Igor Markevitch (conductor)
The Deutsche Grammophon Legacy
rec. 1953-1965
No texts
ELOQUENCE 4841659 [21 CDs: 23 hrs]
My MusicWeb colleague Jonathan Woolf admiringly reviewed this box set last November shortly after its release; I have taken a second look in order to supplement his comprehensive findings and refer you to his review for more background information rather than otiosely reproduce it here.
In brief, this 21 CD set contains 34 substantial works plus eighteen shorter overtures, preludes and excerpts and an interview with the conductor – but more than a score of these recordings are in mono sound only, which, I suspect, might present something of a disincentive to prospective purchasers who are not “historical buffs” and who perhaps, like me, knew Markevitch mainly through his later stereo recordings and did not realise that so much of his recorded output was made in the mid-50s just before Decca switched to stereo. 1957 was an especially prolific year for recordings by him yet every one of them is in mono sound; the first stereo items – Gluck’s Sinfonia in G and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Le coq d’or suite - were not made until June 58.
The polymath Markevitch was one of the most active and in-demand composers, teachers and conductors of his era – extraordinarily versatile and eclectic; furthermore, unlike many of peers, he enjoyed studio recording. The repertoire here ranges from the early classical era with the Gluck, through Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, the great Romantics, the most celebrated French and Russian composers (reflecting his own ethnic heritage and upbringing), Wagner, to 20C modernists such as Milhaud and Honneger. The bulk of his recordings during his tenancy as chief conductor of the Lamoureux Orchestra were made for Philips (now on a Decca box set), but there is plenty here made for DG with that orchestra and also with the Berlin and Czech Philharmonic orchestras - and even a couple of recordings with the short-lived Symphony of the Air, successor to Toscanini’s NBC Symphony.
The first disc contains two classic performances, beginning with the Cherubini Requiem. It is immediately evident how and why it exercised considerable influence over Berlioz, even if it does not evince the marks of genius which distinguished Berlioz’ ventures into liturgical music on a grand scale. It is here given a fine, dignified performance in good stereo sound. I have to say that I have never particularly warmed to the work but it here receives as energised and committed an account as one could wish from the superb Czech male choir and an excellent orchestra with, as JW remarks, typically characterful woodwind. The climaxes in the Dies irae are impressive but however good this recording is, it cannot quite disguise the fact that for all Markevitch’s fervent advocacy it is not inspired throughout; there are passages of distinctly fustian bombast.
It is paired here with a greater work, the Mozart “Coronation Mass”; Markevitch’s second recording – a stereo remake. Comparison with the earlier, mono recording on CD 29 reveals little difference in her performance or the conductor’s direction: both were with the famous concert soprano Maria Stader. She is sweet, true and pure with considerable reserves of power; Markevitch is urgent and driven and there is virtually no difference in timings. Both teams of soloists are excellent – but the big advantage to the second recording resides in the stereo sound, whereas the 1954 version is in boxy, fuzzy mono sound which suffers from a fair amount of shatter in loud choral passages and there is no reason why anyone would prefer to listen to it.
CD 2 offers more Mozart: three of the better-known symphonies in clean, very bright mono, wonderfully animated and energised with a gratifyingly hefty bass line and whacked timpani. Markevitch did not subscribe to any doctrinaire performance practice but was cognisant of the nascent historical, period awareness movement and as such you can hear elements of that in his interpretative stance here, despite the opulence (somewhat masked by the recording) of the orchestral sound. These are such vital readings that I cannot help but regret that they missed out on stereo technology by a matter of six months. The sudden transition to Gluck’s brief, lively – and very (pre-)Mozartian - Sinfonia in stereo only emphasises the loss.
There follows on CD 3 more Mozart in stereo: his charming bassoon concerto, expertly and characterfully played by Maurice Allard in excellent balance with the Lamoureux Orchestra; the Rondo is especially virtuosic. Once again, the switch to mono for Haydn’s Sinfonia concertante is a bit of an aural wrench but the quartet of soloists is impressive – and it is surely one of those works where the cross-fertilisation between Haydn and Mozart is most evident. The Cimarosa double flute concerto is still something of a rarity; modern listeners might be aware of it through James Galway’s recording of it with his (third) wife Jeanne. It could hardly be more winningly played than here but I concur with JW’s reaction to Markevitch’s playing of the final piece on this disc, Schubert’s Third Symphony, as being “unsuitably belligerent” – at least in the first and fourth movements, where the conductor seems to be worried that Schubert will come across as too gemütlich – but that does not prevent him from wallowing in the folksy charm of the Allegretto.
