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I agree with the other reviewer who writes that the 7 discs by the great Juilliard Quartet of the early 1960s alone make this 60 CD set a worthwhile purchase, in fact, a 'must have' for lovers of great instrumental and instrumental ensemble playing. I bought this Living Stereo third collection because of my admiration for so many of the artists and also because some other reviewers have virtually written off the set as some sort of 'weakling' addition to the other two. I guess I can see their point if they really want every collection to provide the same warhorses as recorded for the second or third time around by household names (if that phrase has any meaning anymore, outside the domains of popular culture). Or if they think there are one, two, three or four 'best' performances of a masterpiece so that it isn't per se valid to hear what a superbly equipped performer thought about it when he or she entered an RCA studio in the 1950s/1960s to make a recording included in this set.
More's the pity for them, because in many respects this third Living Stereo collection is the most impressive of the three. It offers -- in most cases -- first rate if less familiar artists interpreting basic and not-so-basic repertory, as well as kinds of repertory (chamber music and solo recitals) that weren't as regularly investigated during the heyday of Living Stereo as they are today. But don't get me wrong: with very few exceptions we are talking about performers with international reputations and well-known composers.
One of the major reasons we have this set at all is that, back in the day, RCA was blessed with probably the most impressive stable of classical artists under contract of any record company. So in this set you have performances by the likes of cellists Gregor Piatigorsky and Antonio Janigro, as well as the great Soviet cellist Daniil Shafran in a recording made during his debut US tour; star violinists Henryk Szeryng, Jaime Laredo, and Heifetz protege Erick Friedman; and pianists Alexander Brailowsky, Jean Casadesus (son of Robert, performing Book I of Debussy's Preludes), and the famed piano duo team of Vronsky & Babin (performing Rachmaninoff's two suites and other miscellaneous programs). We also find distinguished vocal recitals -- most of them debut recitals -- by Maureen Forrester, Roberta Peters, Galina Vishnevskaya (a/k/a Mrs. Mstislav Rostropovich) and Cesare Valetti, Italian opera arias sung by the legendary Zinka Milanov, and choral performances -- including two of the most famous Bach cantatas -- directed by Robert Shaw.
On the orchestral side of things, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops appear with a classic Lp title, 'Slaughter on Tenth Avenue' and the humorously titled 'Music for People Who Hate Classical Music, volume 2' (both provide typically zesty Fiedler performances of light classical 'chestnuts'). US composer Morton Gould conducts his own 'Fall River Legend' and other works, plus a very fine Sibelius disc featuring shorter compositions by the Finnish master (including a marvelously textured 'Swan of Tuonela'), and a disc featuring grand performances of (yes) the '1812 Overture' (recorded without vocal chorus) and Ravel's 'Bolero'. I've always enjoyed Gould's underrated work as a conductor and fellow admirers also should check out Sony's recent box set reissue of his complete recordings with the Chicago Symphony ... stunningly good work there on major symphonic compositions.
So unless you're averse to solo instrumental recitals and chamber music, it's complete silliness to dismiss this collection as a minor set or an also-ran. In fact, it presents some of the very best classical artists of the last 60 years in their early prime, playing or singing some of the greatest music ever written. (For example, Maureen Forrester's song recital includes a completely lovely performance of Schumann's great song cycle 'Frauenliebe und Leben'; ditto, Cesare Valetti less idiomatic and more than a bit 'operatic' performance of Schumann's 'Dichterliebe'. Roberta Peters provides surprisingly fine performances of Bach and Schumann -- composers who were not exactly her usual repertory -- as well as Debussy and Ravel. Vishnevskaya is in awesome voice for her recital of songs by Russian masters. And the great Birgit Nilsson is predictably in complete command in her recital of songs by German and Scandinavian Romantic composers.)
