FREE UK SHIPPING OVER £30!

Paul Paray: The Mercury Masters Vol.2 (1958-1962) | Australian Eloquence ELQ4843318

Paul Paray: The Mercury Masters Vol.2 (1958-1962)

£90.95

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Label: Australian Eloquence

Cat No: ELQ4843318

Barcode: 0028948433186

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 22

Release Date: 5th August 2022

Gramophone Editor's Choice

Contents

Works

Adam, Adolphe

Si j'etais roi (If I were king)
» Overture

Auber, Daniel

Fra Diavolo
» Overture
Le Cheval de bronze
» Overture
Les Diamants de la couronne (The Crown Diamonds)
» Overture
Masaniello
» Overture

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Symphony no.1 in C major, op.21
Symphony no.2 in D major, op.36

Berlioz, Hector

La Damnation de Faust, op.24 H111
» Hungarian March (Rakoczy March)
Le Carnaval romain (Roman Carnival): overture, op.9 H95
Le Corsaire: Overture, op.21 H101
Les Troyens
» Chasse royale et Orage
» Marche troyenne
Symphonie fantastique, op.14 H48

Bizet, Georges

Carmen Suite no.2
» VI Danse Boheme
Patrie: Overture, op.19

Boieldieu, Francois-Adrien

La Dame blanche
» Overture

Chabrier, Alexis Emmanuel

Espana
Gwendoline: Overture
Joyeuse Marche
Le Roi malgre lui
» Danse slave
» Fete polonaise
Suite pastorale

Corigliano, John

The Naked Carmen (arr. with David Hess from Bizet's Carmen)

Debussy, Claude

Nocturnes (3)
Petite Suite (orch. H Busser)
Prelude a l'Apres-midi d'un faune

Dvorak, Antonin

Symphony no.9 in E minor, op.95 B178 'From the New World'

Franck, Cesar

Symphony in D minor, op.48

Gounod, Charles

Faust
» Ballet music
Funeral March of a Marionette

Herold, Ferdinand

Zampa
» Overture

Ibert, Jacques

Escales

Lalo, Edouard

Le Roi d'Ys
» Overture
Namouna: Suite no.1

Lisle, Claude Joseph Rouget de

La Marseillaise

Liszt, Franz

Mephisto Waltz no.1, S110/2 'Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke'

Massenet, Jules

Phedre
» Overture

Mendelssohn, Felix

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Incidental Music, op.61
Symphony no.5 in D major, op.107 'Reformation'

Meyerbeer, Giacomo

Le Prophete
» Coronation March (Act 4)

Offenbach, Jacques

La Belle Helene
» Overture
Les Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann): orchestral suite
Orpheus in the Underworld (Orphee aux enfers)
» Overture

Ravel, Maurice

Alborada del gracioso (orch. Ravel)
Daphnis et Chloe: Suite no.2
La Valse
Le Tombeau de Couperin (orchestra)
Pavane pour une infante defunte
Piano Concerto in D major for the left hand
Piano Concerto in G major
Rapsodie espagnole
Valses nobles et sentimentales (arr. for orchestra)

Rossini, Gioachino

Guillaume Tell
» Overture

Saint-Saens, Camille

Danse macabre, op.40
Marche heroique in E flat major, op.34
Samson et Dalila, op.47
» Bacchanale
Suite algerienne, op.60
» IV Marche militaire francaise

Schmitt, Florent

La Tragedie de Salome, op.50bis

Schumann, Robert

Manfred Overture, op.115
Symphony no.1 in B flat major, op.38 'Spring'

Sibelius, Jean

Symphony no.2 in D major, op.43

Strauss, Richard

Salome, op.54
» Dance of the Seven Veils

Suppe, Franz von

Boccaccio
» Overture
Dichter und Bauer (Poet and Peasant)
» Overture
Die schone Galathee (The Beautiful Galatea)
» Overture
Ein Morgen, ein Mittag und ein Abend in Wien (Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna)
» Overture
Leichte Kavallerie (Light Cavalry)
» Overture
Pique Dame (Queen of Spades)
» Overture

Thomas, Ambroise

Mignon
» Gavotte
» Overture
Raymond: Overture

Wagner, Richard

Der fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman)
» Overture
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Suite
Die Walkure
» Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music
Rienzi
» Overture

Weber, Carl Maria von

Invitation to the Dance (Aufforderung zum Tanze), J260 (orch. Berlioz)

