"Emanuel Feuermann (November 22, 1902 – May 25, 1942) was an internationally celebrated cellist in the first half of the 20th century.

Klengel wrote of Feuermann, "Of all those who have been entrusted to my guardianship, there has never been such a talent...our divinely favoured artist and lovable young man." Heifetz declared that talent like Feuermann's comes once every one hundred years. Indeed, after Feuermann's untimely death it took seven years for Heifetz to collaborate with another cellist, Gregor Piatigorsky.

Artur Rubinstein was equally emphatic: "He became for me the greatest cellist of all times, because I did hear Pablo Casals at his best. He (Casals) had everything in the world, but he never reached the musicianship of Feuermann. And this is a declaration." If one can grade (approximately) music playing into technical, artistic, philosophical and divine levels, in his full maturity, Feuermann had touched on the philosophical level. Given enough time, he might touch on the divine level on playing cello. His untimely death never allowed him to reach there. Both Heifetz and Rubinstein were longtime trio partners with Feuermann. During his first tour of the United States in 1935–36, Feuermann reaped enthusiastic reviews from music critics. After a 1938 Proms performance in London, critic Reid Steward of The Strad wrote "I do not think there can any longer be doubt that Feuermann is the greatest living cellist, Casals alone excepted..."

The honorary pallbearers at his funeral included some of the greatest musicians of the time: pianists Rudolf Serkin and Artur Schnabel, violinists Mischa Elman and Bronisław Huberman, and conductors George Szell, Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini. During the procession Toscanini broke down crying, exclaiming, "This is murder!" In 1954, when asked which cellists he particularly admired, Casals said, "What a great artist Feuermann was! His early death was a great loss to music."" - Wikipedia

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Guido Cantelli, it was widely assumed, would be the conductor to take on the mantle of Toscanini with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The 82-year-old maestro had persuaded the 28-year-old Cantelli to follow him across the Atlantic from Milan to New York in late 1948, and thence to begin giving broadcasts with the orchestra in January 1949.

After the success of the opening concert of 15 January, Cantelli began work on his second programme, whilst writing daily letters to his wife, Iris, back in Italy:

“I must tell you about today’s rehearsal. In the first part I did Romeo and Juliet [Tchaikovsky] and here I really believed I had all eyes on me, even those of the Maestro behind my back. Then I went on to Paganiniana by Casella. At half-past-four I rested and went quickly to the Maestro to hear his impressions about the Tchaikovsky — ‘Good, very good.’ I swear to you, I don’t understand anything any more, because it seemed the opposite to me! Being the first time, I found myself in difficulty at certain moments: tomorrow, I will be more frank…”

Rehearsals continued, with Cantelli simultaneously finding himself in a whirlwind of social engagements – after hearing the young conductor would be dining with Bernstein, Toscanini exclaimed: “let all the conductors of America come, let them come and they will learn something!”

The concert took place without a hitch on 22 January 1949, Cantelli once again giving his immediate impressions in a letter to Iris:

“Here I am, back from the concert. I think everything went well — even the Tchaikovsky! I interpreted it a little in my own way, although in rehearsals, I tried to follow the suggestions of the Maestro. I’ll tell you about this when I return . . . Casella went well, but it could be done better, the lack of rehearsal time prevented me from going deep into it. After Tchaikovsky, the public gave me an ovation which was immense, but this was not enough for me because I was not able to be alone with the Maestro after the concert and don’t yet know his impression...”

The concert was preserved for the archives on discs transcribed during the broadcast, and I was able to work from a fine transfer of a set of these delicate records. There was slight evidence of wear during certain peaks, causing a little high end distortion, but overall the sound quality is fine. As with other broadcasts from the notoriously ‘dead’ acoustic of NBC’s Studio 8H a combination of XR remastering and Ambient Stereo processing has rendered it a far more pleasant listen than might be imagined possible to someone hearing the original discs.

The more recordings led by Artur Rodzinski that I hear, the more apparent his skills become. It was Rodziński who recruited and trained the NBC Symphony Orchestra for Arturo Toscanini, and Rodziński led three of its concerts before Toscanini’s first appearance two weeks after this one, on Christmas Day, 1937. This CD is entitled Artur Rodziński at the NBC: Volume Two.

