Rafael Kubelik - Icon (The Complete HMV Recordings)

I love this boxed set of Rafael Kubelik [The complete HMV Recordings,originally released on EMI Classics,now Warner Classics],but also recorded for Decca and Deutsche Grammophon throughout his career.Kubelik is a great interpreter of Czech music,such as Dvorak,Smetana and Janacek,which is amongst the boxed set.My personal favourite of Kubelik is Borodin`s Symphony No.2,Polovtsian Dances with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and also sung in German [originally sung in Russian],and of course Janacek`s Sinfonietta with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra [originally released on 78`s,and this is the first recording for EMI/HMV,but he did recorded for Decca with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1955,and for Deutsche Grammophon with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1971].I think his HMV recordings are superb,and I will definitely treasured these forever.

!Absolutely marvellous

This is not the complete HMV recordings as the box claims. the following are missingDvorak Synphony 9 Chicargo Symphony Orchestra HMV ALP 1018Tchaikovsky Symphony 4 Chicargo Symphony Orchestra HMV ALP 1083Brahms Piano Concerto 1 with Solomon Philharmonia Orchestra HMV ALP 1172Mozart Symphonies 34 / 38 Chicargo Symphony Orchestra HMV ALP 1239Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphesis / Schoenberg 5 pieces Chicargo Symphony Orchestra HMV ALP 1251Bach Violin Concerto in E / Mozart Violin Concerto 3 with De Vito and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra HMV ASD 429The Chicargo Symphony recordings should have been included as they were issued by HMV and the Concerto omissions is inexcusable.Having said that BUY IT. Kubelik's art was at his best when he was contracted by Walter legge to record for EMI. The reason Legge did not extend his contract is he felt his interpretations were straight forward thus lacking rehearsal. How further from the truth he was. Kubelik's performances are clear from mannerisms and over sentilmentalism. The recordings sound fresh and full of youthful exuberance, This is one of the reasons why his stereo recordings are sought after buy all serious audiophiles. I will order my copy right away.

