Classical Music Cds

March: Featured Classical Music

2008-03-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Complete Recordings of Edvard Grieg
P0607.Camille Saint-Saëns, Jules Massenet, Claude Debussy, Louis Diémer & Raoul Pugno. 2 Marston 52054, recorded 1903-20. Transfers by Ward Marston. $35.90, the Set.

“In 1903, the Paris branch of the Gramophone and Typewriter Company made 27 incredibly important piano records. These documented the pianism of Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) and Raoul Pugno (1852–1914). The Grieg and Pugno recordings are some of the most rare and sought after discs and are unfortunately some of the most primitive and problematic. We are pleased to say that very recent technology has allowed us to greatly reduce these problems to produce these recordings in startlingly improved versions. This set also includes the equally rare 1904 G&T sides (five in total) of Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) playing various selections from his own works, the eight sides Saint-Saëns recorded for the Gramophone Company in 1919, and other important piano recordings made by G&T.”
- Marston Records

A–Z of Pianists
P0555. incl. Eugen d’Albert, Claudio Arrau, Wilhelm Backhaus, Simon Barère, Monique de la Bruchollerie, Una Bourne, Ferruccio Busoni, Robert Casadesus, Cecile Chaminade, Shura Cherkassky, Alfred Cortot, Solomon Cutner, Alan Feinberg, Jacques Fevrier, Edwin Fischer, Samson François, Ignaz Friedman, Ossip Gabrilovich, Walter Gieseking, Emil Gilels, Jakob Gimpel, Grigory Ginzburg, Leopold Godowsky, Percy Grainger, Alfred Grünfeld, Mark Hambourg, Clara Haskil, Josef Hofmann, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Kempff, Raoul Koczalski, Frederic Lamond, Yvonne Lefebure, Myra Hess, Mischa Levitzki, Josef Lhévinne, Robert Lortat, Nicolas Medtner, Marcelle Meyer, Aleksander Michalowski, Dinu Lipatti, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Benno Moiséiwitsch, William Murdoch, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Guiomar Novaës, Lev Oborin, Robinson Orozco, Vladimir de Pachmann, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Vlado Perlemuter, Egon Petri, Francis Planté, Sergei Prokofiev, Raoul Pugno, Sergei Rachmaninov, Walter Rehberg, Sviatoslav Richter, Édouard Risler, Moriz Rosenthal, Arthur Rubinstein, Walter Rummel, Camille Saint-Saëns, Jesús Mariá Sanromá, Vassily Sapellnikov, Emil von Sauer, Pietro Scarpini, Xavier Scharwenka, Artur Schnabel, Leo Sirota, Vladimir Sofronitsky, Magda Tagliaferro, Ricardo Viñes, Michael von Zadora & Carlo Zecchi. Accompanied by elaborate 861pp. book containing numerous photos & 300 biographies, by Jonathan Summers. (Hong Kong) 4-Naxos 8.558107/110. Transfers by Ward Marston. $39.90, the Set.

“This is no ordinary CD annotation, but a CD-size 861-page book boxed alongside a four-disc set of important and mostly rare piano recordings. Summers’ brief extends to an amazing 300 biographies [containing] a thumbnail review of each career and a short list of selected recordings, particularly valuable with those many artists whose records are nowadays almost forgotten….The transfers by Ward Marston are first-rate; as historical anthologies go, this has to be among the best-planned and the best-annotated. No piano buff…can possibly afford to be without it.”
- Rob Cowan, GRAMOPHONE, Sept., 2007

Léopold Simoneau & Pierrette Alarie
V1298. , w.John Newmark (Pf.); Pelletier, Bittner & Goehr Cond.: Arias, Duets & Songs by Mozart, Beethoven & Schumann; w.Catherina Delfosse, Grace Hoffman & Heinz Rehfuss; Goehr Cond.: Mass in b minor (Bach); w.Maureen Forrester & Joseph Rouleau; Pelletier Cond. Montréal S.O.: Choral Symphony #9 in d – Ode to Joy (Beethoven); w.Jean Cocteau (Narrator); Stravinsky Cond. OEDIPUS REX (Cond. by the Composer). (Canada) 4 Doremi 7916/19, recorded 1952-67, partially Live Performances. Specially priced at $49.90, the
Set.

"Léopold Simoneau, the Canadian lyric tenor who dominated international Mozart performance in the 1950s, died [24 Aug., 2006] in Victoria, British Columbia. He was 90 and lived in Victoria….Mr Simoneau was the epitome of the French tenor, meaning that he had a light voice, beautiful diction and a mastery of musical nuance….By the time he made his Met début as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI, in 1963, Mr Simoneau was acknowledged as one of the world’s leading performers of the role….After initial voice studies in Québec City, he moved to Montréal…where he met Ms Alarie….they were married in 1946….In June, Mr Simoneau and Ms Alarie celebrated their 60th anniversary."
- Anne Midgette, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 29 Aug., 2006

Birgit Nilsson
V1317. w.Set Svanholm, Margareta Bergström, Joel Berglund, Sigurd Björling, Ingvar Wixell, Elisabeth Söderström, Kjerstin Dellert, etc.; Ehrling & Sandberg Cond. Royal Swedish Opera Ensemble: Tannhäuser, Parsifal & Siegfried – Excerpts. (Sweden) 2-Caprice CAP 22062, Live Performances, 1955-59, Stockholm. $39.90, the Set.

“Swedish Wagnerian singers had already risen to international fame by about 1900, at the same time as it had always been possible to raise an in-house chorus of the highest quality, singing in Swedish, for both the Ring and Parsifal, as well as Wagner’s ‘lighter’ earlier operas. New generations of singers and orchestral musicians were schooled in this tradition, simultaneously with the education of a knowledge ‘Wagnerian’ audience. Nearly all Wagner’s operas were on the repertoire practically every season, an offering that no international opera house would be capable of today. Stockholm Opera audiences were accustomed to great world-famous singers like Set Svanholm, Joel Berglund, Sigurd Björling and Birgit Nilsson returning regularly to perform Wagner on their home stage, at the same time as its other leading artists thought nothing of assisting as master singers, pages, valkyries and flower girls.”

I Pagliacci
OP1650., Live Performance, 10 March, 1934, w.Bellezza Cond. Giovanni Martinelli, Lawrence Tibbett, Queena Mario, Alfio Tedesco, etc. (E.U.) Walhall 0226. Specially priced at $13.95

“For Giovanni Martinelli and Lawrence Tibbett, the 1934 PAGLIACCI matinee broadcast was an occasion at least the equal of their legendary OTELLO. They’re more than ably seconded by Queena Mario’s bright, girlish Nedda…and the eager Silvio of George ehanovsky….Tibbett deports himself with the space and majesty of a great Shakespearean actor in a Prologue which encompasses both off-the-voice parlando and fearless attack on the unwritten…high notes….Martinelli’s dark Canio has little clown left in him; he’s shot and half-crazed by Nedda’s infidelity from his first words…The old Walhall transfer’s source suffered from variable sound and pitching. A new remastering [above] has just been reissued.”
- Mike Ashman, GRAMOPHONE, March, 2008

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February: Featured Classical Music

2008-02-13T11:34:00.001-08:00

Der Ring Des Nibelungen
OP1635. Live Performance, 1955, w.Keilberth Cond. Bayreuth Festival Ensemble; Hans Hotter, Wolfgang Windgassen, Ramón Vinay, Astrid Varnay, Gré Brouwenstijn, Hermann Uhde, Josef Greindl, Ludwig Weber, Paul Kuën, etc. (England) 14-Testament Stereo SBT14 1412, from Unpublished Decca recording. Outstanding sound! Specially priced at $199.90, the Set.

“There are three, equally compelling, reasons to acquire this set of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle. The first is the leadership of Joseph Keilberth….An equally important reason…is the quality of the cast, both individually and collectively. The spearhead of many live RINGs, the soprano Astrid Varnay here surpasses her numerous other recordings as Brünnhilde and leads the female side with great distinction. She is finely matched by Hans Hotter and Wolfgang Windgassen, both of whom are in notably fresher voice – as indeed is Varnay – than in many other versions caught on disc. Special mention should also be made of Brouwenstijn and Vinay….In fact, the depth of casting is impressive throughout….The final ‘plus’ factor is the extraordinarily lifelike quality of the early Decca recording….Testament’s digital remastering by Paul Baily may also be a significant factor here. No praise can be too high…."

- David Patmore, CLASSIC RECORD COLLECTOR, Summer, 2007

I Vespri Siciliani
OP1598. Live Performance, 26 May, 1951, Firenze, w.Kleiber Cond. Maggio Musicale Ensemble; Maria Callas, Giorgio Kokolios-Bardi, Enzo Mascherini, Boris Christoff, Bruno Carmassi, Mario Frosini, etc. (Austria) 2-Testament SBT2 1416. From new masters (Walter Legge tape) - never before released. $43.90, the Set.

“Erich Kleiber is not usually associated with the 19th-century Italian repertory but he leads a vigorous performance….For Callas and Christoff admirers, of course, this is an essential document….Giorgio Kokolios-Bardi…had been one of Callas’ leading men at the National Opera in Athens, and she particularly requested him for this part.”

- Patrick O’Connor, GRAMOPHONE, Jan., 2008

Aksel Schiøtz
V1319. Aksel Schiøtz – Complete Recordings, 1933-46. (Denmark) 11-Danacord 451/60, in Boxed Set, w.Elaborate 334pp. Book. Specially priced at $49.90, the Set.

