From the Back Room: Böhm's Brahms 1

My recent post offering to present recordings I had prepared but never posted (Buster's Back Room) produced a variety of responses.

Several of you asked for one of my favorites - the conductor Karl Böhm - in a 1959 recording with the Berlin Philharmonic of Brahms Symphony No. 1. So here it is in my "From the Back Room" series. The transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my at times talky commentary may be abbreviated.

Karl Böhm

In this reading of Brahms' weighty Symphony No. 1, Böhm displays his usual careful balancing of the orchestral choirs, producing a performance of rare depth.

Here is what Martin Bookspan had to say in Stereo Review: "Bôhm gives us a solid. middle-European performance of Brahms’ granitic work. It is a reading of substance and dignity and is superbly well played by the orchestra and beautifully recorded by the engineers in both the mono and stereo editions. If I continue to prefer Klemperer's Angel recording (35481), it is because the octogenarian brings more of himself to his re-creation of the music. But I'd rate this new Bôhm version close behind that of Klemperer."

The sound from this original pressing is resonant but very good.

LINK

From the Back Room: Jane Powell at M-G-M

My recent post offering to present recordings I had prepared but never posted (Buster's Back Room) has so far produced a variety of choices.

I developed this 23-track tour of Jane Powell's career at M-G-M shortly after my post of her complete Verve recordings, but wondered if anyone would be interested. It turns out that quite a few of you do want to hear her, so here she is.

This selection is not comprehensive. For one thing, some of her film soundtracks have appeared on this site before, so are not included in this collection; links to those soundtracks are at the end.

For these "From the Back Room" items, the transfers, etc., are prepared with the usual care, but my gabby commentary may be abbreviated. In this case, not much abbreviated.

A Date with Judy

Elliott Ness, er, Robert Stack, Jane Powell, Elizabeth Taylor, Scotty Beckett

First we have four songs from the 1948 hit A Date with Judy, Judy being Powell, and her best friend being Elizabeth Taylor.

The film was notable for introducing "It's a Most Unusual Day," by Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh, which is irresistibly joyous in Jane's hands. As with all the songs from this film, it doesn't seem to have been issued commercially, so this comes from a soundtrack bootleg.

Also from this film is the oldie "Through the Years"; "Love Is Where You Find It," which M-G-M also allotted to Kathryn Grayson that year (in The Kissing Bandit); and "I'm Strictly on the Corny Side," by Alec Templeton of all people. The latter is a duet with Scotty Beckett.

Nancy Goes to Rio

Ann Sothern and Jane Powell

This one from 1950 involves Nancy (Jane) going to Rio, where she meets up with her mother (Ann Sothern) and encounters the usual misunderstandings and complications, which involve mother and daughter inadvertently competing for the same stage role.

All this enables Jane to sing "Magic Is the Moonlight," by María Grever with English lyrics by Charles Pasquale (a duet with Sothern); "Love Is Like This," music by Pixinguinha, English lyrics by Ray Gilbert; and "Musetta's Waltz" from Puccini's La bohème.

These all come from M-G-M singles.

Four Songs from The King and I

UK EP cover

Also in 1950, M-G-M records decided Powell would be a good match for the songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's new show The King and I. So she and arranger-conductor David Rose went to the studio to record "Something Wonderful," "We Kiss in a Shadow," "I Whistle a Happy Tune" and "Hello, Young Lovers." Magnificent songs, fine performances.

Probably at the same time, the label had Powell and Rose record "The Echo Song" by Earl Brent, a Hollywood songwriter. M-G-M may have bought or even used this work for a film project; it's not clear. The flip side of "The Echo Song" was "Paris" from the soundtrack of Rich, Young and Pretty. That LP can be found here, newly remastered.

Small Town Girl

Farley Granger, Jane Powell, Bobby Van

Small Town Girl from 1953 is best known for Bobby Van's jumping around town like a human pogo stick. Farley Granger is a big-town fellow who falls for Jane. Bobby Van is her other, somewhat reluctant suitor.

