Walter Klien performs Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto and Hans Swarowsky leads the 1st Symphony



A whole lot of nice Brahms today...in stereophonic sound to boot! The first symphony is led by an old favorite, Hans Swarowsky with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the second piano concerto is played by the excellent Walter Klien accompanied by the quite underrated conductor Milan Horvat with the Austrian Radio (ORF) Orchestra. The Swarowsky, I'm guessing is mid 60's while the Klien is early 70's.

These recordings are well done. On the Audio Fidelity label, Swarowsky leads an energetic, dramatic, yet sensitive reading played by musicians who  knew this music inside and out. As with most Swarowsky readings, there is no sentimentality or indulgence, just honest conducting filled with great respect for score. Most impressive is that Swarowsky brings out woodwind details that many conductors gloss over.

Walter Klien had a long career has a specialist in Mozart and Brahms and his authority shines through in this performance. He is ably partnered by Milan Horvat, a distinguished conductor, whose name, like Swarowsky's, has appeared over the years on countless budget records. This, I think, has been a great disservice to him since everything I've heard conducted by him, from Mozart to Hindemith, has been excellent. Horvat pretty much built the ORF orchestra after reorganizations at Austrian radio, and the orchestra under him is very, very fine. There is some good solo work in this second concerto by the orchestra as well as Klien's keen participation. This record came out on the Classical Excellence label as part of entire series, featuring generic covers and most performances led by Horvat or Carl Melles, a longtime resident conductor in Vienna.


DOWNLOAD SWAROWSKY PART 1

DOWNLOAD SWAROWSKY PART 2

DOWNLOAD KLIEN PART 1

DOWNLOAD KLIEN PART 2

Norman Dello Joio's "New York Profiles"

A rather rare 10" incher in red vinyl today. Norman Dello Joio's "New York Profiles" of  1949 in its premiere recording with Nikolai Sokoloff leading the Orchestral Society of La Jolla California. Sokoloff is best known as the founding conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra and this record was made rather late in the maestro's career.

The Profiles are titled "The Cloisters," "The Park," "The Tomb," and "The Park." They depict locales in Dello Joio's native New York and the written music is strongly influenced by Gregorian Chant, of which the composer was studying intensely during the 1940's. This music is immediately accessible and represents a different path from those taken by such contemporaries as Hanson, Copland, and Cowell to name a few. Dello Joio, throughout his career, looked back to ancient musical models for inspiration and guidance and New York Profiles is a result of his exhaustive study.

Included in this download are two previous offerings, the Serenade with Swarowsky and the VSO and the Symphony "The Triumph of Saint Joan" performed by Robert Whitney and the Louisille Orchestra. I have done a little more cleanup on both of these lps and the results are better then previously offered on this blog.

Norman Dello Joio was an important composer and teacher and I fear that his legacy is fading as time goes on and tastes evolve. This is too bad since he was a super musical historian and his output represents an effort to find a continuity with the past.

DOWNLOAD

Hans Swarowsky leads excerpts from Berlioz's "Romeo and Juliet"

Excerpts from Berlioz's dramatic symphony "Romeo and Juliet" and Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" led by Hans Swarowsky on a Musical Masterpieces (Treasures) of the World issue. Probably recorded in the mid to late 50's, this monaural lp features the "Musical Masterpieces Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra" better know as the Vienna State Opera Orchestra though not, of course, the orchestra that comprises the famed Vienna Philharmonic. Whew!

Much has been written about Swarowsky and his actual, and non actual, recordings. Considered by many the greatest conducting professor of the twentieth century Swarowsky, himself, cut many recordings from Vienna during the 1950's and 60's, often for budget labels that worked on shoestring budgets and within tight time constraints. I'd suspect that Swarowsky's pay as a professor was not all that terrific and churning out records was a great way to supplement his, and his musical students', income. Since Swarowsky probably knew intimately many of his orchestral colleagues, the results he got were most often faithful and fully representative of the score and composer, though admittedly not the last word in technical perfection.

All that said, the performance here of the Berlioz is quite good indeed. Overall, I find Romeo and Juliet to be a bit wayward, not as cohesive as Symphony Fantastique, and in the wrong hands it can become a colossal bore. Happily, Swarowsky has the right hands, a strong sense of line, and an intuitive sense of drama. The listener's attention is held firm and one can only wish that Swarowsky had taken on the complete score. Dukas' perennial favorite too is afforded a splendid reading and the story is brilliantly etched from the musical score.

A rather nice remembrance of an influential man whose legacy has often been tarnished by careless marketing and the natural pitfalls of the bargain basement recording business.

MEDIAFIRE REMOVED LINK

Orazio Frugoni performs Saint Saens

Though I have the Saga issue cover above, this offering today of Saint Saens' 2nd and 5th piano concertos originates from a mid 50's Vox lp. The featured performer is Italian born Orazio Frugoni and the Vienna Symphony is led by the esteemed Hans Swarowsky.

