Leopold Stokowski, conductor
CD 1 - 64:06
Nicolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
(1844-1908)
Scheherazade, Op. 35 (1888)
44:21 (Largo maestoso-lento-Allegro
no troppo 10:22; The Sea and Sinbad's
Ship / La mer et le vaisseau de Sinbad-
/ Das Meer und Sindbads Schiff; Lento-Andantino-Allegro
molto 11:09; The Story of the Kalendar
Prince / Le récit du prince Calendar
/ Die Geschichte vom Prinzen Kalendar
Andantino quasi allegretto 10:28; The
Young Prince and the Young Princess
/ Le jeune prince et la jeune princesse
/ Der junge Prinz und die junge Prinzessin;
Allegro molto-lento-allegro molto e
frenetico-Lento-Vivo 12:22; The Festival
at Baghdad; The Sea; The Ship goes to
pieces on a Rock surmounted by a Bronze
Warrior / Fête à Bagdad;
La mer; Le vaisseau s'échoue
sur un rocher surmonté d'un guerrier
en bronze / Das Schiff zerschellt am
Felsen auf dem ein bronzener Krieger
steht)
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 8 October
1934 · Gramophone DB 2522 / 2527
Alexander BORODIN
(1833-1887)
Polovtsian Dances from
Prince Igor/le Prince Igor: Dances polovtsiennes
/ Polowetzer Tänze (1869-1887)
16:17: (Prelude / Prélude 4:23;
Dance of the young Maidens / Danse des
jeunes filles / Tanz der jungen Mädchen
2:09; Final Dance, Act 2 / Danse finale
du 2ème acte / Endtanz
der 2. Akt 9:45)
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 7 April
1937 · Gramophone DB 3232 / 3233
Piotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893)
Solitude, Op. 73, No.
6 (transcribed by L. Stokowski) 2.58
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 19 April
1937 · Gramophone DB 3255
CD 2 - 68:29
Johann Sebastian
BACH (1685-1750)
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor /
ré mineur / D-moll, BWV 565 8:30
(transcribed by L. Stokowski)
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 6 April
1927 · Gramophone W 979
Georges BIZET
(1838-1875)
L'Arlésienne (1872)
20:23: (1. Prélude 7:07; 2. Menuet
3:21; 3. Adagietto 3:33; 4. Danse provençale
1:35; 5. Carillon 4:48)
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 3-4 May
1929 · Gramophone W 1089 / 1091
Camille SAINT-SAËNS
(1835-1921)
Carnival of the Animals /
Le Carnaval des animaux / Der Karnival
der Tiere (1886)19:29
1. Introduction and Royal March of the
Lion / Introduction et marche royale
du Lion / Einleitung und könlicher
Marsch de Löwen 1:55; 2. Hens and
Cockerels / Poules et Coqs / Hühner
and Hähne 0:49; 3. Wild Asses /
Hémiones / Wilde Esel 0:38; 4.
Tortoises / Tortues / Schildkröten
2:01; 5. The Elephant / L'Eléphant
/ Der Elefant 1:12; 6. Kangaroos / Kangourous
/ Känguruhs 0:50; 7. Aquarium 1:39;
8. Persons with Long Ear / Personnages
à longues oreilles / Persönlichkeiten
mit langen Ohren 0:37; 9. The Cuckoo
in the Depths of the Woods / Le Coucou
au fond des bois / Der Kuckuck im tiefen
Wald 1:50; 10. Aviary / Volière
/ Vogelhaus 1:07; 11. Pianists / Pianistes
/ Pianisten 1:27; 12. Fossils / Fossiles
/ Fossilien 1:04; 13. The Swan / Le
Cygne / Der Schwan 2:30; 14. Finale
1:48)
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 26-27 September
1929 · Gramophone W 1184/1186
Piotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
(1840-1893)
The Nutcracker / Casse-noisette
/ Der Kußknacker Suite No. 1,
Op. 71a (1891-1892) 19:42: (1. Overture
/ Ouverture / Ouvertüre 3:05; 2.
