[78-L] classical stuff

[simmonssomer]

Word was out that the Mascagni "Cavelleria" was one of the worst recordings 
of that opera ever made. It was allegedly a matter of tempo, in that the 
maestro rushed through the score in an unprecedented manner. It was a huge 
surprise to the cognocenti. "Who better than Mascagni to conduct his own 
opera?" went the popularly held babble. Well, apparently the maestro was in 
his dotage and perhaps he just wanted to go home.

Al Simmons

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "DAVID BURNHAM" <burnhamd at rogers.com>
To: <78-L at 78online.com>
Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 2:14 AM
Subject: [78-L] classical stuff


I realize that while there is an abundance of knowledge about classical 
recordings on this list, there isn't a huge amount of discussion about 
classical music here. I have come across a lot of interesting facts about 
pop recordings during the last few years here but it really isn't a forum 
for indepth discussions on the classical side of things.

The reason I mention this is because I just received a shipment of 
interesting classical 78s from e-bay and I would like to share my delight 
with these items. Included is a mint copy of the, (in my experience), rare 
recording of W. H. Squire performing the Elgar Cello Concerto with Hamilton 
Harty. I think this recording received little attention even in its day 
because the composer's own recording with Beatrice Harrison was much more in 
demand, but Squire was a very well respected artist amongst cellists. 
Another set which arrived today is the Schubert Octet on, (once again), near 
mint Viva~Tonal discs. I had never heard of this recording before and 
stretching as it does across 6 discs, it would have been a rather expensive 
purchase at the time. I also got the Schubert "Unfinished" conducted by 
Franz Schalk on Columbia Blue pressings. It's curious that Columbia would 
have issued two recordings of this work at the same time, this one and Sir
 Henry Wood's; I don't know which one came first but they must be very close 
in age. Another first for me was Felix Weingartner's Beethoven 7th with the 
Royal Philharmonic. I have both the acoustic and the later Vienna recordings 
but it has been a long time since I've been able to add a new Weingartner 
recording to my collection. He was the first, and on 78s, the only conductor 
to do a complete Beethoven cycle, (most of them recorded two or three times 
or more), as well as a complete Brahms cycle. The most interesting 
Weingartner Beethoven recording is the rare 5th Symphony recording by an 
unnamed Symphony Orchestra. This was apparently never released in Europe 
and, (so I've heard), released by accident in the US. I've never heard the 
definitive version of the story about this recording. The notes with a CD 
release of the recording states that it wasn't released for technical 
reasons - that it was recorded at too low an amplitude - but
 another Weingartner recording of the Symphony with the Royal Philharmonic 
is recorded at the same level. Another story is that the orchestra didn't 
play well so they decided to re-do it. It's like the many stories abounding 
about the Toscanini Philadelphia recordings. Anyway, the rest of the records 
I received were Enrique Arbos conducting Images on Viva~Tonal; Albert Coates 
doing the Eroica on Victor Scrolls, (very shiny and new looking), and what 
looks like an also near mint copy of Cavalleria Rusticana conducted by 
Mascagni. All of these records arrived in excellent condition. In fact, I've 
only ever received one disc from e-bay which was broken when it arrived - of 
Hanson's Nordic Symphony. The seller refunded the money without discussion 
and shortly thereafter, I found another copy of the work.

Anyway, that was a day in the life of a classical record collector.

db
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