Forgotten Conductors

[TopoGigio]

Remember Rene Leibowitz in the most sumptuous DanseMacabre of SaintSaens!

---------------------------------Wiki'
René Leibowitz (February 17, 1913 – August 29, 1972) was a French composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher born in Warsaw, Poland.

During the early 1930s, Leibowitz studied composition and orchestration with Webern and Ravel. Many of the works of the Second Viennese School were first heard in France at the International Festival of Chamber Music established by Leibowitz in Paris in 1947. Leibowitz's activity as a teacher in Paris after WWII was highly influential in establishing the reputation of Schoenberg and his School (also the title of his book - among the earliest theoretical treatises written on Schoenberg's 12-tone method of composition); and further advocated by his two most gifted pupils, each taking different paths in promoting the musics of Schoenberg, Webern and the development of serialism, namely Pierre Boulez and Jacques-Louis Monod. His American students include the composers Will Ogdon, Janet Maguire, and the avant-garde film director-animator John Whitney.

As conductor, Leibowitz was active in many recording projects. One of the most widely circulated and most notable is a set of the Beethoven symphonies made for Reader's Digest Recordings; it was apparently the first recording of the symphonies to follow Beethoven's original metronome markings. In choosing this approach, Leibowitz was influenced by his friend and colleague Rudolf Kolisch. Leibowitz likewise made many recordings for Reader's Digest in their various compilation albums.

-------------------------------------------
Add your favorite oddities,please!

[Bro]

Adam Stern. An American. Used to be associate conductor of the Seattle Symphony. Heard a concert of Beethoven and Elgar (Symphony #2) about a decade ago. It blew me away. No idea what he is up to today.


Louis Lane: Studied with of Szell. Principal guest conductor of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra..Superb artist, IMHO



Bro

[Donaldopato]

Guido Cantelli 1920-1956 life cut short in a tragic air accident. Not a huge recorded legacy and overshadowed by his mentor Toscanini.

Eduard van Beinum 1900-1959 again a shortened career. Probably more known than Cantelli due to a larger recorded legacy.

André Cluytens 1905-1967 3rd shortened career. Don't hear much about him these days. Did an incandescent Faure Requiem with de los Angeles and Fischer-Dieskau.

[Lance]

Well, these are some that tend to be forgotten [or should we say less remembered?] today [see my qualifier at the end of this listing]:

[1] Sir Eugene Goossens
[2] Victor de Sabata
[3] Clemens Krauss
[4] Fritz Busch
[5] Nikolai Golovanov
[6] Carl Schuricht (though there's a huge resurgence of interest here)
[7] Joseph Keilberth
[8] Hermann Abendroth
[9] Igor Markevitch
[10] Willem Mengelberg
[11] Felix Weingartner
[12] Artur Rodzinski
[13] Rudolf Baumgartner
[14] Mark Elder
[15] Herbert Klegel
[16] Max Fiedler
[17] Sir Henry Wood
[18] Albert Coates
[19] Frederick Stock
[20] Szymon Goldberg
[21] Robert Kajanus
[22] Otto Ackermann
[23] Paul van Kempen
[24] Hans Knappertsbusch (to some degree)
[25] Franz Konwitschny
[26] Ferdinand Leitner
[27] Hans Pfitzner
[28] Karl Muck
[29] Sir Hamilton Harty
[30] Maurice Abravanel
[31] Thomas Schippers
[32] Hans Rosbaud
[33] Fritz Lehmann
[34] Erich Leinsdorf (fading somewhat by now)
[35] Karl Munchinger
[36] Albert Wolff
[37] Ataulfo Argenta
[38] Joseph Krips
[39] Seiji Ozawa (since his BSO departure, still conducting though)
[40] Karel Ancerl
[41] William Steinberg
[42] Georges Prêtre
[43] Andrew Davis (to some degree)
[44] Efrem Kurtz
[45] Jacques Rachmilovich (not great, but known)
[46] Alceo Galliera
[47] Constantin Silvestri
[48] Nikolai Malko
[49] Paul Kletzki
[50] Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
[51] Manuel Rosenthal
[52] Paul Paray
[53] Jonel Perlea
[54] Morton Gould
[55] Igor Buketoff