Duplications with other Sony/RCA collections are few and pretty much limited to three discs by Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony: his stereo recording of the Chausson symphony and Franck 'Chausseur Maudit'; a coupling of 20th century symphonies by Americans Easley Blackwood and Alex Haieff; and a coupling of Poulenc's Organ Concerto with Stravinsky's ballet, 'Jeu de Cartes'. And yes there are recordings by some less well-known artists like pianists Ania Dorfmann (a highly respected and influential piano pedagogue and a favorite collaborator with Toscanini in the 1940s) and Andre Tchaikowsky (who died in his 40s and whose career was mostly made in Europe); Canadian violinist Liliane Garnier; organist Robert Owen; and 'The Choir of the Abbey of Mount Angel' (performing a requiem mass by Spanish Renaissance master Tomas Luis de Victoria).
I suppose hardly anyone today remembers the conductor Howard Mitchell who makes an appearance on two CDs in this set. Mitchell led the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, DC, with some distinction from the late 1940s to 1970. Although Mitchell wasn't a famous or 'front line' conductor for RCA (and earlier for Westminster Records), he had a real talent for the music of Shostakovich and he and his orchestra turn in a first-rate, red hot performance of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony (very well recorded in 'Living Stereo' sound), as well as fine accompaniments in Jaime Laredo's recording of Bruch and Mozart violin concertos.
In sum, all of these artists had solid enough reputations to attract the interest of a major record company. And their performances are worth hearing today; many times over, IMHO.
That said, I hope no one who is serious about classical music needs to be introduced to the members of the 'Festival Quartet' who deliver outstanding performances of Schubert's 'Trout' quintet, the three Brahms piano quartets, as well as the piano quartets of Beethoven and Schumann. (They are/were Victor Babin -- of Vronsky & Babin -- on piano; Szymon Goldberg, violin; William Primrose, viola; Nikolai Graudan, cello) Or to that great musical polymath Alexander Schneider (off and on again second violin of the legendary Budapest Quartet; leader of the Schneider Quartet; mentor to countless string players and string ensembles; and, finally, conductor of distinction) who leads a hand-picked chamber orchestra (the distinguished members of which are all named) in superbly passionate -- if slightly old-fashioned -- performances of Handel's 12 masterful concerti grossi, Op. 6. (I have hoped against hope for a reissue of that great recording for more than 30 years now!) Or to cellist Antonio Janigro and his brilliant chamber orchestra 'I Solisti di Zagreb' who offer lovely performances of Bach, Vivaldi and other music written for chamber ensemble. Janigro & Co. also recorded for New York-based Vanguard Records where they produced marvelous discs of Bach, Haydn, and many, many others. Stravinsky called their Vanguard recording of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' the greatest performance he'd ever heard of that music. This Living Stereo set includes a marvelous performance of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' by an Italian chamber group calling itself 'Societa Corelli' ... and although recorded (very beautifully) as far back as 1959/1960, their work features astonishingly lithe and vibrant string playing that seems to anticipate more modern baroque performance practice, but without any of the annoying astringency that often afflicts HIP performances of Italian baroque music. A superb disc and a major surprise -- and delight -- of this set!
Production pluses: Absolutely first-rate, state of the art digital transfers from the original master tapes and pristine, full color reproductions of the original Lp jackets on each CD sleeve -- including the original liner notes which are printed on the reverse side of the sleeves (and also reproduced in more readable font size in the handsome hardcover book that accompanies this magnificent set).
Having released three large Living Stereo box sets I hope that Sony/BMG/RCA will now move on to issue a similarly formatted box set with first quality CD transfers of post-Living Stereo recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, including all the Leinsdorf/Boston Symphony recordings made during his 1962-1969 tenure as Music Director, perhaps coupling these with contemporary recordings made by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players (which was formed at Leinsdorf's urging during his tenure). And while were at it, a boxed set reissue of all the recordings made by Eugene Ormandy and the great Philadelphia Orchestra after their 1968 return to RCA from CBS/Columbia. Once again: fingers crossed!
