{"title":"George Szell","description":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge Szell (\/ˈsɛl\/; June 7, 1897 – July 30, 1970), originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born Jewish-American conductor and composer. He is widely considered one of the twentieth century's greatest conductors. He is remembered today for his long and successful tenure as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra of Cleveland, Ohio, and for the recordings of the standard classical repertoire he made in Cleveland and with other orchestras.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSzell came to Cleveland in 1946 to take over a respected if undersized orchestra, which was struggling to recover from the disruptions of World War II. By the time of his death he was credited, to quote the critic Donal Henahan, with having built it into \"what many critics regarded as the world's keenest symphonic instrument.\" Through his recordings, Szell has remained a presence in the classical music world long after his death, and his name remains synonymous with that of the Cleveland Orchestra. While on tour with the Orchestra in the late 1980s, then-Music Director Christoph von Dohnányi remarked, \"We give a great concert, and George Szell gets a great review.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSzell primarily conducted works from the core Austro-German classical and romantic repertoire, from Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, through Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms, and on to Bruckner, Mahler and Strauss. He said once that as he got older he consciously narrowed his repertoire, feeling it was \"actually my task to do those works which I thought I'm best qualified to do, and for which a certain tradition is disappearing with the disappearance of the great conductors who were my contemporaries and my idols and my unpaid teachers.\" He did however program contemporary music; he gave numerous world premieres in Cleveland, and he was particularly associated with such composers as Dutilleux, Walton, Prokofiev, Hindemith and Bartók. Szell also helped initiate the Cleveland Orchestra's long association with composer-conductor and avant-garde icon Pierre Boulez. At the same time, Szell championed the music of Haydn and Mozart in a period when those composers were little represented in concert programs.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"pasc421","title":"HUBERMAN Beethoven \u0026 Brahms: Violin Concertos (1934\/44) - PASC421","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBEETHOVEN\u003c\/b\u003e  Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBRAHMS\u003c\/b\u003e  Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770D90\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770EC0\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770FF0\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D771840\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D772E90\" style=\"font-size: x-small;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003eStudio and live recordings · 1934 \u0026amp; 1944\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration: 76:23 \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003eBronislaw Huberman, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003eviolin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eVienna Philharmonic Orchestra \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGeorge Szell, \u003c\/b\u003econductor\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePhilharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArtur Rodzinski, \u003c\/b\u003econductor\n\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fThis is essential listening for anyone interested in performance style history, the violin, or these great concertos578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThese classic performances have been reviewed before in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFanfare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e,\n with those reviews ranging from positive to enthusiastic. The Beethoven\n is a 1934 British Columbia studio recording, and the Brahms is a New \nYork Philharmonic live broadcast from January 23, 1944. One particularly\n unusual feature of the Brahms is a cadenza I have never encountered \nbefore, credited to one Hugo Heerman. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThat, however, is not the most unusual \naspect of these performances. It is the playing itself that is unusual. \nHuberman was never a universally accepted violinist, but to those of us \nwho loved his playing the flaws were insignificant. What were those \nflaws? A tone that can at times turn thin or coarse, occasional \nroughness in fingerwork, and occasional intonation trouble. \nInterestingly, though, when one listens to his mid-1920s acoustical \nrecordings such as the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eCarmen Fantasy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e one marvels at the technical ability and accuracy at blazing speeds. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eBut what Huberman had was an \nextraordinary musical imagination, and he applied it to every phrase. \nThere is a well-known story of his performance of the Brahms when the \nviolinist was 14, that reduced Brahms to tears. The legend is that \nafterwards, when Brahms wrote a touching inscription in Huberman’s \nmusic, the young violinist complained that the audience applauded after \nthe cadenza, to which Brahms replied, “Then you should not have played \nit so beautifully.” (One presumes Huberman performed the Joachim cadenza\n in 1895). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThis is clearly violin playing from \nanother age, an age when performers were willing to risk a level of \nindividuality that would be frowned upon today. It would take any \nlistener with even middling experience and knowledge only a few minutes \nto distinguish between performances by Heifetz, Kreisler, Szigeti, \nHuberman, and Milstein. That would be far less likely in today’s music \nworld. Huberman’s performances are deeply personal, with turns of phrase\n and touches of dynamic shadings that no one else might think of. He \nuses a liberal amount of portamento (sliding from one note to the next),\n a performance tool that was more common in his time than it is in ours,\n and he uses less vibrato than did his colleagues. His phrasing is \nhighly individualistic, and the playing is so alive and in-the-moment \nthat it is impossible for you not to be fully engaged by the \nperformances. Not one phrase is tossed off without a clear sense of \nwhere it fits in the overall scheme of the piece. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eIt must also be noted that both \nperformances gain from remarkable conducting. Szell and Rodzinski were \nnot conductors who saw their roles as simple accompanists, but rather as\n full-fledged musical partners, attentive to both detail and overall \nsweep. If I were ordered to use a single word as a descriptor of these \nperformances, that word would be “urgency.” They have about them an \nurgency that communicates a sense that “we must play these pieces right \nnow, and in this way, because we believe so passionately in what the \nmusic has to say and we simply \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003emust \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003esay it.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eIf you want more detail descriptions, you can go to the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFanfare \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eArchive\n and read reviews of the Beethoven by John Bauman (16:5), John W. N. \nFrancis (7:5), and Mortimer Frank (13:5), and of the Brahms by Mortimer \nFrank (7:2) and Lynn René Bayley (37:2). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThis new Pristine remastering \nsurpasses all prior versions of both recordings, in fullness of \norchestral sound particularly. The EMI LP transfers of the Beethoven \nhave always sounded remarkably good for a 1934 recording, and there is a\n good Naxos edition as well, but Andrew Rose has somehow managed to find\n a new level of richness of color for both Huberman and the Vienna \nPhilharmonic. The Brahms has undergone an even more major improvement \nover its Music \u0026amp; Arts incarnation. The original source is probably \nan off-the-air recording, rather than a master, and a number of labels \nhave issued it, but never with as little distortion and as wide a \nfrequency range as it has here. The XR ambient stereo version simply \ngives the recording a sense of space that the pure mono version lacks. \nThis is essential listening for anyone interested in performance style \nhistory, the violin, or these great concertos. (That should cover just \nabout everyone)! \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHenry Fogel\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 38:3 (Jan\/Feb 2015) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC421.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBronislaw Huberman's legendary Beethoven and Brahms concerto recordings\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"As\n soon as Brahms heard the sound of the violin, he pricked up his ears, \nduring the Andante he wiped his eyes...\" Max Kalbeck, 1896\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was Mark Obert-Thorn who introduced me to the violinist Bronislaw \nHuberman with his transfers for Pristine of the complete Mozart and Bach\n recordings (PASC397) that we issued in 2013. So when I was browsing \nthrough a large collection of LPs donated to Pristine and discovered a \ncouple of discs dedicated to Huberman I resolved to see what I might be \nable to do with them.