Powell sings "Small Towns Are Smile Towns" and "The Fellow I Follow," both by Nicholas Brodszky and Leo Robin. These were not, I believe, released commercially. The recordings come from a soundtrack bootleg.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

The score for 1954's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is well known, but I have included Powell's three songs because they are not often heard these days.

The numbers are "Wonderful, Wonderful Day, "When You're in Love" and "Go'in Co'tin'," the title of which has more apostrophes than words. The songs are by Johnny Mercer and Gene de Paul.

Deep in My Heart

Deep in My Heart: Jane Powell in organdy, Vic Damone in an ill-fitting suit

Deep in My Heart was a quasi-bio of composer Sigmund Romberg, and is almost enjoyable if you can stand Jose Ferrer. It comes from 1954.

Jane has two specialties. First, a duet with frequent partner Vic Damone, who begins with "The Road to Paradise," leading to the duet "Will You Remember (Sweetheart)," both from 1917 operetta Maytime, with lyrics by Rida Johnson Young.

Powell also sings "One Kiss," from Romberg's operetta The New Moon, with Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics.

Hit the Deck

"Chiribiribin": Vic Damone, Jane Powell, Tony Martin,
Kay Armen, Russ Tamblyn, Debbie Reynolds 

Hit the Deck hit the theaters at about the same time that Hollywood's interest in musicals hit the skids. It did have a tuneful score drawn largely from Vincent Youmans' catalogue.

We begin with "Sometimes I'm Happy," which is another duet for Jane and Vic Damone.

Then the musical ensemble gathers around the piano for a go at Pestalazza's "Chiribiribin" (here called "Chiribiribee"). Jane is in the ensemble; the wonderful Kay Armen takes the lead. I've included it because I enjoy the performance, especially Armen's contribution.

Jane takes the lead in "Why, O Why," then teams up with Damone for "I Know that You Know."

Addendum: reader RayK let me know that I left Jane's "Lucky Bird" out of this collection. I've now rectified this oversight. The new link is below.

That was all for Jane's career at M-G-M. Her Verve recordings were next.

* * *

This collection does not include Powell's first two films - Song of the Open Road and Delightfully Dangerous; nor does is encompass Athena, which soundtrack was released on Mercury and has appeared here previously, or 3 Sailors and a Girl, done on loan at Warner Bros., which has been posted here. And I previously mentioned Rich, Young and Pretty. These have all been remastered in ambient stereo fairly recently.

Finally, I haven't included the underrated score for Royal Wedding, which I had planned to make a separate post - and will still do so if anyone is interested. The transfer is done; the gabby commentary yet to come.

LINK to new file with "Lucky Bird"

Buster Emerges from the Back Room

Yes, I've come out of the Back Room (not without getting my head stuck in the doorway) with early results on my poll about recordings that I had transferred but not posted.

In short, almost every one was favored by one of you. There was a particular bias toward the vocalists - Sue Raney was the most popular, followed by Sarah Vaughan, Jane Powell, Anita Ellis and the GRR-EAT Thurl Ravenscroft.

Among the classics, the Böhm Brahms disc was favored along with the Bloch-Victor Herbert tandem.

Almost all the items I mentioned were chosen by at least one of you. I even received a nudge about something I promised a while back, and a few other requests. I will get around to all of these, bur can't provide a time frame.

I can say that the two classical items will appear relatively soon, along with Sue Raney and Jane Powell.

The reasons for this are pragmatic: the two classics cited, Powell and Raney are closer to completion. Vaughan and Ellis are multi-part series that will take a lot of time. My endless vocal compilations are killers because they require so much narrative.

But all will eventually make their way to the site. Just so you realize that your selection(s) may take some time! Even a quite a bit of time. I didn't reckon on the overwhelming response. And it's hard to run a blog with your head jammed in the doorway.

Thanks to all for your comments and enthusiasm! Very much appreciated.

Buster's Back Room

Over the 17 years this blog has been around, I've posted many hundreds of transfers and compilations. But I've also developed a habit of taking projects up to a certain point and then putting them aside or starting over. And then forgetting about them.