Artists

Monique Haas (piano)
John Corigliano (synthesiser)
Anita Darian (kazoo)
John Atkins (piano)
David Hess (vocals)
Melba Moore (vocals)
George Turner (vocals)
Robert White (vocals)
William Walker (vocals)
Mary Bruce and her Starbuds Pig Iron
Wayne State University Women’s Glee Club Choir
Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Conductor

Paul Paray

Works

Adam, Adolphe

Si j'etais roi (If I were king)
» Overture

Auber, Daniel

Fra Diavolo
» Overture
Le Cheval de bronze
» Overture
Les Diamants de la couronne (The Crown Diamonds)
» Overture
Masaniello
» Overture

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Symphony no.1 in C major, op.21
Symphony no.2 in D major, op.36

Berlioz, Hector

La Damnation de Faust, op.24 H111
» Hungarian March (Rakoczy March)
Le Carnaval romain (Roman Carnival): overture, op.9 H95
Le Corsaire: Overture, op.21 H101
Les Troyens
» Chasse royale et Orage
» Marche troyenne
Symphonie fantastique, op.14 H48

Bizet, Georges

Carmen Suite no.2
» VI Danse Boheme
Patrie: Overture, op.19

Boieldieu, Francois-Adrien

La Dame blanche
» Overture

Chabrier, Alexis Emmanuel

Espana
Gwendoline: Overture
Joyeuse Marche
Le Roi malgre lui
» Danse slave
» Fete polonaise
Suite pastorale

Corigliano, John

The Naked Carmen (arr. with David Hess from Bizet's Carmen)

Debussy, Claude

Nocturnes (3)
Petite Suite (orch. H Busser)
Prelude a l'Apres-midi d'un faune

Dvorak, Antonin

Symphony no.9 in E minor, op.95 B178 'From the New World'

Franck, Cesar

Symphony in D minor, op.48

Gounod, Charles

Faust
» Ballet music
Funeral March of a Marionette

Herold, Ferdinand

Zampa
» Overture

Ibert, Jacques

Escales

Lalo, Edouard

Le Roi d'Ys
» Overture
Namouna: Suite no.1

Lisle, Claude Joseph Rouget de

La Marseillaise

Liszt, Franz

Mephisto Waltz no.1, S110/2 'Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke'

Massenet, Jules

Phedre
» Overture

Mendelssohn, Felix

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Incidental Music, op.61
Symphony no.5 in D major, op.107 'Reformation'

Meyerbeer, Giacomo

Le Prophete
» Coronation March (Act 4)

Offenbach, Jacques

La Belle Helene
» Overture
Les Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann): orchestral suite
Orpheus in the Underworld (Orphee aux enfers)
» Overture

Ravel, Maurice

Alborada del gracioso (orch. Ravel)
Daphnis et Chloe: Suite no.2
La Valse
Le Tombeau de Couperin (orchestra)
Pavane pour une infante defunte
Piano Concerto in D major for the left hand
Piano Concerto in G major
Rapsodie espagnole
Valses nobles et sentimentales (arr. for orchestra)

Rossini, Gioachino

Guillaume Tell
» Overture

Saint-Saens, Camille

Danse macabre, op.40
Marche heroique in E flat major, op.34
Samson et Dalila, op.47
» Bacchanale
Suite algerienne, op.60
» IV Marche militaire francaise

Schmitt, Florent

La Tragedie de Salome, op.50bis

Schumann, Robert

Manfred Overture, op.115
Symphony no.1 in B flat major, op.38 'Spring'

Sibelius, Jean

Symphony no.2 in D major, op.43

Strauss, Richard

Salome, op.54
» Dance of the Seven Veils

Suppe, Franz von

Boccaccio
» Overture
Dichter und Bauer (Poet and Peasant)
» Overture
Die schone Galathee (The Beautiful Galatea)
» Overture
Ein Morgen, ein Mittag und ein Abend in Wien (Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna)
» Overture
Leichte Kavallerie (Light Cavalry)
» Overture
Pique Dame (Queen of Spades)
» Overture

Thomas, Ambroise

Mignon
» Gavotte
» Overture
Raymond: Overture

Wagner, Richard

Der fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman)
» Overture
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Suite
Die Walkure
» Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music
Rienzi
» Overture

Weber, Carl Maria von

Invitation to the Dance (Aufforderung zum Tanze), J260 (orch. Berlioz)

