Historical

Martin Cotton’s latest round-up unearths some great British gems of the 1950s

October round-up

RVW from America revives some forgotten recordings of the early 1950s, with mixed sonic results. The Concerto for Two Pianos benefits from an expert performance by Whittemore and Lowe – one of the top duos at the time – placed rather too prominently against the Philadelphia Orchestra. In Flos Campi, the recording is distant and lacking in detail, marring another fine performance, especially from violist Francis Tursi and the chorus from Cornell University. They and their conductor Robert Hull feature on the remaining works: the Fantasia on the Old 104th, where John Hunt makes the best of the prolix piano part; and three folk song arrangements. (Albion ALBCD 048 ★★★)

Sound quality isn’t an issue in Early Stereo Recordings – 4, First Hand Records’s latest trawl through EMI’S archives of the 1950s, and the performances are mostly topnotch. Only the final section of Cantelli’s recording of Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe Suite

No. 2 survives in stereo, but

Eugene Goossens, also with the Philharmonia, gives a colourful account of Iberia by Albéniz. The orchestra changes to the RPO for the rest of the disc, and Goossens is again in charge for a controlled build-up in Boléro, although there are a few rough edges in ensemble. Vittorio Gui maximises the charm in Bizet’s Petite Suite and Kletzki whips up the whirling frenzy of Kodály’s Galánta Dances. (First Hand Records FHR 79 ★★★★)

In Gerard Schwarz’s 1987 recording of Schubert’s Ninth Symphony, the New York Chamber Symphony gives lightness to the texture, but the first movement starts sluggishly and the Allegro suffers from unnecessary gear changes, destroying momentum. Despite some sensitive wind playing, that’s also a problem in the overfussy Andante, especially at cadential points, and even in the Scherzo, the energy is too often dissipated by gratuitous tempo fluctuations. The finale is more consistent and has a greater sense of direction, but it’s a case of too little, too late. The fact that Schwarz chooses to take most of the repeats only underlines the overall waywardness. (Master Performers MP 21 03 ★★)

For Sviatoslav Richter, on the other hand, rhythmic freedom was always organic, and related to a sure sense of pulse. Caught Live in Jouques and Zug in the early 1990s, his artistry in Haydn and Mozart leaps out, despite the sometimes uneven recording. Even though all the works are in minor keys, there’s no shortage of variety, with Richter producing a wide range of tone colour. Purists might find it inauthentic, but it’s hard not to be seduced by the sweep of Haydn’s C minor Sonata and F minor Variations, and Mozart’s C minor Fantasia and Sonata convey all the drama of a four-act opera. (Stradivarius STR 37189 ★★★★)

In 1976, the message of authentic Baroque performance hadn’t reached Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman, and the Leclair Sonata which begins their Toronto recital is full of vibrato and dynamic intervention. They’re more in the groove for the Spohr Duet which follows and, despite some technical lapses, the sense of live performance carries them through: similarly in Mozart’s G major Duo (with Zukerman on viola) – the most substantial work in the recital. The two Wieniawski Étude-caprices and Prokofiev’s Sonata also have their rough edges, but are completely idiomatic, and the enthusiastic audience response prompts two encores. I guess you had to be there. (Doremi DHR 8099 ★★★)