Formats and Editions
1. *** Disc 1:
2. Bach, J.S.: Oster-Oratorium, BWV 249
3. *** Disc 2:
4. Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 "Classical"
5. Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Op. 60
6. Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges (suite), Op. 33bis
7. *** Disc 3:
8. Strauss, R.: Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
9. *** Disc 4:
10. Offenbach: Gaîté Parisienne
11. Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1
12. Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2
13. *** Disc 5:
14. Hindemith: Mathis der Maler Symphony
15. Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber
16. *** Disc 6:
17. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71, TH 14 (Extracts)
18. Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, TH 42 (1880 Version)
19. *** Disc 7:
20. Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116
21. *** Disc 8:
22. Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 "Italian"
23. Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, incidental music, Op. 61
24. *** Disc 9:
25. Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83
26. Falla: Noches en los Jardines de España, IMF 8
27. *** Disc 10:
28. Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19
29. Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63
30. *** Disc 11:
31. Traditional: Oh Tannenbaum
32. Traditional: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
33. Simeone: Little Drummer Boy
34. Niles: I Wonder as I Wander
35. Handel: Messiah, HWV 56: For unto us a Child is born
36. Traditional: Here We Go A-Caroling
37. Traditional: Good King Wenceslas
38. Traditional: Away in a Manger
39. Traditional: Jingle Bells
40. Traditional: We Three Kings of Orient Are
41. Handel: Messiah, HWV 56: Hallelujah Chorus
42. Traditional: We Wish You a Merry Christmas
43. Pergolesi: Glory to God in the Highest
44. Franck: Psalm 150 in D Major, FWV 69
45. Robertson: How Beautiful Upon the Mountain
46. Schubert: Psalm 23, D. 706
47. Beethoven: Christus am Ölberge, Op. 85: Hallelujah
48. *** Disc 12/13:
49. Verdi: Messa da Requiem
50. *** Disc 14:
51. Strauss, R.: Der Rosenkavalier Suite, TrV 227d
52. Strauss, R.: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28
53. Strauss, R.: Salome, Op. 54, TrV 215: Dance of the Seven Veils
54. *** Disc 15:
55. Mendelssohn: Concerto for 2 Pianos in E Major, MWV O 5
56. Mendelssohn: Concerto for 2 Pianos in A-Flat Major, MWV O 6
57. *** Disc 16:
58. Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
59. Copland: Lincoln Portrait
60. Ives: 3 Places in New England (Orchestral Set No. 1)
61. Ives: Symphony No. 1 in D Minor
62. *** Disc 17:
63. Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54
64. Schumann: Introduction ; Allegro appassionato, Op. 92 "Konzertstück"
65. *** Disc 18:
66. Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole, M. 54
67. Debussy (orch. Ravel): Danse, L. 69 "Tarantelle styrienne"
68. Debussy: Nocturnes, L. 91
69. Debussy (arr. William Smith): Rêverie, L. 68
70. Debussy (orch. Smith): 2 Arabesques, L. 66:
71. Andantino con moto
72. Debussy (orch. Smith): Préludes, Livre 1, L. 117:
73. La fille aux cheveux de lin
74. Debussy (orch. Büsser): Petite Suite, L. 65:
75. En bateau
76. *** Disc 19:
77. Wagner: Tannhäuser, WWV 70, Act II: Festmarsch
78. Wagner: Lohengrin, WWV 75: Prelude to Act III
79. Wagner: Die Walküre, WWV 86b, Act III: Magic Fire Music
80. Wagner: Die Walküre, WWV 86b Act III: The Ride of the Valkyries
81. Wagner: Tannhäuser, WWV 70: Overture
82. Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, WWV 90: Prelude ; Liebestod
83. Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, WWV 96, Act I: Prelude
84. *** Disc 20:
85. Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11
86. *** Disc 21:
87. Dvorák: Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104, B. 191
88. Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
89. *** Disc 22:
90. Brahms: Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra in B-Flat Major, Op. 83
91. *** Disc 23:
92. Brahms: Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op. 102
93. Beethoven: Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello ; Piano in C Major, Op. 56
94. *** Disc 24:
95. Mozart: Symphony No. 30 in D Major, K. 202
96. Mozart: Symphony No. 31 in D Major, K. 297 "Paris"
97. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
98. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
99. *** Disc 25:
100. Stravinsky: Petroushka Ballet Suite
101. *** Disc 26:
102. Kodály: Háry János Suite
103. Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1919 Version)
104. *** Disc 27:
105. Foster (arr. Harris): Camptown Races
106. Traditional (arr. Harris): When Johnny Comes Marching Home
107. Traditional (arr. Harris): Sailor's Hornpipe
108. Paderewski (arr. Harris): Minuet in G Major Op. 14, No. 1
109. Rameau (arr. Harris): The Hen
110. Benjamin (arr. Harris): Jamaican Rumba
111. Debussy: General Lavine
112. Harris: March of the Mandarins
113. Traditional (arr. Harris): Londonderry Air
114. Rimsky-Korsakov: The Flight of the Bumblebee
