The most celebrated Met broadcast of Bodanzky’s TRISTAN - the second 1938 performance . . . Yves St Laurent presents BERNSTEIN in Paris . . .

The most celebrated Met broadcast of

Bodanzky’s TRISTAN - the second 1938 performance . . .

Yves St Laurent presents BERNSTEIN in Paris . . .

NIKISCH in Berlin & London . . .

MARCELLE MEYER, Vol. 9 . . .

and the ‘sale’ titles continue . . .

TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, Live Performance, 16 April, 1938, (replete with Milton Cross' commentary), w.Bodanzky Cond. Met Opera Ensemble; Kirsten Flagstad, Lauritz Melchior, Karin Branzell, Julius Huehn, Emanuel List, etc.; KIRSTEN FLAGSTAD: BBC's 1992 'Vintage Years' Tribute to Kirsten Flagstad - singing Brahms, Grieg, and Wagner. (Canada) 3-Immortal Performances IPCD 1151. Notes by Dewey Faulkner & Richard Caniell. Transfers by Richard Caniell. Elaborate Edition features numerous lovely photos & 52pp. booklet. (OP3440)

Critic Review

“Although no recording company got around to making a studio-produced TRISTAN UND ISOLDE with the dream pair of Lauritz Melchior and Kirsten Flagstad, at least eight live performances with both of them have been preserved, many on the Immortal Performances label. This particular Met broadcast from 1938 was issued by Sony in their ‘Wagner at the Met’ box set. I was surprised that Immortal Performances decided to tackle it, but the reason became crystal clear when I compared the new set with Sony’s product. The Sony sounds constricted and harsh, with very compressed dynamics, all being problems I had assumed were the fault of the original source. What producer Richard Caniell has done with the same material proves that there was much more in it than Sony uncovered.

If you are a collector of historical Wagner performances who would be satisfied to own only one of the eight live recordings mentioned above, then the clear choice is Immortal Performances’ version of a 1937 Covent Garden performance conducted by Thomas Beecham [OP2966]. The sound from the source is far superior to all others, largely because it was intended for commercial release and professionally engineered by EMI. You can read details of the convoluted history of that recording in my review in FANFARE 38:2. If you are (as I admit to being) a more obsessed collector, there are reasons to justify adding this new set to your collection.

In his insightful booklet notes Dewey Faulkner observes that in 1938 Flagstad’s Isolde was a stronger characterization than it had been before, and what it was to become afterward. Her portrayal of Isolde’s ecstasy, her outbursts of anger, and above all the tenderness of her singing in the love duet, all exceed even Flagstad’s already high standards.

The difference is apparent from Isolde’s first entry, and it remains present all the way to the Liebestod. The scene referred to as Isolde’s Narrative and Curse in Act I is shattering in its impact. The heart of the opera is the Liebesnacht, the long love duet that makes up the central portion of Act 2. It was always a highlight of a Melchior - Flagstad performance but is even more special here. Both singers shade the music with exquisite subtlety, matching dynamics and inflections perfectly. One imagines that this is the way Wagner heard the scene in his head as he wrote it. Where Flagstad’s rich voice has always seemed perfectly sufficient, here she adds considerable shading and softening.

The effect is to turn a great singer into a great Isolde. In none of the other recordings do she and Melchior blend so well, and so completely convey the otherworldly sense of reverie that envelops the two lovers. Flagstad seems more willing to soften her tone to blend with Melchior’s. Throughout the performance she observes details of inflection and color that she previously tended to gloss over. The stunning hushed pianissimo just prior to the Liebestod is one example that is easy to point to. The Liebestod itself is more rapt, with phrases lingered over in a manner quite unlike Flagstad’s other performances. This performance, more than any other from her, portrays Isolde ‘s fragility as well as the character’s strength and dignity.