The all-Russian program is, for the most part, singularly suited to Rodziński’s skills. I say “for the most part” because it does seem to me that the love music from Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet could benefit from more supple phrasing, as well as a warmer sonority. The latter, of course, is partly the fault of NBC’s notoriously dry Studio 8H, though producer Andrew Rose’s XR Ambient Stereo process helps considerably to minimize the problem. Otherwise, this Romeo and Juliet is very exciting and brilliantly played by the orchestra. When the music transforms into the love theme, Rodziński gives us passion but little tenderness. Clearly the musicians are giving their all, and the intensity of the rest of the reading is more than adequate compensation.

It was more common in those days to perform the Suite from Petrushka; today orchestras tend to program the full ballet. Stravinsky’s ballet was only 26 years old when Rodziński programmed the Suite for a national radio audience, and his commitment to the score is evident in every bar. The NBC principals offer some fine solo playing, and ensemble is remarkably tight for a newly formed orchestra in its first season. Rodziński brings wit and a fine ear for balances. Despite the age of this recording and the limitations of the studio, the performance is astonishingly colorful.

Shostakovich’s First Symphony was even newer music; it was completed in 1925. As a student piece it is remarkably self-assured, containing stylist elements that were to remain with the composer throughout his life. One of these was his dry wit, relished by Rodziński here. The symphony’s opening seems to be written with tongue firmly in cheek. The second movement, an energetic Scherzo, continues with more sardonic humor, emphasized by abrupt contrasts of dynamics, color, and tempo. Unexpectantly the music turns dark in the slow movement, marked Lento, and Rodziński underlines the grim mood with carefully graded dynamics and perfectly judged balances. From there we go into a finale that is remarkably complex and confident coming from a 19-year-old. Rodziński was an early supporter of Shostakovich’s music, and his belief in this symphony is evident in a performance that revels in the score’s hairpin contrasts and sudden mood shifts.

Pristine’s transfer includes Milton Cross’s announcements, which brings back fond memories for anyone who goes back far enough to NBC Radio and Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. We owe a continued debt of gratitude to Pristine for the high quality that goes into restoring such invaluable historical material. Simply put, this is a thrilling release.

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A Sea Symphony

Isobel Baillie, soprano

John Cameron, baritone

conducted by Sir Adrian Boult

This is the first volume in Pristine’s project to remaster and reissue all of Adrian Boult’s first Vaughan Williams symphony cycle, mostly recorded between 1952 and 1956 for Decca (the Ninth was recorded in 1958, for Everest). A Sea Symphony came right in the middle; recording sessions started during the last days of 1953 and finished on New Year’s Day 1954 in London’s Kingsway Hall. (If anyone was feeling the effects of too much champagne, the recording doesn’t let on.)

This was the symphony’s first recording, and it remains worth knowing, although it can no longer be an absolute first choice, if only because it is not in stereo. Boult is more lively here than he was on his stereo remake for EMI 15 years later, and I find both Isobel Baillie and John Cameron to be more characterful than their later counterparts, Sheila Armstrong and John Carol Case, although Armstrong (then only 26) has a more conventionally lovely voice. To my ears, Cameron’s voice is more masculine, or at least darker in color, than Case’s, and that makes a difference in this symphony. There is more refinement in the later recording, and an extra layer of polish, but I like the sense of exploration and discovery conveyed by the earlier recording, especially because it complements Walt Whitman’s poetry. At times there is something a bit churchy about the later recording. Other than its stereophonic sound, the only place in which the later recording outclasses this earlier one is in the sprawling final movement, which Boult was able to hold together more convincingly in 1968, despite his somewhat slower tempos.

I have heard this recording four different ways: 1) its original LPs; 2) a cheap Belart CD reissue; 3) as part of Decca’s British Music Collection box containing all of Boult’s earlier symphony cycle (a sticker on the box says “digitally remastered at 96kHz”); 4) and now this Pristine remastering. This new version sounds the best. In fact, it rivals my EMI CD (admittedly from early in the era) even if it is not in stereo. Andrew Rose’s “ambient stereo” remastering adds depth and space to the sound. Listen to the symphony’s opening fanfare, for example, and you will notice that the topmost trumpet note comes out more clearly on Pristine than on Decca. There is a dimensionality in the Pristine remastering that is not present on the Decca CD. For what it’s worth, Rose also includes more tracking points than Decca, in all but the third movement.

I have not heard a recording of this score that I dislike, other than Rozhdestvensky’s, which is a curiosity best left unindulged. Boult 2 and Bryden Thomson (Chandos) are fine stereo versions, and I have a soft spot for Previn’s RCA recording. If you love this symphony, though, you need to acquaint yourself with Boult 1 sooner or later, and Pristine’s new remastering now is the best way to do just that.