Dave, you're so beautiful here not just simply correct. God bless you man. I got to see Ormandy live many many times. And you're so so right when you say how his performances bespeak such a fundamental love an almost childlike sinere passion for music in general. And whatever he happened to perform. If you saw Eugene ormandy on stage or backstage casually chatting chatting with you well the music just dripped off him
I discovered the Utrenja recording with its psychedelic glowing-green cover at the time of its release. It was in the “Ormandy” bin in a full-service music store (when there still was such a thing) inside Northpark Mall in Dallas, Texas. I was aged 13-clearly possessed of grown up music tastes!-and I asked my parents to buy it for me. Still have it.
Absolutely. Whenever I get into a piece of classical music I'm always confident that a recording of the work with Ormandy at the helm will be a great starting point
Greetings Dave from London. Big fan of Ormandy and his wonderful Philly Orchestra here. Sometime last year came across a list of all the concerts the Philly gave in their own city 1970 to '80. (Annoyingly I've not been able to locate it since.) Was really surprised at how enterprising Ormandy was with his concert programs. He conducted works by at least a dozen composers I'd not even heard of. Such an open-minded conductor. I enjoy your talks without fail. Glad to see you have feline company again. Best, D.
In the 1980s, I found a copy of the “Utrenja” disc in a secondhand record store in St. Petersburg, FL. I still have it. I confess that I haven’t played it in years. I should revisit it.
I love the RCA Ormandy Shostakovich 5. Very engaging. It is a wonderful time for these big box sets. A Columbia/Sony Ormandy stereo box would be super. We also have the Ansermet Decca stereo box coming out, the Klemperer EMI/Warner, The DG/Fricsay, the Haitink big box and the The Dorati Detroit/Decca & Dorati/Mercury Mono box on Eloquence...Also a "Solti in Europe" box...So much to pick from!
In fact, the LP of the first part of "Utrenja" with Ormandy was my first Penderecki, and this it was, when I fell in love with Penderecki's music. I never will forget the moment, when I first heard the brass clusters, which sound so beautiful in this recording. Persichetti I know only through a New World Recording with James De Preist conducting a fine Diamond, a nice Persichetti and a rather strange Babbitt - and Persichettis book about 20th century harmony became a vademecum.
May I heartily recommend the "live" performance of the Persichetti Piano Concerto on youtube with James Dick as the soloist and Eugene Ormandy conducting the Chicago Sym. Orchestra. A "barnburner" and a very kinetic work.
@@hallingerman2168 When I was a freshman at Penn State, I remember going to a concert of Persichetti's music, with him in attendance.There was a reception afterwards, and I and my date chatted with him. Very nice man.
In addition to the first recording of the Mahler 10, three years later, in 1968, he made the first Western recording of the Shostakovich 4. I played the hell out of both. And around 1959, with Shostakovich in attendance, the first recording of his Cello Concerto with Rostropovich. (As a high schooler, I was in the audience for one of the concerts that accompanied the studio recording, and can still remember Shostakovich shyly acknowledging the applause after the performance from his box in the Academy of Music.)
Risking redundancy, sorry David, I have to congratulate you again on this unusual, right to the point tribute to Eugene ormandy particular genius. It's an extraordinary manifestation this of your objectivity as a Critic and a connoisseur of a wide wide spectrum of music. Kudos and thanks truly
You can be informative, frustrating, over-confident and a lot of other things, Mr Hurwitz, but above all I give you this: You are enthusiastic and dedicated to classical music without being in any way a snob. This video and the one on Sunset Blvd. reinforce that conclusion. Yasher Koach.
Jeno Blau is one of my all-time favorite conductors. He did EVERYTHING well. He seems underappreciated these days in favor of the enfants terribles--what a shame!
Ormandy and Philadelphia Orchestra record the yellow river concerto after (or before)visit China in the autumn of 1973. This was the first time an American/western orchestra visit communist China.
"Love of Music," " lack of prejudice" , well, Dave, Eugene Ormandy himself would have really appreciated these descriptions of his genius. Extraordinary as his recordings are recordings are to have heard him in the house live, well, that's where his idiomatic genius and his catholicity in all music Shone forth most tellingly
I think one reason Ormandy recorded the Yellow River Concerto was because the Philadelphia Orchestra went to China in 1973 in a diplomatic tour after president Nixon went to China the year before. There was a documentary called "Beethoven in Beijing" that talks about this trip.