Melchior, already known as a splendid Tristan, seems to have felt that this was a special occasion. In his long, difficult Third Act he outdoes himself. It is shameful that conductor Artur Bodanzky made significant cuts in this Act. Melchior ranges from hushed and thinned tone to portray the dying Tristan to the hysterical ripping off of his bandages, and then to the glow in the tone when Isolde appears. He does this all with his uniquely beautiful voice along with musicianship and acting skills for which he often does not receive sufficient credit. The simple fact is that when we are discussing Wagnerian Heldentenors of the 20th century, there is Lauritz Melchior, and then there is everyone else. What is particularly astonishing about this Saturday afternoon broadcast is that he had sung Parsifal the evening before!

Karin Branzell is a rich-voiced Brangane, also displaying considerable dramatic skills in her scenes with Isolde. ‘Einsam wachen’ is as beautifully sung as I’ve ever heard it. Emanuel List’s King Marke is also very fine. Alexander Kipnis in future years would find greater subtlety in the role, but List is persuasive in depicting both Marke’s anger and his disappointment in Tristan’s betrayal. As Kurwenal, Julius Huehn is not at the level of the other principals. He is by no means bad, but neither is he much more than adequate. The voice is an ordinary one, and his dramatic gestures are generic.

Bodanzky’s conducting, apart from his regrettable cuts, is quite fine. From the hushed strings that open the Prelude to the dying chord at the end of the opera, he brings the right balance of tenderness and energy. The orchestral sound may be the most significant gain in Immortal Performances’ transfer over the Sony. The orchestral sonority is so much richer and more colorful that it is difficult to believe that a major international label like Sony, with all the resources available to it, could take the same broadcast and come up with something so inferior to what was possible. We hear instrumental textures and details in the Immortal Performances Edition that I, for one, had no idea were present.

As a bonus we get a portion of a BBC program produced in 1992 in tribute to Flagstad. In addition to the commentary there is a song by Grieg and two with viola and piano by Brahms, as well as the Liebestod from Flagstad’s very first Met broadcast in 1935. As is the norm with this label, the 52-page booklet is a model of how to present historical material. Besides Faulkner’s very fine detailed analysis of the performance there are informative recording notes by Caniell, a detailed plot synopsis, and lovely historical photos.

I began this review by positioning this new release as something you might consider as a supplement to the 1937 Covent Garden TRISTAN with Beecham. But I would also say that if great Wagner singing is important to you, this set offers irreplaceable value. The recorded sound is about what you would expect from a 1938 AM-radio broadcast, so it doesn’t approach the level of what EMI’s engineers achieved, which Immortal Performances restored so successfully, for the Covent Garden performance. But I, for one, would not be without both. Immortal Performances has also issued the January 1938 TRISTAN broadcast from the Met (reviewed by me in FANFARE 44:4), with four of the same five principals as here. (The fifth singer is Gertrude Wettergren as Brangane.) That performance is in many ways similar, but of the two, I would state a firm preference for this April broadcast. I slightly prefer Branzell’s Brangane, but more than that, the intensity of the drama here is simply unparalleled.”

- Henry Fogel, FANFARE, Nov. / Dec., 2021

“Immortal Performances (IP) brings us a performance of Wagner’s TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, broadcast from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, on April 16, 1938. This broadcast was previously issued as part of the 2013 Sony Classical 25-disc set, 'Wagner at the Met'. IP’s restoration of the April 16, 1938 TRISTAN is a stunning improvement over the Sony Classical release, and a ‘must’ if you are at all interested in this historic and stupendous performance. Both Melchior and Flagstad are at the height of the powers that made them the greatest Wagnerian heroic tenor and soprano of the 20th century, and perhaps of all time. Not only do Melchior and Flagstad sing with remarkable tonal beauty, power, and stamina, they prove themselves to be arrestingly involved and compelling actors. In his extensive, informative, and engaging liner notes Dewey Faulkner highlights the superior dramatic intensity of Flagstad’s 1938 Met Isoldes (as well as some personal circumstances that may have been contributing factors) in comparison to broadcasts from prior years. I agree that in the 1938 broadcasts, Flagstad portrays Isolde’s conflicting emotions and transformation in a more compelling fashion. Tristan was one of Melchior’s great roles, both vocally and dramatically, and he is in superb form for both 1938 broadcasts. It’s a miracle that these supremely gifted Wagnerians walked the earth at the same time, and that we have numerous recorded documents of their joint performances. Julius Huehn is a vibrant and richly vocalized Kurwenal. Emanuel List brings warmth of tone and sympathetic bearing to his assumption of the role of King Marke. Gertrude Wettergren is a fine Brangane in the January, 1938 broadcast. Karen Branzell’s Brangane is notable for her rich voice (possessing a contralto’s color and depth), and keen involvement in the drama. She and Flagstad make the most out of their Act I and II joint scenes. Artur Bodanzky is a magnificent Wagner conductor, an interpreter with an unerring sense of TRISTAN’s musical/dramatic ebb and flow, and the ability to raise the emotional stakes to fever pitch. Bodanzky’s beguiling flexibility of phrasing and the lovely portamentos he conjures from the strings of the Met Orchestra are treasurable souvenirs of a bygone era. What a shame, then, that Bodanzky made severe cuts to both Act II and III of TRISTAN. Still, what remains is of the highest quality and importance for all interested in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE and the history of Wagner performance.

