Volume 23 Issue 3 - November 2017

Old Wine, New Bottles
Fine Old Recordings Re-Released
BRUCE SURTEES
Carl Schuricht was an esteemed German conductor in the first
half of the 20th century. He was born in Danzig into a dynasty
of organ builders in 1880 and studied at the Berlin Hochschule
from 1901 to 1903. During his first years as a conductor he was to
be heard in Mainz, Kreuznach, Dortmund, Goslar and Zwickau.
From 1909 he conducted the Rühl Oratorio Society in Frankfurtam-Main.
From 1912 to 1944 he was the chief conductor and general
music director of Wiesbaden and was also active as a guest conductor.
He was a guest of the St. Louis Symphony in 1927. After 1944 he
conducted and recorded with the finest orchestras, the Vienna, Berlin
and London Philharmonics, the Swiss Romande Orchestra, etc.
In 1956 he returned to North America with the Vienna Philharmonic
on a 12-city tour, appearing in Washington, New York, Cleveland,
Cincinnati and elsewhere on the East Coast, and including Toronto’s
Massey Hall on November 28, winding up before the General
Assembly of the UN in New York on December 10. He continued
to conduct concerts and record in Europe over the next decade. He
died in 1967.
Today, as time and technology march on, his name is really familiar
only to collectors such as those who support the long list of his
recordings at amazon.com (far fewer at amazon.ca and elsewhere).
Newer editions appear from time to time, the most recent from
Audite and Decca which contain interesting and engaging performances
reflecting his sensitivity and understanding of the composer’s
intentions.
Decca’s CDs are in a compact box, Carl
Schuricht; The Complete Decca Recordings
(4831643, 10 CDs). Part of this set is
contained in Decca’s Original Masters
five-CD set from 2004 with some interesting
additions. There is a Beethoven
Second taken from the 1947 78s with the
Swiss Romande, produced by the renowned
Victor Olof, who produced just about all
the (then) state-of-the-art recordings in this collection, all of which,
barring this one, sound very clean and dynamic. Another 1947 Swiss
Romande recording features violinist Georg Kulenkampff and cellist
Enrico Mainardi in the Brahms Double Concerto. There are many
others worthy of attention leading to the tenth disc, an all-Wagner
program played by the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, France’s leading
orchestra at the time consisting of professors from the Conservatoire
and their pupils. Heard are the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan
and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey leading into Siegfried’s Death and
Funeral March from Gotterdämmerung. Heaven only knows how
many times I’ve heard these but I do not recall being so affected by
the poignancy of the Tristan nor the sweep of the Siegfried. There is a
wealth of superior performances here, sounding clean and dynamic,
so do check them out at arkivmusic.com for complete details, except
recording dates.
The Audite CD (Lucerne Festival Historic Performances, Vol. 11: Carl
Schuricht Conducts Mozart & Brahms, Audite 95645) finds Schuricht
joined by pianist Robert Casadesus with the Swiss Festival Orchestra
playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.27 in B-flat Major, K595 on
August 19, 1961. Schuricht had been
appearing at the Lucerne Festival since the
end of 1944 when he conducted Beethoven’s
Missa Solemnis. He was welcomed there
as “the only representative, apart from
Otto Klemperer, of the generation of old
German conductors still remaining active.”
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung later reported
that “Even if the 81-year-old has difficulty
walking to his podium, his music making has remained astonishingly
young. His economical, precise beat and the security and suppleness
with which he effects modifications of the basic tempo give no hint
of fatigue or decline of mental or emotional faculties.” The second
item of concerts from Lucerne is the Brahms Second Symphony from
September 8, 1962 with the Vienna Philharmonic. A listener might
care to compare this performance with the 1953 version also with the
Vienna Philharmonic in the above Decca set. It certainly shows what
this 82-year “old German conductor” could draw from an orchestra.
I remember years ago collecting the recordings
of Walter Gieseking, including the
various Schubert shorter pieces that he
played with such élan and affection that
one would think that they were personal
friends. Appian has released a four-CD
set of Gieseking’s complete solo recordings
of Brahms, Schubert and Schumann
that he made for English Columbia in the
1950s (APR 7402, 4 CDs). After looking over the list of contents,
I put disc two into my player to hear again Gieseking playing the
eight Klavierstücke, Op.76; the Seven Fantasies, Op.116; the Three
Intermezzi Op.117 and the six Klavierstücke Op.118. There were some
disappointments but many more were just as I remembered. Perhaps
the overload of hearing one piece and then another and another is not
really an ideal way to judge a work, nor fair to the artists. An overload.
Of interest is that the above four works were recorded over
three days, June 20 to June 22, 1950. Unlike many of his colleagues
Gieseking enjoyed making recordings. He just sat there and played,
so this must have been a treat for him. Also he claimed that he never
practised as giving recitals was practise enough. He had the score
clearly in his head. The third disc contains the two sets of Impromptus
Op.90 and 142. The fourth and last disc with Schubert’s Six Moments
musicaux Op.94 and Three Pieces D946 concludes with two Chopin
pieces, the Berceuse Op.57 and the Barcarolle Op.60 and two Scriabin
pieces, Poème Op.32 No.1 and Prélude Op.15 No.4.
A better way to clear one’s musical taste buds would be to return to
disc one for Brahms’ Klavierstücke Op.119 and the Two Rhapsodies
Op.79 followed by some music by Brahms’ close friend, Schumann.
Here is a gentle reading of Kinderszenen Op.15 and an enthusiastic,
at times passionate version of Carnaval Op.9; then a farewell with
Schlummerlied, No.16 of Albumblätter Op.124 and some parting notes
from the enigmatic Vogel als Prophet, No.7 of Waldszenen Op.82.
There was nothing pretentious about Gieseking’s playing. One gets
the distinct feeling that he is sharing his thoughts. Simply, the art that
conceals the art.
84 | November 2017 thewholenote.com