Rafael Kubelik at 100 June 29 2014

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

In fact, I've never knowingly heard 1 - 5 at all.

I envy you, Pet - hearing the glorious Fifth Symphony for the first time: what a treat you have in store! (Nos 3 & 4 are pretty wonderful, too. Wouldn't mind if I never heard 1 & 2 ever again, nor, for that matter, the Heros's Song - they go on and on and on and .....

Kubelik was an under-rated genius of the podium and I do so wish I'd heard him live in concert more than the single time I did.

One more than I managed . In addition to the Mahler, Schumann, Schönberg and Czech recordings, I'd also add his superb Wagner recordings: an unsurpassed Lohengrin, magnificent Meistersinger and Parsifal and the usual concert bits & bobs (including my favourite big band Siegfried Idyll): powerful Music-making, but also warm and lyrical.

One of those superb Musicians who also happened to be a conductor; like Kempe and Jochum, great figures who for whatever reason(s) seem to have been underrated by their record companies.

[richardfinegold]

A Hero's song op.111 was -as I understand- misused by Czechoslovakian communist regimes to show that Dvorak [who died in 1904 !] already showed understanding for the hero-labourer [keeping in mind Kubelik fled his homeland in 1948 after the communist coup]. That's easily done, as the symphonic poem hasn't got a a specific programme. There is no musical reason to discard this piece. It's Dvorak's last free standing orchestral composition, and his return from a literary/programmatic source for his symphonic poems op.107-110 to a mere abstract one might have been followed to a return to the symphonic form, a symphony no.10.
There are a couple of recordings available, this one on Naxos combining the work with the equally unknown but lovely Czech Suite op.39

I have the Czech Suite already, but I just listened to recording that you recommended on Spotify and it's quite lovely. I agree with ferney about the merits(or lack of) of Hero. It seems more rambling than the 4 Symphonic poems that preceeded it. I found a chairty shop offer for the Naxos disc online and placed the order, mainly for the Czech Suite.

[richardfinegold]

I had been listening to a lot of Kubelik recordings when this thread started, and now I just spun a CD that I purchased in Vienna. It is a 24 bit remastered Sony CD of Mozart Symphonies (40/41) with the BRSO.
After just listening to the DG recording of the Dvorak Water Goblin it's hard not to comment on the comparitive sonic merits of the two recordings. The DG is awful. No bass, weak erratic treble, muddied mid range. The Sony won't ever be considered an audiophile demonstration disc but has much more natural timbres and a sense of taking place in a concert hall.
What a disservice to Kubelik and the other artists that recorded for DG in this time. Somone should take astab at remastering their entire catalog.

[Petrushka]

I had been listening to a lot of Kubelik recordings when this thread started, and now I just spun a CD that I purchased in Vienna. It is a 24 bit remastered Sony CD of Mozart Symphonies (40/41) with the BRSO.
After just listening to the DG recording of the Dvorak Water Goblin it's hard not to comment on the comparitive sonic merits of the two recordings. The DG is awful. No bass, weak erratic treble, muddied mid range. The Sony won't ever be considered an audiophile demonstration disc but has much more natural timbres and a sense of taking place in a concert hall.
What a disservice to Kubelik and the other artists that recorded for DG in this time. Somone should take astab at remastering their entire catalog.

I have both of these, though the Sony comes in a boxed set which may not be the same re-mastering as you have. However, I listened to the Water Goblin only the other night and wasn't struck by any technical shortcomings though then again I was spinning the recording contained in the Symphonies boxed set which may not be the same one you have. In general I find the sound given to Kubelik preferable to that given to Karajan, at least in the 1970s. As I've already mentioned, the sound on Kubelik's Beethoven 9 is superb.

[jayne lee wilson]

The Dvorak cycle is incorporated into the Symphonies boxed set but I've not played them yet. In fact, I've never knowingly heard 1 - 5 at all.

The Beethoven cycle, recorded with nine different orchestras is excellent, culminating in a very fine 9th easily one of the very best currently on my shelves and with close to 60 versions there already that's an indication of how good it is.

Kubelik was an under-rated genius of the podium and I do so wish I'd heard him live in concert more than the single time I did.

I can't imagine anyone hearing Dvorak 3 & 4, say, three times each and not falling in love..he really finds his voice in No.3, and you then see how the twin peaks of 5 & 6 were arrived at (7 always strikes me as a new beginning). 1&2 are more of a challenge (those living in Liverpool in the 80s had the unfair advantage of Pesek's devoted performances of The Bells of Zlonice...) but I would (yet again, probably to no more avail...) direct you to the uncut Rozhdestvensky USSRTV&RLSO 2nd, all 61' of it, on Audiophile Classics Gold. Great remaster, little known and often around for little money. The middle movements especially are full of fantasy, enchanted-forest colours and - yes, good tunes. It's just the kind of epic musical adventure to really hunker down for. (Even lay in rations...)

