This discography is an incomplete, chronological list of recordings commercially released with the name British Symphony Orchestra on the label. The list also includes other known recordings which fall outside this strict definition: either because they have been included in published discographies of specific conductors (e.g. Walter, Weingartner) under this name; or have been re-released as such on CD; or were never publicly released for general sale; or for comparison purposes only.
There seem to have been up to seven different separate incarnations of an orchestra of this name dating back to c1905, although there seems to be no documentary evidence that they were connected in any way. Some of the ensembles appear to have given public concerts only, and some to have only made studio recordings. These various orchestras are discussed in the British Symphony Orchestra article.
The discography is arranged into three main sections:
Raymond Rôze recorded four sides with the orchestra he founded, for Edison Bell's Velvet Face label in c. 1919-early 1920. [lower-alpha 1]
Adrian Boult made the HMV recordings at Room 1, HMV, Hayes, Middlesex in 1920-1922, and the Velvet Face ones at the Edison Bell studio in Peckham, SW London, in 1923. He became chief conductor of the Birmingham Choir in late 1923, of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 1924, Music Director of the BBC on 1st January 1930, and—from around October that year—concurrently the first chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. [4]
In the early 1930s the Columbia Graphophone Company made a number of recordings, released with "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label. They were made in 1930–1932, mostly in the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, which was built in 1911 and first used for recording by Columbia in January 1927. [lower-alpha 2] Columbia had been making recordings since 1924 with the orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society whose shadowy, occasional existence seems to be partially intertwined with that of the "British Symphony Orchestra" of this period, and is discussed here first.
Since at least the beginning of the 20th century, the orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society was a somewhat ad hoc gathering of musicians which was engaged about once a month for an RPS concert under various conductors; from 1924 it also made a few recordings a year, again under different conductors. [6] For recording purposes it was billed as "The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra" on Columbia record labels. The orchestra of this period is sometimes thus—by extension—often referred to as "the RPO" or "the old RPO". [lower-alpha 3]
The members, described a "kind of test match team" [7] were hand-picked from the orchestral musicians of London. The players booked for an RPS concert by the Hon. Sec. were expected to attend all rehearsals and the concert (or recording). [7] The § deputy system was at first specifically disallowed, although this rule came to be severely flouted.
From 1916 Sir Thomas Beecham had effectively taken over the running of the Royal Philharmonic Society, which financially was on its last legs, and ran it autocratically until his resignation two years later in 1918. [8] Balfour Gardiner stepped in with a guarantee of £1,200 to allow concerts to continue. [9] The Society was incorporated in 1922 as a "company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital", which allowed it to enter into a recording contract with Columbia for five years in late 1923. [10]
The Columbia Graphophone Company (Columbia UK) made over 40 recordings of the orchestra. Bruno Walter made numerous records with the orchestra from 1924: other conductors included Sir George Henschel, Paul von Klenau and Beecham, [11] Oskar Fried (Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony in 1929) and Felix Weingartner. Venues included the Petty France studios; [12] the Portman Rooms, Baker Street; [lower-alpha 4] the marble-lined Scala Theatre, Charlotte Street; [13] and, from 1930, Central Hall, Westminster. [lower-alpha 5]
A number of players joined the newly-formed BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1930. [14] The orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society was reformed in autumn 1932 as the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), as a permanent ensemble under Beecham and Malcolm Sargent with backing from the Courtauld family. A number of players were also lured away from the LSO, through what the LSO Board regarded as "treachery by Beecham and disloyalty by Sargent." [15] Beecham conducted the LPO's first concert at the Queen's Hall on 7 October 1932 ( Carnaval Romain , Brigg Fair , the 'Prague' symphony and Ein Heldenleben ) to tumultuous applause. [16]
The standard of orchestral playing in London had been seriously affected for many years by the deputy system, by which orchestral players—if offered a better-paid engagement—could send a substitute to a rehearsal or a concert. When Wood banned the practice in the Queen's Hall orchestra in 1904, forty disgruntled players left en masse to found the LSO. The Honorary Secretary of the Royal Philharmonic Society, John Mewburn Levien, described it thus: "A, whom you want, signs to play at your concert. He sends B (whom you don't mind) to the first rehearsal. B, without your knowledge or consent, sends C to the second rehearsal. Not being able to play at the concert, C sends D, whom you would have paid five shillings to stay away." [17]