CZECH PHILHARMONIC - Mono (1937-1946)- Dvorak: 3 Overtures - Carnival, In Nature's Realm, Othello- Janacek: Sinfonietta- Smetana: Ma Vlast - "Vltava" and "From Bohemia's Woods and Fields" (1937)PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA - Mono (1948-1952)- Berlioz: Dammnation de Faust - Ballet des Sylphes, Marche hongroise- Dvorak: Symphonies 7,8- Dvorak: Scherzo capriccioso, Legend Op.59, No.10- Gluck: Iphiginie en Aulide Overture- Martinu: Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani- Mendelssohn: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture- Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream - Overture, Scherzo, Nocturne, Wedding March- Mozart: 9 Overtures - Finta Giardiniera, Idomeneo, Entfuhrung, Schauspieldirektor, Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, Zauberflote, Clemenza di Tito- Smetana: Bartered Bride - Overture, Polka, Furiant, Dance of the ComediansROYAL PHILHARMONIC - Stereo (1958-1959)- Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, Two Portraits Op.5- Beethoven: Symphony 6- Brahms: 9 Hungarian Dances- Dvorak: Slavonic Rhapsody 3, Scherzo capriccioso- Janacek: Taras Bulba- Martinu: Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca- Schubert: Symphony 9VIENNA PHILHARMONIC - Stereo (1960-1961)- Borodin: Symphony 2, Polovtsian Dances- Mozart: Symphonies 35, 36, 38, 41- Mozart: Serenade k525 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", Cassation k63 - Andante- Schubert: Symphonies 3,4,8- Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4,5,6DANISH RADIO SYMPHONY - Stereo- Nielsen: Symphony 5 (1983 broadcast)Raphael Kubelik was the greatest Czech conductor of the second half of the Twentieth Century(even though he was absent from Czechoslovakia for most of this time).He was appointed to the staff of the Czech Philharmonic in 1936, and was Music Director from 1942 to 1948.In 1948, he went into exile following the Communist takeover.He made a spectacular return 42 years later. *1936-1948: Czech Philharmonic - recorded by EMI and Supraphon1950-1953: Chicago Symphony - recorded by Mercury Records, USA1955-1958: Covent Garden Opera - broadcasts published on BBC Legends and Testament1961-1979: Bavarian Radio Orchestra (continued to conduct after retirement) - recorded by Deutsche Grammophon and SonyMONO RECORDINGS: A little over one-third of this box is devoted to mono recordings, including ninety minutes of 78rpm recordings with the Czech Philharmonic.The 1946 recording of Janacek's Sinfonietta was the first-ever of this modern classic. Tremendous performance.Supraphon has additional Kubelik recordings. **Immediately following his defection to the West, Kubelik signed with HMV to make LP records with the Philharmonia Orchestra- About four hours worth, 1948-1952, are in this box.Especially impressive are Dvorak's Symphonies 7 and 8, and Mendelssohn's wonderful Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture ("Meeresstille und gluckliches Fahrt").The Philharmonia recordings precede and overlap his better-known Chicago Symphony recordings for Mercury Records.Mercury is now owned by Universal.I hope Universal will consider a box of Kubelik's Complete Chicago Symphony recordings.STEREO RECORDINGS: The eight CDs of stereo recordings with the Royal Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic (1958-1961) were made at a time when Kubelik was between jobs.- But the bulk of his stereo legacy will be found elsewhere: The post-1961 Deutsche Grammophon and Sony recordings with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra.In the '60s and '70s, he was the second most-recorded conductor at DG.One note of disappointment: In his Bavarian Radio recordings, Raphael Kubelik was one of the few conductors of his generation who seated first and second violins on opposite sides of the orchestra.A holdover from the Nineteenth Century that came naturally to an older generation of conductors (Otto Klemperer, Bruno Walter and Pierre Monteux carried it into the stereo era).It fell out of fashion in the Twentieth Century: Bernstein, Karajan and Solti all seated massed violins on the left, and lower strings on the right (actually it was Stokowski who came up with the idea - basically four string groups reduced to two string groups - easier to keep everyone playing together).But Kubelik's 1958-61 HMV stereo recordings did not have divided violins.Perhaps its because Kubelik was a guest conductor and didn't want to impose an unfamiliar seating plan on the orchestras.I miss the clarity, especially in Mozart - though the Vienna Philharmonic is certainly a better orchestra than the Bavarian Radio Symphony(Klemperer's stereo recordings offer the ultimate in antiphonal violins - especially as heard over headphones)The 1983 Nielsen Fifth with the Danish Radio Symphony does feature divided violins (age has its benefits).-- "HMV" stands for "His Master's Voice", one of several classical labels owned by EMI.Kubelik made a number of concerto recordings for HMV that are not in this box: Bach and Mozart with Gioconda de Vito, Beethoven with Walter Gieseking, Beethoven & Brahms with Ida Haendel, Brahms with Solomon, Dvorak and Haydn with Pierre Fournier, and Mendelssohn with Moura Lympany.(also, his Chicago Symphony recordings were licensed in the UK by HMV but are now owned by Universal).-- Of special interest are his recordings of Czech music.Most of the repertoire was re-recorded in Munich for DG (plus a glorious set of Dvorak's 9 Symphonies in Berlin) ***but the Warner HMV box includes Kubelik's only studio recordings of four works by three Czech composers:- Dvorak: Slavonic Rhapsody 3- Martinu: Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani- Martinu: Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca- Smetana: Bartered Bride - Overture, Polka, Furiant and Dance of the ComediansOther works in this box that Kubelik never re-recorded for Deutsche Grammophon or Sony:- Bartok: Two Portraits Op.5- Berlioz: Damnation of Faust excerpts- Borodin: Symphony 2, Polovtsian Dances- Brahms: Hungarian Dances- Gluck: Iphiginie en Aulide Overture- Mendelssohn: Meerestille und gluckliche Fahrt Overture- Mozart: Overtures, Adagio from Cassation k63, Serenade k525- Nielsen: Symphony 5- Schubert: Symphonies 3,4,8,9- Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4,5,6Re-Masterings:The rarest recordings in this box - Czech Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestra - have either received fresh remasterings in 2014,or Warner used existing masters from the Testament label (Tchaikovsky with the Vienna Philharmonic is also a Testament production).Most of the Royal Philharmonic remasterings are new.The Vienna Philharmonic and Danish Radio Symphony remasterings are a bit older, dating back to the 1990s.No serious cause for concern.* Kubelik's 1990 return to Czechoslovakia: Smetana: Má vlast - or - Smetana Ma Vlast (Live Rec.)** Great Czech Conductors: Rafael Kubelik is a good introduction to his Supraphon recordings.*** The Dvorak Symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic are in an inexpensive 6 CD set: Dvorak: The 9 SymphoniesThey are also part of Rafael Kubelik: The Symphony Edition,an excellent cross-section of Kubelik's Deutsche Grammophon recordings: Beethoven's 9 Symphonies with 9 different orchestras, Dvorak and Schumann with the Berlin Philharmonic, and Mahler with the Bavarian Radio Symphony.23 CDs.Sony has a 7 CD box of Bruckner, Mozart and Schumann with the Bavarian Radio Symphony: Rafael Kubelik conducts Great SymphoniesP.S. Between 1954 and 1956, Kubelik made some recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic for HMV's rival Decca.The mono recordings sound fine - especially recommended is the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Pierre Fournier: Cello Concerto/Sinfonietta/ Romeo & Juliet,but the stereo recordings that I have heard (Dvorak Symphonies 7 and 9, Smetana's Ma Vlast) are some of the worst engineered recordings that Decca ever produced. Avoid them.