But back to the Living Stereo collection under review here: if you truly love a wide variety of classical music -- and first-rate performances of it -- by all means buy this set while it's still available at such a reasonable price!
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An awkwardly assembled but strangely endearing collection
Not to be confused with:Living Stereo 60 CD CollectionorLiving Stereo 60 CD Collection Vol. 2The earlier boxes were devoted to best-selling LPs from the 1950s and '60s(lots of Heifetz, Rubinstein and Cliburn)The new one is what's left over: odds and ends from RCA's "Living Stereo" catalog.Most of this is new to CD.No other organizing principle.I can see how this might be a problem.I know a lot of music lovers who for all practical purposes only buy recordings of orchestral repertoire - or of pianists, or of violinists, or of vocalists.Here we have thirty-six musicians who recorded for RCA in the first ten years of stereo (1955-65).With a few exceptions, these are not RCA's best known artists.I am familiar with all but three of them - which just goes to show how old I am.Unknown to me were violinist Liliane Garnier, organist Robert Owen, and the "Choir of Mount Angel Abbey & Portland Symphonic Choir".PHOTO: Actor David Tennant holding the skull of pianist Andre Tchaikovsky in a 2008 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet.I think it would have made greater economic sense for Sony to have issued this material in smaller boxes:- "Great Pianists", "Great Violinists", "Great Vocalists" etc. on RCA Living Stereo.But Sony's bookkeepers apparently believe that there are enough customers like me [I NEED about half the CDs] that a sixty CD box will turn a profit.FIVE PIANISTS ON SEVEN CDs: Alexander Brailowsky, Jean Casadesus (son of Robert), Ania Dorfmann, Andre Tchaikovsky (2 CDs, see photo), Vronsky & Babin (2 CDs)FIVE VIOLINISTS ON NINE CDs: Erick Friedman (2 CDs), Liliane Garnier, Leonid Kogan, Jaime Laredo (3 CDs), Henryk Szeryng (2 CDs)THREE CELLISTS ON THREE CDs: Antonio Janigro, Gregor Piatigorsky, Daniil ShafranTWO ORGANISTS ON TWO CDs: Robert Owen, Carl WeinrichSEVEN VOCALISTS ON EIGHT CDs: Maureen Forrester, Mack Harrell, Zinka Milanov, Birgit Nilsson, Roberta Peters, Cesare Valletti (2 CDs), Galina VishnevskayaTHREE CHAMBER ENSEMBLES ON THIRTEEN CDs: Festival Quartet (5 CDs), Julliard Quartet (7 CDs), Trio of Joseph Eger (horn), Victor Babin (piano) & Henryk Szeryng (violin)SEVEN CONDUCTORS ON SIXTEEN CDs: Arthur Fiedler (2 CDs), Morton Gould (3 CDs), Antonio Janigro (2 CDs), Howard Mitchell, Charles Munch (3 CDs), Alexander Schneider (3 CD set), Robert Shaw (2 CDs)ASSORTED RENAISSANCE & BAROQUE ENSEMBLES- Choir of Mount Angel Abbey & Portland Symphonic Choir (Victoria Mass)- Societa Corelli (Vivaldi Four Seasons with Vittorio Emanuele, violin)- Zimbler Sinfonietta (Vivaldi Concertos with Sherman Walt, bassoon)There is a more detailed list at the end of this review.HIGHLIGHTS:-- All the Vocal recordings are highlights:In the early years of stereo, RCA had a monopoly on singers at the Metropolitan Opera.---- Zinka Milanov (CD 11), who sang at the Met from 1937 to 1966, is represented by a famous 1959 aria collection.