{"title":"Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eb. 1900. American orchestra.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the 'Big Five' American orchestras with a storied history and vast recording legacy spanning the full orchestral canon.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"violin-concerto-8","title":"TCHAIKOVSKY: VIOLIN CONCERTO \u0026 SERENADE MELANCOLIQ","description":"Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto \u0026amp; Serenade melancolique (2015) Itzhak Perlman, Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy In Perlman's words, Tchaikovsky \"wears his heart on his sleeve\" and his violin concerto is a work of \"unabashed Romanticism\". While bringing sensitivity and substance to his interpretation, Perlman never slips into sentimentality and he leads an exhilarating dance in the finale.","brand":"WARNER CLASSICS","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44932260004074,"sku":"825646130115","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2994003.jpg?v=1785450548"},{"product_id":"wolfgang-sawallisch-complete-symphonic-lieder-choral-recordings-warner-classics-edition-vol-1","title":"Wolfgang Sawallisch: Complete Symphonic, Lieder \u0026 Choral Recordings - Warner Classics Edition, Vol. 1","description":"For five decades Wolfgang Sawallisch (1923-2013) held a central position in the musical world. That centrality was reflected in a series of top orchestral and operatic posts and in his interpretations, free of self-regarding eccentricities. His modest but highly effective conducting technique also made him the ideal recording artist. Sawallisch was a Bavarian born in Munich, city of orchestras and a great opera company, which he headed for 21 years. He started his career as an outstanding pianist and remained a sought-after accompanist to great Lieder singers and instrumentalists. Volume 1 of a complete conspectus of his Warner Classics recordings (made for Electrola and EMI Classics between 1954 to 1997) includes wonderful Lieder and song collaborations, as well as famous concerto accompaniments for eminent soloists and a heartwarming traversal of Schubert's secular vocal and sacred choral music with Bavarian Radio colleagues. But the main focus among the 65 discs is on his symphonic achievements: Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner and Dvorak - the latter's Eighth Symphony was his first published recording, from 1954. Richard Strauss, an early influence, is strongly represented. This 65CD-box brings together all the non-operatic recordings that the German conductor and pianist Wolfgang Sawallisch (1923-2013) made in the years from 1954 to 1997 for EMI Classics and Electrola (now Warner Classics).","brand":"WARNER CLASSICS","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":45862031163626,"sku":"5054197832178","price":200.17,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4337089-3177571.jpg?v=1785414240"},{"product_id":"cesar-franck-edition-warner-classics","title":"César Franck Edition (Warner Classics)","description":"A towering figure in French music of the later 19th century, Cesar Franck created a distinctive fusion of German Romanticism and French Classicism, enriching the symphonic, chamber, instrumental, vocal and sacred repertoires. As a teacher and mentor he gained admiration for his modesty and generosity while exercising a powerful influence on younger disciples such as Vincent d'Indy, Henri Duparc and Ernest Chausson. The Cesar Franck Edition gathers together all his masterworks - among them the Symphony in D, Violin Sonata, Prelude, Fugue et Variation and, of course, 'Panis Angelicus' - in enthralling performances by musicians of the first rank. Running to 16 CDs, the collection includes a CD of transcriptions and arrangements, proving their fascination for a still greater diversity of interpreters than Franck might have imagined. The five CDs of historical recordings - dating back as far as 1907 - testify to the continuing growth of his reputation after his death in 1890, and to the vibrant performing tradition engendered by his genius.","brand":"WARNER CLASSICS","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":45862047121642,"sku":"190296317859","price":59.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4366365-3295666.jpg?v=1785435488"},{"product_id":"philadelphia-rarities","title":"Stokowski: Philadelphia Rarities \/ Stokowski, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Golden Age of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra\" describes the 25 years from 1912 during which a London-born church organist took a provincial American ensemble and built it into one of the finest orchestras in the world, noted for its precision, virtuosity, and splendid tone-color. With the advent of the microphone during the 1920s, Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra made an enormous number of 78rpm discs that would become landmark recordings. For much of this time Stokowski concentrated on basic repertoire – including Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Debussy, Mussorgsky and many others. However, side-by-side with familiar pieces went a number of works which no-one else had recorded before or, indeed, has recorded since! Although Stokowski was to record certain compositions several times over during his long career, there were a number which he recorded only once – on 78s made with the Philadelphia Orchestra. This unique collection of restored recordings brings together just those items which fall into this \"rarities\" category, and it demonstrates Stokowski's incredibly wide-ranging musical sympathies. It covers many periods and styles, from melodies centuries old to colourful Iberian and Oriental works, together with music of 20th-century America.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012610281706,"sku":"635212203323","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4044817-2783893.jpg?v=1785468202"},{"product_id":"beethoven-the-5-piano-concertos","title":"Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos \/ Haochen Zhang, Stutzmann, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs one of the finest pianists of his era and an improviser of genius, Ludwig van Beethoven’s preferred vehicle for musical exploration was the piano. With his five piano concertos composed between 1788 and 1809, he not only achieved a brilliant conclusion to the Classical piano concerto, but also established a new model for the Romantic era: a sort of symphony with obbligato piano which was to remain a reference point well into the twentieth century. After the first two concertos, which still closely follow the models of Haydn and Mozart, Concerto No. 3 marks a profound stylistic change. In the piano part, Beethoven pushes the instrument to its limits, leading commentators to remark that he was writing for the piano of the future. This trend continued and reached its fullness in the Fourth and Fifth Concertos, which today rank among the great composer’s most admired works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2009, Haochen Zhang was the youngest pianist ever to receive the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then he has captivated audiences worldwide with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination and spectacular virtuosity. He now performs the five Beethoven concertos supported by the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra under its principal guest conductor, the charismatic Nathalie Stutzmann.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn a crowded pool of complete Beethoven piano concerto recordings, young Chinese pianist Haochen Zhang makes an impressive splash with his traversal of one of the most imposing cycles in the entire repertoire. With French conductor Nathalie Stutzmann leading the Philadelphia Orchestra, Zhang deftly handles Beethoven’s fiendish runs and cadenzas throughout these five imposing works. Most memorable are the 3rd and 4th concertos, which have the most balance between urgency and delicacy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- The Flip Side\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BIS","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":46012612968682,"sku":"7318599925813","price":30.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4129113-2896823.jpg?v=1785511657"},{"product_id":"bartok-martinu-klein-eschenbach-philadelphia-orchestra-256864","title":"Bartók, Martinů, G. Klein: Orchestral Works \/ Eschenbach, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis release...offers an excellent musical programming concept, with all three works captured live in performances that are absolutely stunning and fully competitive with the best available. Both the Bartók and Martinů pieces were composed during their respective composers’ exile in America, while Gideon Klein’s Partita (an arrangement for string orchestra of his String Trio), is the result of “internal exile” in the Terezín concentration camp. All three men found ways to continue making music despite displacement, personal misfortune, and against the background of the rise of Nazism and the onset of war. More to the point, the program works because it offers plenty of purely musical contrast and variety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMartinů’s Memorial to Lidice, a town wiped out by the Nazis as an act of retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, is a harrowing but ultimately hopeful orchestral elegy that receives the most gut-wrenching performance yet recorded. Eschenbach is about 50 percent slower than Ancerl (or anyone else), but he uses the extra time to excellent effect, revealing every luminous detail of Martinů’s orchestration and building the music to a shattering climax, with Beethoven’s Fifth balefully intoned by the horns. Klein’s Partita has much in common with Bartók’s Divertimento, with its folk-inflected thematic material. Its central movement is a very attractive set of variations on a Moravian theme, and it’s clear from this performance that the Philadelphia tradition of great string playing is very much alive and well. Eschenbach leads a performance both warm and incisive, revealing a major work in the process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Philadelphia Orchestra already has at least two recordings of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra to its credit, both with Eugene Ormandy--a fine early stereo version on Sony, and a mediocre early digital remake on RCA. This newcomer clearly is finer than either of those, as exciting a rendition as any available. Eschenbach thankfully eschews the excessive slowness that has marred his recent Mahler performances and lets the various sections of the orchestra display their considerable prowess in what remains one of the repertoire’s great showpieces. Listen to the rush of excitement in the transition to the first-movement allegro, or to the beautiful balance between woodwinds and harps in the second subject; notice the brilliant brass fugato that initiates the recapitulation, and the driving coda. It’s the real deal, from the very first note.