March / Marche / Marsch 1:35; 3. Dance
of the Sugar-Plum Fairy / Danse de la
Fée-Dragée / Tanz der
Fée-Dragée 2:05; 4. Trepak
(Russian Dance) / Trépak
(danse russe) / Trepak (Russischer Tanz)
1:02; 5. Coffee: Arabian Dance / Le
café: danse arabe / Kafee: Arabischer
Tanz 3:35; 6. Tea: Chinese Dance / Le
thé: danse chinoise / Tee: Chinesischer
Tanz 0:59; 7. Dance of the Reed-Pipes
/ Les mirlitons / Tanz der Rohrflöten
2:05; 8. Waltz of the flowers / Valse
des fleurs / Blumensalzer 5:26)
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 4, 10 November
1926 · Gramophone W 848/850
CD 3 - 70:11
Johann Sebastian
BACH (1685-1750)
Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
/ Passacaille et fugue en ut
mineur / Passacaglie und Fuge C-moll,
BWV 582 (1716-1717) 13:07
(transcribed by L. Stokowski)
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 16 November
1936 · Gramophone DB 3252/3253
Franz LISZT
(1811-1886)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 /
Rhapsodie Hongroise No. 2 / Ungarisches
Rhapsody Nr. 2 (orch. Doppler) 8:09
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 16 November
1936 · Gramophone DB 3086
Jean SIBELIUS
(1865-1957)
The Swan of Tuonela /
Le cygne de Tuonela / Der schwann von
Tuonela 8:51
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 3 May 1929
· Gramophone W 1188
Valse triste (from Incidental
Music to Kuolema / Musique de scène,
"Kuolema" / aus Kuolema, Op. 44) (1903)
4:34
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 15 January
1936 · Gramophone DB 3318
Alexander SCRIABIN
(1872-1915)
Poem of Ecstasy / Le Poème
de l'extase / Das Gedicht von der Ekstase,
Op. 54 17:43
Prometheus-The Poem of Fire / Prométhée-le
Poème du feu / Prometheus - das
Gedicht vom Feuer, Op. 60 17:12
The Philadelphia Orchestra · Solo piano:
Sylvan Levin · Chorus: Curtis Institute
of Music · 19 March 1932 · Victor DM
125
CD 4 - 68:06
Antonin
DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From
the New World" / Symphonie Nº9 en
mi mineur, "Du Nouveau Monde" / Sinfonie
Nr.9 e-moll, "Aus der Neuen Welt", Op.
95 41:18: (1. Adagio - Allegro molto
8:58; 2. Largo 12:36; 3. Scherzando-molto
vivace 7:52; 4. Allegro con fuoco 11:38)
The Philadelphia Orchestra · 22 October
1934 · Gramophone DB 2543/2547
Richard STRAUSS
(1864-1949)
Death and Transfiguration /
Mort et Transfiguration / Tod und Verklärung
Op. 24 23:21
The All-American Youth Orchestra · 4
July 1941 · Columbia Masterworks set
M-492
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH
(1906-1975)
Prelude in E-flat minor /
mi bémol mineur / es-moll, Op.
34, No. 14 3:14
(transcribed by L. Stokowski)
The All-American Youth Orchestra · 14
November 1940 · Columbia Masterworks
11525-D
ANDANTE 2986-89 [4 CDs: 64.06+68.29+70.11+68.06]
Stokowski sets are
coming thick and fast from Andante.
This is the third I’ve reviewed so far.
Continuing features of excellence are
the book format, clear discographic
details, such as would satisfy even
the most microscopically demanding historicist,
and discerning choice of repertoire.
This is especially acute in Stokowski’s
case because of his sometimes frequent
remakes of the same pieces. One of the
features of his recorded legacy is the
repetition of favoured works across
the span of sixty years so as to take
advantage of changes in recording technique
(acoustic, electric, Phase 4 etc). Another
welcoming feature is the splendid body
of sound extracted from the 78s and
the general excellence of the copies
used here along with the booklet notes
in English, French and German. One of
the novelties of this set is the accompanying
illustrations of composers done so as
to represent portrait doodles on ledger,
stave and graph paper – are these by
Donald Colley? They make a change, anyway.
I hope a few pointers
to this set will steer the Stokowski
devotee or acolyte in the right direction.
A fortnight ago I reviewed the Stokowski/London
Symphony 1964 Phase 4 recording of Scheherazade,
a sonic ear blaster of spectacular immediacy.
