{"product_id":"casals-schumann-dvorak-cello-concertos-195360-pasc401","title":"CASALS Schumann, Dvorak: Cello Concertos (1953\/60) - PASC401","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSCHUMANN \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eCello Concerto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eDVORAK \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eCello Concerto (stereo recording) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770D90\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770EC0\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770FF0\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D771840\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D772E90\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eStudio and Live Recordings · 1953 and 1960\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 64:30\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D7708D0\"\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003ePablo Casals,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e cello\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003ePrades Festival Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eFestival Casals Orchestra of Puerto Rico, Alexander Schneider\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D775340\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D775470\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eAnyone who has looked attentively at\nthe headnote will already have observed that this is not the classic\naccount of Dvořák’s B-Minor Concerto that Casals recorded with George\nSzell and the Czech Philharmonic in 1937. Instead, this is a pirate\nrecording that has (or at least did have) a legendary status among\ncollectors of historic recordings, albeit for an idiosyncratic reason.\nThe live performance from Puerto Rico was originally taped for intended\ncommercial release by the Everest label. However, the label changed\nhands while the tape was still waiting approval by Casals for release.\nThe tape was subsequently found in a box; the new owners assumed that\npermission to release it had already been obtained and issued it on LP.\nCasals promptly sued, charging damage to his reputation, and Everest\nrecalled the LPs. The few copies that had been sold promptly became\ncollectors’ items, commanding hundreds or even thousands of dollars\nwhenever one turned up on a used record dealer’s list. Eventually, a CD\ntransfer appeared on the AS disc label from Italy in the late 1980s,\nwhich was how I finally made its acquaintance (spending a mere six\ndollars for a used copy and congratulating myself on obtaining the\nbargain of the century). More recently, a Memories CD appeared with the\nidentical coupling as on this Pristine Audio disc, and I duly replaced\nthe AS Disc with that copy. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eFor anyone considering acquisition of this disc, then, the questions that arise are: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e1) How does this performance of the Dvořák Concerto compare with the 1937 studio version? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e2) How does the sound quality of this issue compare with that of previous versions? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe answer to the first question is\nrather complex. Casals was 84 years old (or young) at the time of this\nperformance, and it is universally conceded that his technique was no\nlonger what it once was in his prime. There are some rough bow strokes\nand attacks, and in particular quite a number of lapses in intonation,\nsome minor but a few major. When compared to the immaculate precision of\nhis 1937 studio account, one can readily see why Casals might sue to\nblock issuance of this release on ground of damage to his reputation.\nAnd yet....And yet....From the moment I first heard this performance it\nbecame, despite these evident flaws, not only my preferred version over\nthe 1937 account, but one of my favorite recordings of this\nconcerto—which, given that the work belongs to my short list of all-time\nfavorites, is saying quite a lot. For all its fame, the 1937 account\nhas never really won my heart rather than my respect, for reasons\ndetailed by Bernard Jacobson in his review of an EMI rerelease back in\n29:2. (For more conventionally laudatory reviews, see those by John\nBauman in 13:1 and Jerry Dubins in 34:6. By contrast, Szell’s stereo\naccount with Pierre Fournier is one of my preferred versions.) But in\nthis live performance, Casals seems to be pouring out his life’s blood;\nthere is not a single other recording by him I have heard, live or\nstudio, that has such gripping ardor. When faced with artistry of this\nintensity from a deservedly legendary figure, cavils about technical\nlapses become for me irrelevant niggling quibbles. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eTo this one must add the absolutely\nmasterful conducting of Alexander Schneider, second violinist of the\ncelebrated Budapest Quartet from 1932 to 1943 and again from 1955 to\n1967, who was instrumental in persuading Casals to renounce his\nwithdrawal from public performance in protest against the Franco regime\nin Spain return to concertizing at Perpignan, Marlboro, and Prades. One\nwonders if the multi-faceted Schneider missed his true musical calling\n(he also turned down a offer to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera), so\ncompletely does he command every expressive nuance of this score. I do\nnot know if the orchestra was an\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003e ad hoc \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eensemble\nassembled for the festival or a local orchestra playing under an\nassumed name, but it too plays its collective heart out with a\ndedication that could put many far starrier ensembles to shame.\nAdmittedly, all of this is a highly subjective response; I wouldn’t\ncriticize anyone who found the faults in Casals’s playing here to be\nreason enough to prefer the 1937 studio version instead. But I would\nurge you to give this a hearing, and see if it doesn’t win your\naffections as it did mine. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe second question is much more easily\naddressed. In the Schumann, the sound quality of the Memories CD and\nthis one is very close; I slightly prefer the Memories issue, but only\nby a hair’s breadth. The Dvořák Concerto, however, is another matter\nentirely; with access to two genuine stereo Everest LP releases for\nmaking its transfer, Mark Obert-Thorn has produced a vastly superior\nversion with sound quality that renders every previous issue obsolete.