Many of us who collect recordings, of course, will immediately recognize most of these names and we probably, as veteran collectors, hold their recordings (and live performances we have attended) in high esteem. You might even think some of these names don't belong on the list. Even names like Carlo Maria Giulini and André Previn (which I did not list) are beginning to be heard less, not so much with Previn as he stays reasonably active. But it is natural for these great names to eventually be replaced by those emerging on the scene today. Recordings by many of those on my list, which could have been further amplified, are no longer available. It is surprising to me how many college students I ask about certain performing artists (such as Myra Hess, or Edwin Fischer, for example) who never heard these names nor do they know nothing about them! And yet, those kind of artists molded my own musical thinking.

Anyway, I wanted to contribute to this thread. It really disturbs me that present-day musicians don't know anything about most of these artists.

[Donaldopato]

Max Rudolf and Walter Susskind came to mind as well...

[Ralph]

Randall Wetmore, who posted extensively on predecessor boards, was - is - a great admirer of Rene Lebowitz. He sent me CDs of Lebowitz's performances, most notably Beethoven, and they truly are excellent.

Georg Tintner only conducted three times in the U.S. and they weren't major concerts. But his NAXOS Bruckner cycle demonstrates quite a degree of skill and depth.

[nadej_baptiste]

Adam Stern. An American. Used to be associate conductor of the Seattle Symphony. Heard a concert of Beethoven and Elgar (Symphony #2) about a decade ago. It blew me away. No idea what he is up to today.

I studied piano with Adam for a while a couple of years ago (and babysat his children too!). He is a fabulous conductor. Right now he's conducting the Seattle Philharmonic, the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, and teaching at The Lakeside School and a college in Port Angeles, in addition to composing. Really great guy, and a great conductor/pianist/composer.

[Wallingford]

For sheer obscurity, THESE guys surpass the above:

ENRIQUE JORDA (1911-1996)
EDOUARD VAN REMOORTEL (1926-1977)
ARTHUR WINOGRAD (yep--same guy, cellist who helped found the Julliard Quartet......he was perhaps the first to extensively record Grieg's orchestral music)

I collect all their albums.

[Barry]

William Smith was the Philadelphia Orchestra's associate conductor for years under Ormandy and Muti. I'm pretty sure I saw him conduct once or twice when I first started attending concerts at the Academy of Music. He didn't make many recordings that I'm aware of, but he led loads of Philadelphia Orchestra concerts for decades.

[Chalkperson]

Peter Maag...I officially make him number 56 on Lance's list...

[Gary]

Hans Swarowsky--famous for having been the teacher to so many prominent conductors, such as Abbado, Mehta, the late Giuseppe Sinopoli, Ádám Fischer, etc.

[Lance]

Randall Wetmore, who posted extensively on predecessor boards, was - is - a great admirer of Rene Lebowitz. He sent me CDs of Lebowitz's performances, most notably Beethoven, and they truly are excellent.

Georg Tintner only conducted three times in the U.S. and they weren't major concerts. But his NAXOS Bruckner cycle demonstrates quite a degree of skill and depth.

Yes, Randall Wetmore also made some CDs for me that I used on the radio. Leibowitz is an highly underrated conductor except for the rather large cult following developed since his passing who truly appreciate his art. Leibowitz is another one of those that never got his full due. I think he might be pleased to know he is more appreciate now than ever before. (He might know, you know!)

[Corlyss_D]

Remember Rene Leibowitz

Quite. Rwetmore keeps his memory alive.

http://www.classicalmusicguide.com/view ... +leibowitz

[Agnes Selby]

Max Rudolf and Walter Susskind came to mind as well...

-----

Max Rudolf was very busy in his old age. He lived in Rittenhouse
Square in Philadelphia and taught conducting at the Curtis Institute.
He also conducted the Concerto Soloists, a wonderful chamber orchestra
on a regular basis. He delighted in his vast musical library where he spent many hours. His library is now housed at the University of Pennsylvania. He was our much loved friend.