By the 1930s the standard of orchestral playing at Society concerts had fallen so much that "it had become a commonplace that "not one in twenty concerts were properly prepared", and critics and audiences were accustomed to making allowances". [18] The frequent changes of players meant that only "a few celebrated batons, except Beecham's, and possibly Wood's were a regular match for prevailing conditions in the orchestra." [18] [19] Arthur Schnabel was so unhappy about a performance of Mozart's A Major concerto K488 which he had given at a Royal Philharmonic Society concert with Basil Cameron that he wrote to The Times on 18 Jan 1930 to explain that the concert had been inadequately rehearsed. Walter J. Turner, the music critic of the New Statesman (25 January 1930) commented that the orchestra were "tired and apathetic", and that Schnabel's gesture to pay for an extra 30 minutes' rehearsal had to be refused since the extensive use of deputies reduced it to a meaningless gesture. [20]
"Quot homines, tot sententiae." [21]
From 1930 to 1932, Columbia released fifteen recordings mostly made in the Central Hall with the name "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label: one each conducted by Smyth and Fried; three each by Wood and Weingartner; and seven by Walter. In addition Weingartner recorded Beethoven's 5th symphony with an unnamed ensemble, released in the US only as performed by a "Symphony Orchestra". It has been re-released on CD as being by the "British Symphony Orchestra", but the basis for this is flimsy to non-existent. [22]
The first recording with "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label was of Ethel Smyth conducting the overture to her opera The Wreckers . Her connection with a BSO may appear valid, since Raymond Rôze had promoted The Wreckers during his "Opera in English" season in 1909. when the very first BSO under William Sewell was giving concerts in London. In 1919 Rôze had formed the second British Symphony Orchestra, which existed as a semi-permanent ensemble until 1923.
The other conductor with perhaps a vague contemporary connection to the earlier BSO formations is Sir Henry Wood, who would have certainly have come across them in the 'old days': but he doesn't appear to have conducted the old orchestra when William Sewell, Harty, or Boult were giving concerts with the BSO. Hamilton Harty conducted concerts with the BSO in 1906 at the Queen's Hall, where Wood conducted his own New Queen's Hall Orchestra. [23] [24] His association with this later "British Symphony Orchestra" may have been somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
Record producers, reviewers and discographers have puzzled over the identity of the named and unnamed ensembles. It seems fairly clear that it was not Adrian Boult's old orchestra, which hadn't given a concert since 1923. According to George Frow, "this must have been a general pseudonym, since the original name of British Symphony Orchestra was used in 1919 by Raymond Rôze, who founded an orchestra to give employment to soldiers returning from the Great War, but this worthy ambition petered out after a season or two, when it foundered through lack of support." [25]
The London Symphony Orchestra had a contract with HMV, and the New Queen's Hall Orchestra [26] was disbanded by Chappell & Co. in 1927, [27] or by 1930. [28] The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBCSO) was in the process of being formed, and gave its first concert at Queen's Hall under Boult on 22 October 1930. [29] There were few other major London-based permanent symphonic ensembles, although the Hallé made frequent trips to the capital from Manchester, and made recordings there with Hamilton Harty for Columbia.
One other sizeable orchestra was that of the Royal Philharmonic Society, which was essentially an ad hoc or pickup orchestra engaged by the Hon. Secretary of the Philharmonic Society for about eight concerts a year at Queen's Hall. [6]
A partial clue may lie in the Weingartner recordings of 1931 which haven't received much scrutiny because of their lesser musical content. Although they state "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label, Michael Gray's data shows that it was the Orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society under a cover name. [30]
More particularly, there seems to be little discographical basis for the "British Symphony Orchestra" which appears on CD reissues of the recording of Beethoven 5th Symphony with Weingartner in 1932. It was made by an unnamed orchestra at an undisclosed location. It wasn't even issued in Britain because of the faintness of the recording and the variable recording speeds throughout the work. [22]
The very next day after Weingartner recorded Beethoven 5th, Columbia recorded the waltz from Naila by Delibes on an unissued matrix CAX 6358, with the Columbia Symphony named as the performer. [31] This is not at all the first example of the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. [lower-alpha 6]
The last recording released with "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label was made by Henry Wood on 16 October 1932, about one week after the LPO (the "old RPO") had given its first concert.
