EMI“二十世纪伟大指挥家”唱片目录（2）

EMI“二十世纪伟大指挥家”唱片目录（2）

THE RECORDINGS

The 1962 Danish Radio broadcast of Hindemith's Mathis de Maler Symphony, one of Monteux's favourite 20th-century scores, is a rare example of this conductor caught live and is an important addition to his discography. The Hamburg studio recordings (of Beethoven and Wagner), also from the early 1960s, have not appeared on CD before. Monteux's close links with the world of dance (not least through his association with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes) are reflected here in a superb 1957 recording with the London Symphony Orchestra (of which he later became principal conductor) of substantial extracts from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. Finally, the compilation acknowledges Monteux's reputation as a superb interpreter of the music of his native France and does so with the classic 1955 Boston recording of Debussy's Trois Nocturnes and Rouget de Lisle's La Marsellaise, taken from a 1962 rehearsal with the LSO. 

THE RECORDINGS

The rarities in this lively anthology include, pre-eminently, Stokowski's live performance of Nielsen's Second Symphony, given in the composer's native city when the 85-year-old conductor visited Copenhagen in 1967. This recording is released internationally for the first time. Throughout Stokowski's long career, another Scandinavian composer, Sibelius, was an abiding passion. The conductor premiered the last three of the composer's symphonies in the US. He first performed the First Symphony in 1910 in Cincinnati in his late 20s, but the astonishingly vigorous and deeply felt performance included here was recorded in London in 1976, when the conductor was nearly 95. In 1950, Stokowski asked the composer Percy Grainger to make special orchestral arrangements of a number of his most famous compositions and recorded them with Grainger himself as pianist. These 'Versions for Stokowski' are issued here for the first time on CD. The recordings of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.1, a notable addition to the conductor's discography, and Glière's invigorating Russian Sailors' Dance are also new to CD. Elsewhere, Stokowski's wizardry is brought to bear on colourful scores by Dukas, Ibert and Turina and in his own arrangement of the 'love music' from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. 

THE RECORDINGS

This compilation includes two live broadcasts, made with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1954, of Dvorák's The Water Goblin and of Mozart's Symphony No.33 (a favourite of the conductor), which are even more impressive than Talich's studio recordings and therefore of particular interest and importance. Talich was chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic between 1919-1931 and 1933-1941, when he established the orchestra's world-class status, and he returned as guest conductor in 1952 until 1954, during which period he recorded all the works heard in this compilation. The Benda Symphony and Smetana's Prague Carnival are extremely rare and appear here for the first time on CD. The extract from Tchaikovsky's Mozartiana Suite gives the collector the opportunity to hear a 1951 recording made by Talich's 'other' orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic, which he founded in 1949 when in political exile in Bratislava. 

All these rare recordings, with the exception of a stunning Theme & Variations from Tchaikovsky's Suite No.3, are issued on CD for the first time. With the exception of Walton's 'Portsmouth Point', the repertoire is non-British and accurately reflects Boult's wide musical sympathies

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75459 2 (2CD) 

CD1 [73.45] 

Berlioz: Overture 'Rob Roy'
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Walthamstow Town Hall, London; August 1956

Franck: Symphony in D minor
London Orchestra Society; Watford Town Hall, London; June 1959

Tchaikovsky: Theme & Variations (Suite No.3 in G, Op.55); June 1974

Walton: Overture 'Portsmouth Point'; July 1967 
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Abbey Road Studios, London1


CD2 [75.35]

Beethoven: Overture 'Coriolan', Op.62
New Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London; September 1970

Schumann: Symphony No.4 in D minor, Op.120
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Walthamstow Town Hall; August 1956 

Wolf: Italian Serenade
Philharmonia Orchestra; Walthamstow Town Hall; January 1957

Schubert: Symphony No.4 in C minor, D417 'Tragic'
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Wembley Town Hall, London; February 1959

Sibelius: Prelude ('The Tempest')
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Walthamstow Town Hall; September 1956



THE BIOGRAPHY - SIR ADRIAN BOULT (1889-1983) 

'In musical and general education the conductor must be unusually well equipped. He must have a great deal of musical knowledge; and I don't just mean of orchestral scores. He must also have a working knowledge of all instruments with which he is to come in contact, including the human voice.' Sir Adrian Boult (1889-1983) spoke these words in a broadcast talk in February 1947. As a performer he exemplified the supreme professional. With a baton technique second to none, Boult's greatest achievement was the formation of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1930 and its subsequent development into a world-class ensemble by the end of that decade. The sheer range of music played during his time with the BBC remains extraordinary, including many world and British premieres. Unceremoniously dumped by the BBC at the mandatory retiring age of 60, Sir Adrian then worked with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1950s. For the last 30 years of his life he served as a guest conductor, except for a single year in Birmingham. Boult was knighted in 1937 and made a Companion of Honour in 1969. He retired in 1979.


THE RECORDINGS

Though Boult was renowned as an interpreter of British music, this compilation focuses on the breadth of his repertory and the mastery with which he interpreted such a wide range of music. With the sole exception of the Tchaikovsky, all the works reissued here are new to CD and most have become rarities. Collectors may remember the first appearance on LP, in the late 1950s, of the Berlioz, Sibelius, Franck, Hugo Wolf and Schubert, and will surely welcome them to the CD catalogue. Those who have not encountered them before, will find here a treasure-trove of great music-making, not least in the interpretations of Franck's D minor and Schubert's 'Tragic' Symphonies, Boult's only recordings of these two masterworks. The later recordings (from a gramophone career that lasted for nearly 60 years) are of overtures by Walton ('Portsmouth Point', of which Boult made the first ever recording in 1936) and Beethoven ('Coriolan', which was originally coupled with Josek Suk's account of the Violin Concerto).