In his Recording Notes, IP’s Richard Caniell discusses at length his dissatisfaction with the Sony Classical version of the April, 1938 Met TRISTAN, the impetus to undertake IP’s restoration. Had I never heard the IP version, I would have been beholden to the Met and Sony Classical for making the performance available. After all, we are talking about the opportunity to hear Flagstad and Melchior in their primes, and in a live broadcast that took place more than 80 years ago. Under those circumstances it seems ungrateful to expect recorded sound quality that is anything beyond tolerable. And that is about what you get in the Sony Classical version. The acoustic has a metallic quality that becomes more strident and unfocused in louder passages. The voices are audible and recognizable, but they lack the presence and color of IP’s restorations of broadcasts from the same era, much less studio recordings of the time. And a comparison of the 2013 Sony with the new IP version of the April 16, 1938 TRISTAN places the former in the shade. IP’s restoration offers significantly improved warmth and depth, as well as a more natural tonal quality both in the voices and orchestra. The sound is far better equalized throughout, and most certainly in the climactic moments. The beauty of Flagstad and Melchior’s voices shines through in IP’s restoration. Indeed, on this occasion, I was able to relish their gorgeous, technically supported vocalism in hushed passages as much as from any contemporaneous broadcast I’ve heard. The more stentorian moments are impressive, too, perhaps enhanced by the beautiful reproduction of the softer singing. And if pressed to make a choice between the sound of IP’s releases of the January 29 and April 16, 1938 Met TRISTAN broadcasts, I would opt for the latter. It impresses me as offering an acoustic that has greater definition and equalization, one that approaches, if not parallels, studio recordings of the time. Still, both IP restorations offer worthy documents of these legendary broadcasts and are well worth hearing.

As a bonus, IP includes excerpts from an October 5, 1992 BBC radio tribute to Flagstad. In addition to commentary, we hear Flagstad’s 1948 recording of Grieg’s ‘En svane’ (Philharmonia Orchestra, Warwick Braithwaite, cond.), and 1949 rendition of Brahms’ song for voice, viola, and piano, ‘Gestillte Sehnsucht’ (Herbert Downes, viola, Gerald Moore, piano). The BBC broadcast also included a Flagstad studio recording of Isolde’s Liebestod. Richard Caniell substitutes her performance from the March 9, 1935 broadcast, available in its entirety from IP. Flagstad sings radiantly in all three excerpts. In addition to Dewey Faulkner’s notes, the booklet includes Richard Caniell’s beautiful and thorough TRISTAN plot synopsis, Recording Notes, and artist bios.

The IP version of the April, 1938 TRISTAN broadcast retains host Milton Cross’ spoken commentary, not included on the Sony release. In this instance, Immortal Performances does by far the superior job of preserving one of the great moments in Metropolitan Opera broadcast history. Highest recommendation.

