{"product_id":"stokowski-conducts-brahms-and-dvorak-1927-28-pasc540","title":"STOKOWSKI conducts Brahms and Dvořák (1927-28) - PASC540","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBRAHMS  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSymphony No. 3\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eDVOŘÁK  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSymphony No. 9, “From the New World”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eVictor Studio Recordings, 1927 – 1928\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration:  78:34\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eThe Philadelphia Orchestra\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003econducted by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eLeopold Stokowski\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fAudiophile Audition review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fOn every level, the orchestral execution and imaginative expression testify to a virtuoso display of American musicianship578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cdiv\u003eMark Obert-Thorn restores two milestones in the many electrical\nrecording career of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra,\nopening with the 25-26 September 1928 Brahms \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eSymphony No. 3\u003c\/span\u003e\n(1883) that formed part of the cycle he pioneered. The first movement\nintroduces the F-A-flat-F motif that will spur a development that\nbecomes cyclical by journey’s end. Stokowski drives the first movement\nhard, omitting the repeat but charging his strings and horns—moving in\nthe dark, minor mode of F—with emotional urgency. The Philadelphia\nclarinet intones the second subject in A Major, inserting the natural A\nto reduce the gloom or tragic subtext of this work. Some commentators\nfeel the movement pays homage to the \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e“Rhenish” Symphony\u003c\/span\u003e of friend and mentor Robert Schumann. The lovely second movement, \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eAndante,\u003c\/span\u003e\nfollows sonata-form like the first, here in C Major that finds a reply\nin A minor. Stokowski opts for a measured, slow tempo, but the richness\nof his ensemble more than compensates in its full homogeneity of tone.\nIn his notes for the release, Obert-Thorn indicates the sheer drudgery\nof having to compensate for the frequent volume-level manipulations in\nthe original lacquers. The haunted calls of the second theme disappear\nin the recapitulation but will recur in the last movement. The low\nstrings, winds, and horn combination at the coda testifies to the\ntransparency and beauty of the “Stokowski sound.”\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eThe third movement \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003ePoco allegretto\u003c\/span\u003e provides a sensuous waltz that Katherine Hepburn and Robert Mitchum find compelling in the movie \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eUndercurrent\u003c\/span\u003e.\nStokowski injects an air of mysterious melancholy into the main theme\nand its barely contrasting trio section, allowing his strings their\nnuances of expression until the French horn returns us to the opening\nmotif. The evocation of the deep woods seems palpable from the horns and\nwinds amidst the pizzicato in the strings. Stokowski indulges a bit of\nrubato in the last pages, though not so exaggerated as we find in\nMengelberg and his Concertgebouw players, the other great proponent of\nBrahms in this era. Stokowski’s opening for the final movement \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eAllegro – Un poco sostenuto\u003c\/span\u003e\nfeels sluggish and grimly “monumental” at first. The F minor\nsensibility weighs heavily, even into the C Major entry of the second\nmovement motif. The advent of the “Beethoven \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eFifth\u003c\/span\u003e”\ninterjections might weaken the work’s claim to musical independence,\nbut the working out in sonata-form of the motivic stretti proves\nmasterful, winning the unqualified and life-long devotion of Sir Edward\nElgar. Stokowski releases the tempo and his own, taut grip on the work\nas the development approaches the coda, which dispels the somber shadows\nand dissolves in streaks of clear, F Major intimations of immortality.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eStokowski provides his own commentary (6 October 1927) on “the symphony of America,” as he defines the Dvořák \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eNinth\u003c\/span\u003e. Artur\nRodziński, assistant conductor for the Philadelphia Orchestra,\nillustrates the various tunes on the piano. The “Outline of Themes”\nappeared as part of M-1, the 78 rpm set that included the full version\nof the symphony. Stokowski credits Western, Indian, and Negro influences\nfor the music’s inspiration but downplays the composer’s strongly\nnostalgic Bohemian roots. Stokowski claims Negro jazz as an element that\nprovides rhythmic life to the \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eScherzo\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eThe immediacy of the restored sound commands our attention for this\nclassic performance (5 and 8 October 1927), with Stokowski’s driving\nthe opening \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eAdagio\u003c\/span\u003e hard into the ensuing \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eAllegro molto\u003c\/span\u003e.