at all." Nor have they 45 years later.

The sonata was Mozart's last. On the reissue LP it is identified as Sonata No. 17, but these days it is usually numbered No. 18. I've tagged the sonatas here solely by their Köchel catalogue number to avoid confusion. 

Sir Adrian Boult Conducts Mozart

The English conductor Sir Adrian Boult (1889-1983) was typecast as a specialist in the works of his home country, but he had vast experience in all kinds of music. After all, he had been conductor of the BBC Symphony and London Philharmonic for long periods.

In actuality, Boult did record quite a bit of non-English music, much of it in his early years with the BBC. And later on, he added to those recordings through his association with smaller recording companies such as Nixa/Westminster, Everest and Miller International.

Sir Adrian Boult

As he moved into the twilight of his career, EMI engaged him for a number of discs of non-English music. I am fond of his series of Wagner overtures, among other performances - and this particular record of Mozart symphonies is worth hearing as well.

In recording the 35th and 41st symphonies for HMV in 1974-75, Boult was returning to two works he had taken to the recording studio before - the Haffner for Concert Hall in 1959, and the Jupiter for HMV as far back as 1933. These later efforts are with the London Philharmonic, and come from Abbey Road Studio No. 1.

Writing in The Gramophone, Trevor Harvey contrasted Boult's handling on Symphony No. 41 with No. 35: "Sir Adrian takes a very big view of the Jupiter, even of its length, for he observes every single repeat - yes, even that in the slow movement" and "If Sir Adrian takes a big view of the Jupiter he seems intent on pointing the difference between it and the Haffner, which gets a swift and lightweight performance (even the slow movement) and in this Symphony he makes no repeats except, obviously, in the Minuet movement."

Harvey takes issue with the orchestral balances and recording, both of which strike me as perfectly fine. This is a good record, little noticed at the time, and not even released here in the US, to my knowledge. My transfer is from the English pressing.

Sir Adrian was 85 and 86 when he led these performances, and was not nearly done in the studio. In addition to English music, yet to come would be recordings of works by Wagner, Strauss, Beethoven and Brahms. He devoted his concluding session in 1978 to Sir Hubert Parry's fifth symphony, a favorite of the conductor.

This transfer is by request.

More Beethoven Concertos from Solomon

I recently posted the Beethoven first and third piano concertos in the 1956 stereo recordings from the great instrumentalist Solomon. Today we have his discs of the other three concertos, which date from 1952-55.

These all possess the remarkable control and gorgeous tone that Solomon always displayed. Like the later concertos, many still consider them reference recordings.

In addition to the Beethoven, this set includes the pianist's traversal of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 15.

Beethoven Concerto No. 4

Sessions in early November 1952 produced both the Concerto No. 4 and No. 2, the latter of which is discussed below.

As with the recordings in the previous post, the orchestra was the Philharmonia, but the recording location and conductor were different. EMI's Walter Legge had wanted to match Solomon with conductor Herbert von Karajan, but the pianist refused to work with Karajan, per Solomon's biographer Bryan Crimp. Otto Klemperer was not available, so the Belgian-born French conductor André Cluytens (1905-67) was engaged. Unfortunately this arrangement was not ideal, not so much because of soloist-conductor incompatibility, but because Cluytens did not get along with the orchestra, Crimp tells us.

André Cluytens

However, there is little evidence of this in the final product. As with Solomon's later concerto recordings, this is notable more for refinement than temperament. The Gramophone reported, "Solomon and the Philharmonia play exquisitely... A beautifully clear, limpid style on the part of the soloist is matched by a perfect orchestral partnership..." However, the Saturday Review disagreed, complaining that the first movement was "unduly slow and lacking in animation," a point echoed in other reviews.

There were complaints, too, about the sound, particularly the piano tone. The notes to the RCA Victor pressing report that EMI used two microphones for the orchestra and an additional spot for the piano. This all took place in the Kingsway Hall, famed for its acoustics, and it's true that there is a bit of empty-hall sound to the proceedings, particularly on the piano. But in general, things are well balanced and pleasing.

