Eugene Ormandy & The Philadelphia Orchestra - The Columbia Stereo Collection 1964-1983 - Box Set 94CDs

Label : Sony

Format : Flac track

Cover : Front

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 installment 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, Dvořák, 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 Dvořák’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.”

CD1 Johann Sebastian Bach: Easter Oratorio BWV 249 (1963)

CD2 Serge Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 “Classical”; Lieutenant Kije Suite op. 60; The Love for Three Oranges Suite op. 33b (1961-1963)

CD3 Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra op. 30 (1963)

CD4 Jacques Offenbach / Manuel Rosenthal: Gaite Parisienne Suite / Georges Bizet: The Arlesienne Suites No. 1 & 2 (1963)

CD5 Paul Hindemith: Symphony “Mathis der Maler”; Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (1962/1961)

CD6 Peter Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker op. 71 (Excerpts); Romeo and Juliet Overture (1963/1964)

CD7 Bela Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra (1963)

CD8 Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 “Italian”; A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture op. 21; Scherzo, Nocturne & Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream op. 61 (1963)

CD9 Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major / Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain (1964/1961)

CD10 Serge Prokofiev: Violin Concertos No. 1 & 2 (1963)

CD11 “A Christmas Festival” – O Tannenbaum; It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; Carol of the Drum; I Wonder as I Wander; For Unto Us a Child is Born (Handel); Here We Come a-Caroling; Good King Wenceslas; Away in a Manger; Jingle Bells; We Three Kings of Orient Are; Hallelujah (Handel); We Wish You a Merry Christmas; Glory to God in the Highest (Pergolesi); Psalm 150 (Franck); How Beautiful Upon the Mountain; Psalm 23 (Schubert); Hallelujah (from Christ on the Mount of Olives / Beethoven) (1962/1964)

CD12/13 Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da Requiem (1964)

CD14 Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier Suite; Till Eulenspiegel op. 28; Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome op. 54 (1962-1964)

CD15 Felix Mendelssohn: Concertos for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E Major & A-flat Major (1963)

CD16 Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man; Lincoln Portrait / Charles Ives: Orchestral Set No. 1 “Three Places in New England”; Symphony No. 1 (1962-1964)

CD17 Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto op. 54; Introduction and Allegro appassionato for Piano and Orchestra op. 92 (1964)

CD18 “A Spectacular Display of Orchestral Color” – Maurice Ravel: Rhapsodie Espagnole / Claude Debussy: Tarantelle Styrienne; Nocturnes I-III; Reverie; Arabesque No. 1; The Girl with the Flaxen Hair; In the Boat (1959-1966)

CD19 “Magic Fire Music” – Richard Wagner: Overture & Entry of the Guests from Tannhäuser; Lohengrin Prelude to Act 3; Magic Fire Music & Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre; Tristan and Isolde Prelude to Act 1 (1959-1968)

CD20 Frederic Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 (1964)

CD21 Antonin Dvorak: Cello Concerto op. 104 / Peter Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations op. 33 for Cello & Orchestra (1963/1962)

CD22 Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 (1965)

CD23 Johannes Brahms: Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra op. 102 / Ludwig van Beethoven: Triple Concerto op. 56 (1964)

CD24 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphonies No. 30 & 31 (1962/1961)

CD25 Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concertos No. 1 & 4 (1962/1965)

CD26 Igor Stravinsky: Petrushka Ballet Suite; The Firebird Ballet Suite / Zoltan Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite op. 15 (1961-1967)

CD27 “Holiday for Orchestra! – Special Orchestral Arrangements by Arthur Harris” – THE BRASS: Camptown Races (Foster); When Johnny Comes Marching Home (Traditional) / THE WIND: Sailor’s Hornpipe (Traditional); Menuett “A l’antique” (Paderewski); La Poule (Rameau) / THE PERCUSSION: Jamaican Rumba (Benjamin); General Lavine (Debussy); March of the Mandarins (Harris) / THE STRINGS: Londonderry Air (Traditional); Flight of the Bumblebee (Rimsky-Korsakov) / FULL ORCHESTRA: Trolltog op. 54 No. 3 (Grieg) / MAGNIFICENT MARCHES: Procession of the Nobles (Rimsky-Korsakov); Entry March of the Boyars (Halvorsen); Joyeuse Marche (Chabrier); Marche Militaire Française (Saint-Saens); Kriegsmarsch der Priester (Mendelssohn); The Tsar’s Farewell and Departure (Rimsky-Korsakov); Procession of the Sardar (Ippolitov-Ivanov) (1965/1966)

CD28 “Best Loved American Folk Songs – This Land is Your Land” – This Land is Your Land; Down in the Alley; She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain; Beautiful Dreamer; Sweet Betsy from Pike; Gospel Train – Old Time Religion; When I First Came to This Land; Shenandoah; Home on the Range; He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands; I Wonder as I Wander; Oh Susanna; Deep River (1964/1965)

CD29 Peter Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos No. 2 & 3 (1965)