Regards,
Agnes.

[Holden Fourth]

Count me in as another Leibowitz fan - thanks to Randall of course.

[lismahago]

Karel Sejna (1896-1982) is my favourite obscure conductor: some critics have chosen his Dvorak 6th symphony as the best ever (and I would agree!). He also recorded Dvorak 5 and 7 (very fine) and the Slavonic Dances (the only stereo recording of his that I have, and the only recording of the orchestral version I enjoy listening to), the Fibich Symphonies (oops, Fibich 3 is in stereo too!) some Suk and Martinu, and a wonderful Mahler 4th. An oddity is Das Lied von der Erde in Czech! Other than the last, they are intermittently available on Supraphon. I wrote to Supraphon, suggesting that a series like the Ancerl Gold or Talich series might be appropriate, but they say his profile isn't high enough to make that worthwhile. I have collected a few of his discs, but some are unavailable, such as a CD of Smetana's Richard III, Wallenstein's Camp and Hakon Jarl with Dvorak's In Nature's Realm and Scherzo capriccioso (recently chosen by Gramophone in a list of great CDs you've never heard of, or some such). A seller is offering it on Amazon for $99.99. I'll hope for a reissue!

I gather from liner notes that he recorded quite a lot, but not that much has ever been available on CD. Well worth exploring if you like Czech music, and I wonder did he record more Mahler? The available recordings were made in the 50s (mono, most of them) and early 60s (stereo) with pretty good sound for the period.

[moldyoldie]

Aldo Ceccato -- erstwhile, short-lived, and largely prosaic music director of the Detroit Symphony in the '70s.

[piston]

It's a mightily subjective topic! Forgotten by whom? I note on Lance's list the names of Ancerl and Pretre, among others. The first was recently featured on Gramophone (in its section on "Reputations") and anybody interested in many of the recordings of the CPO cannot forget Ancerl's central role and key recordings. It so happens that he championed composers such as Martinu and Janacek, just like Baudo (also forgotten? ) championed Honegger. If one doesn't listen much to these composers obviously the conductor's reputation will seem to be fading.

Georges Pretre was the foremost conductor of Poulenc's music and the same logic applies. Any avid collector of Poulenc's orchestral music on the board will disagree with the notion that he is now forgotten.

If one wishes to be more objective about this topic, I would suggest the following methodology: how many old recordings by these and other composers were not transfered on CDs? I suspect a rather big difference between Abravanel, on one hand, and Ancerl or Pretre, on the other.

For Gramophone's recent featured article on Ancerl's reputation, see:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/reputations ... sp?id=1956

[pizza]

Leon Botstein

Check out his CV:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Botstein

He's music director of the American SO and the Jerusalem SO, as well as President of Bard College. This guy is a renaissance man if ever there was one.

[Donald Isler]

Manfred Nussbaum (1883-1965) (my grandfather). Conducted at the Zurich Tonhalle, and with numerous orchestras and operas before World War I in Germany and Switzerland.

[Lance]

Indeed, Guido Cantelli would have had a gloriously long career if it wasn't for the air crash (so reminiscent of pianist William Kapell's ending the same way). The story goes that even on his death bed, Cantelli's mentor, Arturo Toscanini, never knew about his protégé's ending less than 60 days before Toscanini died. I would call your attention to three 4-CD sets issued by Testament [1306, 1317, and 1336] of broadcast performances of the NBC Symphony by Cantelli given between 1949 and 1951. Testament also issued a number of other Cantelli recordings, including some from the vaults of EMI Records, the latter of whom also issued a number of CDs in honour of Cantelli. They are all worth seeking and wonderfully document the career of a supreme conductor.

André Cluytens was very well represented on EMI Records. All his Beethoven symphonies were issued on CD (Seraphim label), and he was a remarkable collaborative conductor with pianists such as Solomon, Gilels, Ciccolini, Marguerite Long, Marcelle Meyer, and myriad others. His EMI "Introuvables" 4-CD set [73177] is priceless and presents the conductor mostly in the role of collaborative artist with Darré, Barbizet, Navarra, Tacchino, Meyer, François, Boukoff, and Shostakovich. An EMI "Artist Profile" 2-CD set [68220] is worth seeking as well.