5 stars: A stunning restoration of the April 6, 1938 Met Tristan broadcast with Flagstad and Melchior”

- Ken Meltzer, FANFARE, Nov. / Dec., 2021

LEONARD BERNSTEIN Cond. Orchestre National de Monte Carlo: 'Titan' Symphony #1 in D (Mahler); Candide - Overture (Cond. by the Composer); Piano Concerto #17 in G, K.453 (Mozart). (Canada) 2-St Laurent Studio YSL T-1258, Live Performance, 11 Aug., 1962, Palais du prince, Monaco. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1967)

Critic Review

“Bernstein gave a credibility to American musicianship that hadn’t existed before, easing our sense of inferiority. He came along and did what seemed impossible: bringing Mahler back to Vienna!

He loved storytelling, and music for him was just a vehicle for telling stories. Often his stories had important morals as well: There was always a lesson to be learned. For me that was a big takeaway. He was so many things: a great conductor, great composer, great pianist. But he was also a TV star, he was a thinker, he was a philosopher, he was a political activist. How many people could wear all of those hats at once? It’s a rare thing.”

-Marin Alsop, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 23 Aug., 2018

“Bernstein was ‘one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history’. He is quite possibly the conductor whose name is best known to the public in general, especially the American public. His fame derived from his long tenure as the music director of the New York Philharmonic, from his conducting of concerts with most of the world's leading orchestras, and from his music for WEST SIDE STORY, as well as CANDIDE, WONDERFUL TOWN, ON THE TOWN and his own MASS. Bernstein was also the first conductor to give numerous television lectures on classical music, starting in 1954 and continuing until his death. In addition, he was a skilled pianist, often conducting piano concertos from the keyboard.

In 1960 Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic held a Mahler Festival to mark the centenary of the composer's birth. Bernstein, Walter and Mitropoulos conducted performances. The composer's widow, Alma, attended some of Bernstein's rehearsals. The success of [Bernstein’s Mahler] recordings, along with Bernstein's concert performances and television talks, was an important part of the revival of interest in Mahler in the 1960s, especially in the US.

In 1964 Bernstein conducted Franco Zeffirelli's production of Verdi's FALSTAFF at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1966 he made his debut at the Vienna State Opera conducting Luchino Visconti's production of the same opera with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Falstaff. He returned to the State Opera in 1968 for a production of DER ROSENKAVALIER and in 1970 for Otto Schenk's production of Beethoven's FIDELIO. Sixteen years later, at the State Opera, Bernstein conducted his sequel to TROUBLE IN TAHITI, A QUIET PLACE, with the ORF orchestra."

-Donal Henahan, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 15 Oct., 1990

ARTHUR NIKISCH Cond. Berlin & London Phil.: Nozze - Overture (Mozart); Symphony #5 in c (Beethoven); Rhapsodie hongroise #1 (Liszt); Le Carnaval romaine - Overture (Berlioz); Oberon - Overture (von Weber). (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL 78-1197, recorded 1913-21. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1968)

CRITIC REVIEW

"Arthur Nikisch won prizes for his violin and piano playing, as well as for composition, and later commented that all conductors should learn the violin, both for its own sake and to acquire wrist control. He joined the Vienna Court Orchestra in 1874 and played under composers such as Brahms, Bruckner, Liszt, Verdi and Wagner, as well as major contemporary conductors including Herbeck and Dessoff. Nikisch was also a member of the orchestra which performed Beethoven’s ‘Choral’ Symphony #9 under Wagner’s direction at the laying of the foundation stone for the Bayreuth Festpielhaus.

Nikisch’s conducting career began in 1878, when he became second conductor at the Leipzig Opera. He was to maintain a presence in this city for the rest of his life. He became chief conductor at the opera and was leading major works such as Wagner’s TANNHAUSER and DIE WALKURE. Tchaikovsky wrote thus about Nikisch after a visit to Leipzig: ‘…one only gains a true idea of the perfection to which an orchestra can attain under a talented conductor when one hears the difficult and complicated scores of Wagner played under the direction of so wonderful a master as Herr Nikisch.’ The Russian composer noted that Nikisch obtained his results with a minimum of motion, no superfluous movement, and a small beat. He described Nikisch as ‘...small in stature, a very pale young man with splendid poetical eyes that really must possess mesmeric powers’. The adjectives ‘mesmeric’ and ‘magical’ occurred regularly in contemporary descriptions of his conducting.