This compilation of newly remastered recordings affords the opportunity for a major reassessment of a distinguished British conductor (and a notable Wagnerian), whose career flourished in the 1920s and 1930s 

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75462 2 (2 CD) 

CD1 [73.45] 

Weber: Overture 'Oberon'; October 1926

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No.1, S514; October 1930

Borodin: Symphony No. 2 in B minor; November 1929

Rimsky-Korsakov: Procession of the Nobles ('Mlada'); October 1930 

Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Op.32; October 1930

Mussorgsky: Gopak ('Sorochintsy Fair'); October 1929
London Symphony Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London 

Ravel: La Valse
London Symphony Orchestra; Queen's Hall, London; March 1926 


CD2 [78.48]

Wagner: Overture 'Tannhäuser'; Kingsway Hall; September 1926

Wagner: Entry of the Gods ('Das Rheingold'); Queen's Hall; January 1926

Wagner: Magic Fire Music ('Die Walküre'); Queen's Hall; January 1926

Wagner: Siegfried's Rhine Journey ('Götterdämmerung'); Queen's Hall; January 1926
London Symphony Orchestra

Wagner: Love Duet ('Tristan und Isolde', Act 2)
Frida Leider & Lauritz Melchior
Orchester der Berliner Staatsoper; Berlin; September 1929
& London Symphony Orchestra; Kingsway Hall; May 1929

Humperdinck: Prelude ('Hänsel und Gretel'); Kingsway Hall; October 1926

Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung, Op.24; Kingsway Hall; October 1928
London Symphony Orchestra 



THE BIOGRAPHY - ALBERT COATES 

Albert Coates was born in St Petersburg in April 1882. He learned the violin, cello and piano as a child, and, at the age of 12, went to England. After studying science at Liverpool University he returned to Russia, where he studied composition with Rimsky-Korsakov. He was appointed répétiteur to Arthur Nikisch at the Leipzig Opera, making his debut in 1904 in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann. He became conductor at the Elberfeld Opera in 1906, worked under Ernst von Schuch at Dresden in 1907-8, with Artur Bodanzky at Mannheim in 1909, and, from 1910, with Eduard Nápravník at the Imperial Opera in St Petersburg. Returning to the UK in 1919, he headed the London Symphony Orchestra (1919-21), the Eastman Rochester Symphony Orchestra (1923-5), and made regular appearances in many of the world's leading musical centres until 1939. Having spent most of the Second World War in the USA, he then went to live in South Africa, where he taught and made occasional appearances until his death in 1953.


THE RECORDINGS

All the recordings featured in this fascinating survey of the work of an almost forgotten but masterly British conductor have been remastered either from the original metal parts (where they have survived) or from high-quality 78 pressings made for the American Victor Company. These new remasterings, using the latest technology, far outclass previous attempts to reproduce Albert Coates's early electrical recordings on CD. The compilation centres on Coates's flair in Russian repertoire and also confirms his reputation as a great Wagner conductor. The Tristan and Isolde of the day, Lauritz Melchior and Frida Leider, join him in the opera's Act 2 love duet, the first section recorded in Berlin (a rare venture for Coates, whose recordings feature almost exclusively the London Symphony Orchestra) and the concluding part in London. Coates was also a pioneer of modern music, as this recording, made in 1926, of Ravel's La Valse (its composition completed only six years earlier) testifies.

This compilation includes three important live recordings and a number of late 1950s studio recordings, not previously available on CD, and features three of the orchestras with which this great Italian maestro was most closely associated 

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75465 2 (2 CD) 


CD1 [76.44] 

Rossini: Overture 'Tancredi'
Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London; April 1964 

Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A, Op.92
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Medinah Temple, Chicago; March 1971 

Ravel: Ma Mère l’oye – Suite
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Herkulessaal, Munich; January 1979 (Live) 

Bizet: Jeux d'enfants – Suite
Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall; October 1956 


CD2 [75.20]

Beethoven: Overture 'Egmont', Op.84
Orchestra sinfonica di Torino della RAI; Auditorium di Torino della RAI, Turin;
January 1968 (Live) 

Schumann: Symphony No.3 in E flat, Op.97 'Rhenish' (re-orch. Mahler)
Philharmonia Orchestra; Abbey Road Studios, London; June 1958 

Stravinsky: The Firebird - Suite (1919)
Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall; October 1956 

Wagner: Siegfried's Rhine Journey ('Götterdämmerung'); Queen's Hall; January 1926
London Symphony Orchestra

Johann Strauss: Kaiser-Walzer, Op.437
Wiener Symphoniker; ORF TV Studios, Vienna; April 1974 (Live)


THE BIOGRAPHY - CARLO MARIA GIULINI (born 1914) 

Carlo Maria Giulini was born in the small southern Italian town of Barletta in 1914 but his family moved to Bolzano five years later. The Tyrolean town's mix of Austrian and Italian cultural influences had also been appreciated by Mahler – a precedent with which Giulini was familiar and which possibly helped to make him such a memorable, if selective, conductor of that composer. From 1930 he studied at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and made his conducting debut with the Augusteo Orchestra in 1944. He made some recordings with them for Cetra but his first one of note was Cherubini's C minor Requiem at Walter Legge's behest. Many recordings with the Philharmonia followed, even after Legge disbanded the orchestra. Having made his US debut with the Chicago Symphony in 1955, he became the orchestra's principal guest conductor in 1969. A contract to Deutsche Grammophon in 1977 prefaced by a year his move to Los Angeles, where he was conductor until his wife's ill health forced them to move back to Italy in 1984. His concert and recording activity declined correspondingly, though he almost completed a Beethoven symphony cycle, for Sony, in the early 1990s. He retired from conducting internationally later in the decade.


THE RECORDINGS

The great Italian maestro, now in his late eighties, lives in retirement in Milan, close to La Scala, the opera house where he was principal conductor in the early 1950s. This compilation features a number of other musical institutions with which Giulini is closely associated: the Philharmonia Orchestra, Italian Radio (where he was music director at the start of his career), and the Chicago and Vienna Symphony Orchestras (with which he held conducting posts between 1969 and 1976). Of the many recordings he made in London in the 1950s and 1960s with Walter Legge's Philharmonia, the Bizet, Schumann (Mahler's re-orchestration of the 'Rhenish' Symphony, much sought after by collectors) and Stravinsky are appearing here for the first time on CD. The three broadcasts are of Ravel's Ma Mère l'oye Suite, a Giulini favourite which he recorded three times in the studio, Beethoven's Egmont Overture in a fiery Italian Radio performance, and, as an addition to the conductor's discography, a 1974 Austrian Radio recording of the Emperor Waltz by Johann Strauss, whose music Giulini never recorded commercially.

