Gabrieli: Sonata piano e forte / Tippett: Concerto for Double String Orch / Liszt: Maphisto Waltz No. 1 / Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 6, "Sinfonia semplice"

Franz Liszt (Composer), Michael Tippett (Composer), Carl Nielsen (Composer), Stokowski (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), New Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra
• Conductor: Stokowski
• Composer: Franz Liszt, Michael Tippett, Carl Nielsen
• Audio CD (February 27, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: BBC Legends
• ASIN: B000056P0P
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #760,573 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Son Pian E Forte. Alla Quarta Bassa: Adagio - LSO/Leopold Stokowski

2. Con: I. Allegro Con Brio - LSO/Leopold Stokowski

3. Con: II. Adagio Cantabile - LSO/Leopold Stokowski

4. Con: III. Allegro Molto - LSO/Leopold Stokowski

5. Mephisto Waltz No.I, S.110/2 - LSO/Leopold Stokowski

6. Sym No.6 'Sinf Semplice': I. Tempo Giusto - New Philharmonia Orch/Leopold Stokowski

7. Sym No.6 'Sinf Semplice': II. Humoreske. Allegretto - New Philharmonia Orch/Leopold Stokowski

8. Sym No.6 'Sinf Semplice': III. Proposta Seria. Adagio - New Philharmonia Orch/Leopold Stokowski

9. Sym No.6 'Sinf Semplice': IV. Tema Con Variazioni (Tema: Allegretto Un Poco) - New Philharmonia Orch/Leopold Stokowski

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Stokowski, freed from the vaults., October 1, 2008

By 

Kimba W. Lion "kimbawlion.com" (the East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gabrieli: Sonata piano e forte / Tippett: Concerto for Double String Orch / Liszt: Maphisto Waltz No. 1 / Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 6, "Sinfonia semplice" (Audio CD)

Long sought after by collectors, the BBC finally gave us these recordings from their own vaults. The sound is fine, the performances all true Stokowski.

Stokowski's mastery of color shines in his arrangement of the Gabrielli sonata, with delicious, round brass tone and an overall "organ" sonority. The Tippett is not really my cup of tea, although Stokowski's involvement in the performance was obvious even to me. The Liszt Mephisto Waltz was definitely Stokowski's cup of tea, the kind of orchestral showpiece he could revel in and turn into a real dramatic show-stopper. A riveting performance, with exciting solos from the London Symphony Orchestra members.

Stokowski never got to record all of Neilsen's symphonies, which is a shame because he showed a strong sympathy for the music. Stokowski's record of Nielsen's second symphony was justly famous; now here we have the sixth direct from the BBC's master tape. The sixth is a tricky score, with interwoven rondo structures and evasive harmonics that keep many listeners feeling distant from the music. In lesser hands, Nielsen can be overbearing, but not here. Stokowski's reading is carefully shaped, alternately breezy and opulent, and the orchestra is up to the taxing score. The recording presents a fine middle-of-the-hall perspective, with clear orchestral details and a nice reverberation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing choices for Stokowski, but the performances are average, February 1, 2006

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Gabrieli: Sonata piano e forte / Tippett: Concerto for Double String Orch / Liszt: Maphisto Waltz No. 1 / Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 6, "Sinfonia semplice" (Audio CD)

This odd batch of works doesn't date from one concert, although all are live performances with the London Symphony (from 1961)and Philharmonia (from 1965). Despite the late date, the entire CD is in mono, recorded fairly far back. This deprives even the splashiness of Liszt's Mephisto Waltz #1 from having much impact. I admire Stokowski for taking up the Nielsen Sym. 6, an enigmatic work that few conductors can bring together convincingly--he doesn't do better than most, either. There is no deep involvement, although the finale summons some extra energy; the Scherzo is taken too quickly to bring out the details that make it a Humoreske - it simply flies by.

The rest of the program consists of bits and pieces. Stokowski's arrangement of a Gabrieli sonata is genteel and soothing. Tippett's early Concerto for Double String Orchestra gave pleasure to a British audience when Stokowski did this one-of-a-kind reading, but neither the work nor the performance catches one's attention. Stokowski puts energy into the orchestrated Mephisto Waltz, but this is a work that really demands the best recorded sound possible; here it gets much less than that.

In all, a lackluster collection despite some memorable moments in the Nielsen, which alone rises to the level of four stars.