Scheherazade

February 12, 2005 at 01:21 AM · Hi,

Lots of great recordings. One of my personal favorites for the solos is with Michel Schwalbé as concertmaster of the Berlin Phil under Karajan. Simply beautiful all around.

Cheers!

February 12, 2005 at 05:54 AM · I love Joseph Fuchs' solos with the Cleveland Orchestra under Rodzinski.

February 12, 2005 at 10:44 AM · Without doubt, the best solo violin on Sh.is 0istrakh's. There are better versions, but not on the violin part.

February 12, 2005 at 02:38 PM · Hi,

Chun, yes, I forgot about that great version. There is an Oistrakh recording ?!?!?

Cheers!

February 12, 2005 at 04:57 PM · 0istrakh with Nikolai Golovanov and the Bolshoi orch.,1947. It is on several labels. Mine is on a 4 Young 0istrakh box on the defunct Dante-Lys, but you cant find it except on a used CD shop, with luck.

February 12, 2005 at 07:01 PM · For me, a requirement for a good Sheherezade is a great bassoon soloist.

February 13, 2005 at 06:28 AM · Fritz Reiner's and Thomas Beecham's recordings each bring out the individuality of the episodes in this piece while retaining an overarching vision that creates a coherent entity. Or something like that. I think. Von Karajan's version is - to me - pretty, oh so pretty, pretty and witty and gay that it is an excellent soporific, allowing one to drift off into neverland on clouds of beautiful sounds that are musical valium. One of his CD pressings also has the 1812 Overture with chorus; boy, those Russkie soldiers could sing, huh?

February 13, 2005 at 08:58 AM · I like the NY Phil recording with Temirkanov. I don't know how popular Glenn Dicterow is, but I think he's good. (Also some rather fabulous flute playing by Jeanne Baxtresser)

And Chailly/ Concertgebouw. I can't remember who the concertmaster is.

February 13, 2005 at 01:52 PM · Yes, the Reiner is my favorite CONDUCTED version. What extraordinary control and build-up of tension, and it was recorded in one take! Can you imagine if Elman had a recording, that would definitely be the best story-telling ever!

February 14, 2005 at 11:17 AM · The Philadelphia Orchestra with Sidney Harth on the violin solos.

That's the recording I followed when I learned the 1st and 2nd violin parts last fall.

February 14, 2005 at 02:35 PM · Hi Ryan,

I don't think Sidney Harth ever recorded the Scheherezade with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Could that be the Chicago Symphony recording with Fritz Reiner you're thinking of? Philadelphia recorded it with Ormandy and the solos were played by Anshel Brusilow. They later rerecorded it under Muti with Norman Carol doing the solos. (Carol was past his prime when it was done, but the orchestra playing is spectacular, and for that I highly recommend it.)

February 14, 2005 at 04:36 PM · Leopold Stokowski's 1964 Phase 4 recording is my favorite (Edward Gruenberg, violin), though I also like Svetlanov's (un-named soloist, and the brass is rarely in tune) and - especially! - Pierre Monteux's recording with the San Francisco Symphony and (I assume) Naum Blinder as soloist (my copy doesn't say who it is, but Blinder was concertmaster in san Francisco at that time).

February 14, 2005 at 07:11 PM · I agree with Brucie, the recent NY phil recording made with Mr. Dicterow and Temirkanov is fabulous. Dicterow is today's best concertmaster hands down.

February 14, 2005 at 07:24 PM · I think the violinist on the Reiner recording is Steven Staryk.

February 14, 2005 at 07:50 PM · I really like the old recording (1968) of N. Rachlin with soloist M. Karevich. Very bright and impressive interpretation.

February 14, 2005 at 09:12 PM · Hi,

Blinder is the concermaster in Monteux recording.

Nate: that's a pretty bold statement... Dicterow is terrific, but there are lots of great concermasters, and many would argue that Preucil probably stands at the top of the list (at least the paylist...) right now.

As for Harth, he was never concertmaster in Philly. Did they have him as a guest for that recording?!

Cheers!

February 14, 2005 at 09:37 PM · Hi Christian,

I never have heard Preucil play but have obviously known of his reputation as being a very fine player. Out of all of the people I have heard past and present who have been concertmasters of major orchestras Dicterow is at the top of my list. Another great concertmaster worth noting is Mischa Mischakoff the concertmaster of the NBC Symphony.

February 14, 2005 at 11:52 PM · My teacher let us listen to it. He studied with him over the summer in Holland.. and told us when he learned all of the violin solos that Sidney told him that he recorded it with Philadelphia as guest concertmaster.

February 15, 2005 at 03:13 PM · I don't know about the Philadelphia, but Harth was Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony when Reiner made that classic recording. The Reiner is my favorite. I'm old enough to have seen Reiner (with Harth as Concermaster) many times. They were even more spectacular live.

February 17, 2005 at 04:44 PM · Hi,

Ryan: that's possible. Happened more frequently in those days, and Harth was sought after pretty much everywhere in the 60's.

Nate: Preucil is amazing live. I know Dicterow only through broadcasts and recordings, but I'll take your word for it. Mischakoff was fantasic and his recordings with the NBC Orchestra (perhaps the most talented orchestra ever) are wonderful. Though rare to find, the recordings that Gingold did with Cleveland and Szell are really great.

Another great Concertmaster and Soloist that I like (great teacher too) was Herman Krebbers who was for a long time concertmaster of the Concertgebow. Simply an extraordinary violinist in orchestral solos and concerto recordings. I've heard his Sheherazade is terrific, but somehow, I have never been able to find a re-issue of it on CD... help anyone?!

Cheers!

February 17, 2005 at 06:14 PM · The Krebbers that I heard was a Decca release on cassette with Kondrashin conducting - and it WAS excellent!

February 18, 2005 at 01:23 AM · Thanks Joseph!

Do you know if it's out on CD?

Cheers!

February 18, 2005 at 02:31 AM · I would also add that Bill Preucil is a pretty awesome concertmaster :) It's so much fun to watch him, and every time he has a solo, he steals the show. :)

Also I'd say that Bill dePasquale, co-concertmaster of Philadelphia Orch is outstanding!

February 18, 2005 at 01:27 PM · The word is that Billy de Pasquale will be retiring at the end of this season...

February 18, 2005 at 04:32 PM · Sorry to say, Christian, I don't think so...

The only copy on e-bay was on an Lp (for $27!), and amazon.com didn't even have it.

The cassette I have sounds really good though, and a transfer to CD ( if you can do it on your computer) would probably sound pretty good. The tape was part of a "Masterpieces of Music" series put out by Reader's Digest in the late 1980's or early 1990's.

How can this NOT be out on CD?

Somebody, obviously, should be shot...or at least maimed!