Artists

Monique Haas (piano)
John Corigliano (synthesiser)
Anita Darian (kazoo)
John Atkins (piano)
David Hess (vocals)
Melba Moore (vocals)
George Turner (vocals)
Robert White (vocals)
William Walker (vocals)
Mary Bruce and her Starbuds Pig Iron
Wayne State University Women’s Glee Club Choir
Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Conductor

Paul Paray

About

Under the leadership of Paul Paray, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra quickly cultivated a brilliance of attack, precision of ensemble and moulded sonority. Their signature sound was ideally suited to the dynamic profile of Mercury Living Presence recordings, especially in stereo. This edition of their recordings, remastered from the original sources by Thomas Fine and Wilma Cozart Fine, chronicles the last five years of this partnership (1958–62). This original jackets collection is presented chronologically as when first issued.

For a decade in the 50s and early 60s, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra won acclaim as one of the great orchestras of the world under its music director Paul Paray. Rebuilding the orchestra almost from scratch with the help of Toscanini’s former concertmaster Mischa Mischakoff, Paray quickly cultivated a brilliance of attack, a precision of ensemble and moulded sonority in the image of the French orchestras he had led before the Second World War, now boosted by a level of technical finesse which was rivalled only by George Szell in Cleveland and Fritz Reiner in Pittsburgh and Chicago.

The DSO/Paray sound was ideally suited to the dynamic profile of Mercury Living Presence recordings, especially in stereo, and the label captured them in repertoire which initially focused on Paray’s strengths in French and German music, with albums of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chausson and Ravel which stand the test of time. However, Paray was known as a universalist, at home in any repertoire except modernism. The stereo recordings in this set, made between 1958 and his final season as music director ending in 1962, including thrilling accounts of Dvořák’s ‘New World’ and Sibelius’s Second symphonies, as well as an explosive album of Suppé overtures.

Paray had been friends and colleagues with several of the French composers featured here such as Ravel, Florent Schmitt and Jacques Ibert. Their music naturally responds to the lightness of touch, subtly restrained rubato and unsentimental phrasing which Paray brought to everything he conducted. The substantial bonus is a first-ever CD release for The Naked Carmen, a rock opera devised and arranged by John Corigliano and David Hess from Bizet’s score, as played by the Detroit musicians and Paray with the addition of modern elements such as guitars and a rhythm section. The set concludes with Paray’s sole recording for Deutsche Grammophon, a coupling of the Ravel piano concertos made in Paris with Monique Haas.

Recordings in this new set have been remastered from the original sources by Thomas Fine, son of the Mercury producer Wilma Cozart Fine and the label’s chief engineer Robert Fine. They are presented in this original jacket collection as they were first issued, and accompanied by a richly illustrated booklet which contains essays on the sessions by Thomas Fine and on the DSO/Paray partnership by Peter Quantrill.

“Brilliantly and opulently set forth by Paray [La tragédie de Salome] … With his affinity for French music of all periods, Paray enhances the Suite No. 1 with an exhilarating reading.” – High Fidelity, April 1959 (Schmitt/Lalo)

“[Between Paray and Szell] it’s a contest of perfection between two great conductors and orchestras, and technically it ends in a draw. But interpretatively, Paray wins hands down … Where Paray really glows is in the Reformation Symphony, of which he gives an unhurried and noble account.” – High Fidelity, August 1959 (Mendelssohn)

“Paray gives a sensible, fairly straightforward reading, yet one that has plenty of Schumannesque glow.”
– High Fidelity, October 1959 (Schumann, Symphony no.1)

“The performance which gave me outstanding pleasure was that of the Siegfried Idyll, because it is kept moving and never sentimentalised.” – Gramophone, October 1959 (Wagner)

Reviews

For this handsome Paray Edition the complete DSO recordings have been skilfully remastered from original sources by Thomas Fine, son of the Mercury producer Wilma Cozart Fine and the label’s chief engineer Robert Fine. ... an incredible series of performances, life-ehancing to say the least... sounding as alive now as they did when first released. They’re not to be missed on any account.  Rob Cowan
Gramophone November 2022
Just about all of Paul Paray’s Detroit Symphony recordings guarantee clear lines, sharp rhythms, impeccable balances, colour and character galore plus typically vivid Mercury Living Presence sound. Newcomers should start with the all-stereo box, but if you can swing both volumes, you’ll take in the impressive breadth of this great conductor’s repertoire and how he galvanises his musicians.
Gramophone

Error on this page? Let us know here

Need more information on this product? Click here