To complement the large number of Klemperer's commercial recordings already available, this compilation concentrates on important radio broadcasts made in Berlin, Cologne and Munich during the 1950s, when the great German-born conductor was at the height of his powers

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75468 2 (2 CD) 

CD1 [75.15] 

Mozart: Symphony No.38 in D, K504 'Prague'
RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem; December 1950

Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op.28
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester; Studio No.1, WDR, Cologne; October 1954 

Stravinsky: Pulcinella - Suite (1947)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Herkulessaal, Munich;
September 1957 (Live)

Weill: Kleine Dreigroschenmusik - excerpts
Orchester der Berliner Staatsoper; Berlin; 1931 


CD2 [77.00]

Mozart: Symphony No.25 in G minor, K183
RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Jesus-Christus-Kirche; December 1950

Beethoven: Symphony No.2 in D, Op.36
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Hochschule für Musik, Berlin; March 1958 (Live) 

Janárek: Sinfonietta
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester; Studio No.1, WDR; February 1956 

THE BIOGRAPHY - OTTO KLEMPERER (1885-1973)

The German conductor Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) was born in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland). He studied at the Frankfurt Conservatory, then at Berlin's Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory, where he took lessons in composition and conducting from Pfitzner, making his debut in Berlin in 1906 with Offenbach's Orphée aux enfers. On Mahler's recommendation he became chorus master then conductor at Prague's German Theatre (1907-10); between 1910 and 1917 he worked at the opera houses of Hamburg, Bremen and Strasbourg; he was musical director at Cologne (1917-24), Wiesbaden (1924-7) and Berlin's Kroll Opera (1927–31), but left Germany in 1933, eventually settling in the USA, where he became conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1933-9). After a brain tumour operation in 1939 his career faltered until he became director of the Hungarian State Opera (1947-50). In the 1950s and 60s he achieved great success, largely through his association with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and his recordings for EMI. In 1959 he was appointed the Philharmonia's 'conductor for life'. His last concert was in September 1971.


THE RECORDINGS

In this important collection of radio recordings from the 1950s, the Cologne performance of Janárek's Sinfonietta is a major addition to the Klemperer discography. The conductor gave the US premiere of the Sinfonietta and knew the composer, but until now his interpretation of the work has not been available on disc. The live broadcasts from Berlin (Beethoven's Second Symphony) and Munich (Stravinsky's Pulcinella) and the Cologne recording of Till Eulenspiegel are also new to the catalogue. The Mozart symphonies, newly remastered from the original RIAS tapes, receive their first official release. The compilation is completed by extracts from the first recording of a work Klemperer himself commissioned from the composer: Kleine Dreigroschenmusik (a reworking for wind orchestra of numbers from Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera). It is significant that the four modern masters (Janá_ek, Strauss, Stravinsky and Weill) whose music makes a substantial contribution to this collection were all known personally to Klemperer.

This collection of works from the mainstream Romantic repertoire features the inspired and inspiring Polish-Swiss conductor Paul Kletzki and focuses on his studio recordings from the 1950s and two outstanding and passionate live performances from the 1960s

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75471 2 (2 CD)

CD1 [75.37] 

Berlioz: Overture ‘Benvenuto Cellini’
Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London; September 1951

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Herkulessaal, Munich; May 1967 (Live)

Schubert: 'Rosamunde' - Entr'acte after Act 3
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Kingsway Hall; October 1958

Dvorák: Slavonic Dances, Op.46 Nos.6 & 7 & Op.72 No.7
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française; French Radio Studios, Paris; July 1961 


CD2 [72.10]

Mendelssohn: Overture 'Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage', Op.27
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Tel Aviv; May 1954

Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op.98
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Rudolfinum, Prague; December 1965 (Live) 

Wagner: Träume (Wesendonck-Lieder No.5) (orch. Wagner)
Hugh Bean & Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall; August & September 1958 


Tchaikovsky: Capriccio italien, Op.45
Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall; September 1958

THE BIOGRAPHY - PAUL KLETZKI (1900-1973) 

The Polish-Swiss conductor Paul Kletzki was born in Lódz on 21 March 1900 and was educated at the Warsaw Conservatory and University and at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. Early influences were Emil Mlynarski, Arnold Schoenberg and Wilhelm Furtwängler. After successes as both composer and conductor, he left Berlin for Italy in 1934 and in 1939 settled in Switzerland. Concerts at the Lucerne Festival (1943-46) and La Scala (1946) laid the foundation for his post-war fame. He was among the first conductors of the Philharmonia in London and developed important links with the Israel, Warsaw and Czech Philharmonics. He held posts with the Liverpool Philharmonic (1954-5), the Dallas SO (1958-61), the Berne SO (1964-6) and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (1967-70). He died in Liverpool on 5 March 1973.


THE RECORDINGS

Kletzki's outstanding live performance with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra of Brahms's Symphony No.4 (a work he did not record commercially) is an important addition to the conductor's discography. His live Munich performance of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony from 1967 gives the collector the opportunity to hear Kletzki's magnificent interpretation of a work he recorded commercially only once, in 1946 at the start of his recording career. The overtures by Berlioz and Mendelssohn are new to CD, as is Wagner's orchestration of the fifth of his Wesendock songs, a real rarity, dating from 1958 and featuring the Philharmonia's leader, Hugh Bean. Kletzki's 1961 selection of Dvo_ák's Slavonic Dances, long unavailable, also appears on CD for the first time. The compilation is completed by the stereo remake from 1958 of Tchaikovsky's Capriccio italien, even more impressive than the excellent mono recording made in 1950.