Orazio Frugoni's name has rather sadly faded from memory. Fifty years ago, he was a well recorded artist and teacher whose name rose to prominence for his advocacy of the piano music of Mendelssohn. In particular, Frugoni introduced the youthful, but excellent,  "two piano" piano concertos of Mendelssohn to the general public. However, during the 1960's Frugoni decided to primarily concertize "live" and teach, moving away from the recording process. He eventually returned to Italy as director of the fine arts academy in Florence and continued teaching and adjudicating through to the end of his life.

The music of Saint Saens is always a joy to listen to because it is tuneful and unencumbered by angst or emotional excess. It is for the most part music of entertainment and taken on its own terms is superb listening. Certainly Saint Saens understood the full breadth and scope of the keyboard since he, himself, was considered a master of the keyboard. Frugoni's performance here is musically sound and his technique captures the magic of the writing. Swarowsky, as to be expected, provides strong partnership with the redoubtable Vienna orchestra happily playing along. The mono sound is good, if not special, typical Vox from Vienna. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD

Charles Ives' teacher: Horatio Parker and his Hora Novissima

I've revisited one of my first transfers, one that did not come out all that well and deserved a second chance. Here is Horatio Parker's epic cantata-oratorio Hora Novissima.

Horatio Parker was Charles Ives' principal composition teacher at Yale. Parker himself had been a student of the influential John Knowles Paine and clearly, Parker was very heavily influenced by Paine's Mass in D and epic oratorio St Peter. Parker and Paine's music is deeply conservative, Germanic in leaning, and very much in debt to Mendelssohn and Schubert. Small wonder that Ives' wayward ventures with tonality and harmonics clearly left Parker perplexed and, probably downright shaken!

Hora Novissima is a grand work and deserves a first rate performance from time to time. A good number of years ago, Gunther Schuller recorded for New World Records a magnificent Mass in D by Paine; too bad he couldn't do the same for Hora Novissima. Schuller's intelligence, talent, and inspiration would yield a truly memorable result.

The offering here conducted by William Strickland in Vienna during the early 50's is more then adequate though it is obvious at times that this unfamiliar work poses challenges for the performers. One gripe that I have is the overall operatic quality given the vocal work here. The choral writing calls for a more somber, less mannered approach, I think.

The filler on side 4 of this set is Norman Dello Joio's Serenade. This is an extremely odd coupling, what with Hora Novissima being written in 1893 and Serenade over 50 years later and, for a different purpose and venue in mind. That said, the venerable Hans Swarowsky leads the VSO in a beautiful reading of a truly gorgeous composition. I'm convinced that you, the listener, will find this piece a true gem.

One note: the Dello Joio appears recorded in true stereo while the Parker is electronically enhanced. Go figure!


DOWNLOAD MUSIC


DOWNLOAD PROGRAM NOTES

More from Hans Swarowsky

Yes...a few more items from the esteemed Hans Swarowsky. We have here Tchaikovsky's Little Russian Symphony form a Parliament LP and Saint Saens' Organ Symphony from a Urania LP. Professor Swarowsky conducts the Vienna Philharmusica Symphony Orchestra in both works; this orchestra is obviously a pseudonym for the famed Philharmonic, the Symphoniker, the Tonkuenstler, the Volksoper....who knows? Well, I'm sure someone out there has the answer!

These are good performances, well played with no mannerisms or eccentricities.  I find both works enjoyable and recorded  sound is pretty good  for the late 50's to mid 60's. LP pressings are budget so results are somewhat variable on that end. My hope is that this offering will lead to other transfers of Swarowsky's art.

LINK

Haydn - Missa in angustiis "Nelson Mass" conducted by Hans Swarowsky

Hans Swarowsky - the name has featured for soooo many years as the conductor of such pseudonymous orchestras as the Bamberg Philharmonic, Philharmonia Slavonica, South German Philharmonic and London Festival Orchestra (the last not to be confused with Ross Pople's REAL orchestra.) Many have thought Maestro Swarowsky to in fact be a pseudonym but he was very real but unfortunately his name has been used as a rather scurriously to hide the real identities of other conductors...my, this is getting tooooo confusing!

The fact is that Swarowsky was one of the leading conducting teachers of the last century and his students have included Zubin Mehta and I believe Claudio Abbado. He was the Jorma Panula of his day and well regarded by his pupils for his insight, musicianship and broad repertoire. I heard years ago Mehta positively gush over Swarowsky during an on air interview.

Here is a real Swarowsky recording and it is a highly dramatic reading of Haydn's Nelson Mass, transferred from a Nonesuch LP. Haydn's masses are magnificent choral works and in the right hands, THE RIGHT HANDS, there is little that can better them for melody, spiritual meaning and inspiration. Listen to this recording and you will understand why Mozart referred to Haydn as "Papa"...the ultimate compliment!

This is big band and big choral Haydn. Those approaching this recording through John Elliot Gardiner glasses might be in for a seismic shock. However, the message and strong interpretation make them a vital statement for our times. At least I think so.....

LINK