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sonics are markedly superior to what Sony, RCA, and EMI used to get in any of the various venues that they used, at least in stereo. The microphones are close to the players, the better to reduce the occasional noise from the audience (the occasional light cough isn’t at all bothersome), but the orchestra can take the exposure, and the sonic impact is pretty thrilling. I’m pleased (and honestly relieved) to be able to recommend it to you in the strongest possible terms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ondine","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":46012880027882,"sku":"761195107256","price":9.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/774343.jpg?v=1778294844"},{"product_id":"eugene-ormandy-conducts-richard-strauss","title":"Eugene Ormandy conducts Richard Strauss","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe 4-album Richard Strauss set gathers together all of their early 1960s recordings of the famous tone poems along with Salome’s Dance, the Rosenkavalier and Bürger als Edelmann suites, the Burleske with soloist Rudolf Serkin and the First Horn Concerto, featuring Philadelphia principal Mason Jones. An early review in High Fidelity best summed up their powerful appeal in Strauss’s music: “There is no doubt that, for sheer gorgeousness, the Philadelphians have no peers.” More recent assessments in the Penguin Guide reaffirm that verdict: “Virtuoso orchestral playing … and many felicities of characterization” [Also sprach Zarathustra]; “Marvelous orchestral playing and the two soloists play splendidly with plenty of character” [Don Quixote]; “An extraordinarily voluptuous Philadelphia performance … Ormandy directs with licentious abandon, and the orchestra responds with tremendous virtuosity and ardor” [Salome’s Dance]; “Ormandy’s Ein Heldenleben is an engulfing performance, and the composite richness of tone and the fervor of the playing … bring the highest possible level of orchestral tension.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013222486250,"sku":"194397095326","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3782458-2549763.jpg?v=1778243201"},{"product_id":"gershwin-porgy-bess-highlights-alsop-philadelphia-orchestra","title":"Gershwin: Porgy \u0026 Bess (Highlights) \/ Alsop, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop present a live recording with highlights of Gershwin’s self-proclaimed American “Folk Opera” \u003cem\u003ePorgy and Bess\u003c\/em\u003e, together with a stellar cast and the Morgan State University Choir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince its premiere in 1935, \u003cem\u003ePorgy and Bess\u003c\/em\u003e has been one of the most significant early attempts to create American classical music inspired by African American styles such as jazz, Spirituals, and the blues. The hard-knock life at a Charleston waterfront tenement is presented here by an outstanding cast including Lester Lynch (Porgy), Angel Blue (Bess, Clara, and Serena), Chauncey Packer (Sportin’ Life) and Kevin Short (Crown and Jake).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarin Alsop is one of today’s most acclaimed conductors, and the first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the United States, South America, Austria and Britain. The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the world’s preeminent orchestras. Multi-award-winning soprano Angel Blue is one of the most promising voices of her generation, while Chauncey Packer is arguably one of the greatest and sought-after Sportin’ Life interpreters today. Lester Lynch and Kevin Short each enjoy a flourishing stage career, as well as a vast PENTATONE discography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell6_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\"\u003eSoprano Angel Blue has already shown she can meet—and exceed—the vocal and dramatic demands of playing Bess in the recent Metropolitan Opera production, and so it's not surprising that her lovely voice is the highlight of this disc of excerpts from George Gershwin's emotionally powerful opera. Not only does Blue own Bess' classic songs but she also sings Clara's \"Summertime\" and Serena's \"My Man's Gone Now\" with equal parts power and finesse and an ability to grab the listener from the get-go. Lester Lynch's Porgy and Chauncey Packer's Sportin' Life provide superb vocal support and Marin Alsop conducts an expertly-chosen group of excerpts, strongly performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Morgan State University Choir.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- The Flip Side\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PENTATONE","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":46013318103274,"sku":"827949088360","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3973029-2713628.jpg?v=1778260099"},{"product_id":"bruno-walter-conducts-bruckners-4th-and-9th-200821","title":"Bruno Walter Conducts Bruckner's 4th And 9th Symphonies","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBRUCKNER\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Symphonies: No. 4;\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e No. 9.\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2 \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eMOZART\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Symphony No. 35 in D \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e“Haffner”\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e3 \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Bruno Walter, cond; \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eNBC SO. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003ePhiladelphia O. \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e3\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eNew York PO \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e MUSIC \u0026amp; ARTS CD-1262 (2 CDs: 127:30) Live: \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e02\/10\/1940, \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e02\/28\/1948, \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e3\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e02\/06\/1944 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eHaving recently obtained an extensive collection of acetates from the estate of a private music collector, the Music \u0026amp; Arts label is issuing some fruits of that here in the form of live performances by Bruno Walter. Two items—the Bruckner Ninth and the Mozart “Haffner” symphonies—are previously unissued items; the Bruckner Fourth was released on Pearl GEMM CD 9131 but here enjoys slightly but tangibly superior sound. While still constricted, it is tolerably listenable by the standards one would expect for a recording of that vintage. Here the weak bass register is noticeably stronger and clearer, background hiss is slightly reduced, occasional fluctuations in pitch have been evened out, and assorted clicks and pops and similar extraneous noises excised or reduced. However, the Pearl release is still not superfluous, as this issue does not include the filler pieces by Weber and Smetana (the overtures to \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eOberon\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e and\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003e The Bartered Bride\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eWhile none of these items is, strictly speaking, a novelty in the Walter discography, the performance of the Bruckner Fourth preserved here is of particular interest to both Brucknerians and Walterians. The Walter discography contains only two versions of this score: the live one presented here, and the conductor’s studio recording with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, recorded from February 13-25, 1960. (The discography of the CSO is complex, because Columbia used that moniker for several different studio orchestras in various locales. In Walter’s case, the monaural recordings are with a reduced contingent of the New York Philharmonic and other local musicians, while his stereo recordings are with a core ensemble drawn from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Festival Orchestra, supplemented by members of various Hollywood film studio orchestras.) The Sony SMK 64 481 issue of the studio performance is presently available—as are most of the titles in Sony’s erstwhile “Bruno Walter Edition”—as an ArkivMusic reprint. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eWhat is most remarkable is how radically Walter’s conception of this piece changed over 20 years, with the respective timings providing an initial indication: 16:32, 14:32, 8:27, and 18:32 versus 18:40, 15:37, 10:59, and 20:46. Walter does use different editions of the score—the 1888-89 Löwe\/Guttmann version in 1940, and the 1936 Haas edition of the 1878\/80 version in 1960. (For the 1960 recording I am taking the word of John F. Berky on his abruckner.com discography site over that of Sony, which states in its CD booklet that Walter used the 1953 Nowak edition.) However, this in no way accounts for the differences, as most of them are matters of instrumental detail (e.g., the radically reduced orchestration in the Scherzo at 8:13-8:16 in the 1940 performance as compared to the same passage at 8:20-8:23 in the 1960 recording) rather than cuts in the score. Instead, Walter’s earlier interpretation is far more volatile, not only in terms of significantly faster tempi but also in more generous use of accelerandi and other tempo modifications. For example, in 1940 there is an adrenaline rush on an ascending scale from 1:41 to 1:52 not employed in 1960, while in the fourth movement the 1940 performance takes only a mild ritardando at 8:13 to 8:16 but in 1960 a very emphatic one in the same passage at 8:20 to 8:23. In 1940 the Scherzo movement is taken at an exceptionally brisk pace, whereas in 1960 it is stately, with the trio section being positively languorous. Similarly, whereas in 1960 Walter squares off phrases in the more emphatic manner common to most Bruckner performances nowadays, demarcating discrete units as aural equivalents of the giant stone blocks used to construct Gothic cathedrals, in 1940 the phrasing is noticeably more fluid and linear, particularly in woodwind runs that ripple like rapidly flowing rivulets (cf. at 15:24 in the first movement). How much these changes owe to the oft-noted differences in Walter’s recordings made before and after his March 1957 heart attack, and how much they may owe to the conductor possibly seeking to elaborate greater distinctions between his approaches to Bruckner and Mahler, can only be a subject of speculation. In any case, in these respects the 1940 performance is akin to the relatively few complete Bruckner symphony performances that survive from before WW II, and suggest an earlier school of performance which is now well-nigh extinct. Both for that reason, and for the intriguing snapshot of how Walter’s interpretation of this piece shifted over the years, this recording is of particular interest for collectors of historical performances. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eThe companion performance in this set of the Bruckner Ninth lacks the same degree of intrinsic value, in that there are eight surviving recorded performances from Walter’s baton, variously given with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Columbia Symphony. The table below provides details for comparison. In this and the succeeding tables, if a particular performance has appeared more than once on CD, I have cited the best version currently in print; studio recordings are marked with an asterisk. For the timings in this instance, I have used those provided by Mark W. Kluge in his notes to the 2003 Music and Arts release of the 1946 performance, except for the 1948 and 1950 performances not listed by him. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Date Orchestra CD Issue (if any) Timings \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e03\/17\/46 NYP Music \u0026amp; Arts CD-1110 21:42 9:37 19: 42 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e02\/28\/48 PO Music \u0026amp; Arts CD-1262 21:19 9:43 19:28 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e02\/02\/50 NYP none (private collection) 20:12 9:55 19: 15 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e08\/20\/53 VPO Andromeda ANDRCD 9092 21:10 10:09 19:17 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e12\/27\/53 NYP Tahra TAH 571 20:32 10:09 19:46 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e02\/10\/57 NYP Music \u0026amp; Arts CD-1212 19:59 10:01 19: 14 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e11\/13\/59 LAP none (private collection) 22:30 10:53 21: 58 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e11\/16-19\/59 CSO Sony SMK 64 483* 23:51 11:29 23:16 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eAs Kluge rightly states in the booklet notes to the 2003 disc of Walter’s 1946 performance, “Walter’s live performances of the Ninth Symphony preserved on tape show a certain consistency, varying in individual nuance rather than interpretive outline”. In the booklet notes to the present release he further observes, “All of his live performances of the score display certain common interpretive details,” of which he provides several examples, such as “the very precise (almost clipped) brass interjections in the opening bars.” Unremarked upon by Kluge, except for a passing observation that the studio account “lacks the fire of Walter’s live performances,” is the extraordinary speed and drive of Walter’s conception of the work, which in the pre-1959 performances clocks in at between 49:22 (the fastest recorded performance by any conductor) and 51:01. Among the almost 400 complete performances listed in the abruckner.com discography, only Volkmar Andreae, Jascha Horenstein, Georg-Ludwig Jochum, Roger Norrington, plus (amazingly) John Barbirolli and Hans Knappertsbusch, have timings within three minutes of Walter. This work alone gives the lie to the stereotype of Walter as a cushy, gentle interpreter given solely to \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eGemütlichkeit\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e rather than Sturm und Drang. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eDespite their overall similarity, the pre-1959 performances do not suffer from lack of variety or interest. With the exception of the live 1959 performance, which stems from a relatively poor source, the sound quality improves incrementally with the more recent performance date, though the sonic differences between the three performances from 1953-57 are rather minimal. For me, the key factor in evaluating the first six performances is Walter’s approach to and follow-through from the \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003efortissimo\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e recapitulation of the first theme of the opening movement, beginning at about halfway through the movement. For the approach to the recapitulation, the recap itself, and the section immediately thereafter, Walter demarcates each of the three sections with a marked caesura and tempo adjustment. There are noticeable differences to how he does this in several of the performances; although these may simply be differences of the moment, they suggest instead that he was not entirely satisfied with his handling of these sections and was constantly searching for new and better solutions. I find the 1946 performance to be the least satisfactory; as the timing of the first movement indicates, Walter there inserts greater pauses and slows down each section more than usual, causing the whole to lose coherency and momentum and to bog down. Walter also takes two major ritardandi early on, at 1:55 and 3:00, that he drops after the 1948 Philadelphia performance, which has a similarly hobbling effect. (For a more positive response, see Robert McColley’s review back in 26:6.) By contrast, the unreleased 1950 performance is the most successful, having a fierce energy and the least pronounced breaks and tempo deceleration. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eThe three performances from 1948 and 1953 occupy a middle ground between these extremes; here the differences are to be found more in the distinctive timbres of the respective orchestras. In his booklet notes to the 1946 performance, Kluge states that “the warmer style of the Vienna Philharmonic added a sense of plasticity and nuance not as evident in the later [1953] New York performance,” given the latter orchestra’s “virile, even aggressive playing style.” I would agree, but I find a certain slackness present in the Vienna performance as well, and its recorded sound is slightly more recessed. Comparing the New York and Philadelphia ensembles in the present booklet notes, Kluge correctly finds “a contrast in style between the two ensembles. The Philharmonic sonority is bold and brassy, making the most of Bruckner’s dramatic climaxes. However the Philadelphia ensemble, even in its first encounter with the score, adds a patina of refinement”—due no doubt to the orchestra’s fabled string section. Finally, in 1957 Walter attempts a hybrid solution that combines pronounced \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eLuftpausen\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e with his briskest tempi, a solution I prefer to all but the 1950 performance (see also the positive review by Jeffrey J. Lipscomb in 32: 3). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eThe two 1959 performances are, as their timings indicate, of a very different character—ultimately no less dramatic, but more monumental and in line with the mainstream of Bruckner interpretations, while also evincing the more rounded edges of Walter’s trademark lyricism in other repertoire. Given both the relatively poor sound of the preceding live performance, and some ill-fitting junctures in it that suggest Walter’s new interpretation not to be fully settled, the studio recording is easily preferable between those two. Along with the 1957 performance—and that of 1950, for those few who can find it from private sources—the studio recording is also one of the top choices for Brucknerians who want Walter represented in their collections. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eDespite Walter’s intense devotion to Bruckner following his recovery from a near-fatal bout of double pneumonia in 1927 (Walter credited his convalescence with giving him the spiritual repose needed to comprehend Bruckner rightly), many commentators have regarded his studio Bruckner recordings, especially that of the Ninth, as relative weak points in his discography. Devoted Walterian that I am, I nevertheless agree with that assessment; Walter never mastered the timing of the numerous pauses in Bruckner’s symphonic movements, and choosing the manifold subtle shifts in tempi needed to make the sprawling movements cohere, to the same degree as did Wilhelm Furtwängler and Eugen Jochum, my own Bruckner reference standards. Part of the fault here, however, lies not with Walter but with Columbia’s miscalculated decision to use an orchestra of only 65 players for the recording sessions—possibly due to a degree of parsimony, but also because the extremely lively acoustics of Legion Hall would have caused a full-sized orchestra to be swamped with reverberation. The fact that Walter almost fully succeeds in disguising the paucity of string players and producing a genuine Brucknerian orchestral sound testifies to near-miraculous conductorial skills. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eThe 1948 performance of the Bruckner Ninth in Philadelphia was paired in concert with a performance of Mozart’s “Haffner” Symphony. Since only the Bruckner was broadcast for a one-hour time slot, the performance of the Mozart was not preserved. In its stead, Music and Arts has thoughtfully provided a previously unreleased 1944 New York Philharmonic broadcast of the work. Mozart occupies a large and special place in Walter’s discography. In terms of frequency of surviving performances, the “Haffner” has seven recordings—five live and two studio, with the NBC Symphony, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Columbia Symphony. It thus ranks behind No. 40 (eleven performances, eight live and three studio) and No. 39 (eight recordings, five live and three studio), and is tied with the “Prague” (seven recordings, four live and three studio). The following table again provides details for comparison; note that Tahra misdates the 1953 performance to January 5 instead of January 4. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eDate Orchestra CD Issue (if any) Timings \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e02\/17\/40 NBC SO Andromeda ANDRCD 9012 5:02 4:31 3:10 3: 33 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e02\/06\/44 NYP Music and Arts CD-1262 5:15 4:44 3:16 3: 33 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e01\/21\/47 BSO Wing WCD 58 (Japan) 5:11 4:29 3:17 3:37 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e02\/05\/50 NYP none (private collection) 5:33 5:05 3: 25 3:43 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e01\/04\/53 NYP Tahra TAH 571-572 5:29 4:54 3:33 3:55 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e01\/16\/53 NYP Sony SMK 64 473* 5:27 4:44 3:21 3:46 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e01\/13-21\/59 CSO Sony SM3K 46 511* 5:58 5:13 3:49 4:04 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eHere one notes that until the final, post-heart attack, stereo recording, Walter’s interpretive approach remains remarkably consistent, broadening very slightly in tempi with the passing years. As before, sound quality generally improves in successive performances, save for the decidedly poor-sounding Boston Symphony issue and the somewhat tubby sound of the unedited source for the 1950 performance. Yet here, too, there are subtle differences, with the 1944 performance under review being the most distinctive. At 1:15 in the first movement, Walter slows the tempo for the lyrical counter-subject to a far greater degree than elsewhere, and likewise beginning at 4:40 accelerates the tempo to a far greater degree to provide a whirlwind close. Not unexpectedly from an ensemble drilled under Toscanini, the NBC performance features particularly strong, crisp accents on chords and fluid runs on strings and winds. The live 1953 performance has a higher voltage than the studio recording that followed it, though it suffers from a rather glassy, shrill treble register (for a different opinion on the last point, see Mortimer H. Frank’s review in 14:4). The stereo recording has of course by far the best sound, but its slower tempi drain it of the vitality characteristic of Walter’s earlier performances. The 1944 performance is in surprisingly good sound for its time, and I would rate it alongside the two 1953 versions as the best of his performances of this work. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eThe remasterings of the original sources have obviously been done with the meticulous care that marks all Music and Arts issues. Mark Kluge’s booklet notes are exemplary; they include a brief discussion of recent Bruckner scholarship that defends the Löwe\/Guttmann edition of the Fourth as one genuinely authorized by Bruckner rather than riding roughshod over his true intentions, and also discuss Walter’s various retouchings of the timpani and brass parts in different performances of the Ninth. (Kluge does not discuss the 1950 performance, but the excision of the trombone parts from certain passages of the Scherzo that occurs in the 1957 and 1959 performances also occurs there, though curiously not in the intervening ones from 1953.) The booklet and tray card have a typographical error that gives the total time of the second disc as 50:30, which is the timing of the Bruckner Ninth alone; the correct total time is 68:20. For Walterians, this release is self-recommending; for Brucknerians and collectors of historic performances, it will be of interest primarily for the Bruckner Fourth, and secondarily for the “Haffner” and the Ninth. To each of these interested parties, this release is warmly recommended. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eJames A. Altena \u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Music and Arts Programs of America","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013387440362,"sku":"017685126222","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1992280.jpg?v=1778382268"},{"product_id":"saint-saens-organ-symphony-danse-macabre-le-63374","title":"Saint-Saens: Organ Symphony; Danse Macabre; Le Carnaval des Animaux \/ Ormandy","description":"If you’re looking for an inexpensive single disc containing Saint-Saëns’ most popular orchestral works, then you can’t miss with this collection. I often wonder if Ormandy had not gone on to remake his core repertoire with RCA, in mostly duller performances and lousy sound, whether his reputation would be as low as it is at present. There’s some absolutely sensational music making on this disc, and to prove it I offer three sound samples for you to consider.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  First, this is one of the great “Organ” Symphonies, not perhaps quite as exciting as Munch, but awfully close, with amazingly fine playing from the Philadelphians and astonishingly good sonics for the period (1962). E. Power Biggs is the excellent soloist, offering a rendition of the organ part that’s unusually well articulated rhythmically. Consider the opening of the finale: bold and quite striking in its firmly phrased, grand reprise of the symphony’s motto theme (first sound sample). Ormandy never matched this performance, and he re-recorded this symphony at least twice.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The symphony may be fine, but it’s the couplings that really close the deal. The Marche militaire française has plenty of swagger, and these versions of the Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila and the Danse macabre are simply the best available. Ormandy does a little light restoring of the former, and it matters not a bit–this performance just drips sex and couldn’t be more wildly uninhibited (second sound sample). As for the Danse, just listen to those Philadelphia violins sing out the main theme (third sound sample). It doesn’t get any better than that.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The Carnival of the Animals is no mere make-weight bonus. Heard in its chamber scoring, the performers make an impressive list: Philippe Entremont and Gaby Casadesus on pianos, Régis Pasquier and Yan-Pascal Tortelier on violins, Gérard Caussé on viola, and no less than the young Yo-Yo Ma on cello. Taken together, you have a perfect disc of Saint-Saëns favorites in performances as good or better than any available. And it’s all offered at budget price. Pure gold.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46015542690026,"sku":"888837694827","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2349787.jpg?v=1778300852"},{"product_id":"shostakovich-kabalevsky-cello-concertos-ma-ormandy-262002","title":"Shostakovich, Kabalevsky: Cello Concertos \/ Ma, Ormandy","description":"Over the last three or four years, Yo-Yo Ma has been exploring the peaks of the cello repertory in a quickly growing series of LPs. Those disks, in turn, have helped establish him not only as one of the finest cellists of his generation... The Kabalevsky...boasts a melancholy central Largo with the kind of long, arching cello line that allows Mr. Ma to display his rich sound. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  -- Allian Kozinn, The New York Times [1\/1\/1984]","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46015562055914,"sku":"886975472727","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3822287.jpg?v=1778251847"},{"product_id":"bartok-concerto-for-orchestra-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-205991","title":"Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"The Concerto for Orchestra was an Ormandy specialty. He was Hungarian-born, of course, and had long been an advocate for Bartók’s music, for example, conducting the world premiere of the Third Piano Concerto with soloist György Sándor, and its first recording, both in 1946. This is his third and last recording of the Concerto for Orchestra, in fine early digital (1979) sound. It was also the final work on the last concert he ever conducted, in January 1984. While overall it is a notch less energetic than the 1963 version on Sony, it is expansive, assured, and effortless-sounding. The solo winds are superb, and the brass chorale in the “Game of Pairs” second movement is gorgeous.\"\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e -- Richard A. Kaplan, Fanfare [5\/2010]\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"...[W]ith his fingers of steel Alexis Weissenberg gives a powerful performance... this disc can certainly be recommended.\" -- Gramophone [2\/1971, reviewing the original LP release of the 2nd Concerto]\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"No doubts here about the quality of the orchestral playing which is of a high order... [A] well-prepared and finely disciplined account.\" -- Gramophone [7\/1980, reviewing the original LP release of the Concerto for Orchestra]\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46020426170602,"sku":"4988017086650","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3893089_fe36887a-0123-4545-b207-2cdf68cf816f.jpg?v=1778252809"},{"product_id":"spectacular-overtures-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-226802","title":"Spectacular Overtures \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46020426662122,"sku":"4988017086681","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894903.jpg?v=1778277000"},{"product_id":"tchaikovsky-romeo-and-juliet-serenade-ewald-quintets-128988","title":"Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, Serenade; Ewald: Quintets \/ Eschenbach, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"Crowning their series of recordings together for Ondine, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach are featured here with Peter Tchaikovsky's most popular orchestral pieces, Romeo and Juliet, String Serenade, and Francesca da Rimini. As an added bonus, the Orchestra's brass principals perform two brass quintets by Victor Ewald.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The Philadelphia Orchestra and the music of Peter Tchaikovsky form a relationship on which a legend was built. Enthusiastic press and success followed on the release of the previous recordings of the three final symphonies Nos. 4-6. Romeo and Juliet is Tchaikovsky's first acknowledged masterpiece and today one of the most popular orchestral compositions ever written. The swirling orchestral mastery of Francesca da Rimini makes this a true showpiece for the Orchestra with its legendary \"Philadelphia Sound\". The Mozart-like String Serenade remains one of the most beloved of all works for string orchestra. Both Tchaikovsky and Ewald were active composers in St. Petersburg's musical life during the same time and familiar with each other's work. Esteemed by all lovers of brass music, Ewald's Quintets are imbued with romantic Russian national feeling.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e This is the ninth CD under the \"formidable Ondine-Eschenbach-Philadelphia partnership\" (Gramophone), which since 2005 has produced discs that have been honored with accolades including BBC Music Magazine's Disc of the Month, Gramophone's \"Editor's Choice,\" The New York Times' \"Top Ten Recordings of the Year,\" and the German Record Critics' Award, among others.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ondine","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46020725276906,"sku":"761195115022","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1626657.jpg?v=1778286914"},{"product_id":"mahler-symphony-no-6-piano-quartet-eschenbach-227720","title":"Mahler: Symphony No 6, Piano Quartet \/ Eschenbach, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/b\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Philadelphia Orchestra’s first two releases for Ondine under Christoph Eschenbach (Bartók and Tchaikovsky) were extremely good, no doubt about it, but this Mahler Sixth is really extraordinary. Part of its success must stem from the fact that the best German conductors usually do misery especially well, finding the dark side of just about everything. If you don’t believe me, check out Kurt Sanderling’s startlingly deep and edgy rendition of Poulenc’s Concert Champêtre on Supraphon. So you can just imagine what can happen with a piece like Mahler’s Sixth. Anyone fortunate enough to have heard Eschenbach’s performances of this work with the NDR Orchestra in Hamburg will know that he has a special feeling for its harrowing intensity and expressionistic instrumental palette. Toss in the collective virtuosity of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the result is, to put it mildly, pretty special.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a coupling, the early piano quartet movement is more appropriate than you might at first think. First of all, it shares the same key as the symphony, and second, it’s useful to have it along as part of an all-Mahler program, allowing collectors to round out their collections without having to search for an acceptable all-chamber-music program. The engineering also represents the best in this series so far, with virtually no audience noise, tremendous presence in both stereo and multichannel formats, and extremely natural balances between orchestral sections. I know that Mahler Sixes seem to be a dime a dozen these days, but this one, a first for Philadelphia, belongs among the elite few (Bernstein I and II, Chailly, Levi, T. Sanderling, and Gielen). It’s just bloody thrilling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e— ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ondine","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":46020725539050,"sku":"761195108451","price":13.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/971050.jpg?v=1778325970"},{"product_id":"brahms-j-violin-concerto-op-77-double-concerto-for-vi","title":"BRAHMS, J.: Violin Concerto, Op. 77 \/ Double Concerto for Vi","description":"Classical Music","brand":"IDIS","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025565044970,"sku":"8021945000827","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2818188.jpg?v=1778288512"},{"product_id":"philippe-entremont-plays-chopin-279393","title":"Philippe Entremont Plays Chopin","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt the beginning of the Fifties Philippe Entremont appeared on the international musical stage with the enthusiasm of critics and audience. He was born in Reims - France - im 1934 from a family of musicians, in 1952 he won the the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition Award; and this fact opened him a real international career,and, after having listened him the famous conductor Eugene Ormandy cast him for performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra one of most famous Orchestra in the world. Entremont began recording his first album when he was just twenty and were unforgettable performance specially his 1955 and 1959 Chopin recordings; performance that IDIS re-present in this CD after fifty years of inexplicable silence. It is enough consider the Ballades at the beginning of the CD or the Nocturne op 15 no 1 to realize what a wonderful performer he had been when he was just twenty. He had a wonderful and perfect virtuosity combined with a gift to tell through the music still unmached.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"IDIS","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46025914548458,"sku":"8021945003453","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3699045-2417939.jpg?v=1778245393"},{"product_id":"ives-symphony-no-1-three-places-in-260648","title":"Ives: Symphony No 1, Three Places In New England \/ Ormandy","description":"Eugene Ormandy's peerless Ives First Symphony, a singular classic in which the conductor employs all the resources of his fabulous orchestra, comes newly packaged in Sony's latest re-launch of its highly successful budget-priced Essential Classics series. The famous Philadelphia strings make a wonderfully sumptuous sound (particularly as they flesh out the Adagio molto's beauteous melodies), the winds' pointed and colorful playing enlivens the scherzo, while the brass section's signature timbre rings regally at the close of the first and last movements. Ormandy brings to this music the same level of concentration and care he would a Tchaikovsky symphony, conducting with an authority unmatched on other, later recordings.