buenos cds

Ci sono acquisti che ti lasciano a bocca aperta, in senso positivo: magari ti aspettavi qualcosa di buono ma poi scopri che quello che hai comprato, magari per "due lire" era addirittura qualcosa di eccezionale...! É il caso di questo cofanetto con le incisioni di Kubelik per la EMI, che ho acquistato senza troppo convinzione. Perché pensavo che si trattasse di una raccolta di incisioni monofoniche degli anni '30-'40 a bassa qualità audio. Sí perché non avevo mai visto circolare, di questo straordinario direttore che io adoro, le incisioni delle sinfonie di Tchaikovsky e di Schubert e così alla fine, visto che il prezzo é basso, mi sono deciso a ordinare questa raccolta. E....sorpresa!!! La maggior parte delle incisioni qui raccolte sono di buona qualità audio e sono Stereofoniche!! Non solo: sono realizzate anche con orchestre di prima grandezza, in particolare con i Wiener Philarmoniker sia Tchaikovsky che Schubert, così come Mozart.E sono tutte interpretazioni, quelle di Kubelik, di una bellezza, di una appropriatezza, di una modernità, che...si resta a bocca aperta! Non a caso Abbado diceva che in Mozart la sua preferenza andava proprio alle incisioni di Kubelik.E così, CD dopo CD ho scoperto di aver trovato un tesoro che non sapevo neppure esistesse! Cioè non pensavo che Kubelik avesse lasciato una eredità discografica tanto bella e importante per la EMI, e con qualità audio più che buona. Certo ci sono anche incisioni monofoniche degli anni '30' con la Philarmonia, l'esordio in sala di incisione a 23 anni con Smetana, e diverse altre incisioni monofoniche degli anni '50. Ma il "grosso" sono incisioni stereofoniche davvero belle tecnicamente.Quindi cinque stelle e ...un plauso a me stesso per aver fatto questa scoperta! E....un consiglio caldo a tutti gli amanti dell'arte di Kubelik, e in genere agli amanti della bella musica, di ascoltare queste incisioni...!Buon ascolto a tutte e tutti voi...

の集成としては最も網羅的で、初CD化の音源もいくつか含む。すでに多くの人は重複音源を持っているだろうがそれでも薦められる。

The few demurrals include better versions or better Kubelik versions elsewhere, For example, I preferKubelik's BRSO Audite Schubert #3 and Audite Beethoven Pastoral, the Jochum, Sawallisch and Klemperer Schubert#4, RK's Audite Schubert #9, and the Jochun/RCOA/Tahra Schubert #8. On the other hand, I prefer his Icon Mendelssohn MN Dream excerpts to his more complete BRSO/DG complete version. The Tchaikowsky symphonies are excellentbut face imposing competition, e.g. from Markevitch and Mravinsky in 4-6, Munch and Ancerl in #6, Sawallisch and Szell in #5 and Szell in #4. Kubelik also excelled in other non Czech repertoire here, e.g. the Borodin #2, Mozart #s 36 and 38 plus nine Overture, Berlioz Damnation of Faust excerpts and Nielsen Symphony #5. His BRSO/Sony MozartJupiter, however, is preferable to this EMI version which suffers from uncharacteristically enervated thirdand fourth movements.As one might expect, most of the Czech music here is superbly conducted, especially Dvorak symphonies 7 and 8,overtures, Slavonic Rhapsody #3, and Smetana Ma Vlast excerpts and Bartered Bride excerpts. His DG BPODvorak symphony cycle and BRSO Smetana remain essential. BTW the notes in the Icon booklet are valuable, with commentary frommany orchestral musicians who performed with Kubelik.