Sony Classical Presents Eugene Ormandy - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Sony Classical Presents
Eugene Ormandy - The Philadelphia Orchestra
The Columbia Stereo Collection 1958–1963
78 works released on on 88 CDs for the first time
Many CDs available for the first time internationally
Release Date: November 17, 2023
Pre-order: bit.ly/SonyOrderEugeneOrmandyPhiladelphiaOrchestra
Following up on the success of Sony Classical’s recent large-scale Ormandy collections – his monaural discographies with the Minneapolis Symphony and Philadelphia orchestras – the label now presents the conductor’s stereo recordings from Philadelphia containing all recordings released from 1958 to 1963 (plus some fillers from later years).
Eugene Ormandy took over the music directorship in Philadelphia from Leopold Stokowski in 1938 and held the position for 42 years. During that time his name and the orchestra’s became inseparable as he cultivated and further developed the voluptuous sound that originated with his predecessor. “Any conductor reflects clearly the instrument he played,” the Budapest-born Ormandy (1899–1985) once said. “My sound is what it is because I was a violinist.” As one commentator put it: “Every piece Ormandy touched was characterized by a ripened string tone around which the rest of the orchestra could glow.”
Ormandy and his Philadelphians were among the most prolific recording artists of all time. Between 1944 and 1968 (preceded and followed by contracts with RCA Victor), they were associated exclusively with Columbia Masterworks. Ormandy was a committed recording enthusiast, working quickly and readily accommodating the company’s planning in order to produce best-sellers.
Sony Classical’s new Ormandy/Philadelphia stereo box is filled with familiar and unfamiliar works by virtually every well-known composer (and many forgotten figures), spanning the centuries and covering the stylistic waterfront from Bach (the sons as well as the father) to Beethoven, Berlioz, Borodin, Bartók and beyond. It would be impossible (and pointless) to list them all.
There are numerous CD premières in the new collection. Among them: Ormandy’s complete 1958 recording of Debussy’s Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien with soprano Hilde Gueden and Vera Zorina as the narrator; Bach’s B minor Mass and the Brahms Requiem from 1962; as well as symphonies by Haydn and other works by Borodin, Glinka, Wagner, Poulenc, Casella and American composers including Yardumian, Barati, Rochberg and Dello Joio.
In 1963, Ormandy and the Philadelphians made the first US recording of Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony. Surveying Ormandy’s stereo discography on Columbia recently, the ClassicsToday reviewer lauded his “voluptuous” Scheherazade, his “outstanding Vaughan Williams Fantasia on ‘Greensleeves’, his Bach transcriptions (“Wonderfully done, they highlight Ormandy’s gifts as a post-Stokowski Bach arranger, an important part of his legacy”) and his special affinity for Russian music, including “his glorious Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphony and Serenade for Strings, his magnificent Rachmaninov Second, and his classic Shostakovich Cello Concerto with Rostropovich coupled to an excellent First Symphony. The composer himself attended these sessions and was dazzled by both conductor and orchestra. These are all must-have recordings. Ormandy was also known during his lifetime as the best concerto accompanist in the business, and this coupling of Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn violin concertos shows his cordial collaboration with Isaac Stern operating at the very highest level.”
Other listeners and commentators will have no hesitation in adding their own favorites to that brief selection of must-have Ormandy recordings. Indeed, for the conductor’s many enthusiasts and collectors, Sony Classical’s comprehensive new box set – all items presented in new or best available remasterings – is self-recommending.