This compilation features a much-loved maestro and includes many rare recordings, not previously issued on CD, amongst them Martin_'s Symphony No.6, a work dedicated to and premiered by Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75480 2 (2 CD)

CD1 [77.23] 

Saint-Saëns: Overture 'La Princesse jaune'
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Hall, Boston; January 1951 

Beethoven: Symphony No.9 in D minor, Op.125 'Choral' 
Leontyne Price, Maureen Forrester, David Poleri & Giorgio Tozzi
New England Conservatory Chorus & Boston Symphony Orchestra;
Symphony Hall, Boston; December 1958

Berlioz: Overture 'Le Corsaire', Op.21 
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Maison de la Mutualité, Paris; May 1948) 


CD2 [79.04]

Mendelssohn: Octet in E flat minor, Op.20 - Scherzo (orch. Mendelssohn)
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Hall, Boston; March 1960 

Bizet: Symphony in C
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française; French Radio Studios, Paris; November 1966 

Martin_: Symphony No.6 'Fantaisies symphoniques'; April 1956

Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet - Suites 1 & 2 - excerpts; February 1957
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Hall, Boston

THE BIOGRAPHY - CHARLES MUNCH (1891-1968) 

For Charles Munch (1891-1968) music was music, whatever its country or century of origin. Though he was esteemed particularly as a conductor of French repertoire, his programmes – whether in his early conducting career in France, or in his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1949-62) – were wide-ranging. Besides many French works, his pre-Boston recordings – mainly with the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, but a few also with the London Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam and the New York Philharmonic – included music by Beethoven, Bloch, Borodin, Brahms, Haydn, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schumann, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi. When he toured with the BSO, Beethoven's 'Eroica' and Brahms's Second Symphony ranked alongside Ravel and Honegger as his repertoire favourites.


THE RECORDINGS

Throughout his conducting career, Charles Munch eagerly promoted new music as one of the many rare recordings included here demonstrates. Martin_ wrote his Sixth Symphony for Munch and the Boston Symphony on the occasion of the Orchestra's 75th anniversary in 1955. This premiere recording, made in 1956, has not been available on CD before. The other recordings from Boston (where Munch was music director from 1949 to 1962) are also new to the CD catalogue, except the exciting 1958 account of Beethoven's Choral Symphony, which here receives its first fully international CD release and in a new remastering. Munch, who was Alsatian-born, became a French citizen in 1920 and, throughout his career, was closely associated with the music and musical institutions of his adopted country. The recording of the Berlioz overture was made in Paris in 1948 with the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, which Munch conducted from 1938 to 1946 and which he transformed into the Orchestre de Paris at the end of his life. Collectors will be keen to have Munch's 1966 French Radio recording of Bizet's youthful and scintillating Symphony, in which the conductor restores the cuts that mar his live Boston broadcast of 1964. 

EMI“二十世纪伟大指挥家”唱片目录（1）

今年2月，EMI唱片公司的新唱片系列——“二十世纪伟大指挥家”正式推出。第一批唱片已经面市，包括了奥曼迪、安塞美等15位大师。

“二十世纪伟大指挥家”计划出版60套合共120张CD。这次EMI打破公司界限，不但从自己的仓库里面拿出艺术家们的录音，还从DECCA、Philips、DGG、SONY、RCA、Supraphone等公司租借录音，并从德国、丹麦、加拿大、捷克、日本等国家的广播电台取得一大批录音资料。

这套唱片中的很多录音以前未出版过CD，有的甚至连LP都没有出版过。每一专集中都有稀有的、珍贵的录音出现。制作方面，EMI放弃了其专利再版技术ART，而采用SBM技术。另外，每辑唱片里面，都附有指挥家的简历、照片和评论文章。

二十世纪伟大指挥家唱片目录：

Recordings from Prague and Vienna never issued on CD before plus a stunning stereo Dvorák 8 caught live in 1970 with the Concertgebouw Orchestra

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75091 2 (2CD)

 CD1 [76:37]

Shostakovich: Festive Overture

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Rudolfinum, Prague; April 1964

Novák: In the Tatra Mountains

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Domovina, Prague; December 1950

Krejcí: Serenade for Orchestra

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Rudolfinum, Prague; October 1957

Janácek: Taras Bulba

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Rudolfinum, Prague; May 1961

Mácha: Variations on a Theme by and on the Death of Jan Rychlík

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Rudolfinum, Prague; June 1968

CD2 [78:58]

Smetana: The Moldau (Vltava)

Wiener Symphoniker; Musikverein, Vienna; February 1958

Dvorák: Symphony No.8

Concertgebouw Orchestra; Concertgebouw, Amsterdam (Live); January 1970

Martinu: Symphony No.5

Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Massey Hall, Toronto (Live); November 1971

Dvorák: Slavonic Dance, Op.46 No.8

Wiener Symphoniker; Musikverein, Vienna; November 1958

THE BIOGRAPHY - KAREL ANCERL (1908-73)

The name of Karel Ancerl is indelibly linked with the Czech Philharmonic, which he inherited from Talich and Kubelík in 1950. Born on 11 April 1908 in Tucapy, southern Bohemia, he attended the Prague Conservatory. After first directing a jazz orchestra, he found a job in Czech Radio, which offered him the chance of conducting its symphony orchestra, and he also enrolled in Talich's master class. Through his regular appearances at ISCM festivals across Europe and at the pioneering concerts of 'Prítomnost' in Prague, Ancerl became known before the war as a conductor of contemporary music. The German occupation disrupted his career. He was dismissed from his post and, in 1942, incarcerated in the Terezín ghetto, where, despite the terrible conditions, he founded a string orchestra; he was the only member of his family to survive the Nazi death camps. With remarkable resilience, Ancerl returned to Prague and in 1947 was appointed head of the radio orchestra. He became artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic three years later. With the political thaw following Stalin's death, Ancerl was able to take his orchestra on tour to Western countries and by the mid-60s they had travelled worldwide to great acclaim. But in 1968, disillusioned and appalled by the Soviet-led invasion of his country, Ancerl decided to make his home in Canada, where he became music director of the Toronto Symphony. Despite his precarious state of health, a consequence of his wartime experiences, Ancerl guided the orchestra through four highly successful seasons. He died in Toronto on 3 July 1973 and, after the 'Velvet Revolution', his ashes were returned to Prague.

