[78-L] Capriccio Italien

[David Lennick]

Now if you'd said it was Albert Coates, that would have been believable. Talk 
about Speedy Gonzales (and his recording of The Planets consisted of only the 
fast movements).

There's a Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings on ten-inch Brunswicks (ex Polydor) 
that's just as bad and brutally cut..might be by Albert Wolff.

dl

On 3/9/2012 5:06 PM, DAVID BURNHAM wrote:
> I don't usually play partial sets, but I do hang on to them if they're the only copy I have, hoping to find the missing discs.  But for years I've had Leo Blech's recording of Capriccio Italien, (that's how it's spelt on the label), sides 1&  2;  I've never found sides 3&  4.  Well today, since I really enjoy Blech's readings, I decided to listen to the one record I have, figuring I'll play the second record of another recording if my brain can't let it go half way through.  Well Land o' Goshen, the piece is complete on one record - that is side 1 begins with the first note of the piece and side 2 ends with the last note of the piece.  There's a lot missing in between!  This is on a full price red labeled HMV recording with the Berlin State Opera Orchestra.  The truncations are brutal!  Why would this conductor and this orchestra release such a travesty on a full price record?  There were lots of complete recordings of the work at this time -
>   it's not a piece that needs to be shortened nor can it be shortened very successfully.  If Mr. Blech didn't like the piece why did he record it at all?  Who did he think he was, Glenn Gould?  (Glenn Gould never hesitated to record a piece just because he didn't like it, he just performed it so badly that even someone who did like it would likely change their mind - i.e. The Appasionata Sonata of Beethoven.)
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> db
> _________________________________