Beethoven Concerto No. 2; Mozart Concerto No. 15

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 was actually his first essay in the form, although published second. It is the most Mozartian of the five; accordingly, EMI coupled it with the older master's Concerto No. 15 for this release.

The Beethoven reading has the familiar Solomon hallmarks - clarity, elegance and insight. The reviews I have included in the download generally approve of the recorded sound, and most praise the Philharmonia's orchestral backing, led again by Cluytens.

Otto Ackermann

Mozart's Concerto No. 15 had not been recorded many times in the 1950s, although that is not true today. It is a rewarding work that Solomon handles splendidly. This recording comes from September 1953, with the Kingsway Hall as the location. The Philharmonia again is the orchestra, although this time the conductor is the Romanian Otto Ackermann (1909-60), who is remembered primarily for his operetta recordings.

Beethoven Concerto No. 5

The final recording in today's group is also Beethoven's final essay in the form - the Concerto No. 5, dubbed the "Emperor," although not by the composer. While the work has nothing to do with empire, it is indeed a majestic work, done full justice by the soloist.

Harold Schonberg in The New York Times contrasted Solomon in the work with a contemporary LP from Emil Gilels: "If you want a muscular, exciting reading... Gilels is your man. If your taste in "Emperors" runs to the elegant, intimate style, Solomon will fill the bill. Both of these are excellent performances of their kind."

Herbert Menges

For this recording, HMV again paired Solomon with the Philharmonia, this time not in the Kingsway Hall but in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, with sessions in May 1955. For this date, the label engaged Herbert Menges, a longtime friend of the pianist and perhaps his favorite accompanist.

Unlike the recordings in the previous Solomon post devoted to Beethoven, all these were recorded in mono. The Concerto No. 5 may be the best of them, with the orchestral colors more vivid and the piano tone well caught. The slow movement is exceptionally fine, both as a recording and performance. [Note: these are newly (July 2023) available in ambient stereo versions with much more vivid sound.]

Just a reminder that the earlier post of Beethoven concertos from Solomon also includes the Grieg and Schumann concertos, and there is another with the Bliss concerto and Liszt's Hungarian Fantasia.

Leinsdorf Special - Mozart, Schubert, Rachmaninoff and the Strausses

Erich Leinsdorf's early career is less remembered than his Boston Symphony tenure and his later spell as guest conductor at major orchestras. On this blog, I've looked at several of his neglected first recordings, all dating from 1946, near the end of his abbreviated Cleveland Orchestra residency. I also presented a Philadelphia disc where he accompanies pianist Ania Dorfmann.

In this post, I'll add a bit to the list of his Cleveland recordings available on this blog, while moving on to explore his 1952-54 discs with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

The appropriate links are at the end of each section. Note (July 2024): these have now been remastered in ambient stereo.

Music of the Strauss Family

Leinsdorf 's Cleveland recordings all were made from February 22-25, 1946, when his successor (George Szell) had already been appointed. Even so, those discs are full of interest, ranging from his own suite from Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande to Schumann's First Symphony and Rimsky-Korsakov's Antar.

Today we take up some of the shorter works explored in that series of sessions. These include a selection of music from the Strauss family: Johann Strauss, Sr.'s "Radetzky March," Strauss, Jr.'s "Thunder and Lightning Polka" and "Perpetuum Mobile," Joseph Strauss' "Music of the Spheres" waltz and Eduard's "Bahn Frei!" The latter is here titled the "Race Track Polka," and is presented in an arrangement by Peter Bodge that I believe was written for the Boston Pops.

This music is well suited to Leinsdorf's skills and personality. While his readings will not remind you of the approach of the Austrian Willy Boskovsky, their spirit and precision are delightful.

The "Music of the Spheres" waltz has appeared on the blog before, but I also included it here to keep the set together. These transfers all come from a Cleveland Orchestra promotional LP issued in the 1970s.

LINK to music of the Strauss family

Rachmaninoff - Symphonic Dances

Leinsdorf was the principal conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic from 1947 to 1955. His first recording with that ensemble was an excerpt from Wagner's Siegfried with Eileen Farrell and Set Svanholm. That came in 1949, but per A Classical Discography it wasn't until 1952 that there was a follow-up.

