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Garage Sale Classics - Click on Thumbnail for MP3 Sample |
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GSC-001 (STEREO) - Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings, Op. 48; Glinka: Overture to "Ruslan and Ludmilla"; Rimsky-Korsakov: Dance of the Tumblers from "The Snow Maiden"; Mussorgsky: Night on Bare Mountain; Dvorak: Scherzo Capriccioso - This disc is the first in the Garage Sale Classics series, and features well-known Romantic classics from two unusual LPs. The Tchaikovsky, Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov selections are from a Columbia Record Club special issue two-disc set (the other disc contained Rudolf Kempe conducting the Royal Philhamonic Orchestra in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, taped by EMI); these selections were originally recorded by the World Record Club. The Serenade for Strings is sympathetically performed by the Sinfonia of London conducted by Alexander Faris; the sound was a bit lightweight, so some EQ tweaking was done. The Glinka and the Rimsky-Korsakov selections, with the London Philharmonic conducted by Sir Adrian Boult , needed a bit more work. The channels were reversed on the disc, and the general soundscape was a bit cramped. Both issues were corrected, and the results are satisfactory. Surfaces on the disc were OK. The Mussorgsky and Dvorak were recorded by Dick L. Miller's budget Somerset label (later reissued by Alshire, Al Sherman's budget label created after purchasing Dick Miller's catalogue in 1964). Both pieces, well-played by the London Philharmonic, led by Hugo Rignold (Mussorgsky) and John Pritchard (Dvorak), have decent sonic spread, but somewhat cramped sonics in the louder passages. Surfaces were fair; there still is some low level surface noise that could not be tamed, but still listenable. |
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GSC-002 (MONO) - Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92 - Otto Ackermann/Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra - Schumann: Piano Concerto in a minor, Op. 54 - Noel Mewton-Wood, piano/Walter Goehr/Netherlands Philharmonic - This CD is derived from two 10" Musical Masterpiece Society (MMS) discs. MMS was an offshoot of the Concert Hall Society label, and was a mail-order product that was dedicated to recording more common repertoire. Instead of a monthly selection sent by mail, the customer received a list of available titles and selected those they wished to receive. The label had a very generous return policy; apparently, very few were returned, due to overall customer approval of the performances. The two recordings on this disc are evidence of the quality of the performances available, even taking in account the less-than-pristine record surfaces. Otto Ackermann and the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra present a compelling Beethoven 7th; even with the distant, reverberant recording, there is much inner voice detail, and the tempi are very well judged. Walter Goehr conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic (actually a pickup orchestra derived from various Dutch radio orchestras' personnel) in a nicely paced recording of Schumann's Piano Concerto, with the Australian pianist Noel Mewton-Wood as soloist. Again, a decent recording, in spite of the hissy surfaces. In both instances, surface flaws have been reduced, but some background noise can still be heard. The MP3 sample gives a good idea of the sound quality. Recommended for the performances, from a label that offered a better product than some sub-budget labels in the 1950s. |
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CD $5.00
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GSC004 (STEREO Reel Tape Master) - Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a; Beethoven: Fidelio Overture, Op. 72b; Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave); Wagner: Siegfried Idyll - Sinfonia of London/Colin Davis - Taped at the dawn of Colin Davis's recording career by World Record Club, these are favorite orchestra pieces played with flair, if a bit shy of heft. The reel tape sonics were a bit thin (much as was the LP version, WRC TP-61), so I added discreet bit of low end, and tamed some of the high end harshness. The louder passages still tend to cloud a bit, but overall the sound is better than the original tape. A bargain for the CD as well as the MP3 download. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC005 (STEREO) - Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, Op. 55 "Eroica" - London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult - Originally taped by Dick L. Miller's Somerset label in 1962, this recording was reissued on the Alshire label when the Somerset catalog was sold to Al Sherman in 1964. No big surprises here, at least in performance, everything very tidy and well done. What is surprising is the addition of generous reverb to the original clean acoustic, making it sound as though it was played back in one of Columbia's infamous stairwells. It doesn't intrude (except for a moment, in the Marcia funebrae, where a descending unison figure creates a dissonant chord in the reverb tail!), but I have performed some judicious tweaking to lessen the obvious addition of space. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC006 (MONO) - Massenet: "Le Cid" Ballet Suite; Rimsky-Korsakov: "Tsar Saltan" Suite - Netherland Philharmonic Orchestra/Henk Spruit - Concert Hall Society recordings often used pickup orchestras with personnel taken from various Dutch radio orchestras, naming them the "Concert Hall Symphony Orchestra" or, in this case the "Netherlands Philharmonic" (no relation to the Netherlands Philharmonic, formed in 1985 when the Amsterdam Philharmonic, Utrecht Symphony, and the Amsterdam Chamber Orchestra joined forces). In any event, the present disc is a fine mono recording of two well-know orchestral suites. A few reverb tails were inexpertly shorn (typical on this label), and have been restored. Thanks to John Whitmore for transcribing the LP. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC007 (MONO) - Chopin: Concerto No. 2 in f minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 21 - Carmen Vitos, pianist - Vienna Festival Orchestra/Hans Swarowsky; Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, K. 364 - Walter Schneiderhahn, violin; Paul Angerer, viola; Vienna Festival Orchestra/Franz Litschauer - Music Treasures of The World was one of many subscription labels that popped up during the Golden Age of the LP. Some of the recordings offered were of lesser quality than other labels, but occasionally a real gem would appear, such as this collection of Chopin and Mozart, its tie-in being the Vienna Festival Orchestra as the accompanying ensemble. The Chopin receives a wonderfully radiant performance from pianist Carmen Vitos, with the ubiquitous Hans Swarowsky conducting. The Mozart Sinfonia Concertante is also a quite enjoyable run-through, ably accompanied by the Vienna Festival Orchestra (more than likely a pseudonym for the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, used for licensing purposes). Thanks to John Whitmore for transcribing the LP. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC008 (MONO) - Tchaikovsky: Polonaise and Waltz from "Eugene Onegin"; Grieg: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen; Homage March from "Sigurd Jorsalfar" - Bamberg Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm Schuchter; Sibelius: Finlandia; Valse Triste - Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Werner Schmidt-Boelke - The German label Ariola provided several other labels, including World Record Club (which released the LP found here), with licensed materials for circulation in other areas in Europe. This collection of oft-recorded fare is in very good mono sound, with yeoman performances from two orchestras often found on subscription labels. Well worth a listen, and enjoyable selections sounding better than the original vinyl. Thanks to John Whitmore for the transcription of the LP. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC009 (STEREO) - Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F, Op. 68 “Pastoral”; Symphony No. 1 in C, Op. 21 - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Sir Charles Groves - Fabbri and Partners, Ltd. , an Italian publisher, released licensed recordings during the 1960s in the UK under a subscription service; every week, a new title would be made available on a 10” disc, with a sleeve brochure describing the music. In collaboration with composer/writer/producer Robert Simpson, the Royal Philharmonic was engaged with conductor Sir Charles Groves to record the Beethoven 1st and 6th Symphonies, apparently the only original recordings actually made for the series. Both symphonies are given sympathetic performances, in an obviously studio-bound acoustic. I have added a bit of low end response and some “air” to the sound, opening up the otherwise close-quarter ambience. Well worth the cost of the CD or high-quality MP3 download. Thanks to John Whitmore for the LP transcription. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC010 (MONO) - Bruckner: Symphony No. 0 in d minor “Die Nullte” - Concert Hall Symphony Orchestra/Henk Spruit - First commercial recording (1951) of Bruckner’s “Zero” Symphony, written in 1869 between the First and Second Symphonies. Quite a good performance by the Concert Hall Symphony, in actuality the Netherlands Philharmonic (itself a pick-up orchestra), and tempi well-judged overall by conductor Henk Spruit. I have done an extensive cleanup on the red vinyl Concert Hall disc; there are still bits of artifacts that are evident in quiet passages. The mono recording gets congested in louder passages, but considering the source, eminently listenable. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC011 (STEREO) - Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake - Ballet Suite - Sinfonia of London/John Hollingsworth - English conductor John Hollingsworth is known primarily as a documentary and film conductor, especially in the mid-50s as Music Director for Hammer Films. He had associations with the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and occasionally made recordings of ballet music. This particular recording, from 1959, is quite enjoyable, and has moments of great beauty. I have added some bass and ambience to the recording, as it sounded a bit too studio-bound. The result is a more open quality, allow the music to bloom. Quite a bargain for both the CD and MP3 download. Thanks to John Whitmore for the LP transcription. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC012 (MONO) - Gonoud: Ballet Music from “Faust”; Verdi: Ballet Music from “Aida”; Ponchielli: Dance of The Hours; Saint-Saëns: Bacchanale; Rimsky-Korsakov: Hymn to the Sun - Vienna State Opera Orchestra/Alberto Aliberti - Fine collection of opera ballet favorites, recorded in wide-range mono by Westminster, licensed to World Record Club. Thanks to John Whitmore for the LP transcription. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC013 (STEREO) - Berlioz: King Lear, Op. 4 (1831)- Vaclav Smetacek conducting the Prague Symphony Orchestra; Benvenuto Cellini (1838) - Zoltan Fekete conducting the Prague Symphony Orchestra; Reverie et Caprice, Op. 8 (1841) - Aaron Rosand, violin - Rolf Reinhardt conducting the Southwest German Radio Orchestra; Roman Carnival (1843) - Karel Ancerl conducting the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Le Corsaire (1844) - Zoltan Fekete conducting the Prague Symphony Orchestra; Hungarian March from The Damnation of Faust (1846) - Fritz Maraczek conducting the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra - Recordings licensed to Fabbri & Partners, Ltd. by Supraphon and Vox, issued by subscription in the late 60s. Good to excellent performances in decent stereo sound, derived from two clean 10” discs, and a good bargain for the price of the CD or MP3 download. Thanks to John Whitmore for the LP transcriptions. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC014 (STEREO) - Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture; Moussorgsky; Polonaise from Boris Godounov; Borodin: Polovetsian Dances; Rimsky-Korsakov: Dance of the Buffoons; Glière: Russian Sailors' Dance - Virtuoso Symphony of London/Arthur Winograd - In the summer of 1958, Audio Fidelity recorded 13 classical LPs in London's Walthamstow Town Hall. The orchestra was the specially-formed Virtuoso Symphony of London, which consisted of top London orchestral players and instrumentalists. However, once these recording sessions were over, it was never heard of again. Six of the LPs were conducted by Alfred Wallenstein, who concentrated on the symphonic repertoire (Brahms's 4th Symphony, Tchaikovsky's Pathetique, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and others) and six by Arthur Winograd (both conductors were ex-cellists) who recorded lighter fare, such as Operatic Marches, Popular Overtures, and this disc featured here. The LPs were expensively produced and retailed at a very high price but reviews of the time were divided between critics who found the stereo sound immensely vivid and others for whom it was over-modulated to the point of distortion. There is a tendency toward over-modulation in the loud passages, but the performances are top-notch, and a bargain at Garage Sale prices. |
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CD $5.00
320kbps MP3
$3.00
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GSC015 (STEREO) - Johann Strauss, Jr. : Emperor Waltz, Op. 437; Vienna Life, Op. 354; By the Beautiful Blue Danube, Op. 314; Tales from the Vienna Woods, Op. 325 - Virtuoso Symphony Orchestra of London/Emanuel Vardi - In the summer of 1958, Audio Fidelity recorded 13 classical LPs in London's Walthamstow Town Hall. The orchestra was the specially-formed Virtuoso Symphony of London, which consisted of top London orchestral players and instrumentalists. However, once these recording sessions were over, it was never heard of again. Six of the LPs were conducted by Alfred Wallenstein, who concentrated on the symphonic repertoire (Brahms's 4th Symphony, Tchaikovsky's Pathetique, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and others) and six by Arthur Winograd (both conductors were ex-cellists) who recorded lighter fare, such as Operatic Marches and Popular Overtures. The 13th LP in the series was this transcription, conducted by violist/producer Emanuel Vardi. It was to be the last recording session for this otherwise fine ensemble. The LPs were expensively produced and retailed at a very high price but reviews of the time were divided between critics who found the stereo sound immensely vivid and others for whom it was over-modulated to the point of distortion. There is a tendency toward over-modulation in the loud passages, but the performances are top-notch, and a bargain at Garage Sale prices. |
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