As Nikisch’s fame spread he began to conduct outside Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was invited to become chief conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1889; here what were seen as his interpretative excesses, for instance in his performances of the symphonies of Beethoven, provoked enormous debate. Having toured with the orchestra extensively across the USA, he left Boston in 1893 to become chief conductor of the Budapest Opera, and in 1895 he was approached at the same time by two of the major German orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Leipzig Gewandhaus, with the offer of their chief conductorships. He decided to take on both positions, retaining them to the end of his life, also in 1897 taking over from von Bulow (his predecessor in Berlin) the directorship of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, maintaining this too until his death. In addition to this extraordinary raft of permanent commitments, he appeared after his return from America as a guest conductor with the Vienna Philharmonic and Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestras; and also in London, where he established a close relationship with the London Symphony Orchestra following its formation in 1904, conducting it regularly until the outbreak of World War I, including a tour of the USA in 1912. Nikisch also conducted at Covent Garden, including a complete cycle of Wagner’s RING in 1913, and between 1905 and 1906 was director of the Leipzig Opera. As if all this was not enough he was also director of the Leipzig Conservatory, where he taught conducting, and towards the end of his life he toured as the piano accompanist to the singer Elena Gerhardt, with whom he also recorded some lieder. He was married to the singer Amelie Heusner; their son Mitja (1899–1936) was a successful concert pianist.

Nikisch had a most engaging personality, and orchestras held him in high regard. In his memoirs PAGES FROM A MUSICIAN’S LIFE, another master conductor Fritz Busch described how Nikisch achieved this rapport, drawing from his own experience of playing under Nikisch in the orchestra for a performance of DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NURNBERG in Cologne: ‘Ten minutes after the time fixed for the beginning of the rehearsal… a small, very elegantly dressed gentleman came in. He bowed quietly to the nearest horns and greeted them and the other wind players with such charm that when he stepped up on to the conductor’s rostrum the whole orchestra was already on its feet and had broken out into enthusiastic applause… he then said… that it was the dream of his life to conduct this famous orchestra. He said the same thing, from inborn amiability, wherever he appeared as a guest conductor. Noticing an aged viola player… he cried out ‘Schulze, what are you doing here? I had no idea you had landed in this beautiful town! Do you remember how we played the Berg Symphony under Liszt in Magdeburg?’ Schulze did remember and immediately resolved that with this conductor he would use the whole length of his bow instead of playing with only half, as was his custom with the usual conductors.

Nikisch always conducted from memory, and had an exceptional baton technique, which although sparing and without any duplication between right and left hands, was always extremely clear and highly nuanced. Sir Adrian Boult, who was greatly influenced by Nikisch, recalled hearing him conduct ‘…the most thrilling performance of the Brahms c minor Symphony I have ever heard’, and noted that ‘…Nikisch’s hand had never been raised higher than the level of his face throughout the whole movement.’ Despite his economical baton technique, Nikisch was a spontaneous and improvisatory performer who was most successful in the interpretation of Romantic music in which his virtuoso (the description of Otto Klemperer) control of rhythm, dynamics and balance could be heard to the best effect. He was able to draw from his orchestras rich string tone, which was allied to a flexible sense of tempo. He rarely repeated performances in exactly the same way, and often in performance pursued a different route to that outlined in rehearsal. Nikisch himself was clear about his varying approach to performance: ‘I don’t sit down and think out in advance how I am going to have every note of the composition played… Music is a dead thing without interpretation. We all feel things differently. A metronome can keep a four-square indication, if they like it that way, but never forget that you should make every performance a great improvisation - even though you direct the same work every day of the year.’ His interpretations of the music of composers such as Schumann, Brahms and Wagner were famous: his conducting of the first performance of Bruckner’s Symphony #7 in Vienna at the end of 1884 effectively established this composer’s international reputation, while his direction of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #5 in St Petersburg in 1888 asserted its greatness after a less than wholly successful first performance.