THE RECORDINGS

This compilation focuses on Ancerl as chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (CD1), as a guest conductor of the Vienna Symphony and Concertgebouw Orchestras and as chief conductor of the Toronto Symphony Otchestra (CD2). Represented are a cross-section of established Czech composers associated with Ancerl's career (Dvorák, Smetana, Martinu, Novák, and Janácek) and two contemporary works: Mácha's Variations (Ancerl's last recording with the Czech PO before leaving Czechoslovakia) and a delightful Serenade by Krejcí. The recordings of Shostakovich (1964), Novák (Ancerl's debut recording with the Czech PO in 1950), Krejcí (1957) and Mácha (1964) have never appeared on CD before. The Vienna recordings of Dvorák's Slavonic Dance No.8 and Smetana's Vltava (both from 1958) are also new to the CD catalogue. The compilation is completed by two live broadcasts: the Dvorák Symphony No.8 from Amsterdam (in 1970) and Martinu's Symphony No.5 from Toronto (in 1971).  

First appearances on CD of Ansermet's authoritative stereo accounts of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, Rachmanivov's The Isle of the Dead and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75094 2 (2 CD)

CD1 [72:45]

Stravinsky: Chant du Rossignol

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Victoria Hall, Geneva; May 1956

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Salle de la Mutualité, Paris; September 1954

Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Victoria Hall, Geneva; October 1957

 CD2 [78:25]

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Victoria Hall, Geneva; November 1956

Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Salle de la Mutualité, Paris; September 1954

Ravel: La Valse

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Salle de la Mutualité, Paris; June 1953

Chabrier: Fête polonaise

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Victoria Hall, Geneva; December 1964

THE BIOGRAPHY - ERNEST ANSERMET (1883-1969)

Ernest Ansermet, born on 11 November 1883 in Vevey, Switzerland, read mathematics at Lausanne University and studied music concurrently. An invitation to conduct a student orchestra determined his career. He had lessons with Weingartner and Lacerda, met Stravinsky in 1912 and became a celebrated interpreter of his music. For eight years he was conductor of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. In 1918 he formed the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and was its principal conductor for 49 years, giving many premieres, including Ravel's La Valse, Stravinsky's Chant du Rossignol and Falla's The Three-Cornered Hat. His first recordings were with the Ballets Russes orchestra, in New York in 1916, his last, of Stravinsky's Firebird with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, in London in November 1968. He died in Geneva on 20 February 1969.

 THE RECORDINGS

This compilation focuses on works by those composers who Ansermet knew and with whom he was closely associated throughout his life - Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky and Bartók - and also highlights his Russian connections with music by Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninov. Stravinsky's Chant du Rossignol (from 1956) and Ravel's La Valse (from 1953) were both given their premieres by Ansermet. Apart from Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune and Chabrier's Fête polonaise, all the recordings are new to CD. The majority of the recordings date from 1954 to 1956, a period when Ansermet and his orchestras, the Paris Conservatoire and the Suisse Romande, were at the top of their form, and are in early stereo, except for La Valse, which boasts very high quality mono sound.  

Features Argenta's rare recordings of Schubert 9 from 1957 and Liszt's Faust Symphony from 1955, both in stereo

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75097 2 (2 CD)

 CD1 [68:58]

Liszt: A Faust Symphony

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Salle de la Mutualité, Paris; June 1955

Ravel: Alborada del gracioso

Orchestre des Cento Soli; Théatre des Champs-élysées, Paris; November 1956

 CD2 [74:53]

Schubert: Symphony No.9 'The Great C major'

Orchestre des Cento Soli; Salle Wagram, Paris; November 1957

Falla: El amor brujo

Ana-María Iriarte (mezzo-soprano) & Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Théatre des Champs-élysées, Paris; January 1951

THE BIOGRAPHY - ATAúLFO ARGENTA (1913-1958)

Ataúlfo Argenta was born in November 1913 in the northern Spanish fishing village of Castro Urdiales. He studied the piano at the Madrid Conservatory, and, after winning first prize there, spent ten years as a concert pianist in Spain. In 1941 he undertook further studies at Kassel in Germany and there met Carl Schuricht, who encouraged him to conduct. In 1945 Argenta joined the Spanish Orquesta Nacional as orchestral pianist; in 1946 he founded the Madrid Orquesta de Cámara, and in 1947 he became chief conductor of the Orquesta Nacional. For the next decade he was Spain's leading conductor, founding festivals in Santander and Granada. He also performed in Geneva, Paris, Vienna and Argentina. His recordings include nearly 50 zarzuelas and other Spanish repertoire for the Spanish Columbia label, and he recorded mainstream Romantic works in Paris, London and Geneva. His developing career was tragically cut short by a car accident in January 1958.

THE RECORDINGS

This compilation features Argenta's 1955 stereo recording of Liszt's Faust Symphony (with the work's original ending), which has never been issued before on CD. Schubert's 'Great C major' Symphony (in stereo from 1957) and Ravel's Alborada del gracioso (in mono from 1956) are extremely rare recordings and are also new to the CD catalogue. Falla's complete ballet El amor brujo (from 1951) is included as highly representative of the fine interpretations of Spanish repertoire for which Argenta was famed.

Includes the only official recording of Barbirolli's blazing Mahler 2 broadcast from Stuttgart in stereo in 1970

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75100 2 (2 CD)

 CD1 [76:17]

Wagner: Die Meistersinger: Prelude to Act 1

London Symphony Orchestra; Abbey Road Studios, London; September 1969

Elgar: 'Enigma' Variations

Hallé Orchestra; Free Trade Hall, Manchester; June 1956

Ravel: Ma Mère l'oye - Suite

Hallé Orchestra; Free Trade Hall, Manchester; May 1957

Mahler: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (opening)

 CD2 [73:20]

Mahler: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (conclusion)

Helen Donath (soprano) & Birgit Finnil? (mezzo-soprano)/Südfunk-Chor, Chor der Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart/Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart; Liederhalle, Stuttgart (Live); April 1970

Puccini: Madama Butterfly: Conclusion to Act 1 (Love duet)

Renata Scotto (Butterfly) & Carlo Bergonzi (Pinkerton)/Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma; Teatro dell'Opera, Rome; August 1966

THE BIOGRAPHY - SIR JOHN BARBIROLLI (1899-1970)

Born in London of Italian-French parents, Sir John Barbirolli trained as a cellist and played in theatre and café orchestras before joining the Queen's Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood in 1916. His conducting career began with the formation of his own orchestra in 1924, and between 1926 and 1933 he was active as an opera conductor at Covent Garden and elsewhere. Orchestral appointments followed: with the Scottish Orchestra (1933-6), the New York Philharmonic (1936-42), the Hallé Orchestra (1943-70) and the Houston Symphony (1961-67). Barbirolli was a guest conductor with many of the world's leading orchestras and was especially admired as an interpreter of the music of Mahler, Sibelius, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Puccini and Verdi. He made many outstanding recordings, including the complete Brahms and Sibelius symphonies, operas by Verdi and Puccini and much English repertoire.