As George Frow commented in 1979: "At this distance it is becoming difficult to break through the defences of the pseudonyms without deep research, and there is a great deal that will one day be done by somebody, not only on early individual performers, singers and comedians in particular, but orchestras, as has been shown". [35]
The painstaking work carried out by, for example, Robert Marsh on his Bruno Walter discography ( Marsh 1964 ), and also by Michael Gray on the discographical data of record companies other than HMV (in this case, Columbia) and available on the CHARM database, [36] tends to indicate that the term "British Symphony Orchestra" was little more than a cunning marketing ploy, and was used as a cover name for the orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society on at least a handful of recordings by Weingartner in 1931. Having a named ensemble rather a plain "Symphony Orchestra" on a record label or re-issue on CD can improve sales, since categorising things is a significant human activity. [37] [38]
"The British Symphony Orchestra" in this context appears to be simply a name used by Columbia for an ad hoc recording ensemble of musicians, or pickup orchestra, quite possibly the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Any connection with the old BSO from the 1920s appears tenuous at the very least and borders on improbability, although some of the musicians may have played in both. The British Symphony Orchestra appears to have led the same type of existence as the Columbia Symphony which made its first appearance in 1913.
The discography and following table are based on Michael Gray's database compiled from Columbia's own contemporary session logs and matrix notes, available on CHARM. This information often differs from the record labels, particularly the name of the ensemble.
In the database, a "British Symphony Orchestra" is only specified in three or four recordings. The orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society, which recorded as "The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra", is specified in the Weingartner recordings of 1931, released with "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label. In all the other recordings a plain "Symphony Orchestra" is given (apart from Weingartner's Beethoven 5th Symphony, where no orchestra or recording venue is specified at all).
Some sources (Altena et al.) attribute the Walter recordings of 1930 to a British Symphony Orchestra, even though the labels state "Symphony Orchestra". There seems to be little basis for this, except that they were made in the same year as the Smyth and Fried recordings. The recordings of the first two Sibelius symphonies by Robert Kajanus have been included in the table for comparison only, as have the 1930 Weingartner discs of the "Hammerklavier" sonata and a Strauss waltz.
Search terms should be in all lower-case only. All matrix numbers always have a space (eg wax 248
), and all catalogue (or label) numbers never have a space (eg dx266
). Searching for e.g. dx 266
as a catalogue number will return 0 results.
A .csv file (viewable with e.g. MS Excel) is created for each search, but it's a bit tricky to open. The default file name is generated with a session id, e.g. ax_270.csv;jsessionid=7EF92BCD186E2F3B86A31B36C0EC6F7D.balancer5
. When you save the file you must either remove the semicolon and everything after it, to leave just eg ax_270.csv
, or add .csv
at the very end of the filename, eg ax_270.csv;jsessionid=7EF92BCD186E2F3B86A31B36C0EC6F7D.balancer5.csv
.
Each search session completely expires after a fairly short period of inactivity (around 30 minutes), including the contents of the .csv file, so the results unfortunately can't be incorporated in any permanent web link. You will have to make the searches for yourself. Dates are always returned in y-m-d format. Three typical results are given here. (Note that Ethel Smyth's name is misspelled in the database which, though generally accurate, has not been checked/ proofread). [36]
CatNum: DX287 | Date: 1931-04-07 |
|
A full Columbia electrically-recorded matrix number is typically given in this discography as e.g. [Mx] CAX 6048-2
On the record disc itself the initial "C" (or "W") is enclosed in a circle, ©AX
. [lower-alpha 7] The -2
at the end indicates it was the second 'take' of that side, although Columbia (unlike HMV) didn't specify the actual take number on the record. In some other discographies the takes are given in Roman numerals: e.g. WAX 6048-II
. Matrix numbers are given in full where known. A sequence of matrix numbers (without take numbering) is shown as e.g. [Mx] WAX 6104/7
. Catalogue (i.e. label) numbers are shown without spaces (as in Gray's database), e.g. HMV D521
or, as a sequence, Columbia (UK) LX144/5
.