I am fussy about my Beethoven overtures and have never heard a better compilation of them than Kurt Masur’s Philips album closely followed by Karajan’s various accounts. They are well-played and paced here, on CD 4, often exciting, but in relatively narrow stereo and there is no escaping that the Lamoureux hasn’t the weight and sheen of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig or the BPO and they do not generate quite the same tension or rhythmic spring. It is nevertheless highly enjoyable – and the same is true of the two Beethoven symphonies on discs 5 and 6. Their impact is lessened by being in mono but the playing is taut, muscular and flexible. I refer you to JW’s review for more background information and his views, with which I entirely concur; the ‘Eroica’ is thrilling and the ‘Pastoral’ highly poetic – if a little indulgently leisurely for my taste, especially in the opening – surprising in a conductor generally so urgent, Solti-style.
The two Brahms symphonies on CDs 7 and 8, are interpretatively deeply satisfying – and would be even more so in stereo sound; Markevitch catches both the massive dignity and underlying menace in the music. As with the Beethoven overtures, I am particular about how I want this symphony, my favourite of Brahms’ four, to go, and my touchstones have long been Karajan and Furtwängler. Markevitch joins them for power and subtlety – and for maintaining a coherent overview, without becoming bogged down in details. The Andante first unfolds as easily as breathing, followed by lovely woodwind solos and singing strings; the poco Allegretto is fleet, adept and seductive, the finale develops with calm authority rising to a thrilling, pounding conclusion. The extra depth of stereo sound lends and reveals more weight from the Lamoureux Orchestra and also permits us to hear more detail such as the grainy timbre of their woodwind – and when Markevitch is in charge one so often feels that this is exactly how the music he is conducting should sound. He unerringly tunes into the mood of the genial, celebratory Fourth so different from the mostly dark, craggy, uncompromising First. CD 8 also contains a fine, powerful performance of Harold in Italy in relatively poor, mono sound – at first, I thought it must be live, but these are all studio recordings. However, Heinz Kirchner’s lovely, warm, buzzing tone come through beautifully and the sheer raw energy of the orchestral playing is compelling. Limited sound notwithstanding, this is a great performance.
We are given two versions of Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique here: the first on CD 17 was recorded in 1953 with the BPO in mono sound, the second on CD 9 in stereo in 1961 with the Lamoureux Orchestra. The later account is markedly slower by four minutes overall, resulting in an unfortunate dilemma: both are fine performances but neither has quite the animal vehemence of Munch or Stokowski and the earlier one sounds more energised than the later, so to hear the better version we are restricted to mono sound. A second Cherubini item, the overture to Anacréon, receives a lively performance which confirms its kinship to Médée and another overture, from Auber’s La muette de Portici – “the first French Grand Opera” - rounds off the ninth disc.
Continuing with Berlioz, on CDs 10 and 11, La Damnation de Faust has long been a favourite recording and has the greatest claim to authenticity, being recorded in Paris with a French orchestra, conductor and choir and, with one exception, a native -French speaking cast. Canadian tenor Richard Verreau, was a Gigli pupil who had a successful international career until it was cut short by vocal issues and an unsuccessful throat operation. He recorded comparatively little, making this 1959 stereo souvenir of his prowess especially valuable. His perfect French, mellifluous, even voice with ringing top notes and smooth legato make him the ideal exponent of the flawed anti-hero Faust. Michel Roux is certainly no bass-baritone, and in that regard is rather similar to his predecessor Martial Singher in that he has a typically light, rather dry-toned French baritone which is pleasing but too refined; nonetheless, he is sneeringly elegant as Méphistophélès. Pierre Mollet as Brander hasn’t a great voice but is very characterful. I prefer a duskier-toned voice than that of Spanish soprano Consuelo Rubio like that of Janet Baker or Frederica von Stade, but she sings warmly and feelingly and both the viola and cor anglais accompaniments to her arias are superb. Markevitch’s conducting is electric; the ‘Pandaemonium’ chorus is terrific.