Nikisch was the first conductor to commit a complete symphony to disc: Beethoven’s Symphony #5, which he recorded in 1913 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Despite the inevitably primitive recorded sound, this performance still sounds remarkably compelling. A year later he recorded for HMV with the London Symphony Orchestra the overtures to Mozart’s LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Beethoven’s EGMONT, and Weber’s DER FREISCHUTZ and OBERON, as well as Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #1: he re-recorded this last work with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1920 together with Berlioz’s overture CARNAVAL ROMAIN. Nikisch was arguably the father of one of the major styles of conducting prevalent in the twentieth century, the opposite being that pursued by Toscanini. Several of his followers were prolific recording artists: they included his successor with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwangler, and the English conductors Albert Coates and Sir Adrian Boult. Through their recordings, and those of many others, the artistry of Nikisch may still be glimpsed, albeit fleetingly.”

- David Patmore, Naxos' A–Z of Conductors

MARCELLE MEYER: Scarlatti, Debussy & Chopin; w.Manuel Rosenthal Cond. RTF S.O.: Piano Concerto #3 (Rieti). (Canada) 2-St Laurent Studio YSL 33-1270, recorded 1955-57. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (P1414)

Critic Reviews

“Marcelle Meyer was, without a doubt, one of the most important pianists of the 20th century. She was a woman of tremendous influence. The favourite pianist of Les Six, she is featured as the central figure in a portrait of that group and Jean Cocteau by Jacques-Emile Blanche. She played the private premiere of 'La Valse' with Ravel at the other piano, and worked with Debussy himself on his Preludes and gave the first ever all-Debussy recital. When Stravinsky met her, he said, ‘Ah yes, Ravel spoke to me about you’, and she subsequently performed in the premiere of 'Les Noce', and 'Petroushka', without rehearsal and completely to the composer's satisfaction. Milhaud and Poulenc were among the many other composers who respected her and with whom she performed. Given her involvement in early 20th century piano music and her much admired playing, it seems strange that, to date, no biography has been written about this outstanding woman.

According to her daughter, Meyer never spoke of being a representative of a particular tradition of playing. Nevertheless, she was a direct and profound link to a vitally important period of musical history. Her studies with Ricardo Vines - the preferred pianist of Debussy, Ravel, and De Falla - are most noticeable and profound in her playing. Listening to Vines' own few records, one hears that directness, clear phrasing, and textured voicing that characterize Meyer's performances of French and Spanish music. They both had an approach to timing and voicing that highlights the sensual nature of such works - a delicately teasing pull without distorting the line, a sensual undertone played with disarming directness."

- Mark Ainley

"In her day Marcelle Meyer was the doyenne of French piano. Cortot admired her and she performed Ravel and Couperin. She had a vast repertoire that extended from the Baroque to contemporary composers like Stravinsky and she left a considerable recorded legacy.

If you have never heard her, Meyer's playing was wonderfully elegant and fluid. Her touch was subtle, her phrasing refined and her pedaling gorgeous - and only occasionally more generous than modern tastes tend to allow. There are times when one would wish for more fire and a greater sense of dynamic contrast, but it is hard not to be won over by her intelligent and musical interpretations."

- Ned Ludd

“Rosenthal’s conducting career began in 1934, when he became a percussionist and assistant conductor of the Orchestre National de France, to Desire-Emile Inghelbrecht. Rosenthal's musical career was interrupted by WWII, when he became a prisoner of war in 1940. Upon his liberation in 1944, he returned to the Orchestre National de France to become their principal conductor, a post he would hold until 1947. In his final year with the orchestra he brought them to join Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic in a concert that filled the Harringay Arena with 13,500 listeners. His other later posts included music director of the Seattle Symphony from 1948-1951 and music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Liege from 1964-1967. Rosenthal also served as professor of conducting at the Paris Conservatoire from 1962 to 1974.