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot for the first time I've found that working from EMI's excellent \nanalogue LP transfers has produced excellent results I would struggle to\n match from their shellac discs, and here the Beethoven has come up \nmagnificently - bar the occasional intrusion of slight peak distortion \nat the very top end you might easily think this a recording from the \n1950s rather than the first half of the 1930s. Huberman's playing and \ntone truly shines, and the Vienna Philharmonic's playing is fully \nrounded and truly magnificent. This is one of the great recordings of \nthe Beethoven Concerto, and in this XR remastered version has surely \nnever sounded this fabulous before.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Brahms hails from a live recording made in 1944, some 48 years \nafter Huberman's playing of the work had won praise and tears from its \ncomposer. Once again I've been able to make major and significant \nimprovements to the sound quality - again battling against high end peak\n distortion whilst trying to preserve and highlight as much of \nHuberman's tone as possible. This is a masterful performance indeed - \nand here once again it is available in unprecedented sound quality that \ndoes full justice to the playing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\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\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBEETHOVEN  \u003c\/b\u003eViolin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eVienna Philharmonic Orchestra  -  George Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded 18-20 June, 1934\u003cbr\u003eColumbia 78s LX.509-512\u003cbr\u003eMatrix Nos. WHAX.30-38\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRAHMS  \u003c\/b\u003eViolin Concerto in D major, Op. 77\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePhilharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York  -  Artur Rodzinski\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded 23 January 1944\u003cbr\u003eLive at Carnegie Hall, New York\u003cbr\u003eBroadcast recording\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBronislaw Huberman\u003c\/b\u003e - violin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\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\/PASC421.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC421.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fAdditional Notes578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e1896 - playing for Brahms\u003c\/b\u003e: Max Kalbeck tells of Brahms’s response to the young Huberman's performance of the Violin Concerto: ‘\u003cem\u003eAs\n soon as Brahms heard the sound of the violin, he pricked up his ears, \nduring the Andante he wiped his eyes, and after the finale he went into \nthe green room, embraced the young fellow, and stroked his cheeks.\u003c\/em\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a 14-year-old he played Brahms’s Violin Concerto to the composer, \nwho was stunned and allegedly wanted to write a rhapsody especially for \nhim. For his Viennese concerts at around the same time (1896), the \naudience included the likes of Dvorák, Mahler, Bruckner and Johann \nStrauss. Two years earlier the legendary diva Adelina Patti had invited \nhim to take part in her farewell gala in London, which he did, to great \nacclaim. When Europe was in turmoil in the 1930s and with Hitler’s \nGermany out of bounds he would regularly, and passionately, promote the \nideal of a ‘Pan-Europa’ movement. Even Furtwängler’s heartfelt pleas for\n him to return fell on deaf ears. With Europe’s Jews being thrown into \nexile, or worse, he founded what was eventually to become the Israel \nPhilharmonic, Arturo Toscanini conducting the first concerts (without \nfee). Polish-born Bronisław Huberman (1882-1947) constituted a model \ncombination of nobility, impulse and intellect. He was a musical \nmaverick who brooked no compromise and whose few recordings prove the \npoint with a vengeance... \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1937, just before the Anschluss, Huberman left Vienna and took \nrefuge in Switzerland. A year later his career nearly ended when the \naircraft he was travelling in crashed in Sumatra: his wrist and two \nfingers of his left hand were broken. Miraculously, after intensive and \npainful retraining he was able to resume performing. His surviving \noff-air recordings date from this later period, including \nthe Tchaikovsky Concerto under Eugene Ormandy – identical in all but \nsmall details to the 1929 version under William Steinberg – and, most \nvaluably, the Brahms Concerto with Artur Rodzinski on the rostrum (Music\n \u0026amp; Arts, A\/03). To hear Huberman quietly glide back into the main \nbody of the first movement after the cadenza is to understand why Brahms\n reacted the way he did. How sad that he died before writing that \nrhapsody. And what a scoop it would have been, a Brahms rhapsody played \nand recorded by its dedicatee....\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRob Cowan\u003c\/b\u003e, Gramophone, March 2014 - \u003cem\u003eIcons: Bronislaw Huberman (excerpts)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":37144485197,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":37144485261,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mono 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":37144485325,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":37144485389,"sku":null,"price":9.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC421_5c4a7720-a2f0-40dd-a037-701b1b4ccc4c.jpg?v=1494338021"},{"product_id":"pasc439","title":"HUBERMAN plays Tchaikovsky and Lalo (1928-34) - PASC439","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cb\u003eTCHAIKOVSKY\u003c\/b\u003e Violin Concerto\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLALO\u003c\/b\u003e Symphonie Espagnole\u003cbr\u003eEncores by \u003cb\u003eBrahms, Chopin, Sarasate, Tchaikovsky\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eZarzycki\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770D90\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770EC0\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770FF0\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770D90\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770EC0\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770FF0\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D772E90\" style=\"font-size: x-small;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003eStudio and live recordings, 1928-34\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration: 72:03\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D772E90\" style=\"font-size: x-small;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eBronislaw Huberman, \u003c\/b\u003eviolin \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWilliam Steinberg ∙ Staatskapelle Berlin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGeorge Szell ∙ Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSiegfried Schultze\u003c\/b\u003e, piano\n\u003cdiv data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D775340\" style=\"padding-left: 120px;\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D775470\" style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fThe performances are unique. There really was no other violinist quite like Huberman578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eI can join a long line of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFanfare \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ecritics\n (as well as many others) in praising these recordings, which have been \nclassics since they were made (the Tchaikovsky in 1928, the Lalo in \n1934, and the miniatures 1929–1932). You can go to the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFanfare \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eArchive\n and read enthusiastic raves (and excellent descriptions too) by John \nBauman in 12:4 and 16:5 (the latter the Lalo only), by David Nelson in \n14:4, and Lynn René Bayley in 36:6. Bayley’s review was of a Japanese \nreissue on the Opus Kura label, and I was able to make a direct A-B \ncomparison between the Opus Kura and the Pristine. More importantly, I \nwas able to compare the Pristine with the excellent Naxos transfer of \nthe Tchaikovsky made by Mark Obert-Thorn (paired with a less successful \ntransfer of the Huberman\/Szell Beethoven Concerto) issued in 1999. \nWhatever comparison you make, this now becomes the preferred version of \nboth of these big works, with the miniatures making a lovely bonus. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe Opus Kura transfer was noisy and a \nbit harsh. Their engineers obviously took a minimalist approach to \nremoving surface noise from the original 78s, and one admires the purism\n of that style of transferring. However the result had a distracting \namount of noise, and frankly also a hardness of tone to Huberman’s \nplaying and the orchestral strings. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe Naxos transfer from 1999 was the \nbest to that date of the Tchaikovsky, and it stood the test of time for \nwell over a decade. The Lalo has never had a truly first-rate transfer. \nBut Andrew Rose has trumped all of his predecessors. There is less noise\n on the Tchaikovsky than is audible on Naxos’s transfer, but Rose has \nmanaged to remove that noise without negatively affecting the sound of \nthe soloist or orchestra. And his XR stereo approach adds some air and \nspace to the overall soundstage without detracting from clarity or \npresence. It is difficult to imagine that anyone will ever make these \nsound better, though I suppose I might have said that after the Naxos \nTchaikovsky release. At any rate, this is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003ethe \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eversion to have of these two classic performances.  [\u003ci\u003e*see note below\u003c\/i\u003e]\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe performances are unique. There \nreally was no other violinist quite like Huberman, and you can get a \nsense of that from reading the reviews in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFanfare \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eArchive that I cited above. Huberman could produce a beautiful, rich tone (listen to the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eAndante \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eof\n the Lalo or the Canzonetta of the Tchaikovsky), but beautiful tone was \nnot the centerpiece of his art. Huberman was, in my view, about \nspontaneous flair, spur-of-the-moment drama that nonetheless didn’t pull\n the piece out of shape. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eI think this is the very first \nrecording of the Tchaikovsky Concerto. That it has remained available to\n the public on various labels on both LP and CD in the 87 years since it\n was made already makes a statement about its quality. Huberman’s highly\n individual use of portamento and rubato, his phenomenal ability to \nemploy a spiccato technique with a musicality and accuracy that are \nuncanny, his feel for the ebb and flow of Tchaikovky’s line, and the \nfeeling he conveys that he is composing the music as he plays it, \ncombine to make this an extremely important and valuable recording of a \ncornerstone of the repertoire. The Canzonetta is a model of how to use \nrubato effectively to enhance a melodic line. Other critics have \nobserved that Huberman did not concern himself with “elegance,” with the\n niceties of avoiding occasional scrapings or edgy sounds. He was, \nfrequently, going for excitement and creating musical fire, and if a bit\n of beauty were to be sacrificed, all well and good. However much you \nadmire and enjoy Heifetz, Oistrakh, Milstein, Elman, or any other master\n violinist, it is essential that you know this recording. It is unlike \nany of the others. William Steinberg’s flexible accompaniment, and \norchestral playing with a real sense of occasion about it (after all, \nmaking a complete recording of a violin concerto was not an everyday \noccurrence back in 1928) add to the total. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe Lalo is perhaps not as definitive a\n recording, if only because it followed the then common practice of \nomitting the third movement Intermezzo. Still, that same sense of \n“making it up on the spot,” a kind of excitement of discovery of the \nmusic that we rarely get in performances, is present here. And George \nSzell, by treating the score with the same respect he might give a \nMozart or Beethoven concerto, and by getting razor-sharp playing from \nthe Vienna Philharmonic, also makes a major contribution to the whole. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eOne can feel a smile in the face during\n the playing of the miniatures. Clearly Huberman is having fun with the \nSarasate and Zarzycki pieces (I wish Pristine had included what I \nconsider to be Huberman’s greatest recording—Sarsate’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eCarmen Fantasy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e), and all are transferred with a more natural sound than previous efforts. They make a lovely bonus. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eFor anyone to whom the violin is an \nimportant instrument, and to anyone for whom the Tchaikovsky and\/or Lalo\n works are important pieces in the repertoire, this is a release of \ntruly historic importance. “Historic” can be an overused word, but in \nthis case it applies perfectly. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHenry Fogel\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 39:1 (Sept\/Oct 2015) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e*NB. This is a mono release prepared for Pristine by Mark Obert-Thorn, not, as the reviewer mistakenly implies, an XR Ambient Stereo release remastered by Andrew Rose\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC439.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHuberman's magnificent Tchaikovsky and Lalo - and more!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"T\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ehis is a release of truly historic importance\u003c\/span\u003e\" - Fanfare\u003cbr\u003e\"There are no greater violin recordings in existence\" - Gramophone\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBronislaw Huberman’s 36-year recording career began with four sides \nfor Berliner in 1899 and continued in a series of piano-accompanied \nacoustics for American Brunswick (1921 - 1925).  But it was not until he\n started making electrical recordings for Columbia in Europe (1928 – \n1935) that he was first heard on disc with orchestra.  The Tchaikovsky \nConcerto presented here comes from his first session for the label; but \nthere would be a hiatus of six years before he would record any more \nconcertos, and the rest were all done in a group of concentrated \nsessions in a single month.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring a ten-day period from June 13th through the 22nd in 1934, \nHuberman recorded the two Bach violin concertos and the Mozart 3rd under\n Issay Dobrowen (all on Pristine PASC 397), followed by the Beethoven \n(PASC 421) and the present Lalo \u003cem\u003eSymphonie espagnole\u003c\/em\u003e with George\n Szell.  The sessions were a logistical nightmare:  the hall was often \nin use for other functions; the orchestra was playing at a special \nfestival every night; and Szell had to commute between Vienna and \nPrague, where he conducted evening performances after spending the days \nrecording. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdded to this was Huberman’s own highly-strung temperament.  As \nColumbia A\u0026amp;R rep Rex Palmer wrote to his London home office at the \ntime, the violinist “broke down in the middle of a record on innumerable\n occasions, and even after obtaining a [completed] master he needed 5 or\n 10 minutes rest before anything further could be done.”  Despite the \nvarious tribulations, Huberman produced classic accounts of all the \nworks recorded, not the least of which was the Lalo.  Through the rather\n over-reverberant hall sound and occasional technical imperfections of \nthe original recording, we hear a performance of great panache and \ndazzling, insouciant virtuosity. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Tchaikovsky Concerto shows another aspect of Huberman’s art.  \nCritic Hans Keller famously called the violinist “part gypsy, part \nsaint”; and while the Bach concertos embody the latter quality, the \nTchaikovsky is perhaps the best example of the former.  No soloist today\n would dare to play the work with the kind of rough-hewn individuality \nand disciplined abandon that Huberman brings to it.  When we hear it, we\n are reminded anew why we listen to historical recordings.  Huberman is \npartnered here with the conductor then known as Hans Wilhelm Steinberg, \nwith whom he would go on to co-found the Palestine Symphony Orchestra \n(later to become the Israel Philharmonic) some eight years later.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter his recording career reached a premature end, Huberman would \ncontinue to play the concerto repertoire in concerts, some of which were\n broadcast and preserved on disc.  A Mozart 4th under Bruno Walter \nsurvives (PASC 397), as does the Brahms with Rodzinski (PASC 421), \nanother Beethoven with Leon Barzin and, just a year before his death, \nanother Tchaikovsky with Ormandy.  Unlike those performances, fine as \nthey are, the recordings on this collection catch him at the height of \nhis powers, before the 1937 plane crash that injured his hands.  They \nstand as a testament to one of the greatest of all violinists and \nrecreative artists.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMark Obert-Thorn\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\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\n    \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 20px;\"\u003eHUBERMAN: TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto, LALO Symphonie Espagnole\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e\n        Encores by Brahms, Chopin, Sarasate, Tchaikovsky and Zarzycki\n    \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eColumbia Studio Recordings ∙ 1928 – 1934\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003e\n        \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. 1st Mvt.: Allegro moderato – Cadenza (16:04)\u003cbr\u003e2. 2nd Mvt.: Canzonetta: Andante (6:06)\u003cbr\u003e3. 3rd Mvt.: Finale: Allegro vivacissimo (6:00)\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003eStaatskapelle Berlin ∙ William Steinberg\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eRecorded 28 \u0026amp; 30 December 1928 in the Beethovensaal, Berlin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eMatrix nos.: WAX 4509-2, 4510-1, 4511-1, 4512-2, 4513-2, 4514-1 \u0026amp;\n    4515-2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eFirst issued on Columbia L 2335 through 2338\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4. \u003cstrong\u003eTCHAIKOVSKY: Mélodie, Op. 42, No. 3\u003c\/strong\u003e (3:29)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eRecorded 22 February 1929 in the Columbia Petty France Studio, London\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eMatrix no.: WAX 4671-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eFirst issued on Columbia L 2338\n\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n    5.\n    \u003cstrong\u003e\n        CHOPIN (arr. Huberman): Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op 64, No. 2\n    \u003c\/strong\u003e\n    (3:15)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eRecorded 22 February 1929 in the Columbia Petty France Studio, London\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eMatrix no.: WAX 4672-2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eFirst issued on Columbia LX 137\n\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n6. \u003cstrong\u003eBRAHMS (arr. Joachim): Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minor \u003c\/strong\u003e    \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e(3:01)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eRecorded 7 February 1932\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eMatrix no.: IDWA 9155-5\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eFirst issued on Columbia LB 8\n\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n    7.