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ReDiscovery
Catalog Performers |
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Sondra
Bianca / Carl August Bunte / Hamburg Radio Orchestra Gershwin: Concerto in F Sondra Bianca / Hans-Jurgen Walther / Hamburg Philharmonia Orchestra Gershwin: Second Rhapsody* Sondra Bianca / Walter Goehr / New Symphony Society Orchestra Gershwin: Variations on "I Got Rhythm" reel tape master ReDiscovery Stereo/Mono* RD 131 - 52:38 - $15 Limited edition, fewer than 30 copies remaining  I have long enjoyed many of your transfers, but I must say that the Sondra Baiance/Gershwin CD is a strong candidate for your best ever offering. The performances and the sound quality are truly outstanding. I knew the performance of the I Got Rhythm Variations from a Collier-Crowell Record Guild LP and have always remembered as superior to the Earl Wild and Leonard Pennario versions, good though those may be. Thanks for a wonderful job which definitely fill a significant niche in the catalog. --RS, MI Sondra Bianca's notes were a surprise and I wish her a long and healthy life. If the performances do not rise to the top, they do present some interesting differences from what is standard now. --AB, FL I received the Sondra Bianca Gershwin CD a few days ago, and enjoy it immensely. How nice to finally have this outstanding artist brought out of the shadows of pseudonym, and be recognized. Felicitas Karrer is another such artist, who recorded for the early days of Remington Records. She recorded under her own name, but is just as much a forgotten master as Bianca. As usual, ReDiscovery has come up with a real gem. --SS, IO |
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Sondra
Bianca / J Randolph Jones /
Hamburg Philharmonia Orchestra Field: Piano Concerto 1 in E-flat Sondra Bianca / Hans-Jurgen Walther / Hamburg Philharmonia Orchestra Massenet: Piano Concerto in E-flat Sondra Bianca / Hans-Jurgen Walther / Hamburg Radio Orchestra Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor* ReDiscovery Mono/Stereo* RD 092 - 73:25  The memories that this CD has evoked for me are wonderful. The Massenet, considering its age and infirmities, sounds excellent. You did wonders with those old recordings, pitch and all. --Sondra Bianca, NY I extend a large Bravo to you for the new Bianca CD. It's long overdue for someone to recognize her...now, in a like vein, there's also Felicitas Karrer. It's nice you were able to get Bianca's assistance on the recording. I hope she's doing well. Keep up the good work on these interesting CD issues. --SS, IA I have at last listened to the Sondra Bianca CD. The Massenet is pleasant, but no great shakes. I had not heard of the piano concerto, so I read the chapter by Martin Cooper on Massenet in the Pelican series, Music masters. And what does it say about the concerto? Nothing, it talks only of operas and 'sacred dramas'. I'll have to read something else. Listening to the Grieg showed me how much I had forgotten of the work, so Clifford Curzon's recording is on the machine to play next. But I bought the CD, because it had Field on it. He is an old favourite, but I now have no certain memory of how I first came to hear about him, probably through Ronald Stevenson's remarks about Frank Merrick. I used to go to Michael Thomas's shop (again I write from a fallible memory), and managed to buy some Rare Recorded Editions LPs of Field's first and fifth concertos, and the complete Nocturnes. (I have two sets of the last, because i bought one for our son-in-law, who died some years ago. Our daughter did not want them, so they came back to me.) (I read in the Gramophone online that Merrick played Field for the BBC in 1937, the centenary of Field's death.) I also have the piano duets played by David Branson and Andrew Davies on an RCA LP, and a cassette of the sonatas played by Philip Challis from Concert Artist/Fidelio, a name that later became (in)famous. Later I bought the John o'Conor LPs of the piano concertos, but I have none of the recent recordings. Field is becoming much better known, go back a few years and there are only a couple of short pieces and arrangements. I'll write again when I have listened to the other CDs. Stumbling across Rediscovery was good fortune, and I am sure I shall be back for more. --VP, UK I've been listening with great interest to the CDs by pianist Sondra Bianca, whose name I have known for at least 50 years. Her playing is of the highest order, intelligent, 'musical', with beautiful tone, steady tempi, and a sense of real joy. I have spent more time on the two Schumann discs than the third, although, from a strictly 'musical interest' point of view, the third (with Concerti by Field, Massanet, and others) leads the group. At the time they were made, just about no one was recording Field nor Massanet! I had not heard this one before, but instantly her playing of all the pieces on that disc are my favorites. These CDs are solid gold gems--and high on my stack of recordings (which does date to1951!). Someday I'll organize more of it--while listening to these CDs. Thank you all for your fascinating 'rescue work'. --JT, NJ |