 THE RECORDINGS

This compilation is a representative selection of composers closely associated with Barbirolli - Elgar, Ravel, Mahler, Puccini and Wagner. The stereo recording of Mahler's Second Symphony dates from 1970, the last year of Barbirolli's life. The conductor never recorded the 'Resurrection' Symphony commercially, so the inclusion of this live performance from Stuttgart is a major event for collectors. The Hallé recording of Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations (from 1956) has long been considered the finest of his recorded performances of the work, though a later recording (with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1962) tended at first to overshadow it. Wagner's Overture to Die Meistersinger from 1969 has not been available on CD before. The extract from Barbirolli's famous Madama Butterfly (made in Rome in 1966) is a highlight from one of the regrettably few complete operas he recorded.

Very rare broadcast recordings from Danish Radio and also Busch's studio recordings of Mozart, Haydn and Weber on CD for the first time

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75103 2 (2 CD)

 Back to Menu

 CD1 [77:26]

Beethoven: Overture 'Leonore' No.2 (Live); September 1950

Mozart: Symphony No.36 'Linz'; November 1949

Mendelssohn: Symphony No.4 'Italian' (Live); September 1950

Brahms: Tragic Overture (Live); September 1950

Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra; Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen

 CD2 [79:49]

Weber: Der Freischütz: Overture; October 1948

Haydn: Sinfonia concertante; January 1951

Brahms: Symphony No.2; October 1947

Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra; Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen

R. Strauss: Don Juan

London Philharmonic Orchestra; Abbey Road Studios, London; July 1936

THE BIOGRAPHY - FRITZ BUSCH (1890-1951)

Fritz Busch was born in 1890 into a remarkable musical family. After studies at the Cologne Conservatory, he rose rapidly through posts at Riga, Gotha and Aachen. In 1918 he took over the Stuttgart Opera, where he began the German Verdi revival, and in 1922 became General Music Director of the Saxon State Opera in Dresden. Brutally dismissed in 1933, he was welcomed in Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Glyndebourne - where he conducted the festivals from 1934 - and Stockholm. After World War II he divided his career between the Old and New Worlds, conducting at the Metropolitan Opera between 1945 and 1949, and returning to Glyndebourne in 1950 and to Germany in 1951, but he died suddenly in London on 14 September that year.

 THE RECORDINGS

This compilation is a representative collection of the best work for the gramophone of Fritz Busch, generally considered to be one of the finest of Classical conductors, following in the footsteps of Weingartner and Toscanini. Rarities here are studio recordings of Strauss's Don Juan (from 1936), Haydn's Sinfonia concertante (from 1951) and Mozart's 'Linz' Symphony (from 1949), all of which have never officially appeared on CD. Also included are Busch's famous performance of Brahms's Symphony No.2 (from 1947), and Weber's Overture to Der Freischütz (from 1948), a real rarity transferred for this release from 78rpm pressings. The live recordings of Mendelssohn's 'Italian' Symphony, Brahms's Tragic Overture and Beethoven's 'Leonore' Overture No.2 (all from 1950) are here presented for the first time officially on CD and in new remasterings made at Abbey Road Studios.  

Features a stunning live Berlioz Symphonie fantastique in stereo from Tokyo in 1964 and studio recordings of Ravel, Bizet and Schumann on CD for the first time

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75106 2 (2 CD)

 CD1 [76:28]

Bizet: Symphony in C

Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Fran?aise; Studio des Champs-élysées, Paris; October 1953

Debussy: Images

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Salle Wagram, Paris; September 1963

Ravel: La Valse

Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London; November 1958

 CD2 [75:54]

Schumann: Manfred Overture

Berliner Philharmoniker; Grunewaldkirche, Berlin; February 1957

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Metropolitan Festival Hall, Tokyo (Live); May 1964

Wagner: Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 3

Orchestre du Théatre National de l'Opéra de Paris; Salle Wagram, Paris; June 1959

Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov: Prologue, Scene 2 - Coronation & Entry of Boris

Boris Christoff (Boris) & John Lanigan (Shuisky)/ Chorus of the National Opera of Sofia Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; Salle Wagram, Paris; September 1962

THE BIOGRAPHY - ANDRé CLUYTENS (1905-1967)

Best known for his interpretations of French music and his cycle of Beethoven symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic, André Cluytens was a native of Antwerp, where his father was conductor of the Théatre Royal. In 1927, he succeeded him, making his début with Bizet's Pêcheurs de perles. In 1932 he conducted at the Toulouse Opera and from 1935 at Lyon and Bordeaux, becoming a French national. After the war he was appointed to the Opéra-Comique in Paris (1947-53) and in 1949 succeeded Charles Munch as conductor of the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra. He was the first French conductor to appear at Bayreuth, and, after Munch, the most respected French conductor of his day, recording with such artists as Solomon, Gilels, Oistrakh and Shostakovich.

 THE RECORDINGS

This compilation features a representative selection of Cluytens's recordings of the French, German and Russian repertoire with which he was associated throughout his life. His live performance in stereo of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra in Tokyo in 1964, a rarity given the small amount of good broadcast material available, is a must for collectors. Bizet's Symphony in C (acclaimed on its first release in 1954) appears on CD for the first time and the stereo recording of Debussy's Images (from 1963) is also a rarity. La Valse, with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1958, is new to the CD catalogue and predates Cluytens's complete edition of Ravel's orchestral music with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra in the early 1960s. Schumann's Manfred Overture (from 1957) represents Cluytens's close association with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he recorded a famous Beethoven symphony cycle. The short Wagner excerpt (from 1959) is a reminder of the conductor's connections with the Bayreuth Festival. Cluytens performed and recorded a great deal of Russian music, but the most celebrated is his complete recording of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov made in 1962 with Boris Chistoff in the title role.