\n    \u003cstrong\u003e\n        SARASATE: Romanza andaluza (No. 1 from \u003cem\u003eDanzas españolas\u003c\/em\u003e, Op.\n        22)\n    \u003c\/strong\u003e\n    (4:39)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eRecorded 10 June 1929 in the Columbia Petty France Studio, London\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eMatrix no.: WAX 5006-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eFirst issued on Columbia L 2332\n\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n    8. \u003cstrong\u003eZARZYCKI: Mazurka in G major, Op. 26\u003c\/strong\u003e (4:22)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eRecorded 11 June 1929 in the Columbia Petty France Studio, London\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eMatrix no.: WAX 5011-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eFirst issued on Columbia L 2332\n\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003eSiegfried Schultze (piano) \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLALO: Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e9. 1st Mvt.: Allegro non troppo (7:22)\u003cbr\u003e10. 2nd Mvt.: Scherzando: Allego molto (3:49)\u003cbr\u003e11. 4th Mvt.: Andante (6:02)\u003cbr\u003e12. 5th Mvt: Rondo: Allegro (7:54)\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003eVienna Philharmonic Orchestra ∙ George Szell\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eRecorded 20 \u0026amp; 22 June 1934 in the Mittlerer Konzerthaussaal, Vienna\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eMatrix nos.: WHAX 39-3, 40-2, 41-2, 42-1, 43-3 \u0026amp; 44-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eFirst issued on Columbia LX 347 through 349\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBronislaw Huberman (violin)\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\n    Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer: Mark Obert-Thorn\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    Additional restoration and pitch stabilisation by Andrew Rose\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    Total Timing: 72:04\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_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\/PASC439.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC439.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":14167871389757,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Mono MP3","offer_id":14167871422525,"sku":null,"price":9.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC439_1e2ce042-89d4-4b33-815c-d28714f3c727.jpg?v=1556784961"},{"product_id":"pasc421-cd","title":"HUBERMAN Beethoven \u0026 Brahms: Violin Concertos (1934\/44) - PASC421 - CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eoverviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"CD with case \u0026 artwork (+MP3)","offer_id":31976392461,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD only in plastic sleeve (+MP3)","offer_id":31976392525,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC421.jpg?v=1658742306"},{"product_id":"pasc439-cd","title":"HUBERMAN plays Tchaikovsky and Lalo (1928-34) - PASC439 - CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eoverviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"CD with case \u0026 artwork (+MP3)","offer_id":31976431949,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD only in plastic sleeve (+MP3)","offer_id":31976432013,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC439.jpg?v=1658742659"},{"product_id":"pasc246","title":"CASALS plays Brahms, Dvorák and Boccherini (1929\/37) - PASC246","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRAHMS \u003c\/b\u003eDouble Concerto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBOCCHERINI \u003c\/b\u003eCello Sonata No. 4\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDVORAK \u003c\/b\u003eCello Concerto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\" style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eRecorded Barcelona 1929 and Prague 1937\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 75:27 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePablo Casals, \u003c\/b\u003ecello\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJacques Thibaud, \u003c\/b\u003eviolin\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlas Net, \u003c\/b\u003epiano\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePablo Casals Orchestra, Alfred Cortot\u003cbr\u003eCzech Philharmonic Orchestra, Geroge Szell \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fUrgently recommended mainly for the Dvořák578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ePristine Audio, the love child of audio engineer and restorer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003epar excellence\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\n Bob [\u003ci\u003esic\u003c\/i\u003e] Rose, is a label dedicated to reclaiming recordings from various \nsources and, through his proprietary “XR” remastering process, \nrevitalizing them to as “pristine” a state as possible. Sometimes, as it\n turns out, the realm of the possible falls short of the perfect, and \nsuch is the case here with these Casals recordings that have long made \nthe rounds in various issues and transfers on a number of different \nlabels.  \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe Dvořák concerto as presented here is, for \nexample, not entirely of a piece. Rose explains in his detailed notes \nthat the source for this famous 1937 Casals-Szell team-up was a vinyl \ntranscription on a white-label test pressing that appeared to be in mint\n condition. Deciding to subject it to his “XR” process, Rose was \nimpressed by the new life it brought to the recording. But the finished \nproduct we have on this disc includes “a couple of short sections from \nalternative sources” that Rose felt compelled to drop in where “top-end \nquality was less than excellent.” He fails to tell us what those \n“alternative sources” are, though I suspect they’re other pressings of \nthe same performance, since I’m not aware of another Dvořák concerto \nfrom Casals besides this one with Szell.  \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe Brahms “Double” dates back even further to the\n 1929 recording Casals made in Barcelona with violinist Jacques Thibaud \nand Alfred Cortot conducting Casals’ own orchestra. For this “XR” \nremastering, Rose relied on Pristine Audio’s collection of 78s, stating \nthat “the XR process not only opened out upper frequencies and harmonics\n beyond those normally heard, it also unleashed an unusually rich \nacoustic from the recording venue which had been somewhat squashed \nbefore.”  \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe Boccherini sonata, probably the best known and\n most often recorded of the composer’s sonatas for cello and keyboard, \nis also taken from vintage 1929 78s, which again according to Rose, \nrevealed “much clarity, warmth, and a lovely reverberant acoustic to \ncomplement the instruments,” after undergoing the “XR” treatment.  \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eWith due respect, and without meaning in any way \nto impugn or disparage Rose’s process or his accomplishments, I have to \nsay that there is only so much one can do to resuscitate the Brahms and \nBoccherini. I’m actually not quite old enough to have experienced the 78\n rpm era. By the time I began collecting records in the late 1950s, the \n33-1\/3 rpm LP had already been around for well over a decade. I’m \nguessing that by 1929 most, if not all, recordings were being made using\n the newer electrical, as opposed to the older acoustic, methods. Still,\n commendable as Rose’s efforts are, there is a constricted boxed-in and \ncovered, blanketed, woolly sound to both of these recordings that makes \nit more difficult to appreciate some of the subtleties in Casals’ \nplaying, as well as Thibaud’s in the Brahms.  \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe Dvořák, in contrast, except for some frequency\n loss at the top and bottom, as well as some dynamic compression, sounds\n remarkably close to a modern recording. No music critic who wishes to \nbe taken seriously would deny Pablo Casals’ role as the preeminent \ncellist and perhaps \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003ethe\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\n seminal force in the cello world during the first half of the 20th \ncentury. And this recording of the Dvořák is proof of why. It’s simply \nincredible. Szell and Casals take the first-movement Allegro quite \nfast—13:33, compared to what became a slower normal of around 15 minutes\n in 1962 with Starker’s and Doráti’s Mercury recording (15: 08), a \ntiming that persisted into the next generation of cellists with Yo-Yo \nMa’s and Masur’s 1995 Sony recording (15: 04). More recently, the tempo \nhas slowed still further with Gautier Capuçon’s and Paavo Järvi’s 2008 \nVirgin Classics recording (16:20).  \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eBut it’s not just Casals’ upbeat tempo; his \ntechnique is of virtuosic authority and command, and his tone, even on \nthis recording, emerges full-bodied and refulgent. Nor is there much in \nthe way of the kind of rhapsodic romanticizing one hears in the \ncellist’s Bach suites where there was no one to ride herd on him. I \nsuspect in this case that Szell, not one to indulge loitering in his \nsoloists, had much to do with moving things along. The result is a \nperformance of enormous thrust and power that, frankly, lends Dvořák’s \npopular score a much more dramatic slant than it has taken on in more \nrecent soporific readings. Casals lunges at the passage in octaves near \nthe end of the movement with a devil-may-care abandon, and the devil \nvery nearly gets his due, but the cellist manages to sail through it \nunscathed.  \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eEven the lovely, unhurried lyricism of the Adagio \nis not drawn out. Compare Casals\/Szell at 10:32 to Starker\/Doráti at \n11:11, Ma\/Masur at 12:34, and the almost catatonic Capuçon\/Järvi at \n12:50. Casals and Szell rout all but one of the others, too, in the \nfinale, romping through it at 11:55. Here Starker and Doráti are \nactually faster by eight seconds at 11:47, but Ma and Masur take 12:50, \nand Capuçon and Järvi bring up the rear, limping in lame-legged at \n13:18.  \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\n  \u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eI’m not suggesting that there aren’t other \nversions of the Dvořák concerto worthy of consideration, but Casals and \nSzell are obligatory for anyone who loves the work and is serious about \nthe cello. While this recording, as mentioned, has long been available \nin a number of pressings on various labels—EMI, Dutton \nLaboratories\/Vocalion, Pearl, and Opus Kura—I believe Bob Rose has \nworked his special magic through his “XR” process on this Pristine Audio\n remastering. Urgently recommended mainly for the Dvořák, though \nlisteners willing to make allowances for the less than ideal sound will \nalso find much to appreciate in the Brahms and Boccherini. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003eJerry Dubins  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 34:6 (July\/Aug 2011) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC246.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eClassic cello recordings from one of the all-time greats\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cem class=\"bodymid\"\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eCasals sounds incredibly fresh in these new XR-remastered transfers\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eThe major concerto recordings of Pablo Casals, in particular that of the Dvorák \u003cem\u003eCello Concerto\u003c\/em\u003e of 1937, have been staples of the classical catalogue ever since their original releases. At the time of writing there are several issues available in different transfers by different labels, and it is surely fair, therefore, to ask why the world needs yet another transfer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eThe truth of the matter is that this release came out of an instance of pure curiosity on my part. I had received, in amongst a major collection of LP records, a vinyl transcription of the Dvorák on a white-label test pressing that appeared to have been barely, if ever, played. I confess I have no idea whether this transfer was released, and if so, when - it was simply to serve as a quick and easy means of subjecting the recording to an XR remastering test - I certainly was not expecting the results of this to merit issue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eHowever, the LP transfer turned out to be much better than I had expected, and the XR remastering brought such new life to it that I decided to persevere with it, needing only to drop in a couple of short sections from alternative sources where top-end quality was less than excellent. Sitting close by was another test pressing, this time the Boccherini \u003cem\u003eCello Concerto No 9\u003c\/em\u003e with Casals conducting and Maurice Gendron playing. Investigations suggested that this was the first time Boccherini's original - rather than Grützmacher's bastardised version - had been recorded, and that it dated from 1958 but appeared since to have disappeared from the catalogue. I quickly got to work on this stereo recording with the intention of partnering it with the Dvorák, only to discover at the last minute that the erudite and well-respected author of the notes from which I'd taken the recording date was out by a matter of two years, and that the recording itself would remain in copyright until 2012.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eTurning - in need of some other recording to add to this release - to the Pristine Audio collection of 78s, I dug out the older recording of Brahm's \u003cem\u003eDouble Concerto\u003c\/em\u003e. As it dates from 1929 my hopes were less high than for the Dvorák, but despite some noisier sides I was extremely impressed with how these came out. The XR process not only opened out upper frequencies and harmonics beyond those normally heard, it also unleashed an unusually rich acoustic from the recording venue which had been somewhat squashed before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eDouble Concerto \u003c\/em\u003erecording contains clues as to why the XR process can be so successful in reviving older cello recordings - whereas the cello's harmonics are generally quite well represented in the limited frequency range of 1929 recording equipment, there are points where Thibaud's highest harmonics have a tendency to distort and thus produce a less pleasant sound. That said, it's still a remarkably clear and balanced recording for its day, and now far clearer and cleaner than ever before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003eFinally, as a result of recent diligent cataloguing work of the darker recesses of our collection by our archivist, I discovered the Boccherini disc tucked away in a large album of mixed 78s and in very good condition. As it was recorded in Barcelona shortly after the Brahms I decided to add it to the concerto recordings as a kind of musical stepping stone between the larger works. Again the remastering process brought out much clarity, warmth and a lovely reverberant acoustic to complement the instruments.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_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\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRAHMS\u003c\/b\u003e Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, Op. 102\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jacques Thibaud, \u003c\/b\u003eviolin\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePablo Casals Orchestra\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003econductor\u003cb\u003e Alfred Cortot\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003eRecorded in Barcelona, 10-11 May, 1929. First issued as HMV DB1311014, matrices CJ2156-63 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBOCCHERINI\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003eCello Sonata No. 4 in A, G4 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBlas Net,\u003c\/b\u003e piano\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003eRecorded in Barcelona, 16-17 June, 1929. First issued as HMV DB1392, matrices CJ2275-6 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDVORAK\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003eCello Concerto in B minor, B191\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCzech Philharmonic Orchestra \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003econductor\u003cb\u003e George Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Recorded in Prague, 28 April, 1937. First issued as HMV DB3288-92, matrices 2HC220-9 \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePablo Casals, \u003c\/b\u003ecello\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransfer \u0026amp; XR remastering by Andrew Rose at Pristine Audio, September 2010\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on a photograph of Pablo Casals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration: 75:27 \u003cbr\u003e\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\/PASC246.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC246.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 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":34506338573,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":34506338701,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mono 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":34506338829,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Mono MP3","offer_id":34506338957,"sku":null,"price":9.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC246_4842765f-0489-4f66-8f7a-706677fa3ebe.jpg?v=1490101518"},{"product_id":"pasc246-cd","title":"CASALS plays Brahms, Dvorák and Boccherini (1929\/37) - 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It is usually dismissed as \"second-rate\" and remains the poor orphan of his major works. Such phrases as \"a concerto for two right hands\", \"flaccid\", and \"botched\" have been used by its critics - of whom there have been many. As recently as 1943, Alec Robertson, a British critic who patently adored Dvorak, bad-mouthed the concerto like this:\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-left: 25px;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Over this score might well be written 'a warning to young composers. The piano passage-work sounds as if Dvorak had... weighed out his ingredients fairly accurately, but mixed them with the heavy hand of an inexpert cook.\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHmm. Perhaps we should judge for ourselves.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Composed in about six weeks of 1876, one of the the young composer's goals was to help consolidate his position in the musical establishment with a major concerto for a reputed soloist, and this was achieved with its first performance by the pianist Karel Slavkovský in 1878. It was a period in which Dvorak's international reputation blossomed.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Dvorak, however, seems to have been unsatisfied with the work and, as his compositional style developed, continued to revise and improve it until the publication of the score in 1883. Nor was this the end of the story: the pianist Vilem Kurz made several stylistic changes to the solo part, particularly by using octave doubling (a la Liszt) to give a greater depth to the melodic line.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Which brings us to Rudolf Firkusný. If such a work ever needed a champion this one found it in Firkusny. And what a champion! A native Czech, he had studied with Janácek, Josef Suk, Cortot and Schnabel. Settled in the United States, almost single-handedly he resurrected the concerto (and made his own revisions to the piano part!). Four studio recordings by him were released, plus two others taken from radio broadcasts. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The first of the Firkusny recordings, made on the 9th and 11th April 1954, shows a freshness of approach coupled with the fervency of an advocate, and Firkusny was ideally partnered - and, you might say, tempered - by the characteristically disciplined conducting of George Szell and his Cleveland orchestra.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e As happened too often, the advent of stereo in 1958 pushed companies to concentrate on the new format and to re-examine their catalogues, and this monophonic version soon went into the archives. Although reviewers have commented that none of Firkusny's later recordings matched its performance it has, as far as we can tell, been unavailable since then.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In the mid-1950s, the American Columbia company's catalogue was distributed in Europe by Philips, and we were fortunate enough to have a mint test pressing of the Philips disk available for our restoration. Although it has the characteristics of seemingly all Columbia recordings in the Severance Hall of that vintage (thin string tone being one), we think it's come up remarkably well.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e And, to return to where we began, what about the music? Well... Listen to the second movement, with its deep serenity, its pre-echos of the slow movement of the New World symphony (written fifteen years later); to the third characteristically Dvorakian movement with its folksy themes; and if this is \"second rate\" Dvorak one can only sympathise with the many \"first-rate\" composers who could never match it! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotes by Peter Harrison\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: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDVORÁK \u003c\/b\u003ePiano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 33\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRudolf Firkusny, \u003c\/b\u003epiano\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Cleveland Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eConducted by \u003cb\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,san-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003eRecorded in 9th and 11th April, 1954 \u003cbr\u003eSeverance Hall, Cleveland\u003cbr\u003e Released in 1955 as Columbia ML 4967\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003eDuration 36'23\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\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\/PASC045.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC045.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":36191282701,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC045.jpg?v=1492596257"},{"product_id":"pasc045-cd","title":"FIRKUSNY Dvorák: Piano Concerto No. 1 (1954) - PASC045 - CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eoverviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"CD with case \u0026 artwork (+MP3)","offer_id":40478376141,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD only in plastic sleeve (+MP3)","offer_id":55205567365454,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC045_fe52c858-7edb-452c-bbc8-373c78de29f1.jpg?v=1657717412"},{"product_id":"pasc543","title":"SZELL conducts Smetana and Dvořák (1941) - PASC543","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eSMETANA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eThe Bartered Bride - Overture\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eSMETANA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e(arr. Szell) - From My Life\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eDVOŘÁK \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eCarnival Overture\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eDVOŘÁK \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eFour Slavonic Dances\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eSMETANA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eVltava\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eBroadcast recording, 1941\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 76:37\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNBC Symphony Orchestra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC543.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fThe Russian Revolution of 1917 brought an end to fighting on the Eastern Front. Technically Austria-Hungary emerged as one of the victorious powers, but it turned out that it was only the war that was holding the empire together. The large, polyglot and multi-ethnic empire rapidly fell apart as individual segments struggled for their own independence. One of the new states that emerged in 1918 was Czechoslovakia and so this year, 2018, marks the centenary of the nation’s founding.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGeorge Szell is announced as a Czech conductor for this 1941 NBCSO broadcast, presenting an entire programme of Czech music. The latter is true, the former claim requires clarification. Szell was born in Budapest in 1897, so by birth he was a Hungarian. He grew up in Vienna, and his early conducting career was spent in both France and Germany. However his longest residence, before settling in America, was in Prague as director of the opera between 1929 and 1937, and this seems to be the source of the claim for Czech citizenship. Szell had ended up in the USA partly by accident. He was in transit from Australia to Europe when war broke out and ended up staying in the USA, eventually for good. In 1941 his most pressing need was to find work, and having already declined two invitations from Toscanini to conduct the NBCSO due to prior commitments, he readily made himself available in the spring of 1941. Szell knew that these four nationwide radio broadcasts could establish him as a notable conductor in America. Claiming Czech citizenship (now an occupied country), rather than Hungarian (a country allied with Germany), might have been a deliberate decision, but whether that was Szell’s choice or NBC’s is not known.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSzell’s first NBCSO concert, the week before the one presented here, was warmly welcomed in the press. The New York Times though he had ‘established himself as a conductor of truly distinguished abilities.’ For the Czech concert, Szell decided to orchestrate Smetana’s String Quartet in E minor, believing that ‘it deserves wider musical horizons in orchestral form than are possible...for the string quartet.’ Two Dvořák pieces were selected to commemorate the composer’s centenary. The all-Czech programme was, as one listener noted ‘eclectic’, but confirmed the opinion that Szell was ‘evidently a conductor of the highest rank.’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough Toscanini grumbled about Szell’s rehearsal technique, he evidently held his younger colleague in sufficiently high regard to invite him back for two more NBCSO concerts in 1943. By then Szell had begun a very successful three-year stint at the Metropolitan Opera as well as undertaking guest conducting in Boston, Los Angeles, and New York. In 1944 he began an association with the Cleveland Orchestra that would last until his death in 1970.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 20px;\"\u003eGEORGE SZELL\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 20px;\"\u003e A Concert of Czech Music\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e1. RADIO Intro  (1:41)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2. \u003cb\u003eSMETANA\u003c\/b\u003e The Bartered Bride - Overture  (6:36)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSMETANA \u003c\/b\u003e(arr. Szell) From My Life (String Quartet No. 1)\u003cbr\u003e3. 1st mvt. - Allegro vivo appassionato  (7:30)\u003cbr\u003e4. 2nd mvt. - Allegro moderato à la Polka  (5:08)\u003cbr\u003e5. 3rd mvt. - Largo sostenuto  (8:57)\u003cbr\u003e6. 4th mvt. - Vivace  (6:43)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e7. \u003cb\u003eDVOŘÁK \u003c\/b\u003eCarnival Overture  (9:05)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDVOŘÁK \u003c\/b\u003eFour Slavonic Dances\u003cbr\u003e8. Dance in C major, Op. 46, No. 1 - Furiant (Presto)  (3:47)\u003cbr\u003e9. Dance in A flat major, Op. 46, No. 3 - Polka (Poco allegro)  (4:40)\u003cbr\u003e10. Dance in C major, Op. 72, No. 2 in E minor - Dumka (Allegretto grazioso)  (5:36)\u003cbr\u003e11. Dance in C major, Op. 72, No. 7 in C major - Kolo (Allegro vivace)  (3:00)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e12. \u003cb\u003eSMETANA \u003c\/b\u003eVltava (Die Moldau)  (12:11)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e13. RADIO Final announcements  (1:43)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNBC Symphony Orchestra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eXR remastering by \u003cb\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on a photograph of \u003cb\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBroadcast of 8 March 1941\u003cbr\u003eNBC Studio 8H, New York CIty \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDue to time constraints all announcements made between performances have been cut, retaining only those at the start and end of the broadcast.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration:  76:37\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\/PASC543.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC543.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fConcert review, 1941578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSZELL CONDUCTS IN RADIO CITY\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    It is not possible at the hour of writing to say as much about the\n    remarkable performances of Mr. Szell as they deserve. He is evi­dently a\n    conductor of high rank. As much was manifest at his first con­cert with the\n    NBC Symphony Or­chestra of a week ago, when he gave an eclectic program.