Shostakovich - The Dance Album - Chailly, Philadelphia Orchestra

 

Release Date: 04/15/1997 Label: Decca Number of discs: 1 Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich Performer: Riccardo Chailly, Philadelphia Orchestra cd info/ buy

Review:

This disc was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for "Best Orchestral Performance." Contrary to popular opinion, Dmitri Shostakovich was not just a "serious" composer. “The Dance Album”, an inspired collection Shostakovich's "entertainment" music (or as some musicologists like to consider it, the lighter side of Shostakovich), proves that angst and torment were not the only temperaments associated with this great composer. Remarkably, Shostakovich often found himself in circumstances that required him to work on serious and lighter works at virtually the same time. 'The Gadfly,' a delightfully boisterous film score, was written between the Tenth Symphony and the First Violin Concerto. Shortly after the commercial fiasco of his opera 'Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk,' Shostakovich wrote 'Moskva, Cheremushki,' a three-act musical comedy which shows the composer's immense talent for pastiche and parody. "The Bolt" is a ballet that tells the story of a band of workers in a new industrial society pitted against drunks, loafers and all sorts of layabouts. It includes a wide range of comical effects, from the work's opening parody of Tchaikovsky's Fourth symphony to the prevalence of squawking brass lines that serves to characterize many of the ballet's eccentric characters.

 

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Saint-Saens - Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 - Murray, Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra

 

Release Date: October 25, 1990 Label: Telarc Number of discs: 1 Composer: Camille Saint-Saens Performer: Murray, Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra cd info/ buy

Review:

I can pay no higher compliment to this performance by Ormandy, the Philadelphians and Telarc than to say, that this is the only performance that is as perfect and as moving as the Charles Munch/Boston Symphony Orchestra RCA performance from 1959. That CD has the well-earned status as the benchmark of perfection in performance, even after forty years. I've probably owned a dozen recordings of this symphony and this is the one I invariably come back to, along with the one by Charles Munch. However, this one is so splendidly recorded, I believe it is an essential recording. Ormandy gives one of his last & greatest performances, and the Philadelphians clearly want to leave him a legacy, pulling all of the emotional depth present in the Munch/Boston/RCA release. Murray proves why he has earned so much respect as an organist & interpreter of French Organ repertoire. This recording is a little unique in that the recording space sounds quite large, and it has a little more reverberation than most, but Telarc did a magnificent job in being able to pick up so much detail. I cannot say enough about the detail of the woodwinds they achieve while still capturing the Philadelphia Orchestra's famed string (and brass) sections. The only possible way it could be any better is that the fast piano runs in the last scherzo are just a tad more faint than in most recordings due to the reverberation & recording space, but that is an extremely minor flaw compared to the richness of detail found all over this recording. The adagio of this symphony alone is worth the price of this disc. Ormandy, like Munch plumbs the depths of aching, of deep longing & the eventual ecstatic peace that make the adagio as admired as anything written by Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms or Mahler. I really believe that any of them would have been deeply moved if they heard this peace, and of course Mahler certainly did, and must have admired it deeply! Saint-Saens himself admitted, sincerely & quite humbly, after finishing this symphony, that he could do no more. He had achieved perfection, and Ormandy, Murray & the Philadelphians have paid tribute to Saint-Saens by doing the same.--Amazon

 

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Sibelius - Symphonies 4 and 7 - Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra

 

 

Great news! Arkivmusic.com has gotten its "on demand" hands on the Japanese RCA Ormandy Edition, making these recordings available in North America at far saner prices. Some of these performances are outstanding, nowhere more so than here--one of the greatest Sibelius recordings ever made. Eugene Ormandy's Fourth Symphony is magnificent: gaunt, direct, and unflinching, with stunning string playing and the most intelligent approach on disc to the percussion conundrum in the finale (chimes at the "sonore" climax, glockenspiel everywhere else). Some listeners might prefer a swifter tempo in the scherzo, but this interpretation is all of a piece, taking in the work as if in one sweeping gesture, and Sibelians will understand just what that means.

The Seventh also is a perfectly paced, immaculately played performance, with none of the mannerisms in the pastoral interlude that disturb Ormandy's first recording for Sony. As for the tone poems, there is no finer performance of Oceanides available anywhere, and Pohjola's Daughter is just about as good. Ormandy could come across as a somewhat stiff and unsmiling interpreter, but not here, and particularly not in music that requires an absolutely logical, indeed mathematical approach to tempo relationships between sections. Both in terms of performance quality and programming (Sibelius at his very greatest throughout), it just doesn't get any better.

