{"product_id":"the-columbia-beethoven-centennial-symphony-series-volume-2-1926-pasc386","title":"The Columbia Beethoven Centennial Symphony Series, Volume 2 (1926) - PASC386","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBEETHOVEN \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSymphony No. 3 'Eroica'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBEETHOVEN \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSymphony No. 4\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e Studio recordings, 1926\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 73:45 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eSir Henry J. Wood • New Queen’s Hall Orchestra\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e Sir Hamilton Harty • Hallé Orchestra \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fA tantalizing glimpse into the musical past - listening to them has been a pleasure. 578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThis is the second in a series of reissues of the\nfirst electrical recordings of Beethoven’s nine symphonies, originally\nissued in honor of the centennial of his death. Oddly, while the first\nfour symphonies were recorded by British conductors, the rest of the\nrecordings were by Felix Weingartner. CD reissues have reached a point\nof such high quality that I think it’s fair to say that \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003emost\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\n78s and LPs have never sounded this good, since digital editing even\nprovides the capability of removing or neutralizing faults in the\noriginals. Of course, consumers have better equipment now than the\npeople of 1927 had, so I’m not surprised, given the skill of the\npractitioners, that old recordings sound so good nowadays. Labels like\nBearac, Haydn House, Klassichaus, Music \u0026amp; Arts (which also issues\nlive performances), Naxos Historical, Pristine Audio, and the late,\nlamented Treasures from the Vault might be compared to craft beers vs.\nthe big national breweries, and really, the big recording companies like\nEMI, Sony, and Universal have to consider the bottom line and the\nreality that many customers are not interested in old recordings and\nperformers they may never have even heard of. Arkiv and Australian\nEloquence also resuscitate old recordings but seldom reach far into the\npast. One striking example before I get to the actual subject. Remember\nRemington Records, one of the original budget labels, which existed from\nabout 1951 to, say, 1956? Ten-inch LPs were originally $1.49 and\n12-inchers, $1.99. Unlike some other budget labels, Remington did not\ndeal in “pirate” recordings—they used real people recording under their\nreal names and if conductors like H. Arthur Brown, George Singer, and\nKurt Wöss were not exactly household words, there were also the\nbetter-known Fritz Busch, Thor Johnson, and Artur Rodziński. Due to some\nproblem I can’t account for, Rodziński’s Beethoven First Symphony, his\nonly recording for the label, was issued as being led by “Conductor X”\nand purchasers were invited to guess who the famous, anonymous conductor\nwas. Thor Johnson actually made a few early stereo recordings for the\ncompany and, by that time, Remington’s LP surfaces, while not exactly\nquiet, did not have the sandpapery noise of its earlier releases, one of\nwhich was a Beethoven Third by Fritz Busch. When I saw that Bearac was\noffering a CD of the Busch (I owned the LP), I couldn’t resist ordering\nit, since I doubted that some guy in the suburbs of Athens had access to\nRemington’s master tapes and I was overcome by curiosity. It proved to\nbe astounding—yes, there was slight surface noise but no worse than 78\ntransfers. I doubt that I will be astounded again and I am not astounded\nat how good these transfers of 1927 78s (actually recorded the year\nbefore) are. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ePerhaps, influenced by the number of 78-rpm sides\nhis recording of the “Eroica” might consume, Henry Wood sets a fast pace\nin the first movement and also in the finale—even the HIP crowd might\napprove, though they might disapprove of his omission of the first\nmovement repeat (he observes all the subsequent ones). According to his\nbrother, Karl, Beethoven himself was concerned that the repeat might\nmake the symphony too long but ultimately decided it was necessary.\nSince Wood’s recording took up 14 sides as it is and, given the price of\n78s back then (about $2.00 here) as compared to average income, I think\nthe decision is easily justifiable—then, again, I don’t especially care\nabout the repeat, anyway. My colleague, Richard A. Kaplan, whose 78s\nwere used for the CD transfer, informed me that, in those days, Columbia\ncouldn’t squeeze as much music on their 78s as Victor could, hence,\nMengelberg’s Victor recording of the piece takes up 14 sides and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eincludes\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nthe repeat. Wood’s performance exudes vigor and nervous energy. The\nsecond movement actually does sound like a march. Despite the speed, the\norchestra executes the fast-moving passages well—was he using a smaller\nstring section? In any event, Wood’s is an energetic, intense\nperformance that, if put in the shade by later, better-recorded ones,\ngave the record-purchasers of the late 1920s no excuse for disliking the\nmusic. Interestingly, the producer, Mark Obert-Thorn, points out that\nthe recording venue is unknown, but it \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003ewasn’t\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nNew Queen’s Hall, which was reserved for HMV! Just for the record, the\nones I used as context references were Klemperer No. 2, Maag, Steinberg,\nWalter No. 2, and Fritz Busch. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eI used to own Hamilton Harty’s Fourth on a budget\nColumbia Entre LP. Here, my context was supplied by Klemperer,\nLeibowitz, Maag, Monteux, and Walter No. 1. The recording sounds as if\none microphone were used; it does have a certain depth—the strings are\nup front, the winds farther back, and the brass in the rear, but some\nsolo wind detail gets nearly buried. A little less resonance in\nManchester’s Free Trade Hall might have helped. You will hear more\nportamento than you’re accustomed to nowadays. He skips the first\nmovement repeat but observes the one in the fourth movement (Leibowitz\nalso makes this choice). I wish his slow movement were more of an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eAdagio\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e;\nfor me, it’s too brisk; on the other hand, the finale zips along at an\nexhilarating pace and is well executed (Leibowitz and Monteux are even a\nshade faster). In 1927, electrical recordings of the symphony obviously\ngot off to a good start, though I think that subsequent 78s by Ormandy,\nToscanini, and Szell received more impactful sound and are at least as\ngood as performances. Then again, who said that these important\ndocuments need to compete with anyone’s subsequent recordings? They give\nus a tantalizing glimpse into the musical past. It’s hard to believe\nthat they are 87 years old and listening to them has been a pleasure. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003eJames Miller \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 37:1 (Sept\/Oct 2013) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC386.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Columbia Beethoven Centennial Symphony Series, Volume 2\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cem class=\"bodymid\"\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eContinuing this groundbreaking Symphonic series, first issued in 1927, in new \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eMark \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eObert-Thorn transfers\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eThis volume is the second of five which will reissue, for the first time in one series, the complete symphony cycle which English Columbia commissioned to commemorate the centennial of Beethoven’s death in 1927. It was a bold move for the label, perennially in the shadow of its larger competitor, HMV, to embark on such a project at a time when no other company had recorded all nine symphonies using the relatively new electrical process. Indeed, HMV and Polydor would not complete their cycles until several years after the centennial had passed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eThe first four symphonies were assigned to British conductors (Henschel, Beecham, Wood and the Northern Irish Harty) while the remainder were given to Weingartner, already generally acknowledged as a Beethoven specialist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eHenry Wood had already set down an abridged acoustic version of the \u003cem\u003eEroica\u003c\/em\u003e for Columbia on six sides in 1922 when he was approached to record it complete for the microphone. The recording locale is not precisely known; I have seen references to both the Scala Theatre and Columbia’s Large Studio in Petty France. We do know, however, that the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra did not record it in Queen’s Hall, which was under exclusive contract to HMV at the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eWood’s approach is surprisingly modern for its time – fleet, unmannered, and with hardly any string portamenti to be heard. Apparently, Wood was originally intended to play a greater role in Columbia’s Beethoven Centennial series. In March of 1927, he recorded two concerti, the \u003cem\u003eEmperor\u003c\/em\u003e with Ignaz Friedman and the Violin Concerto with Albert Sammons; but neither was ever released, and the original matrices were destroyed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eThe Fourth would turn out to be the only Beethoven symphony Harty recorded. His approach here is similar to Wood’s, albeit with a bit more portamenti on display, and he benefitted from the almost-too-ample acoustics of Manchester’s Free Trade Hall. For the final side (the last half of the fourth movement), the engineers must have told Harty that he was running perilously close to the four-minute maximum Columbia was apparently enforcing at the time for twelve-inch matrices, as he speeds up his already energetic reading to an exhilarating conclusion, the Hallé following him with great precision and virtuosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eThe sources for the transfers were American Columbia “Viva-Tonal” pressings for the \u003cem\u003eEroica\u003c\/em\u003e and laminated English Columbias for the Fourth. Pitch fluctuations throughout each side, which were particularly severe in the Fourth Symphony, have been corrected in this transfer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMark Obert-Thorn\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBEETHOVEN\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 55 \"Eroica\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003eRecorded 18 November and 2 and 5 December, 1926 in London\u003cbr\u003e Matrix nos.: WRAX 2212\/16, 2249\/54, and 2262\/64 (all Take 1)\u003cbr\u003e First issued on Columbia L 1868 through 1874 \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNew Queen's Hall Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e Sir Henry J. Wood\u003c\/strong\u003e conductor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBEETHOVEN\u003c\/strong\u003e Symphony No. 4 in B flat, Op. 60\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003eRecorded 26 – 27 November, 1926 in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester\u003cbr\u003e Matrix nos.: WRAX 2233-1, 2234-1, 2235-1, 2236-2, 2237-2, 2238-2, 2239-2, 2240-2, 2241-1 and 2242-2\u003cbr\u003e First issued on Columbia L 1875 through 1879 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Hallé Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e Sir Hamilton Harty \u003c\/strong\u003e conductor\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003eProducer and Audio Restoration Engineer: Mark Obert-Thorn\u003cbr\u003e Additional pitch stabilisation: Andrew Rose\u003cbr\u003e Special thanks to Richard Kaplan for providing source material\u003cbr\u003e Cover artwork based on a photograph of Sir Henry Wood\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nTotal duration: 73:45 \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PASC386.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC386.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Mono 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":55010051064174,"sku":"ips1789305606595","price":8.04,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Mono MP3","offer_id":55010051096942,"sku":"rdn1789305606596","price":6.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0915\/3986\/5966\/files\/the-columbia-beethoven-centennial-symphony-series-volume-2-1926---pasc386_1.jpg?v=1789305613","url":"https:\/\/www.harborviewgoods.shop\/products\/the-columbia-beethoven-centennial-symphony-series-volume-2-1926-pasc386","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}