\nIf you have one of those previous versions, replace it with this one\nimmediately and prepare to be amazed at the difference. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eBy contrast, the Schumann is a much\nbetter-known recording with a far more ordinary history, having first\nappeared on a Columbia LP, albeit with the conductor curiously\nuncredited, presumably for contractual reasons. (Contrary to a note on\nthe front cover of this release, it too is a live and not a studio\naccount, as the loud opening groan from Casals as he plays his first\nphrase reveals.) The piece itself is highly problematic, of course, and I\ndon’t ever recall seeing a review that ranks this as one of the\npremiere versions that overcomes the score’s deficiencies. That said, it\nis still a Casals performance—and this, the two of the Dvořák, and the\nElgar, are his only recordings of major concertos—played with his unique\ninterpretive authority, and Ormandy is certainly no podium slouch. The\nmonaural sound quality is clear and solid, albeit with some underlying\ntape hiss. The cover art of Casals playing his cello is quite\nattractive, a great advance upon Pristine’s previous graphics. While for\nthe reasons stated above this is too subjective a choice to put on my\n2014 Want List, I’ll still go out on a limb and give this my strongest\nrecommendation; I simply couldn’t imagine being without it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames A. Altena\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 37:6 (July\/Aug 2014) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC401.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe late genius of Pablo Casals - his first and his final post-war concerto recordings\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eLive festival recordings - including the much sought-after stereo Dvorák from Puerto Rico in 1960\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003eAt the end of the Second World War, Pablo Casals\nhoped that the Allied forces which had just ousted Hitler would now turn\ntheir attention to removing the dictator Franco from Spain. When they\nshowed no inclination to do so, he broke off a London recording session\nof the Haydn D Major Cello Concerto in October, 1945 and withdrew to his\nFrench home in Prades near the Spanish border, vowing not to perform\npublicly again until democracy was restored to his homeland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003eHe was drawn out of his self-imposed silence by\nBudapest Quartet violinist Alexander Schneider, who first approached him\nfor coaching help with the Bach violin suites, and who later suggested\nholding a festival in Prades to mark the 200th anniversary of Bach’s\ndeath in 1950. American Columbia was brought in to make recordings, a\nseries which continued as the festival expanded its purview beyond Bach\nand moved to larger quarters in nearby Perpignan in 1951, returning to\nPrades the following year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003eWhile Casals had conducted and played in chamber\nmusic performances, the Schumann from the 1953 festival was his first\nconcerto recording as a soloist since the aborted Haydn set.\nInterestingly, master accompanist Eugene Ormandy was not credited on the\noriginal LP, nor on its first reissue in the budget-priced Odyssey\nseries, probably for contractual reasons. In 1957, a new series of\nCasals festivals was begun in Puerto Rico, where the cellist had\nrecently married and made his home. It was there that his final concerto\nrecording was made.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003eThe Dvořák has an interesting history. Recorded by\nEverest during the 1960 Puerto Rico festival, it remained unapproved\nwhen the label changed hands shortly thereafter. The new owners found\nthe tape in a box and issued it, believing they owned the rights. Casals\npromptly sued to have the release withdrawn, claiming it damaged his\nreputation. It has never subsequently been reissued in any authorized\nedition from the Everest masters, although a couple European CD\nreleases, apparently transferred from monaural sources, have appeared.\nThe original suppressed LP is now a highly sought-after collector’s\nitem. I was fortunate to have two stereo pressings in good condition to\nwork from for the present transfer. (The first note, incidentally, is\nclipped on the original recording.)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003eWhile Casals is admittedly not in top form, his\nperformance brings to mind Dr. Johnson’s famous Eighteenth Century\nwitticism likening a woman preaching to a dog walking on its hind legs\n(“It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.”)\nConsidering that he was in his 84th year at the time, it is a remarkable\nachievement; and Schneider’s heartfelt, sympathetic accompaniment\nmatches his soloist like the veteran chamber player he was. It’s an\nautumnal reading quite different from Casals’s brisker 1937 recording\nwith Szell (Pristine PASC 246), and one which despite its flaws deserves\nto be heard.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMark Obert-Thorn\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSCHUMANN\u003c\/b\u003e Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEugene Ormandy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePrades Festival Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eRecorded 28 May 1953 in L’Église St-Pierre, Prades\u003cbr\u003eFirst issued on Columbia ML-4926\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDVOŘÁK \u003c\/b\u003eCello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104 (\u003cem\u003eSTEREO recording\u003c\/em\u003e) \u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander Schneider\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFestival Casals Orchestra of Puerto Rico\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eLive recording, Spring, 1960, in the Theatre of the University of Puerto Rico, San Juan\u003cbr\u003eFirst issued on Everest SDBR 3083\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ePablo Casals \u003c\/b\u003e cello\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover 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