“This comprehensive collection of the tenor Aksel Schiøtz’s recordings, from the prime period before illness affected his voice, was originally issued ten years ago. Now the ten volumes have been stoutly boxed….the booklets have been gathered into a 334-page book which rivals those of Opera Rara….the voice emerging clearly, the set is a model compilation of the most attractive recordings of a stylish singer….Predominant among the 270 tracks are Danish songs, with the last CD devoted to Carl Nilsen, some of whose songs are gorgeous….It is a pity that Schiøtz recorded so few operatic arias: six by Mozart, one each by Gounod and Tchaikowsky and four from Danish operas….In 1940, there were three ranking Danish tenors. The oldest, Lauritz Melchior, was regaling American audiences in opera; the next, Helge Roswaenge, was singing before the swastikas of the nation that had overrun his native land, while the third, Aksel Schiøtz, remained with the subjected people of that land, trying to lift their spirits.”
- John T. Hughes, CLASSIC RECORD COLLECTOR, Winter, 2007

Frano Corelli
B0126. René Seghers. Franco Corelli – Prince of Tenors. New York, Amadeus, 2008. 526pp. Index; Bibliography; Exhaustive Chronology;
Photos; DJ. Newly Published. $34.90

“His exceptional good looks made him a matinee idol, and Franco Corelli—the Prince of Tenors—was dubbed “Mr. Soldout” for 20
consecutive years. In 1958, just seven years after beginning his career, he was already the highest paid tenor in Italy. Following his Met debut in 1961, he was celebrated as the greatest tenor in the world, a position that he retained until his departure from the Met in 1975. His charismartic performances in such operas as La Vestale and Fedora (both in collaboration with Maria Callas), coupled with a formidable mystique, as well as a number of notorious and colorful incidents, including his real-life sword fight with Boris Christoff in Rome, the Callas walkout there, the beating up of a spectator in Naples, and the alleged biting of Brigit Nilsson on a Boston tour of Turandot, created a mania for Corelli. Nearly a decade in the making, this definitive biography is based on the author’s extensive research of theater archives and interviews with the opera star’s numerous friends, family members, colleagues (Nilsson, Pavarotti, and many others), as well as the management of some of the world’s leading opera houses.”
- Amadeus Press

February: Featured Classical Musci

2008-02-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

“There are three, equally compelling, reasons to acquire this set of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle. The first is the leadership of Joseph Keilberth….An equally important reason…is the quality of the cast, both individually and collectively. The spearhead of many live RINGs, the soprano Astrid Varnay here surpasses her numerous other recordings as Brünnhilde and leads the female side with great distinction. She is finely matched by Hans Hotter and Wolfgang Windgassen, both of whom are in notably fresher voice – as indeed is Varnay – than in many other versions caught on disc. Special mention should also be made of Brouwenstijn and Vinay….In fact, the depth of casting is impressive throughout….The final ‘plus’ factor is the extraordinarily lifelike quality of the early Decca recording….Testament’s digital remastering by Paul Baily may also be a significant factor here. No praise can be too high…."
- David Patmore, CLASSIC RECORD COLLECTOR, Summer, 2007

“Erich Kleiber is not usually associated with the 19th-century Italian repertory but he leads a vigorous performance….For Callas and Christoff admirers, of course, this is an essential document….Giorgio Kokolios-Bardi…had been one of Callas’ leading men at the National Opera in Athens, and she particularly requested him for this part.”
- Patrick O’Connor, GRAMOPHONE, Jan., 2008

Aksel Schiøtz
V1319. Aksel Schiøtz – Complete Recordings, 1933-46. (Denmark) 11-Danacord 451/60, in Boxed Set, w.Elaborate 334pp. Book. Specially priced at $49.90, the Set.

“This comprehensive collection of the tenor Aksel Schiøtz’s recordings, from the prime period before illness affected his voice, was originally issued ten years ago. Now the ten volumes have been stoutly boxed….the booklets have been gathered into a 334-page book which rivals those of Opera Rara….the voice emerging clearly, the set is a model compilation of the most attractive recordings of a stylish singer….Predominant among the 270 tracks are Danish songs, with the last CD devoted to Carl Nilsen, some of whose songs are gorgeous….It is a pity that Schiøtz recorded so few operatic arias: six by Mozart, one each by Gounod and Tchaikowsky and four from Danish operas….In 1940, there were three ranking Danish tenors. The oldest, Lauritz Melchior, was regaling American audiences in opera; the next, Helge Roswaenge, was singing before the swastikas of the nation that had overrun his native land, while the third, Aksel Schiøtz, remained with the subjected people of that land, trying to lift their spirits.”
- John T. Hughes, CLASSIC RECORD COLLECTOR, Winter, 2007

Frano Corelli
B0126. René Seghers. Franco Corelli – Prince of Tenors. New York, Amadeus, 2008. 526pp. Index; Bibliography; Exhaustive Chronology;
Photos; DJ. Newly Published. $34.90

“His exceptional good looks made him a matinee idol, and Franco Corelli—the Prince of Tenors—was dubbed “Mr. Soldout” for 20
consecutive years. In 1958, just seven years after beginning his career, he was already the highest paid tenor in Italy. Following his Met debut in 1961, he was celebrated as the greatest tenor in the world, a position that he retained until his departure from the Met in 1975. His charismartic performances in such operas as La Vestale and Fedora (both in collaboration with Maria Callas), coupled with a formidable mystique, as well as a number of notorious and colorful incidents, including his real-life sword fight with Boris Christoff in Rome, the Callas walkout there, the beating up of a spectator in Naples, and the alleged biting of Brigit Nilsson on a Boston tour of Turandot, created a mania for Corelli. Nearly a decade in the making, this definitive biography is based on the author’s extensive research of theater archives and interviews with the opera star’s numerous friends, family members, colleagues (Nilsson, Pavarotti, and many others), as well as the management of some of the world’s leading opera houses.”
- Amadeus Press

January: Featured Classical Music

2007-12-31T06:02:00.000-08:00

A–Z of Pianists
P0555. incl. Eugen d’Albert, Claudio Arrau, Wilhelm Backhaus, Simon Barère, Monique de la Bruchollerie, Una Bourne, Ferruccio Busoni, Robert Casadesus, Cecile Chaminade, Shura Cherkassky, Alfred Cortot, Solomon Cutner, Alan Feinberg, Jacques Fevrier, Edwin Fischer, Samson François, Ignaz Friedman, Ossip Gabrilovich, Walter Gieseking, Emil Gilels, Jakob Gimpel, Grigory Ginzburg, Leopold Godowsky, Percy Grainger, Alfred Grünfeld, Mark Hambourg, Clara Haskil, Josef Hofmann, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Kempff, Raoul Koczalski, Frederic Lamond, Yvonne Lefebure, Myra Hess, Mischa Levitzki, Josef Lhévinne, Robert Lortat, Nicolas Medtner, Marcelle Meyer, Aleksander
Michalowski, Dinu Lipatti, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Benno Moiséiwitsch, William Murdoch, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Guiomar Novaës, Lev Oborin, Robinson Orozco, Vladimir de Pachmann, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Vlado Perlemuter, Egon Petri, Francis Planté, Sergei Prokofiev, Raoul Pugno, Sergei Rachmaninov, Walter Rehberg, Sviatoslav Richter, Édouard Risler, Moriz Rosenthal, Arthur Rubinstein, Walter Rummel, Camille Saint-Saëns, Jesús Mariá Sanromá, Vassily Sapellnikov, Emil von Sauer, Pietro Scarpini, Xavier Scharwenka, Artur Schnabel, Leo Sirota, Vladimir Sofronitsky, Magda Tagliaferro, Ricardo Viñes, Michael von Zadora & Carlo Zecchi. Accompanied by elaborate 861pp. book containing numerous photos
& 300 biographies, by Jonathan Summers. (Hong Kong) 4-Naxos 8.558107/110. Transfers by Ward Marston. $39.90, the Set.

The A-Z of Pianists surveys the lives, careers and recordings of 300 pianists. Illustrious names from past and present, forgotten titans of the keyboard, unsung geniuses: all the great pianists who have made recordings are included, from Argerich to Zadora. Amazingly, the text spans three centuries, from the birth of Francis Planté in 1839 to the established artists of today;
from the earliest, most primitive recording processes to contemporary, cutting-edge technology. The format is clear and simple to follow. The subjects are listed alphabetically, each one beginning with a summary of that pianist’s career and most important recordings before going on to an extended biography and critical appraisal of his or her recorded legacy. In addition, four compact discs present the author’s selection of seventy-five artists in new transfers by Ward Marston. This is a book which will appeal to enthusiast and scholar alike as a readable, informed and fascinating work of reference.

“This is no ordinary CD annotation, but a CD-size 861-page book boxed alongside a four-disc set of important and mostly rare piano recordings. Summers’ brief extends to an amazing 300 biographies [containing] a thumbnail review of each career and a short list of selected recordings, particularly valuable with those many artists whose records are nowadays almost forgotten….The transfers by Ward Marston are first-rate; as historical anthologies go, this has to be among the best-planned and the best-annotated. No piano buff…can possibly afford to be without it.”
- Rob Cowan, GRAMOPHONE, Sept., 2007

A–Z of Conductors
C0633. incl. Ansermet, Barbirolli, Beecham, van Beinum, Bernstein, Böhm, Boult, Busch, Cantelli, Celibidache, Cluytens, Coates, Désormière, Dorati, Fricsay, Furtwangler, Horenstein, Jochum, von Karajan, Kempe, Erich Kleiber, Klemperer, Knappertsbusch, Koussevitzky, Krauss, Krips,
Mengelberg, Mitropoulos, Monteux, Mravinsky, Münch, Nikisch, Ormandy, Reiner, Rodzinski, de Sabata, Scherchen, Schmidt-Isserstedt, Schuricht, Solti, William Steinberg, Stokowski, Strauss, Szell, Talich, Toscanini, Walter & Weingartner. Accompanied by elaborate 976pp. book containing numerous photos & 300 plus biographies, by David Patmore. (Hong Kong) 4-Naxos 8.558087/90. Transfers by Ward Marston, Mark Obert-Thorn & David Lennick. $39.90, the Set.

The A–Z of Conductors surveys the history of recording during the twentieth century, from the earliest days of capturing orchestral music on disc to the present era of the iPod, through the biographies of 310 of the most significant conductors whose art is preserved on record. In addition, the entry for each conductor contains a list of selected recordings and a career outline. Four accompanying CDs present excerpts from recordings by forty-eight of the conductors featured. The A–Z of Conductors will be of interest and value both to those new to orchestral music on record who wish to explore the huge resources of repertoire and performance available, as well as to seasoned collectors.

The Record Collector - 2006 Special Issue
V1300. incl. Beno Blachut: (Dalibor, Hubicka & Fidelio); Mary Losseff & Richard Tauber: (two Tauber songs from Der Singende Traum); Richard Bonelli: (Coates, Pinsuti & Taylor-Martin); José Mardones: (Simon Boccanegra & La Gioconda; Bein Batean loyolalan; La del pañuelo rogo); Cato Engelen-Sewing: (Mignon, Faust & I Pagliacci); Franz Steiner: (Grieg & Strauss); Zara Dolukhanova: (Tchaikowsky & Rachmaninoff; Don Carlos – O don fatale); . (England) The Record Collector TRC 25. Transfers by Ward Marston. $19.90

The Edison Legacy, Vol. 1, Unpublished Treasures of the Edison Archive
V1282. incl. Emmi Leisner, Carmen Melis, Lucrezia Bori, Lucette Korsoff, Rosa Olitzka, Emmy Destinn, Marcella Craft, Dinh Gilly, Edoardo Faticanti, Luisa Garibaldi, Italo Cristali, Melitta Heim, Frieda Hempel, Heinrich Hensel, Valentin Jaume, Paola Koralek, Oreste Benedetti, Maria Labia, Umberto Macnez, Margarete Matzenauer, Marie Rappold, Edyth Walker, Carolina White, Fritz Vogelstrom & Domenico Viglione-Borghese. 2-Marston 52042. Transfers by Ward Marston. $35.90, the Set.

