Ernest Ansermet: New Decca Budget Box (6 CDs)

Post by **Lance** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:55 am

Ernest Ansermet, conductor
Decca Recordings - 1953-1967 (mono/stereo)
British Decca 475.8140, six CDs, ADD

•JS Bach: Cantata #202: Sonata (only)
•Haydn: Symphony No. 22
•Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
•von Weber: Overtures: Der Beherrscher der Geister AND Preciosa
•Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture
•Borodin: Polovstian Dances
•Liadov: Kikimora
•Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite
•Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
•Delibes: Excerpts from Coppélia AND Sylvia
•Franck: Le Chausser Maudit
•Chabrier: Marche Joyeuse AND Danse Slave from La Roi Malgré Lui
•Fauré Prelude (Pénélope) AND Masques and Bergamasques
•Schumann/Glazunov and others: Carnaval (orchestral transcription)
•Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
•Debussy/Büsser: Petite Suite
•Debussy/Ansermet: Six Epigraphs Antiquese
•Respighi: The Fountains of Rome
•Honegger: Le Roi David AND Pacific 231
•Dukas: Fanfare and Poème Danse from La Péri
•Rimsky-Korsakov: Dubinushka
•Respighi: Rossiniana
•Stravinsky: Scherzo a la Russe
•Frank Martin: Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion
and String Orchestra
___________________

When I was a fairly young lad, and began collecting long-play recordings in the late 1950s and 1960s, the name of Ernest Ansermet was nearly a household word. His British Decca/London LPs were many, as he recorded prolifically, never being bothered by microphones in the studio. As long as he was making music, the conductor was happy. He made some truly wonderful mono and stereo recordings with his beloved Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

After the death of Ansermet [1883-1969], the Orchestre—and Ansermet—seemed to fade more quickly than usual. Of the legendary conductors, Furtwängler and Toscanini still had huge camps of fans and collectors collected voraciously. Koussevitzky, Reiner, Munch, Stokowski, too, seemed to be the most sought-after recordings. But then there was Talich, Beecham, Klemperer, all of whom had huge followings, and still do.

British Decca has now gathered a decidedly wonderful collection of Ansermet's recordings (made between 1953 and 1967, mono and stereo]. Many are first international releases. It would seem that if this set sells well, Decca may do what they did for other conductors in the Universal Group "barn," such as Stokowski and van Beinum, among others, and come out with additional volumes. I hope they do.

Having this set will give you a magnificent overview of one of the most proiment conductors in the worldat one time.

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:06 am

I bought Ansermet's 4-LP box set of the Brahms Symphonies earlier this year, the performances are wonderful.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:07 am

I downloaded his Brahms 2nd, I assume the same as the one from that set, and agree that it's outstanding.

Chalkperson · Post by **Chalkperson** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:03 pm

I have that box, it is definately worth purchasing...

pizza · Post by **pizza** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:57 pm

I still haven't finished listening to Ansermet's 8 CD box set of Stravinsky Ballets and Stage Works with the OSR. What I've heard is excellent.

Gregg · Post by **Gregg** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 4:01 pm

There is a lot of Ansermet out there, and several recordings of a lot of important works. I have some early 50's monos that I like, but I also remember hearing a rehearsal recording of Stravinsky done with the LSO in his last year (or close to it, if my memory serves me right) a fantastic performance. I'd like to find out what that record was.

I'd also love to read an Ansermet expert's opinion of the "best" recordings, particularly the early mono recordings.

Is "early mono" a redundancy?

Gregg

Classical Domain.org

pizza · Post by **pizza** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 4:52 pm

Gregg wrote:I'd also love to read an Ansermet expert's opinion of the "best" recordings, particularly the early mono recordings.

I'm not an "Ansermet expert", but his late '40s Petrouchka, London LLP130 shouldn't be missed. It's better played than his stereo remake, and the sound is first class mono.

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:17 pm

Gregg wrote: Is "early mono" a redundancy?

No, since the mono era begins with the invention of the phonograph. Ansermet made a recording in 1928, accompanying Fanny Davies (a pupil of Clara Schumann) in Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto. Whether he made any recordings earlier than this (possible as he was born in 1883), I don't know. Most of Ansermet's monophonic recordings would be characterized as late monos.

John

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:42 pm

There is an Ansermat fanatic on RMCR who posts a lot of downloads on the Operashare yahoo group.