The Japanese edition apparently used original unaltered sources, meaning the tapes were not remastered in any way, and so vary widely in sound quality--from very good, as here, to virtually unlistenable (Mahler Second). So until someone goes back and redoes them from scratch--and we may have a very long wait--you will have to buy selectively. These recordings, from the late 1970s, stand among the best-sounding of the lot. A magnificent release that you won't want to miss!—David Hurwitz

CD INFO

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The Philadelphia Orchestra Plays Bach (Family)

 

 

Purists will assert that the Philadelphia Orchestra has no business playing Bach. It's too bad they feel that way, particularly when the conductor is Leopold Stokowski, reunited with the orchestra after a hiatus of almost two decades. Eugene Ormandy invited Stoki back in 1960, and MH2K62345 documents the results: confident, suave recordings of the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto and the conductor's moving arrangements of three Chorale Préludes. Ormandy was an expert arranger and conductor of Bach himself, as can be heard from the balance of this 2-CD set, which contains what used to be Columbia MS6180 ("Bach by Ormandy" – also recorded in 1960) and MS6342 ("The Bach Family" – works by Johann Christian Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, recorded in 1957). None of it may be "authentic," but it all sounds luscious enough to make new friends for the music and the performances.

CD INFO

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Ives - Holidays-Symphony-Three Places In New England - Ormandy, The Philadelphia Orchestra

 

 

Eugene Ormandy was a surprisingly dedicated Ives conductor, at least on disc, and a very good one too. This version of Three Places in New England was, if memory serves, the first of Ives' original scoring for full orchestra, and it's quite fine. As to be expected, the Philly players sound terrific, and Ormandy seems to be enjoying himself (he was never noted for his sense of humor). The performance of the Holidays Symphony also stands with the very best; for many years this was the only way to get all four tone poems on disc, with Thanksgiving and Forefather's Day being a particular novelty. The sound is gratifyingly clear and clean for an RCA/Philadelphia production, save for some slight congestion at the entry of the chorus in Thanksgiving. Part of the Japanese RCA Ormandy edition, and now available on demand from Arkivmusic.com, this disc represented a major contribution to the Ives discography when it first came out back in the 1970s, and its qualities haven't diminished at all in the decades since.—David Hurwitz

CD INFO

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Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch - Mahler Symphony No 1, Strauss Rosenkavalier Suite

Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch -
Mahler Symphony No 1, Strauss Rosenkavalier Suite
Symphonic | APE, no cue | no log, cover | 1 CD, 324 MB
RapidShare


CD Content
Mahler Symphony No 1 with the long lost original second movement
Strauss Richard "Der Rosenkavalier" Suite

Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra - Piano Concerto Yellow River

Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra - Piano Concerto Yellow River
Orchestral | flac, cue | no log, scans | 1 CD, 206 MB
released 1973 | RCA | RapidShare

In a 1971 letter to President Richard Nixon, Eugene Ormandy suggested a Philadelphia Orchestra tour to China. Two years of negotiations led by Henry Kissinger finally produced an invitation from the Chinese government, and in September 1973 the Philadelphia Orchestra became the first United States Orchestra to visit the People's Republic of China. This State-Department-arranged tour took the musicians to Peking and Shanghai.

The carefully-chosen repertory for the tour included several works by American composers as well as the Yellow River Concerto, with Chinese pianist Yin Cheng-Chung as soloist. Originally created as a cantata by the Chinese composer Hsien Hsing-hai in the 1940s, the work was later rewritten as a piano concerto by a committee of composers from the Central Philharmonic Society of the People's Republic of China. The concerto had received its Western Hemisphere premiere the previous month at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Philadelphia Orchestra's summer home.

CD Content
The Yellow River" Concerto
San Pei (Chinese Workers's And Peasant's Match)
The Stars And Stripes Forever
Respighi - Pines Of Rome

Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch - Smetana, Dvorak - Moldau and Symphony No 9

Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch - Smetana, Dvorak -
Moldau and Symphony No 9
Symphonic | Eac, flac, cue | log, cover | 1 CD, 280 MB
January 24, 2006 | RCA | RapidShare

A majestic and gorgeously played "New World" symphony, with an impressively lyrical Largo and powerful climaxes...


CD Content

Smetana - Moldau (Vlatava) - Bamberger Symphoniker - Gustav Kuhn, conductor
Dvorak - Symphony No 9 - Ormandy, Philadelphians
Dvorak - Scherzo Capriccioso - Ormandy, Philadelphians

Hindemith - Mathis der Maler - Sawallisch, Philadelphia Orchestra

Hindemith - Mathis der Maler - Sawallisch, Philadelphia Orchestra
Symphonic | Eac, flac, cue | no log, cover | 1CD, 305 MB
June 13, 1995 | EMI | RapidShare

A great recording, no doubt about it.

