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List Price: $52.99 | | Label: Andante
Salesrank: 303970
Released: October 1, 2001 |
| Our Price: $37.86 |
| Used Price: $90.00 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Leopold Stokowski, Conductor Track Listing:
Disc 1:
1. Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov / Scheherazade, Op. 35 (Philadelphia Orchestra); I. The Sea and Sinbad�s Ship
2. II. The Story of the Kalendar Prince
3. III. The Young Prince and the Young Princess
4. IV. The Festival at Baghdad; The Sea; The Ship goes to pieces on a Rock surmounted by a Bronze Warrior
5. Alexander Borodin / Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor (Philadelphia Orchestra); I. Prelude
6. II. Dance of the young Maidens
7. III. Final Dance, Act 2
8. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Solitude, Op. 73, No. 6 (Philadelphia Orchestra, transcribed by L. Stokowski)
Disc 2:
1. J.S. Bach / Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 (Philadelphia rchestra, transcribed by L. Stokowski)
2. Georges Bizet / L=92Arl=E9sienne (Philadelphia Orchestra); I. Prelude
3. II. Menuet
4. III. Adagietto
5. IV. Danse proven=E7ale
6. V. Carillon
7. Camille Saint-Sa=EBns / Carnival of the Animals (Philadelphia Orchestra); I. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion
8. II. Hens and Cockerels
9. III. Wild Asses
10. IV. Tortoises
11. V. The Elephant
12. VI. Kangaroos
13. VII. Aquarium
14. VIII. Persons with Long Ear
15. IX. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods
16. X. Aviary
17. XI. Pianists
18. XII. Fossils
19. XIII. The Swan
20. XIV. Finale
21. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / The Nutcracker Suite No. 1, Op. 71a (Philadelphia Orchestra); I. Overture
22. II. March
23. III. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
24. IV. Trepak (Russian Dance)
25. V. Coffee: Arabian Dance
26. VI. Tea: Chinese Dance
27. VII. Dance of the Reed-Pipes
28. VIII. Waltz of the flowers
Disc 3:
1. J.S. Bach / Passacaglie and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582(Philadelphia Orchestra, transcribed by L. Stokowski)
2. Franz Liszt / Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Philadelphia Orchestra, orchestration by Doppler)
3. Jean Sibelius / The Swan of Tuonela (Philadelphia Orchestra)
4. Jean Sibelius / Valse triste from Incidental Music to Kuolema, Op. 44 (Philadelphia Orchestra)
5. Alexander Scriabin / Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54 (Philadelphia Orchestra)
6. Alexander Scriabin / Prometheus-The Poem of Fire, Op. 60 (Philadelphia Orchestra)
Editorial Review:
During the 1920s and 1930s Leopold Stokowski was the epitome of American showmanship and glamour in classical music. Yet less widely known is the fact that he was an avid audiophile who embraced the recording process with meticulous care, working closely with his engineers and producers in experimental stereo technology. Featured here are several Stoki calling cards, all presented in rich sonic splendor: Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Borodin's Polovtsian Dances, Saint-Saens's Carnival of the Animals, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and his famous - if controversial - orchestration of J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
Description of Leopold Stokowski, Conductor:
For a shock, start with the first disc of this collection of Stokowski's legendary partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It opens with Scheherazade, recorded in 1934 but sounding as amazingly fresh and detailed as if it dated from two decades later. Not everything is up to the clarity and transparency of this classic recording, in large part because of the inherent limitations of the original recordings, all of which date from Stoki's golden decade from 1927 to 1937 (with the exception of the two non-Philadelphia items from 1940 and 1941.) Many performances are outstanding, including the Scheherazade, the Dvorák "New World," and the Nutcracker Suite. Also noteworthy are the smaller works and the transcriptions of Bach organ music, which still afford immense pleasure even in these days of "historically informed" performances. Every piece is infused with personality, and those famous Philadelphia strings are gorgeous. Deluxe packaging and excellent transfers make this a must for Stoki fans. Others should come away from this set with a new respect for his rare ability to transfer his charisma through even the microphones of that long-gone era. --Dan Davis