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Sondra
Bianca / Herbert Drescher / Robert Stehli /
Hamburg Bach Orchestra Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals Hans-Jurgen Walther / Hamburg Pro Musica Orchestra Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake excerpts Sondra Bianca / Carl Bamberger / Nord-Deutsches Radio Orchestra Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy ReDiscovery Stereo RD 187 - 62:36 |
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Sondra
Bianca / Arthur Winograd /
Hamburg Philharmonia
Orchestra Schumann: Carnaval Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor* Schumann: Introduction and Allegro in G Schumann: Konzertstucke in D minor ReDiscovery Stereo/Mono* RD 116 - 79:34 I am captivated by the Carnaval--and does she ever nail "Paganini'' which no one ever gets through without trouble. Congratulations! --RD, MA I've been listening with great interest to the CDs by pianist Sondra Bianca, whose name I have known for at least 50 years. Her playing is of the highest order, intelligent, 'musical', with beautiful tone, steady tempi, and a sense of real joy. I have spent more time on the Schumann disc although, from a strictly 'musical interest' point of view, the earlier release (with concerti by Field, Massanet, and others) leads the group. The Schumann CD has works with more "listening competition", but Bianca's playing is of the highest order. I am most familiar with the concerto, having heard it in concert and on recorfdings for about as long as I can remember. (My first recording was on a 10" lp issued by the Musical Masterpiece Society--by mail--and I can't just think of the pianist, but Hans Kann, Paul Badura-Skoda, Robert Goldsand, and Noel Mewton-Wood all were represented among their pianists.) I've played this concerto myself--not exactly in the way Ms. Bianca does. Aside from two old tapes I have of my first teacher playing the Schumann (in 1958 and 1960), I would have to say that this is as fine as any. Never lugubrious nor tossed off, her playing is, to borrow a phrase, "just right". In fact, all the pieces are wonderfully played. I had no idea that she was alive (at the time of the re-issues, at least), and how fascinating for her to remember the original sessions and write other notes about the music! These CDs are solid gold gems--and high on my stack of recordings (which does date to1951!). Someday I'll organize more of it--while listening to these CDs. Thank you all for your fascinating 'rescue work'. --JT, NJ |
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Joerg
Demus /
Paul Badura-Skoda / Kurt
Redel / Vienna State
Opera
Orchestra Bach: Keyboard Concerto in A major, Keyboard Concerto in F minor Bach: Two-Keyboard Concerto in C minor, Two-Keyboard Concerto in C major ReDiscovery Stereo RD 155 - 54:01 |
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Robert
Gerle /
Norman Shetler Brahms (arr Joachim): Hungarian Dances ReDiscovery Stereo RD 177 - 56:24 |
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Robert
Gerle /
Robert Zeller / Vienna
State Opera
Orchestra Delius: Violin Concerto reel tape master Barber: Violin Concerto reel tape master ReDiscovery Stereo RD 152 - 50:08 - $12 Limited edition, fewer than 25 copies remaining -I have no complaints at all about the playing. It was lovely! The only thing amiss is that there is a low-frequency rumble off and on through the Delius. I used to have a Dual turntable which made much the same sound! I can't hear it in the Barber, which has lots more low-frequency content which may cover it up (but I don't think so). In any case, it isn't severe enough to ruin the Delius for me. (I listened to it through headphones.) --JL, TX |
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Leonid Hambro / Jascha Zayde Magnificent Two-Piano Performances reel tape masters Debussy: En Blanc et Noir Poulenc: Sonata Franck: Prelude, Fugue, and Variation Saint-Saens: Minuet and Gavotte ReDiscovery Stereo RD 186 - 38:07 |
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Lorin