Eduard Van Beinum also leaves a grand legacy on recordings. Decca and Philips alternately issued wonderful retrospective collections: Volume 1 [Decca, 473.110, 5 CDs] and Volume 2 [Philips 475.6353, 6 CDs]. This no-nonsense conductor's interpretations are well worth acquiring. Those Decca and Philips sets offer some of his best material. He recorded three Haydn symphonies (Nos. 94, 96 and 97) for Decca's "Eloquence" series [476.8483] as a single CD that offers exemplary Haydn.

Aren't we record collectorsl fortunate to have so much fabulous music-making available in our lifetimes!?!

Guido Cantelli 1920-1956 life cut short in a tragic air accident. Not a huge recorded legacy and overshadowed by his mentor Toscanini.

Eduard van Beinum 1900-1959 again a shortened career. Probably more known than Cantelli due to a larger recorded legacy.

André Cluytens 1905-1967 3rd shortened career. Don't hear much about him these days. Did an incandescent Faure Requiem with de los Angeles and Fischer-Dieskau.

[mariskr]

Lots of great names on Lance's extensive list. My nomination is for Karel Ancerl. A marvelous musician with an excellent recorded legacy (Supraphon has just reissued on CD the last few items from his LP days), a survivor of the infamous Terezin and Auschwitz concentration camps, and the man who burnished the Czech Philharmonic's beautiful sound after Talich's departure.

I count myself blessed to have seen him in concert at Tanglewood, many years ago, where he conducted a memorable performance of Shostakovich's 1st Symphony shortly before he defected from Czechoslovakia following the Soviet invasion. (If anyone has a tape of this concert I will crawl over broken glass to get a copy!)

[Lance]

Hans Swarowsky--famous for having been the teacher to so many prominent conductors, such as Abbado, Mehta, the late Giuseppe Sinopoli, Ádám Fischer, etc.

You're absolutely correct, Gary. Hans Swarowsky was an enormously gifted conductor (and teacher) though he was not always given first-rate orchestras nor outstanding-quality recordings in those early days of LPs. While he recorded many symphonic works, his name is now more generally associated with collaborative artists such as Felicia Blumenthal, Guiomar Novaes, Denis Matthews, Friedrich Gulda, Ivry Gitlis, Orazio Frugoni, Ira Malaniuk, and Adolf Holler, among others—mostly Vox label artists. I have a nice Schumann "Spring" Symphony, which, both, Haydn House and Rediscovery remastered beautifully to CD. What other strictly orchestral pieces of Swarowsky's do you feel are outstanding? I may want to feature this conductor in a radio tribute in the future.

[TopoGigio]

Leibowitz is another one of those that never got his full due. I think he might be pleased to know he is more appreciate now than ever before. (He might know, you know!)

-------------------------------------------------------
I sing the mighty power of Gooood
that makes the mountains riiiise
that spreads the flowing seas abroaaaad
and built the lofty skieeeees....

(I sing the mighty power of God)

[Donaldopato]

I am glad to see that "forgotten" has not been confused with "forgettable".

The conductors I mentioned (Cantelli, Rudolph, Cluytens, Van Beinum and Susskind) may not be "best sellers" and unknown to many but offer a wealth of unique, often definitive performances.

[Ralph]

Randall Wetmore, who posted extensively on predecessor boards, was - is - a great admirer of Rene Lebowitz. He sent me CDs of Lebowitz's performances, most notably Beethoven, and they truly are excellent.

Georg Tintner only conducted three times in the U.S. and they weren't major concerts. But his NAXOS Bruckner cycle demonstrates quite a degree of skill and depth.

Yes, Randall Wetmore also made some CDs for me that I used on the radio. Leibowitz is an highly underrated conductor except for the rather large cult following developed since his passing who truly appreciate his art. Leibowitz is another one of those that never got his full due. I think he might be pleased to know he is more appreciate now than ever before. (He might know, you know!)