Case in point: years ago I began working on three compilations of all Sarah Vaughan's early recordings, everything she did until she joined Columbia. There are 56 such tracks. The problem is that the sound quality can be rough, so I've never been happy with them, despite three passes at the files. So there they sit.

Other times, I figured the interest in the certain recordings would be limited to me (i.e., the ocarina and vocal group The Foursome), or thought that the music is over-exposed (who needs more Mahler?) or I didn't feel like writing about the subject (composer Kay Swift).

On the chance that some of you might be interested in these projects, I've developed a list, which I present below. Leave me a comment if one appeals to you. I can't promise immediate service (I can be finicky about things), nor that I will write my usual elaborate commentary on the music, but I'll post 'em sooner or later. Assuming I don't forget.

• Anita Ellis - a comprehensive view of this fine vocalist's work in the 1940s - commercial recordings, transcriptions, film dubs, etc. In all, 42 tracks.

• Balakirev - Overture on Themes of Three Russian Songs, Music to King Lear - conducted by Ginzburg and Anosov on Melodiya

• Beecham conducts Delius - the complete 1946 Delius Festival recordings

• Bloch - Trois poèmes juifs conducted by Hendl and Herbert - Cello Concerto with Bernard Greenhouse, conducted by Schoenherr

• Bob Manning - his pre-Capitol recordings, dating from 1947-50

• Bobby Hackett on Commodore - his 1938 and 1944 recordings with Eddie Condon, Bud Freeman and the usual culprits

• Karl Böhm conducts Brahms Symphony No. 1. A 1959 recording with the Berlin Philharmonic.

• Buddy Clark - Lucky Strike and Associated Transcriptions from 1938-41

• Charles LaVere's Chicago Loopers - the 1944-50 Jump recordings with Billy May, Joe Venuti and the gang

• Charlie Cochran - Presenting Charlie Cochran. An excellent 1963 LP by the cabaret singer.

• Czech music - Slavický - Moravian Dance Fantasies, Janáček - Lachian Dances, Bakala and Ančerl conduct

• Eleanor Steber - Songs at Eventide with Howard Barlow

• Gloria Wood - various 1940s and 50s singles from this fine vocalist

• Jane Powell at M-G-M - 23 tracks spanning her career with the legendary studio.

• Kay Swift - her complete oeuvre on record

• Mahler - Symphony No. 1 in the original version (conducted by Wyn Morris) and the revision (conducted by Jascha Horenstein)

• Martinon conducts Debussy - Noctures and Prélude a l'après-midi d'un faune, with the ORTF from 1973

• Marty Paich - two LPs: Jazz Studio 2 from Hollywood and The Marty Paich Octet

• Private Hell No. 36 - Leith Stevens' score to the 1954 film noir

• Robert Shaw - Mozart Requiem

• Sarah Vaughan - Her complete early recordings, pre-Columbia = 56 tracks

• Sue Raney - An expanded version of the previously posted collection of her Capitol singles, now complete at 23 songs. Also, two sets of transcriptions from The Navy Swings and Treasury Dept. Guest Star programs.

• Ted Straeter's New York - the 1955 Atlantic LP by the cabaret singer-pianist

• The Foursome - the singing ocarina players in their semi-complete recordings with Bing, Dick Powell and others. 22 tracks.

• They All Sang (and Played) Willard Robison - 55 selections as presented by bands, vocalists, country artists and others

• Thurl Ravenscroft - 25 songs from the 1950s by the famous studio bass, voice of Tony the Tiger, etc.

• Tommy Wolf - the two LPs released by the singer-pianist who wrote many fine songs, largely with lyricist Fran Landesman

There are quite a few more, but this will give you some idea.

Music from Hogwood's Transformative 'Messiah'

Recently we've explored a few historically informed recordings of Beethoven and Berlioz as directed by Roger Norrington in the late 1980s.

About a decade before, another English conductor, Christopher Hogwood (1941-2014) began recording baroque music with original-instrument ensembles, to similar acclaim.