Gregg · Post by **Gregg** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:56 pm

CharmNewton wrote: No, since the mono era begins with the invention of the phonograph.

Thank you that goes in to the permanent repertoire!

Though I am not an Ansermet cultist I bought a 2 CD set with Ansermet recordings from 1916, the second CD has 30's and 40's recordings.

I won't pass judgement, this is a we love Ansermet thread after all.

Sorry Barry, what is RMCR? I wish I liked one performer enough to be a fanatic.....

Gregg

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 6:09 pm

Gregg wrote: Sorry Barry, what is RMCR? I wish I liked one performer enough to be a fanatic.....

Gregg

Gregg,
It's an unmoderated message board on classical recordings. Because it's unmoderated, there are occasional spammers or nuts who post a lot of junk threads and the personal fights and spats over political issues can make what happens in our pub look like a stroll in the park.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.musi ... k=sg&hl=en

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 7:31 pm

Barry Z wrote:There is an Ansermet fanatic on RMCR who posts a lot of downloads on the Operashare yahoo group.

Setting aside "Ansermaniac's" idiosyncratic transfers, I've found only three good-sounding Ansermet recordings on OperaShare: the excellent Brahms Second you mentioned earlier and these two:
____________________________________________

Ansermet live [1964] conducts the NHK SO - Tokyo

Debussy: La mer
Falla: El sombrero de tres picos
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite

Ansermet conducts Bartok - Stravinsky - Franck BSO 1956

Bartok: MFSPC
Stravinsky: Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Franck: Symphony in D

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:39 pm

CharmNewton wrote:
Gregg wrote: Is "early mono" a redundancy?

No, since the mono era begins with the invention of the phonograph. Ansermet made a recording in 1928, accompanying Fanny Davies (a pupil of Clara Schumann) in Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto. Whether he made any recordings earlier than this (possible as he was born in 1883), I don't know. Most of Ansermet's monophonic recordings would be characterized as late monos.

John

Actually, he made acoustics for Columbia (possibly before the formation of the Suisse Romande in 1918), leading the Ballet Russe in truncated movements from Rimsky's Scheherazade; they're collected, along with other 78-era recordings, on a 2-disc set from the long-defunct Dante label.

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 5:01 am

Wallingford wrote:Ballet Russe

pizza wrote:I still haven't finished listening to Ansermet's 8 CD box set of Stravinsky Ballets and Stage Works with the OSR. What I've heard is excellent.

Although I’ve not heard Ansermet’s recordings of Stravinsky's music, I’m not surprised that they are excellent. After all, he along with Monteux premiered most, if not all, of Stravinsky's early ballets--most of which, if not all, were commissioned by Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes.

Stravinsky works premiered by Ansermet:

L’Histoire du Soldat (1918)
Chant du rossignol (1920)
Pulcinella (1920)
Renard (1922)
Les Noces (1923)

Ansermet · Post by **Ansermet** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 1:57 pm

jserraglio wrote:
Barry Z wrote:There is an Ansermet fanatic on RMCR who posts a lot of downloads on the Operashare yahoo group.
Setting aside "Ansermaniac's" idiosyncratic transfers, I've found only three good-sounding Ansermet recordings on OperaShare: the excellent Brahms Second you mentioned earlier and these two:
____________________________________________

Ansermet live [1964] conducts the NHK SO - Tokyo

Debussy: La mer
Falla: El sombrero de tres picos
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite

http://rapidshare.com/files/27953154/AN ... yo.zip.001
http://rapidshare.com/files/27956838/AN ... yo.zip.002

You can see a part of the Firebird here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RgWiAvP6qHU
_____________________________________________

Ansermet conducts Bartok - Stravinsky - Franck BSO 1956

Bartok: MFSPC
Stravinsky: Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Franck: Symphony in D

It's interesting to hear Ansermet with the BSO of the mid fifties.

Bartok: http://rapidshare.com/files/22960136/Bartok1.zip
Strav. & Franck: http://rapidshare.com/files/23163626/Franck1.zip

Hello,

I can not open ZIP files on the Ernest Ansermet concert in Tokyo in 1964. I would listen to them a lot.

Thank you

Post by **Lance** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:19 pm

Ansermet wrote: Hello,

I can not open ZIP files on the Ernest Ansermet concert in Tokyo in 1964. I would listen to them a lot.