CD30 Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4; None But the Lonely Heart; June “Barcarolle” from The Seasons op. 37 (1963-1968)

CD31 Camille Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos No. 2 & 4 (1964/1961)

CD32 Hector Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts “Requiem” op. 5 (1964)

CD33 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Horn Concertos No. 1-4 (1961)

CD34 Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin Suite op. 19b; Two Pictures op. 10; Two Portraits op. 5 (1962/1963)

CD35 “First-Chair Encores Vol. 1” – Pablo de Sarasate: Introduction et Tarantelle op. 43 / Carlton Cooley: Aria and Dance for Violin and Orchestra / Gabriel Fauré: Élégie op. 24 / Johann Baptist Vanhal: Allegro moderato from Double Bass Concerto in E Major / Knudåge Riisager: Trumpet Concerto op. 29 / Camille Saint-Saëns: Morceau de Concert in F Minor op. 94 / Alexandre Guilmant: Morceau Symphonique in E-flat Major op. 88 (1961/1962)

CD36 Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (in the five-movement version by Deryck Cooke, 1965)

CD37 Joseph Haydn: Symphonies No. 96 & 101 (1961/1962)

CD38 Joaquín Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez / Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Guitar Concerto No. 1 (1965/1962)

CD39 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 / Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 (1962/1965)

CD40 Ludwig van Beethoven: Oratorio “Christ on the Mount of Olives” op. 85 / Anton Bruckner: Te Deum in C Major WAB 45 (1963/1966)

CD41 “Ritual Fire Dance” – Gioachino Rossini / Ottorino Respighi: La Boutique Fantasque / Amilcare Ponchielli: Dance of the Hours / Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dances No. 5 & 6 / Manuel de Falla: Ritual Fire Dance / Bedřich Smetana: Dance of the Comedians / Gioachino Rossini: Pas de Six / Jaromír Weinberger: Polka from Schwanda / Peter Tchaikovsky: Polonaise from Eugene Onegin (1962-1965)

CD42 Antonín Dvořák: Violin Concerto op. 53; Romance op. 11 for Violin and Orchestra / Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto op. 47 (1965-1969)

CD43-48 Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphonies No. 1-9 (1961-1966)

CD49 Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 “Sinfonia semplice”; Masquerade Overture (1966)

CD50 Peter Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien op. 45; Waltz from Eugene Onegin / Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol op. 34; The Golden Cockerel Suite (1966/1965)

CD51 Gustav Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (1966)

CD52 Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 1; Helios Overture op. 17; Pan and Syrinx op. 49; Rhapsodic Overture “An Imaginary Journey to the Faeroe Islands” (1967)

CD53 “First-Chair Encores Vol. 2” – Benedetto Marcello: Oboe Concerto in C Minor / Carl Maria von Weber: Andante e Rondo Ungarese op. 35 / Claude Debussy: Danses sacrées et profanes for Harp and Orchestra; Rhapsody No. 1 for Clarinet and Orchestra / Paul Creston: Vigorous from Marimba Concerto op. 21b / Ernest Bloch: Suite Modale for Flute and Strings / Franz Liszt: Fantasy on Hungarian Folk Songs for Piano and Orchestra (1961-1967)

CD54 Sergei Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1 (1966)

CD55 Édouard Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole op. 21 / Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 (1966)

CD56 George Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F; Rhapsody in Blue (1967)

CD57 Carl Orff: Catulli Carmina / Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (1966)

CD58 Zoltán Kodály: Concerto for Orchestra; Dances of Galánta; Marosszék Dances (1967/1962)

CD59 Alban Berg: Lulu Suite / Arnold Schoenberg: Variations op. 43b / Anton Webern: Im Sommerwind; Six Pieces for Orchestra op. 10 (1967/1936)

CD60 Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (Nowak Edition, 1965)

CD61 “Anvil Chorus – Favorite Opera Choruses” – Georges Bizet: Les Voici from Carmen / Pietro Mascagni: The Lord Now Victorious from Cavalleria Rusticana / Charles Gounod: Soldiers’ Chorus from Faust / Richard Wagner: Three Choruses from Tannhäuser / Giacomo Puccini: Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly / Giuseppe Verdi: Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore; March from Aida / Ruggero Leoncavallo: Bell Chorus from Pagliacci / Carl Maria von Weber: Huntsmen’s Chorus from Der Freischütz (1967)

CD62 Sergei Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3; Vocalise op. 34 No. 14 (1967)

CD63 “Hora Staccato” – Grigoraș Dinicu: Hora Staccato / Antonín Dvořák: Humoresque op. 101 No. 1 / Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee / Peter Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile from String Quartet No. 1 / Johann Strauss II/Josef Strauss: Pizzicato Polka / Johann Sebastian Bach / Fritz Kreisler: Prelude from Partita BWV 1006 / Niccolò Paganini: Moto Perpetuo op. 11 / Enrique Granados: Andaluza / François Schubert: L’Abeille / Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5 / Ottokar Nováček: Perpetuum Mobile / Fritz Kreisler: Liebesfreud (1965-1968)