---- Birgit Nilsson (CD 46, recorded 1959) and---- Galina Vishnevskaya (CD 38, recorded 1961) were guest artists at the Met, recorded in RCA's New York studio the week of their American debut.RCA recorded visiting Soviet artists as part of a Cold War cultural exchange program.In addition to Galina Vishnevskaya,-- Soviet violinist Leonid Kogan (CD 3 "Encores", rec. 1958) and-- Soviet cellist Daniil Shafran (CD 43, Sonatas by Schubert and Shostakovich, rec. 1960)were recorded in New York during their American debuts.Soviet violinist David Oistrakh's first stereo LP was also recorded in RCA's New York studio.but that LP has yet to appear on CD (Sonatas by Prokofiev, Leclair and Locatelli, rec. 1955)Both violinists also recorded with the Boston Symphony.Oistrakh is in the Munch/RCA box; Kogan is in the Monteux/RCA box.*Pianists Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter were recorded by RCA in New York, Chicago and Boston (each pianist has a nice Sony box).*-- Cellist Gregor Piatigorsky (CD 9) plays the Debussy Sonata and Stravinsky Suite Italienne with composer Lukas Foss at the piano (Piatigorsky also recorded a violin & cello arrangement of the Stravinsky with Jascha Heifetz)Piatigorsky was a mainstay at RCA. He deserves a box of his own. "The Complete Columbia and RCA Recordings on Sony"-- The Julliard String Quartet (six CDs) is justly famous, but The Festival Quartet (CDs 1, 13, 36, 39 & 56) is almost forgotten.The Festival Quartet was not a string quartet.It was an all-star Piano Quartet (with a limited repertoire).The pianist was Victor Babin, best known as half the two-piano team of Vronsky & Babin (two CDs in this box).Violinist Szymon Goldberg and cellist Nicolai Graudan had been principal players in the Berlin Philharmonic under Furtwangler.William Primrose was principal viola in the NBC Symphony under Toscanini.Piano Quartets of Beethoven, Brahms (all three), Schumann and Schubert's "Trout" Quintet.-- Lalo Symphonie Espagnole played by Henryk Szeryng (CD 32), and Paganini Violin Concerto No.1 played by Erick Friedman (CD 47) - both accompanied by Walter Hendl conducting the Chicago Symphony.(Fritz Reiner was ill - assistant conductor Hendl stepped in for the recording sessions).These two CDs complete my collection of Chicago Symphony recordings during the Reiner-Martinon era (1954-1968)-- Pianist Andre Tchaikovsky (no relation) (CDs 17 & 18) was not one of the great pianists, but his memory lives on.After retiring from music, he began a new career as a Shakespearian actor:Probably the greatest Yorick of our time.He left his fortune to the Royal Shakespeare Company on condition that they use his skull in future productions of Hamlet (see photo).Andre Tchaikovsky has a website: Check out Comment Three (dated October 29, 2016).-- The World's Foremost Authority on the Music of Rachmaninov recommends the two-piano team of Vronsky & Babin.The 64 year-old composer claimed to have no memory of his 1893 Fantasy for Two Pianos (Suite No.1) before they performed it for him in 1937 (CD 52, recorded in 1961)-- The Boston Pops is basically the Boston Symphony.Arthur Fiedler was underrated in "serious" classical repertoire (CDs 10 & 34).A Sony box would would be welcome,but the "Complete Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops Recordings" would include a lot of popular music that has really not aged all that well.-- Sherman Walt (Vivaldi Concertos, CD 16) was principal bassoonist of the Boston Symphony.