Toscanini in London (1935-1939) Vol. 1

1. Die Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), opera, WWV 86d Siegfried's Death and Funeral Music
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

2. A Faust Overture, for orchestra in D minor, WWV 59
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

3. Parsifal, opera, WWV 111 Prelude and Good Friday Music
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

4. Tragic Overture, in D minor, Op. 81
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

Tracks:

Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro
Manon Lescaut: Sola, perduta, abbandonata
La Boheme: Che gelida manina
La Boheme: Mi chiamano Mimi
La Boheme: O soave fanciulla
La Boheme: Quando m'en vo'
La Boheme: Donde lieta usci
La Boheme: O Mimi, tu piu non torni
Tosca: Recondita armonia
Tosca: Mario! Mario!
Tosca: Vissi d'arte
Tosca: E lucevan le stelle
Madama Butterfly: Un bel di
Madama Butterfly: Flower Duet
Madama Butterfly: Addio, fiorito asil
Madama Butterfly: Tu? Tu? piccolo iddio
La rondine: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
Turandot: In questa reggia
Turandot: Nessun Dorma!

Customer Reviews:

Great Introduction to Puccini.......2003-08-14

This CD is definitely one of the easiest ways to get into Opera. Puccini, being my favorite opera composer, has produced many great works of art captured here on this CD. While some of these songs are performed better elsewhere, it still is the CD to buy.

Kiri Te Kanawa does an amazing job with "O mio babbino caro." Her unique voice soars all over this aria with astounding grace and beauty. Out of the two different recordings I have heard, this is the best (the other by Angela Gheorghiu, which is beautiful as well). She's got something in her voice that sets this track apart. She does a great job of Musetta's aria "Quando m'en vo'" but she seems to take it too slow and doesn't quite have the "Musetta" sound.

Luciano Pavarotti, while amazing, doesn't appear to be at the top of his game. I've heard better versions of "Che gelida manina" (specifically by Roberto Alagna) and he's version of "Nessun dorma!" cuts off short and doesn't feature a chorus. In my opinion, this song is best heard in its entirety with a chorus (specially by José Carreras). Don't get my wrong, Pavarotti is a fantastic tenor (one of the greatest in my opinion) but don't buy this CD just to hear him, there are many other better recordings of him.

The low points of this CD are the songs in Mono. Both songs from La Bohème have seen better days. Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu perform "O soave fanciulla" better than this CD's offering. "Mario Mario" on the other hand is the worst of the pack. Eleven minutes of horrible sound quality that doesn't exactly flatter the singer's voices is pretty painful.

A few standout tracks include "Recondita armonia" by Richard Tucker. The moment I was about to dismiss the recording Tucker suddenly surprised me by showing that he has the voice of a legend.

Eva Marton does a surprisingly poignant job of "Sì, mi chiamano Mimì" but the best track in my opinion is "In questa reggia." The first time I heard this song also happened to be the first time I heard Marton. Her glorious voice was absolutely perfect for this song. I've heard other singers try and conquer this role but they never really attain the power and might that Marton does. Marton absolutely commands this song. Needless to say, the first time I heard this song I was floored.

This CD is a great way to be introduced to the wonderful world of Puccini. Don't buy this CD for Pavarotti, or for the best recording of "Che gelida manina," but do buy it if you want to hear great versions of "O mio babbino caro" and "In questa reggia" or sample and get acquainted with some of the greatest music ever composed.

Puccini, Arias.......2000-09-23

This is truly a historical recording. Kiri Te Kanawa presents an outstanding performance as does Pavarotti. The two soloists together blend magically.

Tracks:

Vn Con in D, Op.61: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Vn Con in D, Op.61: Larghetto
Vn Con in D, Op.61: Rondo/Allegro
Vn Con No.4 in d, Op.31: Andante/Moderato/Cadenza
Vn Con No.4 in d, Op.31: Adagio Religioso
Vn Con No.4 in d, Op.31: Scherzo: Vivace & Trio
Vn Con No.4 in d, Op.31: Finale: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

antique recording.......2005-05-10

When I purchased this CD, I was unaware it had recording dates of 1935 and 1940. The sound is greatly disappointing.