Hollander Bach: Partita 6 in E minor Beethoven: Sonata 17 in D minor Tempest Brahms: Intermezzo in B-flat Debussy: Fireworks Schumann: Arabeske ReDiscovery Stereo RD 109 - 66:33 The Hollander recital CD arrived yesterday, and I listened to the whole program today. As expected from ReDiscovery, a very fine restoration! An immaculate job of declicking and only the occasional faint lo-freq hoot from the original RCA surfaces. The electronic piano tracks (Bach & Debussy) sounded a bit more glassy than the "real" piano, but not as artificial as I would have expected. And to his credit, Hollander did not exploit the instrument's ability to circumvent the normal decay of piano sound, as far as I could tell. Too bad the Prokofiev 7th Sonata couldn't have been included (because of copyright restrictions), but in any case the work would not have fit in the remaining space on the CD. I am very happy to have what is on there. There was one spot (Track 6, at 05:11) where I was a bit startled; I had the impression that there was some sort of skip or discontinuity in the music (Bach Partita #6: 1st movt). I checked this spot several times on my whiskery old Denon DCD1520, with the piano score in hand, thinking that there was possibly a needle skip or some editing error. There were no skips in the time read-out. But it turned out fine to be simply a momentary imprecision on Hollander's part in a particular tricky spot in which a Rachmaninov-sized left hand would definitely be an advantage. In short, a very enjoyable release, and thank you for your efforts in making it available. I hope you are successful in locating good copies of Hollander's RCA Camden recordings. --RO, TX |
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Alexander Jenner / Dean
Dixon / Vienna
Volksoper Orchestra Brahms: Piano Concerto 2 in B-flat John Frandsen / Royal Danish Symphony Orchestra Brahms: Tragic Overture reel tape master ReDiscovery Stereo RD 180 - 61:17 - $15 When I came across a second hand WRC stereo LP of one of my favourite versions of the Brahms 2nd piano concerto I bought it, cleaned it thoroughly and made a meticulous transfer to CD. The result: plenty of pops and clicks, vinyl background noise, and a rather seedy unattractive sound quality. Not good at all. More out of hope rather than expectation I sent my transfer to David Gideon. I knew that this record was on his wish list. I don't know how David has done it but the refurbished transfer he has conjured up is amazing. This is an excellent sounding release and I strongly endorse it both musically and technically. --John Whitmore, UK |
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Leonard
Pennario Piano Portraits Debussy: Arabesques, Golliwog's Cake Walk Dvorak: Humoresque Falla: Andaluza Gounod-Liszt: Waltz from 'Faust' Grieg: Butterfly Kreisler-Rachmaninoff: Liebeslied Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody 2 Moszkowski: Caprice Espagnol Rachmaninoff: Humoresque, Polichinelle Saint-Saens-Liszt: Danse Macabre Strauss-Schulz-Evler: Arabesques on 'The Blue Danube' Tchaikovsky: Humoresque, Scherzo Humoristique ReDiscovery Stereo RD 166 - 78:10 |
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Leonard
Pennario / Eudice Shapiro / Sanford Schonbach / Victor Gottlieb Schumann: Quartet in E-flat for Piano and Strings Leonard Pennario Brahms: Rhapsody in G minor Liszt: La Campanella, Transcendental Etude 10 Leonard Pennario & Leonard Pennario Arensky: Waltz in C Brahms: Five Waltzes Dvorak: Three Slavonic Dances Grieg: Two Norwegian Dances Schubert: Marche Militaire ReDiscovery Stereo RD 105 - 70:44 |
| Victor Aller: see A Stereo
Piano and Orchestra
Extravaganza! Billard and Azais: see Karl Ristenpart Roger Boutry: see Karl Ristenpart Hyman Bress: see Sir Adrian Boult April Cantelo: see Alexander Gibson Nedda Casei: see Hans Swarowsky Chasins and Keene: see A Stereo Piano and Orchestra Extravaganza! Mimi Coertse: see Hans Hagen Raymond Cohen: see Rene Leibowitz Kieth Engen: see Hans Swarowsky Philippe Entremont: see A Stereo Piano and Orchestra Extravaganza! Philippe Entremont: see Walter Goehr Kurt Equiluz: see Hans Swarowsky Kurt Equiluz: see Hans Swarowsky Sergio Fiorentino: see Liszt: The Forgotten Recordings Carol Glenn: see Sir Adrian Boult Uta Graf: see Walter Goehr Uta Graf: see Walter Goehr Heather Harper: see Hans Swarowsky Fritz Henker: see Hans Swarowsky Ruth Hesse: see Hans Swarowsky Hedda Heusser: see Walter Goehr Hedda Heusser: see Walter Goehr Adolf Holler: see Hans Swarowsky David Hollestelle: see Walter Goehr Grant Johannesen: see Sir Eugene Goossens Anton Kamper: see Hans Swarowsky Peter Katin: see Dean Dixon Albert Kunz: see Walter Goehr Albert Kunz: see Walter Goehr Eugene List: see Liszt: The Forgotten Recordings Eugene List: see Sir Adrian Boult Friedl Loor: see Hans Hagen Eduard Mrazek: see Hans Swarowsky Heinz Nordbruck: see Hans Swarowsky Thomas Page: see Hans Swarowsky Jean-Pierre Rampal: see Karl Ristenpart Hilde Roessel-Majdan: see Dean Dixon Sulo Saarits: see The 20th Century Mathias Schmid: see Walter Goehr Mathias Schmid: see Walter Goehr Fritz Sommer: see Hans Swarowsky Nikolaus Simkowski: see Hans Swarowsky Maureen Smith: see Sir Adrian Boult Teresa Stich-Randall: see Hans Swarowsky Karl Terkal: see Hans Hagen Lucretia West: see Hermann Scherchen Annie Woudt: see Walter Goehr Friedrich Wuehrer: see Hans Swarowsky Denes Zsigmondy: see Miklos Rozsa |