115. Grieg (arr. Harris): March of the Dwarfs (Arranged by Arthur Harris)
116. Rimsky-Korsakov: Procession of the Nobles from "Mlada" Suite
117. Halvorsen: March of the Boyars
118. Chabrier: Joyeuse Marche for Orchestra
119. Saint-Saëns: Suite algérienne, Op. 60: IV. Marche militaire française
120. Mendelssohn: War March of the Priests from "Athalie, Op. 74"
121. Rimsky-Korsakov: Farewell of the Tsar from "Tsar Saltan Suite, Op. 57"
122. Ippolitov-Ivanov: Caucasian Sketches Suite, Op. 10: Procession of the Sardar
123. *** Disc 28:
124. Guthrie (arr. Cormier): This Land is Your Land
125. arr. Hunter: Down in the Valley
126. arr. De Cormier: She'll be coming round the mountain
127. Foster (arr. Robertson): Beautiful Dreamer
128. arr. De Cormier: Sweet Betsy from Pike
129. Gould: Spirituals for Orchestra: Gospel Train - Old Time Religion
130. arr. De Cormier: When I First Came to This Land
131. arr. De Cormier: Shenandoah (or, Across the Wide Missouri)
132. arr. De Cormier: Home on The Range
133. arr. De Cormier: He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
134. arr. Harris: I Wonder as I Wander
135. Foster (arr. Shaw): Oh, Susanna
136. Traditional: Deep River
137. *** Disc 29:
138. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Op. 44
139. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 75
140. *** Disc 30:
141. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
142. Tchaikovsky (arr. Harris): None but the Lonely Heart, Op. 6, No. 6
143. Tchaikovsky (arr. Gould): The Seasons, Op. 37a: No. 6, June. Barcarolle
144. *** Disc 31:
145. Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22
146. Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 44
147. *** Disc 32:
148. Berlioz: Grande messe des morts, H 75
149. *** Disc 33:
150. Mozart: Concerto No. 1 in D Major for Horn and Orchestra, K. 412
151. Mozart: Concerto No. 2 in E-Flat Major for Horn and Orchestra, K. 417
152. Mozart: Concerto No. 3 in E-Flat Major for Horn and Orchestra, K. 447
153. Mozart: Concerto No. 4 in E-Flat Major for Horn and Orchestra, K. 495
154. *** Disc 34:
155. Bartók: A csodálatos mandarin, Op. 19 "The Miraculous Mandarin"
156. Bartók: 2 Pictures, Op. 10
157. Bartók: 2 Portraits, Op. 5
158. *** Disc 35:
159. Sarasate: Introduction and Tarantelle for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 43
160. Cooley: Aria and Dance for Viola and Orchestra
161. Fauré: Élégie for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 24
162. Vanhal: Concerto in E Major for Bass and Orchestra
163. Riisager: Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra, Op. 29
164. Saint-Saëns: Morceau de concert, Op. 94
165. Guilmant: Morceau Symphonique for Trombone and Orchestra, Op. 88
166. *** Disc 36:
167. Mahler: Symphony No. 10 in F-Sharp Minor (1976 Version)
168. *** Disc 37:
169. Haydn: Symphony No. 96 in D Major, Hob. I:96, "Miracle"
170. Haydn: Symphony No. 101 in D Major, Hob. I:101 "Clock"
171. *** Disc 38:
172. Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
173. Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Concerto in D Major
More Info:
ORMANDY IN PHILADELPHIA
- The Complete Columbia Stereo Recordings 1964-1983
This massive new reissue from Eugene Ormandy's stereo discography collects all the Columbia Masterworks recordings he made in Philadelphia between the early 1960s and early 1980s. Sony Classical's new 94-CD box set once again demonstrates what noted critic Jed Distler, reviewing the previous instalment of this ambitious project "The Columbia Stereo Collection 1958-1963" in Gramophone's December 2023 issue, characterized as "the Philadelphia Orchestra's brilliance and versatility as well as Ormandy's unflappable consistency and habitually underestimated interpretative gifts". Some of these performances - including the complete recording of Bach's St. John Passion, Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis, Schubert's Sixth Symphony and a disc of opera choruses with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as well as Ginastera's Concerto for Strings and the ballet music from Massenet's opera Le Cid - have never appeared before in the digital medium, and they shine a light into new corners of Ormandy's astonishingly large repertoire.
Also new to CD are two late symphonies by Haydn - No. 96 "The Miracle" and No. 101 "The Clock" - a prime example of Ormandy excelling in repertoire not normally associated with him. Gramophone's reviewer wrote that he "apparently uses a quite large body of strings, which makes the perfection of their playing the more praiseworthy. The nimble unanimity of the violins in the finale of No. 96 really is something to be heard. It is, indeed, all very stylish and excellently done." High Fidelity concurred: "Ormandy favors tradition in texts, tempos, and timbre, but there is genuine pleasure to be found in his handling of the slow movements and the crisp rhythms of the finales. In the first movement of No. 96 his eminently zestful reading evokes the brilliance of a London premiere, and the cohesion of the orchestra is especially commendable."
