Prague Spring Festival (4 CDs) on Andante

[Lance]

Andante has done some great things for collectors of recordings. It's a shame their web site didn't make it. I hope they, through Naïve, continue to release these spectacular sets. The one in hand [AN 2150 is a four-CD set of the world's most highly regarded conductors and soloists in performance (live) at the Prague Spring Festival between 1947 and 1968 and were broadcast. Most have never been available on CD, and those performances that were had very little distribution. Outstanding notes from Patrick Lambert. Also included are rare photos and full documentation of the recordings. All are with the fabulous Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with the exception of one, as noted. Here's the run-down:

• Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in f, Op. 36, Evgeny Mravinsky, (June 3 1957)
• Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in d, Op. 30, Lev Oborin, piano; Leopold Stokowski, conductor (May 20, 1961)
• Martinu: Symphony No. 6 ("Fantaisies symphoniques"), Charles Munch, conductor (March 27, 1967)
• Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps (The Right of Spring), Igor Markevitch (May 30, 1959)
• Beethoven: Corolan Overture, Op. 62, George Szell, conductor (June 3, 1959)
• Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, André Cluytens, conductor (May 30, 1955)
• Smetana: From Bohemia's Meadows and Forests (from Ma Vlast, Karl Ancerl, conductor (May 12, 1968)
• Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in d, K. 466, Sviatoslav Richter, pianist, Kryil Kondrashin, conductor (May 23, 1950)
• Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D, Op. 19, David OIstrakh, violin, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Rafael Kubelik, conductor (May 15, 1947).

I haven't had an opportunity to listen to the whole set yet, only the fourth disc containing the Smetana, Mozart and Prokofiev works. I can tell you that the 1968 Ancerl performance of "From Bohemia's Meadows and Forests" is spectacular. It's probably one of the finest performances of this I've heard. Crystal clear, an impeccable orchestra, outstanding sound, and an interpretation to die for.

The 1950 Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 with Richter is outstanding for it's time (already 56 years old!). What a team, Konrashin and Richter! Mono sound is rich and full ... lots of coughs from the audience, too. A somewhat distant miking used allows Richter's tone to emerge with great beauty.

As always with Andante, transfers and restorations are superb in every respect and detail, courtesy of Paul Baily (Re: Sound), the man who was responsible for restoring so many of EMI's historical recordings from years gone by.

You will be very happy to have this among your great-performance-live recordings. I would opt for subsequent volumes in this series.

[GK]

I have a recording of Richter in an all Mozart recital at the 1956 Prague Spring Festival. It is on the Multisonic label.

[Lance]

I have a recording of Richter in an all Mozart recital at the 1956 Prague Spring Festival. It is on the Multisonic label.

That could be one of the duplications, no doubt due to Richter's enormous popularity. Is it the same 1950 performance? Multisonic discs were not all that available in the US at one time. I have quite a number of them myself, and many from the Prague May Festival. Andante did qualify their release by saying the "most" of the performances were not previously issued, or were in very limited distribution.

If you can verify the 1950 date, I'd like to know the number of the set and/or the single CD on Multisonic.

Many thanks.

[GK]

My disc is from the 1956 Festival--Multisonic 310336-2. It includes Sonatas Nos. 8 & 15 and Allegro and Andante No. 14

[Lance]

My disc is from the 1956 Festival--Multisonic 310336-2. It includes Sonatas Nos. 8 & 15 and Allegro and Andante No. 14

Yes, I have that disc too. I thought you were inferring that the Mozart Piano Concerto #20 was also issued on the disc. I re-read your first note and see that you did not mention the concerto!

There was also another Multisonic disc of all-Mozart as performed by Richter: 310076, which contained the sonatas 8, 15, Rondo #8 and some separate pieces, also from the Prague Spring Festival.

Thank you for checking for me.