Eugene Goossens (and Everest recordings)

[johnb]

Eugene Goossens (conductor and composer) seems to have totally disappeared from public consciousness, even in this erudite place. Perhaps because he spent much of his working life in the US and in Australia but perhaps also because of a scandal that erupted in 1956 when a cache of letters and photographs concerning occult and erotic practices was discovered.

Does anyone have a view as to his abilities as a conductor or as a composer? It seems he conducted the UK premier of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with the composer in attendence and, later, was the conductor of the Cincinnati SO and then the Sydney SO. He also seems to have been instrumental in the creation of the Sydney Opera House.

Incidentally, he made some recordings for the independent Everest Records label. It was news to me that this small recording company, which only existed between 1958 and 1960, was responsible for the development of the purpose built Westrex 35mm magnetic film recorders and the three microphone recording technique that then were used by Mercury Records, following the sale of the Everest studios and equipment to C. Robert Fine (though it seems that Mercury had been using the three microphone technique in previous years).

[Ferretfancy]

One of the recordings that Goossens made with the LSO for the Everest label was a coupling of Petrushka and the Rite of Spring; anpther was John Antill's ballet Corroboree, with Ginastera's Estancia and Panambi Ballet Suites.

The performances of the Stravinsky are really only so-so, not helped by the rather oddly balanced recording, but the Antill and Ginastera are very enjoyable, together with a nicely cheeky performance of The Little Train of the Caipira from Villa Lobos's Bachianas Brasileras No. 2. Now that would be fun for the World Cup !
Another nice Goossens disc is La Boutique Fantasque.

Most of the Everest catalogue was reissued in the 1990s, but there was some doubt about the claims that the CDs were re-mastered from the original session tapes and 35mm film.Certainly, my Everest copy of Stokowki's famous Francesca da Rimini and Hamlet doesn't sound as good to my ears as it's earlier incarnation on the dell'Arte label, which is a shame, as I think these are some of the best Tchaikovsky performances ever issued.

[Ferretfancy]

Following my previous comments, i've just dug out the Goossens Boutique Fantasque, which I have on LP. It's actually an EMI Classics for Pleasure, not Everest, and is as nice as I remember it. Goossens scores best in the quieter passages, as he does in the coupling, The Fountains of Rome with the Philharmonia. Fences get rushed a bit at the Triton Fountain, but the long postlude has lovely playing. I know it's a rather over familiar piece, but it sounds well here.

[johnb]

It seems that the releases of the Everest catalogue have had a somewhat chequered history and variable quality. The rights to the catalogue appear to have changed hands a number of times but, from what I can gather, it appears that in recent years there have been new releases, remastered from the original tapes. Which raises the obvious questions as to how they actually did that as they would have needed to get their hands on the right kit. (As well as the re-released CDs there are also 24/96 downloads available from HDTracks.)

I might well get one of the Everest re-issues out of curiosity (either the Tchaikovsky or Villa-Lobos disc). I see their catalogue also contains Boult conducting VW9 as well as, more remarkably, Mahler 1, Shostakovich and Hindemith.

[Bryn]

... I might well get one of the Everest re-issues out of curiosity (either the Tchaikovsky or Villa-Lobos disc). I see their catalogue also contains Boult conducting VW9 as well as, more remarkably, Mahler 1, Shostakovich and Hindemith.

The Everest RVW9 is included, under licence, in the Decca set of the Symphonies. The DSCH6 is very fine indeed, as is the Hindemith. Not heard the Mahler.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Goossens recorded the Britten Serenade and Les illuminations with Pears and Brain for Decca, mono only, in the early 50s. It's still available on Eloquence.

This recording of the Serenade sits between the much better known premiere (78s) recording cond. Britten with Pears, Brain and the Boyd Neel String Orch, and the start of Britten's long run of stereo Decca LPs. So a little odd perhaps that they went to Goossens rather than Britten for the mono-LP replacement for the 78s?

It sounds very good to me, with Pears in fresher voice than in the stereo remake.

[Don Petter]

Goossens recorded the Britten Serenade and Les illuminations with Pears and Brain for Decca, mono only, in the early 50s. It's still available on Eloquence.

This recording of the Serenade sits between the much better known premiere (78s) recording cond. Britten with Pears, Brain and the Boyd Neel String Orch, and the start of Britten's long run of stereo Decca LPs. So a little odd perhaps that they went to Goossens rather than Britten for the mono-LP replacement for the 78s?