Another composer for whom Ormandy showed a perhaps unexpected affinity was Bruckner, as can be heard in his recording of the Fifth Symphony (1965) and Te Deum (1966). "Ormandy is not a meditative conductor, but a sculptor in sound, a man who has an uncanny ear for balance and texture . The bare contrasts of string against woodwind, and brass against them both, are given an electrifying freshness . As for the Philadelphia strings they give a resonance and warmth which is ravishing on the ear, not just in the obvious passages of the slow movement, where bows always tend to dig deep, but in such passages as the pianissimo tremolo at the end of the first movement exposition, as it dies down to nothing" (Gramophone).
The new set contains many more of Ormandy's acclaimed interpretations of the symphonic repertoire, including his pioneering recording of Mahler's Tenth, in the performing version by Deryck Cooke - "They bring a sense of wonder and discovery and I think you really can sense their missionary zeal in this recording. It must also be said that the playing of the Philadelphia Orchestra is superb in every department . Ormandy was a great conductor and this version of the Tenth is a fine example of his art" (MusicWeb International). The new set also contains Ormandy's complete traversal of the symphonies by Beethoven and Brahms, as well as Nielsen's First and Sixth, in which "Ormandy disentangles the strands and presents the spare work with the clarity called for in a symphony that rejoices in chamber textures" (MusicWeb International).
Ormandy's full-bodied approach to Russian repertoire can be heard here in symphonies by Tchaikovsky, No. 4, Prokofiev's "Classical" and Fifth, the Shostakovich Fifth and Tenth and two symphonies by the conductor's friend Rachmaninoff, the First ("...gorgeous in its tonal beauty and irresistible in its kinetic impact. The recorded sound does the musicians superb justice." - HiFi Stereo Review) and Third, of which "he gives a mature, most satisfying performance - and the famous Philadelphia string tone is, of course, made for Rachmaninov" (Gramophone).
Ormandy's iconic 1966 recording of the Mussorgsky-Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition was recently acclaimed by ClassicsToday as the finest version of the work ever committed to disc: "Great playing and a big, gutsy interpretation that not only characterizes each section beautifully but also welds the suite together into an extremely satisfying whole. The panoramic final pages, from the start of the tolling bell section, have no peer in terms of detail and sheer sonic splendor, and this is one of the best-sounding recordings that Ormandy and Philly ever got from Sony."
American music is represented by Ives and Gershwin, of course, but also by Paul Creston and Ferde Grofé; British music by Elgar's Enigma and Cockaigne and Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. In French repertoire such as Ravel's Rapsodie espagnole and Debussy's Nocturnes, wrote Gramophone, Ormandy's early-60s recordings are "really first-rate in every way. In the Ravel the Philadelphia Orchestra's virtuosity seems to have no bounds, while elsewhere there is much beautiful and sensitive playing." And naturally there are important works here by Ormandy's Hungarian compatriots Bartók and Kodály, including their Concertos for Orchestra, the suite from The Miraculous Mandarin and Háry János and the Bartók Divertimento from 1968, new to CD.
Ormandy was regarded by many as one of the finest accompanists in the business, and the new set features many classic concerto recordings - of works by composers including Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, Gershwin, Prokofiev, Bruch, Ravel, Lalo and Rodrigo, played by such regular partners of the conductor as Isaac Stern, Rudolf Serkin, Eugene Istomin, Philippe Entremont and Leonard Rose. Reviewing Stern and Ormandy's Prokofiev Concertos from 1963, Gramophone wrote that "their First in particular has rarely been matched and perhaps never quite surpassed. Stern's stunning virtuosity is entirely apt in the most entertaining scherzo ever recorded . Ormandy matches him with characterful orchestral playing." And of the Brahms Double Concerto with Stern and Rose from 1964, the same publication said that "each soloist plays not only with the utmost skill and sensitivity, which really goes without saying, but also with the utmost sympathy for the other . The orchestra respond in an exemplary way, and the whole is handled by Ormandy most effectively."
The are other large-scale works here, including Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives (Gramophone: "Ormandy directs the oratorio with a passionate belief in its worth . and transmits that to his singers and orchestra. The result is a remarkably fine performance, very well recorded") and the Requiem settings by Berlioz and Verdi, as well as numerous smaller, often lesser-known works for which Ormandy had a special flair. But it would be a fitting close to point out the only recording in this massive collection that wasn't made in the "New World". In 1967, the conductor was in London to record Dvorák's Ninth Symphony with the LSO, yet as Gramophone wrote, "to a remarkable degree Ormandy secures an Ormandy sound of the kind one recognizes in Philadelphia performances. The concern for texture and inner balancing is astonishingly acute . If CBS wanted to experiment in having Ormandy record in Europe for a change, the result is an outstanding success . At any price this is one of the very best `New World' performances available."
EUGENE ORMANDY, COLUMBIA STEREO COLLECTION 1964-1983