One other point worth mentioning about Stokowsi: he was fascinated by the recording process and happy to work with (some say get in the way of) recording engineers, to the point supposedly Victor outfitted his conductor's rostrum with a bunch of knobs that he could twiddle--but that weren't actually connected to anything. Be that as it may, when Bell Labs/Western Electric started experimenting with wide-range and stereo recordings in the 1930s, Stokie and his band were the guinea pigs. Bell Labs issued some of these experimental recordings on LPs years and years back, I think available to employees but not the general public; I have the two of which I'm aware, and the recording quality is astonishingly good for the period. Note that most of the material is snippets and excerpts, not complete works, because these recordings were intended as tests, not for issue.
By the way, in the stereo era Stokowski recorded Rimsky-Korsakoff's Russian Easter Festival Overture with the Chicago SO for Victor. I have a cheap CD reissue (part of a "music for the masses 100 pieces everyone should own now at a budget price" type series), and even in that humble form it is one of my favorite demonstration recordings. I don't know why it hasn't received more attention from the audiophile press--a terrific performance, bringing out all the brilliant shades of color in Rimsky's orchestration, in absolutely top notch recorded sound. [Edit] I should add that the CSO effort was not even close to Stokowski's first of the score. I'm no Stokowski completest, and yet I have two versions on 78s, one with the Philadelphia Or. and one with the NBC SO (which Stokowski took over for a little while when Toscanini was on the outs with RCA; that's when Toscanini made his celebrated series of Philadelphia Or. recordings). For all I know, he probably cut one or more during the mono and earlier stereo LP periods, too.
When you mentioned Fantasia I realised I had heard of him. I don't know if others do this but sometimes I don't associate the name spoken to the name written. I tend to anglicise written names for instance, and this is despite studying karate under Japanese sensei many years ago, in my head Uchida was always Usheeda until I heard it pronounced properly on R3. Thus I didn't think Leopold Stokovski, I thought Stokowsky. Leastways that's my excuse
I have that Naxos "Historical" CD of Holst conducting his Planets. It's illuminating to hear a composer conducting his own works. In this case, it's hearing the very fast tempi that Holst apparently preferred for this work.
I have it on reel-to-reel tape from back in the day... Although I miss the movements Stokowski leaves out, I really like his orchestration and it's a fine alternative to the Ravel (which I also like). Great sonics, too!
Pictures At An Exhibition. I do like this music particularly as a solo piano piece which I have and really like by Nikolai Demidenko (Helios CDH55306). I also have his Chopin's The Four Scherzi which I'm listening to now plus Chopin's Ballades and 3rd Sonata. Peter Donohoe's PAAE I rather like as well. Sacrilegiously, I find Richter's version, well the one I've listened to on Qobuz, too fast for me. The same with Brendel. Strange because normally these two would be very high on my list. Another pianist who's version works for me is Brigitte Engerer. IMO both Demidenko and Engerer are under-represented on Qobuz and Tidal. Unfortunately the Stokowski version doesn't work for me but it obviously brings joy to many others which is great. Note to self; learn how to post pictures/photos. Edit; I have noticed that my "too fast" maybe not what Mussorgsky had in mind as it does say Allegro gusto
I've got totally engrossed in Brigitte Engerer's Mussorgsky on Qobuz and I'm playing it all the way through. I've ordered a second hand copy from Amazon. There's somethings you just need, aren't there
Now enjoying this lovely recording, from the new Warner box set. Photo is of the LP cover, the CD box has a slightly different cover.
My basket at Presto currently stands at £37.75p. Angela Hewitt's Love Songs, Barbirolli's Mahler box set and Nubya Garcia's Source. I have hundreds of CDs and LPs I've hardly listened to and I've got Qobuz. But I really, really need these. Decisions, decisions.
I had six CD box sets on the way as of Monday. Thousands of CDs I haven't listened to. But I needed the new ones as well
How privileged are we. On the news as I listen to R3 they are saying 260 scholars at the Afghan school of music are stuck in the country. Efforts are being made to extract them but now that we've all pulled out the situation is perilous. Imagine; music is your life but your government won't allow music in any form and you are likely to be killed for it. This is so unthinkable but we are helpless to do anything I don't understand humanity and I thank my lucky stars for websites like this.
I'm afraid your right. The price you see is from another seller. Amazon has restricted their own sales to Europe it seems. Australia seems especially hard hit by these post-covid Amazon policies, even though the same is often the case for American customers and at times even within Europe.
Guess I'm lucky the UK sailed away from Europe - I've had a few bargains delivered promptly from Amazon there in recent weeks.
Unfortunately, the plight of Afghan music scholars is not unique, just the latest in a sorry parade. Witness what the Soviets did to composers like Shostakovich and Prokofiev, to name but two who had "issues" with that regime; witness what the Chinese did to musicians during the Cultural Revolution (for instance, I remember reading somewhere the authorities broke all the fingers of one Chinese pianist who dared make music of which they didn't approve); witness what the Germans did to "degenerate artists" in the '30s and during WW II. In the West the Christian church--Catholic and some Protestant denominations--wasn't always open to music making, either, and the history of the assorted monarchies and empires of Western history is by no means free of "official" interference in musical matters--to cite one example, we have Italian royal censorship to thank for Un Ballo in Maschera's taking place in, of all places, Boston rather than in a European royal court where it belongs. You are right: we who are safe to listen in peace should count ourselves fortunate.
So true and we never learn. There is a Chinese pianist, Zhu Xiao-Mei, who's Bach I really like. She was a victim of the cultural revolution and spent time in a camp. She came out the other side and is still working I believe. There is a YouTube video called "How Bach Defeated Mao" featuring her. I have both her Goldbergs. Not to everyone's taste but I like them.