CD 12 contains an all-French programme; the most substantial item being Debussy’s La mer, and the most interesting, his Danse sacrée et Danse profane – originally written for the chromatic, cross-strung Pleyel harp, both in stereo. I was previously unfamiliar with Gounod’s Second Symphony; it is boisterous, melodic and identifiably Mendelssohn-influenced - if somewhat generic and Markevitch plays it with dedication. “Light music”, perhaps? The sound is not at all bad, either. Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants is similarly played with a palpable affection. There are too many fine accounts of La mer to fix on just one but this strikes me as being vivid, colourful and direct, without a hint of “préciosité”, avoiding the mimisiness with which some interpreters afflict French Impressionist music. Perhaps that results in some lack of atmosphere but I like its sincerity and when the orchestra is unleashed right at the end of the first “esquisse” their impact is striking. Markevitch finds all the contrasts and drama in the music.
I have no doubt the he enjoyed reconnecting with his ethnic roots as per the all-Russian programme on CD 13. (Don’t be perturbed by reading “stereo” on the slipcase then hearing that the first item, the Russian Easter Festival Overture is mono; the rest of the programme is indeed stereo). Once again, I am impressed by Markevitch’s protean flexibility; he slips out of “French elegance” mode effortlessly into the true Russian idiom and delivers punchy, frenzied accounts of these showpiece works. I haven’t heard a better version of that overture, limited sound notwithstanding. Everything is beautifully played here, especially the brilliant Le Coq d’or suite, which is exceptionally clear and forward, reminding me what adventurous, sparkling music this is and urging me to listen again to the full opera. Next are two atmospheric excerpts from Borodin and Lyadov respectively and the disc is crowned by a barn-storming performance of the overture from Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila – with great timpani!
CD 14 is a Tchaikovsky double bill. My reference recording for the ‘Pathétique’ has long been Karajan’s 1971 account on EMI, closely followed by his 1976 version on DG, which I compare in my review. This 1953 recording would rank with those were it not for the limitations of its mono sound; Markevitch is especially free with his variation of tempi and application of rubato – hardly amiss in Tchaikovsky, of all composers – and the desperate, desolate finale wrings the heart as it should, especially as, like Karajan, he has the BPO at his disposal – but of course it is still Furtwängler’s orchestra. The recording level seems quite low and the only answer is to crank it up, as the hiss is tolerable, but its impact is inevitably dulled. Francesca da Rimini is another matter, being in stereo. Again, I have an “untouchable” favourite recording in Stokowski’s electrifying version (review) and any competitive recording would have to be very special indeed to rival it. This is very good and indeed is the first version I have encountered which rivals Stokowski for weight, power and tension – but does not surpass it. The concluding bars, however, are every bit as exhilarating.
On to Wagner on CD 15; was there nothing Markevitch could or would not conduct? (Maybe not so much baroque – but he did record Bach’s Musical Offering.) The poise and serenity of the quiet pieces such as the Lohengrin Prelude remind me of Kempe, whereas the Tannhäuser overture has the same coruscating virulence as Solti – both of which comparisons I mean as high praise. Markevitch builds beautifully, a great arc of sound culminating in a grand peroration – wonderful playing – and I have to disagree amicably with JW, in that I am hard pushed to tell which of these numbers are played by the BPO as opposed to the Lamoureux, such is the latter’s sumptuousness. All the tracks are superb; were they all in stereo, I would account this one of the great Wagner compilations but we revert to mono after the Tannhäuser overture – and of course, the Venusberg music suffers most from that, being a sonic display piece.
I was previously unfamiliar with all the music on CD 16; indeed, they are still surely rarities in the concert hall or in the recording studio. The hideous cover did not encourage me to pursue my first encounter.
Milhaud’s Les Choéphores is incidental music (“musique de scène”) for the Electra story as told in the play adapted by French poet and playwright Paul Claudel from the two first tragedies of Aeschylus’ Oresteia - the same story, in fact, as Richard Strauss’ opera. The cast is excellent, featuring two particularly celebrated singers: mezzo-soprano Hélène Bouvier as Electre and baritone Heinz Rehfuss as Oreste. The music is largely declamatory Sprechstimme adhering to natural speech rhythms over a percussive accompaniment punctuated by dissonant harmonies but the absence of libretto and murky mono sound makes it hard to make out the words. It is music, but not as we know it, Jim, and it does little for me; I think we may safely assert that Milhaud was not interested in being a melodist. You may sample this recording on YouTube.
Honegger’s Fifth Symphony consists of a strange trudge through an unvariedly gloomy landscape in the first movement, a spiky, dissonant goblin dance in the second and frantic, insistent braying of brass in the finale like a wounded dog. Those who like it will like this performance of it. Roussel’s meandering, episodic Bacchus et Ariane, suite No 2 is in stereo and, er…that’s it. As you might gather, I feel no compelling urge to return to this disc….
