Recordings planned but never made

[Barbirollians]

Reading an interview with The Queen’s racing manager it seems that though frail her final illness was short and sudden . Apparently, they had spent some time the weekend before going over mating plans for her broodmares and racing plans for her horses.

I was reminded of what John McClure said about Bruno Walter’s recording plans made only a fortnight before his death . Apparently , he was to record the Schumann symphonies ,Brahms requiem , Mahler 4 ,Bruckner 8 and Fidelio - what a potential musical treasure trove lost to us.

What other planned recordings by conductors and soloists that were never made are you aware of and what might have we missed ? Barbirolli was I think due to record Meistersingers .

[MickyD]

I'm going to lament once more the five final volumes of the Hogwood Haydn symphony cycle, brutally axed by Decca.

[pastoralguy]

I'm going to lament once more the five final volumes of the Hogwood Haydn symphony cycle, brutally axed by Decca.

Kreisler recording the Elgar violin concerto under the composer.

[pastoralguy]

I really wish Ida Haendel had recorded more repertoire in modern sound.

[Lordgeous]

And Cantelli, more orchestral before his tragic death. I still can't listen to anyone else's Brahms 1.

[Petrushka]

When Sir Georg Solti died in 1997 I believe there were plans to re-record Tristan und Isolde.

(Perhaps some have seen the howler in a Gramophone insert, basically a puff for Decca Classics, in an introductory piece by James Jolly, that October 21 is the 25th anniversary of Solti's death. That was actually on September 5, with October 21 being his 110th birthday. No-one seems to check anything nowadays).

Plans were well advanced for Karajan to record the Sibelius 3rd, the only one missing from his cycle, but alas the Grim Reaper intervened.

On the fantasy front, I lament that Bernard Haitink never recorded a single Mozart symphony (though a live Prague does exist) and no more than two Haydn symphonies. He conducted both many times in concert so the omission is inexplicable.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Barbirolli’s Die Meistersinger

[Petrushka]

I recall a Gramophone article somewhere around 1975/6 which reported that Decca were planning to record a complete Shostakovich symphony cycle to be conducted by Rudolf Kempe, presumably with the RPO. It would have been fascinating to have heard Kempe in this repertoire but, alas, it's another case where the Grim Reaper did his stuff.

As we know, the Haitink cycle was the one that eventually appeared on Decca.

[smittims]

In November 1954 Furtwangler made a complete HMV recording of Die Walkure in Vienna, intended to be the first instalment of what would have been the first studio recording of the Ring. In fact it was the last occasion he conducted as he died after a short illness. We have two Rings conducted by him, but, although they have wonderful things in them, neither features a world class orchestra.

[Mandryka]

Fauré nocturnes from Samson Francois
Chopin mazurkas from Cortot
Solomon Cutner’s Beethoven cycle. Also Beethoven cycles by Gieseking (no op 54), Gilels, Hungerford, Louis Lortie, Rudolph Serkin.
Deszo Ranki Mozart sonatas


Ewald Kooiman’s second complete Bach
Harald Vogel’s complete Sweelinck
Jens Christensen’s Bach

Thomas Fey Haydn symphonies, probably

I think one of the early Haydn quartet cycles was cut short - Pro Arte or Vienna Konzerthaus - I’m a bit out of my comfort zone with Haydn so I could be wrong.

[smittims]

Ah yes, thinking of Haydn Symphonies, the Derek Solomons series was sadly cut off after 9 LPs I think. It would have been the first HIPP Haydn series. I think the VIvaldi society pulled the plug on their sponsorship of it.

[Mandryka]

Wasn't there a story about Furtwangler intending to record a Brahms requiem, but for some reason being unable to see the project through (maybe he died), and Karajan got the gig? I am maybe completely hallucinating this!

[MickyD]

Ah yes, thinking of Haydn Symphonies, the Derek Solomons series was sadly cut off after 9 LPs I think. It would have been the first HIPP Haydn series. I think the VIvaldi society pulled the plug on their sponsorship of it.

That was also such a shame - they were delightful recordings and I heard Solomons and his group do them in concert way back in the early 80s.

[smittims]

Lucky you! I suppose the ensemble no longer exists. Many of the members also featured in other period bands. Indeed, the personnel of rhe Academy of Ancient Music at that time was virtually a roll-call of the period instrument movement, some of them becoming leaders of their own bands. So its' all history already, and it's fortunate they recorded as much as they did then.

[smittims]

Herbert conducted the first complete recording of Brahms' Requiem in October 1947 (LX 1055-64), when Furtwangler was very much alive, and recording too in Vienna. I don't think there was any plan for him to do it. Herbert recorded it several times so it seems to have been an important work for him.

It's unlikely that Furtwangler would have given way to Karajan over a recording. He was offended when K was asked to record a complete 'Figaro' and 'Zauberflote' in 1950.