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Carl Davis Conducts Walton
Carl Davis and William WaltonHere is a tribute to the late composer-conductor Carl Davis in the form of his 1986 LP devoted to the music of William Walton. Davis is known primarily for his film music...
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Gordon MacRae in 'New Moon' and 'Vagabond King'
A few years ago I posted two LPs worth of highlights from four operettas, all made in the early 1950s and featuring baritone Gordon MacRae. Over the next few posts I'll complete the set, with two more...
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Solomon Plays Tchaikovsky and Chopin
The pianist Solomon made many great records - a number of which have appeared on this blog recently. But none, to my ears, are quite as dazzling as his 1949 version of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No....
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Rodgers and Hart's 'Too Many Girls' - the Early Recordings
For this latest in a series of early recordings from 1930s and 40s musicals, we return to Rodgers and Hart from Cole Porter. The subject is the pair's 1939-40 success Too Many Girls, a typically...
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Brahms from the New York Quartet
Alexander Schneider, Mieczysław Horszowski, Frank Miller and Milton KatimsThe New York Quartet, comprising four of the outstanding instrumentalists of their time, recorded two of Brahms' three Piano...
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Brahms with the New Friends of Music Quartet
My last post featured the two Brahms piano quartets recorded by the New York Quartet, No. 1 and 3. For whatever reason, that ensemble did not record the second quartet, so I looked around for a...
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Gordon MacRae in Victor Herbert Operettas - Plus a Bonus LP
My posts of pop operettas starring Gordon MacRae have been surprisingly popular. (They are The New Moon and Vagabond King, Student Prince and Merry Widow, and Desert Song and Roberta). So let's...
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Boult and Jochum Conduct Brahms
Two Johannes Brahms symphonies today, with similar approaches although from different conductors and eras. First we have a follow-up to a recent post of Brahms'Symphony No. 2, as led by Sir Adrian...
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Tammy Grimes - the Early Recordings
Actor-singer Tammy Grimes was something of an entertainment world phenomenon in the 1960s. She was a Noël Coward protege, won Tonys, made records, and was ever-present on American television.Critics...
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Barber's Complete 1950 Decca-London Recordings, and More
The UK Decca company invited American composer Samuel Barber to London in 1950 for three day-long sessions in which he recorded some of his major works. Previously on this blog, we've heard the ballet...
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Songs from (or Cut from) 'Out of This World'
Previously in this series about the musical stage, we've tried to reconstruct original cast recordings where there were none. For this post, we'll look at a show where a cast LP exists, by exploring...
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First Recordings: the Berg and Schönberg Violin Concertos, and More
Two of the most notable 20th century violin concertos were commissioned by the same instrumentalist, Louis Krasner, within a year or two of one another, during his relatively brief period as a soloist...
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Tammy Grimes - the Columbia LPs
When we last heard from Tammy Grimes, it was 1959 and she was presenting a new cabaret act at Julius Monk's Downstairs at the Upstairs in New York. Her appearances caused at least a mild sensation,...
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Solomon - Mozart Concertos and Sonatas
We have heard a great deal from Solomon in recent months, and for good reason - he was an exceptional pianist who played the classical and Romantic repertoire superbly.Today we look into his 1952-55...
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Lee Wiley's Two Rodgers and Hart Albums
Lee Wiley sings with Eddie Condon, guitar, Cozy Cole, drums, Sid Weiss, bass, Jess Stacy, piano, 1943Everything about vocalist Lee Wiley (1908-75) was distinctive - her singing style, her looks, her...
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The Legendary Live Berg Concerto, 1936
Alban Berg and Anton WebernNot long ago I wrote about the first commercial recording of the Violin Concerto by Alban Berg, written shortly before his death in 1935. The soloist was Louis Krasner, who...
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Les Brown - Six Navy Shows from 1953
Here from the original 16-inch transcription discs are six episodes of The Les Brown Show, which the bandleader produced for US Navy recruiting purposes in 1953.The 15-minute programs each include four...
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Two Symphonies by Michael Haydn, Plus a Thanksgiving Bonus
Two features for you today. The first is a set of two delightful symphonies by Joseph Haydn's younger brother, Michael. Added to it is one of David Federman's always welcome compilations - this one is...
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Dick and Kiz Harp
Dick and Kiz Harp were a charming act who built an enthusiastic following in Dallas in the late 1950s. To a degree they were inspired by Jackie and Roy - the lead singer was Kiz; the pianist and...
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Blogger adamantly refuses to let me post comments on my own blog, despite me following every arcane instruction on the web (e.g., allowing third-party cookies, clearing the cache). So for the time...
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