CD 17 contains the earlier Symphonie fantastique discussed above and a mono Pictures at an Exhibition with the BPO, in Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s piano suite. The mono sound militates it against being a prime recommendation in the face of so many in modern sound but it is assuredly very well played and conducted, with the grumbling bass coming through well and a real verve to proceedings. There are many admirable colouristic touches, like the exotic, almost oriental plangency of the woodwinds’ timbres in The Old Castle (track 9), reminding me of similar passages in Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker suite and Borodin’s Prince Igor. Even the lumbering ox cart comes through well, despite the limitations of the sound and I have rarely heard a more triumphant ‘Great Gate of Kiev’ finale; this is one of the mono works least compromised by the sound to the extent that the listener can pretty much forget that it is not in stereo.
CD 18 presents two Berwald symphonies – again, something of a rarity and sufficiently impressive in both content and execution to make me wonder why we don’t hear them more often in the concert hall. As usual, that malicious cretin, the critic Eduard Hanslick helped put the knife into Berwald’s prospects describing him “as a composer [who] lacked creative power and fantasy" but we may hear that he deserved better press. Markevitch knew these quirky, inventive works – both “Sinfonies singulières”, indeed - from his time in Sweden and gives them ideal advocacy, driving hard as befits the restless energy of the music. Their restlessness often reminds me of another Nordic composer, Nielsen – crossed with Mendelssohn – and I like the witty touches like the false ending half way through the scurrying finale of the Fourth. Again, the mono sound is no great barrier to enjoyment. However, just as he did with Schubert’s Third Symphony (see CD 3 above) and rather like Maazel in his BR Klassik box set, he also pushes hard in the Fourth here, somewhat to the detriment of its prevailing mood of broody, sombre grandeur, but that urgency lends it a kind of quiet desperation and it is certainly never routine, even if I prefer a more considered approach to Schubert in general, as per Beecham (although he never recorded the Fourth).
CDs 19 and 20 offer Markevitch’s favourite recording, Haydn’s Creation. Once again, he is up against tough competition in terms of sound and soloists, this being mono and fielding singers who must inevitably be compared with rosters such as Karajan’s – Janowitz, Wunderlich and Berry – Dorati’s – Popp, Hollweg and Moll – or Forster’s – Grümmer, Traxel and Frick - or Levine’s – Battle, Winbergh and Moll (again). Nonetheless, right from the off the mono sound is amazingly rich and full, so the ‘Chaos’ music positively leaps out to embrace the listener and Kim Borg’s first contribution is mightily impressive: steady, authoritative and beautifully toned, with an attractive fast – but never tremulous – vibrato. He makes a great job of the immensely challenging aria “Rollend in schäumenden Wellen”. Yes, the chorus is inevitably rather recessed but that lends them a kind of distant, “seraphic choir” quality – and the explosion on “Licht” is very satisfying despite a bit of peakiness. I did not expect Mozart tenor Richard Holm to sound so firm and assertive and Irmgard Seefried is in radiant voice. Markevitch’s direction is perfect, very much in the Karajan mode.
Seefried again shines in the final work here on disc 21: Gounod’s Messe solennelle de sainte Cécile, which, like so much of Gounod’s oeuvre, is somewhat scanted these days as tastes have changed and moved away from what is perceived as sentimental. If, like me, you have previously encountered the prematurely deceased bass-baritone Hermann Uhde only in his Heldenbariton Wagnerian guise, you will be surprised to find him here singing this gentle, devotional music. I am not at all sure that Gerhard Stolze’s distinctive, plaintive, nasal timbre is as well suited to it, however; he is indelibly associated with a whining Mime in Wagner’s Ring – but his part here is small. Again, Markevitch’s direction is unerring.
The concluding interview ranges across a number of subjects without being especially enlightening. The 48-page booklet contains track listings, ten atmospheric photos and a full biographical note by Peter Quantrill. The cardboard slipcases reproduce all the distinctive, original “yellow label” LP covers.