\n    Last night the program at Radio City with the same orchestra was entirely\n    of music by Czech com­posers.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    The observance was appropriate in more ways than one, first be­cause of the\n    inspiration, the sincerity, the special eloquence and beauty of these\n    works; secondly, because this year of 1941 is the hundredth anniversary of\n    Dvorak, whose mu­sic figured prominently on the program; lastly, because\n    the spirit of the great Czech people is impres­sively manifest in their\n    music, which Mr. Szell conducts with a fascination that we have not heard\n    equaled.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e\"Bartered Bride\" Overture\u003c\/strong\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    The program began with the over­ture to \"The Bartered Bride.\" We heard its\n    continuance in the form of the last part of Mr. Szell’s own orchestral\n    transcription, new to the American repertory, of Smetana's String Quartet,\n    \"From My Life.\" This is an admirable transcription, of refreshing\n    simplicity and appro­priateness, after the bedevilments and distortions of\n    other quartet mu­sic that we have heard inflated for orchestra. Mr. Szell's\n    instrumenta­tion does not inflate; it reveals it as if the composer had\n    dreamed of just such an instrumental guise for his ideas.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    So instrumentated, and interpre­ted, it was wonderfully fresh and\n    delightful music, full of genius. Why Dvorak’s \"Carnival\" overture was\n    played when his overture, \"Husitka,” less known, much more dramatic, much\n    greater, was un­doubtedly available, is not easy to explain. Mr. Szell,\n    with complete conductor's mastery, made much of a relatively weak and\n    conventional work, in a way that excited the audience. But what was of more\n    consequence was the performance of four of the Dvorak Slavonic Dances and\n    the tone-poem, '‘Vltava\" of Smetana.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003eGreat Variety in Dances\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    It is now the fashion to look down upon the Dvorak dances and the\n    tone-poem, too, at least on the part of our \"avant-garde” of the symphony\n    art. Nothing appears more short-sighted and fallacious. A whole world is\n    opened by the Dvorak Dances, which are of inex­haustible variety,\n    inventions, orig­inal and unduplicated orchestra­tion, and sheer beauty.\n    These pieces, and the work of Smetana, come from what may well be called a\n    golden age of Czech music; and it may be forgotten that Czech music and\n    Czech musicians permeated the music of the classic epoch of the Viennese\n    school and were the fer­tile ground from which many of its finest\n    characteristics developed.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    From what Mr. Szell did with these works we anticipate very much of his\n    reading next week of the great Schubert C major sym­phony. For there is\n    much closer relation between Dvorak and Schu­bert than is commonly\n    realized, and Dvorak and other great masters too, as there is a heroic\n    authenticity and smack of soil in Smetana's tone-poem which are invincible.\n    Mr. Szell, in a unique degree, knows how this music should be played and\n    how to make an orchestra play it. And here was that spontaneity, integrity,\n    naturalness and creative glow that American music has yet to attain.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n    \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe New York Times, 9 March 1941\n    \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":13309894557757,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":55205544264014,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":55205544296782,"sku":null,"price":9.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC543_265dddf3-0b10-494f-a7c5-b7df128b4543.jpg?v=1541747794"},{"product_id":"pasc543-cd","title":"SZELL conducts Smetana and Dvořák (1941) - PASC543 - CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eoverviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC543.mp3\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"CD with case \u0026 artwork (+MP3)","offer_id":13239680073789,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD only in plastic sleeve (+MP3)","offer_id":55205544231246,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC543_1a3ad1aa-15ed-4b3b-a944-eb5439d149c3.jpg?v=1658745678"},{"product_id":"pasc644","title":"SZELL Brahms Symphony No. 3 - Dvořák Symphony No. 8 (1951) - PASC644","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 17px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRAHMS \u003c\/b\u003eSymphony No. 3\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 17px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDVOŘÁK \u003c\/b\u003eSymphony No. 8\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eStudio recordings, 1951\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 67:00\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eConcertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC644.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"margin-left: 25px;\"\u003e\"Of late I've been listening to the EMI\/HMV (now Warner) recordings by Szell, to include his partnerships in concertos with Huberman and Casals. From there I moved on to the early 1950's Concertgebouw recordings he'd made with London\/DECCA of the Brahms 3rd and Dvorak 8th symphonies, as produced and engineered by the DECCA \"A team\" of Culshaw\/Wilkinson. Szell's interpretations of these symphonies - but especially the Brahms third- are personal favorites and have long been recognized as among the most satisfying committed to disc. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut here's the point. Whereas your remastered sonics of the earlier (1928-mid 30's) concerto performances remain the most satisfying to me the sonics of the CDs of these performances-at least in the DECCA Original Masters and recent Tower Records Japan \"Vintage Series\" CD sets- seem congested, distorted and distant. Interestingly, in his review of the DECCA Original Masters set James North noted a \"possible deterioration of the master tapes\" to explain his reservations about the CD's sonics as compared to those of the original LPs. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI know of several Concertgebouw performance-recordings from the early 50s that sound quite good. Among them is your remastering of the famous 1950 broadcast of Klemperer conducting the Mahler 2nd symphony. Do you think it possible - or more importantly worthwhile - to take a crack at these two Szell performances?\"  \u003cb\u003eS.B.\u003c\/b\u003e, by email\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In the Brahms symphony Szell's strong approach pays dividends in the first movement, but elsewhere his conducting is a shade brusque and heartless. Dvorak's Eighth is given a strong, spirited reading, but again poetry and wit are rather lacking. Szell often shed his chilly transatlantic manner when he returned to Europe, but not here, alas. The recordings are poor for their date and unpleasantly thin and shrill.\"  \u003cb\u003eA.S.\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGramophone\u003c\/i\u003e, September 1992\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe juxtaposition of these two observations will prove, I hope, somewhat confusing! What do we have here? Is it \"one of the most satisfying [\u003ci\u003eBrahms' Third\u003c\/i\u003e] ever committed to disc\", or is it a reading that is \"brusque and heartless\"?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe key to unlocking this question lies in comments common to both assessments: the poor sound quality of the original recordings. Despite the efforts of what would become a legendary partnership in the production and recording of classical music in the 1950s and 1960s - producer John Culshaw and engineer Kenneth Wilkinson - for some reason things didn't work out so well in this instance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe recordings took place over two consecutive days in September 1951, during Decca's second year of LP production but at a time when recordings were still being made with the 4-minute durations of 78rpm discs in mind. Tape recording was in its infancy, and the recording quality heard from productions of this era is remarkably mixed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTonally there was quite a strong imbalance, which pushed harsh upper frequencies to the fore. Is this enough to make a good performance seem unusually \"brusque and heartless\"? Quite possibly. Over the course of hundreds of restorations I have witnessed numerous critics entirely change their feelings towards recordings they may have known - and dismissed - for decades, once heard in the new light of an XR-remastered reissue. I choose as always to reserve that judgement to the experts - but it would come as no great surprise if a few reviews were rewritten in the light of this issue.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndrew Rose\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;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSZELL \u003c\/b\u003econducts Brahms and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003eDvořák\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRAHMS \u003c\/b\u003eSymphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. 1st mvt. - Allegro con brio  (9:44)\u003cbr\u003e2. 2nd mvt. - Andante  (7:40)\u003cbr\u003e3. 3rd mvt. - Poco allegretto  (5:45)\u003cbr\u003e4. 4th mvt. - Allegro  (8:46)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDVOŘÁK \u003c\/b\u003eSymphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5. 1st mvt. - Allegro con brio  (10:04)\u003cbr\u003e6. 2nd mvt. - Adagio  (9:51)\u003cbr\u003e7. 