Seems like this video got away from me. Just came across it. I have the Yellow River Concerto mentioned here on a RCA import cd coupled with The Butterfly Lovers Concerto. Much thanks goes to ALBANY RECORDS for re-issuing Maestro Ormandy and The Philadelphian's recording of NORMAN DELLO-JOIO'S: Air Power Symphonic Suite coupled with two works by JOHN VINCENT. Guess it wasn't a best seller for Columbia seemed to pull the Dello-Joio work off the market faster than it was released. When Columbia re-issued there recordings on their Odyssey label, they just skipped over this Dello-Joio work. Such good music just shoved off the wayside until Albany had the guts to let it be heard again. THANKS DAVE !!!!
the Pennsylvania State University choir (in which I sang bass back in the day) was invited by Ormandy to perform Utrenja live in concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra - naturally our choir director was ecstatic in announcing the wonderful news to all of us - only to find out a few weeks later somehow the plans for the concert hit some kind of brick wall - and that was the end of that
I realize I may be in the minority here, but I actually LIKE Ormandy's late Bartok Concerto for Orchestra on RCA. Yes, it's rather slow, but there is a real clarity of texture that many other recordings miss. Personally, I think it's better than his earlier Columbia recording.
I agree absolutely! It was his very first digital recording for RCA, as well - and RCAs flagship record for its Red Seal Digital series. Earth shaking sonics!
Rach 3 & Yellow River Concerto - the perfect coupling... for Lang Lang! The Yellow River Concerto is still well and alive in Asia. Every Chinese pianist has to play it (just like every Hungarian has to play Bartok)!
David-I do have the LP of the 2nd Piano Concerto by Bela Bartok by Eugene Ormandy with the 4 Pieces for Orchestra by Bartok, and I have always love it. The 4 Pieces of Orchestra puzzled me for some years. It is at times a dark, dissonant piece with a funeral march at the last movement! I understand that piece now, and I wish orchestras play it. I have a question for you. Ormandy conducted the Minnesota Orchestra from 1931-1936. Is there a box of his recordings from that orchestra now Keep up the good work!
@@DavesClassicalGuide-I just heard your review of the recordings that Ormandy made with the Minnesota Orchestra, If I could say, it was a good review. Ormandy just started out in recordings of classical music, and the engineering at times wouldn't be too good. So, it was just an interesting review. Thanks for your honest critique of those recordings, Dave.
Dave-have you reviewed the many recordings from Ormandy on American composers like Piston, William Schumann, Harris, etc. He was far at his time in recording those great American composers.
Used to have Utrenja by Ormandy on LP. Sold it when CD's started coming out. I know, I was a dumbass and thought everything would be coming out on CD. What labels it are those on? If you could please. Webern Summerwind on Columbia is Great! I'm always interested in Persichetti. Is there anybody that didn't have his Harmony book for first-year harmony?
Yes, the recording of the 'Yellow River' Concerto was a byproduct of the orchestra's trip to China in 1973, which came about as a result of Nixon's 1972 trip to China.
It's unfortunate however interesting as a curiosity that that horrifically Ersatz Yellow River concerto should be part of Eugene Ormandy's Legacy. I mean of course no disrespect to Dave ; in this context he is correct for including it as interesting or unusual Eugene ormandy
One of the reasons given at the time was that RCA was going to allow them to record more off the beaten path repertoire. A more likely reason is they simply offered them more money than Columbia.
Thank you for another terrific review. I think it is horrible how underrated Ormandy has been, and thank you for correcting people's perceptions.
Dave, you're so beautiful here not just simply correct.
God bless you man.
I got to see Ormandy live many many times.
And you're so so right when you say how his performances bespeak such a fundamental love an almost childlike sinere passion for music in general.
And whatever he happened to perform.
If you saw Eugene ormandy on stage or backstage casually chatting chatting with you well the music just dripped off him
I discovered the Utrenja recording with its psychedelic glowing-green cover at the time of its release. It was in the “Ormandy” bin in a full-service music store (when there still was such a thing) inside Northpark Mall in Dallas, Texas. I was aged 13-clearly possessed of grown up music tastes!-and I asked my parents to buy it for me. Still have it.
