Misunderstood/neglected/ignored conductors

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Erich Leinsdorf. (A sort of Musical Georg Solti Unjust, of course, and cheap - in certain repertoire, I'm a great admirer of Solti - but everything Erich did that I've heard is tremendous. The better Salome and Walkure of the two by far in my opinion.)

[Richard Tarleton]

Erich Leinsdorf. (A sort of Musical Georg Solti Unjust, of course, and cheap - in certain repertoire, I'm a great admirer of Solti - but everything Erich did that I've heard is tremendous. The better Salome and Walkure of the two by far in my opinion.)

Like Solti, also a useful pianist. I saw him play Shepherd on the Rock with M Price/J Brymer (sandwiched between Schubert 8 and Mahler 4).

[Richard Tarleton]

Looking back through this thread, things have changed a bit on the Absent Friends front

Mention of Leinsdorf put me in mind of another fine conductor whom I saw a trio of times in London, and whose career I caught the end of - Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt. A sizeable discography but one seldom if ever heards of him today. John Culshaw signed him for Capitol in 1955 as a potential antidote to HvK but then Capitol's classical activity was foreclosed by EMI. A Beethoven and Mozart specialist, but with a liking for Tippett (I saw him conduct the C. for Double String Orchestra, in a concert with Brahms 2 PC with Brendel), I also heard him do Bruckner and Wagner (my first Dutchman). But, my (by Forum standards) tiny CD collection contains none of his recordings, nor of Leinsdorf's. I do have one recording, though, a bleeding chunk of Tannhauser on LP from Bayreuth in 1936, with Max Lorenz.

His son was Erik Smith, the great producer who worked at Decca with Culshaw and later Philips.....

[Ferretfancy]

Leinsdorf was particularly good in Prokofiev. I have the excellent Testament collection of the Piano Concertos with John Browning and the Boston SO, well worth seeking out. At about the same time he recorded symphonies 2,3, 5 & 6 with the Boston SO, it's a pity he did not complete the survey. The performance of No. 6 is very fine.

John Browning also made an interesting recording of the Ravel Concerto for the left hand in Capitol's Full Dimensional Sound. There was a short lived CD reissue of some of these early stereo releases about 15 years ago.

Leinsdorf was generally much better regarded in America than he was here. I remember a few snooty reviews in The Gramophone.

[gradus]

Leinsdorff was a rare bird over here but his recorded legacy is well worth a Rob Cowen retrospective one of these weeks. I have a splendid Wagner/Strauss Decca Phase 4 with him conducting the LSO in the Tannhauser overture and Venusberg music together with the Rosenkavalier suite, maybe reissued on CD? The complete Valkyrie recorded by him preceded Solti but seemed to get lost over the years.

[HighlandDougie]

Leinsdorf was particularly good in Prokofiev. I have the excellent Testament collection of the Piano Concertos with John Browning and the Boston SO, well worth seeking out. At about the same time he recorded symphonies 2,3, 5 & 6 with the Boston SO, it's a pity he did not complete the survey. The performance of No. 6 is very fine.

John Browning also made an interesting recording of the Ravel Concerto for the left hand in Capitol's Full Dimensional Sound. There was a short lived CD reissue of some of these early stereo releases about 15 years ago.

Leinsdorf was generally much better regarded in America than he was here. I remember a few snooty reviews in The Gramophone.

The coupling for that Ravel (with the Philharmonia) is the Prokofiev 3rd - much more ingratiatingly recorded than its RCA successor. A CD which I had consigned to the recycle box until I decided to listen to it again - and then quickly reinstated it. Leinsdorf's Mahler 3rd is very good - and I remember with affection my father buying various of his (mono) Westminster Mozart symphony LPs.

[Petrushka]

There's also a first rate Beethoven 9 with the Boston SO, coupled with Schoenberg's A Survivor from Warsaw, also excellent, on the CD I have. Apparently, though I've not heard it, the rest of Leinsdorf's LvB cycle doesn't live up to that 9th. Can anyone confirm?

[cloughie]

I was using the Belgian spelling for Adrian.

We must speak as we find. I’ve attended a few of Bazza’s concerts, mainly from years ago and thought them very good indeed. I was also grateful for his recordings on Naxos etc, when I was first exploring classical music.

...and the NQHO recordings of Vaughan Williams and Wagner are rather good, as are his Job and his extend Bach-Walton Wise Virgins recording.

[cloughie]

The coupling for that Ravel (with the Philharmonia) is the Prokofiev 3rd - much more ingratiatingly recorded than its RCA successor. A CD which I had consigned to the recycle box until I decided to listen to it again - and then quickly reinstated it. Leinsdorf's Mahler 3rd is very good - and I remember with affection my father buying various of his (mono) Westminster Mozart symphony LPs.

There is also a good Capitol La Mer and Daphnis Second Suite with the Los Angeles PO. Curiously Leinsdorf did not record much French music when he took over from Munch at Boston, maybe Munch's legacy was enough at the time for RCA particularly as Martinon had succeeded Reiner in Chicago. The Gallic BSO under the Viennese Leinsdorf and the Germanic sounding CSO under Martinon.

[Beef Oven!]

...and the NQHO recordings of Vaughan Williams and Wagner are rather good, as are his Job and his extend Bach-Walton Wise Virgins recording.

Yes, I’d forgotten those.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Antoni Wit. (Superb recordings of Szymanowski, Lutoslawski, Messiaen ... much underrated in Mahler, too! Dry-eyed, powerful, searing intellectual passion; good bloke.)

[Beef Oven!]

Antoni Wit. (Superb recordings of Szymanowski, Lutoslawski, Messiaen ... much underrated in Mahler, too! Dry-eyed, powerful, searing intellectual passion; good bloke.)

[Pulcinella]

I would rate Wit above Wordsworth any day of the week.
I generally find Wordsworth distinctly dull and uninspiring: some Bliss on a 2CD set; BBC MM cover discs; just about anything with the BBC Concert Orchestra (my heart sinks when he is listed as the conductor); and live ballet performances.
As Beefy says, though, some of the Naxos stuff is OK: I have his set of 'Famous' Mozart symphonies, for example.

[cloughie]

I would rate Wit above Wordsworth any day of the week.
I generally find Wordsworth distinctly dull and uninspiring: some Bliss on a 2CD set; BBC MM cover discs; just about anything with the BBC Concert Orchestra (my heart sinks when he is listed as the conductor); and live ballet performances.
As Beefy says, though, some of the Naxos stuff is OK: I have his set of 'Famous' Mozart symphonies, for example.

I don't think Wit and Wordsworth's repertoires coincide to any great degree so I'm not sure how appropriate it is to rate one over the other - I have recordings by both conductors which I find very good, and far from uninspiring!

[Beef Oven!]

I don't think Wit and Wordsworth's repertoires coincide to any great degree so I'm not sure how appropriate it is to rate one over the other - I have recordings by both conductors which I find very good, and far from uninspiring!

Agreed.