*****

I don't know - dead is dead.

[Chalkperson]

Gilbert Kaplan, he recorded Mahler's Second Symphony, Twice, and the Adagio from the Fifth, and that's it, nothing else...I happen to like both his recordings although the second one is the best...he's a businessman I think and bought the original manuscript that he conducted from...

[Agnes Selby]

Dear Lance,

I am so glad you included Sir Eugene Goossens in your list of
forgotten conductors.

Few people remember today that the famous Sydney Opera House
was entirely Goossens idea. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
blossomed under his direction and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
became an institution of learning and excellence producing under his direction artists such as Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge
and the great music educators we have in Australia today.

It seems that only the Australian Broadcasting Commission remembers him by naming a hall after him. He left Australia under a cloud which presently would barely rise an eyebrow. Even young children see more
exciting material on TV in "Sex In the City". Australian media completely destroyed his life.
---------------

[Chalkperson]

Dear Lance,

I am so glad you included Sir Eugene Goossens in your list of
forgotten conductors........... Australian media completely destroyed his life.

The Media, Australian or Otherwise, have ruined countless lives, sad but very true...

[david johnson]

i haven't forgotten these guys!

dj

[Wallingford]

FRIEDER WEISSMANN......very prolific accompanist, did many, many opera discs. He also did distinctive performances of standard orchestral repertory "by himself".

classicalconducting.com has a CD set entitled Frieder Weissmann Memorial: yours for twenty smackaroonies--postage included--and you can pick another single disc off their site as well!

[Harold Tucker]

Chalky,
Kaplan will be introducing a new critical edition of his favorite symphony here in Cincinnati this coming October:
•Fri. Oct. 17, 8 pm

•Sat. Oct. 18, 8 pm



Gilbert Kaplan, conductor

Janice Chandler-Eteme, soprano

Christianne Stotijn, mezzo-soprano
May Festival Chorus
Robert Porco, director


MAHLER Symphony No. 2
(U.S. Premiere of New Critical Edition by Gilbert Kaplan)+



THE MAHLER EXPERIENCE
These concerts recall a great moment in musical history 100 years ago when Gustav Mahler stood on the podium at Carnegie Hall and unveiled his epic second symphony to America. Leading the CSO is Mahler authority Gilbert Kaplan, who has performed the work with more than 50 orchestras around the world.



At 6:30 PM on Fri and Sat in Music Hall, Gilbert Kaplan will deliver a multimedia presentation “The World of Gustav Mahler” (free to ticket holders)—with more than 150 historical photographs and illustrations, along with 30 recorded musical excerpts. Please note that these presentations take place in lieu of Classical Conversations.

[sfbugala]

Guido Cantelli 1920-1956 life cut short in a tragic air accident. Not a huge recorded legacy and overshadowed by his mentor Toscanini.

Eduard van Beinum 1900-1959 again a shortened career. Probably more known than Cantelli due to a larger recorded legacy.

André Cluytens 1905-1967 3rd shortened career. Don't hear much about him these days. Did an incandescent Faure Requiem with de los Angeles and Fischer-Dieskau.

For me, Cluytens Beethoven cycle is almost as good as Karajan's famed 60's set. For some of the symphonies, he's even better.

I found a van Beinum tribute set on LP I had planned to sell on ebay, but as I listened, it became "unsellable." There's some fine music making in the set, and it's all stuff I have way too many renditions of.

Someone mentioned Walter Susskind. He did some fine work for Vox with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. I cherish his Ma Vlast with them, for instance.

I like another former SLSO director, Jerzy Semkow, because of his Schumann cycle he recorded. But he did an Eroica symphony here in 2002 that I really wish I had as a recording. It was just so...different and very "old school." I read that he's been a frequent guest conductor in Rochester and Detroit, and I'd be curious to hear if he has any other fans. I hope he can make it to St. Louis for another guest engagement down the road.

