Ormandy's career was marked by such versatility! From Penderecki (Utrenja), Bruckner and Piston to all that wonderful Sibelius was a real journey. I think he still does not get the credit his talent deserves.
You might not have to search for long for this recording as SONY the coming Friday (November the 17th, 2023) releases the comprehensive "The Complete Columbia Stereo Recordings"!
@@bbailey7818 Ah, I missed that! My God, with the Columbia Legacy (the 120 cd Mono box...no small print there, though!), now Stereo recordings 1958-63 (88 cd - only six years, Cort), I wonder, what's in store for us untill 1968, when Ormandy and the orchestra went to RCA??!!
YES! This was my imprint recording of the piece and it's amazing!!!! People love to herald Bud Herseth in the opening trumpet passage, but I challenge anyone to beat Gil Johnson! This is an amazing recording in every respect, and easily the equal of the fabled Reiner recording.
Ormandy is my all-time favorite conductor and to pick just one is impossible for me. I'd probably choose one that the critics especially hated. just to be a smartass. Ormandy wasn't perfect, and I don't like everything he recorded. but the standard is very high. In the last RCA years he recorded a lot of pieces that he hadn't before, so the temptation would be to pick one of those. But then some real, perhaps unexpected, surprises of old favorites appeared, such as the Berlioz Symphonie fantastique and the Prokofiev 5th. I love the RCA Pictures at an Exhibition too, but I agree that the Columbia is better.
Yay! This was the first proper classical music album I ever bought, over 50 years ago. I still have that copy, with the cool cover showing smeared paint on an artist’s palette. Of course I bought it because I loved the Emerson, Lake & Palmer version and wanted to hear the real thing.
Love this performance! The opening trumpet (Gilbert Johnson, I believe) is fabulous, and the whole thing just gets better. I originally grabbed a re-issue for George London in Boris Godunov selections, but I listen to the pictures much more often!
Hello Dave. Let's move back to the US in 1958. Ormandy recorded on Columbia whith Philadelphia, Bernstein recorded on Columbia whith New York ,Walter recorded on Columbia whith Los Angeles ( under another name) Szell recorded on Columbia whith Cleveland, Reiner recorded on RCA whith Chicago and Münch recorded on RCA whith Boston. Has there ever been such a team working simultaneosly? My question to you now is, which of these artist sold most records and why? How was recordings distrubuted back then? I suppose Ormandy sold most. Maybe every second classical record sold was whith him conducting? Explain to me how it come to be in that way please. Best wishes Fred from Kristianstad. 😊
God bless you Dave ! And God bless even more these super sincere and intelligent listeners and there cogent commentary eschewing the nonsense of fatuous critics and their even more fatuous critiques
Great choice! Three great artists rolled into one performance. There's the Ormandy Conducts Ravel box set that caught my eye recently. One really can't have enough of those two 🙂
I understand the attraction of the Ravel version, but I do wish Ormandy was re-done the Lucien Cailliet version that he commissioned. Seems like once the Ravel was generally available all of the versions were swept under the rug and undeservedly so. Maybe YNS should do it in homage of Cailliet's contributions to the orchestra.
After the teaser of Kubrick's 2001, I went to the record store straightaway and bought the only copy of Also Sprach Zarathustra that they had-Ormandy's. And it was a favorite of mine for years. There were probably better ones, but I was happy with it.
This is ia difficult series. Picking just one representative recording from a great artist with a huge discography, such as Ormandy, is almost impossible. Choices for this series will inevitably be more "personal" than the "if I could choose only one work from composer x" series. In any case Ormandy's Sony "Pictures at an Exhibition" is a worthy choice. I might have chosen one of his Shostakovitch recordings, perhaps Symphony 4 or 15, given Ormandy's keen advocacy for that composer. Now for a suggestion. Why not select a great recording or recording project of a noteworthy ensemble? How about the Emerson String Quartet, a great ensemble that recently called it quits. I've been making my way through the DG Emerson box lately, and am convinced that the Emerson's Bartok cycle, perhaps the best ever, would make a splendid offering to the dark god.
