Ancerl/Boston SO, Smetana: Ma Vlast. 1969 broadcast, during a very audible thunderstorm!

I haven't posted any music for a while, and was in a quandary about what next.

The big pause (not only a lion specialty) only heightened the importance of making this selection.

For those who are interested, I've had a beautiful boy, now 2 months old in the while. He's our first. As I've been engaged with microburst volcanic eruptions and impressive blowouts of the rear chassis, thoughts of which and why and how have come up; choosing and posting has been on my mind just not on the schedule. I do have a ridiculous bunch of music on the mental cue however, and it will continue to be brought here.

[Insert Name Here] and an unnamed sonic cleanup collaborator brought this to the groups,

and I freaked out as usual. It concerns the most beloved work by Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. Here you go:

"A Tanglewood concert...soul-stirring Má vlast 
led by Karl Ancerl (the first complete performance by the BSO) ...[at] the Koussevitzky Music Shed..."


I hope you find this performance as moving as we have here.

Given the Heraclitean flow that my life has been awash in these past weeks, it seems appropriate. What with the fossil fuel-extraction disaster in the middle of the Americas' waters (which happened to white people this time, so the outrage is suddenly more newsworthy) and its possible upcoming climate change legislation effects, the evocative 'Vltava' is perfect.

Check the real thunder and lighting backing 'Bohemia's Woods and Fields' from outside the building, starting from 3:08 and onwards.

It speaks for itself.

The contributor has gotten some wonderful handed-down stories regarding this performance, especially about one of those who

"...attended this concert, and according to this person, members of the

orchestra were literally in tears at the conclusion of the work. You can tell this was a cathartic experience for all involved...", as well as other reports of folks who were, "...told by a friend that he and his wife left the concert in tears."

The sound of water sluicing gloriously at 12:43 is evidence of an all 'round aquavitae-soaked confluence of sound, emotion and nature. The Berkshire storm even enacts a curious reserve in the adagio moments.

I encourage you to look into conductor Karel Ancerl's history, which will further enrich your listening experience of this piece. It resonates still more upon remembering that when this was recorded the invasion and killings of 'Prague Spring' were still fresh in the Czech homeland.

Bedrich Smetana

Má Vlast (My Homeland)

Karel Ancerl

Boston Symphony Orchestra

August 1969

Live broadcast

1 Vyšehrad (The High Castle)

2 Vltava (The Moldau)

3 Šárka

4 Zčeských luhů a hájů (From Bohemia's Woods and Fields)

5 Tábor

6 Blaník

130.83 MB

Play it loud!!!

Guillermo

Sibelius 2: Barbirolli & Boston SO 1964 broadcast

Maestro Barbirolli in a '64 Sibelius Second, one to rival his well-known RPO & Halle accounts.

Jean Sibelius

Symphony Nr. 2, Opus 43

Boston Symphony Orchestra

John Barbirolli, conductor

30 October 1964 broadcast

Symphony Hall, Boston MA

Annie (short for Anonymous) sent me this, when I mentioned being an avowed Barbirolli groupie. Sir John Barbirolli never fails me. His recordings always exude a romantic impulse throughout, which the orchestras respond to quite audibly; such it is in this case as well. The expanses that open at around 6:00 into the first movement have turns on a dime, in ways that cannot be written into a score but must be felt and transmitted though the borderline-fictitious magic of conductorship. His footstamped grunts at 6:45 and 7:08 are the pockmarks, evidence of the presence of authentic leather, it happens.

The snowstorm of tension at 5:40 is a marvel of Boston Symphony string prowess. There are, few and far between to be sure, tiny bits of ensemble discombobulation but these come at times when they are at the service of a set-up for a larger swath of sonic narrative. The conductor sounds like he's taking a few risks and liberties that may not have been completely planned, and they feel right;

these are spurts or colors that add to the enjoyment of a deeply considered, living performance.

Overall, this Sibelius 2 is everything I look for -and so often find- in a Glorious John joint.

So I'm sentimental. I love Barbirolli for it.

The complete program of this concert was

[Berlioz: Carnaval romain, Overture

Delius: A Village Romeo and Juliet

Vaughan-Williams: Symphony Nº 6]

Sibelius: Symphony Nº 2

[++UPDATE: Hornsby's struck again! Progress Hornsby sent me the Delius and Vahugan-WIll

iams from the concert which I will soon post; we wonder if anyone out there has the Berlioz?]

Our generous source for this broadcast recording, who wishes anonymity, notes:

"...This tape has sat in a garage for over 30 years, but the sound is pretty good (a little bright and hissy)..."

Thanks, again, Annie. Sorry I couldn't offer this a few weeks earlier to catch Barbirolli's birthday, but here it is as a late present for that, and an early one for these holidays.

While the performance is, as usual, in the comments,

Joe was kind enough to put the info together into a nifty, ready to print covers inlay, available here:

http://rs552cg.rapidshare.com/files/327461431/9531075/Sibelius-Barbirolli-Sy2.jpg

Enjoy, play it loud and pay it forward!