The Earliest Concerto Recordings, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

The Earliest Concerto Recordings, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000WPJ
Release Date: 1995-10-17

Tracks:

Concerto In D, Op. 61: Allegro ma non troppo
Concerto In D, Op. 61: Larghetto
Concerto In D, Op. 61: Rondo
Concerto No. 5 In A, K.219 'Turkish': Allegro Aperto
Concerto No. 5 In A, K.219 'Turkish': Adagio
Concerto No. 5 In A, K.219 'Turkish': Rondeau - Tempo Di Minuetto - Allegro
Meditation, Op. 32
Scherzo Tarantelle, Op. 16

Tracks:

Concerto In D, Op. 47: Allegro moderato
Concerto In D, Op. 47: Canzonetta. Andante
Concerto In D, Op. 47: Finale. Allegro vivacissimo
Concerto In D, Op. 47: Allegro moderato
Concerto In D, Op. 47: Adagio di molto
Concerto In D, Op. 47: Allegro, man non tanto
Concerto In A Minor, Op. 82: Moderato
Concerto In A Minor, Op. 82: Andante sostenuto
Concerto In A Minor, Op. 82: Allegro

Amazon.com

Jascha Heifetz's post-war remakes of these 1934-40 concerto discs, good as they were, weren't always as warm or as involving as these versions which feature superhuman violinism and sound--often very insightful interpretations. The classic combination with Arturo Toscanini in the Beethoven leads off the collection, forward-moving with tensile strength and a flowing, inward-looking slow movement. The Mozart Turkish Concerto sparkles with grace; the Tchaikowsky is dazzling in its tonal finesse; the Sibelius, with Sir Thomas Beecham, never bettered. In his hands, even the Glazunov sounds like a major work. Terrific transfers yield sound that fully conveys Hiefetz's tonal splendors. This is Volume One; Volume Two (Pearl GEMM CDS 9167) offers two further well-filled discs of delights. --Dan Davis

Average customer rating:

A Great Set of Historic Wagner Performances

Wagner Conductors on Record

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000604U
Release Date: 1998-05-19

Tracks:

Rienzi - Overture
Der Fliegende Hollander - Overture
Tannhauser - Overture (Dresden Version)
Lohengrin - Prelude To Act I
Tristan Und Isolde - Prelude To Act I (With Concert Ending)
Die Meistersinger Von Nursnberg - Prelude To Act I
Gotterammerung _ Dawn And Siegfird's Rhine Journey
Parsifal - Act I Transformation Music

Tracks:

A Fuast Overture
Huldigungsmarsch
Lohengrin - Prelude To Act I
Tristan Und Isolde - Act II: Isolde Awaits Tristan's Arrival
Tristan Und Isolde - Prelude
Tristan Und Isolde - Liebestod
Die Walkure - Ride Of The Valkyries
Gotterdammerung - Finale
Siegfried Idyll

Customer Reviews:

A Great Set of Historic Wagner Performances.......2004-07-29

As Mark Obert-Thorn observes in the perceptive and well-written notes that accompany this CD, the years between the World Wars were not only a golden age of great singing but a grand era for great Wagner conducting as well. This two-disc Pearl set brings together recordings from 1922-42 from 16 outstanding Wagner interpreters. The transfers are superb, and in the case of the Weingartner Rienzi (magnificent!) and Coates Tannhauser overtures, far more vivid than what is heard from their volumes in EMI's Great Conductors of the 20th Century series.

Amazon's display of this set's contents (shown above) contains one error: it is Leo Blech, not Stokowski, who conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in Siegfried Idyll.

There is too much here to go into detail. Here are the performances, with recording dates and a few comments:

1. Felix Weingartner (1863-1942): Rienzi Overture (1939)
2. Richard Strauss (1864-1949): Flying Dutchman Ov. (1928)
3. Albert Coates (1882-1953): Tannhauser Ov. (Dresden) (1926)
4. Artur Bodanzky (1877-1939): Lohengrin Preslude Act I (1927)
5. Otto Klemperer (1885-1973): Tristan Prelude, Act I (1927)
6. Karl Muck (1859-1940): Meistersinger Prelude Act I (1927)
7. Bruno Walter (1876-1962): Dawn & Sieg. Rhine Jouney (1932)
8. Hans Knappertsbusch (1888-1965): Parsifal I Transform.(1928)
9. Thomas Beecham (1879-1961): Faust Overture (1935)
10. Siegfried Wagner (1869-1930): Huldigungsmarsch (1927)
11. Wilhelm Furtwangler (1886-1954): Lohengrin Prelude (1930)
12. Max von Schillings (1868-1933): from Tristan Act II (1927)
13. Arturo Toscanini (1867-1952): Tristan Prelude/Lieb. (1942)
15. Fritz Reiner (1883-1963): Ride of the Valkyries (1940)
16. Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977): Gotterdamm. Finale (1940)
17. Leo Blech (1871-1958): Siegfried Idyll (1922)

All of these are wonderfully sympathetic performances that should be heard by anyone interested in the history of Wagner conducting. My favorites are the Weingartner Rienzi, the Strauss Dutchman (one of the two outstanding 78 rpm accounts, along with Schuricht's on History), the Beecham Faust Ov. (the best I have heard, along with Abendroth's), and the sweetly lyrical, portamento-laden Blech Siegfried Idyll (in surprisingly good sound for an acoustic recording).