Having released a recording with a catalogue number, Columbia was in the infamous habit of issuing newer recordings with the same catalogue number a few years later, sometimes of completely different works, and/or composers & musicians. Thus two entirely different recordings may share the same label number, and matrix numbers are the key to identifying specific recordings. [lower-alpha 8]
Sometimes information printed on the record label is at variance with the printed record catalogues (e.g Wood's 1932 recording of two movements by Bach). The operations of Columbia in the UK and the US can lead to confusion. They used different catalogue numbers, and some recordings were only released in the US, e.g. Weingartner's Beethoven 5th symphony or Walter's Prometheus Overture (see below).
Boult made a number of unissued takes with the BSO: these are listed along with the released recordings.
Columbia released some fifteen recordings with "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label. A conductor's name in italics indicates that the immediately following recordings were not assigned to the British Symphony Orchestra by Columbia in any way. They are listed for comparison only. All the entries are listed in a sortable table following the main discography.
These are the last issued recordings of the "old" Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the recording name of the orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society.
These three recordings were issued by Columbia with a plain "Symphony Orchestra" on the label. At least one source ( Altena, Reveyoso & Ryding 2010 ) assigns the British Symphony Orchestra as the ensemble, although neither Columbia's own data nor the label back this up. [lower-alpha 22]
Although none of these recordings by an unnamed "Symphony Orchestra" have been attributed to the British Symphony Orchestra, Mark Obert-Thorn puts forward the view that the ensemble was the orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society, "the old RPO". [63] [lower-alpha 28]
These three recordings were issued with "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label, but Columbia's matrix logs state just "Symphony Orchestra", and Michael Gray identifies the ensemble as the orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society. [75]
The recording of Beethoven's median symphony has been subject to considerable scrutiny. [lower-alpha 38]
These five recordings all state "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label, although according to Michael Gray Columbia's own logs only specify the Marriage of Figaro overture as actually being played by the BSO: the other four have the usual plain "Symphony Orchestra".
The three final recordings listed here were all released with "British Symphony Orchestra" on the label, although the first pressings of the Bach arrangements unaccountably stated "London Symphony Orchestra" on the label. [lower-alpha 43] Wood's last previous recording was of Brandenburg 6 in June 1930. The final recording listed here was made about a week after Beecham's first concert with the LPO, [lower-alpha 44] formed out of the "old" RPO, the orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society, which has figured throughout this discography. [lower-alpha 45]
Matrix numbers are given without takes for clarity - see main text for more information where known. The "Refs" column refers back to the main discography to save duplication.
Date | Venue | Orchestra | Conductor | Composer | Work | Matrix | Cat. Num. | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 Mar 1930 | Central Hall | Orchestra of the RPS (as RPO) | Weingartner | Beethoven (orch. Weingartner) | Hammerklavier Sonata in B Flat, Op. 106 | WAX 5485//92 | LX43/7 | [118] |
1 Apr 1930 | Central Hall | Orchestra of the RPS (as RPO) | Weingartner | Josef Strauss | Sphärenklänge-Walzer, op. 235 (Music of the Spheres) | WAX 5500/1 | LX40 | [119] |
1 May 1930 | — | British Symphony Orchestra | Smyth | Smyth | The Wreckers - Overture | WAX 5567/8 | DX287 | [120] |
16 May 1930 | Central Hall | Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Wagner | Siegfried Idyll | WAX 5584/7 | LX79/80 | [121] |
16 May 1930 | Central Hall | Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Wagner | Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Act I, Vorspiel | WAX 5588/9 | DX86 | [122] |
16 May 1930 | Central Hall | Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Beethoven | The Creatures of Prometheus - Overture | WAX 5590 | LX277 | [123] |
21 May 1930 | Central Hall | Symphony Orchestra [RPO] | Kajanus | Sibelius | Symphony No. 1 | WYX 1/9 | LX65/69 | |
27 May 1930 | Central Hall | Symphony Orchestra [RPO] | Kajanus | Sibelius | Symphony No. 2 | WYX 10/18 | LX50/54 | [124] |
27 May 1930 | Central Hall | Symphony Orchestra [RPO] | Kajanus | Sibelius | Karelia Suite - Intermezzo | WYX 19 | LX54 | [lower-alpha 50] |
