I've been belatedly getting into the Christmas in July spirit, inspired by my friend Ernie's ongoing celebration. My contribution is to revisit two Nutcracker suites from long ago. Plus we have many new limited-time uploads through the generosity of reader 8H Haggis.The Nutcracker Suite No. 1 (Op. 71a) is from a 1939 recording by the Chicago Symphony conducted by Frederick Stock, transferred from a 78 album. The Suite No. 2 (Op. 71b) comes from a 1946 recording by the Boston Pops and Arthur Fiedler, dubbed from a 45 set. Both are excellent, and in good sound for the time, now repitched and remastered from my 2010 transfers. Find them here.
Meanwhile, Santa 8H Haggis, confused about the holiday, has been busy planting Easter eggs in the comment sections of various old posts. I have not heard even half of these, but I can tell you that his work is sterling on those I have auditioned.
Once again, you must look in the comments section to each post, scroll down for his contribution and his amusing commentary. These are limited-time uploads - the links will expire in a month or less.
Chopin - Les Sylphides, Delibes - La Source, in excellent performances from the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra and Peter Maag - LINK
Tchaikovsky - Manfred Symphony, an outstanding record from the Philharmonia and Paul Kletzki - LINK
Two great serenades - Brahms' Second, led by Vaclav Smetacek, and Dvorak's Serenade in D Minor, under Martin Turnovsky - LINK
A real rarity, Bruno Walter conducting the NBC Symphony in Daniel Gregory Mason's Suite After English Folksongs, from a 1939 broadcast - LINK
Khachaturian's Symphonies No. 1 and 2 in historic Soviet performances led by Alexander Gauk - LINK
Three venerable recordings of the so-called "Corelli Suite for Strings" - the Pinelli arrangement as done by Ormandy and Koussevitzky, and the Arbos version from the most interesting Hans Kindler - LINK
Bizet's Symphony in C and the Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite, with the Bamberg Symphony led by the underrated Fritz Lehmann - LINK
Schubert symphonies - No. 2 and 6 led by Marcel Couraud, and the so-called Gastein (a Joachim arrangement of the Grand Duo sonata), conducted by Felix Prohaska - LINK
Russell Bennett's suite from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and a suite from Tchaikovsky's opera Queen of Spades as arranged and conducted by blog favorite Andre Kostelanetz - LINK
Nielsen and Sibelius pieces conducted by John Hollingsworth and Arthur Winograd - Sibelius' Rakastava, Canzonetta and Romance In C; Nielsen's Little Suite and Dance Of The Cockerels from the opera Maskarade - LINK
Music inspired by Shakespeare from the Prague Symphony and Vaclav Smetacek, including a transcription for orchestra by Otakar Jeremias of Smetana's Macbeth and the Witches - LINK
Soviet composers Meytuss (Dnieper Power Station) and Mossolov (Iron Foundry), in powerful vintage performances - LINK
Edward Van Beinum leading the Elgar Wand of Youth Suites, and Sir Adrian Boult conducting Moeran's wonderful Symphony in G minor - LINK
The Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia and Anshel Brusilow return with Haydn's 60th and Cherubini's Symphony in D - LINK
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and American in Paris from the Vienna Symphony and Dean Dixon, with pianist Vivian Rivkin - LINK
Bloch's Concerto Grosso No. 1, Mozart's 34th Symphony, Brahms' 1st, and Tchaikovsky's 4th and 6th in the legendary Chicago Symphony recordings under Rafael Kubelik - LINK
And a large number of Antal Dorati performances: the Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty Suite, Romeo and Juliet and Symphony No. 5, Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Overtures, Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, Schubert's 8th, Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess Suite and An American in Paris - LINK
Thanks again to 8H Haggis!