by Peter Cates Beethoven Pastoral Symphony and Leonore Overture No. 3 Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Turin Radio Orchestra of Italy; Urania URN 22.227, CD, from a 1952 broadcast and issued 2002. Wilhelm Furtwangler (1886-1954) was one conductor now considered by more collectors and listeners to classical recordings to be very close to the greatest who […]
by Peter Cates Stan Kenton Stan Kenton Presents Capitol T248, mono lp, 1955 re-issue of original 78 singles and a ten-inch LP from 1950. The great Stan Kenton (1911-1979) recorded a batch of singles in 1950 that highlighted the arranging and compositional skills of such SK loyalists as Shorty Rogers, Bill Russo, Frank Marks and […]
by Peter Cates Morton Gould South of the Border Columbia, m-593, 4 ten-inch 78s, recorded mid-’40s. A very gifted pianist, composer, arranger and conductor, Morton Gould (1913-1996) straddled the worlds of classical and popular music very comfortably in a manner similar to Andre Kostelanetz, conductor and film composer John Williams and the latter’s Boston Pops […]
by Peter Cates Giuseppe Tartini D minor Violin Concerto; Pietro Nardini: E minor Violin Concerto; and Giovanni Battista Viotti Violin Concerto No. 22; Peter Rybar, violinist, with Clemens Dahinden conducting the Winterhur Symphony Orchestra; Westminster XWN 18192, mono LP, recorded 1952. This very antiquated LP contains very lovely examples of 18th century Italian composers, who […]
by Peter Cates Jermaine Jackson Frontiers Motown M7-898R1, LP, recorded 1978. Older brother of Janet, the late Michael and six other siblings and former member of the Jackson 5, Jermaine Jackson has reached a pinnacle of success as singer, songwriter, reality TV star and Jackson family spokesman at the nice young age of 63. The […]
by Peter Cates Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2; Vocalise; Scherzo in D Minor Pavel Kogan conducting the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra; Alto- ALC 1031, CD, recorded 1990. This Symphony would easily make a list of five starter Symphonies for newcomers. It abounds in gorgeous melody, grandly sweeping orchestral passages and a compelling, noble optimism combined with […]
by Peter Cates Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony; Stravinsky: Firebird Suite-Lorin Maazel conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony; Khachaturian: Gayne Ballet Suite excerpts- Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic; Deutsche Grammophon- 413 155-4, 88 minute cassette, from 1960 and 1978 original tapes. The exotic, very listenable and ever popular Scheherazade has received a […]
by Peter Cates Music of Richard Strauss (1864-1949), Maurice Ravel (1874-1937), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791); Elisabeth Soderstrom (1927-2009), soprano, with various conductors and orchestras; BBC Legends – BBCL 4153-2, CD, from 1960, 1971 and 1976 broadcast concerts. Like her compatriot, the great tenor Nicolai Gedda (1925-2017), Swedish-born soprano Elisabeth Soderstrom sang in several languages, […]
by Peter Cates Paul Baumgartner Piano Recital recorded February 17, 1964; Ermitage-ERM 200-2 ADD, CD. Swiss-born Paul Baumgartner (1903-1976) was most definitely below-the-radar, when compared to Rubinstein, Brendel, Ashkenazy or Horowitz, but he was highly revered by connoisseurs of really fine piano recordings. This CD preserves a live concert of the following works – Beethoven’s […]
by Peter Cates Sidney Bechet The Blue Bechet RCA Victor LPV-535, LP reissue of 78 originals, released 1966. To call Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) an ornery cuss would be an understatement. He was COLD – willfully mean, self-centered, and capricious in his cruelty to others. One night, he was drinking tiny glasses of booze, one after […]