Since the subject of the forthcoming 1958-1963 Ormandy stereo box has been broached, I'd love it if you could give us a sneak preview. I'm wondering if I should pass it up and wait for the one which comes after this which would include the Pictures you're speaking of. Of course in a perfect world I'd get both. Maybe I'm being more careful than previously due to the abundance of box sets that I've not yet listened to. Any words of wisdom you have on this Dave would be most appreciated.
Got it: 1958-1963...I bought it quickly, not noticing the small print "1958-1963" ... I had hoped it would be something more like the COMPLETE George Szell box, or something like that! I guess they are going to eke out little bits at a time! Oh well, with lots of busy concertizing happening, I haven't been able to open the box. However, it's pretty impressive Ormandy & his Philadelphians cranked out 88 CDs worth every(?!!!) five years. I'll leave it up to our expert Dave to comment on the recordings -- I'm not in his league! Looking forward to his review!@@tcluster1217
Ormandy's career was marked by such versatility! From Penderecki (Utrenja), Bruckner and Piston to all that wonderful Sibelius was a real journey. I think he still does not get the credit his talent deserves.
Thank you
The Mahler Tenth from 1965. Not too distended, he gets so much so right, so well.
Coincidentally the second Mahler symphony recording I heard (and bought) after No.1.
Yes, that would have been my choice -- along with the Das Lied from around the same time, which was a bonus record included on the first reissue.
I finally listened to Pictures for the first time today because of this video. I loved it. Thank you Dave!
Glad you enjoyed it!
You might not have to search for long for this recording as SONY the coming Friday (November the 17th, 2023) releases the comprehensive "The Complete Columbia Stereo Recordings"!
Complete---but with the fine print "through 1963." They should have called it Volume 1.
How did he do 88 discs in 7 years?
@@bbailey7818 Ah, I missed that! My God, with the Columbia Legacy (the 120 cd Mono box...no small print there, though!), now Stereo recordings 1958-63 (88 cd - only six years, Cort), I wonder, what's in store for us untill 1968, when Ormandy and the orchestra went to RCA??!!
YES! This was my imprint recording of the piece and it's amazing!!!! People love to herald Bud Herseth in the opening trumpet passage, but I challenge anyone to beat Gil Johnson! This is an amazing recording in every respect, and easily the equal of the fabled Reiner recording.
Ormandy is my all-time favorite conductor and to pick just one is impossible for me. I'd probably choose one that the critics especially hated. just to be a smartass. Ormandy wasn't perfect, and I don't like everything he recorded. but the standard is very high. In the last RCA years he recorded a lot of pieces that he hadn't before, so the temptation would be to pick one of those. But then some real, perhaps unexpected, surprises of old favorites appeared, such as the Berlioz Symphonie fantastique and the Prokofiev 5th. I love the RCA Pictures at an Exhibition too, but I agree that the Columbia is better.
Yay! This was the first proper classical music album I ever bought, over 50 years ago. I still have that copy, with the cool cover showing smeared paint on an artist’s palette. Of course I bought it because I loved the Emerson, Lake & Palmer version and wanted to hear the real thing.
The good old days when a tab of acid & a record would win the day.
If people want to find this performance, the Original Jacket collection has it at tracks 15-27.
Love this performance! The opening trumpet (Gilbert Johnson, I believe) is fabulous, and the whole thing just gets better. I originally grabbed a re-issue for George London in Boris Godunov selections, but I listen to the pictures much more often!
Hello Dave.
Let's move back to the US in 1958.
Ormandy recorded on Columbia whith Philadelphia, Bernstein recorded on Columbia whith New York ,Walter recorded on Columbia whith Los Angeles ( under another name) Szell recorded on Columbia whith Cleveland,
Reiner recorded on RCA whith Chicago and Münch recorded on RCA whith Boston. Has there ever been such a team working simultaneosly? My question to you now is, which of these artist sold most records and why? How was recordings distrubuted back then? I suppose Ormandy sold most. Maybe every second classical record sold was whith him conducting? Explain to me how it come to be in that way please.
Best wishes Fred from Kristianstad. 😊
An impressive palette, really. And do not forget Antal Doráti in Minneapolis and Paul Paray in Detroit. Both made many great recordings for Mercury.