With Kubelik's Schumann, again I far prefer the BRSO cycle to the Berlin one, much more poetic and atmospheric, and a deal more expressively flexible too; but above all - orchestra and conductor with One Vision of shape and sound. (And if you have trouble with the Manfred Overture - the stunning BRSO one should help). Some good Japanese Specials of it, but the SBKs aren't far behind.
His Asrael is one of the greats (with Talich, Flor and Svetlanov)... with Ma Vlast, I've a special affection for that Mercurial mono CSO...

[richardfinegold]

I have both of these, though the Sony comes in a boxed set which may not be the same re-mastering as you have. However, I listened to the Water Goblin only the other night and wasn't struck by any technical shortcomings though then again I was spinning the recording contained in the Symphonies boxed set which may not be the same one you have. In general I find the sound given to Kubelik preferable to that given to Karajan, at least in the 1970s. As I've already mentioned, the sound on Kubelik's Beethoven 9 is superb.

My Water Goblin is from what is probably an early digitalization of the lps, as it was purchased many years ago. It's been burned to a HD so I can't check any album info. The Sony disc was purchased as a single. At any rate it is encouraging to know that DG may be doing a better job remastering back catalogue compared to their first digital incarnations.

[Petrushka]

My Water Goblin is from what is probably an early digitalization of the lps, as it was purchased many years ago. It's been burned to a HD so I can't check any album info. The Sony disc was purchased as a single. At any rate it is encouraging to know that DG may be doing a better job remastering back catalogue compared to their first digital incarnations.

Initial digital re-masterings sounded pretty much as you say with shrill treble and next to no bass and, yes, I think DG were prime offenders at the time. Everything sounds fine in the Kubelik Symphonies box.

[Pabmusic]

I've just listened to Kubelik with the Stokholm PO playing Stenhammar's lovely Serenade. September 1964 recording from Heliodor (I'm not sure if it ever appeared on full-price DG). It's a lovely performance.

[richardfinegold]

I've been listening to Kubelik's Ma Vlast with the Chicago SO on Mercury, a 1952 recording. I learned the piece (well, all of it except the Moldau) from Kubelik's Boston recording but the latter seems to have gone missing on me. I don't remember it having as much fire & passion as this Chicago recording, which is in excellent mono sound. Well worth investigating.

[doversoul1]

Through the Night Sunday 29th

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b047wrql

Rafael Kubelík at 100. Radio Archive performances of Janacek and Dvorak. Presented by Catriona Young.

1:01 AM
Nielsen, Carl (1865-1931)
Andante Lamentoso for Strings (Op.58)
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Danish Orchestra, Rafael Kubelík (conductor)
[recorded in the early 50's]
1:07 AM
Dvorák, Antonín [1841-1904]
Symphony no. 9 in E minor Op.95 (From the New World)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Rafael Kubelík (conductor)
[recorded in Prague, sometime before 1948]
1:51 AM
Shostakovich, Dmitri [1906-1975]
Symphony No. 9 in E flat major Op. 70
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Rafael Kubelík (conductor)
[recorded in Prague, on 13th December 1945]
2:16 AM
Tansman, Alexandre [1897-1986]
Musique pour orchestre
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Rafael Kubelík (conductor)
[recorded on 23rd March 1950]
2.38 AM
Janácek, Leos [1854-1928]
Taras Bulba - rhapsody for orchestra
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Rafael Kubelík (conductor)
[recorded at the Holland Festival 1951, on 16 June 1951]

[Roehre]

One composer which was important for Kubelik is Karl Amadeus Hartmann.
Kubelik received the karl-amadeus-hartmann-gold-award for his service to Hartmann's music.
Of the first complete set of Hartmann's symphonies (all with the Bavarian RSO, on Wergo, 1980) 6 out of the 8 were conducted by Kubelik. Later he premiered some older works which had re-emerged from Hartmann's papers too.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

One composer which was important for Kubelik is Karl Amadeus Hartmann.

[aeolium]

There are some recordings of works from 1970s Kubelik concerts from the BRSO archives being broadcast this week on Afternoon on 3:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b048bk61

[richardfinegold]

There is a nice article in the current issue of Classical Recordings Quarterly.
An even more interesting article in the same issue on the Japanese conductor Asahina
written by Hentry Fogel, the former President of the Chicago SO responsible for bringing him here to conduct when he was in his late 80s. I have heard several of his Mahler and Bruckner recordings on Fogel's radio show and he was a great presence, largely unknown in the West.
Anyway, the article on Kubelik contains many interesting anecdotes by Musicians that played with him, and many concerning his time at Covent Garden.