Welcome to our latest issue. Anyone who has listened to historical recordings has almost certainly benefited from the masterly work of transfer engineer Mark Obert-Thorn. Over nearly four decades he has produced upwards of 800 separate releases for a variety of labels.
Our profile of him is followed by two sections very generously penned by Mark himself: “My Transfer Methods” and “My Most Important Releases”, both of which readers should find quite fascinating. Finally, Mark has kindly made himself available for a brief interview.
We are very pleased to welcome back Nicholas E. Limansky, who first appeared in these pages in our special Maria Callas issue with an article on the best of her “live” recordings. Here, in an article entitled “Historical Opera Singers: Their Legacy”, he introduces readers to some of the last century’s most important singers, organized by voice type, and an indispensable sample track exemplifying their artistry. This will be the beginning of a recurring opera column by Nick – stay tuned!
Filmmaker Peter Rosen joins us again to revisit his career-making 1978 documentary “Bernstein: Reflections”, the backstory of which is populated with a number of interesting persons and tidbits.
All-American artist Victor Kalin (1919-1991) is the subject of this quarter’s “The Art of Cover Art”. Some of his album covers, such as “Victory at Sea” are among the most recognizable in the catalog.
The lives and career of two great woodwind players are chronicled herein. First is clarinetist Stanley Drucker, NYPO Principal for 49 years and a veritable New York institution in himself. Second is Bernard Garfield, Principal Bassoonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra for 42 years. He was once described himself very simply as “Bassoonist, Professor, Composer”. He was also a centenarian and his death on April 29th has prompted our article on him in our “Composer as Performer” Dept.
Immortal Performances (IP) takes center stage in this quarter’s Label Focus. Founded 40 years ago by Canadian Richard Caniell, it is the unsung hero of historical recordings. Both the Naxos Historical and Guild Historical lines owe a tremendous debt to Caniell and Immortal Performances.
Two great Russian symphonies are featured in this issue. In “Portraiture & Design” we examine Erich Kleiber’s 1954 Decca recording of Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” and survey its various artwork iterations. In “Desert Island Discs” we are marooned with a powerhouse recording: Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 1957 Columbia Masterworks account of Prokofiev’s Fifth.
Furtwängler’s 1940 Telefunken recording of the “Cavatina” from Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 130 (in the string orchestra arrangement by Felix Weingartner), something of an anomaly in his vast discography, is our “Rarissima” title. This and much more is included in this quarter’s issue.
I am painfully aware of, and very embarrassed by, how late this “Spring” issue is. Please accept my apologies. The Summer and Fall issues will also be late to some degree, but then we will get back on track in early 2026. I ask for your patience. Thanks for staying with us. It is deeply appreciated.
— Warm wishes, Joe Moore