  An anthology of Fricsay's broadcasts from 1950-1961, including Shostakovich 9 and Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis, which he never recorded commercially

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75109 2 (2 CD)

CD1 [79:35]

Dukas: L'Apprenti sorcier

Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Sendesaal, Sender Freies Berlin (Live); November 1961

Kodály: Dances of Galanta

Wiener Philharmoniker; Salzburg Festival (Live); August 1961

Shostakovich: Symphony No.9

RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem (Live); April & May 1954

Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Weber

RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem (Live); June 1952

J. Strauss: Künstlerleben (Walzer)

RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem (Live); June 1950

CD2 [77:32]

Beethoven: Overture 'Leonore' No.3

Beethoven: Symphony No.3 'Eroica'

Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Sendesaal, Sender Freies Berlin (Live); February 1961

Mozart: Così fan tutte: Overture

RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem (Live); January 1951

THE BIOGRAPHY - FERENC FRICSAY (1914-1963)

Ferenc Fricsay began studying music at the tender age of five at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, where the rigorous syllabus included playing an instrument, composing and conducting. In Szeged, he was appointed military bandmaster in 1933, took charge of the Philharmonic Orchestra in 1934 and established the opera department at the Theatre in 1939. Forced to flee the Gestapo in 1944, he and his family went into hiding in Budapest. The following year he became leader of the city's Metropolitan Orchestra and conductor of the Budapest Opera. His international breakthrough came in 1947 at the Salzburg Festival and led to a post as guest conductor with the Vienna State Opera. Subsequent stages in his career included the City Opera House in Berlin (1948-52), the RIAS Symphony Orchestra (1948-54), which he honed into an ensemble of world-class standing, Munich's Bavarian State Opera (1956-58) and the Deutsche Oper Berlin (1961-63). He died tragically early, aged only 48, in 1963.

 THE RECORDINGS

Fricsay's catalogue of commercial recordings is huge, but this compilation is made up entirely of broadcast performances, chosen by the Ferenc Fricsay Archive and unavailable on disc before. Furthermore, some of these performances (including Shostakovich's Symphony No.9 [from 1954], Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Weber [from 1952] and Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice [the conductor's last surviving recording from 1961]) do not duplicate studio recordings, so their appearance will be a major priority for collectors. The recording of Kodály's Dances of Galánta with the Vienna Philharmonic, an orchestra Fricsay did not record with commercially, is live from the 1961 Salzburg Festival. Fricsay's core Classical repertory is represented by Beethoven, whose works were an artistic challenge to him all his life, and a taste (the overture) of a planned but never completed recording of Mozart's Così fan tutte.  

Golovanov's unique sound world is caught here in dynamic interpretations of Glazunov and Liszt on CD for the first time

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75112 2 (2 CD)

 CD1 [79:00]

Glazunov: Symphony No.6

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture & Scherzo

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra; Moscow; 1952

Tchaikovsky: '1812' Overture

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra; Moscow (Live); 1948

Liszt: Orpheus

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra; Moscow; 1952

 CD2 [68:57]

Liszt: Héro?de funèbre

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra; Moscow; 1953

Liszt: Mazeppa

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra; Moscow; 1952

Liszt: Festkl?nge

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra; Moscow; 1953

Liszt: Prometheus

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra; Moscow; 1952

THE BIOGRAPHY - NIKOLAI GOLOVANOV (1891-1953)

Nikolai Semyonovich Golovanov was born on 21 January 1891 in Moscow and died there on 28 August 1953. As a young man, he qualified as a singing teacher and studied composition at the Moscow Conservatory. In 1915 he conducted his first symphonic concerts at the Bolshoi Theatre, where he become assistant choral conductor the same year, then held the post of principal Bolshoi conductor between 1919 and 1928 and again between 1948 and 1953. In 1937 he was appointed musical and artistic director of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. From 1925 until 1929 he taught opera and orchestral conducting at the Moscow Conservatory and was artistic director of the Moscow Philharmonic. In 1929 Golovanov was appointed director of broadcasting at Moscow Radio and, more specifically, head of opera broadcasts. He married the fêted soprano Antonina Nezhdanova (1873-1950) in the early 1920s and in 1938 was named director of the Stanislavsky Opera Theatre. He was also a noted pianist and teacher, and also a prolific composer.

 THE RECORDINGS

Golovanov's recorded output is exceptionally difficult to get hold of. Though CDs of his Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Scriabin have been issued before they have generally been in very poor and distorted sound. The tapes used in this new compilation have come direct from MK's studios in Moscow. Golovanov was a specialist in the music of Glazunov and Liszt, the latter suiting particularly his extremely powerful and idiosyncratic style of conducting. These recordings, made in the early 1950s, include an extremely exciting, if quirky, '1812' Overture, with a choir to sing the Russian National Anthem, and performances of Mendelssohn's Overture and Scherzo from the incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream that show Golovanov to be a highly imaginative and musically refined interpreter.

Features 1953 broadcasts of Till Eulenspiegel and Schubert 5, which Kleiber never recorded commercially, coupled with a rare Beethoven 6 with the Czech Philharmonic from 1955

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75115 2 (2 CD)

CD1 [68:10]

Schubert: Symphony No.5

Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks; Musikhalle, Hamburg (Live); January 1953

Beethoven: Symphony No.6 'Pastoral'

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Smetana Hall, Prague (Live); May 1955

 CD2 [67:47]

Mozart: Symphony No.40

London Philharmonic Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London; April 1949

R. Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel

Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks; Musikhalle, Hamburg (Live); January 1953

Dvorák: 'Carnival' Overture

Josef Strauss: Sph?renkl?nge (Walzer)

Johann Strauss: Der Zigeunerbaron: Overture

London Philharmonic Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London; February 1948

Johann Strauss: Du und Du (Walzer)

Wiener Philharmoniker; Konzerthaus, Vienna; February 1929

THE BIOGRAPHY - ERICH KLEIBER (1890-1956)

Born in Vienna in 1890, Erich Kleiber studied in Prague, where he became chorus master at the German Theatre in 1911. From 1912 to 1919 he was in Darmstadt and then took increasingly important positions at Barmen-Elberfeld, Düsseldorf and Mannheim. In 1923 he was appointed music director of the Berlin State Opera, and over the next 11 years he directed many notable new productions, including Janácek's Jenufa and the world premiere of Berg's Wozzeck. After the advent of Nazi rule, Kleiber left Germany and settled in Argentina. He worked with several South American orchestras and opera companies, and continued to visit Europe until World War II. After the war he returned to the main continental centres and conducted with distinction at the Royal Opera House in London. He made a brief return to the Berlin State Opera in 1954-5, and died suddenly in Zürich in January 1956. Kleiber made numerous recordings between 1921 and 1955, with ensembles including the Vienna, Berlin and London Philharmonic Orchestras.