Ralph Moore
Previous review:
Jonathan Woolf
Contents
CD 1
Luigi CHERUBINI (1760–1842)
Requiem No 2 in D minor
Czech Philharmonic Chorus & Orchestra
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756–1791)
Mass in C major, KV 317 ‘Krönungsmesse’ (1959 recording)
Maria Stader, soprano
Oralia Dominguez, contralto
Ernst Haefliger, tenor
Michel Roux, bass
Choeurs Elisabeth Brasseur
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Locations: Salle de la Mutualité, Paris, France, 17 & 19–21 December 1959 (Mozart); Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic, 7–8 December 1962 (Cherubini)
CD 2
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART
Symphony No 34 in C major, KV 338*
Symphony No 38 in D major, KV 504 ‘Prague’*
Berliner Philharmoniker
Recording Location: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany, 22–28 February 1954
Symphony No 35 in D major, KV 385 ‘Haffner’*
Christoph Willibald GLUCK (1714–1787)
Sinfonia in G major (Arr. Hans Gál)
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Location: Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris, France, 28 October & 6 November 1957 (Mozart); Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, 7 June 1958 (Gluck)
*mono recording
CD 3
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART
Bassoon Concerto in B-flat major, KV 191
Maurice Allard, bassoon
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Joseph HAYDN (1732–1809)
Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major, H.I: 105*
Georges Alès, violin · André Remond, cello
Émile Mayousse, oboe · Raymond Droulez, bassoon
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Domenico CIMAROSA (1749–1801)
Concerto for two flutes in G major*
Aurèle Nicolet, Fritz Demmler, flutes
Berliner Philharmoniker
Franz SCHUBERT (1797–1828)
Symphony No 3 in D major, D.200*
Berliner Philharmoniker
Recording Locations: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany 26–28 February 1954 (Schubert), 19, 20 December 1954 (Cimarosa); Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, France, 29, 30 October 1957 (Haydn); Polydor-Studio, Paris, France, 4–5 December 1958 (Mozart)
*mono recording
CD 4
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Overture: Egmont, Op 84
Overture: Leonore III
Overture: Fidelio, Op 72
Overture: Coriolan, Op 62
Overture: Zur Namensfeier, Op 115
Overture: Die Weihe des Hauses, Op 124
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Location: Polydor-Studio, Paris, France, 25 November 1958 (Coriolan), 26 November 1958 (Egmont, Leonore, Zur Namensfeier), 28 November 1958 (Die Weihe des Hauses), 29 November 1958 (Fidelio)
CD 5
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Symphony No 3 in E-flat major, Op 55 ‘Eroica’*
Symphony of the Air
Recording Location: Manhattan Center, New York, USA, 19–21 December 1956 & 30 January 1957
*mono recording
CD 6
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Symphony No 6 in F major, Op 68 ‘Pastoral’*
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Location: Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris, France, 21–25 October 1957 & 8 November 1957
*mono recording
CD 7
Johannes BRAHMS (1833–1897)
Symphony No 1 in C minor, Op 68*
Symphony of the Air
Recording Location: Manhattan Center, New York, United States, 19–21 December 1956
*mono recording
CD 8
Johannes BRAHMS
Symphony No 4 in E minor, Op 98
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Location: Polydor-Studio, Paris, France, 20–24 November 1958
Hector BERLIOZ (1803–1869)
Harold en Italie, Op 16*
Heinz Kirchner, viola
Berliner Philharmoniker
Recording Location: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany, 8–15 December 1955
*mono recording
CD 9
Hector BERLIOZ
Symphonie fantastique, Op 14 (1961 recording)
Luigi CHERUBINI (1760–1842)
Anacréon: Overture
Daniel AUBER (1782–1871)
La muette de Portici, S.16: Overture
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Location: Salle de la Mutualité, Paris, France, 11–17 January 1961 (Berlioz), 17–18 (Cherubini, Auber) January 1961
CDs 10–11
Hector BERLIOZ
La Damnation de Faust, Op 24
Faust - Richard Verreau
Marguerite - Consuelo Rubio
Méphistophélès - Michel Roux
Brander - Pierre Mollet
Chœurs Elisabeth Brasseur
Chœur Enfants RTF
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Location: Salle de la Mutualité, Paris, France, 4–6 & 12–14 May 1959
CD 12
Charles GOUNOD (1818–1893)
Symphony No 2 in E-flat major*
Georges BIZET (1838–1875)
Jeux d’enfants, Op 22*
Claude DEBUSSY (1862–1918)
La Mer
Danse sacrée et Danse profane
Suzanne Cotelle, harp (Debussy: Danses)