CD64 Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 (1966)

CD65 Ottorino Respighi: Vetrate di Chiesa; Gli Uccelli (1964/1965)

CD66 George Gershwin: An American in Paris; Porgy and Bess – A Symphonic Picture / Ferde Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite (1967)

CD67 Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 9 “The Great” (1966)

CD68 “Hallelujah Chorus – The Great Handel Choruses” – Georg Friedrich Händel: Choruses from Samson, Judas Maccabaeus, Messiah, Saul, Serse, Israel in Egypt; Coronation Anthem “Zadok the Priest” (1958-1967)

CD69 Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 (1965)

CD70 “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – The Great Bach Choruses” – Johann Sebastian Bach: Choruses from Cantatas BWV 4, 79, 80, 140, 147, 208, Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, Magnificat BWV 243, St. Matthew Passion BWV 244; Komm, süßer Tod BWV 478 / Johann Sebastian Bach / Charles Gounod: Father in Heaven (Ave Maria) (1958-1967)

CD71 Felix Mendelssohn: Capriccio Brillante op. 22 / Robert Schumann: Introduction and Allegro op. 134 / Richard Strauss: Burleske in D Minor (1966-1968)

CD72 “Finlandia” – Hugo Alfvén: Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 “Midsommarvaka” / Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite op. 11; Finlandia op. 26 / Edvard Grieg: Norwegian Dance op. 35 No. 2; Homage March op. 56 No. 3; Gangar op. 54 No. 2; Notturno op. 54 No. 4 (1968)

CD73 Maurice Ravel: Boléro / Jules Massenet: Le Cid Suite / Manuel de Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2 (1968)

CD74 “The Bach Album – Orchestral Arrangements” – Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565; Sinfonia from Cantata BWV 156; Minuet in G Major, Musette in D Major, Aria “Bist du bei mir” and March in D Major from Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook; Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott from Cantata BWV 80; Jesus bleibet meine Freude from Cantata BWV 147; Fugues BWV 542 & 578; Sheep May Safely Graze from Cantata BWV 208; Komm, süßer Tod BWV 478; Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme from Cantata BWV 140 (1960-1970)

CD75 Ludwig van Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D Major op. 123 (1967)

CD76 Édouard Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor / Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 / Gabriel Fauré: Élégie in C Minor op. 24 (1967)

CD77 Hector Berlioz: Harold in Italy (1965)

CD78 Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 (1968)

CD79 “Ballet Fantastique” – Gioachino Rossini / Ottorino Respighi: La Boutique Fantasque / Adolphe Adam: Giselle Ballet Suite / Giacomo Meyerbeer / Constant Lambert: Les Patineurs Ballet Suite / “Wine, Women & Song – Favorite Waltzes” – Émile Waldteufel: Estudiantina; Les Patineurs / Charles Gounod: Faust Waltz / Iosif Ivanovici: Waves of the Danube (1966-1968)

CD80 “The Age of Elegance – Favorite Airs and Dances” – Luigi Boccherini: Minuet from String Quintet op. 11 No. 5 / Ludwig van Beethoven: Für Elise WoO 59; Minuet WoO 10 No. 2 / Georg Friedrich Händel: Largo from Serse HWV 40; Air and Hornpipe from Water Music / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Minuet from Don Giovanni KV 527 / Jeremiah Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary in D Major / Roman Hoffstetter: Andante Cantabile from Serenade in F Major / Christoph Willibald Gluck: Gavotte from Iphigenia in Aulis; Musette from Armide; Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orfeo ed Euridice / “Quiet Night” – Gabriel Fauré: Pavane op. 50 / Gian Carlo Menotti: Barcarolle / Johannes Brahms: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen / “Clair de lune” – Engelbert Humperdinck: Evening Prayer from Hänsel und Gretel / Robert Schumann: Träumerei op. 15 No. 7 / Camille Saint-Saëns: The Swan / Jules Massenet: Élégie (1968/1966)

CD81/82 Johann Sebastian Bach: St. John Passion BWV 245 (1968)

CD83 Ottorino Respighi: Fountains of Rome; Pines of Rome (1968)

CD84 Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations op. 36; Cockaigne Overture op. 40 / Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1962/1963)

CD85 “Ballet Music from Aida and Faust” (1965)

CD86-88 Johannes Brahms: Symphonies No. 1-4; Academic Festival Overture op. 80; Variations on a Theme by Haydn op. 56a (1963-1968)

CD89 Franz Schubert: Symphonies No. 4 & 6 (1962)

CD90 Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 “Romantic” (1967)

CD91 Béla Bartók: Divertimento for Strings / Alberto Ginastera: Concerto for Strings op. 33 (1968/1967)

CD92 Richard Strauss: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite op. 60b; Horn Concerto No. 1 (1965/1966)

CD93 Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 / Dmitri Kabalevsky: Cello Concerto No. 1 (1982)

CD94 Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” (1966)