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Zubin Mehta conducts with similar enthusiasm, but his Los Angeles recording is spoiled by disfiguring cuts in the finale, and despite heftily sonorous playing from the Chicago Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas' earnest reading sounds surprisingly stiff after Ormandy's free-flowing, almost impetuous rendition. Ormandy further earns his Ives stripes (and proves the lie to the claim that he was a bland interpreter) with his intense and atmospheric reading of Three Places in New England. Rounding out the program is a bracing performance of the Robert Browning Overture by a very animated Leopold Stokowski, stunningly played by the American Symphony. The remastered sound for the Philadelphia sessions is pleasingly warm and full for its period (late 1950s), while the Stokowski recording is less open and a bit hard-edged. [3\/6\/2002]\u003cbr\u003e --Victor Carr Jr., ClassicsToday.com","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026236264682,"sku":"696998985124","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4361739-3215481_7d8a806e-b6e7-425b-9376-b5f8572e6968.jpg?v=1778214185"},{"product_id":"the-fantastic-philadelphians-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-146738","title":"The Fantastic Philadelphians \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026239082730,"sku":"4988017600535","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891762.jpg?v=1778280555"},{"product_id":"beethoven-symphony-no-3-egmont-overture-ormandy-214059","title":"Beethoven: Symphony No 3; Egmont Overture \/ Ormandy","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026239312106,"sku":"4988017600542","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3893090.jpg?v=1778252882"},{"product_id":"bruckner-symphony-no-7-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-146842","title":"Bruckner: Symphony No 7 \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026239639786,"sku":"4988017600566","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891763_9911fa74-1217-4f64-a7c6-ad6d49bdcec6.jpg?v=1778281522"},{"product_id":"spectacular-marches-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-259701","title":"Spectacular Marches \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026239803626,"sku":"4988017600726","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891773.jpg?v=1778252891"},{"product_id":"tchaikovsky-symphony-no-6-francesca-da-rimini-126529","title":"Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 6, Francesca Da Rimini \/ Ormandy","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026307698922,"sku":"4988017600597","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894905.jpg?v=1778276959"},{"product_id":"orff-carmina-burana-ormandy-harsanyi-petrak-et-260631","title":"Orff: Carmina Burana \/ Ormandy, Harsanyi, Petrak, Et Al","description":"Orff: Carmina Burana","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026339057898,"sku":"696998773523","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4361682-3215429.jpg?v=1778237081"},{"product_id":"tchaikovsky-symphony-no-4-1812-overture-etc-260650","title":"Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 4, 1812 Overture, Etc \/ Ormandy","description":"Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, Op. 36, 1812 Overture, Op. 49 \u0026amp;","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026342662378,"sku":"696998995727","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4361748-3215490.jpg?v=1778214173"},{"product_id":"ives-holidays-symphony-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-129805","title":"Ives: Holidays Symphony \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026436346090,"sku":"4988017619483","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891774.jpg?v=1778279862"},{"product_id":"respighi-fontane-di-roma-pin-5029365756525","title":"Respighi: Music for Orchestra \/ Neville Marriner","description":"RESPIGHI: FONTANE DI ROMA, PIN","brand":"Brilliant Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026443456746,"sku":"5029365756525","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1546085.jpg?v=1778333093"},{"product_id":"schubert-symphony-no-8-mozart-symphony-no-259703","title":"Schubert: Symphony No 8; Mozart: Symphony No 41 \/ Ormandy","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026523672810,"sku":"4988017619292","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894910.jpg?v=1778277099"},{"product_id":"prokofiev-alexander-nevsky-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-218440","title":"Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003ePROKOFIEV \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eAlexander Nevsky.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eRACHMANINOFF \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eThe Bells \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Eugene Ormandy, cond; Philadelphia O; Phyllis Curtin (sop);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Betty Allen (mez);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e George Shirley (ten);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Michael Devlin (bar);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia;\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Temple University Ch\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e RCA-ArkivMusic 38296 (72:46) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eProkofiev may not immediately come to mind when thinking about Ormandy’s repertoire, but in fact his Prokofiev discography is substantial: all the symphonies save the Second and Third, including two versions each of the Fifth and Sixth; the Second and Fourth piano concertos; both violin concertos (with Isaac Stern); and the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eScythian Suite\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, along with the usual suspects. This 1974–75 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eAlexander Nevsky\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, his second version, is a tour de force; Betty Allen is impressive (singing in Russian) in “The Field of the Dead,” and “The Battle on the Ice” is larger than life. The sound is among the best of the Ormandy RCAs, very immediate, with terrific bass response. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Bells\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, recorded in 1973, isn’t quite as spectacular sounding; it’s as though the presence of soloists causes the pickup of the orchestra to lose immediacy. The work is sung in English, a retranslation of Balmont’s Russian. A Philadelphia specialty (Ormandy had first recorded it in 1954), it should have been a winner. But the real weak link is the soloists; George Shirley is fine, if not soaring, in the first movement, but Phyllis Curtin wobbles in the second, and in the remarkable final movement (with more lovely work by Rosenblatt) Michael Devlin uses a full operatic \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003efortissimo\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e regardless of the actual dynamic marking. Still, Ormandy is never less than authoritative in Rachmaninoff, and the Prokofiev is an absolute winner. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003eFANFARE: Richard A. Kaplan\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e These are two very fine performances. Ormandy proves himself to be surprisingly exciting in Nevsky, particularly in the first half of The Battle on the Ice. Betty Allen's voice doesn't ever seem to have been beautiful, and her registers are uneven, but that small deficit aside, most listeners will find little to complain about. The last movement, with percussion well to the fore, is more cinematic than the actual film, though no one can pretend that these balances are in any way natural.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Always a terrific Rachmaninov conductor, and with a fine cast of soloists, Ormandy delivers a powerful performance of The Bells. Yes, the version used is the English re-translation of the Russian original, but the Temple University Choirs sing with amazingly clear diction, even in the wild \"Alarm Bells\" third movement. The engineering here is far more naturally balanced than in Nevsky, though as with most of the discs in this Japanese RCA series it could use a state-of-the-art remastering. Available \"on demand\" from Arkivmusic.com, and demand it you should.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46026666737898,"sku":"4988017619421","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894918.jpg?v=1778279833"},{"product_id":"shostakovich-symphony-no-14-britten-ormandy-philadelphia-259709","title":"Shostakovich: Symphony No 14; Britten \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Okay, you're not going to find the insane intensity of Rostropovich\/Vishnevskaya\/Reshetin in Ormandy's Fourteenth symphony, but as you might expect, this Western premiere recording is really well played, and surprisingly well sung. Simon Estes has a rich, dark bass sound, and Phyllis Curtin is, in her own way, practically as intense as Vishnevskaya. Ormandy's conducting could be more volatile, particularly in the quicker songs, but he was always an excellent interpreter of this composer, and it's good to see this disc reappearing in Japanese RCA's Ormandy edition. The Britten pieces are also surprisingly effective given their late date in Ormandy's career. Again, the \"Storm\" could be a bit wilder, but the Passacaglia is terrific. Sonically this really is pretty good for its 1970s RCA vintage. Available from Arkivmusic.com, on-demand.