Thank you[/b][/color]

ANSERMET! You made it! Welcome to Classical Music Guide.

It's not frequent that we have an opportunity to listen to Ansermet other than with his L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, other than to those performances listed in this thread. But others may want to be aware of a two-CD set on Memories "Reverence" series, particularly a two-CD set [MR-2008/9] wherein the conductor leads the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Here we find the following:

Mozart: Piano Concerto #24 in c, K. 491 w/Robert Casadesus, piano
Debussy: La Mer
de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain (I assume also with Robert Casadesus though nothing illustrates this on the leaflet/inlay)
Schumann: Symphony #2 in C, Op. 61. The recordings were made live on March 25, 1957 (hence my reasoning for Casadesus in the de Falla as well).

Several other independent labels have issued Ansermet material. I don't always show the orchestras in my computer listings (I should, but sometimes space can be a problem!). There are these other interesting recordings by the legendary Swiss conductor:

Appian 5564 and 7028 w/violinist Jacques Thibaud
Arkadia 594: Liszt Hungarian Fantasy with Magaloff, pf
Cascavelle 2008: Mozart Piano Concerto #26; Liszt Piano Concert #2; de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain, all with Robert Casadesus, pf
Chicago Symphony Archive 90/2, Volume 5 - playing the music of de Falla (Suite #2; Three Corner)
Chicago Symphony Archive - live recordings (not listed)
Claves 50.2408: Schumann Piano Concerto; Beethoven Piano Concerto #3 w/Clara Haskil, pf

Additionally, Gala, Malibran, TIM, Pearl, Music & Arts, Lys, Pellarin, Urania, Ermitage, Koch, Dutton, BBC and other labels have preserved some of Ansermet's live and very early commercial recordings. [/color]

AntonioA · Post by **AntonioA** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:10 pm

Gregg, you´re talking about his LSO recording of the Firebird, a double LP set from Decca/London with the rehearsals on the second disc. That recording was released on CD in the 90s. I have his late-50:s OSR version of Firebird, also a wondeful perfomance. His recordings of Stravinskys Renard and Oidipus Rex (the first one) are also worth hearing.

I have most of the Ansermet LPs, mostly from his mono years. My favorites are both recordings of The Three Cornered Hat, but that´s because I love that piece so much and he conducted the premiere in 1919. His El Amor Brujo is nice too.

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:02 pm

You'll also find on the site below some treasured live concerts, with Ansermet leading the CHICAGO SYMPHONY not too long before his death, as well as guest stints with the AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCH. and his performance with DAME MYRA HESS and the NY PHILHARMONIC in Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto:
http://classicalconducting.com/ansermet.html

SONNET CLV · Post by **SONNET CLV** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:42 am

CharmNewton wrote:
No, since the mono era begins with the invention of the phonograph.

Is it all "mono era" for those who've lost hearing in one ear?

--SONNET CLV--

CharmNewton · Post by **CharmNewton** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:12 pm

SONNET CLV wrote:
CharmNewton wrote:
No, since the mono era begins with the invention of the phonograph.

Is it all "mono era" for those who've lost hearing in one ear?

--SONNET CLV--

That's a question I cannot answer. Multiple channels reproduced from differentpoints might sound different than a single channel point source. I believe Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys (after having lost hearing in one ear) had their multi-track tapes re-mixed to mono so as to be better able to evaluate them.

John

Chalkperson · Post by **Chalkperson** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:17 pm

We do not hear in Stereo and use our Left and Right Ears, our BRAIN sorts out the Stereo aspect of things, my friend Chris Thomas produced, amongst others, Pink Floyd, Elton John and Paul McCartney, he is deaf in one ear and turns sideways to mix records...and if he does not like you he puts you on his deaf side at dinner...

Jack Kelso · Post by **Jack Kelso** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:44 am

I've never heard an Ansermet recording I didn't like. Alone---what he did for the Frank Martin works makes him one of the greatest for 20th-century music.

Too bad he never did Raff....

Jack

david johnson · Post by **david johnson** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:44 am

pizza wrote:
Gregg wrote:I'd also love to read an Ansermet expert's opinion of the "best" recordings, particularly the early mono recordings.
I'm not an "Ansermet expert", but his late '40s Petrouchka, London LLP130 shouldn't be missed. It's better played than his stereo remake, and the sound is first class mono.

I have that. It's great fun.

dj

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