3rd mvt. - Allegretto grazioso - Molto Vivace  (6:16)\u003cbr\u003e8. 4th mvt. - Allegro ma non troppo  (8:54)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eConcertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam    \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003econducted by\u003cb\u003e George Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eXR Remastered by \u003cb\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on a photograph of \u003cb\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded 3 September (Brahms) \u0026amp; 4 September (Dvořák) 1951, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam\u003cbr\u003eProduced by John Culshaw, engineered by Kenneth Wilkinson, first issued by Decca in 1952.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal duration:  67:00  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\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_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC644.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":39414394060861,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":55205525029198,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":55205525061966,"sku":null,"price":9.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC644_b0dfa862-fbb9-4163-ae5e-421a51d7b7b1.jpg?v=1634271304"},{"product_id":"pasc644-cd","title":"SZELL Brahms Symphony No. 3 - Dvořák Symphony No. 8 (1951) - PASC644 - CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eoverviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC644.mp3\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"CD with case \u0026 artwork (+MP3)","offer_id":39414392750141,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD only in plastic sleeve (+MP3)","offer_id":55205524996430,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/products\/PASC644.jpg?v=1658751714"},{"product_id":"pasc766","title":"SZELL Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (1950) - PASC766","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRUCKNER \u003c\/b\u003eSymphony No. 8\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eLive concert recording, 1950\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 71:24\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePhilharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC766.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eGEORGE SZELL\u003c\/b\u003e conducts Bruckner\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhilharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCarnegie Hall, 14–17 December 1950\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn December 1950, \u003cstrong\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/strong\u003e led the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York in three subscription performances at Carnegie Hall: Thursday evening, 14 December; Friday afternoon, 15 December; and Sunday afternoon, 17 December. The programme paired the New York premiere of Alfredo Casella’s \u003cem\u003ePaganiniana\u003c\/em\u003e with Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 in C minor, given complete and without cuts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe present performance derives from the Sunday concert of 17 December, the third and final performance of the run. By that afternoon the orchestra had already presented the symphony twice, and Szell’s meticulously prepared conception had settled into its most concentrated form. The surviving timing of 71 minutes and 23 seconds confirms a reading of firm proportions and structural discipline.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1950, Bruckner’s Eighth had not yet achieved the unquestioned centrality it would later enjoy. While admired, it was still regarded in some critical quarters as overextended. Reviewing the first of these concerts in \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, Olin Downes wrote that “it might be said that the surest way to minimize Bruckner is not to cut him.” The remark is pointed. Cuts to Bruckner’s symphonies had long been common practice, justified as a means of tightening what were thought to be diffuse structures. Downes’s argument, however, is the reverse: that playing the work complete exposes what he perceived as its discursiveness and repetitions. Fidelity to the text, in his view, did not solve the problem of length but intensified it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSzell’s timings suggest that he answered such reservations not by intervention but by proportion. The opening Allegro moderato, at just under fourteen minutes, moves with purpose. The tremolando undercurrent and rising horn call are integrated into a firmly directed sonata structure, avoiding rhetorical lingering. The Scherzo, proportioned closely to the first movement, maintains rhythmic grip without monumental heaviness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Adagio, lasting just over twenty-five minutes, observes Bruckner’s marking “Feierlich langsam, doch nicht schleppend” with notable literalness. The movement unfolds with breadth but without slackness, sustaining harmonic direction across its long spans. Its climactic ascent emerges from cumulative tension rather than from elastic tempo. The Finale, kept to slightly over seventeen minutes, avoids episodic diffusion; its thematic recalls are articulated clearly and gathered toward a coda that crowns the symphony without inflation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuch balance is characteristic of Szell’s broader aesthetic. Unlike conductors who approached Bruckner through expansive tempo modification or metaphysical atmosphere, Szell emphasized structural coherence, clarity of texture, and fidelity to the printed score. Carnegie Hall, with its lucid acoustic, would have favoured this approach, allowing inner voices and contrapuntal strands to register with precision.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat the Eighth was presented uncut is itself significant. By mid-century, textual fidelity was increasingly regarded as a matter of principle, yet critical patience with Bruckner’s vast paragraphs was not universal. Szell’s solution was neither excision nor indulgence, but control: proportion as argument.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, soon to resume its historic name of\n the New York Philharmonic, was then in its 109th season. Szell, already\n transforming the Cleveland Orchestra into one of the most disciplined \nensembles in the United States, brought the same standards of balance, \narticulation and ensemble control to his appearances in New York. These \nDecember 1950 performances demonstrate how naturally Bruckner’s vast \nsymphonic design responded to Szell’s architectural intelligence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMore than seventy-five years later, this document captures both a distinguished conductor at the height of his authority and a moment in evolving American attitudes toward Bruckner. What one critic heard as length, Szell treated as structure. What seemed to some an accumulation of episodes becomes, under his direction, an ordered ascent — a symphonic argument rendered in sharply etched stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe recording derives from a contemporary broadcast transcription; no announcements or applause survive. The original sound carries the familiar constraints of early 1950s radio preservation, with some variability in tonal balance across the symphony. Pristine’s XR remastering has brought welcome clarity and stability, restoring fullness to the orchestral image and allowing inner detail to emerge more naturally. While not modern high fidelity, the result presents a realistic and convincing perspective on this Carnegie Hall performance.\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;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSZELL \u003c\/b\u003econducts Bruckner\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBRUCKNER \u003c\/b\u003eSymphony No. 8 in C minor, WAB 108\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. 1st mvt. – Allegro moderato — 13:58\u003cbr data-start=\"128\" data-end=\"131\"\u003e2. 2nd mvt. – Scherzo. Allegro moderato (Trio. Langsam) — 15:05\u003cbr data-start=\"191\" data-end=\"194\"\u003e3. 3rd mvt. – Adagio. Feierlich langsam, doch nicht schleppend — 25:07\u003cbr data-start=\"261\" data-end=\"264\"\u003e4. 4th mvt. – Finale. Feierlich, nicht schnell — 17:13\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePhilharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eGeorge Szell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eXR remastered by Andrew Rose\u003cbr\u003eLive concert broadcast recording, 17 December 1950, Carnegie Hall, New York\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 71:24\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\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\/PASC766.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC766.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":55415164862798,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":55415179411790,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":55424828047694,"sku":null,"price":9.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/files\/PASC766_5341892c-9866-45ee-8fc5-2e8e5a81156d.jpg?v=1773053323"},{"product_id":"pasc766-cd","title":"SZELL Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (1950) - PASC766 - CD","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC766.mp3","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Limited edition Digipack-boxed CD (+MP3)","offer_id":55415180558670,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD only in plastic sleeve (+MP3)","offer_id":55415179772238,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/files\/PASC766_ecc32dd9-14e2-4bb6-9cf1-b67f45ef528c.jpg?v=1772617107"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/collections\/szell-resize-1.jpg?v=1497009172","url":"https:\/\/www.pristineclassical.com\/collections\/artist-george-szell.oembed?page=2","provider":"Pristine Classical","version":"1.0","type":"link"}