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December: More Featured Classical Music

2007-12-14T12:14:00.000-08:00

The Record Collector - 2006 Special Issue
V1300. incl. Beno Blachut: (Dalibor, Hubicka & Fidelio); Mary Losseff &
Richard Tauber: (two Tauber songs from Der Singende Traum); Richard Bonelli: (Coates, Pinsuti & Taylor-Martin); José Mardones: (Simon Boccanegra & La Gioconda; Bein Batean loyolalan; La del pañuelo rogo); Cato Engelen-Sewing: (Mignon, Faust & I Pagliacci); Franz Steiner: (Grieg & Strauss); Zara Dolukhanova: (Tchaikowsky & Rachmaninoff; Don Carlos – O don fatale); . (England) The Record Collector TRC 25. Transfers by Ward Marston. $19.90

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December: Featured Classical Music

2007-12-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

Special Holiday Sale

Through 15 December, 15% discount on every CD in our catalogue. We welcome all shopping cart and telephone orders!

(use coupon code cds15 upon checkout to receive discount when ordering online)

The Edison Legacy, Vol. 1, Hidden Treasures of the Edison Archive
V1282. It is not an exaggeration that the Edison Legacy series will be one of the most significant historical releases ever. Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in the last quarter of the 19th Century. He began recording artists in the late 1800s and by 1929 his record company was out of business. In this short period of time, he captured some of the greatest voices of the dawn of the recording era and yet, many of the recordings have never been published and have only
been heard by Edison and his staff. These historic documents are some of the rarest and most important recordings in the world. The first volume of this series contains selections of Leisner, Melis, Bori, Walker, White, Korsoff, Olitzka, Destinn, and many other important singers of the last century. 2-Marston 52042. Transfers by H. Ward Marston. $35.90, the Set.

Vocal Record Collectors' Society – 2006 (50th Anniversary)Double Issue
V1181. incl. Jane Cros (Tannhäuser - Dich, teure Halle); Forrest Lamont (Cavalleria Rusticana - Siciliana); Laura del Lungo (Mignon - Elle est là…Elle est aimée); Alexis Boyer (Le Maître de Chapelle - Pour imiter ton
charme séducteur); Bertha Kalich (Sappho - Matouschka Golobouschka (Mother dearest) [J. Gordon]); Johannes Sembach (Frühlingszeit [Becker]); Ebe Boccolini (La Wally - Ebben, ne andró lontana); Erich Bye (Tannhauser - O du mein holder Abendstern); Lily Dupré (Les Huguenots -Au beau pays de la Touraine); Kapiton Denisovich Zaporozhets (Song of the Flea [Moussorgsky]); Jane Bourguignon (Sapho - O ma lyre immortelle); Lambert Murphy (Boat Song [Ware]; Livine Mertens (Roméo et Juliette - Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle?); Carlo Morelli (Il Trovatore - Il balen); Helen Gahagan Douglas (Tosca - Vissi d’arte [Unpublished Victor (mx T-1020-1)]); Margherita Carosio (I Pastori [Pizzetti]); Elsa Alsen (Tristan und Isolde - Liebestod); Fernando Autori (L’Amore dei Tre Re - Italia, Italia e tutto il mio ricordo!); Maria de Macchi (Lucrezia Borgia - Come è bello); Regina Pinkert (La Perle du Brésil - Charmant oiseau); Mario Laurenti (Hérodiade -Salomé! demande au prisonnier); Ellison van Hoose (O come with me in the summer night [van der Stucken]); Evgeniya Ivanova Zbruyeva (A broken vase [Arensky]); Jean Vallier (Le rêve passé
[Helmer - Krier]); Tina Desana (Ruy Blas - O madre mia dall’intimo [Marchetti]; Fernando Carpi (Mefistofele - Giunto sul passo estremo); Rosina Buckman & Walter Hyde (O lovely night [Ronald]); Jeanne Korolewicz-Wayda (Lohengrin - Euch Lüften, die mein Klagen); Marie Delna (Le Prophète - Ah! mon fils!); Virgilio Lazzari (Ernani - Infelice! e tuo credevi); Hipolito Lázaro
(Maria La Tempranica - Romanza de Miguel [Torroba]); Magda Spiegel (Rienzi – Gerechter Gott! In seiner Blüthe bleicht mein Leben); Charles Soix (Le petit Grégoire [Botrel]); Theo Beets (La Juive - Rachel, quand du Seigneur); Yvonne Brothier (Manon Lescaut - C’est l’histoire amoureuse (L’Éclat de rire) [Auber]); Vera Schwarz (Der Widerspenstigen Zähmung - Die Kraft versagt [Goetz]); Hjördis Schymberg (Si J’étais Roi - Des souverains du rivage); Herbert Witherspoon (By the Short Cut to the Rosses; Black Sheela of the silver eye [both old airs]; Reinald Werrenrath (Special Holiday Greetings Record, Victor “Personal Record” (mx C-28896-3), recorded 15 Nov., 1923). 2-VRCS 2006. Transfers by Seth B. Winner. $39.90, the Set.

“This compilation marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Vocal Record Collectors’ Society. In addition to the traditional selection, a second CD contains eighteen records issued on VRCS vinyl LPs between 1959 and 1992. Both discs have been scrupulously transferred from good original copies and the standard of presentation, including full recording details and excellent biographical notes, is quite exceptional….This is an admirable souvenir of an important occasion, and all that remains to be done is to congratulate the Vocal Record Collectors’ Society on achieving its Silver Anniversary and wish it well for the future.”
- Robert Bunyard, THE RECORD COLLECTOR, 2007

Collectors’ Treasures, Vol. II
V0650. incl. Maclennan (Tannhäuser), Russitano (Otello), Mantelli (Lucrezia Borgia), Chambon (La Juive), Kirchner (Le Prophète), Cucini (La Gioconda), de Frate (Nabucco), Greeff-Andriessen (Die Walküre), Walker (Der Evangelimann), Molin (Lakmé), Panina (Pique Dame), Yuzhina (Pique Dame), Markovich (Snegoroutchka), Katulskaya (Sadko), Koshetz (The Enchantress), Biel (Il Trovatore), Ancona, Kruszelnicka, Delmas, Jeritza, Adini, de Negri, Mei-Figner & Gryzunov. (UK) Collectors’ Treasures GECT 002, recorded 1902-30. Produced by Bill Breslin. Biographical notes by Alan Bilgora. Transfers by Norman White. $19.90.

“The initial volume in this series gave so much pleasure that it seemed unreasonable to hope that a second volume could equal, let alone surpass it. However, not only does it exceed expectations, but emerges as perhaps one of the most enjoyable collections yet encountered. If any single compilation CD could inspire newcomers to historic vocal recordings to develop an abiding enthusiasm in this field, it might be just the one to succeed. Quite apart from the extraordinary rarity of several items here, it includes a high proportion of unusual, worthwhile music and some particularly fine voices and interpretations. All in splendidly engineered transfers, taken from mainly fine copies….Altogether, this is a further, highly worthwhile production…which can be unhesitatingly recommended.”
- Vivian A. Liff, The Record Collector, 2005

In Memoriam – Richard Bebb
V1287. incl. Frozier-Marrot (2), Jo Vincent, Eduard Boleslawski (2), Clara Butt, Ronald Murgatroyd, Mary McCormic (2), Kate Winter, Joshie Fujiwara, Elena Ruszkowska, Charles Friant, Giuseppina Cobelli, François Viannenc, Carolina Pietracewska – Elisa Tromben, Arthur Preuss, Anni Christiansen, Mattia Battistini (2), Helene Offenberg, Robert Couzinou, Luise Perard-Petzi & Garcia. Notes by Jean Ziegler & Patrick Bade. (France) Malibran 670. $19.90.

November: Featured Classical Music

2007-11-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Most recent MALIBRAN issues (almost entirely in stock, or already on their way from France, and due momentarily), offered by Norbeck, Peters & Ford:

Historical Reissue Classical CDs Classical Music CDs
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October: Featured Classical Music

2007-10-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

Special Offer:
20% discount on ALL BOOKS offered in our Catalogue – through 1 November, including these indispensable Mainspring Press titles:

Latest Release — Now in Stock!

THE AMERICAN STAGE
PERFORMERS DISCOGRAPHY

Actors, Vaudevillians, and Musical Comedy Stars (Vol. 1: 1891–1932)

Allan Sutton

Detailed bio-discographies of more than 460 stars, from legitimate theater to vaudeville and burlesque. Covers over 10,000 cylinders, 78s, radio transcriptions, and synchronized soundtrack discs.

B0123. The American STAGE PERFORMERS Discography, Vol. I (1891 – 1932),
Actors, Vaudevillians, and Musical Comedy Stars, by Allan Sutton. Denver, CO, Mainspring Press, 2007. 430pp. Detailed bio-discographies of more than 460 stars, from legitimate theater to vaudeville and burlesque. Covers over 10,000 cylinders, 78s, radio transcriptions, and synchronized soundtrack discs. Indices. $74.90

Volume I (1891–1932) draws on original recording files, trade-press and newspaper articles, and other primary-source documents to provide the most comprehensive bio-discography of early stage stars to date. Features include: Listings of all known 78s and cylinders (including private issues, tests, and unissued masters); radio transcriptions; and synchronized soundtrack discs. Full discographic information, including recording dates and locations, matrix and take numbers, catalog numbers, accompanists, and pseudonyms. Detailed capsule biographies of all performers, listing show credits with theaters and opening dates; film and radio credits; career histories, and other significant facts. Title and show / film indices.
- Mainsprimg Press

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THE VICTOR RED SEAL DISCOGRAPHY

Volume II: Double-Sided Series to 1930

John R. Bolig

Also available: Volume I — Single-Sided Series

B0080. The Victor Red Seal Discography, Vol. I - (Single-Sided Series, 1903 - 1925), by John R. Bolig. Denver, CO, Mainspring Press, 2004. 448pp. Indices; Bibliography; Exhaustive Discography; Photos of labels & artists. Includes issues from imported masters that do not appear in previous Victor discographies. Data include ‘master’ and ‘take’ numbers; recording dates; release dates and duration in catalogues; credited and uncredited accompanists; export, club, and cancelled issues; couplings, dubbings, and reissues in 78 format; and other fine discographic detail (e.g. double-sided issue numbers, foreign issue numbers, private issue numbers, etc.). Conveniently arranged by catalogue number, with artist, title, and coupling indices. $75.00

“For anyone with Victor Red Seal single-sided records in his or her collection, or with an interest in the issues in North America of HMV artists or in Europe of Victor artists, this volume is self-recommending….To say that this first volume of The Victor Red Seal Discography is essential reading seems almost redundant. It’s simply a ‘must-have’ reference for the individual collector, discographer and institutional librarian….setting new standards in discographical research.”
- Barry R. Ashpole, THE RECORD COLLECTOR, 2004

B0117. The Victor Red Seal Discography, Vol. II - (Double-Sided Series, to 1930), by John R. Bolig. Denver, CO, Mainspring Press, 2006. 604pp. Indices; Bibliography; Exhaustive Discography. Includes issues from imported masters that do not appear in previous Victor discographies. Data include ‘master’ and ‘take’ numbers; recording dates; release dates and duration in catalogues; credited and uncredited accompanists; export, club, and cancelled issues; dubbings and reissues in 78 format; and other fine discographic detail (e.g. foreign issue numbers, private issue numbers, etc.). Conveniently arranged by catalogue number, with artist and title indices, and records released as Sets in Album. $75.00