27 May 1930 | Central Hall | Symphony Orchestra [RPO] | Kajanus | Sibelius | Karelia Suite - Alla marcia | WYX 20 | LX69 | [lower-alpha 51] |
30 Oct 1930 | — | British Symphony Orchestra | Fried | Delibes | Sylvia - Ballet suite | WAX 5836/9 | LX114/5 | [125] |
7 Apr 1931 | Central Hall | (as BSO) Orchestra of the RPS | Weingartner | Leopold Mozart? | Toy Symphony , Cassation in G major | WAX 6046/7 | DX311 LX45 | [126] |
8 Apr 1931 | Central Hall | (as BSO) Orchestra of the RPS | Weingartner | J. Strauss II | Waltz, A Thousand And One Nights, Op. 346 | WAX 6048/9 | LX133 | [127] |
8 Apr 1931 | Central Hall | (as BSO) Symphony Orchestra | Weingartner | J. Strauss II | Waltz, Voices Of Spring Op. 410. | WAX 6050/1 | DX266 | [128] |
21 May 1931 | Central Hall | (as BSO) Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Mozart | Serenade No. 13 in G major, KV525 Eine kleine Nachtmusik | WAX 6104/5 | LX144 | [129] |
22 May 1931 | Central Hall | (as BSO) Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Wagner | Götterdämmerung - Funeral March | WAX 6108/9 | LX156 | [130] |
17 Mar 1932 | — | (as Symphony Orchestra) — | Weingartner | Beethoven | Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67 | CAX 6348/54 | 68078/81-D (US only) | [131] |
18 Mar 1932 | — | Columbia Symphony | — | Delibes | Naila ballet - Waltz | CAX 6358 | Unissued | [132] |
15 Apr 1932 | Central Hall | (as BSO) Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Wagner | Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Prelude to Act 3 | CAX 6383/4 | LX180 | [133] |
15 Apr 1932 | — | (as BSO) Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Wagner | Götterdämmerung - Siegfried's Journey to the Rhine | CAX 6385/6 | LX191 | [134] |
15 Apr 1932 | Central Hall | [British] Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Mozart | Le nozze di Figaro K.492 - Overture | CAX 6387 | LX232 | [135] |
18 Apr 1932 | Central Hall | (as BSO) Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Beethoven | Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61 | CAX 6388/97 | LX174/8 | [136] |
19 Apr 1932 | Central Hall | (as BSO) Symphony Orchestra | Walter | Wagner | Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Dance Of The Apprentices | CAX 6398-2 | LX232 | [137] |
16 Jun 1932 | — | (as BSO) Symphony Orchestra | Wood | Bach | Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV1048 | CAX 6439/40 | LX173 | [138] |
16 Jun 1932 | — | (as LSO & BSO) — | Wood | Bach (arr. Wilhemj) | Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G major - (Air) | CAX 6441 | L1994 DX475 | [139] |
Bach (arr. Wood) | Partita for Violin No. 3 in E, BWV 1006 - Gavotte | CAX 6442 | ||||||
16 Oct 1932 | — | British Symphony Orchestra | Wood | Grainger | Molly on the shore and Mock Morris | CAX 6443/4 | LX200 | [140] |
The music for the film La Révolution française , directed by Robert Enrico and Richard T. Heffron in 1989, was composed and conducted by Georges Delerue. It was performed by the British Symphony Orchestra with chorus. [141] This seems to have been an ensemble of freelance musicians from the Greater London area, recorded at HMV Abbey Road Studios in August 1989. [142]
Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH was a British conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra in 1924. When the British Broadcasting Corporation appointed him director of music in 1930, he established the BBC Symphony Orchestra and became its chief conductor. The orchestra set standards of excellence that were rivalled in Britain only by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), founded two years later.
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, since 1979. The orchestra is resident at Lighthouse in Poole, with other major concert series given at Portsmouth Guildhall, the Great Hall of Exeter University and Bristol Beacon. Shorter series are also given in Bournemouth and Basingstoke.
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The BBC SO is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The Columbia Symphony Orchestra was an orchestra formed by Columbia Records for the purpose of making recordings. In the 1950s, it provided a vehicle for some of Columbia's better known conductors and recording artists to record using only company resources. The musicians in the orchestra were contracted as needed for individual sessions and consisted of free-lance artists and often members of either the New York Philharmonic or the Los Angeles Philharmonic, depending on whether the recording was being made in Columbia's East Coast or West Coast studios.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras.
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was especially noted for his free-hand conducting style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from the orchestras he directed.