Handel with his Messiah manuscript, detail from a 1756 portrait by Thomas Hudson

Today we have (to my ears) one of his best recordings, Handel's Messiah, here in excepted form. (Sorry, I did not acquire the complete recording due to my relative poverty 45 years ago.)

Here is what Barry Millington had to say about Hogwood's impact, in his Guardian obituary: "At its height in the 1980s, the early music revival was regarded by many as virtually synonymous with the Academy of Ancient Music and Christopher Hogwood, who has died at the age of 73. 

"Established in 1973 with instruments of the baroque period, under Hogwood's direction the AAM examined aspects of historical performance practice with scholarly rigour, paving the way for the achievements of other contemporaries such as Roger Norrington, John Eliot Gardiner and Trevor Pinnock."

This particular recording has always struck me as being emblematic of the conductor's achievements, and (to some) its weaknesses. At the time I was hugely impressed by this and other baroque choral works for their liberating transparency, which helped the music come alive.

Christopher Hogwood

The critic Stanley Sadie presents a traditionalist's view in his Gramophone review: "Those who still hear Messiah in terms of the Crystal Palace or 'Hudderspool' traditions will find it lightweight, perhaps perfunctory, and certainly not the kind of grand, large-scale, corporate uplifting experience that is offered by old-style performances. But this, or something very close to it, is the work that Handel had in his mind's ear. My own guess is that some of his own tempos would have been marginally slower, and that his solo singers might have been a little more forthcoming; there may be a tendency here to carry some of the arguments slightly too far."

Kenneth Cooper, likewise, in his High Fidelity review, while praising Hogwood's attempt to reconstruct correct performance practices, was critical of what he felt had been lost: "Never missing until now ... was the belief in the text, or at least the attempt to convey the depth of its implications. Sargent's 'Hallelujah Chorus,' however leaden, was always a celebration of celebrations; Bernstein's 'Wonderful,' while a little brash, was a taste - a sense - a chill; and the late Margaret Ritchie (in Scherchen's set) knew that her Redeemer lived. Messiah was not just another baroque vocal (or instrumental) work - no one until recently was concerned whether it was baroque or not - it was a moving spiritual drama."

Paul Elliott, Judith Nelson
Carolyn Watkinson, David Thomas

To me, the sheer beauty of the singing and playing herein more than makes up for this. The soloists are among the finest of the day: principally soprano Judith Nelson, contralto Carolyn Watkinson, tenor Paul Elliott, and bass David Thomas.

What is the current view of this performance? To one critic, Gramophone's David Vickers, it does well. This was his 2022 verdict: "The soundscape, musical text and aesthetic world of Messiah were transformed when Christopher Hogwood directed his own independent artistic vision of the oratorio with the Academy of Ancient Music, based closely on the 1754 Foundling Hospital performances. The first recording to use period instruments, the shock of over-familiar music sounding new again while striving to recapture the composer’s expectations and practices was achieved by the textures, timbres and musicianship of the AAM’s large band, the agility and precision of the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, radically fresh-voiced (and largely vibrato-free) soloists and tempos that took Handel’s rubrics more seriously than comfortable tradition had dictated."

He summed up his survey of the various recordings as follows: "No single interpretation offers the best of all possible worlds. Hogwood’s endeavour to make the over-familiar seem brand-new still stands out."

This transfer is from the original vinyl pressing, which has superb sound. The download includes both the LP booklet and the subsequent CD booklet, which is much more extensive.

LINK

The Early Sylvia Syms, Vol. 3

Following her spells at Atlantic and the small Version label, vocalist Sylvia Syms moved up to a major - Decca, where she would spend four years producing LPs and singles, along with a few guest appearances. Today we will present her first Decca LP (from 1955), arranged by the estimable Ralph Burns, her two guest vocals on Steve Allen albums (from 1954), and - on my other blog - her complete singles from 1956. These posts encompass all her 1954-56 recordings - 21 songs in all.

The biggest collection of tunes is on the LP, so let's start there.