There was yet one more recording of
it to come in 1975 and Testament has
the 1951 recording with the Philharmonia
in its catalogue. Going back, Biddulph
issued the first complete Scheherazade
(in 1927) – there were acoustic extracts
– but Andante has gone sensibly for
the "missing" one, the 1934
recording. Many will prefer the increased
sonic range of this one and Stokowski’s
more languorous expansiveness but I
find the portamenti rather excessive
and its uniform application tiring and
prefer the earlier tauter recording.
Andante’s recording comes into competition
with Cala’s. To avoid further duplication
in The Nutcracker Suite, Andante use
the 1926 recording whereas Cala employed
the 1934. There’s little to choose between
the two Scheherazade transfers.
The Borodin is in a
Stokowski arrangement sans chorus. There
are a few cuts and reorchestrations
but it works well on its own terms even
if for a more authentic appeal one should
turn to his 1950 or 1969 recordings
(the Borodin has also been released
by Biddulph and Dutton). His Bizet is
charming and effective though not superior
to Beecham’s – I’m not sure annotator
Jed Distler is right in saying Stokowski
only recorded both suites once, in New
York in 1952; didn’t he record both
sets with the National Philharmonic
in London in 1976? But back in 1929
he phrased the Adagietto marvellously
even if he did interpolate the Danse
provençale from the second
suite. The Carnival of the Animals utilises
the 1929 traversal in preference to
the 1939 (a decision also endorsed by
Biddulph in their Stokowski series).
The later recording imparted a certain
hardness to the piano sound and I find
the 1929 piano soloists a more convincing
pairing. I’m glad we get the 1926 Nutcracker.
Pearl has released the 1934 set but
I agree entirely with Distler on the
merits of this earlier recording and
the stunningly good sound. When one
thinks how Victor struggled with Stoky’s
early electrics the previous year (on
Biddulph) the technical advance was
truly staggering. This was Victor No.
3 by the way, with marvellously evocative
string playing and luscious portamenti.
There are plenty more
pleasures abounding in this 4 CD box.
The Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody makes its
first CD appearance (the earlier 1926-27
recording has garnered re-release on
Biddulph, Magic Talent and Grammofono).
This later recording is powerful and
energised and though I do lean to the
earlier one as a performance I’m more
than pleased that we have now been given
the opportunity to appreciate this one.
Stokowski was a fine Sibelian and we
have evidence here. The Swan of Tuonela
is the first of his four recordings
and probably the best and most magical
(I believe this 1929 recording was one
of those also issued on an experimental
33 ⅓ transcription disc). The
Scriabin recordings date from 1932.
The Poem of Ecstasy was a feature of
his concert life - and three commercial
discs exist; this one, and those from
Houston in 1959 and Prague in 1972 along
with a live RPO from 1969. His Scriabin
is not over emoted at all and I was
interested to read in Distler’s notes
that the depression era Philadelphians
were reduced in number for recording
sessions and closely miked to accommodate
it. Also we are told that there were
no retakes at all in the Scriabin sessions;
was that decision driven by finance,
one wonders, as much as a tribute to
the orchestra’s luminous excellence.
The
Dvořák New World is the familiar
1934 inscription. The 1925 early electric
was buffeted by tuba reinforcements
and is something of a trial but the
rapid remake two years later
was more like it. It’s a question of
taste as to which you will prefer, should
the 1940 All American, 1947 His Symphony
Orchestra and 1973 New Philharmonia
not be your cup of tea. This is also
claimed as a first ever CD release but
I’m not so sure as I think that there
has been a Japanese Stokowski Society
release and also, I think, one on Grammofono.
I’ve never really been convinced by
Stokowski’s Strauss. His New York 1950
Tod and Verklärung which I reviewed
on Cala is not impressive and nor incidentally
is the 1941 traversal with the All American
Symphony. Jed Distler posits this as
the finest of the three and it’s true
that with the Philadelphia one gets
the most marvellous playing and probably
the best interpretation but that’s all
the recommendation I can honestly give
it as a performance. But elsewhere we
have inimitable Stokowski touches –
glorious Bach transcriptions, a Stokowski-Shostakovich
Prelude and a beautifully phrased Tchaikovsky
Solitude.
Above all there is
the Stokowski-Philadelphia magic at
work (only a couple of items are with
the All-Americans) and with such splendid
sounding originals and such gap-filling
items I can’t really imagine Stokowski
admirers resisting this latest tempter
from Andante.
Jonathan Woolf