SET CONTENTS
DISC 1:
Respighi: Pini di Roma: Symphonic Poem
Respighi: Fontane di Roma: Symphonic Poem
Respighi: Feste Romane: Symphonic Poem
DISC 2:
Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite
DISC 3:
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 100
DISC 4:
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
DISC 5:
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 105
DISC 6:
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies, S. 359: No. 1 in F Minor
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies, S. 359: No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor
Enescu: 2 Romanian Rhapsodies, Op. 11: No. 1 in A Major
Enescu: 2 Romanian Rhapsodies, Op. 11: No. 2 in D Major
Liszt (arr. Herbert): Liebesträume No. 3 'O Lieb, so lang', S541, No. 3 (Rêve d'amour)
DISC 7:
Dello Jojo: Air Power Suite
Dello Jojo: War Scenes
DISC 8:
Bizet: Carmen Suite
DISC 9:
Mozart, W.A.: Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat Major, K. 297 B
Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Bassoon, Violin, Cello & Orchestra in B-Flat Major, Hob. I: 105
Haydn: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in E-flat Major, Hob. VIIe: 1
DISC 10:
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf, A Musical Tale for Children, Op. 67
Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell, Op. 34
DISC 11:
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64
DISC 12:
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
DISC 13:
Robertson: The Lord's Prayer
Robertson: Come, Come Ye Saints
Brahms: A German Requiem, Op. 45: I. Blessed Are They That Mourn
McGranahan (arr. Gates): O, My Father
McIntyre: How Great the Wisdom and the Love
Gounod: St. Cecilia Mass, CG 56: Holy, Holy, Holy
Holst: 148th Psalm
Handel: Messiah, HWV 56: For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Billings (arr. Siegmeister): David's Lamentation
Anonymous (arr. Baldwin): Londonderry Air
Howe (arr. Wilhousky): Battle Hymn of the Republic
Schubert (arr. Riegger): Ave Maria, D. 839
Gounod: The Redemption - Unfold, Ye Portals
Mozart, W.A.: Requiem aeternam "Give unto the meek" - Kyrie eleison "Show Thy mercy"
Robertson: Oratorio from the Book of Mormon: "Old Things Are Done Away"
Malotte: The Lord's Prayer
DISC 14:
Franck: Variations symphoniques, FWV 46
d'Indy: Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français, Op. 25
DISC 15:
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major, S. 120, R. 456
DISC 16:
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, Op. 49, TH 49
Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances (From "Prince Igor")
Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
Khachaturian: Masquerade Suite: Galop
Khachaturian: Gayane Ballet Suite: Dance of the Young Maidens
Shostakovich: Polka from "The Age of Gold"
Rimsky-Korsakov: Polonaise from Christmas Eve Suite
Rimsky-Korsakov: The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Tumblers
Kabalevsky: Comedian's Galop (From "The Comedians")
Mussorgsky: Sorochinsty Fair: Gopak
Khachaturian: Sabre Dance from "Gayne Ballet Suite"
DISC 17:
Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L. 86
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, M. 57b
Debussy: La mer, L. 109
DISC 18:
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21
DISC 19:
Mozart, W.A.: Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K. 525 "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" (2013 Remastered Version)
Bach, J.S.: Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: II. Air on the G String (2013 Remastered Version)
Corelli: Concerto grosso in G Minor, Op. 6 No. 8 "Christmas Concerto" (2013 Remastered Version)
Mendelssohn: Octet for Strings in E-Flat Major, Op. 20: III. Scherzo (2013 Remastered Version)
DISC 20/21:
Handel: Messiah, HWV 56
DISC 22:
Rimsky-Korsakov: Le coq d'or Suite
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival, Op. 36
Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture
Tchaikovsky: Marche slave, Op. 31, TH 45
Balakirev (orch. Casella): Islamey (Oriental Fantasy)
DISC 23:
Handel (arr. Hamilton Harty): Royal Fireworks Suite
Corelli (arr. Pinelli): Suite for Strings
Handel (arr. Harty): Water Music Suite
DISC 24:
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64, TH 29
DISC 25:
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
DISC 26:
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 107
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10
DISC 27:
Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25, MWV O 7
Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 40, MWV O 11
DISC 28:
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77
Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22
DISC 29:
Debussy: The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, L. 124
DISC 30:
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 4 in C Major, Op. 112
DISC 31:
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83
DISC 32:
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, TH 30 "Pathétique"
DISC 33:
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22: II. The Swan of Tuonela
DISC 34:
Orff: Carmina Burana
DISC 35:
Ravel: Boléro, M. 81
Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68a
Ravel: Miroirs, M. 43: No. 4, Alborada del gracioso (Version for Orchestra)
Chabrier: España
Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
Debussy (arr. orch.): Suite bergamasque, L. 75: III. Clair de lune (Arr. for Orchestra)
Ravel: La Valse
DISC 36:
Vincent: Symphonic Poem After Descartes
Vincent: Symphony in D (A Festival Piece In One Movement)
DISC 37:
Bach, J.S. (arr. Ormandy): Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Bach, J.C.: Sinfonia for Double Orchestra in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, No. 1
Bach, J.S. (arr. Ormandy): Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major, BWV 564
Bach, J.S. (arr. Ormandy): Passacaglia in C Minor, BWV 582
DISC 38:
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E Major, RV 269 "Spring"
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in G Minor, RV 315 "Summer"
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F Major, RV 293, "Autumn"
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in F Minor, RV 297 "Winter"
DISC 39:
Grieg: Peer Gynt, Op. 23 - Suite No. 1, Op. 46
Sibelius: 2 Pieces from Kuolema, Op. 44: No. 1, Valse triste
Alfén: Midsommarvaka, Op. 19 "Swedish Rhapsody No. 1"
Sibelius: Finlandia, Op. 26
Sibelius: En Saga, Op. 9
DISC 40:
Walton: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole in D Minor, Op. 21
DISC 41:
Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, RV 514
Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 Violins in C Minor, RV 509
Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 Violins in G Minor, RV 517
Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 Violins in D Major, RV 512
DISC 42:
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
Casella: Paganiniana Op. 65
DISC 43:
Tchaikovsky: Serenade in C Major, Op. 48, TH 48
Borodin (arr. Sargent): Nocturne for String Orchestra
Barber: Adagio for Strings, Op. 11
Vaughan-Williams (arr. Greaves): Fantasia on Greensleeves from Sir John In Love
Grieg: Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34
Schubert (arr. Harris): Serenade, D. 957, No. 4
MacDowell (arr. Frost): 10 Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: No. 1, To a Wild Rose (Arr. T. Frost for Orchestra)
Massenet: Meditation from "Thaïs"
DISC 44:
Strauss, Johann II: Frühlingsstimmen, Op. 410
Strauss, Johann II: Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437
Strauss, Johann II: Wiener Blut, Op. 354
Strauss, Johann II: An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314
Strauss, Johann II: Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, Op. 325
DISC 45:
Yardumian: Passacaglia, Recitative and Fugue for Piano and Orchestra
Yardumian: Choral Prelude
Yardumian: Cantus animae et cordis
Yardumian: Symphony No. 2 "Psalms": I Psalm 130
DISC 46:
Reger: Piano Concerto in F Minor, Op. 114
DISC 47:
Weber: Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65
Liszt: 2 Episoden aus Lenau's Faust, S. 110: No. 2, Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke "Mephisto Waltz"
Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre, Op. 40
Brahms (orch. Dvorák): 21 Hungarian Dances, WoO 1
Glière: The Red Poppy: Russian Sailor's Dance
Weber: Euryanthe, Op. 81, J. 291: Overture
Weinberger: Svanda dudák (Schwanda the Bagpiper): Polka & Fugue
DISC 48:
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, H. 48
Saint-Saens: Samson et Dalila, Op. 47: Bacchanale
Dukas: L'apprenti sorcier
DISC 49:
R. Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40, TrV 190
DISC 50:
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11
Liszt: Totentanz, S. 126 "Danse macabre"
DISC 51:
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
Roussel: Baccus et Ariane, Suito No. 2
DISC 52:
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, M. 82
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra No. 10 in E-Flat Major K 365/316a (2019 Remastered Version)
DISC 53:
Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 1, Sz. 36
Viotti: Violin Concerto No. 22 in A Minor
DISC 54:
Mozart, W.A.: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-Flat Major, K. 482
Mozart, W.A.: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, K. 282 (Philippe Entremont, piano)
DISC 55:
Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, TH 13
DISC 56:
Franck: Symphony in D Minor, FWV 48
DISC 57:
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, TH 59
DISC 58:
Brahms: Piano Concerto No 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
DISC 59:
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20, TH 12 (Excerpts)
DISC 60:
Strauss, R.: Don Juan, Op. 20
Strauss, R.: Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24
DISC 61:
Bach, J.C.: Sinfonia for Double Orchestra in D Major, Op. 18, No. 3
Bach, W.F.: Sinfonia for 2 Flutes and Strings in D Minor, F. 65
H. Casadesus: Concerto for Orchestra in D Major
DISC 62:
Tchaikovsky (ed. Bogatyrev): Symphony No. 7 in E-Flat Major
DISC 63:
Strauss, Josef: Fire-Bell Polka (Feuerfest)
Strauss, Johann II: Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka, Op. 214