-- Joseph Eger (Brahms Trio, CD 29), had been principal horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In the 1950s he became the first American to pursue a successful career as horn soloist.PACKAGING AND SOUNDSixty CDs in "original jacket" format, with original artwork, program notes (and LP timings).For the first time in one of these boxes, the original program notes are reprinted in the booklet (in readable type).Which explains why the "booklet" runs to 360 pages.Good, but Sony still forgot texts and translations for the vocal works (they were printed on an insert).Exception: The Vishnevskaya recital (CD 38) printed song translations on the back of the original LP jacket.The original jackets for the 1812 Overture (CD 14), and Beethoven & Schumann Piano Quartets (CD 56) had artwork on both sides.The program notes were printed separately and are not included,but the separate program notes for the Handel Concerti Grossi (CDs 57-59) are included in the booklet.All 60 CDs were newly transferred by Brett Zinn, Iron Mountain Digital Studios, remastered by Martin Kistner, Hansjorg Seiler & Mathias Erb, b-sharp music & media solutions "using 24bit/ 192khz technology"Everything sounds good to me, but my ears are hardly state-of-the-art.DISAPPOINTMENTSony could have included these RCA LPs that have never appeared on CD:-- David Oistrakh's 1955 LP of Violin Sonatas.-- Malcolm Frager's early '60s LP of Prokoviev's Second Piano Concerto conducted by Rene Leibowitz.-- Violist Walter Trampler had several RCA LPs-- Vocal recitals by Gerard Souzay and James King.-- Morton Gould's 1960 LP of Beethoven's Wellington's Victory (the only recording of this work that I can stand to listen to). It would have fit quite nicely on CD 14 (1812 Overture & Bolero) which is barely a half-hour long-- Any others? Your comments are welcome.-- The three Charles Munch/Boston Symphony LPs are unnecessary - they were included in the recently issued 86 CD "Complete Charles Munch" box. Someone at Sony forgot to inform the producer.*MISSING CANNONSMorton Gould's 1812 Overture (CD 14) is incomplete:The tape of cannons and church bells that RCA used 60 years ago is apparently lost.Rather than borrow from another recording, Sony decided to omit them and just play the music straight.My favorite 1812 Overture was recorded by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony in 1956 (I think it was the first stereo recording).Reiner dispensed with cannons and church bells altogether, and just used a busy team of percussionists.My dog hates cannons in our living room, and I tend to agree with her.Reiner Conducts TchaikovskyNevertheless, Morton Gould expected cannons and church bells in this 1812 Overture, and it does seem that Sony could have dubbed in an alternate recording from their back catalog.So don't buy it for the 1812 Overture.On the other hand, I can't imagine many piano, fiddle, or canary fanciers (3/4 of the contents) will be buying this box for the 1812 Overture.The 1812 Overture even seems out-of-place among the orchestral CDs, most of which are of a more serious nature.Morton Gould is one of the few conductors to record Wellington's Victory with Beethoven's specified percussion instruments (unlike Tchaikovsky, Beethoven never imagined real cannons).My dog prefers it that way.Morton Gould's LP recordings of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with cannon and bells and Beethoven's Wellington's Victory (without) are available as a free download on ReDiscovery.Check out Comment Three (dated October 29, 2016) for the link.