Sylvia Syms Sings

The labels could not help themselves when naming Sylvia's LPs - Atlantic came out with Songs by Sylvia Syms and Decca with Sylvia Syms Sings. Alliteration must have been big back then.

But the important point is not the name on the package, it's the music, and that's excellent. Arranger Ralph Burns had made his name with the Woody Herman band, and was in demand for records until switching over to Broadway in the 1960s and then Hollywood. Burns has been featured on this blog previously backing Teddi King, Lee Wiley, Portia Nelson, the Anita Kerr Singers and Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. For this LP, Burns and Syms came together for three recording dates in August 1955.

Ralph Burns

Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin wrote the brilliant song "My Ship" for the 1941 musical Lady in the Dark. Burns' pastoral arrangement is lovely, even enchanting, but there's nothing here - or in Syms' singing - to signify the neuroses that marked Liza Elliott, the "lady in the dark." Sylvia and Ralph also are of two minds about the pacing.

She seem happier with Burns' harp and flutes in "Then I'll Be Tired of You," another airy arrangement of a fine Arthur Schwartz-Yip Harburg song dating from 1934.

"I Am the Girl" is just perfect, from the devastating verse through the rueful heartbreak that permeates the song. This LP apparently was the first recording of the James Shelton song.

Shelton's other relatively well-known song is "Lilac Wine" - which "makes me see what I want to see; be who I want to be." It's another futile love song, which Sylvia did exceptionally well. I believe this number was first recorded by Eartha Kitt.

"I Don't Want to Cry Any More" is another tale of lost love, handled brilliantly here. It's a great song, composed by the multi-talented film director Victor Schertzinger in 1940.

In later years: Kaye Ballard, Mabel Mercer, Sylvia Syms, Tony Bennett

Vernon Duke and John Latouche were the authors of the sly "Honey in the Honeycomb," which they produced for 1940's Cabin in the Sky, where it was sung on Broadway by Katherine Dunham.

Victor Young and Ned Washington wrote "A Woman's Intuition," possibly for Lee Wiley. (It in the Columbia collection I posted a while back.) These are all superior artists, but the song doesn't amount to much.

Cole Porter wrote the characteristic "Experiment" in 1933 for Nymph Errant. "Be curious, though interfering friends may frown / Get furious, at each attempt to hold you down."

"Let Me Love You" is one of Bart Howard's best-known songs (although overshadowed by the success of "Fly Me to the Moon"). Syms does it well. The song also in on the extensive collection of Howard's songs taken from Portia Nelson's albums, which can be found here.

Harry Woods' "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye" was a hit in the 1930s - there's a memorable Boswell Sisters recording, for one. Sylvia doesn't quite have the elan of the sisters, but that may be because the tempo is slower than it should be.

"I'm So Happy I Could Cry" was the handiwork of comic Milton Berle (it says here) and pianist Nat Jaffe, with lyrics by Buddy Feyne, who also wrote lyrics for "Tuxedo Junction" and "Jersey Bounce." It's not a bad song, but Syms doesn't sound convinced.

The final song is that great Arlen-Harburg effort, "Down with Love." Sylvia sings the verse, which I don't think I've heard before. She's is in tune with the number, but the beat in her voice is noticeable here.

It may be worth noting that when this LP was released, Decca also came out with Ella Fitzgerald's Sweet and Hot, Jeri Southern's In the Southern Style and Carmen McRae's By Special Request. Tough competition for Syms on her own label!

Two Songs with Steve Allen and Friends

The comic-pianist-songwriter Steve Allen issued two LPs with traditional jazz bands in 1954, recorded live at New York's Manhattan Center. Sylvia fits in well with the two groups - she could be brash and brassy as required. 

She performs one tune with the Lawson-Haggart Jazz Band, the other with a Billy Butterfield band.

With the former aggregation, she sings "Love Me or Leave Me," the Walter Donaldson-Gus Kahn song from 1928, written for Ruth Etting. It's good, but the real attraction is the second song - Sylvia's own composition, "The Only Man Blues," which she handles with great panache.

