RCA Living Stereo: Saint Saens/Franck/Liszt - Concerto no.2, Symphonic Var., Concerto no.1 (eac-log-cover)

RCA Living Stereo: Saint Saens/Franck/Liszt  - Concerto no.2,  Symphonic Var., Concerto no.1
A Rubinstein, Symphony of the Air - A Wallenstein, RCA V SO

classical | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

RCA | SACD | rel.: 2007 | rar +5% recovery

Amazon:
Sony/BMG continues their Living Stereo SACD reissue series with three Concerto recordings from the 1950s featuring pianist Arthur Rubinstein.
The Saint-Saëns Second Concerto was a great favorite of Rubinstein's. He made his American debut with this piece back in 1906. This recording was made in 1958 in collaboration with the Symphony of the Air (formerly the NBC Symphony Orchestra) under Alfred Wallenstein. There is slightly more forward motion here than in the 1969 version with Ormandy, and even more stunning virtuosity in the finale. However, the recording with Ormandy has the advantage of better orchestral playing, so the two versions balance each other out as my favorites. There is also an excellent filmed version on a Deutsche Grammophon DVD, with Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra, made in 1975.
Rubinstein learned Cesar Frank's Symphonic Variations while traveling by train to a concert in Spain, practicing the passages in his lap. The man had an amazing memory. Here again, he is in top form, giving a performance of brio and élan, with Wallenstein and the orchestra providing a fine accompaniment.
The Liszt is less successful. I don't think Rubinstein ever loved Liszt the way he loved Chopin and Brahms, and as he grew older Liszt's music gradually began dropping out of his repertoire. (Rubinstein made no Liszt recordings after 1965.) Both of Rubinstein's recordings of the Liszt Concerto suffer from a great deal of technical bluffing and general sloppiness. Adding to the problem here is some crude microphone placement, with the infamous triangle passages spotlit beyond all reason. The remastering has not been able to solve this problem and the sound remains excessively dry, although the piano sound is more natural than in previous issues. Wallenstein and the RCA Victor Symphony (mostly made of members of the New York Philharmonic) do a reasonable job of accompaniment.

Tracks:
01 - Saint Saens-Concerto No 2 In G Minor-Op 22-Andante Sostenuto
02 - Saint Saens-Concerto No 2 In G Minor-Op 22-Allegro Scherzando
03 - Saint Saens-Concerto No 2 In G Minor-Op 22-Presto
04 - Franck-Symphonic Variations-Poco Allegro
05 - Franck-Symphonic Variations-Allegro Non Troppo
06 - Liszt-Concerto-No 1 In E-Flat-Allegro Maestoso
07 - Liszt-Concerto-No 1 In E-Flat-Quasi Adagio
08 - Liszt-Concerto-No 1 In E-Flat-Allegretto Vivace
09 - Liszt-Concerto-No 1 In E-Flat-Allegro Marziale Animato

Arthur Rubinstein (piano)
Symphony of the Air
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
Alfred Wallenstein (conductor)

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RCA Living Stereo: Saint-Saens, Debussy, Ibert - Symphony No. 3, La Mer, Escales (1956-59) (eac-flac-cover)

RCA Living Stereo: Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ibert  -  Symphony No. 3, La Mer, Escales (1956-59) 
Charles Munch, BSO

classical | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 390MB

RCA | SACD | rel.: 2004 | RAR +5% recovery

Tower.com:
This is another of Charles Munch's blazing collaborations with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the French repertory, and a fine example of how this conductor could take a warhorse and turn it back into a serious piece of music--serious but not dull. The opening Allegro is impassioned, the Adagio is intensely poetic and expressive, and the finale generates real edge-of-the-seat excitement. The "Living Stereo" remastering has restored the lifelike presence of the original recording and minimized the effects of tape saturation in the loudest passages. The glorious tone of the orchestra comes through loud and clear, along with a thrilling sense of Symphony Hall ambience. Debussy's La Mer and Ibert's Escales... make a generous coupling and are every bit as impressively performed. --Ted Libbey

Recorded in 1956 (Debussy, Ibert) and 1959 (Saint-Saëns), these jewels from stereo's golden age, all Munch specialities, receive their finest transfers yet. Close use of the microphone suits Munch's La Mer, a seascape illuminated in primary colors rather than conventional pastels. Ibert's colorful Escales ("Ports of Call") gets an intense, bracing reading, and so does the Saint-Saëns. Recorded balance in the latter's third movement, though, is distorted and fuzzy during loud tuttis when the organ and orchestra kick in simultaneously. And one might desire more contrasted dynamics and articulation in the finale's fugal build-up. But don't let tiny blemishes like these deter you from buying this lovable disc. --Jed Distler

Tracks:
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78 "Organ"
1. Adagio; Allegro moderato (9'53)
2. Poco adagio (9'36)
3. Allegro moderato; Presto (7'33)
4. Maestoso; Allegro (7'40)
Debussy: La Mer
5. De l'aube à midi sur la mer (8'37)
6. Jeux de vagues (6'15)
7. Dialogue du vent et de la mer (7'58)
Ibert: Escales (Ports of Call)
8. Rome-Palermo: Calme (6'34)
9. Tunis-Nefta: Modéré très rythmé (2'42)
10. Valencia: Animé (6'04)

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