[78-L] Question 1812 Overture

[Philip Carli]

No early version that _I_ know of uses cannons, but the Grenadier Guards version I mentioned uses heavy percussion very effectively in the close; it must have been extremely difficult to record, but it is very exciting and festively clamourous.  Really worth a listen.

I should dig out my early HMV electric with Eugene Goossens and the Covent Garden orchestra -- I remember it being quite good as well.  I like Sokoloff's hell-for-leather acoustic Brunswick  with the Cleveland Orchestra, but I've never heard the "Light Ray" electric remake, which might be fascinatingly horrible, sonically.  Has anyone here (I'm sure they have)?
________________________________________
From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com [78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Michael Biel [mbiel at mbiel.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 2:27 PM
To: 78-L Mail List
Subject: Re: [78-L] Question 1812 Overture

I don't suppose any of these used cannons!  I wonder if any performances
ever used cannons before David Hall overdubbed cannons on the mono
Mercury LP.  There had been an earlier 1812 on Mercury, on 78s as DM23
and 10-inch LP MG 15000 by Mengelberg and the Amsterdam Concertbeau.  It
also was on Capitol and Ultraphon.  I got the 78s during an ARSC
conference where David Hall was attending.  He reluctently admitted to
having been responsible for it, and did autograph it for me.

There is another important 78 set that I have.  During Stalin's reign
they replaced the melody of "God Save the Czar" in several of
Tschaikovsky's works where he had interpolated it.  The replacement is
Glinka's "Glory To" from the final act of the opera that was given a new
libretto as "Ivan Sussman".  In addition to several Soviet LPs with the
altered music there also was a 78 set in the late 40s on USSR 015175
thru 78 by Govolanov and the Moscow Radio Sy O.  It was also on
Supraphon and I guess it was lucky that David didn't reissue it on
Mercury!  I have a Soviet era printed score, and they include the
original music as a footnote at the bottom of the page.  I have been
told that when it was played at a gala Red Square performance after the
fall of the Soviet Union the original music had been restored.  And they
used live cannons.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com

On 3/31/2011 12:52 PM, Philip Carli wrote:
> There's also an excellent cut version by the Band of H.M. Grenadier Guards on Columbia (2 sides) from about 1911 -- thrilling performance, presumably under Albert Williams.  I have a sneaking feeling I also have that red Vocalion 12", it might be by the Scots Guards.  The strange thing about it is the incomprehensible cutting which garbles the piece, although they give it 2 sides.  The Columbia is quite sensibly cut and still coheres.
> ________________________________________
> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com [78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of DanKj [MLK402 at verizon.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 8:38 PM
> To: 78-L Mail List
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Question
>
>   The Edison studio squoze a fraction onto a 1908 wax Amberol cylinder, # 51.
> My favorite is some military band on a 12" Aeolian-Vocalion,  with a
> previous owner's helpful note on the label: "A disgrace to Tschaikowsky"  !!
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
>>>       Can someone please tell me what the first recording  of the Overture
>>> 1812?  Doug
>> Excerpted:
>>
>> CARLO SABAJNO&  LA SCALA ORCHESTRA (1 SIDE) GRAMOPHONE 050506 (1905)
>> 4 others on European labels, 1909-1913
>>
>> Complete (reasonably):
>> LANDON RONALD, ROYAL ALBERT HALL ORCHESTRA (3 SIDES) HMV 2-0660, 2-0664&
>> 2-0674, doubled on D122/3 (1916)
>>
>> First American recordings (edited):
>> SHILKRET, VICTOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (2 SIDES) VICTOR 35729 (1923)
>> SOKOLOFF, CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA (2 SIDES) BRUNSWICK 50047 (1924)
>>
>> dl

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