Volume 27 Issue 2 - November 2021

from Christmas Eve, 1954. These are monaural recordings that are
sonically a few notches down from the second disc, but still exemplary
music making from the podium. The fourth work is from the
same stereo sessions as all the items on the second disc, an exuberant
Mozart Symphony No.39 K543.
The stereo recordings in this set are sonically exemplary thanks to
the producer and restorer Lani Spahr, himself an oboist whose restorations
are to be heard on many labels. George Szell – The Forgotten
Recordings (Ariadne 5011-2 2CDs naxosdirect.com/search/
ariadne+5011-2)
On the evening of October 12, 1986 the
audience in Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall
heard the State Symphony Orchestra of
USSR conducted by Yevgeni Svetlanov. The
highlight of that concert was surely the
Brahms Double Concerto for Violin, Cello
and Orchestra, played by the husband and
wife duo of Oleg Kagan, violin and Natalia
Gutman, cello. The Double Concerto is a
particular favourite, so I am familiar with many of the recordings
and after enjoying this new release of that very concert performance
it is quite clear, at least to me, that this is one of the most sensitive,
where appropriate, and one of the boldest. Kagan and Gutman, two of
the finest Russian musicians of all time, were wisely selected for the
orchestra’s international world tour. The interplay between them often
has an elegance not to be heard elsewhere. Svetlanov’s crack touring
orchestra supports them perfectly and ever so gently where called for.
Kagan was a most highly rated and respected violinist and chamber
music musician and was often heard with Sviatoslav Richter and
other virtuosi. He died in Munich in 1990. Gutman plays on and is
one of the world’s most esteemed musicians, often referred to as
“The Queen of the Cello.” She is also to be heard in the other work
on this CD. It is the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major
Op.107 played by Gutman with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic
Orchestra conducted by Alexander Lazariev. The performance is from
January 26, 1980 in Amsterdam, predating the above by six years.
Gutman made an amazing reputation for her performances of this
concerto which she also recorded a few times. This live performance
demonstrates her authority and electrifying musicality. Legendary
Treasures: Oleg Kagan & Natalia Gutman Live, Vol.1 (Doremi
DHR-8120 naxosdirect.com/search/dhr-8120).
Edmund Kurtz was one of the most accomplished cellists of the
20th century. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1908. The family
moved to Germany in 1917. He debuted in Rome in 1924 and Berlin
in 1925. After solo concerts throughout
Europe he became principal cellist in the
Bremen Opera House then principal cellist
in the Prague German Opera Orchestra
under George Szell. Kurtz emigrated to the
United States and became first cello in the
Chicago Symphony. He was also part of the
Spivakovsky Trio with brothers Tossy and
Jascha. He resigned from the orchestra in
1944 to pursue a solo career. In 1945 Toscanini chose Kurtz for the
Dvořák Cello Concerto. He made recordings with William Kapell
and Artur Balsam and others and gave many premieres including
the first American performance of the Khachaturian concerto under
Koussevitzky. Kurtz’s playing was notable for a creamy, lush sound,
focused and authoritative. The very first notes out of your speakers
will confirm all the above and continue to do so through these three
cello sonatas: Prokofiev’s C Major Op.119 and Chopin’s G Minor,
Op.65, are both accompanied by Artur Balsam; then the infamously
difficult Kodály Sonata for Solo Cello, Op.8 that Kurtz makes
sound engaging and effortless. Legendary Treasures: Edmund Kurtz,
Volume 1 (Doremi DHR-8109 naxosdirect.com/search/dhr-8109).
OTHER FINE VINTAGES
From the Heart & Soul
Dianne Brooks
Panda Digital (pandadigital.com)
! Take my hand, won’t you, as we journey
back to a golden era in Toronto’s musical
history when session work was plentiful,
television shows hired actual live bands
and club gigs were multiple-night affairs.
It’s a time spoken of with misty-eyed fondness
by older musicians and singers struggling
to make a living in music these days.
Dianne Brooks was at the centre of it all as a
first-call studio singer and versatile lead and backing vocalist. Brooks
recorded and toured with a long list of top performers of the day such
as Thad Jones, Count Basie, Dusty Springfield and Anne Murray and
was also a member of the legendary 16-piece group, Dr. Music, led by
the equally legendary keyboardist, Doug Riley.
It’s the late singer’s solo musical ventures in R&B and jazz, however,
that are represented on this new release by producer Andrew Melzer.
New to the Listening Room
"Stimme aus der Ferne" - A Voice From the Distance
Andrea Botticelli 40
Sound Visionaries
Christina Petrowska Quilico 42
Retro Americana
Christina Petrowska Quilico 42
With Malice Toward None
Apollo Chamber Players 44
The Planets & Humanity Piano Reflections
Tanya Ekanayaka 45
Off the Carousel
June Garber 49
A Prayer For Lester Bowie
David Sanford Big Band 49
17 Days in December
Jacqueline Kerrod 51
Baked Cafe
Glenn Chatten 52
On My Way to You
Shirley Eikhard 52
SUBA
Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita 53
Read the reviews here, then visit
thewholenote.com/listening
56 | November 2021 thewholenote.com