Strauss, Johann II: Roses from the South (Rosen aus dem Süden), Op. 388
Strauss, Johann II: Hunting Polka (Auf der Jagd, Polka schnell), Op. 373
Strauss, Johann II: New Pizzicato Polka (Neue Pizzicato Polka), Op. 449
Strauss, Johann II: Unter Donner und Blitz, Op. 324
Strauss, Johann II: Explosions Polka, Op. 43
Strauss, Johann II: Wine, Women and Song (Wein, Weib und Gesang), Op. 333
Strauss, Johann II: Annen Polka, Op. 117
Strauss, Johann II: Thousand And One Nights (Tausend und eine Nacht), Op. 346
Strauss, Johann II: Young-in-Heart Polka (Leichtes Blut Polka)
DISC 64:
Rimsky-Korsakov : Scheherazade, Op. 35
DISC 65:
Mendelssohn: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Davies: O Little Town of Bethlehem
Mason: Joy to the World
Adam: O Holy Night (Cantique de Noël)
Traditional: O Come, O Come, Emanuel
Traditional: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Schubert: Ave Maria
Wade: O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
Traditional: The First Noël
Traditional: Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly
Traditional: O Sanctissima (O du fröhliche)
Beethoven: The Worship of God
Traditional: O Come, Little Children
Gruber: Silent Night, Holy Night
DISC 66:
Delius: Brigg Fair: An English Rhapsody
Delius: A Dance Rhapsody No. 2 - Mazurka Tempo
Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
Delius: In a Summer Garden, Rhapsody for Orchestra, RT VI/17
DISC 67:
Barati: Chamber Concerto
Rochberg: Symphony No. 2
DISC 68:
Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
DISC 69:
Poulenc: Concerto in G Minor for Organ, Strings and Tympani
R. Strauss: Festival Prelude for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 61
Barber-Ormandy: Toccata Festiva, Op. 36
DISC 70:
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 1, Sz. 83
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 53
DISC 71:
Smith (arr. Asper): The Star-Spangled Banner
Elgar(arr. Fagge): Land of Hope and Glory
Berlin: Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor
DeLisle: The Marseillaise
Sibelius (arr. Matthews): On Great Lone Hills - From "Finlandia"
Traditional (arr. Robertson): Hatikva
arr. Jenskins: The Maple Leaf Forever
Ward (arr. Asper): America, The Beautiful
Jacobs (arr. Lowell, Durham): This Is My Country
Shaw (arr. Schreiner): O Columbia The Gem Of The Ocean
Berlin (arr. R. DeCormier and E. Sauter): God Bless America
Sousa: Washington Post March
Gottschalk (arr. Kay): Grand Walkaround from Cakewalk
Ives (arr. Schuman): Variations on "America"
Copland: Rodeo: V. Hoedown
Smith (arr. Asper): The Star-Spangled Banner
DISC 72:
Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle, Sz. 48
DISC 73/74:
Bach, J.S.: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
DISC 75:
Wagner: Lohengrin, WWV 75: Prelude to Act III
Wagner: Siegfried, WWV 86C: Waldweben
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, WWV 96: Prelude to Act III & Dance of the Apprentices & Entrance of the Meistersingers
Wagner: Tannhäuser, WWV 70: Overture and Venusberg Music
Wagner: Siegfried-Idyll, WWV 103
DISC 76:
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43
DISC 77:
Walton: Façade
Ibert: Divertissment from Un chapeau de paille d'Italie
Ibert: Escales
DISC 78:
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto in B-Flat Major for Bassoon and Orchestra, K. 191
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto No. 1 in G Major for Flute and Orchestra, K. 313
DISC 79:
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in C Major, K. 314
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto in A Major for Clarinet and Orchestra, K. 622
DISC 80:
Yardumian: Symphony No. 1
Yardumian: Violin Concerto
DISC 81:
Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78 "Organ"
Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals, R.125
DISC 82:
Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Meyerbeer: Coronation March from "Le Prophete"
Beethoven: Die Ruinen von Athen, Op. 113: No. 4, Marcia alla turca
Gounod: Marche funèbre d'une marionnette
Gould: American Salute (When Johnny Comes Marchin' Home)
Verdi: Grand March from "Aida"
Bizet: March of the Toreadors from "Carmen"
Herbert: March of the Toys
Schubert: Marche Militaire
Prokofiev: March from "The Love for Three Oranges"
Strauss, Johann II: Radetzky March
Knipper: Meadowlands (Cavalry of the Steppes) from Symphony No. 4
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance No. 1
DISC 83:
Brahms: A German Requiem, Op. 45
DISC 84:
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6, Op. 111
DISC 85:
Mozart, W.A.: Concerto for 3 Pianos and Orchestra in F Major, K. 242
Bach, J.S.: Concerto for 3 Pianos and Orchestra in D Minor, BWV 1063
Bach, J.S.: Concerto in F Major, BWV 971 "Italian" (Robert Casadesus, piano)
DISC 86:
Chopin (arr. Douglas): Les Sylphides - Ballet
Délibes: Sylvia (Ballet Suite) Excerpts
Délibes: Coppelia
Chopin (arr. Harris): Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2 (Arr. for Orchestra)
DISC 87:
R. Strauss: Don Quixote, Op. 35 - Fantastische Variationen über ein Thema ritterlichen Characters
DISC 88:
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40