This disc brings together three of Hindemith's masterpieces dating from the 1930s and '40s, each presenting a unique take on the composer's mature style. The symphony Mathis der Maler, drawn from the opera of the same title, uses Lutheran chorales and Gregorian chant for its primary thematic material, while the ancient church modes also feature prominently in Hindemith's ballet about the life of St. Francis of Assisi, Nobilissima Visione. The Symphonic Metamophosis, on the other hand, turns a few tunes by Weber into a brilliant orchestral showpiece. Each of these pieces, then, demonstrates the composer's determination to write new music that remains in touch with the traditions of the past, and they find ideal interpreters in Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra--performances that combine New World brilliance and panache with Old World warmth and charm. A great recording, no doubt about it. --David Hurwitz

CD Content

# Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, for orchestra
# Nobilissima visione, ballet suite for orchestra
# Mathis der Maler, symphony (from opera)

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake & Sleeping Beauty Suites - Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake & Sleeping Beauty Suites - Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra
Ballet | Eac, flac, cue | log, cover | 1 CD, 216 MB
1984 | EMI | RapidShare

Swan Lake (Russian: Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, by Vladimir Begichev and Vasiliy Geltser was fashioned from Russian folk tales as well as an ancient German legend, which tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger. The ballet received its premiere on February 27, 1877, at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow as The Lake of the Swans. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their stagings both choreographically and musically on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet on January 15, 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo.


CD Content

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake (Ballet)

Tchaikovsky - Sleeping Beauty (Ballet)

Prokofiev - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 - Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra

Prokofiev - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 - Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra
Symphonic | Eac, flac, cue | log, cover | 1 CD, 243 MB
January 19, 1993 | Philips | RapidShare

Born on 23-April-1891 (11-April-1891 old style) in Sontsovka, Ukraine of the former Russian Empire, Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev is considered one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. He was also an accomplished pianist and conductor. He attended the St. Petersburg Conservatory from 1904 to 1914, winning the Anton Rubinstein prize for best student pianist when he graduated. Like other great composers he mastered a wide range of musical genres, including symphonies, concerti, film music, operas, ballets, and program pieces. At the time, his works were considered both ultra-modern and innovative. He traveled widely, spending many years in Paris and Ettal in the Bavarian Alps, and toured the United States five times. He gained wide notoriety and his music was both reviled and triumphed by the musical press of the time. He returned to his homeland permanently in 1936. He died on 05-March-1953 in Moscow.

Tracks:
1 Prokofiev: Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op 44: I. Moderato 13:46
2 Prokofiev: Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op 44: II. Andante 6:54
3 Prokofiev: Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op 44: III. Allegro agitato 7:27
4 Prokofiev: Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op 44: IV. Andante mosso 6:32
5 Prokofiev: Symphony No 1 in D, Op 25: I. Allegro 4:04
6 Prokofiev: Symphony No 1 in D, Op 25: II. Larghetto 3:53
7 Prokofiev: Symphony No 1 in D, Op 25: III. Gavotta (Non troppo allegro) 1:44
8 Prokofiev: Symphony No 1 in D, Op 25: IV. Finale (Vivace) 4:09

Total Time 49:01

More about Riccardo Muti here

Liszt - A Faust Symphony - Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra

Liszt - A Faust Symphony - Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra
Symphonic | Eac, flac, cue | log, cover | 1 CD, 307 MB
February 12, 2008 | EMI | RapidShare

This is the best played Faust Symphony I ever have heard. There are wonderful recordings by Solti/Chicago, Barenboim/Berlin, Bernstein/Boston, and Horenstein/Baden Baden, but for sheer sumptuousness Muti's takes the cake. It was recorded in 1982-3, two and a half years after Ormandy's departure, but his first chairs were still present and they play the socks off the thing. The sound engineering is unusually good for an early digital recording, full, clear, and with plenty of impact. As an interpretation, Muti strives for drama and achieves plenty of it. His performance of the Gretchen movement is somewhat lacking in lyricism, but this does have the advantage of avoiding pathos. The chorus and the tenor in the finale are excellent, and the total sonority is beautifully captured by the engineers. Riccardo Muti is a conductor who really has the goods, and he throws off sparks on this CD.--Amazon

Franz Liszt

1. A Faust Symphony S108: I. Faust (Lento assai - Allegro impetuoso - Allegro agitato ed appassionato assai 30:53

2. A Faust Symphony S108: II. Gretchen (Andante soave) 22:10

3. A Faust Symphony S108: III. Mephistopheles (Words by Goethe: Allegro vivace ironico - Andante mistico [Apotheosis]) 23:34