* Charles Munch - The Complete RCA Album CollectionPierre Monteux-The Complete Rca aEmil Gilels - The Complete RCA and Columbia Album CollectionSviatoslav Richter - The Complete Album CollectionDETAILED CONTENTSPIANOAlexander Brailowsky--- Encores (CD 7)Jean Casadesus:--- Debussy Preludes Book I (CD 26)Ania Dorfmann--- Schumann recital (CD 2)Andre Tchaikovsky--- Chopin recital (CD 18)--- Mozart recital (CD17)Vronsky & Babin--- Rachmaninoff: Suites for Two Pianos (CD 52)--- Music for Two Pianos "176 Keys" (CD 28)VIOLINErick Friedman:--- Paganini Concerto, Saint-Saens with Walter Hendl, Chicago Symphony (CD 47)--- Virtuoso Favorites (CD 55)Liliane Garnier:--- Recital (CD 50)Leonid Kogan:--- Encores (CD 3)Jaime Laredo:--- Bach Partita, Brahms Sonata (CD 25)--- Bruch, Mozart Violin Concertos with Howard Mitchell, National Symphony (CD 35)--- Presenting Jaime Laredo (CD 20)Henryk Szeryng:--- Lalo Symphonie Espagnole with Walter Hendl, Chicago Symphony (CD 32)--- Szeryng in Recital (CD 30)CELLOAntonio Janigro--- Boccherini, Vivaldi, Vivaldi-Bach Cello Concertos (CD 19)Gregor Piatigorsky--- Debussy Sonata, Stravinsky Suite Italienne with Lukas Foss, piano (CD 9)Daniil Shafran--- Schubert, Shostakovich Cello Sonatas (CD 43)ORGANRobert Owen--- The Power Of The Organ (CD 60)Carl Weinrich--- Bach recital (CD 44)VOCALMaureen Forrester:--- Brahms, Schumann Recital (CD 6)Mack Harrell:--- Bach: Cantatas 56 & 82 with Robert Shaw, RCA Symphony (CD 12)Zinka Milanov:--- Arias by Verdi, Puccini, Dvorak, Giordano with Arturo Basile, RCA Victor Orchestra (CD 11)Birgit Nilsson:--- Songs by Schubert, Grieg, Wagner, Sibelius, R. Strauss (CD 46)Roberta Peters:--- Songs by Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Schumann, R. Strauss, Debussy, Ravel (CD 22)Cesare Valletti:--- Schumann Dichterliebe & selected songs (CD 23)--- The Art Of Song (CD 8)Galina Vishnevskaya:--- Songs by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich (CD 38)CHAMBER MUSICEger (horn), Babin (piano), Szeryng (violin):--- Beethoven Horn Sonata, Brahms Horn Trio (CD 29)Festival Piano Quartet:--- Beethoven, Schumann Piano Quartets (CD 56)--- Brahms Piano Quartets (3) complete (CDs 13, 36, 39)--- Schubert Trout Quintet with Sankey (double-bass) (CD1)Julliard Quartet:--- Beethoven Quartets Op.95, 131 & 135 (CDs 48 & 49)--- Berg Lyric Suite, Webern (CD 41)--- Carter Quartet 2, Schuman Quartet 3 (CD 37)--- Debussy, Ravel Quartets (CD 24)--- Dvorak Quartet Op.61, Wolf Italian Serenade (CD 40)--- Schubert Quartets "Death And The Maiden", Quartettsatz (CD 21)CONDUCTORSArthur Fiedler, Boston Pops:--- Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (CD 10)--- More Classical Music For People Who Hate Classical Music (CD 34)Morton Gould, His Symphony Orchestra:--- Gould Fall River Legend, Interplay, Latin American Symphonette (CD 42)--- Ravel Bolero, Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture (CD 14)--- Sibelius Finlandia etc. (CD 54)Antonio Janigro, Solisti di Zagreb:--- Bach Brandenburg Concerto 5, Suite 2 (CD 33)--- Music For Strings (Britten, Corelli, Couperin, Mozart) (CD 53)Howard Mitchell, National Symphony:--- Shostakovich Symphony 5 (CD 5)Charles Munch, Boston Symphony:--- Blackwood Symphony 1, Haieff Symphony 2 (CD 15)--- Chausson Symphony, Franck Le chasseur maudit (CD 51)--- Poulenc Concerto For Organ, Strings And Timpani, Stravinsky Jeu de Cartes (CD 45)Alexander Schneider, Chamber Orchestra--- Handel: Concerti Grossi Op.6 (CDs 57-59)Robert Shaw, RCA Symphony & Robert Shaw Chorale:--- Bach: Cantatas 56 & 82 - see Mack Harrell under VOCALISTS--- Operatic Choruses (CD 27)RENAISSANCE & BAROQUE ENSEMBLES--- Victoria: Requiem Mass - Choir of Mount Angel Abbey & Portland Symphonic Choir (CD 4)--- Vivaldi: Bassoon Concertos - Zimbler Sinfonietta with Sherman Walt, bassoon(CD 16)--- Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Societa Corelli with Vittorio Emanuele, violin (CD 31)[see also Antonio Janigro and Alexander Schneider under CONDUCTORS, Mack Harrell under VOCALISTS.]
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