The second disc was one of unusual interest - the first recording of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. This late composition was written for the Philadelphia Orchestra, and premiered by that ensemble under Eugene Ormandy in 1941. Ormandy, however, reputedly did not care for the piece and didn't record it until 1960.

Responding to Leinsdorf's LP, critics were sharply divided about the work but not the performance. The New York Times found the composition to be "tired sounding, without any highlights to capture the mind" while The New Records said it "immediately gains the attention of the listener and holds it until the last measure." Today, many consider it one of Rachmaninoff's best works.

The reviews agreed that the Rochester performance was a fine one: well-played and tautly conducted, as was Leinsdorf's norm at this point in his career. It is an impressive achievement - Rochester had a very accomplished orchestra - and it still sounds well.

The LP came out on Columbia's full-price label, but all of Leinsdorf's subsequent Rochester recordings for the company were issued in budget lines.

LINK to Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances

Schubert - Symphony No. 8; Mozart - Symphony No. 40

Leinsdorf's next session in Rochester was in April 1953, where he taped three of the great works of the symphonic canon: Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, Mozart Symphony No. 40 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (the latter not included here).

The first two works were coupled on Columbia's relatively new Entré budget series. As with the Rachmaninoff recording above, Leinsdorf's reading was "alert, rhythmically alive, musically faithful [and] tonally satisfactory," per the American Record Guide, which added that "the Rochester Orchestra is just below the first rank and really far better than the most of the European orchestras we regularly encounter on LP recordings these days." It's hard to disagree. C.G. Burke in High Fidelity, while noting that Leinsdorf had been demoted to the low-price Entré label, added, "Nothing so exalted can be bought for so little as Columbia RL 3070."

This transfer comes from a circa 1957 budget reissue on Columbia's Harmony label. The label identifies the ensemble as the "Rochester Orchestra," but as far as I know it has always been called the Rochester Philharmonic.

LINK to Schubert Symphony No. 8 and Mozart Symphony No. 40

Mozart - Symphonies No. 41 and 35

Perhaps heartened by the response to the Schubert-Mozart pairing above, Leinsdorf programmed two additional Mozart symphonies for his March 1954 recording session in Rochester. Although the performances, to my ears, have the identical approach to the record above - forthright, emphatic and detailed - the critics were not as impressed.

Burke, while noting the conductor's "clear-eyed directness," insisted that, "Most of us prefer more perfume, and more deviations in this breeze" (whatever that may mean). To me, it is hard to not be impressed by Leinsdorf and the orchestra's passion and precision.

This is another recording issued initially on Entré, but transferred from a subsequent release on the Harmony label.

The Rochester recordings all were remastered from lossless needle-drops found on Internet Archive. The sound both from Rochester and Cleveland is quite good. The downloads include scans, photos and reviews.

LINK to Mozart Symphonies No. 41 and 35

Joseph and Lillian Fuchs in Mozart

As a follow-up to my recent post involving Joseph and Lillian Fuchs, here is a 1961 LP of the siblings in Mozart's sublime Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major, with a substantial bonus of Joseph in less-often-heard works.

Joseph and Lillian Fuchs

The album is presented under the aegis of "Musica Æterna," which I believe was a concert series at the Metropolitan Museum and Carnegie Hall led by conductor Frederic Waldman. On this LP, Waldman directs the Æterna Chamber Orchestra, which on its other recorded outings is usually called the Musica Æterna Orchestra.

Waldman has appeared on this blog before as conductor of a very early record devoted to Edgard Varèse, although I didn't even mention him in my comments, which seems thoughtless on my part. As I recall, Waldman's recorded output for US Decca was more conventional, by and large, but apparently the Musica Æterna concert programs were more adventurous.

Frederic Waldman

This present LP is a good one, although perhaps missing the exhilaration that marks the best performances. This may be accentuated because of the close recording. Regardless, the Fuchs duo displays a unanimity of phrasing that is its own source of wonder.

In addition to the Sinfonia Concertante, Joseph assays the Adagio in E Major and the Rondo in C Major. Both are impeccable performances.