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Locations: Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, France, 8, 10, 11 November 1957 (Gounod, Bizet); Salle de la Mutualité, Paris, France, 2 March (Debussy: Danses), 2–3 May 1959 (Debussy: La Mer)
*mono recording
CD 13
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844–1908)
Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op 36*
Overture: May Night
Le Coq d’or – Suite
Alexander BORODIN (1833–1887)
In the Steppes of Central Asia
Anatoly LYADOV (1855–1914)
Fragment de l’Apocalypse – Tableau symphonique pour orchestre, Op 66
Mikhail GLINKA (1804–1857)
Overture: Ruslan and Lyudmila
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Locations: Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, 12 November 1957 (Russian Easter Festival Overture), 8–10 (Le Coq d’or), 11 (May Night) June 1958; Salle de la Mutualité, Paris, France, 15 December 1959 (Borodin, Glinka), 23 May 1960 (Lyadov)
*mono recording
CD 14
Peter Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893)
Symphony No 6 in B minor, Op 74 ‘Pathétique’*
Berliner Philharmoniker
Francesca da Rimini, Op 32
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Locations: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany, 1–4 December 1953 (‘Pathétique’); Salle de la Mutualité, Paris, France, 9, 15 December 1959 (Francesca da Rimini)
*mono recording
CD 15
Richard WAGNER (1813–1883)
Lohengrin: Preludes to Acts I & III
Tannhäuser: Overture
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Tannhäuser: Venusberg Music (Bacchanale)*
Siegfried Idyll*
Die Walküre: Walkürenritt*
Berliner Philharmoniker
Recording Locations: Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, 12, 13 June 1958 (Tannhäuser: Overture), 13 June 1958 June 1958 (Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I), 19 November 1958 (Lohengrin: Prelude to Act II); Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany, 7–8 December 1954 (Siegfried Idyll), 14–15 December 1954 (Tannhäuser: Venusberg Music), 19–20 December 1954 (Die Walküre)
*mono recording
CD 16
Darius MILHAUD (1892–1974)
Les Choéphores, Op 24*
Genevieve Moizan, soprano
Hélène Bouvier, mezzo-soprano (Electre)
Heinz Rehfuss, baritone (Oreste)
Claude Nollier, speaker
Chorale de l’Université de Paris
Georges Gitton, chorus master
Arthur HONEGGER (1892–1955)
Symphony No 5 ‘Di tre re’*
Albert ROUSSEL (1869–1937)
Bacchus et Ariane, Op 43 – Suite No 2
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
Recording Locations: Salle Wagram, Paris, France, 16, 18–19, 22 March 1957 (Milhaud), 25–27 March 1957 (Honegger); Salle de la Mutualité, Paris, France 2–3 December 1958 (Roussel)
*mono recording
CD 17
Hector BERLIOZ
Symphonie fantastique, Op 14 (1953 recording)*
Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839–1881)
Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel)*
Berliner Philharmoniker
Recording Location: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany, 23–29 November 1953 (Berlioz), 21–25 February 1953 (Mussorgsky)
*mono recording
CD 18
Franz BERWALD (1796–1868)
Symphony No 3 in C major ‘Singulière’*
Symphony No 4 in E-flat major*
Franz SCHUBERT
Symphony No 4 in C minor, D.417 ‘Tragic’*
Berliner Philharmoniker
Recording Location: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany, December 1954 (Schubert), December 1955 (Berwald)
*mono recording
CDs 19–20
Joseph HAYDN
Die Schöpfung, Hob. XI: 2*
Irmgard Seefried, soprano
Richard Holm, tenor
Kim Borg, bass
Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Berlin
Berliner Philharmoniker
Recording Location: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany, 6–11 May 1955
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART
Mass in C major, KV 317 ‘Krönungsmesse’ (1954 recording)*
Maria Stader, soprano
Sieglinde Wagner, contralto
Helmut Krebs, tenor
Josef Greindl, bass
Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale
Berliner Philharmoniker
Recording Location: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany, 18–21 February 1954
*mono recording
CD 21
Charles GOUNOD
Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile
Irmgard Seefried, soprano
Gerhard Stolze, tenor
Hermann Uhde, bass
Czech Philharmonic Chorus
Josef Veselka, chorus master
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Recording Location: Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic, 26–29 June 1965
Igor MARKEVITCH
An Interview with Igor Markevitch*
Recorded: Fine Recording Studios, New York, USA, 2 August 1957 (Decca Tape DS2673)
*mono recording