As one whose ancient LP collection was well populated with Ormandy Philly stuff, I'm delighted whenever you recognize his greatness.
Absolutely. Whenever I get into a piece of classical music I'm always confident that a recording of the work with Ormandy at the helm will be a great starting point
Greetings Dave from London. Big fan of Ormandy and his wonderful Philly Orchestra here. Sometime last year came across a list of all the concerts the Philly gave in their own city 1970 to '80. (Annoyingly I've not been able to locate it since.) Was really surprised at how enterprising Ormandy was with his concert programs. He conducted works by at least a dozen composers I'd not even heard of. Such an open-minded conductor.
I enjoy your talks without fail.
Glad to see you have feline company again. Best, D.
Yay for the Stereo Sony box!!! Here's hoping
In the 1980s, I found a copy of the “Utrenja” disc in a secondhand record store in St. Petersburg, FL. I still have it. I confess that I haven’t played it in years. I should revisit it.
Yes...Ormandy: open-minded, enterprising, competent, professional. Absolutely. LR
I love the RCA Ormandy Shostakovich 5. Very engaging. It is a wonderful time for these big box sets. A Columbia/Sony Ormandy stereo box would be super. We also have the Ansermet Decca stereo box coming out, the Klemperer EMI/Warner, The DG/Fricsay, the Haitink big box and the The Dorati Detroit/Decca & Dorati/Mercury Mono box on Eloquence...Also a "Solti in Europe" box...So much to pick from!
In fact, the LP of the first part of "Utrenja" with Ormandy was my first Penderecki, and this it was, when I fell in love with Penderecki's music. I never will forget the moment, when I first heard the brass clusters, which sound so beautiful in this recording.
Persichetti I know only through a New World Recording with James De Preist conducting a fine Diamond, a nice Persichetti and a rather strange Babbitt - and Persichettis book about 20th century harmony became a vademecum.
May I heartily recommend the "live" performance of the Persichetti Piano Concerto on youtube with James Dick as the soloist and Eugene Ormandy conducting the Chicago Sym. Orchestra. A "barnburner" and a very kinetic work.
@@hallingerman2168 When I was a freshman at Penn State, I remember going to a concert of Persichetti's music, with him in attendance.There was a reception afterwards, and I and my date chatted with him. Very nice man.
In addition to the first recording of the Mahler 10, three years later, in 1968, he made the first Western recording of the Shostakovich 4. I played the hell out of both. And around 1959, with Shostakovich in attendance, the first recording of his Cello Concerto with Rostropovich. (As a high schooler, I was in the audience for one of the concerts that accompanied the studio recording, and can still remember Shostakovich shyly acknowledging the applause after the performance from his box in the Academy of Music.)
Risking redundancy, sorry David, I have to congratulate you again on this unusual, right to the point tribute to Eugene ormandy particular genius. It's an extraordinary manifestation this of your objectivity as a Critic and a connoisseur of a wide wide spectrum of music.
Kudos and thanks truly
You can be informative, frustrating, over-confident and a lot of other things, Mr Hurwitz, but above all I give you this: You are enthusiastic and dedicated to classical music without being in any way a snob. This video and the one on Sunset Blvd. reinforce that conclusion. Yasher Koach.
Jeno Blau is one of my all-time favorite conductors. He did EVERYTHING well. He seems underappreciated these days in favor of the enfants terribles--what a shame!
Fascinating (he said as he embarked on wild goose chase for the Utrenja recording).
Ormandy and Philadelphia Orchestra record the yellow river concerto after (or before)visit China in the autumn of 1973. This was the first time an American/western orchestra visit communist China.
"Love of Music," " lack of prejudice" , well, Dave, Eugene Ormandy himself would have really appreciated these descriptions of his genius.
Extraordinary as his recordings are recordings are to have heard him in the house live, well, that's where his idiomatic genius and his catholicity in all music Shone forth most tellingly
The Yellow River Concerto was done the same time as the orchestra's first trip to China
Oh, mercy! The only thing I recognize are the Shostakovitch works. Thank you.
I think one reason Ormandy recorded the Yellow River Concerto was because the Philadelphia Orchestra went to China in 1973 in a diplomatic tour after president Nixon went to China the year before. There was a documentary called "Beethoven in Beijing" that talks about this trip.