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THE VICTOR DISCOGRAPHY

Green, Blue and Purple Label Series 1909-1926

John R. Bolig

B0105. The Victor Discography - Green, Blue and Purple Labels (1909-1927), by John R. Bolig. Denver, CO, Mainspring Press, 2006. 268pp. Indices; Bibliography; Exhaustive Discography; Photos of labels & artists. Data for all green-label, blue-label and purple-label records, including cancelled issues, export releases, and pressings from imported masters. Complete discographic
detail from the Victor and Gramophone Company files and catalogs, carefully checked against the original records. Recording dates and locations; release dates and duration in catalog; master and ‘take’ numbers; corresponding couplings, reissues, and foreign releases; accompanists and conductors, and more. Organization by catalog number, with an introductory history, plus artist
and title indices. $55.00

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CARUSO RECORDS

A History and Discography

John R. Bolig

B0045. (CARUSO) John R. Bolig. Caruso Records – A History and Discography. Denver, CO, Mainspring Press, 2002. 206pp. Indices; Bibliography; Exhaustive Discography; 32 elaborate color photos of various labels; DJ. $49.90

September: Featured Classical Music

2007-09-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

Rose Bampton
V1186. Songs by John Alden Carpenter; Arias from Atalanta, Alceste, Don Giovanni, La Cenerentola, Semiramide, Ernani, Aïda, Tosca, Hérodiade, La Damnation de Faust, L’Enfant Prodigue, Lohengrin & Tristan. (Austria) Preiser 89675, recorded 1932-46. $17.90

“…this is a timely and worthwhile tribute to a first-rate American soprano….The piano-accompanied ‘Care Selve’ offers suitably long phrasing and is among the best recordings of this magnificent Handel aria….[The Gluck arias] are sterling interpretations…. Donna Anna’s two great arias are sung in masterly fashion, and Bampton almost manages to convince us that the concluding passages of the glorious ‘Non mi dir’ are not incongruous.”

- Vivian A. Liff, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, Sept./Oct., 2007

“Rose Bampton, an American opera singer who switched from mezzo-soprano to soprano and sang leading roles in both ranges at the Metropolitan Opera….in January, 1940, she appeared at the Met as Aïda one Saturday and as Amneris a week later….died [21 Aug., 2007] in Bryn Mawr, PA. She was 99….By the time she married Wilfrid Pelletier, a conductor at the Met, in 1937 (he died in 1982)…[she] decided to return to the soprano repertory.”

- Allan Kozinn, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 23 Aug., 2007

Dido and Aeneas
OP1563. (Purcell), recorded 1952, w.Geraint Jones Cond. Mermaid Ensemble; Kirsten Flagstad, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Thomas Hemsley, Arda Mandikian, Sheila Rex, etc. (E.U.) Naxos 8.111264. Transfers by Mark Obert-Thorn. $17.90

Dido and Aeneas
OP1327. (Purcell), Live Performance, 1 Oct., 1951, Mermaid Theatre, London, w.Geraint Jones Cond. Kirsten Flagstad, Maggie Teyte, Thomas Hemsley, Edith Coates, Arda Mandikian, etc. (E.U.) Walhall 0186. Specially priced at $9.90

Dido and Aeneas
OP1566. (Purcell), recorded 11 Jan., 1951, w.Capdeville Cond. Genève Ensemble & Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Irma Kolassi, Yvon le Marc’Hadour, Gisèle Vivarelli, Hugues Cuénod, Marguerite Pifteau, etc. (Switzerland) Cascavelle VEL 3107. $17.90

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July: Featured Classic Music

2007-07-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Giovanni Martinelli
B0120. Paolo Padoan & Maurizio Tiberi. Giovanni Martinelli, un leone al Metropolitan – A Biography. Roma, TIMA Club, 2007. 495pp. Index; Exhaustive Chronology; Discography; Repertoire; over 300 Photos, many never before in print; Illustrated with concert & opera program reproductions, newspaper articles & reviews, plus Vitaphone, Victor & Lucky Strike advertisements. Accompanied by 2 Martinelli CDs incl. rare & Unpublished recordings (among which are a Met Opera Guild performance (w.Elmo & Lazzari) of 18 March, 1949, plus other private recordings [featuring Martinelli’s final stage appearance as Altoum in Turandot, 31 Jan., 1967, Seattle]), plus Interview with Martinelli. (Italian Text) Newly Published. (Pictorial thick paper covers) $125.00, the 495pp. book with 2 CDs.

Madama Butterfly
OP1532. Live Performance, 2 May, 1957, w.Kempe Cond. Royal Opera House Ensemble; Victoria de los Angeles, John Lanigan, Geraint Evans, Barbara Howitt, Michael Langdon, etc. (England) 2-Royal Opera House Heritage ROHS006. Slipcase Edition. Specially priced at $34.90, the Set.

“…Mme de los Angeles certainly grew in confidence as she grew in stature [throughout the opera].…Her typically ‘instrumental’ purity of timbre, so surely controlled, implied the right virginal simplicity, and the radiant confidence of ‘Un bel dì’ very properly won an ovation. Her tone clove the orchestra at its loudest without apparent effort, never straining, always rich and cherished. Even at the climax she was perfectly in command of her resources….Rudolf Kempe’s handling of the orchestra was masterly, in some ways the finest performance of the evening….”
- John Warrack, OPERA, June, 1957

Don Giovanni
OP1533. Live Performance, 19 Feb., 1962, w.Solti Cond. Royal Opera House Ensemble; Cesare Siepi, Geraint Evans, Leyla Gencer, Sena Jurinac, Mirella Freni, Richard Lewis, David Ward & Robert Savoie. (England) 3-Royal Opera House Heritage ROHS007. Slipcase Edition. Specially priced at $49.90, the Set.

“Musically, Mr Solti’s reading was at one with the producer. His was a frankly romantic and dramatic approach – and yet the exquisite details and charm were there too….Siepi’s Don [is] a role he has made his own, and one in which he succeeds in lightning his bass voice most successfully….Geraint Evans’ mastery of the stage increases at every performance….Leyla Gencer’s exquisite singing of ‘Non mi dir’ was a highlight ….she is a fine artist, with a most beautiful middle register, and she can produce the most ravishing pianissimos. Mirella Freni’s Zerlina was as perfect an interpretation in every respect as one could wish for….Sena Jurinac’s Elvira is an old friend….”
- Harold Rosenthal, OPERA, April, 1962

Vocal Record Collectors' Society – 2006
V1181. Vocal Record Collectors' Society – 2006 (50th Anniversary) Double Issue, incl. Jane Cros (Tannhäuser - Dich, teure Halle); Forrest Lamont (Cavalleria Rusticana - Siciliana); Laura del Lungo (Mignon - Elle est là…Elle est aimée); Alexis Boyer (Le Maître de Chapelle - Pour imiter ton charme séducteur); Bertha Kalich (Sappho - Matouschka Golobouschka (Mother dearest) [J. Gordon]); Johannes Sembach (Frühlingszeit [Becker]); Ebe Boccolini (La Wally - Ebben, ne andró lontana); Erich Bye (Tannhauser - O du mein holder Abendstern); Lily Dupré (Les Huguenots -Au beau pays de la Touraine); Kapiton Denisovich Zaporozhets (Song of the Flea [Moussorgsky]); Jane Bourguignon (Sapho - O ma lyre immortelle); Lambert Murphy (Boat Song [Ware]; Livine Mertens (Roméo et Juliette - Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle?); Carlo Morelli (Il Trovatore - Il balen); Helen Gahagan Douglas (Tosca - Vissi d’arte [Unpublished Victor (mx T-1020-1)]); Margherita Carosio (I Pastori [Pizzetti]); Elsa Alsen (Tristan und Isolde - Liebestod); Fernando Autori (L’Amore dei Tre Re - Italia, Italia e tutto il mio ricordo!); Maria de Macchi (Lucrezia Borgia - Come è bello); Regina Pinkert (La Perle du Brésil - Charmant oiseau); Mario Laurenti (Hérodiade -Salomé! demande au prisonnier); Ellison van Hoose (O come with me in the summer night [van der Stucken]); Evgeniya Ivanova Zbruyeva (A broken vase [Arensky]); Jean Vallier (Le rêve passé [Helmer - Krier]); Tina Desana (Ruy Blas - O madre mia dall’intimo [Marchetti]; Fernando Carpi (Mefistofele - Giunto sul passo estremo); Rosina Buckman & Walter Hyde (O lovely night [Ronald]); Jeanne Korolewicz-Wayda (Lohengrin - Euch Lüften, die mein Klagen); Marie Delna (Le Prophète - Ah! mon fils!); Virgilio Lazzari (Ernani - Infelice! e tuo credevi); Hipolito Lázaro (Maria La Tempranica - Romanza de Miguel [Torroba]); Magda Spiegel (Rienzi – Gerechter Gott! In seiner Blüthe bleicht mein Leben); Charles Soix (Le petit Grégoire [Botrel]); Theo Beets (La Juive - Rachel, quand du Seigneur); Yvonne Brothier (Manon Lescaut - C’est l’histoire amoureuse (L’Éclat de rire) [Auber]); Vera Schwarz (Der Widerspenstigen Zähmung - Die Kraft versagt [Goetz]); Hjördis Schymberg (Si J’étais Roi - Des souverains du rivage); Herbert Witherspoon (By the Short Cut to the Rosses; Black Sheela of the silver eye [both old airs]; Reinald Werrenrath (Special Holiday Greetings Record, Victor “Personal Record” (mx C-28896-3), recorded 15 Nov., 1923). 2-VRCS-2006. Transfers by Seth B. Winner. $39.90, the Set.

June: Featured Classical Music

2007-06-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

Eugenia Mantelli

V1220. Songs by Lotti, Tosti, Braga, Mascagni, Rubinstein, Alvarez & d’Hardelot; Arias from El Barbero de Sevilla (Nieto & Giménez), Barbiere, La Cenerentola, Lucrezia Borgia, La Favorita, Don Giovanni, Les Huguenots, Mignon, Faust, Roméo, Carmen, Il Trovatore & La Gioconda – recorded 1905-07; GUERRINA FABBRI: Arias from I Capuleti ed i Montecchi, Lucrezia Borgia, L’Italiana in Algeri, Le Prophète, Semiramide & Barbiere - recorded 1903; RITA FORNIA: Songs by Chopin, Godard, Chaminade, Meyer-Helmund, Becker, Lassen & Hildach; Arias from Faust & Roméo; w.Riccardo Martin & Antonio Scotti: Madama Butterfly – Lo so che alle sue pene – recorded 1910-12; MARIANNE BRANDT: Frühlingsnacht (Schumann); Arias from Le Prophète & Lucrezia Borgia – recorded 11 Sept., 1905. 2-Marston 52053. Transfers by H. Ward Marston. Booklet features discographic information, photos & extensive notes by Michael Aspinall. $35.90, the Set.