God bless you Dave ! And God bless even more these super sincere and intelligent listeners and there cogent commentary eschewing the nonsense of fatuous critics and their even more fatuous critiques
Thanks for the great suggestion!
I have been through 4 copies of his Tchaikovsky 'Pathetique' Symphony.
Great choice! Three great artists rolled into one performance. There's the Ormandy Conducts Ravel box set that caught my eye recently. One really can't have enough of those two 🙂
I love his Lt. Kije and Hari Janos on RCA
Dave, what about his Saint Saens Organ symphony with Philadelphia?
See reviews at ClassicsToday.com.
Barenboim>Ormandy>Munch
I understand the attraction of the Ravel version, but I do wish Ormandy was re-done the Lucien Cailliet version that he commissioned. Seems like once the Ravel was generally available all of the versions were swept under the rug and undeservedly so. Maybe YNS should do it in homage of Cailliet's contributions to the orchestra.
Wikipedia claims Ormandy recorded the Cailliet arrangement in 1937. Unfortunately the Ormandy mono box begins in 1944.
Just found one copy left from a Amazon seller...........might be the only copy in the world.......lol
After the teaser of Kubrick's 2001, I went to the record store straightaway and bought the only copy of Also Sprach Zarathustra that they had-Ormandy's. And it was a favorite of mine for years. There were probably better ones, but I was happy with it.
I wish Kubrick had used it ("Sunrise ") in 2001 instead of the Karajan.
That's in my top five, but I think number one would be his 50s mono Sibelius 4th.
Available on Amazon from Japan
and, if one day we have ´1 recording by Slatkin´, it also must be his Mussorgsky Night bald mountain😂
This was a tough choice but a good one. I'm waiting on the next big box. I guess this will be in the next one.
Hopefully!
This recording was released in 1968 and so it will unfortunately not appear in the box which is coming in November 2023.
Would that be the 1968 360 Sound stereo Columbia Masterworks recording on vinyl?
I believe it is also in "The Original Jacket Collection" box. Is that correct?
This is ia difficult series. Picking just one representative recording from a great artist with a huge discography, such as Ormandy, is almost impossible. Choices for this series will inevitably be more "personal" than the "if I could choose only one work from composer x" series. In any case Ormandy's Sony "Pictures at an Exhibition" is a worthy choice. I might have chosen one of his Shostakovitch recordings, perhaps Symphony 4 or 15, given Ormandy's keen advocacy for that composer. Now for a suggestion. Why not select a great recording or recording project of a noteworthy ensemble? How about the Emerson String Quartet, a great ensemble that recently called it quits. I've been making my way through the DG Emerson box lately, and am convinced that the Emerson's Bartok cycle, perhaps the best ever, would make a splendid offering to the dark god.
I'll be doing ensembles too.
unrelated to the video, but could you do a review of elliot leung's the metaverse symphony on sony with salonga and the hk phil?
Interesting, composer of film music. Can't see why he wouldn't write a decent symphony. You might have to just spend your money and trust to luck!
simple question : which of his stereo recordings are sonically better ? CBS/Sony are RCA ?
It depends on the work.
Will this be in that BIG Ormandy box being released on the 17th of this month by Columbia?
No, it came later.
Since the subject of the forthcoming 1958-1963 Ormandy stereo box has been broached, I'd love it if you could give us a sneak preview. I'm wondering if I should pass it up and wait for the one which comes after this which would include the Pictures you're speaking of. Of course in a perfect world I'd get both. Maybe I'm being more careful than previously due to the abundance of box sets that I've not yet listened to. Any words of wisdom you have on this Dave would be most appreciated.
Got it: 1958-1963...I bought it quickly, not noticing the small print "1958-1963" ... I had hoped it would be something more like the COMPLETE George Szell box, or something like that! I guess they are going to eke out little bits at a time! Oh well, with lots of busy concertizing happening, I haven't been able to open the box. However, it's pretty impressive Ormandy & his Philadelphians cranked out 88 CDs worth every(?!!!) five years. I'll leave it up to our expert Dave to comment on the recordings -- I'm not in his league! Looking forward to his review!@@tcluster1217