Welcome to our latest issue. We are delighted to welcome back Jon Tolansky, who shares a lifetime of memories in his “Encounters with Great Artists” retrospective, including some of the finest performers of the last half-century. From Sir Thomas Beecham to Sir Antonio Pappano, from Jon Vickers to Angela Gheorghiu, and many others (e.g., Richter, Stokowski, Muti, et al), we are given a front-row seat to musical history. Jon also shares with us his own background and training among the ranks of London’s orchestral players.
Although we had not intended to devote so much space to the Spanish tenor Antonio Cortis, he proved to be such an interesting, yet somewhat forgotten, figure that even three separate articles feel insufficient. In “Antonio Cortis · Il Piccolo Caruso” Richard W. Hornbeck introduces us to the Spanish tenor admired by no less than Enrico Caruso and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, while in “Antonio Cortis · His Voice & Recordings” Nicholas E. Limansky offers further thoughts on his unique voice and recordings. Finally, we learn about another facet of his artistry in our “Performers as Composers” Department.
Nick also explores the rich artistic legacy of Hungarian soprano Maria Ivogün, a favorite of Bruno Walter and mentor to Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. She was a stupendous talent and is richly deserving of renewed appreciation. In our Rarissima Department we encounter one of Vienna’s most celebrated cellists, Emanuel Brabec, who served as Principal of the VPO for over 30 years. Among his few solo recordings is a 10-inch Decca LP of Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata. As a bonus, we meet Brabec’s last pupil, the cellist and conductor Peter Illavsky, who kindly agreed to an interview about his great teacher.
In Shop Focus, we return to Japan – but not to Tokyo! Instead, we visit La Voce Kyoto, an unassuming used LP store that will whet the appetite of any collector. And they’re also online! This quarter’s Label Focus features the eclectic Da Vinci Classics. In addition to intrepid forays into esoteric repertoire, this Osaka-based operation also boasts a small but fascinating historic series – read on here.
Victor Reinganum modestly described himself as a “pen man” and enjoyed a long career with the British weekly The Radio Times. However, he was much more than that – in addition to designing book jackets for celebrated novelist Muriel Spark, he was also a surrealist painter and created a number of evocative album covers for Decca – he is the subject of this quarter’s The Art of Cover Art.
Almost everyone has a favorite Beethoven “Pastoral” recording and this quarter your Editor makes the case that André Cluytens’ BPO stereo version is a worthy Desert Island Disc contender. All of the programs he conducted with the Berliner Philharmoniker from 1952 to 1966 are documented herein.
Our Discographies Department tackles the recorded output of violinist Rudolf Kolisch, a true 20th-century music pioneer, while in The Curiosity Shop we discover the Osophone, an unlikely 1920s gadget with present-day currency.
In our Film Department we re-visit Susan Froemke’s moving 2008 film, The Audition, which documents the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition.
All this and much more awaits you. Thanks for staying with us. It is deeply appreciated.
Best wishes, Joe Moore