Seems like this video got away from me. Just came across it. I have the Yellow River Concerto mentioned here on a RCA import cd coupled with The Butterfly Lovers Concerto. Much thanks goes to ALBANY RECORDS for re-issuing Maestro Ormandy and The Philadelphian's recording of NORMAN DELLO-JOIO'S: Air Power Symphonic Suite coupled with two works by JOHN VINCENT. Guess it wasn't a best seller for Columbia seemed to pull the Dello-Joio work off the market faster than it was released. When Columbia re-issued there recordings on their Odyssey label, they just skipped over this Dello-Joio work. Such good music just shoved off the wayside until Albany had the guts to let it be heard again. THANKS DAVE !!!!
the Pennsylvania State University choir (in which I sang bass back in the day) was invited by Ormandy to perform Utrenja live in concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra - naturally our choir director was ecstatic in announcing the wonderful news to all of us - only to find out a few weeks later somehow the plans for the concert hit some kind of brick wall - and that was the end of that
I thought EO was great Dave. I am proud of what I have!
Do you know something we don't? Is an Ormandy stereo box in the works? I''ll be first in line.
I realize I may be in the minority here, but I actually LIKE Ormandy's late Bartok Concerto for Orchestra on RCA. Yes, it's rather slow, but there is a real clarity of texture that many other recordings miss. Personally, I think it's better than his earlier Columbia recording.
Good comment.
I agree absolutely! It was his very first digital recording for RCA, as well - and RCAs flagship record for its Red Seal Digital series. Earth shaking sonics!
Vastly different performances and sound pictures but equally meritorious on their respective terms. Each is “of a piece” as DH sometimes says.
Ormandy did Yellow River? I had no idea. Open-minded indeed.
Rach 3 & Yellow River Concerto - the perfect coupling... for Lang Lang!
The Yellow River Concerto is still well and alive in Asia. Every Chinese pianist has to play it (just like every Hungarian has to play Bartok)!
David-I do have the LP of the 2nd Piano Concerto by Bela Bartok by Eugene Ormandy with the 4 Pieces for Orchestra by Bartok, and I have always love it. The 4 Pieces of Orchestra puzzled me for some years. It is at times a dark, dissonant piece with a funeral march at the last movement! I understand that piece now, and I wish orchestras play it. I have a question for you. Ormandy conducted the Minnesota Orchestra from 1931-1936. Is there a box of his recordings from that orchestra now Keep up the good work!
There was: ua-cam.com/video/hkHsdfv1scY/v-deo.html
@@DavesClassicalGuide-I just heard your review of the recordings that Ormandy made with the Minnesota Orchestra, If I could say, it was a good review. Ormandy just started out in recordings of classical music, and the engineering at times wouldn't be too good. So, it was just an interesting review. Thanks for your honest critique of those recordings, Dave.
Dave-have you reviewed the many recordings from Ormandy on American composers like Piston, William Schumann, Harris, etc. He was far at his time in recording those great American composers.
Has Ormandys RCA Bruckner 7th been reissued lately or only still available as an overpriced Japanese import thing@@DavesClassicalGuide??
Used to have Utrenja by Ormandy on LP. Sold it when CD's started coming out. I know, I was a dumbass and thought everything would be coming out on CD. What labels it are those on? If you could please. Webern Summerwind on Columbia is Great! I'm always interested in Persichetti. Is there anybody that didn't have his Harmony book for first-year harmony?
RCA
Nixon in China! (Same time as the 'Yellow River' Concerto.)
Yes, the recording of the 'Yellow River' Concerto was a byproduct of the orchestra's trip to China in 1973, which came about as a result of Nixon's 1972 trip to China.
It's unfortunate however interesting as a curiosity that that horrifically Ersatz Yellow River concerto should be part of Eugene Ormandy's Legacy.
I mean of course no disrespect to Dave ; in this context he is correct for including it as interesting or unusual Eugene ormandy
Are those the RCA Japan 100th anniversary commemorative disks and RCA US High Performance disks I spy?
Maybe you have addressed this before and I missed it, but interested in why after so many successful years with Columbia Ormandy jumped to RCA?
One of the reasons given at the time was that RCA was going to allow them to record more off the beaten path repertoire. A more likely reason is they simply offered them more money than Columbia.