\nThe clarity of line, forward motion, and starkness of the individual,\ninstrumental contours could suggest either Toscanini or Szell as their\nprogenitor, except that the lush transparency of color usually stands at\nthe polar opposite of such characterization. The Philadelphia English\nhorn lovingly intones the moody, Negro folk evocation of the “Goin’\nHome” motif of the \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eLargo\u003c\/span\u003e. The\ninterweaving of themes and countermelodies assumes an almost mystical\ncharacter in this polished rendition, evincing mere hints of the\nportamento that “romantic” interpreters utilize. The chamber music\neffect prior to the coda projects a warm intimacy for the Indian love\nsong, over which the Philadelphia brass impart of tender chorale that\nevaporates into the strings.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eBesides the striking rhythmic vitality of the\u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e Scherzo\u003c\/span\u003e,\nsavor the virtuosic character of the divided strings, both in pizzicato\nand leaping runs. The ferocity of line and its sudden pulling back\nindicate the taut control Stokowski exerted, a rival to the discipline\nMengelberg commands in Amsterdam. The\u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e Trio\u003c\/span\u003e,\ntoo, displays a capacity for nuance and diverse transparency of texture\nthat warrant envy for their sonorous control. Before the movement ends,\nthe deep tones of Stokowski’s low strings have their say, and the\nenergized flourish at the coda in the brass over\u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e tremolando\u003c\/span\u003e strings makes a decidedly dramatic close. Stokowski makes the introductory bars of the finale, \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eAllegro con fuoco\u003c\/span\u003e,\nsound like something out of Mussorgsky. The dramatic resolve of the\nflurry of motives establish a momentum that might even suggest moments\nfrom Wagner, especially in the grumbling bass line. The various\nantiphons Dvořák manipulates for the colossal development enjoy a\nsonorous festival under Stokowski, moving to explosive climaxes. The\nextended coda does betray that “creamy” ripeness that belongs to the\nRomantic school of interpretation, but the sincerity and force of\nexpression more than carry us away, convinced by the rightness of the\nstyle. On every level, the orchestral execution and imaginative\nexpression testify to a virtuoso display of American musicianship.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e—Gary Lemco\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eThis article originally appeared in October 2018 at Audiophile Audition\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC540.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003eIt is difficult to believe that it was not until 1921 that the first recording of any portion of a Brahms symphony appeared on disc: the third movement of the Brahms Third Symphony, abridged to one 78 rpm side, and played by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra.  When electrical recording appeared, the conductor went on to pioneer the earliest Brahms symphony cycle, beginning with the First in 1927 (Pristine PASC 500).  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Third was the next in the series to be recorded.  Like the First, it was the symphony’s première electrical recording; but it was also the work’s first complete recording.  It was hampered in two respects:  by a finale which begins with an unusual (for Stokowski) lack of energy, and only really catches fire toward the end; and by the abrupt and frequent volume level changes imposed by the original engineer.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Gain riding” was something of a necessary evil at the time in order to avoid loud passages causing a record to fail the “wear test”; but the recordings Victor made in late 1928 (including Mengelberg’s \u003ci\u003eEin Heldenleben\u003c\/i\u003e as well as the present set) took knob twiddling to an irrational extreme, with volume levels suddenly going up and down seemingly at random throughout the set.  Modern technology and painstaking, sometimes note-by-note work in this transfer have finally removed at least the most objectionable of these fluctuations, allowing listeners to hear it in an untampered form for the first time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite its drawbacks, the set remained in the Victor catalogue through the end of the 78 rpm era, even making an appearance on RCA’s Camden LP label in the 1950s.  