“Italian mezzo-soprano Eugenia Mantelli (1860–1926) made her debut in 1883 as Urbain in Les Huguenots at the Teatro São Carlos in Lisbon. She made long guest appearance tours in Germany, Italy, and South America with the famous Spanish tenor Julien Gayarré. She appeared at the Metropolitan Opera for six seasons (1894–1900) and sang again at the Met for the 1902–1903 season. She retired to Lisbon. Her repertoire was extraordinarily diverse, singing coloratura-contralto parts to that of Brünnhilde. She recorded for the American Zonophone label and her recordings are among the most sought after in the world."
- Marston Records

Kirsten Flagstad
V1210. w.Wilhelm Furtwängler Cond. Philharmonia Orch.: Vier letzte Lieder (Strauss) (Creator Recording); Götterdämmerung – Immolation Scene; Tristan – Liebestod; Wilhelm Furtwängler Cond. Philharmonia Orch.: Tristan – Prelude; Götterdämmerung – Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey (all Wagner). (England) Testament SBT 1410, Live Performance, 22 May, 1950, Royal Albert Hall, London. Transfers by Roger Beardsley. $19.90

“I hardly imagined that Testament would be able to trump its Wagnerian ace as regards the Keilberth Ring, but here they are a few months later presenting us for the first time the concert in 1950 when Flagstad gave the Première of Strauss’ Four Last Songs, followed by some truly unforgettable Wagner; in my book, it’s the latter that makes the CD so exciting….Did Flagstad, in her numerous recordings of the Liebestod, ever convey so much tragic passion? I think not, and she is in much better voice than in the complete 1952 set. The performance of the Strauss, previously available on the grey market, is now heard in improved sound….a historic document, this is an important issue. The whole disc, carefully remastered, is a treasure.”
- Alan Blyth, GRAMOPHONE, June, 2007

Petre Munteanu
V1204. Arias from Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Der Betrogene Kadi (Gluck), Oberon, Marta, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Werther, Don Pasquale, Faust, Tosca, Turandot, Mefistofele, L’Arlesiana & Una Partita (Zandonai); w.Danco & Amelia Pini: Genoveva – Excerpts (Schumann). (Austria) Preiser 89682, primarily from Broadcasts. $17.90

“The word that best describes [Munteanu’s] singing is ‘delicacy’. The voice is a eggiero in the best sense of that category. It is a light tenor, suffused with an ttractive, flicker vibrato, and capable of melting sweetness of tone. He reminds one of Schipa….This is singing of rare grace and fastidious taste, and always ccomplished with charm and a real ‘face’….To represent this aristocrat of a tenor in your collection is precisely what record collecting is all about.”
- Larry Lustig, THE RECORD COLLECTOR, 2004

Turandot
OP1513. Live Performance, 13 Jan., 1962, Napoli, w.de Fabritiis Cond. Teatro di San Carlo Ensemble; Lucille Udovic, Franco Corelli, Leyla Gencer, Joshua Hecht, Renato Cesari, Mario Carlin, Piero de Palma, etc. (Slovenia) 2-Melodram GM 5.0066. $33.90, the Set.

Vocal Record Collectors' Society – 2006
V1181. Vocal Record Collectors' Society – 2006 (50th Anniversary) Double Issue, incl. Jane Cros (Tannhäuser - Dich, teure Halle); Forrest Lamont (Cavalleria Rusticana - Siciliana); Laura del Lungo (Mignon - Elle est là…Elle est aimée); Alexis Boyer (Le Maître de Chapelle - Pour imiter ton charme séducteur); Bertha Kalich (Sappho - Matouschka olobouschka (Mother dearest) [J. Gordon]); Johannes Sembach Frühlingszeit [Becker]); Ebe Boccolini (La Wally - Ebben, ne andró lontana); Erich Bye (Tannhauser - O du mein holder Abendstern); Lily Dupré (Les Huguenots -Au beau pays de la Touraine); Kapiton Denisovich Zaporozhets (Song of the Flea [Moussorgsky]); Jane Bourguignon (Sapho - O ma lyre immortelle); Lambert Murphy (Boat Song [Ware]; Livine Mertens (Roméo et Juliette - Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle?); Carlo Morelli (Il Trovatore - Il balen); Helen Gahagan Douglas (Tosca - Vissi d’arte [Unpublished Victor (mx T-1020-1)]); Margherita Carosio (I Pastori [Pizzetti]); Elsa Alsen (Tristan und Isolde - Liebestod); Fernando Autori (L’Amore dei Tre Re - Italia, Italia e tutto il mio
ricordo!); Maria de Macchi (Lucrezia Borgia - Come è bello); Regina Pinkert (La Perle du Brésil - Charmant oiseau); Mario Laurenti (Hérodiade -Salomé! demande au prisonnier); Ellison van Hoose (O come with me in the summer night [van der Stucken]); Evgeniya Ivanova Zbruyeva (A broken vase [Arensky]); Jean Vallier (Le rêve passé [Helmer - Krier]); Tina Desana (Ruy Blas - O madre mia dall’intimo [Marchetti]; Fernando Carpi (Mefistofele - Giunto sul passo estremo); Rosina Buckman &; Walter Hyde (O lovely night [Ronald]); Jeanne Korolewicz-Wayda (Lohengrin - Euch Lüften, die mein Klagen); Marie Delna (Le Prophète - Ah! mon fils!); Virgilio Lazzari (Ernani - Infelice! e tuo credevi); Hipolito Lázaro (Maria La Tempranica - Romanza de Miguel [Torroba]); Magda Spiegel (Rienzi – Gerechter Gott! In seiner Blüthe bleicht mein Leben); Charles Soix (Le petit Grégoire [Botrel]); Theo Beets (La Juive - Rachel, quand du Seigneur); Yvonne Brothier (Manon Lescaut - C’est l’histoire amoureuse (L’Éclat de rire) [Auber]); Vera Schwarz (Der Widerspenstigen Zähmung - Die Kraft versagt [Goetz]); Hjördis Schymberg (Si J’étais Roi - Des souverains du rivage); Herbert Witherspoon (By the Short Cut to the Rosses; Black Sheela of the silver eye [both old airs]; Reinald Werrenrath (Special Holiday Greetings Record, Victor “Personal Record” (mx C-28896-3), recorded 15 Nov., 1923). 2-VRCS-2006. Transfers by Seth B. Winner. $39.90, the Set.

Historical Reissue Classical CDs Classical Music CDs
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March: Featured Classical Music

2007-03-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

The Victor Red Seal Discography, Vol. II
B0117. - (Double-Sided Series, to 1930), by John R. Bolig. Denver, CO, Mainspring Press, 2006. 604pp. Indices; Bibliography; Exhaustive Discography. Includes issues from imported masters that do not appear in previous Victor discographies. Data include ‘master’ and ‘take’ numbers; recording dates; release dates and duration in catalogues; credited and uncredited accompanists; export, club, and cancelled issues; dubbings and reissues in 78 format; and other fine discographic detail (e.g. foreign issue numbers, private issue numbers, etc.). Conveniently arranged by catalogue number, with artist and title indices, and records released as Sets in Album. Newly Published. $75.00

The Victor Red Seal Discography, Vol. I
B0080. - (Single-Sided Series, 1903 - 1925), by John R. Bolig. Denver, CO, Mainspring Press, 2004. 448pp. Indices; Bibliography; Exhaustive Discography; Photos of labels & artists. Includes issues from imported masters that do not appear in previous Victor discographies. Data include ‘master’ and ‘take’ numbers; recording dates; release dates and duration in catalogues; credited and uncredited accompanists; export, club, and cancelled issues; couplings, dubbings, and reissues in 78 format; and other fine discographic detail (e.g. double-sided issue numbers, foreign issue numbers, private issue numbers, etc.). Conveniently arranged by catalogue number, with artist, title, and coupling indices. $75.00

“For anyone with Victor Red Seal single-sided records in his or her collection, or with an interest in the issues in North America of HMV artists or in Europe of Victor artists, this volume is self-recommending…. To say that this first volume of The Victor Red Seal Discography is essential reading seems almost redundant. It’s simply a ‘must-have’ reference for the individual collector, discographer and institutional librarian….setting new standards in discographical research.”

- Barry R. Ashpole, THE RECORD COLLECTOR

The Victor Discography
B0105. - Green, Blue and Purple Labels (1909-1927), by John R. Bolig. Denver, CO, Mainspring Press, 2006. 268pp. Indices; Bibliography; Exhaustive Discography; Photos of labels & artists. Data for all green-label, blue-label and purple-label records, including cancelled issues, export releases, and pressings from imported masters. Complete discographic detail from the Victor and Gramophone Company files and catalogs, carefully checked against the original records. Recording dates and locations; release dates and duration in catalog; master and ‘take’ numbers; corresponding couplings, reissues, and foreign releases; accompanists and conductors, and more. Organization by catalog number, with an introductory history, plus artist and title indices. $55.00

"John Bolig continues to raise the bar, setting new standards in discographical work."
- The Record Collector

Discography of Judaica Recordings
B0108. By Rainer E. Lotz. An annotated 78rpm discography of all sound documents relating to Jewish life in Germany, or in German language, or recorded in Germany, covering Jewish life, humour, music and religion, Zionism, anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust. Bonn, Birgit Lotz Verlag, 2006. 592pp. Hardbound. (in German). Artist index; Brief biographies; Monumental Volume. Newly Published. Edition Limited to 150 copies! For complete listing of contents, please see the listing on our website. Regularly $135.00; during the remainder of March, 2007, reduced to $99.00.

March: Featured Classical Music

2007-03-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

Siegfried
OP1426. Live Performance, 13 Jan., 1962, w.Leinsdorf Cond. Hans Hopf, George London, Paul Kuën, Gottlob Frick, Birgit Nilsson, Jean Madeira, Martina Arroyo, etc. (Slovenia) 3-Melodram GM 5.0064. $39.95, the Set.

“Nilsson’s Brünnhilde is the revelation of the afternoon. Brilliant tone, secure top notes, thrusting energy of phrase – these are the expected elements of any Nilsson portrayal, and they surface in the final joyous phrases of the grand duet. But they are the lesser components of her beautiful conception and execution of the entire scene….with the loveliest, gentlest tone, like a sliver of silver from the most innocent and youthful of maidens. Banished is the warrior from voice and heart….In page after page of the score, the soprano underplays, maintaining a stream of argent tone, tenderly embracing Wagner’s phrases. The ice inherent in Nilsson’s voice has melted – only its purity remains.”

- Paul Jackson, SIGN-OFF FOR THE OLD MET, p.294

Petre Munteanu
V1153. w.Franz Holetschek (Pf.): Die Schöne Müllerin; Schwanengesang
(both Schubert); Dichterliebe; Liederkreis; Myrthen (all Schumann). (Austria) 3-Preiser 89306, recorded 1952 & 1954, Westminster. $49.90, the Set.

