Inter-War Recordings

[mikealdren]

... altho' a comment on that amazon site has doubts :

"This is a very nice compilation of early Sibelius recordings, but Warner has perpetuated the error of giving us a performance of the Andante Festivo NOT conducted by Jean Sibelius. Sibelius conducted the work for a shortwave broadcast on January 1, 1939, and that performance was supposedly released over the years on several LPs. However, several years ago, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) discovered (to their chagrin) that the recording that was offered for LP release was in fact another recording by a conductor not listed on the transcription. This performance by an unidentified conductor was the one released on LP and is the one offered in the Warner set. The correct recording was subsequently issued on a YLE "

Was this the recording issued on LP with Heifetz's earlier (Beecham) Sibelius? It may not be Sibelius but it's a fine performance with amazing atmosphere.

[mikealdren]

Indeed - and gives us the Heifetz/Barbirolli Violin Concerto, too (the only pre-War recording of the violinist I own). The boxed set is a stonker of a bargain - and we get the composer's only recording as a conductor, too!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jean-Sibeli.../dp/B012PMZM4Y

Isn't it Beecham conducting the Violin Concerto rather than Barbirolli?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Isn't it Beecham conducting the Violin Concerto rather than Barbirolli?

<doh> - of course it is!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have all the Naxos Historical Gigli recordings, most early Furtwangler and all Elgar conducts Elgar recordings.

It's the Elgar ones that I turn to most often, as these are some of the most important historical recordings of the era.

[gurnemanz]

I now have quite a few recordings from this era - some mentioned above - but I think my first foray into this recording area was the Lieder boxes on EMI LPs: Schubert Lieder on Record 1898-1952, The Wolf Society recordings, (both subsequently available on CD). I also have a Schumann/Brahms box which never appeared on CD. I knew the repertoire fairly well from modern recordings and apart from discovering great voices from the past, what I also found fascinating and sometimes quite exhilarating was the greater freedom of interpretation which they would hardly "get away with" nowadays, and also some one-off inauthenticity, maybe with the performers using their native language: the famous Harry Plunket Greene Leiermann in English, Chaliapin's Death and the Maiden in Russian + orchestra, Georges Thills's Erlkönig in French with the doomed son's part sung by a boy treble, also + orchestra.

[Petrushka]

I have a major interest in the history of this period so naturally also have a corresponding interest in the recordings from that time, particularly those from Austria and Germany. I've got many in early CD issues and they might have been re-mastered since. I also need to seriously investigate the Pristine label.

Among my favourites are:

Wagner: Walküre Act 1 VPO/Walter
Mahler: Symphony No 9 VPO/Walter - an historical document of huge importance.
Bruckner: Symphony No 4 Staatskapelle Dresden/Böhm - the Dutton issue in very good sound.
Elgar conducts Elgar. I have the 1992 EMI reissue.
Smetana: Ma Vlast Czech PO/Talich. The 1939 recording, another priceless historical document.
Beethoven: Symphonies 1 & 4 BBCSO/Toscanini - another excellent Dutton transfer

For my top spot I'd have to choose Karl Böhm and the Staatskapelle Dresden in a complete Act 3 of Wagner's Die Meistersinger recorded in 1938 and available on the Profil label. It sounds very good indeed and is not to be missed.

[Barbirollians]

Oh, yes - Menuhin's Bach (solo and with Enescu) are among my favourites - as are Enescu's recordings of the solo Violin works (the one positive thing I took away from the Bachathon of wretched memory) and Fischer's "48". I think that YM was a much finer Musician before the 1950s.

I disagree he was a far more perfect violinist but he remained a great musician and sometimes his late recordings are very special despite their technical flaws.

[mikealdren]

Another great violinist of the interwar years was, of course, Kreisler, an artist like no other.

[mikealdren]

I disagree he was a far more perfect violinist but he remained a great musician and sometimes his late recordings are very special despite their technical flaws.

With the current extraordinary technical standards, we forget how technically flawed some great players from earlier generations were. To get away from violinsts for the moment, even great technicians like Horowitz played lots of wrong notes that you simply wouldn't hear nowadays from players like Kissin, Pletnev, Lang Kang, Yuja Wang, Volodos, Trifonov etc. etc. It isn't just a matter of recording editing, they are amazing live too.

I heard Menuhin a few times in the late 60s/early 70s and his playing was certainly technically erratic but he did manage to produce memorable performances and I don't think it was just my relative youth and lack of critical faculty.

I have a DVD of Bell Telephone hour performances from many of the leading violinists of the 40s/50s and the general technical standard of playing is not good!

[hafod]

Since others have strayed beyond the upper end of the OP's original title to good effect, I think it a little more appropriate to draw attention to a newly issued box here rather than the 'bargains' thread - 12 discs from Profil of Lipatti for €25. Apart from it having five more discs than the 7 disc Icon box, I have no information on sound quality/remastering (if any) or the extent of overlap/new material.

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/dinu-lipatti-100th-anniversary-edition/hnum/6401327

[gurnemanz]

Some classic restoration work has been undertaken by Naxos under Mark Obert-Thorn (His finest hour?). I got the historical Parsifal extracts after reading Rob Cowan's review in the Indy in 1999. Amongst other delights, you get to hear Gurnemanz and friends in 1927 marching along to Wagner's original "Bayreuth bells" which the Nazis melted down to make guns.
Still available.

[silvestrione]

Let's not forget a certain Beethoven piano sonatas survey.

My first thought too. In the Naxos mastering, for me: I did try the EMI, and unwisely splashed out on the new Warner box, but Schnabel's unique sound (and piano?) come out wonderfully on Naxos. Just wish they would do the complete Schubert now.

Just checked and this is again Mark Obert-Thorn of course.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Rob Cowan's selection of Toscanini recordings, on EC this week, has really opened my eyes (and ears).

[mikealdren]

Rob Cowan's selection of Toscanini recordings, on EC this week, has really opened my eyes (and ears).

I didn't hear that but, as a long time admirer, I did buy the recent Toscanini original labels box. I really don't find much hard driven and even the recordings sound acceptable. It's amazing how 'modern' many of his interpretations seem and with our recent high speed HIPP performances, Toscanini doesn't even seem particularly quick nowadays.

[richardfinegold]

I didn't hear that but, as a long time admirer, I did buy the recent Toscanini original labels box. I really don't find much hard driven and even the recordings sound acceptable. It's amazing how 'modern' many of his interpretations seem and with our recent high speed HIPP performances, Toscanini doesn't even seem particularly quick nowadays.