 THE RECORDINGS

For collectors, there are three live performances in this compilation - Schubert's Symphony No.5 and Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel with the NDR Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg (1953), and Beethoven's 'Pastoral' Symphony with the Czech Philharmonic (1955) - none of which have been issued commercially before. The Strauss and the Schubert are not duplicated by studio recordings, so these performances will prove especially valuable for Kleiber completists. In addition, there are three very rare commercial recordings, not available since their original release on 78s: Dvorák's 'Carnival' Overture, Josef Strauss's Sph?renkl?nge Waltz and the Overture to Der Zigeunerbaron, all from 1948 and with the London Philharmonic. These important recordings have been remastered from 78s held in a private collection. The recording of Mozart's Symphony No.40 (from 1949) has not been available on CD for many years and it too has been carefully remastered.  

A showcase of Koussevitzky's best work featuring the stunning Tchaikovsky 5 from 1944 in a superb new transfer

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75118 2 (2 CD)

CD1 [77:36]

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5

Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Hall, Boston; November 1944

Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead

Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Hall, Boston; April 1945

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No.1

Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Hall, Boston; May 1936

 CD2 [71:04]

Sibelius: Symphony No.7

BBC Symphony Orchestra; Queen's Hall, London (Live); May 1933

Harris: Symphony No.3

Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Hall, Boston; November 1939

Beethoven: Symphony No.5

London Philharmonic Orchestra; Abbey Road Studios, London; September 1934

THE BIOGRAPHY - SERGE KOUSSEVITZKY (1874-1951)

Born in Russia, Serge Koussevitzky became a double-bass virtuoso in his teens and at 20 joined the basses of the Bolshoi Orchestra. Three years after marrying the daughter of a wealthy Russian tea merchant in 1905, he made his conducting debut with the Berlin Philharmonic, and in 1909 founded a publishing house and a symphony orchestra in Moscow. Koussevitzky left Russia in 1920, settling in Paris before becoming conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for 25 seasons (1924-49), championing young composers alongside the classics. He fashioned the Boston Symphony into a world-class orchestra, making many outstanding recordings. Among his many pupils was Leonard Bernstein.

THE RECORDINGS

This compilation showcases Koussevitzky with landmarks from his substantial catalogue of commercial recordings. The Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 (from 1944) has been completely remastered by Brian Bell, who is associated with the Boston Symphony Archive. Rachmaninov's The Isle of the Dead (from 1945) and Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No.1 (from 1936) have also been newly remastered from the original 78s. Koussevitzky's recording of Roy Harris's Symphony No.3 (the world premiere recording from 1939) is both pioneering and authoritative. Another first recording, Sibelius's Symphony No.7, in a live performance with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1933, and Beethoven's Symphony No.5, with the London Philharmonic in 1934, are rare examples of Koussevitzky working away from Boston. Beethoven was a vital part of his repertoire, but this Fifth Symphony has not been available on disc for many years.  

Malko's mono recordings of Borodin 2 & Haydn 92 and stereo recordings of Dvorák 9 appear on CD for the first time along with his critically acclaimed Prokofiev 7 from 1955

Catalogue no: CZS 5 75121 2 (2 CD)

 CD1 [79:01]

Glinka: Ruslan & Ludmilla: Overture; February 1956

Borodin: Symphony No.2; September 1955

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Snow Maiden: Cortège & Dance of the Tumblers; March 1956

Tchaikovsky: 'The Nutcracker'-Suite; February 1956

Prokofiev: Symphony No.7; February 1955

Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London

CD2 [78:30]

Haydn: Symphony No.92 'Oxford'

Royal Danish Orchestra; Odd Fellow Pal?t, Copenhagen; April 1953

Suppé: 'Poet & Peasant' Overture

Dvorák: Symphony No.9 'From the New World'

Philharmonia Orchestra; Kingsway Hall, London; February 1956

Nielsen: Maskarade: Overture

Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra; Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen; September 1947

THE BIOGRAPHY - NICOLAI MALKO (1883-1961)

Nicolai Malko studied in St Petersburg under Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov, Liadov and Tcherepnin before beginning his professional career in St Petersburg in 1908. After the 1914-18 war he became a professor in Moscow, then in Leningrad, and came to wider notice when he conducted the premiere of Shostakovich's First Symphony in 1926. He left Russia two years later, appearing in Prague, Vienna, London and Copenhagen, and settling in 1940 in the United States, where he taught. After the war he recorded extensively with the Philharmonia Orchestra until 1956, when he succeeded Sir Eugene Goossens in Sydney, where he died in 1961.

 THE RECORDINGS

This compilation conducted by Nicolai Malko is drawn entirely from the conductor's catalogue of studio recordings. It features important Russian material with which the conductor was particularly associated (CD1) and a selection of mainstream repertoire (CD2). All the recordings, except the Haydn and the Nielsen, were made in the 1950s in London with Walter Legge's Philharmonia Orchestra. None of this material has appeared on CD before, except the renowned (and pioneering) stereo recording of Prokofiev's Symphony No.7 (from 1955) and Nielsen's Maskarade Overture (from Copenhagen in 1947). The excellent mono recordings of the Borodin Second Symphony (1955) and Haydn's 'Oxford' Symphony (1953) were critically acclaimed at the time of their first issue on LP.  

First time on CD for Markevitch's recordings of Debussy's La Mer, Strauss's Till