“The word that best describes [Munteanu’s] singing is ‘delicacy’. The voice is a leggiero in the best sense of that category. It is a light tenor, suffused with an attractive, flicker vibrato, and capable of melting sweetness of tone. He reminds one of Schipa….This is singing of rare grace and fastidious taste, and always accomplished with charm and a real ‘face’….To represent this aristocrat of a tenor in your collection is precisely what record collecting is all about.”
- Larry Lustig, THE RECORD COLLECTOR, 2004

February: Featured Classical Music

2007-02-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

La Forza Del Destino
OP1407. Live Performance, 23 Sept., 1960, w.Mitropoulos Cond. Vienna Staatsoper Ensemble; Antonietta Stella, Giuseppe di Stefano, Ettore Bastianini, Walter Kreppel, Giulietta Simionato, Karl Dönch, etc. (Austria) 2-Orfeo C 681 0621. $35.90, the Set.

“This production of FORZA was presented to much acclaim during the Karajan era at the Vienna State Opera. Mitropoulos, who had only weeks to live, returned to a work he much loved….With the Vienna State Opera Orchestra in glowing form, the results are very special….Bastianini…presents Don Carlo in all his menacing, vengeful fury with that dark-hued, Immensely powerful baritone of his. As his antagonist he has di Stefano as Alvaro in his most eloquent, incisive and appealing form, relishing every word and note….Stella had a brief period when she was fully the equal of Tebaldi and here she is in the middle of it, singing the role as well as, if not better than any soprano on disc. Tebaldi-like in her full, Italianate tone, Caniglia-like in her identification with Leonora’s plight, from start to finish she is magnificent, and she crowns her portrayal with a finely nuanced and felt ‘Pace, pace’ in the final act….In this the performance’s first official appearance, the sound is by and large excellent.”

- Alan Blyth, GRAMOPHONE, Feb., 2007

Il Trovatore
OP1405. Live Performance, 27 Feb., 1960, w.Cleva Cond. Antonietta Stella, Carlo Bergonzi, Giulietta Simionato, Ettore Bastianini, William Wildermann, etc. (Slovenia) 2-Myto 071.342. $33.95, the Set.

“Bergonzi reveals his merits in full fettle. Has anyone in recent memory – exempt Björling – tossed off the serenade with equal aplomb?….The grand recitative preceding ‘Ah sì, ben mio’ recalls Martinelli’s command of line….When Leonora faces Manrico in prison, he blazes out with a brilliance quite startling for one known primarily for his lyrical gift….Simionato’s vivid characterization of the gypsy occupies pride of place….[she] is overwhelming as the gypsy mother….by the time she peals out the final high G of the [‘Stride la vampa’], we know that a voice like hers has not been heard on the Metropolitan stage for years. Thereafter, all is glory….Mention must also be made of William Wildermann, who sings one of the more musical and dramatically astute Ferrandos of broadcast history.”

- Paul Jackson, SIGN-OFF FOR THE OLD MET, pp.370-73

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January: Featured Classical Music

2007-01-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

Götterdämmerung
OP1396. Live Performance, 28 July, 1955, w.Keilberth Cond. Bayreuth Festival Ensemble; Astrid Varnay, Wolfgang Windgassen, Hermann Uhde, Josef Greindl, Gustav Neidlinger, Maria von Ilosvay, Gré Brouwenstijn, Jutta Vulpius, Elisabeth Schärtel, Maria Graf, Georgine von Milinkovic, Mina Bolotine, etc. (England) 4-Testament Stereo SBT4 1393, from Unpublished Decca recording. Outstanding sound! $79.90.

"….a truly experienced ensemble, each member of which plays to the other….ideal capturing of the Bayreuth acoustics and by the superlative playing of the orchestra, stimulated by Keilberth’s astutely dramatic conducting."
- Alan Blyth, GRAMOPHONE, Jan., 2007

Vanessa (Barber)
OP1345. Live Performance, 16 Aug., 1958, Salzburg, w.Mitropoulos Cond. Vienna Staatsoper Ensemble; Eleanor Steber, Rosalind Elias, Ira Malaniuk, Nicolai Gedda, Giorgio Tozzi, etc.; Interview with Samuel Barber. (Austria) 2-Orfeo C 653 621. $35.90, the Set.

“[Given] the stimulus of an audience…and especially the frisson between Dimitri Mitropoulos and the Vienna Philharmonic players, [this] results in a very exciting performance….Sailing through it all is Eleanor Steber in the title-role, a great singer whose name is now too little known among opera lovers.”
- Patrick O’Connor, GRAMOPHONE, Dec., 2006

P.D.Q. Bach in Houston: We Have a Problem!
DVD0255. Featuring Professor Peter Schickele with OrchestraX conducted by Peter Jacoby. This performance showcases P.D.Q. at the nadir of his creative power, including Schleptet in E-flat, Iphigenia in Brooklyn, ‘Unbegun’ Symphony, Fuga Meshuga, Odden und Enden, The
Seasonings, and the inevitable Schickele play-by-play analysis of Beethoven’s Fifth. Acorn Media 8849. $23.90.

“With Victor Borge, Gerald Hoffnung, and now Anna Russell gone, Peter Schickele seems the sole remaining classical music comic….This is a filmed concert in Houston (hence the title) complete with Professor Schickele’s trademark late entrance sliding down a rope, and his lectures on PDQ’s music between each piece. Like Groucho, he sprays the audience with non-stop jokes.”
- Ray Hassard, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, Jan./Feb., 2007

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January: Featured Classical Music CDs

2007-01-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

“[Given] the stimulus of an audience…and especially the frisson between Dimitri Mitropoulos and the Vienna Philharmonic players, [this] results in a very exciting performance….Sailing through it all is Eleanor Steber in the title-role, a great singer whose name is now too little known among opera lovers.”
- Patrick O’Connor, GRAMOPHONE, Dec., 2006

Salomea Kruszelnicka
V1114. The Complete Salomea Kruszelnicka, 1902-28, incl. Songs by Tosti, Quaranta, Oddone, Hahn, Paderewski, Mlynarski, etc.; Arias from Hrabina, Adriana Lecouvreur, Forza, La Wally, Loreley, Madama Butterfly, Mefistofele, Halka, Peer Gynt, Tosca, L’Africaine & Die Walküre; ELENA RUSZKOWSKA: Elena Ruszkowska – Selected Recordings, 1909-21, incl. Nocturne, Op.9, #2 (Chopin, arr. Theresa Tosti); Arias from Stabat Mater, Forza, Ernani, Aïda, La Gioconda,
Tosca & Halka. 2-Marston 52052. Transfers by H. Ward Marston. $35.90, the Set.

“Salomea Kruszelnicka simply has one of the most beautiful dramatic soprano voices on record. The voice has strength and a dusky tone coupled with a mastery of phrasing. She had a remarkable career.”
- Ward Marston, Program Notes
“In all the wide range of recordings of [Tosca’s] music, it seems to me that only Muzio and Callas [and perhaps Lotte Lehmann) have rivaled Ruszkowska’s extraordinarily detailed and beautifully sung performance – like Maria Callas in 1964, she sings the music as though it were by Bellini. Her diction is so crisp and clear in that which one might call the ‘recitative’ sections as to put many of her Italian colleagues to shame….[FORZA’s] ‘La vergine degli angeli’, probably
Ruszkowska’s best-known record, contains an interpolated high note, a radiant B natural at the conclusion. This is another lovely piece of inspired singing, the voice floating on the breath and the light vibrato perfectly even and under control.”
- Michael Aspinall, Program Notes

Discography of Judaica Recordings
B0108. By Rainer E. Lotz. An annotated 78rpm discography of all sound documents relating to Jewish life in Germany, or in German language, or recorded in Germany, covering Jewish life, humour, music and religion, Zionism, anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust. Bonn, Birgit Lotz Verlag, 2006. 592pp. Hardbound. (in German). Artist index; Brief biographies; Monumental Volume. Newly Published. Edition Limited to 150 copies! $135.00

Stefan Askenase
P0364. The Complete 1950s Chopin Recordings, plus Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert & Smetana. (E.U.) 7-DG 477 5742, recorded 1950s. $69.90, the Set.

“DG’s seven-CD tribute to Stefan Askenase is a reminder and a remembrance. You will not find his name among the glitterati who crowd the pages about pianists….Askenase…was one of those rare artists whose playing exuded a unique flavour, something ‘low in tone’ but at its finest marked by an inner warmth and vivacity that’s the opposite of flamboyant or sensational….his Chopin taken essentially by stealth rather than storm….Here is Chopin for connoisseurs and a conversational brio that suggests his kinship with the aristocratic world. Nothing is unduly pressured, and if others are more volatile, Askenase’s way is the epitome of civility….all these performances are refreshingly free from the egotism and brittleness that can so easily affect even the finest Chopin players….How is it possible to stand Chopin’s youthful poetry on its head, transforming it without a hint of narcissism or self-consciousness into something so wistful and elegiac….Allusive and elliptical, his controlled yet nonchalant and patrician artistry lives on long after other more earnest and strenuous playing is eclipsed.”
- Bryce Morrison, GRAMOPHONE, June, 2006

October: Featured Classical Music CDs

2006-10-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Der Fliegende Hollaänder
OP1289, Live Performance, 1955, w.Keilberth Cond. Bayreuth Festival Ensemble; Hermann Uhde, Rudolf Lustig, Ludwig Weber, Josef Traxel, Astrid Varnay, etc. (England) 2-Testament Stereo SBT2 1384, from Decca recording. Outstanding sound! $39.90, the Set.

“This enthralling performance has always been a highly recommended version. Its stereo incarnation was available only briefly on LP….Now Testament has had access to the original stereo tapes and, as in the case of the same year’s Ring now in progress, the sound is truly amazing, allowing us to enjoy the intense, vital performance even more than in the past….Phrase after phrase [from Uhde] etches itself in the mind in this unmissable portrayal. Incredibly Varnay, who was also Brünnhilde in 1955, bings to Senta a tireless dedication and vision to match Uhde’s hero. She fines her large voice down to the more intimate needs of Senta….All [of the cast] seem to be under the spell of the work and the conductor in a reading that now has the stereo sound it so richly deserves.”
- Alan Blyth, GRAMOPHONE, Oct., 2006

Otello
OP1303, Live Performance, 19 Oct., 1955, w.Kubelik Cond. Royal Opera House Ensemble; Ramón Vinay, Gré Brouwenstijn, Otakar Kraus, John Lanigan, Marian Nowakowski, Michael Langdon, etc. 2-Royal Opera House Heritage ROHS001. Slipcase Edition. Specially priced at $19.90, the Set.

“The Kubelik Otello has been the stuff of legends in operatic circles for many years. If anything, the reality is even better than the received history might have led one to expect. Indeed, this recording can easily lay claim to being one of the finest realisations of Verdi’s masterpiece to have been set before the public at any time. The reason for this lies principally in Kubelik’s conducting….The singers throughout perform at the same exalted level….The chorus and orchestra perform as if their lives depend upon it….If future issues in this welcome series can maintain or even approach [this] exalted level…opera-lovers everywhere are in for an extended treat.”
- David Patmore, CLASSIC RECORD COLLECTOR, Autumn, 2006

Lucia Di Lammermoor
OP1302, Live Performance, 26 Feb., 1959, w.Serafin Cond. Royal Opera House Ensemble; Joan Sutherland, João Gibin, John Shaw, Joseph Rouleau, Kenneth MacDonald, etc. 2-Royal Opera House Heritage ROHS002. Slipcase Edition. Specially priced at $19.90, the Set.