These songs came out on two LPs - Steve Allen's All Star Jazz Concert, Vol. 1 and 2 - which otherwise contain instrumental numbers that are not included here. The bands sound under rehearsed, but Syms seemed to like appearing with this type of backing - also true, for example, of Lee Wiley.

LINK to Sylvia Syms Sings and two songs with Steve Allen et al (corrected link)

The Complete 1956 Singles

As mentioned, in 1954, Sylvia recorded two songs with Steve Allen and in 1955 the LP Sylvia Syms Sings. For 1956, Decca had her record seven songs for release on singles, which I have collected on my other blog. Fortunately for Syms, her first single was a big chart hit - her take on "I Could Have Danced All Night."

Here's a link to that post:

LINK to the complete 1956 singles

Furtwängler Returns with Schumann and Beethoven

The great conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler has more fans among Big 10 readers than I would have suspected. So to follow up on my recent post of him leading Beethoven, here he is with more from that composer, along with two works by Robert Schumann.

The recordings are with the Berlin Philharmonic (unless otherwise stated) and date from 1947-53.

Before we get to the music, why does Furtwängler hold our attention even today? Here is critic Andrew Porter following the conductor's death:

"[H]e played Beethoven's symphonies, and Brahms's and all music for that matter, as if he were playing them for the first time, the only time. A lifetime’s study and the full concentration of the man was going into this one, particular performance.

"More than any other conductor he loved Klangschönheit [sonority], and delighted in sheer beauty of tone; and he ensured with loving rehearsal an intimate balance of orchestral detail. Perhaps there was a lack of driving rhythmic impulse in long movements: but it arose less from preoccupation with passing beauties than as a result of large-scale mountings of tension."

Porter's testimonial, which appeared in The Gramophone, is included in the download.

Schumann - Manfred Overture

If this cover looks familiar, it's because I included one of the works therein on my first survey of Furtwängler's art - Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2. I had a request for the other item - Schumann's Manfred Overture, so here it is. A different recording of Leonore No. 2 is also in this set. 

The Manfred overture is heard much more often than the other pieces of incidental music that the composer wrote that were inspired by Lord Byron's 1817 poem. It's a splendid piece - don't be put off by the ragged opening here; the performance proves worthy of the work. The recording is from 1951.

Schumann - Symphony No. 4

Schumann's final symphony, written in 1841, was revised for publication a decade later, five years before his death. The work exists in two versions - the original and the later version. Brahms himself had the original published, much to Clara Schumann's displeasure. I believe this recording uses the later version.

I love Schumann's symphonies; this is a grand performance of No. 4. The 1953 sound is particularly good.

Beethoven - Egmont Overture; Leonore Overture No. 2

Similar to Manfred, Beethoven's Egmont Overture is the first item in a set of incidental music, in this case written for a 1787 play by Goethe. The composer premiered the work in 1810. It extols the 16th-century nobleman Lamoral, Count of Egmont from the Low Countries, who was condemned to death for resisting oppression.

The stirring composition is one of Beethoven's greatest and most popular. Furtwängler's performance with the Berlin Philharmonic dates from 1947.

The curious case of Beethoven's four overtures for his opera Fidelio (earlier titled Leonore) was explained in my first post devoted to this conductor. This is a different recording from the one discussed there. That was a 1954 recording; this one comes from 1949. It's not clear why the conductor remade the piece so quickly, although the reason might simply be that they were done for two different companies (Electrola vs. Deutsche Grammophon).

It remains to be said that Furtwängler's live performances are generally considered to be superior to his studio efforts. I don't find that to be the case, but it is a common opinion.

Furtwängler had an unusual conducting style (which probably had something to do with the imprecise opening of Manfred noted above). You can see it in a 1950 film of him leading Strauss' Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche - not my favorite music, but indicative of the eminent conductor in front of an orchestra.

Hope you enjoy this latest taste of the conductor's artistry - not to mention that of Schumann and Beethoven.

LINK