Serge Koussevitzky was a Russian and American conductor, composer, and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949.
Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works. The musical ensembles with which he was associated included the Ballets Russes, the Huddersfield Choral Society, the Royal Choral Society, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, and the London Philharmonic, Hallé, Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and Royal Philharmonic orchestras. Sargent was held in high esteem by choirs and instrumental soloists, but because of his high standards and a statement that he made in a 1936 interview disputing musicians' rights to tenure, his relationship with orchestral players was often uneasy. Despite this, he was co-founder of the London Philharmonic, was the first conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic as a full-time ensemble, and played an important part in saving the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from disbandment in the 1960s.
Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund was a Finnish conductor and violinist.
Frederick Stock was a German conductor and composer, most famous for his 37-year tenure as music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Ralph Vaughan Williams dedicated his Symphony No. 4 in F minor to Arnold Bax.
The Kingsway Hall in Holborn, London, was the base of the West London Mission (WLM) of the Methodist Church, and eventually became one of the most important recording venues for classical music and film music. It was built in 1912 and demolished in 1998. Among the prominent Methodists associated with the Kingsway Hall was Donald Soper, who was Superintendent Minister at the West London Mission from 1936 until his retirement in 1978.
Tapiola, Op. 112, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, written in 1926 on a commission from Walter Damrosch for the New York Symphony Society. Tapiola portrays Tapio, the animating forest spirit mentioned throughout the Kalevala. It was premiered by Damrosch on 26 December 1926.
Leslie Hays Heward was an English conductor and composer. Between 1930 and 1942 he was the Music Director of the City of Birmingham Orchestra.
Arthur Catterall was an English concert violinist, orchestral leader and conductor, one of the best-known English classical violinists of the first half of the twentieth century.
Jean Pougnet was a Mauritian-born concert violinist and orchestra leader, of British nationality, who was highly regarded in both the lighter and more serious classical repertoire during the first half of the twentieth century. He was leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1942 to 1945.
The conductor Malcolm Sargent's career as a recording artist began in the days of acoustic recording, shortly before the introduction of the microphone and electrical recording, and continued into the stereo LP era. He recorded prolifically from 1924 until 1967, the year of his death.
The English conductor Sir Adrian Boult was a prolific recording artist. Unlike many musicians, he felt at home in the recording studio and actually preferred working without an audience. His recording career ran from November 1920, when working with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes he recorded the ballet music, The Good-Humoured Ladies, to December 1978, when he made his final recording of music by Hubert Parry.
The British Symphony Orchestra is the name of a number of symphony orchestras, active in both concert halls and recording studios, which have existed at various times in Britain since c1905 until the present day.
A Fugal Overture, Op. 40/1, H 151, is a short concert overture for full orchestra by the English composer Gustav Holst. It was written in 1922 and first performed in 1923, and is a very early example of musical neoclassicism. Though there were conflicting opinions from Holst's contemporaries about the work's merits, it has since come to be considered an attractive and exciting, if slight, example of Holst's later style.
[Mx] WAX 2580/1
. The second was Bach's "Air on a G String", recorded 10 June 1932 at an unknown location, [Mx] CAX 6441/2
. Nevertheless, Altena, Reveyoso & Ryding 2010 eschew the use of matrix numbers, and therefore fall into the traps laid for them by the Columbia Graphophone Company eighty years previously.[Mx} WAX 1458/60
, 15 March 1926, no loc. Götterdämmerung - Song of the Rhine Maidens [with Aubrey Brain leading the horn section], (3 sides).[Mx] WAX 2580
(1 side), 13 April 1927, Scala Theatre. Die Walküre - Walkurenritt (Ride of the Valkyries).
The playing of this light Viennese music is chiefly noteworthy for its sturdiness. The orchestra (new to us though the name was synonymous with good work some ten years ago) goes undeviatingly through with its task, giving a fair account of itself, taking no liberties with the music.
Review: New Guide to Music (Irving Kolodin) 1950 ed; Pg.290 Col.2
Records of the Funeral March from Götterdämmerung are frequent, but one listens to every inch of a new one, so splendid is the music. The latest is at least the equal to any earlier ones known to me—perhaps superior in the reproduction of the brass.
Number: CAX 6348
". CHARM. Retrieved 7 June 2019.These are almost all YouTube links.