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027386814698,"sku":"4988017619452","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894919.jpg?v=1778252919"},{"product_id":"tchaikovsky-swan-lake-ormandy-philadelphia-200319","title":"Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027387076842,"sku":"4988017619384","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894915.jpg?v=1778276982"},{"product_id":"sibelius-symphony-no-5-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-259700","title":"Sibelius: Symphony No 5 \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027427971306,"sku":"4988017600665","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891767.jpg?v=1778280434"},{"product_id":"copland-appalachian-spring-billy-the-kid-britten-181112","title":"Copland: Appalachian Spring, Billy The Kid; Britten \/ Ormandy","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027488559338,"sku":"4988017600702","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891771.jpg?v=1778281545"},{"product_id":"penderecki-utrenja-persichetti-symphony-no-9-ormandy-153502","title":"Penderecki: Utrenja; Persichetti: Symphony No 9 \/ Ormandy","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003ePENDERECKI \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eUtrenia.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003ePERSICHETTI \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eSinfonia: janiculum \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e(Symphony No. 9) \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Eugene Ormandy; Philadelphia O; Stefania Woytowicz (sop);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Kerstin Meyer (mez);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Seth McCoy (ten);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Bernard Ladysz (bs);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Peter Lagger (bs);\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Temple University Ch\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e RCA-ArkivMusic 38303 (63:34) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThis, recorded in 1970, is to my knowledge the only recording of the Penderecki; it is certainly a departure from what is generally regarded as Ormandy’s distinctively conservative repertoire. It is indeed probably as \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eavant-garde\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e as anything Ormandy recorded, but the truth of the matter is that he programmed contemporary music throughout his career, beginning with his tenure as conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony in the early 1930s. Among his world premieres were Bartók’s Third Piano Concerto, Hindemith’s Clarinet Concerto, and Martin?’s Fourth Symphony, as well as numerous works by American composers. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe real stars of the Penderecki recording are the Temple University Choir members, directed by Robert Page. The work calls for large orchestra, but there are long stretches for voices alone or with minimal accompaniment. Sounds of the Orthodox liturgy echo throughout the piece, but only for one startling passage in the fourth movement do the men’s voices suddenly sing in purely triadic harmony. You probably know whether you enjoy Penderecki’s music. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe Persichetti Symphony is one of the American compositions that Ormandy premiered; it was originally coupled on a 1971 LP with William Schuman’s Ninth Symphony, another Ormandy world premiere. Philadelphians think of the Philadelphia Orchestra as “their” orchestra, much more an integral part of the community than those of many other American cities. This was especially true when Ormandy was music director, since he did relatively little guest conducting, preferring to conduct most of each season in Philadelphia, where, of course, he was well known after decades on the podium. One manifestation of this “small town” mentality was Ormandy’s attention to the music of Philadelphia composers, beginning with Samuel Barber and including Persichetti, Richard Yardumian, and Louis Gesenway, a second violinist with the orchestra. Persichetti’s music can be described as mid-century academic-eclectic; the Ninth Symphony in one movement, more advanced in its language than many of his works, is still vaguely triadic and features the winds and percussion prominently. This disc is for the more musically adventurous.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003eFANFARE: Richard A. Kaplan\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027489771754,"sku":"4988017619506","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891781.jpg?v=1778279878"},{"product_id":"the-emperor-waltz-ormandy-conducts-viennese-favorites-259697","title":"The Emperor Waltz - Ormandy Conducts Viennese Favorites","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027490164970,"sku":"4988017600580","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891765.jpg?v=1778280073"},{"product_id":"mendelssohn-a-midsummer-nights-dream-wagner-ormandy-259704","title":"Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Wagner \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The distinctive point about Ormandy's version of the Midsummer Night's Dream music is that the vocal sections are given in German. On the sleeve the producer notes the significant point that in the Schlegel-Tieck translation \"You spotted snakes\" becomes \"Bunte Schlartgen\", and that Mendelssohn wrote it with two quavers instead of quaver plus two semi-quavers at the beginning of the phrase. It was for a Berlin performance that Mendelssohn wrote his extra incidental music, and therefore there is an historic case, too, for preferring Schlegel-Tieck to Shakespeare... [W]ith finely disciplined playing from the Philadelphians, Ormandy is a fraction heavier [than Previn and Leppard], less playful, but the discrepancy is slight, and with such glorious sound recorded fully and richly with plenty of inner detail, no one will feel disappointed... Both Previn and Leppard include even the briefest melodramas, where Ormandy omits three of them (No. 4 before the Intermezzo, No. 10 before the ironic \"Funeral March\" and No. 12 before the finale, all of them very brief). The last one consists of a fragment of the \"Wedding March\" fading into the distance to be followed by fairy music, and I am sorry to lose it. Instead Ormandy opts to transpose the Melodrama No. 8 to that point with a fragment of the \"Nocturne\" plus a radiant violin descant.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The casual listener may well not register any of these details, and certainly the Ormandy record, beautifully played and recorded, can be confidently recommended...\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e -- Edward Greenfield, Gramophone [6\/1978, reviewing the original LP release of the Mendelssohn]\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027490722026,"sku":"4988017619322","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894911.jpg?v=1778252944"},{"product_id":"tchaikovsky-symphony-no-5-marche-slav-ormandy-176182","title":"Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 5, Marche Slav \/ Ormandy","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027491639530,"sku":"4988017086582","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3891760.jpg?v=1778280551"},{"product_id":"holst-the-planets-vaughan-williams-ormandy-philadelphia-101884","title":"Holst: The Planets; Vaughan Williams \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"\u003cb\u003e*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027491868906,"sku":"4988017086667","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894901.jpg?v=1778280593"},{"product_id":"take-2-elgar-cello-concerto-etc-du-262149","title":"Take 2 - Elgar: Cello Concerto, Etc \/ Du Pre, Ormandy, Et Al","description":"REVIEWS:\u003cbr\u003eBBC Music (3\/98, p.74) - \"Du Pré's...1977 Elgar Cello Concerto recording....is compelling and richly Romantic....Ormandy and the Philadelphia's 'Enigma' is warmhearted and virtuosic....Davis's 'Pomp and Circumstance' Marches are bold and beefy.\"","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027557077226,"sku":"5099706324720","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3816466.jpg?v=1778276179"},{"product_id":"sibelius-violin-concerto-saint-saens-jenson-ormandy-216392","title":"Sibelius: Violin Concerto; Saint-Saëns \/ Jenson, Ormandy, Philadelphia","description":"SIBELIUS: VIOLIN CONCERTO  SAI","brand":"RCA","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027575034090,"sku":"078635454826","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3894617.jpg?v=1778277450"},{"product_id":"copland-orchestral-works-ormandy-previn-262083","title":"Copland: Orchestral Works \/ Ormandy, Previn","description":"Copland: Orchestral Works","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027578441962,"sku":"074646240120","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4318212-3139842.jpg?v=1778220923"},{"product_id":"shostakovich-symphony-no-5-etc-prokofiev-ormandy-261964","title":"Shostakovich: Symphony No 5, Etc;  Prokofiev \/ Ormandy","description":"SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONY NO 5, E","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027608588522,"sku":"5099705326121","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3816422.jpg?v=1778279062"},{"product_id":"ibert-divertissement-faure-ormandy-philadelphia-orch-262097","title":"Ibert: Divertissement;  Fauré \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch","description":"This release features 5 pieces conducted by Ormandy and Davis now available on CD including the two featured recordings plus Ibert's Escales, Faure's Pavane, and Roussel's Bacchus et Ariane Suite No. 2.","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027640766698,"sku":"074646264423","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4318229-3139850.jpg?v=1778215057"},{"product_id":"r-strauss-also-sprach-zarathustra-don-quixote-128596","title":"R. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Quixote \/ Ormandy","description":"R. STRAUSS: ALSO SPRACH ZARATH","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027679826154,"sku":"5099704765624","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3816392.jpg?v=1778252903"},{"product_id":"mahler-das-lied-von-der-erde-lieder-108024","title":"Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde, Lieder \/ Ormandy, Davis Et Al","description":"...I think Ormandy sees [Das Lied von der Erde] very much in symphonic terms. It's a view often put forward by scholars casting the first and second songs as first and second movements, songs three, four and five running together as a kind of scherzo-intermezzo third movement (fourth song as quasi trio to the other two movements' scherzo), and the sixth song as fourth movement\/finale. The reason I see this in Ormandy's account is that he seems to see the third, fourth and fifth songs in very much the same way, the same tone, with very little variation in approach from song to song though he stressed well the chinoiserie that is a feature of Mahler's orchestration. Then there is the fact that less than usual of the work’s darker undertones are brought out by him. There are some lovely woodwinds at the start of \"Von der Jugend\", though, matched with Richard Lewis's lighter delivery paying greater dividends here than elsewhere. However, Lewis is always much more the witness than the participant, especially in comparison with others, and even more detached from the words in \"Der Trunkene im Fruhling\". This work must involve the listener at all times and there are passages in this recording when I am not. Though let it be said there is a fine \"stepping inside\" of the scene by Lewis at \"Ja! Der Lenz ist da\" (Yes! Spring is here\") and he also manages a laugh when describing the bird's laughter. Lewis has limited attack in the first song, though. He is more mellow and lyrical than colleagues like Peter Schreier for Sanderling (Berlin Classics 009 4022BC) but Ormandy matches him in being more lighter-toned than Klemperer, Sanderling or Horenstein (BBC Legends BBCL 4042-2). He is more concerned with the singing line and communicating energy and lift, which is certainly no bad thing in itself. There is less contrast between the varying sections of the song too. The passage starting with \"Das firmament blaut ewig\" is delivered by Lewis with none of the irony it is capable of and in the \"ape and graves\" section he is a little overwhelmed by the orchestra, well though he sings. Here Wunderlich for Klemperer (EMI 5 66892 2) manages to ride the climax admirably. Not surprisingly Lewis doesn't have Schreier's distinctive delivery on each \"dark is life; dark is death\" refrain\" for Sanderling. The playing of the orchestra is superb, however, giving notice from the start we are in the presence of one of the world's great ensembles. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Ormandy opens the second song with admirable restraint and icy-coldness. This is late autumn with no heat at all. Lili Chookasian has a light voice and her first entrance doesn't bode too well for what is to come. All this brings some dividends when the orchestra shows a wonderful burst of warmth, especially from the lower strings at \"Bald werden die verwelkten\" (\"Soon the withered golden leaves\"). In fact, the Philadelphia strings are (and it should be no surprise) one of the glories of this recording and show Chookasian up rather. If only she could sing as well as they do! At \"Ich weine viel in meinem Einsamkeiten\" (\"Long do I weep in my loneliness\") hear also the solo horn against the oboe picked out by Ormandy and then \"Sonne der Liebe willst du nie mehr scheinen\" (Sun of love will you never shine again), where, as with Lewis in the \"ape and graves\" section of the first song, Chookasian is rather overwhelmed by the power of the orchestra. In \"Von Der Schoenheit\" she struggles to make the words tell, not least in the horse section which Ormandy takes very fast making her hang on for dear life. Then in the opening of \"Der Abschied\" there is some lack of tragic weight. But this is in common with what appears to be the philosophy behind Ormandy's performance. Again and again the stress is on refinement, fastidiousness, polish and no praise can be too high for the orchestra who bring really cultured playing to everything. Again Chookasian seems more than a touch under-involved. With Lewis detachment could be looked on as a positive stance but with Chookasian I feel it's simply that she isn't quite up to the peculiar demands of this piece. This is never more so than in the challenge of the last song where her rather peripheral feeling for the words tells most of all. But Ormandy's polish is in evidence throughout and a good example is his accompaniment of \"Die Blumen blassen im Dammerschien\" (\"The flowers grow pale in the twilight\"). He is very controlled too, helped by a slightly faster tempo than we are used to so that crucial line \"Alle sehnsucht will nun traumen\" doesn't move us as it should. He also skates too discursively over the wonderful bird section. This is a real example of his refinement robbing the music of one of its most distinctive moments: more \"Ma Mere l'oye\" than \"Le Chant de la terre\". Although that expressionist, \"Pierrot Lunaire-like\" section beginning \"Es wehet kuhl\" with flute and string bass underpinning has a fine sense of stillness it has less depth than it needs so that when the music warms up there is less feeling of respite. In the funeral march orchestral passage there is some extraordinary music where Mahler pushes the boundaries of tonality to the limit, but Ormandy rather throws it away in pursuit of smooth edges. The overall tempo is also too quick to make the effect it has to, though there is some wonderful playing from the cellos at the climax, really digging into their phrases. This is more than Chookasian does in the closing section, I feel. Her attention to the words is not really close and her tone rather one-dimensional; not expressive enough for music that expresses so much and Ormandy rather forces her on.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In sum a beautiful performance of Mahler’s late masterpiece, especially from the point of view of conductor and the orchestra. But there is more to this work than what lies on the surface and Ormandy's apparent stress on those symphonic aspects seems to encourage him in his refinement of everything else. Lewis's detachment at least seems to have point. Chookasian, on the other hand, one suspects is witness because she doesn't know how to get more involved or whether she should. On balance I think the same applies to Ormandy who doesn't really impress as a Mahlerian in this most elusive of works. He is saved by his wonderful orchestra who, in spite of some slightly faster tempi than we are used to, make this a performance to be enjoyed, for all I may not regard it as a front runner.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e A coupling for Das Lied is rare but here is a very substantial one in the shape of the five Rückert Songs in a performance that finds Frederica Von Stade at the height of her considerable powers and Andrew Davis as ever an excellent accompanist. This is not a reason to buy this release, but certainly one to make up for any shortcomings in the main work.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Ormandy and his great orchestra are the real stars of this fine release.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e -- Tony Duggan, MusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027680776426,"sku":"5099705351826","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3816428.jpg?v=1778252982"},{"product_id":"nielsen-symphonies-no-1-6-etc-ormandy-130086","title":"Nielsen: Symphonies No 1 \u0026 6, Etc \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia","description":"NIELSEN: SYMPHONIES NO 1 \u0026amp; 6,","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027681005802,"sku":"5099706304029","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3816462.jpg?v=1778247452"},{"product_id":"shostakovich-d-symphonies-nos-5-6-and-7-leningrad-p","title":"SHOSTAKOVICH, D.: Symphonies Nos. 5, 6 and 7, \"Leningrad\" (P","description":"2009 two CD release. 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Shostakovich held Stokowski in high esteem as an exponent of his music.","brand":"Music and Arts Programs of America","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027742707946,"sku":"017685123221","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1549329_f4c043c5-d3c5-4a65-a8b8-c4f82bf7a00e.jpg?v=1778338882"},{"product_id":"respighi-fontane-di-roma-pin-261909","title":"Fontane Di Roma Pin","description":"RESPIGHI: FONTANE DI ROMA, PIN","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027813388522,"sku":"5099704826721","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/270566.jpg?v=1778246220"},{"product_id":"tchaikovsky-1812-overture-ormandy-philadelphia-orchestra-232744","title":"Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture \/ Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra","description":"Tchaikovsky: 1812 Ouverture","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027846680810,"sku":"090266049226","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4316674-3140074.jpg?v=1778206646"},{"product_id":"liszt-piano-concertos-1-2-etc-entremont-154183","title":"Liszt: Piano Concertos 1 \u0026 2, Etc \/ Entremont, Brailowsky","description":"LISZT: PIANO CONCERTOS 1 \u0026amp; 2,","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46027855986922,"sku":"5099704816722","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3816401.jpg?v=1778280788"}],"url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/collections\/philadelphia-orchestra.oembed?page=2","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}