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Puccini from the past
Here is some information for reader Geoff Woodcock and his Bohème search (Letters, March). He is probably thinking of a very popular release on Columbia Masterworks of the orchestral La bohème played by Andre Kostelanetz and
His Orchestra. I remember it well and it had me searching for other orchestral arrangements of operas. Kostelanetz followed up with a Madam Butterfly,a Traviata and a Rigoletto. At about the same time – mid-1950s – there was a longer series of similar recordings done for Kapp Records (in the US, London Records in the UK) by the Rome Symphony under
the direction of Domenico Savino. They were not as well recorded, the sound
being somewhat boxy.
Most of the series are still available at reasonable prices, as are some of the Kostelanetz, though it will
take a bit of searching to find them.
Charles Meeds, San Diego,
CA, US
Sergei the Great
Unlike Richard Morrison (April), my music tutor wasn’t at all scathing about Rachmaninov. He simply never mentioned him – the true successors of Tchaikovsky and The Five were Scriabin, Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Why? I can only suggest that in terms of the development of musical composition they offered something completely new, especially in terms of structure, rhythm, language and tonality. Yet Rachmaninov was far from being the only 20th-century composer whose music was arguably rooted in 19th-century Romanticism. Richard Strauss, for example, was the absolute master of the big heart-rending tune. He developed German opera postwagner into a new world of musical and theatrical drama and intimacy and is regarded as probably the greatest 20th-century opera composer. I believe the same is true of Rachmaninov. The popularity today of his symphonies and piano concertos is testament to his mastery of symphonic and concerto form. More than this, his brilliant orchestration, his hugely original thematic development, his use of bold rhythms and the ultimate recall of some of the best tunes ever written are the reasons why his music will remain a mainstay of performance for many years to come.
John Greenway, London
Four in a row
It has been a great pleasure to listen to the two magnificent pieces by Rachmaninov played by the BBC Philharmonic on your April cover CD. As you say, the orchestra has an impressive record with this composer and I can still remember a magnificent performance of the Second Symphony given by Edward Downes. But surely the most remarkable occasion was when the orchestra, conducted by Vassily Sinaisky, performed in one concert all four concertos in order! The pianists were Stephen Hough, Martin Roscoe, Nelson Goerner and Howard Shelley. Overindulgent? Absolutely not, as it showed Rachmaninov to be a great composer in every way. Alan White, Heversham
Well trained
The best example in Dvořák’s music of his love of trains (Compulsively driven, April) is surely the opening of the finale of his ‘New World’ Symphony, which conjures up the thunderous sound of a great steam locomotive stirring into life – a sound that would have been familiar to any of Dvořák’s contemporaries, but is not so often heard today. Roger Musson, Edinburgh
Liverpool first
I hope you will receive a lot of emails from your Liverpool readers infuriated by the