“Here [Sutherland] is the primary focus of interest. It is hard to imagine her realisation of Lucia as presented here ever being bettered. Her conception is exceptionally feminine and is delivered with a vocal virtuosity that is simply breathtaking….Throughout the evening, Serafin’s mastery of the…score is fully evident….If future issues in this welcome series can maintain or even approach [this] exalted level…opera-lovers everywhere are in for an extended treat.”
- David Patmore, CLASSIC RECORD COLLECTOR, Autumn, 2006

September: Featured Classical Music Books

2006-09-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Franco Corelli
B0109. Marina Boagno. Corelli – A Man, A Voice (Second edition, Revised & Expanded), Accompanied by Corelli CD. Fort Worth, TX, Baskerville, 2006. 316pp. Index; Bibliography; Videography; Exhaustive Discography; Exhaustive Chronology, 1951-81; Repertoire; Photos; DJ. $39.90

Following Franco Corelli's unfortunate death, this book has been completely re-written, revised, and expanded.

Unrivalled in his time as Caruso was before him, yet unlike his great predecessor, Corelli lived an ascetic life away from the theatre, pushing himself relentlessly to gain complete mastery of his voice, again and again reaching new frontiers of technical virtuosity. Ms. Boagno clears up the mysteries and misunderstandings that arose throughout Corelli's career, revealing much about the man along the way. This book and the record it encloses are a frank celebration of a voice that defined a period of operatic history, a voice that will always be an inspiration to people who love singing or want to sing themselves - and of a man who lived his life for Art, whose example is another important aspect of his legacy. This volume contains a CD with rare live recordings of Corelli. In addition, there are 80 pages of photographs and a chronology and discography.

"His voice, with that beauty and security singing the highest notes has always had a tremendous effect on me… It was such a marvelous thing. And in order to do it, a tenor with a voice so big and powerful, it means that besides having great qualities, he has worked very hard. Therefore, I have the greatest respect for him." - MIRELLA FRENI
“He was fantastic, because in every note that he sang one heard passion and suffering, which are the same thing, because passion is full of suffering… I wish I could have seen Corelli just once on stage. When they say class, that was class. When they say voice, that was a voice." - GRACE BUMBRY

Risë Stevens
B0110. John Pennino. Risë Stevens: A Life in Music, Accompanied by Stevens CD. Fort Worth, TX, Baskerville, 2006. 416pp. Bibliography; Videography; Exhaustive Discography, 1935-64; Exhaustive Chronology, 1923-67; Photos; DJ. $39.90

Risë Stevens was a force of nature on the stage. From her humble beginnings in New York, Stevens' talent, determination and heart helped her rise up to perform on the greatest stages all over the world. Whether she was on the radio, television, the silver screen, or stunning audiences at the Met, her vocal presence was unforgettable. In Carmen, Risë Stevens ascended to the level of legendary performers. Stevens was a star who will always be one of our “great voices.” The author, John Pennino, has taken special care to document her amazing life, struggles and achievements. Included in this volume are 48 pages of photographs, a detailed chronology, discography, and a CD of rare recordings.

"Readers of Risë's biography can be assured that the account they are about to enjoy will be accurate, well-documented, perceptive and entertaining." – Astrid Varnay
"She did not merely step into the part and give a carbon copy of hundreds of Carmens before her. She gave all parts of it her careful consideration." – Jo Mottola

Hans Hotter
B0107. Hans Hotter Memoirs (Translated & Edited by Donald Arthur). Lebanon, NH, University Press of New England, (Northeastern University Press), 2006. 287pp. Index; Discography; Photos; DJ. $34.90

“These are memoirs, and the memories are vivid….When the Nazis came to power, Hotter was in his mid-twenties, a member of the opera company in Prague. A dangerously good mimic, he scored a success at parties with imitations of Hitler….[Hotter] has wise things to say about Wagnerian stage production. Brought up in the old tradition, he welcomed the Wieland revolution. The ‘concept’ producers of more recent times are brushed off with a few sentences of broad, godlike annihilation.”
- John Steane, GRAMOPHONE, Sept., 2006

John Charles Thomas
B0106. Michael J. Maher. John Charles Thomas, Beloved Baritone of American Opera and Popular Music. Jefferson, NC, McFarland & Co., 2006. 224pp. Index; Exhaustive Discography by Charles A. Morgan; Photos; Operatic Chronology at La Monnaie, Brussels, 1925-30; Operatic Chronology in the United States; Radio Chronology; Photos. (softbound) $39.90

“Buoyant, irrepressible and hot-tempered, John Charles Thomas captivated audiences worldwide with his incredible voice….By 1915, Thomas had become a leading performer on Broadway, and ten years later had embarked on a trans-Atlantic career in opera and concerts. At the height of his popularity from 1934 through 1946, he was a popular star of radio, phonographs, and the Metropolitan Opera, a favorite of both popular and classical audiences….This thorough biography details Thomas’ life and career. Beginning with his school days at the Peabody, it traces his Broadway career as the star of Step This Way and Maytime and his highly successful career as concert, recording, and opera star. Appendices provide a discography of his recordings, a list of operatic appearances in Brussels and the United States, and the songs he performed on radio broadcasts from 1934 to 1948.
- McFarland & Company, Publishers

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August: Featured Classical Music CDs

2006-08-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Camilla Wicks

S0223. w.Sixten Ehrling (Pf.): The Complete HMV Recordings, incl. Sarasate-Aguirre, Valle, Benjamin, Bloch, Kabalevsky, Prokofiev, Stravinsky & Shostakovich; w.Ehrling Cond. Stockholm Radio S.O.: Concerto in d (Sibelius); w.Fjeldstad Cond. Oslo Phil.: Violin Concerto (Olav Valen). (England) Biddulph 80218, partially Unpublished. Transfers by H. Ward Marston. $17.90.

Lionel Tertis: The Complete Vocalion Recordings

S0258. incl. Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Handel, Handel-Halvorsen, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Fuchs, Grieg, Brahms, Rubinstein, Tchaikowsky, Dvorák, Godard, Saint-Saëns, Bizet, Thomé, Fauré, Duparc, Leroux, Marais, d’Ambrosio, Kalnins, Rebikoff, Wolstenholme, Kreisler, Tod Boyd, Dunhill, Dale, Mcewen, Ireland, Grainger, Tertis, etc. (England) 4-Biddulph 80219, recorded 1919-24. Transfers by David Hermann. Specially priced at $43.90, the Set.

Carousel of American Music

PE0086. The Fabled 24 September, 1940 San Francisco Concerts, recorded live, incl. Howard Hanson, Richard Hageman, William Grant Still, Edwin McArthur, Albert von Tilzer, Shelton Brooks, Harold Arlen, Ernie Burnett, John Charles Thomas, L. Wolfe Gilbert, Burt Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Walter Donaldson, Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Ann Ronell, W.C. Handy, Arthur Freed, James Monaco, Joseph Howard, Tony Martin,
Harry Armstrong, Harry Warren, James McHugh, Jerome Kern, Sigmund Romberg, Johnny
Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Peter DeRose, Mark Gordon, Jean Schwartz, Albert Hay Malotte, George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, etc. 4-Music & Arts 4971. $49.90, the Set.

"In terms of history, the importance of [the above] collection is practically self-evident. It is always instructive to hear composers interpreting their own music, and concerts like this one just don't occur any more....the classical material - the entire first disc - is treasureable because it is so unusual. Hageman's opera Caponsacchi and Still's ballet La Guibalesse are forgotten today, but the orchestral excerpts whet my appetite for more. Taylor's Circus Day sounds like American Satie, and it contains some pictorial passages that are so funny that prominent members of the audience can't contain themselves. Turning to the popular discs, it is always good to hear John Charles Thomas, and there's an undeniable thrill in hearing George M. Cohan sing 'Give My Regards To Broadway', and Irving Berlin sing 'God Bless America'."
- Raymond Tuttle, FANFARE, July/Aug., 1997

August: Featured Classical Music CDs

2006-08-04T06:59:00.001-07:00

Lucia Danieli
V1048. Arias & Ensembles (w.Stella, Zeani, Parada, Bergonzi, Labò, Catania & Protti) from Aïda, Ballo, Il Trovatore, L’Arlesiana, Samson et Dalila & Eugen Onégin; also includes 1978 interview w.Danieli. (Italy) Clama 52, Live Performances, 1956-67. 76pp. Booklet, w.Biography, Chronology, Discography & Photo. $19.90

Roger Bourdin
V1045. Arias from Don Giovanni, Manon, La Damnation de Faust, Le Roi Malgré lui, La Basoche, Carmen, Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame, Lakmé, Le Bon Roi Dagobert, Don Quichotte, Prince Igor & Tannhäuser. (France) Malibran 628. $19.90

Agostino Ferrin
V1049. Arias & Duets (w.Ilva Ligabue, Leyla Gencer, Margherita Roberti & Cornell Macneil) from Norma, I Puritani, Lucia, Maria Stuarda, Marin Faliero, Ernani, Forza, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto & Nerone. (Italy) Clama 51, Live Performances, 1961-79. 52pp. Booklet, w.Biography, Chronology & Photo. $19.90

The Merry Widow
OP1167. (Die Lustige Witwe) (Lehár), recorded 1906 (primarily Original Viennese cast), w.Mizzi Günther, Franz Werner & Lois Treumann; & 1907 (primarily Original London cast), w.Elizabeth Firth, Robert Evett & Elsie Sinclair; Dance Music from the Operetta, recorded c.1908 & 1922. (England) Palaeophonics 92. Excellently transferred from the legendary Acoustic 78rpm rarities. $19.90

July: Featured Classical Music CDs

2006-06-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

TURANDOT
OP1237. Live Performance, 1972, Barli, w.Annovazzi Cond. Teatro Petruzzelli Ensemble; Marion Lippert, Flaviano Labò, Lydia Marimpietri, Angelo Mercuriali, Antonio Zerbini, Renato Capecchi, etc.; Marion Lippert: Tosca (1971) & Il Trovatore (1973) - Excerpts (both Stuttgart). (Portugal) 2-Gala 100.782. $23.90, the Set.

“The title role of Puccini’s Turandot is one of the most cruel in the soprano repertory. At the Metropolitan Opera it has been sung mostly by Birgit Nilsson, who has made it one of her great roles. All the alternates have been at best adequate. Last night, however, the part was taken by Marion Lippert, a German soprano making her American debut, and the Met seems to have made something of a ‘find’. Although the Munich-born artist has been singing for a dozen years in European houses, her appearance here was not preceded by any special acclaim. In fact, no one seemed to know who she was. Only from the Met personnel, where she had been heard in rehearsal, was there any advance comment that the company might have a ‘sleeper’ in the new soprano. Miss Lippert met all the demands of her vocally taxing score without any trouble. This in itself says a great deal. She has a big voice, one that is clear and warm, and it has no trouble reaching the heights of Turandot’s music. It is securely produced and can be very beautiful when softened….In the third act the voice sounded glorious.”

