Chamber Music Society Dvorak Chamber Music

Dvorak

E flat Piano Quartet Op. 87, F minor Piano Trio Op. 65

These are lovely performances, but the digitizing of them took some doing. I used two microline styluses on their recommended cartridges, and the results were harsh with distorted highs. Finally, my favorate cartidge/stylus for general listening, the AT 120E, did the trick. Even then, I re-equalized the final files to restrain what were, for me, a little too strident highs. I'm fairly pleased with the result. 

I like Dvorak's chamber music - a lot!  I have all the Piano trios with the Suk Trio, and those records are pretty much the gold standard for me, but I am always interested in hearing the Chamber Music Society records. The music is invariably performed by good musicians, if not the most famous.  Louis Kaufman and Artur Balsam on this record are probably the most well known, but all the others were highly respected performers. A sister label to Concert Hall records, most of the CMS releases had, ""licensed by Concert Hall Society for Non-commercial use", on the label, as does this record. 

The recordings have an important place in recording history, encouraging the recording of chamber music, and the performances usually stand in their own right.

 

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/sdr7mlypbx8ms/Dvorak_Chamber_Music_Society

Kaufman and Balsam Hindemith Sonata in D, Op. 11, No. 2

There is the promised addition to the post of the Poulenc sonata, with the same two artists. Like that, this is a first recording of the indicated work, although in this instance the piece dates back to 1918 and the recording was made in 1949. This along with the Poulenc, which can be found on the blog, were issued on one LP; I have two 45 rpm sets from which I made these digital files. Although I confess to finding a fair portion of Hindemith's music less than compellingly interesting, the string sonatas are uniformly wonderful.

I would have edited the previous post, but I couldn't get the art where I wanted it.

Link to all files

Louis Kaufman & Artur Balsam: Poulenc Violin Sonata First Recording

Here is the first recording of this work, with revisions to the score made by the composer in preparation for it. My copy is a two record 45rpm boxed Capital set in pretty decent condition, and I apologize for less than seamless joining of breaks between the sides. On the LP version the work was coupled with the Hindemith Sonata Op. 11 No. 2 , played by the same two performers. I have that in a 45rpm box, too, and will be adding it to this post shortly.

The performance emphasizes the angularities of the piece without losing credibility in the more lyrical passages, which are many. The Suk/Panenka, by comparison, the only other recording I am really familiar with, is slower (the first mvt. coming in at 6'30" as opposed to Kaufman/Balsam at 5'41") and generally more romantic. If you are like me, it is hard to resist Suk's silky tone and lush vibrato, and Suk/Panenka together are so musically attuned to each other that it's almost uncanny. But Kaufman and Balsam give this music a refreshing edge to which Poulenc, who apparently worked with them on the project, may have given his approval. All that aside, it is a very nice performance for its own sake, avoiding sentimentality, but not without feeling. The guitars simulation in the slow movement has a real Spanish flair lacking in the Suk reading, an especially affecting touch once one understands how well known as a balladeer Garcia Lorca was. A Gramaphone reviewer in 1950 was unduly harsh on poor Poulenc, apparently expecting a more hysterical, grief stricken tribute, but the review is an interesting document. It should be pointed out that the dedication "to the memory of Garcia Lorca", a victim of Franco fascists allied to the Nazis,was not entirely without risk in occupied France, where Poulenc spent the war.

FLAC and MP3 files