[CharmNewton]

A forgotten giant is Arthur Nikisch, who made a handful of recordings as a conductor in 1913 and 1921. Dutton has issued a new transfer of his 1913 Beethoven 5th, which despite very primitive sound still makes a strong impression as a performance.

John

[pizza]

I would add Howard Hanson and Frederick Fennell, both excellent conductors of American classics and American band music.

[Chalkperson]

Chalky,
Kaplan will be introducing a new critical edition of his favorite symphony here in Cincinnati this coming October:

Thanks, Harold, Maybe he's playing New York, I will look into it...

[Chalkperson]

A forgotten giant is Arthur Nikisch, who made a handful of recordings as a conductor in 1913 and 1921. Dutton has issued a new transfer of his 1913 Beethoven 5th, which despite very primitive sound still makes a strong impression as a performance.

John

I had been looking at that disc, if it is listenable i'll pick it up...and also there is Alexander Gauk, who taught Mravinsky, Kondrashin and many others, he had studied with Glazunov and Nikitsch...

Brilliant Classics is releasing a 10 cd box of Gauk's work, he was not as good as Mravinsky, Kondrashin or Golovanov but the few discs of his I have got I enjoy...

[Chalkperson]

A forgotten giant is Arthur Nikisch, who made a handful of recordings as a conductor in 1913 and 1921. Dutton has issued a new transfer of his 1913 Beethoven 5th, which despite very primitive sound still makes a strong impression as a performance.

John

I had been looking at that disc, if it is listenable i'll pick it up...and also there is Alexander Gauk, who taught Mravinsky, Kondrashin and many others, he had studied with Glazunov and Nikitsch...

Brilliant Classics is releasing a 10 cd box of Gauk's work, he was not quite as good as Mravinsky, Kondrashin or Golovanov but the few discs of his I have got I enjoy...

http://www.amazon.com/Historical-Russia ... 346&sr=8-1

[Lance]

Amazon's $104 price tag for the historical Gauk set [10 CDs] seems heavy. There is no listing as to the repertoire, but the Gauk is one I would certainly like to have. Brilliant Classics have also issued a 10-CD boxed set for Yuri Temirkanov, which seems to be available mostly in Europe unless someone knows otherwise. Anybody know the contents of the Gauk collection? The guy was never afforded the finest sonics in the world on released LPs, but if the Brilliant set is comprised of recordings from the master tapes, it might be the best yet. I would also be curious about any collaborations in the Gauk set.

[snipped] ... and also there is Alexander Gauk, who taught Mravinsky, Kondrashin and many others, he had studied with Glazunov and Nikitsch...

Brilliant Classics is releasing a 10 cd box of Gauk's work, he was not quite as good as Mravinsky, Kondrashin or Golovanov but the few discs of his I have got I enjoy...

http://www.amazon.com/Historical-Russia ... 346&sr=8-1

[Chalkperson]

Amazon's $104 price tag for the historical Gauk set [10 CDs] seems heavy. There is no listing as to the repertoire, but the Gauk is one I would certainly like to have. Brilliant Classics have also issued a 10-CD boxed set for Yuri Temirkanov, which seems to be available mostly in Europe unless someone knows otherwise. Anybody know the contents of the Gauk collection? The guy was never afforded the finest sonics in the world on released LPs, but if the Brilliant set is comprised of recordings from the master tapes, it might be the best yet. I would also be curious about any collaborations in the Gauk set.

That's Amazon's price, if you check this link to the other available prices it can be had for $54 from Caiman which I think is a fair price...always check the 'other prices' on Amazon as there can be quite a price difference...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... 352&sr=8-1

here is a track listing...

http://www.selections.com/AH416/alexand ... ion-10cds/

as for Yuri Temirkanov, I could only find it in the UK, but for about $60 including postage...

http://www.selections.com/AH414/yuri-te ... ion-10cds/

[TopoGigio]

QuoTe:
Few people remember today that the famous Sydney Opera House
was entirely Goossens idea. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
blossomed under his direction and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
became an institution of learning and excellence producing under his direction artists such as Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge
-------------------------
Bonynge, last seen in the cut(e) Semiramide of Meyerbeer (Naxos)
----
And about ' Goossex' i mean :Sex is Magic!
http://classicalmusicguide.com/phpBB2/v ... hp?t=16828

[SONNET CLV]

I planned to add a conductor's name to this thread, but I've forgotten who it is.

