{"product_id":"7293627964029","title":"Israel Philharmonic Orchestra - Schumann: Symphonies No.2, No.3 \"Rhenish\" - Import CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eCredits:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIsrael Philharmonic Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDescription:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA former \"fearsome music director\" returns to his old orchestra: Paray conducts Schumann symphonies live\nBorn at Le Tréport near Rouen, Paul Paray (1886-1979) was one of the great French masters and a celebrated \"orchestra builder\", as his work in Detroit makes plain - he served the orchestra as music director from 1952 to 1963 and devoted the second half of his career to it.\nLess well known is that, before his Detroit years, Paray was music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (1949-1951). He was not himself Jewish, but in 1940, when Jewish players were forced out of the Concerts Colonne, of which he was then principal conductor, Paray left the orchestra alongside them; his wife came from an Alsatian Jewish family, and through these ties he formed close friendships with people living in Israel, which opened the way to his appointment in Tel Aviv.\nParay was determined to raise the orchestra's standards, but the board had already had a difficult time choosing a successor to the great Bernstein, and Paray's own demands were exacting - new members for the under-strength woodwind section (he intended to bring Jean-Pierre Rampal from Paris as principal flute), a thorough strengthening of the strings, and more. The English-language liner notes document the fierce exchanges that continued between conductor and board even after he had taken up the post.\nRelations were never entirely easy and finally turned cold after a tour of the United States and Canada, but Paray returned as guest conductor in May and June 1951, immediately following that tour, and went on appearing as a guest with the Israel Philharmonic for the rest of his life.\nThe Schumann Second and Third Symphonies heard here come from precisely those late guest appearances. After leaving the Israel Philharmonic, Paray completed a Schumann symphony cycle with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, recording No. 2 in 1955 and No. 3 in 1956 - performances whose brisk tempos and crisp, energetic rhythms, allied to genuinely lyrical slow movements, still lead many collectors to name them as first choices.\nHearing how the orchestra's former taskmaster shapes his beloved Schumann with the ensemble he once led - by this time enjoying its golden age under Mehta - makes for an endlessly absorbing release.\nKing International\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTracklisting:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1.Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61: 1. Sostenuto assai - Allegro ma non troppo\u003cbr\u003e2.Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61: 2. Scherzo. Allegro vivace\u003cbr\u003e3.Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61: 3. Adagio espressivo\u003cbr\u003e4.Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61: 4. Allegro molto vivace\u003cbr\u003e5.Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 \"Rhenish\": 1. Lebhaft\u003cbr\u003e6.Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 \"Rhenish\": 2. Scherzo: Sehr mabig\u003cbr\u003e7.Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 \"Rhenish\": 3. Nicht Schnell\u003cbr\u003e8.Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 \"Rhenish\": 4. Feierlich - (quasi attacca:)\u003cbr\u003e9.Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 \"Rhenish\": 5. Lebhaft\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Helicon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53474722971937,"sku":"7293627964029","price":19.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/8482\/2076\/files\/7293627964029.jpg?v=1788912846","url":"https:\/\/cdsvinyljapan.com\/en-de\/products\/7293627964029","provider":"CDs Vinyl Japan Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}