Bruno Walter - Mozart/Haydn Remastered Stereo Recordings - Import 6 CD Box Set

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Bruno Walter

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Contents [CD1] Mozart: 1. 1. eine kleine Nachtmusik K.525 2. overture to "Theatre Manager" K.486 Overture to "Cosi fan tutte" K.588 4. overture to "The Marriage of Figaro" K.492 5. overture to "The Magic Flute" K.620 Funeral for Freemasons in C minor, K.477 [Performed by] Bruno Walter (conductor), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Recorded: December 17, 1958 (1), March 29,31, 1961 (2-6), American Legion Hall, Hollywood. [CD2] Mozart: 1. Symphony No. 41 in C major, K.551 "Jupiter 2. symphony No.35 in D major, K.385 "Haffner [Performed by] Bruno Walter (conductor), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Recorded: February 25, 26, 28, 1960 (1), January 13, 16, 19, 21, 1959 (2) Hollywood,American Legion Hall [CD3] Mozart: 1. 1. symphony No.36 in C major, K.425 "Linz 2. symphony No.39 in E-flat major, K.543 [Performed by] Bruno Walter (conductor), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Recorded: February 28 and 29, 1960 (1), February 20 and 23, 1960 (2) American Legion Hall, Hollywood [CD4] Mozart: 1. Symphony No.38 in D major, K.504 "Prague 2. symphony No.40 in G minor, K.550 [Performed by] Bruno Walter (conductor) and Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Recorded: December 2, 1959 (1); January 13, 16, 19, 21, 1959 (2), American Legion Hall, Hollywood. [CD5] Mozart: 1. Violin Concerto No.3 in G major, K.216 2. violin concerto No.4 in D major, K.218 [Performed by] Gino Francescatti (violin), Bruno Walter (conductor), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Recorded in Hollywood, December 10, 12, 15, 17, 1958,American Legion Hall [CD6] Haydn: 1. 1. symphony No.88 in G major, Hob.I:88 Haydn; Symphony No.100 in G major, Hob.I:100 "The Army [Performed by] Bruno Walter (conductor), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Recorded: March 4, 8, 1961 (1), March 2, 4, 1961 (2), American Legion Hall, Hollywood Along with Furtwängler and Toscanini, Bruno Walter is considered the greatest conductor of the 20th century. During his long musical career, Walter was one of the pioneering performers who gave special importance to recordings. Stereo recordings, which were put into practical use in the 1950s, showed superior characteristics in terms of sound clarity, separation, and spaciousness compared to the monaural recordings that had been available up to that time. John McClure, a producer at Columbia Records, sensing this situation, planned a stereo recording of Bruno Walter.In 1957, Walter had suffered a heart attack and was in a resting state when he was persuaded to assemble a recording orchestra with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Hollywood Studios to begin a comprehensive recording project of his core repertoire of symphonic and orchestral works of German and Austrian descent. The project was a great success. To reduce the physical demands on Walter, American Legion Hall near his home in Hollywood was chosen as the recording venue, and the pace was slowed to one session per day, beginning with Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 on January 8, 1958 (the second movement was recorded on the first day) and continuing through Mozart's Overture No. 4 on March 31, 1961. In about four years, 55 works were recorded, including the complete symphonies of Beethoven and Brahms, major symphonies by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Bruckner, and Dvořák, symphonies by Mahler, who remained in Walter's repertoire until his last days, and Wagner's orchestral works, including the orchestral works of Wagner, who was a great composer of his own time. The box contains 55 of these works in fresh stereo sound. This box contains six of these works: two Haydn symphonies, six late Mozart symphonies, a collection of overtures, and two violin concertos.Each disc is packaged in a paper jacket with the jacket design of the first U.S. release (both front and back), and enclosed in a cardboard clamshell box with a 20-page all-color saddle-stitched booklet featuring a track listing with detailed recording data and artist photos, all using the label design of the original release. It is enclosed in a cardboard clamshell box. The remasters are from the Bruno Walter~Complete Columbia Album Collection, a 77-CD set released in 2019. These were planned as a joint project between Sony Classical and Sony Music in Japan, newly remixed and remastered by Andreas K. Meyer from the original analog masters, rather than the waist-high sound familiar from earlier LPs and CDs, The result is a groundbreaking recording that delivers the calm and dignified sound with a low center of gravity that Walter was aiming for, rather than the stooped sound familiar from previous LPs and CDs. Walter's Haydn and Mozart James H. North In the era of great conductors, many conductors were admired, revered, and sometimes venerated, but Bruno Walter was "beloved."He was as demanding in rehearsals as any conductor, and as demanding of his orchestra members, but there was a benevolence to his personality. This is why his slightly stern countenance seemed to glow. These traits were evident in his playing, which became even more pronounced as he grew older. When Walter retired to California in 1957, Columbia executives suggested that he re-record his major repertoire in stereo, arguing that the advent of stereo technology would render his previous monaural recordings obsolete. Columbia then organized a special orchestra under the name of "Columbia Symphony Orchestra," named after the record label, but the number of musicians varied according to the recorded repertoire, and the members of the orchestra varied greatly from day to day. For example, Mozart's "Prague Symphony," recorded in a four-hour session, had 34 members, including the string parts of 14 violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos, and 2 double basses, and this size of orchestra was used in Walther's recordings of Haydn and Mozart works.The concertmaster was Israel Baker, the other section leaders were all principal players in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the remaining members were drawn from the freelance ranks (retired musicians who had played in film studios). Walter's Mozart and Haydn are not based on any so-called historical style of performance. They are, however, very attractive and one would have to be very stubborn to complain about them. Haydn's works demand quick, dynamic wit, which does not necessarily match Walter's sonority. Walter's mono recordings of Nos. 95 and 102 with the New York Philharmonic may be closer to the ideal of Haydn performance than Nos. 88 and 100 with the Columbia Symphony. Still, both are excellent Haydn performances that reflect Walther's personality. The Mozart symphonies with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra are very similar to the mono recordings with the New York Philharmonic in the late 1950s, but I think the mono recordings are somewhat more coherent. Gino Francescatti is a passionate French virtuoso who has recorded nearly the entire violin concerto repertoire for Columbia Records, from Bach to Bernstein. In this beautiful, song-like Mozart concerto, Francescatti's bright, luminous tone, which was played on the famous Stradivarius "Heart" instrument, brings Walter's lighthearted playing to life. These six discs are a valuable record that serves as a memorial to this beloved maestro. (From the liner notes) (Sony Music)