Heretofore, Living
Era have brought us quite a number of
nostalgic reissues of great popular
singers and instrumentalists from the
early days of recording. It is exciting
news indeed that this company is now
delving into classical literature with
a fresh handful of releases.
Leopold Stokowski was
without question one of the great innovators
in classical music, and was one of the
earliest major musical figures to attempt
to bring the art form to the masses.
His was a banner that was not to be
taken up again until Leonard Bernstein
came along some decades later. Through
the media of radio, film and recording,
Stokowski became a household name, bringing
great music to millions of listeners
who might not otherwise have had the
opportunity to enjoy it. He was constantly
concerned with sound, and ever fascinated
with technology, exploring a number
of unique seating arrangements for the
orchestra, and allowing the string sections
to bow freely to maximize the richness
of their tone. He was also the first
major conductor to exploit the art of
recording, keeping abreast on each new
development in the technology, and anxiously
recording and re-recording his repertoire
in the best and newest sound quality
available.
Stokowski was also
an innovator in public persona, with
his mysterious accent (Eastern European,
in spite of his London birth and upbringing),
his batonless conducting and his great
shock of white hair; he became not only
a musical star, but a Hollywood sex
symbol as well.
He recorded Dvořák’s
ninth symphony six times in all, and
this is the second of these recordings,
from 1927. He begins with an interesting
little lecture on the symphony’s themes,
stressing the now sometimes debated
relationship of the composer’s music
with Native American and African-American
themes. The anachronistic terms "savage"
and "Negro" crop up frequently
in his discussion.
In spite of the abundant
background noise from the original 78-rpm
discs, this is still a dynamic and enjoyable
rendition. Stokowski, unlike some of
his colleagues from the era, did not
indulge in overly lugubrious tempo choices,
and of course, there is the glorious
sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra,
a sound that pervades to this day, and
that is very much Stokowski’s creation.
Listeners will have to use a bit of
aural imagination as these source recordings
have some limitations both in the depth
of the sound (bass frequencies in particular
are not as clear as one might wish)
and the ever-present whir of surface
noise. But this is a performance that
is so rich in intensity, dynamic contrast
and virtuoso playing that all the problems
of an old recording are practically
moot.
The smaller encore
selections, many of them from the famous
catalogue of Stokowski transcriptions
are delightful to hear, and have far
fewer sonic limitations given that they
are somewhat younger recordings, and
electronic recording and the introduction
of magnetic tape did wonders for the
improvement of sound in the thirties
and forties.
Of particular merit
is the Nováček,
which employs some sensational playing
by the violins. The intonation and ensemble
in the very high registers is a marvel,
doubly so at this lightening tempo.
Although the Brahms and Liszt transcriptions
can get a bit campy at times, they are
still wonderful delights, and
evoke memories of childhood first experiences
with this music.
This release is clearly
more about Stokie than the music, and
that is as it should be. Program notes
are thorough and informative, and the
presentation is professional and interesting.
This is a disc predominately for the
fans of the conductor and for those
who love historical recordings. But
there are some musical delights that
may also be of interest to the casual
listener. Certainly this is a valid
portrait of a time long gone in American
music-making. Recommended.
Kevin Sutton
The Leopold Stokowski Symphony Orchestra/Leopold
Stokowski (Enescu) 