It sounds very good to me, with Pears in fresher voice than in the stereo remake.

And Brain on top form!

[ardcarp]

but perhaps also because of a scandal that erupted in 1956

One does have to remember the moral climate of the times. I remember reading a book about opera in our school music library (can't remember its name or author sadly) which took a disapproving view of Strauss on the basis of his subject matter and Salome in particular. Despite my efforts, the only LPs I could find were of Der Rosenkavalier whose harmonic language I immediately fell in love with, but that's beside the point. People disapproved of Oscar Wilde too, of course. Britten, as far as I remember, escaped opprobrium, and I don't remember his sexuality being openly discussed until the 70s or even 80s.

[Petrushka]

One of the recordings that Goossens made with the LSO for the Everest label was a coupling of Petrushka and the Rite of Spring; anpther was John Antill's ballet Corroboree, with Ginastera's Estancia and Panambi Ballet Suites.

The performances of the Stravinsky are really only so-so, not helped by the rather oddly balanced recording, but the Antill and Ginastera are very enjoyable, together with a nicely cheeky performance of The Little Train of the Caipira from Villa Lobos's Bachianas Brasileras No. 2. Now that would be fun for the World Cup !
Another nice Goossens disc is La Boutique Fantasque.

Most of the Everest catalogue was reissued in the 1990s, but there was some doubt about the claims that the CDs were re-mastered from the original session tapes and 35mm film.Certainly, my Everest copy of Stokowki's famous Francesca da Rimini and Hamlet doesn't sound as good to my ears as it's earlier incarnation on the dell'Arte label, which is a shame, as I think these are some of the best Tchaikovsky performances ever issued.

I have to disagree about the Stravinsky - or at least about the recording of The Rite of Spring, the Petrushka indeed being so-so. The Rite is taken somewhat slower than we are used to these days but there is much gain in extra detail emerging and, as I've said a few times before on here, the bass drum is wonderfully well caught, far better than on many a modern digital effort.

[richardfinegold]

I had the Stravinsky disc on DVD A. I remember it being a very ho hum recording, both musically and sonically.

[Pabmusic]

One Goossens recording that any RVW fan should have is his 1941 recording with the Cincinnati Orchestra of A London Symphony. It's one of only two ever made of the 1920 first published version of the score (which Bernard Herrmann for one preferred to the 1933 version we know - I suspect Michael Kennedy also might think similarly). Quite why he recorded it is not clear, for the 1933 version has a note requesting that the 1920 version should no longer be played. Perhaps Goossens and Cincinnati just hadn't seen the newer version.

I see Amazon have this at a ridiculous price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Music-America-Jascha-Heifetz/dp/B000009KBE/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1402700249&sr=8-9&keywords=vaughan+williams+goossens

But this blog has a downloadable link (see the last of the comments). The orchestra - the Cromwell Symphony Orchestra with unnamed conductor - is the Cincinnati with Goossens:

http://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/2009/09/vaughan-williams-from-cincinnati.html

Incidentally, the other recording of the 1920 version was with Dan Godfrey and the LSO, acoustic, from 1925. It has also appeared on CD. Interestingly, Godfrey (who makes the same cut in the epilogue that RVW would incorporate in the later revision) takes almost 45 minutes, but Goossens (who doesn't take the scherzo repeat) is just 39 minutes. Goossens is certainly fleet.

The 1920 version is shorter than the original by almost 100 bars, but it's longer than the one we know by more than 50.

[Ferretfancy]

The Everest RVW9 is included, under licence, in the Decca set of the Symphonies. The DSCH6 is very fine indeed, as is the Hindemith. Not heard the Mahler.

I absolutely agree about the Boult Shostakovich 6, I think that the wonderful brooding first movement is achieved to near perfection at Boult's slow tempo.

It would be interesting to know if any re-mastering has been done using the original 35mm mag recordings, I imagine that what we have now has come from various tape sources, since I doubt if 35mm playback equipment is readily available. When we recorded on this medium at the BBC, the standard length of a reel was 1000 feet, giving 10 minutes of recording time. I'm not sure whether Everest and subsequently Mercury had machines which could accommodate longer reels to make subsequent editing easier for mastering onto vinyl LPs.

[Barbirollians]

He made a lovely record of the Symphonie Espagnole in the 1950s with Menuhin which i have on a CfP LP .

[Lordgeous]

There's a wealth of info on Mercury/Everest here:

http://www.soundfountain.com/amb/mercury.html#35MM