Guillermo

Kondrashin and Moscow forces at the 1972 Munich Olympics play the Shostakovich Sym.#15

A refusal to stop the peaceable tousles between nations: 

Shostakovich's Symphony no.15 

at the 1972 Munich Olympics 

Shostakovich, Dmitry

Opus 141

Symphony no. 15

September 14, 1972

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

Kirill Kondrashin, conductor

As you may note, this is different than the Melodyia recording made a few years later, and it certainly has a separate 'feel' to it.

The symphony was recorded live on September 14th, 1972 in the Kongresshalle, Munich, West Germany during the Summer Olympics there. The performance cannot be but impacted by the events just 9 days prior, when a group of humans calling themselves Black September snuck into the Olympic Village and attacked members of the Israeli Olympic team, eventually murdering 11 of their fellow humans. 

Shostakovich, Dmitry

Opus 99

Violin Concerto no. 1

November 27-28, 1964

Leonid Kogan, soloist

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Erich Leinsdorf, conductor

The source of these two tapings, Maestro Hornsby tells us,

"...as a filler I've included a dynamite performance of the 1st

VC with Leonid Kogan with Leinsdorf & the BSO from 1964..."

Some filler! The early movements of this performance take a few moments more than a later recording (1966, with the same forces) which surfaced from Soviet archives a decade ago. These moments run out to a minute more in the last two movements; I never felt any drag. Whatever was added is mordant and seething, as channeled through Leonid Kogan's alarming fluency in Shostakovich. 

All Thanks to Progress Hornsby for these recordings, fine artwork, uploading of flacs and generosity.

even includes traycard!

Poulenc: en su Gloria, con Concertos. rec.2008-1961

Poulenc in vital broadcast performances, including a World Premiere!

If you haven't listened to much Poulenc, these are the mp3's to begin to remedy that with!

Here is a folder containing three live performances of Francis Poulenc's work. The version of Gloria is its 1961 World Premiere, with the composer attending, after having played his concerto there. He obviously had to have been hanging around to hear this, too, as the announcer (included in the sound files) relates to us that he is in the venue. Thanks to Ray for this, it is a great moment of music as well as a relevant historical document.

The Concerto for Two Pianos is given a characteristically mischievous run at the hands of the Labecque Sisters, egged on without remorse by Antonio Pappano who was debuting with the New York Phil that night.

And then the Organ Concerto; it is a wild, weird piece. I find it too complex to describe, other than the admonition that you just cannot play it as background music.

This is music that is fun and bright while never becoming vacant or emotionally uncommitted.  

Tracks 1-3:

Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D minor (composed 1932)

Antonio Pappano, conductor

New York Philharmonic

Katya & Maria Labecque, pianos

Recorded from the WQXR-FM NYC broadcast by Statework

February 19, 2004 

-------

Tracks 4-6:

Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani in G minor (composed 1938)

Mariss Jansons, conductor

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Leo van Doeselaar, organ

Recorded from the Philharmonie, Berlin, DE 

September 2008

from fadoze's "FA2008-197" recording of the broadcast

-------

Tracks 7-9:

Gloria (World Premiere; composed 1959) 

Charles Munch, conductor

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Adele Addison, soprano 

Chorus Pro Musica 

Recorded Symphony Hall, Boston MA 

on 21 January 1961 

"Nice sound, discreet remastering by...Ray" 

-------

Play it loud!

Beethoven 9th , Charles Munch & his Boston SO, 1958 broadcast: Op.125 as it should sound more often.(?)

Self-recommending. A unique, fiery night in Boston is preserved here,

with some of the 1958 broadcaster's announcements included. *This is a different performance from the "Great Conductors..." CDs*

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Opus 125, Symphony no. 9

Leontyne Price, soprano ; Maureen Forrester, contralto 


David Poleri, tenor ; Giorgio Tozzi, baritone

New England Conservatory Chorus 

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Charles Munch, conductor

Recorded Symphony Hall, Boston, MA 
20 December 1958

Ray said,"I found this 10" open reel in my library..."

Enjoy!

Thanks Ray for the recording, and Constantine Manos for the "Charles Munch conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra" photo (cover).

A Beautiful, chaotic ride with Vaughan Williams 4th

Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony Number 4 in F Minor

October 26, 1973 (Broadcast Date)

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis, principal guest conductor

Careening from one emotional pole to another, This performance is not 'background music'; Rachmaninoff would have you sit up straight for it's duration.
Maestro Vaughan Williams himself famously said of it " I don't know whether I like it, but it's what I meant।"

from the Boston Symphony Orchestra's "Broadcast Archives 12 CD Box Set",
available from the Orchestra's website (www.bso.org) at
http://www.bso.org/bso/shop/productDetail.jsp?pid=prod2580045&area=shp&id=bcat12170002