Alas ....


--SONNET CLV--

[TopoGigio]

Perhaps Menuhin?
He directed the Inextinguishable !

[nadej_baptiste]

I planned to add a conductor's name to this thread, but I've forgotten who it is.

Alas ....


--SONNET CLV--

Hehe.

[Wallingford]

A forgotten giant is Arthur Nikisch, who made a handful of recordings as a conductor in 1913 and 1921. Dutton has issued a new transfer of his 1913 Beethoven 5th, which despite very primitive sound still makes a strong impression as a performance.

John

I wouldn't say Nikisch is forgotten. His influence (along with Toscanini's & Weingartner's) on succeeding generations of conductors really set the pace for scholarliness, and the absolute sanctity of the printed note.

More people would love & admire Nikisch's work if not for the limitations of acoustic recording....not that the medium really let him down. His power in Beethoven's Fifth speaks volumes. Nikisch is only forgotten in the same sense that Laurel & Hardy, or the Reginald Owen & Alistair Sim versions of A Christmas Carol are forgotten, just because a bunch of brats "hate" B&W.

[Lance]

I have that Naxos SEMIRAMIDE and it's a superb recording. Deborah Riedel is one of the most incredible sopranos to be heard in the last few years. The quality of her voice is very reminiscent of Dame Joan. I believe Riedel coached with Bonynge. It was my pleasure to have some correspondence with her (she lives in Australia) after her superb recording on the Melba label was released.

QuoTe:
Few people remember today that the famous Sydney Opera House
was entirely Goossens idea. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
blossomed under his direction and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
became an institution of learning and excellence producing under his direction artists such as Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge
-------------------------
Bonynge, last seen in the cut(e) Semiramide of Meyerbeer (Naxos)
<a href="http://www.uploadgeek.com"><img src="http://www.uploadgeek.com/uploads456/0/semi1.jpg" alt="Visit UploadGeek" /></a>

And about ' Goossex' i mean :Sex is Magic!
http://classicalmusicguide.com/phpBB2/v ... hp?t=16828

[Gary]

A few more Russian conductors: Mark Ermler, Yuri Simonov, Evgeny Svetlanov, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Alexander Lazarev


Almost all ballet conductors are forgotten.

Anatole Fistoulari, Robert Irving, Viktor Fedotov, Algis Zhuraitis, Yuri Fayer

[CharmNewton]

A forgotten giant is Arthur Nikisch, who made a handful of recordings as a conductor in 1913 and 1921. Dutton has issued a new transfer of his 1913 Beethoven 5th, which despite very primitive sound still makes a strong impression as a performance.

John

I had been looking at that disc, if it is listenable i'll pick it up...and also there is Alexander Gauk, who taught Mravinsky, Kondrashin and many others, he had studied with Glazunov and Nikitsch...

Brilliant Classics is releasing a 10 cd box of Gauk's work, he was not as good as Mravinsky, Kondrashin or Golovanov but the few discs of his I have got I enjoy...

Have a listen to the sound clips, but the Beethoven should be heard in its entirety. Dutton has a way of revealing the presence in the original recordings, even if the frequency range is limited.

John

[Richard Mullany]

Another legacy of Eugene Goosens is his arrangement of "The Messiah" which was used by Beecham in his notorious RCA set of the fifties. Like many others I have both the original version and Goosens' and love them both.

[GK]

One name that may or may not belong in this discussion is Gilbert Levine. His is more a case of never was rather than forgotten. Until recent years that is. Somehow this Jewish lad from Brooklyn made alliances with both the previous and present Popes and conducted concerts they sponsored. PBS recently presented a "Missa Solemnis" conducted by him which a friend, who is very particular about classical music, thought it was excellent. On top of everything he has been knighted and is now Sir Gilbert.