- Raymond Ericson, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 4 Oct., 1968

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June: Featured Classical Music CDs

2006-06-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

DIE WALKÜRE
OP1222. Live Performance, 1955, w.Keilberth Cond. Bayreuth Festival Ensemble; Ramón Vinay, Hans Hotter, Astrid Varnay, Gré Brouwenstijn, etc. (England) 4-Testament Stereo SBT4 1391, from Unpublished Decca recording. Outstanding sound! $79.90, the Set.

SIEGFRIED
OP1122. Live Performance, 1955, w.Keilberth Cond. Bayreuth Festival Ensemble; Wolfgang Windgassen, Hans Hotter, Astrid Varnay, Paul Kuén, Gustav Neidlinger, Maria von Ilosvay, Josef Greindl, etc. (England) 4-Testament SBT4 1392, from Unpublished Decca recording. Outstanding sound! $79.90, the Set.

"For more than 50 years, the RING recorded by Decca at Bayreuth in 1955 has lain unheard in the company’s archives….Of course, in one form or another, the Bayreuth RING cycles of the 1950s…have been made available on official and unofficial labels over the years, but none of those – with their many merits – has anything like the sound-quality achieved here….No opera house or recording has since rivaled the cast assembled here, not even the Decca set by which time Hotter, Windgassen and Neidlinger were all some 10 years older. In 1955 all three are the peak of their form and – singing live rather than in the studio – are that much more involved and involving."

- Alan Blyth, Gramophone, March, 2006

May: Featured Classical Music CDs

2006-05-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

STEFAN ASKENASE
P0364. The Complete 1950s Chopin Recordings, plus Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert & Smetana. (E.U.) 7-DG 477 5742, recorded 1950s. $69.90, the Set

“DG’s seven-CD tribute to Stefan Askenase is a reminder and a remembrance. You will not find his name among the glitterati who crowd the pages about pianists….Askenase…was one of those rare artists whose playing exuded a unique flavour, something ‘low in tone’ but at its finest marked by an inner warmth and vivacity that’s the opposite of flamboyant or sensational….his Chopin taken essentially by stealth rather than storm….Here is Chopin for connoisseurs and a conversational brio that suggests his kinship with the aristocratic world. Nothing is unduly pressured, and if others are more volatile, Askenase’s way is the epitome of civility….all these performances are refreshingly free from the egotism and brittleness that can so easily affect even the finest Chopin players….How is it possible to stand Chopin’s youthful poetry on its head, transforming it without a hint of narcissism or self-consciousness into something so wistful and elegiac….Allusive and elliptical, his controlled yet nonchalant and patrician artistry lives on long after other more earnest and strenuous playing is eclipsed.” - Bryce Morrison, GRAMOPHONE, June, 2006

April 26: Featured Classical Music CDs

2006-04-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

ARNOLD ROSÉ
S0250. Arnold Rosé – First Violin of Vienna, incl. Bach, Nardini, Simonetti, Wieniawski, Chopin, Popper, Svendsen, Ernst, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Goldmark & Sarasate; Arnold Rosé Cond. Vienna Phil.: Orchestral Suite #3 in D – Air (Bach) & Die Ruinen von Athen – Overture (Beethoven); Rosé Quartet: Cherubini, Boccherini, Mozart & Beethoven. Arbiter 148, recorded 1909-36. $16.90

The Record Of Singing Vol. IV
V0614. (From 1939 to the End of the 78 Era) incl. Geori Boué, Guillamat, Joachim, Kolassi, Dolukhanova, Novikova, Obukhova, Elsie Houston, Bouvier, Gorr, Danco, Robin, Grandi, Elmo, Quartararo, Gatti, de los Angeles, Tebaldi, Rysanek, Schumann, Schwarzkopf, Seefried, Stader, Lail, Steber, Teyte, Ferrier, Traubel, Thebom, Dermota, Gedda, Jobin, Kozlovsky, Lisitsian, Gmyria, Reizen, Nelepp, Vinogradov, Zhadan, Christoff, Natzke, Borg, Gorin, Hotter, Harrell, London, Warren, Bernac, Souzay, Pears, Sönnerstedt Sonnerstedt, Rothmüller Rothmuller, etc.; also featuring bonus tracks (not included in the LP issue) by Leppée Leppee, Scuderi, Beckmann, Juyol, Ferrier & Josef Herrmann. 7-EMI 69741, Slipcase Edition. Out of Print; duly limited quantity! $89.90, the Set

JAMES MELTON
PE0080. Souvenirs – 23 Original Recordings. (England) ASV AJA 5585, recorded 1927-51. $13.90

Mozart Singers of the Past
V1002. incl. Peter Anders, Salvatore Baccaloni, Erna Berger, Augusto Beuf, Lucrezia Bori, Maria Cebotari, Toti dal Monte, Anton Dermota, Willy Domgraf-Fassbaender, Beniamino Gigli, Ria Ginster, Hilde Güden, Luise Helletsgruber, Gerhard Hüsch, Sena Jurinac, Alexander Kipnis, Hilde Konetzni, Miliza Korjus, Erich Kunz, Frida Leider, Tiana Lemnitz, Wilma Lipp, Emmy Loose, Walther Ludwig, Tancredi Pasero, Koloman von Pataky, Julius Patzak, Margherita Perras, Ezio Pinza, Maria Reining, Helge Roswaenge, Bidú Sayão, Arno Schellenberg, Heinrich Schlusnus, Karl Schmitt-Walter, Paul Schöffler, Lotte Schöne, Lotte Lehmann, Elisabeth Schumann, Irmgard Seefried, Ina Souez, Eleanor Steber, Italo Tajo, Richard Tauber, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Wilhelm Tisch, Margarete Teschemacher & Ludwig Weber. (Austria) 3‑Preiser 90690. $49.90, the Set

FAUST (in Bulgarian)
OP1175. Live Performance, 7 March, 1959, Sofia, w.Margaritov Cond. Bulgarian National Opera; Ilija Jossifov, Katja Popova, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Georgi Genov, etc.; Ilija Jossifov, Katja Popova & Georgi Genov: Arias from La Boheme, Eugen Onégin, Manon, Faust, Gianni Schicchi & Tsar’s Bride; Attila – Excerpts (in Bulgarian), w.Ghiaurov, Marinov, Vassilev & Krekorova. (Portugal) 3-Gala 100.625. $23.90, the Set

AÏDA
OP1177. Live Performance, 7 Dec., 1956, w.Votto Cond. La Scala Ensemble; Antonietta Stella, Giuseppe di Stefano, Giulietta Simionato, Giangiacomo Guelfi, etc. (Italy) 2-GOP 66.353. $23.90, the Set

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April: Featured Classical Music CDs

2006-04-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Les Introuvables du Chant Français
V0588. incl. Alda, Ansseau, d’Arkor, Arletty, Balbon, Baldous, Balguerie, Baugé, Bertin, Billot, Boons, Boué, Bourdin, Bourvil, Brancato, Brothier, Calvé, Caron, Cazette, Cernay, Cesbron-Viseur, Charpini, Claudel, Clément, Coiffier, Coline, Couzinou, Cuénod, Dalmorès, David, Delmas, Delna, Deschamps-Jehin, Devriès, Doria, Dranem, Eames, Endrèze, Escalaïs, Favart, Féraldy, Fouché, Franz, Fremstad, Friant, Frozier, Fugère, Gall, Galli-Curci, Garden, Georges, Guilbert, Hahn, Heldy, Hérent, Journet, Kouznetzoff, Lawrence, Leider, Litvinne, Luart, Lubin, Luccioni, Lugo, Maison, Germaine Martinelli, Marquet, Mason, Maurane, Melchissédec, Merguillier, Mertens, Micheau, Micheletti, Morlet, Musy, Narçon, Nespouslous, Noréna, Onégin, Oudart, Panzéra, Pernet, Plançon, Ponzio, Raveau, Regelly, Madeleine & Maurice Renaud, Renaux, Revoil, Ritter-Ciampi, Rogatchewsky, Scaramberg, Sibille, Souzay, Supervia, Teyte, Thill, Tirard, de Trévi, Vallin, van Dyck, Vanni-Marcoux, Vezzani, Villabella, etc. (E.U.) 8-EMI 85828, recorded 1902-48. Slipcase Edition, w.39pp. Brochure offering all sources, recording dates & numerous photos. Final remaining copies! $89.90, the Set.

Les Ténors Français, Vol. II
V1004. incl. Rousselière, Beyle, Devrès, Campagnola, Villabella, Planel, Marcelin, Devriès, Campagnola, Villabella, Planel, Marcelin, Verdière, Régis, Cuénod, Franz, Jouatte, Sardet, Affre, Sens, Nuibo, Hérent, Burdino, Thill, Lapelletrie, Orliac, Rouquetty, Vaguet & Pujol. (France) Malibran 627. $19.90

1873 – Annus Mirabilis
V1005. incl. Adams, von Bary, Blauvelt, Brodersen, Butt, Caruso, Chaliapin, Décléry, de Segurola, Dzerwiecki, Fleischer-Edel, Florence, Goritz, Grisi, Guiraudon, Heinemann, Howard, Jörn, Kirkby-Lunn, Koenen, Kubatova, Kruszelnicka, Lordman, Maclennan, Marignan, Maubourg, Nani, Nezhdanova, Polese, Rappold, Rio, Olitzka, Rüsche-Endorf, Salvaneschi, Slezak, Sutter, Tamara, Tiphaine, Verlet, Witherspoon, Zaccari & Zador. (France) 2-Malibran 629. $39.90, the Set.

OTELLO
OP1165. Live Performance, 3 Dec., 1938, w.Panizza Cond. Maria Caniglia, Giovanni Martinelli, Lawrence Tibbett, Alessio de Paolis, Nicola Moscona, etc. (Italy) 2-GOP 806. Long Out-of-print. $39.95, the Set.

“…almost every phrase comes to take the impress of [Martinelli’s] voice and style. The taut concentration of tone matches the intensity; at every point a close and receptive study of the score has yielded its reward….Walter Legge reported of his singing the role at Covent Garden in 1937 that ‘a thread of pure gold runs through his voice’, and he added that it was ‘unlike any other tenor in the world today’ save possibly the young Jussi Björling, 23 years Martinelli’s junior. At its best, as in the monologue, Martinelli’s Otello remains finest of all….Tibbett’s Iago is superbly caught, the best account of the role on records, not forgetting Gobbi….Like Martinelli, his response to every phrase is specific and vivid; and his voice resonates richly.”

- John Steane, GRAMOPHONE, Feb., 2006

OTELLO (in French)
OP1168. Live Performance, 7 Oct., 1955, w.Sébastian Cond. l’Opéra Ensemble; José Luccioni, Régine Crespin, René Bianco, etc. (France) 2-Malibran 186. $39.90, the Set.

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