The reason for both was probably the lack of a Stokowski remake until his Houston Symphony stereo LP appeared in 1959.  While the conductor made several studio recordings of the First and Fourth Symphonies, the Second and Third only have two apiece; but unlike any of the other symphonies, live recordings of Stokowski in this work have not been forthcoming on CD, save for a private release of a 1941 NBC Symphony broadcast.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Dvořák “New World”, on the other hand, was frequently recorded by Stokowski throughout his career.  The version heard here was already his second electrical recording with the Philadelphians, superseding a 1925 effort with reduced personnel and acoustic-style re-orchestration.  Like some other sets made by Stokowski and the Philadelphians in 1927 (the Beethoven Seventh, Brahms First and Franck Symphonies), it was accompanied in its American release by a separate disc with a discussion of the work spoken by the conductor.  Unlike the Beethoven and Brahms discs in which Stokowski assumed both the speaking and piano-playing roles, the pianist here, uncredited on the original discs, was his Philadelphia assistant, Artur Rodziński, in his first recording session.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe sources for the present transfers were Victor “Z” pressings for the Brahms (its quietest form of issue) and vinyl test pressings for the Dvořák.  On its original release, the “New World” contained two dubbed sides – Side 2, the second half of the first movement, and Side 3, the first side of the second movement.  I have used an unissued alternate take for the first movement side, but only the dubbed take still exists for the second movement.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMark Obert-Thorn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003eSTOKOWSKI conducts BRAHMS and DVOŘÁK\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRAHMS\u003c\/b\u003e:  Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. 1st Mvt.:  Allegro con brio – Un poco sostenuto – Tempo I (9:48)\u003cbr\u003e2. 2nd Mvt.:  Andante (10:31)\u003cbr\u003e3. 3rd Mvt.:  Poco allegretto (5:51)\u003cbr\u003e4. 4th Mvt.:  Allegro – Un poco sostenuto (9:20)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eRecorded 25\/26 September 1928 in the Academy of Music, Philadelphia\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eMatrix nos.:  CVE 46463-1A, 46464-1A, 46465-1A, 46466-1, 46467-2, 46468-1A, 46469-2A, 46470-2A, 46471-2A \u0026amp; 46472-2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eFirst issued on Victor 6962 through 6966 in album M-42\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e5. \u003cb\u003eOutline of Themes from Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e (4:03)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLeopold Stokowski \u003c\/b\u003e(\u003ci\u003espeaker\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eArtur Rodziński\u003c\/b\u003e (\u003ci\u003epianist\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eRecorded 6 October 1927 in the Victor Studios, Camden, New Jersey\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eMatrix no.:  CVE 40401-2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eFirst issued as Victor 6743 in album M-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDVOŘÁK\u003c\/b\u003e:  Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e6. 1st Mvt.:  Adagio – Allegro molto (8:46)\u003cbr\u003e7. 2nd Mvt.:  Largo (12:08)\u003cbr\u003e8. 3rd Mvt.:  Scherzo (Molto vivace) (7:23)\u003cbr\u003e9. 4th Mvt.:  Allegro con fuoco    (10:44)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eRecorded 5 \u0026amp; 8 October 1927 in the Academy of Music, Philadelphia\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eMatrix nos.:  CVE 32802-4, 32803-4, 33290-6, 33291-6, 33292-5, 33293-4, 33294-3, 33297-4, 33296-3 \u0026amp; 33295-3\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eFirst issued as Victor 6565 through 6569 in album M-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eThe Philadelphia Orchestra ∙ Leopold Stokowski\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProducer and Audio Restoration Engineer:  Mark Obert-Thorn\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on a photograph of Leopold Stokowski\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration:  78:34\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PASC540.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC540.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Mono 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":54932348371283,"sku":"jhl1789302463747","price":7.66,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Mono MP3","offer_id":54932348404051,"sku":"ayo1789302463748","price":6.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1068\/1833\/9155\/files\/stokowski-conducts-brahms-and-dvorak-1927-28---pasc540_1.jpg?v=1789302470","url":"https:\/\/vendnora.com\/products\/stokowski-conducts-brahms-and-dvorak-1927-28-pasc540","provider":"luckagni","version":"1.0","type":"link"}