Congratulations to Mr. Obert-Thorn and Pearl for a job well done!

Average customer rating:

Johannes Brahms: The Four Symphonies

Manufacturer: Andante
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Leon Fleisher Plays Brahms

ASIN: B00009PJQP
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro - Meno allegro
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: II. Andante sostenuto
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: IV. Adagio - Piante - Allegro non troppo ma con brio - Piegro
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: I. Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: II. Andante
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: III. Poco allegretto
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: IV. Allegro - Un poco sostenuto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro - Meno allegro
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: II. Andante sostenuto
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: IV. Adagio - Piante - Allegro non troppo ma con brio - Piegro
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: I. Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: II. Andante
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: III. Poco allegretto
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90: IV. Allegro - Un poco sostenuto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: I. Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: II. Adagio non troppo
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: III. Allegretto grazioso (quasiandantino) - Presto ma non assai - Tempo I - Presto ma non assai - Tempo I
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: IV. Allegro con spirito
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: I. Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: II. Andante moderato
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: III. Allegro giocoso
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: IV. Allegro energico e passionate - Piegro

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: I. Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: II. Adagio non troppo
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: III. Allegretto grazioso (quasiandantino) - Presto ma non assai - Tempo I - Presto ma non assai - Tempo I
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: IV. Allegro con spirito
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: I. Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: II. Andante moderato
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: III. Allegro giocoso
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98: IV. Allegro energico e passionate - Piegro

Album Description

This deluxe four-CD set showcases Brahms' four totemic symphonies in multiple performances by the 20th century's greatest conductor/orchestra combinations. A virtual master class in the art of interpretation, this collection features two performances of each Brahms masterpiece: in Symphony No. 1, Arturo Toscanini with the NBC Orchestra (1941) and Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra (1936); in No. 2, Wilhelm Furtwängler/Vienna Philharmonic (1945) and Pierre Monteux/San Francisco Symphony (1945); in No. 3, Willem Mengelberg/Concertgebouw Orchestra (1932) and Bruno Walter/Vienna Philharmonic (1936); and in No. 4, Victor de Sabata/Berlin Philharmonic (1939) and Felix Weingartner/London Symphony Orchestra (1938). To recapture the magic of these thrilling performances, rare 78s were digitally restored using the 24-bit CAP 440 technique.

Tracks:

La Forza Del Destino - Overture
Son Giunta!...Madre, Pietosa Vergine
Solenne In Quest'ora
Pace, Pace Mio Dio
Quando Le Sere Al Placido
Merce, Dilette Amiche
Tu Che La Vanita
Questa O Quella
Caro Nome
La Donna E Mobile
Quartet: Bella Figlia Dell' Amore
Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves: Va, Pensiero, Sull' Ali Dorate
Ernani! Involami... Tutto Sprezzo Che D' Ernani
Esultate
Iago's Credo: Credo In Un Dio Crudel
Death Of Otello: Niun Mi Tema
L'onore! Ladri
Quand'ero Paggio
Finale: Tutto Nel Mondo E Burla

Average customer rating:

Great Conductors Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Magic Talent
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Alceste: Ov - Wilhelm Furtwangler/Berliner Phil
Polovstian Dances (Act.2) - Sir Thomas Beecham/LPO
Pno Con No.16: Allegro Molto Moderato - Arthur Rubinstein
Rhap In Blue - Earl Wild/Benny Goodman
Jeu De Cartes: Troisieme Donne - Igor Strvinsky/Berliner Philharmoniker
Sym Mathis Der Maler: Engelkonzert - Paul Hindemith/Berliner Philharmoniker
Sym No.3 in a, Op.44: Allegro - Serge Rachmaninoff/The Philadelphia Orch

Average customer rating:

Many Unique Live Performances By the Great Maestro

Toscanini In London 1935-1939, Vol. 1-6

Manufacturer: Grammofono 2000
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000003UES
Release Date: 1996-03-12

Tracks:

Siegfried's Death And Funeral Music
Faust Overture
Prelude And Good Friday Music
Tragic Overture Op. 81

Tracks:

I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Adagio Non Troppo
III. Allegretto Grazioso (Quasi Andnatino)
IV. Allegro Con Spirito
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Andante Moderato
III. Allegro Giocoso
IV. Allegro Energico E Appassionato

Tracks:

Overture
Overture
Overture
I. De L'Aube A Midi Sur La Mer
II. Jeux De Vagues
III. Dialogue Du Vent Et De La Mer
Theme (Andante)/I. CAE (The Composer's Wife)
II. HDSP (Hew David Steuart-Powell)
III. RBT (Richard Baxter Townshend)
IV. WMB (William Meath Baker)
V. RPA (Richard Penrose Arnold)
VI. Ysobel (Isabel Fitton)
VII. Troyte (Troyte Griffith)
VIII. WN (Winifred Norbury)
IX. Nimrod (A.J. Jaeger)
X. Intermezzo: Dorabella (Dora Penny)
XI. GRS (Georg Robertson Sinclair)
XII. BGN (Basil G. Nevinson)
XIII. Romanza: *** (Lady Mary Lygon)
XIV Finale: EDU (The Composer)

Tracks:

Invitation To The Dance in D flat J 260
Nocturne
Scherzo
I. Allegretto
II. Tempo Andante Ma Rubato
III. Vivacissimo
IV. Finale (Allegro Moderato)

Tracks:

I. Adagio Molto. Allegro Con Brio
II. Andante Cantabile Con Moto
III Menuetto. Allegro Molto E Vivace
IV. Adagio. Allegro Molto E Vivace
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Andante Molto Mosso
III. Allegro/IV. Allegro/V.Allegretto
Overture

Tracks:

I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
II. Adagio
III. Menuetto. Allegro Vivace. Trio
IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
I. Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
II. Allegretto
III. Presto
IV. Allegro Con Brio
Overture

Customer Reviews:

Many Unique Live Performances By the Great Maestro.......1998-10-19

While I have not yet obtained all of the five individual releases that are compiled together in this set, I have heard 3 of the individual Grammofono CD disks as well as ALL of the original recordings in earlier editions that were released by the BBC via EMI in Britain, or through private collectors' sources.

The BBC Symphony was fairly new at the time of these broadcasts of 1935-8, and had some superbly fine musicians, who were trained by the admirable Sir Adrian Boult, himself an "objectivist" and enthusiast of Toscanini.

Highlights of the recordings herein are the 1935 Brahms Fourth Symphony, a "performance of a lifetime" for Toscanini, and vastly superior in concentration, emotional expression, and warmth to his American performances with the New York Philharmonic and NBC Symphonies; it is also finer than the live 1952 Philharmonia Orchestra concert in London. The old deleted EMI transfer had slightly better transparency and genuine mono sound that is crisper and somewhat more alive than this "sanitized" reissue where there has been an aggressive attempt to remove EVERY tiny tick and pop by computer software audio processing programs.

The Brahms Second of 1938 is likewise a superb reading, though not as completely successful and unique as the BBC Fourth: some of the Maestro's NBC broadcasts, like a live 1938 and 1951 performance, reached this peak of luminosity and expression. The sound levels on this Grammofono reissue are not consistent, and parts of the performance are very tinny; others are muddy.

The Debussy La Mer concert performance of 1935 is a miracle of intensity and clarity, and is surprisingly well recorded for the early date. British critics are enthusiastic, as they should be; audiences were bowled over. The older deleted EMI pure-mono CD transfer was a bit better, but this present one is listenable.

The Wagner Parsifal Prelude & Good Friday Spell, from about the same time as the Debussy, features the Maestro in his expansive, Germanic mode of conducting (he was far from a fast leader of Wagner's music, and gave some of the longest concert performances of the operas ever noted.) I prefer this reading to his NBC Symphony live broadcasts and recordings.

Other fine interpretations include Mendelssohn works, Rossini overtures, and Weber's Invitation to the Dance. The transfers of the commercial HMV 78 rpm recordings of some of these pieces, issued on Biddulph WHL 008-9, are vastly to be preferred: the present Grammofono copies seem to use inferior noisier disk sources, and are wiry and thin by comparison.

Yet this compilation is convenient, and if one does not demand the ultimate in transfer quality, or prefers not to shop around interminably, it can offer the music lover of historical performances much instruction and pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

not really a theremin concerto.......2005-07-07

it's not really clear what this album what this album is supposed to be. I bought it because it claimed to be a theremin concerto. I found that it only had one theremin track on it and that it's mostly just standard orchestral fare. I think whoever put it together wanted to give an overview of concert music from that period in the early 20th century, at least that's what I gathered from the unfocused liner notes. it is interesting to hear the looseness of orchestras in those days but it is stunted, most pieces only a selected movement or two, a mix tape made by a not-so-lucid friend. If you're looking for a theremin concerto stay away!!

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Tales of Future and Past

Bach Partitas for Solo Violin

A Redhead From Chesapeake Bay

Song X

Answers to Nothing [Extra tracks] [Import]

Art Laboe's Dedicated to You, Vol. 6

A Child's Hanukkah

At the Exactest Point

A Man Must Carry On

A Spanish Treasure

Age of the Sun

All You Can Eat [Import]

A=alternative [Import]

Rodan

Heavier Things