Rosenthal composed works in all classical forms, including operas, operettas, ballets, 13 works for orchestra, choral works with orchestra and a capella, works for solo voice and orchestra, chamber music, music for voice and piano, and solo piano music. His reputation was sealed in France with JEANNE d'ARC, first performed in 1936, although this was followed by a production of the light-hearted one-act operetta LA POULE NOIRE of 1937. However, his best-known work as a composer was the 1938 ballet GAITE PARISIENNE, which he arranged based on the music of Jacques Offenbach. The commission by Leonide Massine was originally meant for Roger Desormiere, but for lack of time, Desormiere asked Rosenthal, a friend, to undertake the arrangement. Rosenthal was initially reluctant, but fulfilled the commission. Massine then rejected the score, but after arbitration by Igor Stravinsky, finally accepted the work and choreographed the ballet, which was a major success.”

- Zillah D. Akron

. . . REPEATED . . .

FROM THE RECENT PAST . . .

SOME (MORE) SAMPLES OF ODDS AND ENDS, ‘A REVUE’ (which, as its title suggests, is of a more scrappy order than usual). (Harry Grattan & James W. Tate), Opened 9 June, 1916, running for 273 performances, w.Lee White, Clay Smith, Gene Gerard, Rebla, Barrington, Moxon & Billie Carleton. (England) Palaeophonics 154, w.Elaborate 'The Play' 16pp. Brochure. Excellently transferred from the legendary 78rpm English Columbia 1916 rarities. Dominic Combe's enchanting delight, produced via his enhanced equipment! Again, for this production he had access to fabulous archival material and superb original 78s with which to work! [Among Dominic Combe's most delightfully charming releases!] (PE0362)

PRINCESS CHARMING (Arthur Wimperis and Lauri Wylie; music by Albert Szirmai), w.William H. Berry, Winnie Melville, John Clarke, Gerald Nodin, Alice Delysia, etc. (England) Palaeophonics 170, w.Elaborate 'The Play' 23pp. Brochure. Excellently transferred from the legendary early electrical 78rpm English Columbia & HMV rarities. Dominic Combe's enchanting delight, produced via his enhanced equipment! Again, for this production he had access to fabulous archival material and superb original 78s with which to work! (PE0359)

BOOKS ON SALE

“Books have become our lonely stepchildren! By spending so many hours constantly revising our thousands of CDs we realize we have paid scant attention to our BOOKS ON SALE, thus many have been added (with more appearing), accompanied by greatly reduced prices! Have a glance at our SALE section - for BOOKS!

[many sealed copies of

numerous out-of-print additions:

The Record Collector, Naxos, VRCS, Issues of

Symposium's Harold Wayne series,

Romophone, GOP &

many Met Opera broadcasts &

operas from Moscow's Aquarius, plus

numerous lesser-known operas have been added

throughout our listings, in appropriate categories. .

out-of-print books [many biographies,

Record Catalogue-Discographies . . .

numerous CDs are added each week] . . .

Once again . . .

Welcome to our new bookshop & list of Original Cast LPs, www.norpete.com where you will see a vast array of excellent, used out-of-print books. You're sure to find many books of interest which may have long eluded you, so now is your opportunity to fill in missing gaps. Our online bookshop includes composer and performer autobiographies and biographies. Soon we will include musical criticism, theory and history, plus histories of symphony orchestras, opera houses and festivals. In addition, we shall offer quite an array of vocal scores, many of which are most rare and unusual.

Take a look at our exciting array of Broadway & Off-Broadway Original Cast and London Original Cast LPs, all in superb condition.

We carry splendid CD offerings from Yves St Laurent, VRCS, The Record Collector, Marston, Palaeophonics, Immortal Performances (Canada), Malibran, Aquarius, Truesound Transfers, Walhall, Bongiovanni, Clama and many other labels.

As always, please contact us with any special requests.

Please remember that we can take your order over the telephone from 10:00am to 6:00pm (EST), thereby providing you with the most current status of your order. Should you order by email or shopping cart and do not receive a timely acknowledgement of your order, please telephone.