Let's talk, more orchestral transcriptions!!!!
Bach / René Leibowitz, 1960: Passacaglia and Fugue, BWV 582 - Arranged for Two Orchestras - YouTube
René Leibowitz (1913-1972) leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance (dating to 1960 I believe) of JS Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582, as arranged for two orchestras by Leibowitz.
Rachmaninoff / Leonidas Leonardi : Chanson Georgienne Op. 4 No 4
Rachmaninov "Chanson Georgienne" - Netania Davrath, soprano - YouTube
Leonidas Leonardi FTW!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOLpBXmPYks
Paganini "Moto Perpetuo" (arr. Stock) - Martinon conducts - YouTube
Paganini's "Moto Perpetuo" for Violin was orchestrated by Frederick Stock, conductor of the Chicago Symphony from 1905 to 1942. They play it here under Jean Martinon, their music director from 1963 to 1968, in a recording made in 1966. Note Stock's clever quotations from Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony in this brilliant arrangement.
Revueltas "Sensemaya" (First Recording) - Stokowski conducts - YouTube
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940) was a Mexican composer whose most famous piece is "Sensemaya", a tone-pone depicting the ritual killing of a tropical snake. This vivid miniature tone-poem received its first recording in 1947 with Leopold Stokowski conducting his Symphony Orchestra. (An RCA 78rpm disc).
Mussorgsky "Pictures at an Exhibition" - Mikhail Tushmalov's orchestration (1891) - YouTube
This was the first orchestration of "Pictures at an Exhibition" and was made by Mikhail Tushmalov, a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov. It was not absolutely complete, since it omitted all but the first of the 'Promenades' as well as several of the 'Pictures'. The ones that remain are 'The Old Castle', 'Ballet of the Chicks', 'Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle', 'Market Place in Limoges', 'The Catacombs', 'Baba Yaga' and 'The Great Gate of Kiev'.This version was given its first performance in 1891 with Rimsky-Korsakov conducting. Its only recording to date has been by the Munich Philharmonic under Marc Andrae on the BASF label.
Rachmaninov "Vocalise" - Norman Luboff Choir; Stokowski conducting - YouTube
In this haunting version of Rachmaninov's "Vocalise," the wordless female chorus of the Norman Luboff Choir is accompanied by the New Symphony Orchestra of London under Leopold Stokowski. The orchestral accompaniment was arranged by Walter Stott (he was called Wally Stott in the 1950s 'Goon Show' days on the radio) but after a visit to Scandinavia for a delicate operation in the 1970s he became Angela Morley. (From an RCA / BMG recording made in 1960).
Bach "Wir glauben all' an einen Gott" - Stokowski's wind band arrangement - YouTube
Stokowski made several Bach arrangements for wind band, including the Chorale-Prelude "Wir glauben all' an einen Gott." It is played here by the United States Marine Band and comes from a concert given in Cincinnati in 1998, Timothy W. Foley conducting.
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (arr. Sidney Torch) - Barry Wordsworth conducts - YouTube
This well-known piano piece here receives what is probably its most over-the-top orchestral arrangement. Sidney Torch (1908-1990) was a British pianist, conductor, arranger and composer of light music. He was particularly associated with the BBC Concert Orchestra and it is they who play this dazzling version of Liszt's famous Rhapsody under Barry Wordsworth's baton. (From a Carlton Classics CD made in 1995.)
Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor - Camarata's orchestration - YouTube
This version of Bach's famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor starts off with the organ, played by Leslie Pearson, but when the orchestra comes in the arrangement owes quite a lot to Stokowski's transcription.
It was made and conducted by Tutti Camarata (1913-2005) who began his musical career as a jazz trumpeter in New York. After World War II he became a composer and record producer. During the 1960s and '70s he arranged and conducted a number of Decca/London popular classical LPs in 'Phase 4 Stereo' with the Kingsway Symphony Orchestra, so called because it was an 'ad hoc' band of top London musicians which recorded in the famous Kingsway Hall.
Liszt (arr. Gamley): Etude de Concert No. 3 - Abbey Simon, piano - YouTube
In this version of Liszt's Concert Study in D flat,
Douglas Gamley supplied an orchestral accompaniment to the piano original. The solo part is played by Abbey Simon, with Gamley himself conducting the Sinfonia of London on a 1958 stereo Columbia LP entitled "Philharmonic Pops."
Handel (arr. Stokowski) "Pastoral Symphony" ('Messiah') - Serebrier conducts - YouTube
Leopold Stokowski eloquently arranged the "Pastoral Symphony" (or "Shepherds Christmas Music") from Handel's 'Messiah' for woodwinds and strings. It is beautifully played by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conductor Jose Serebrier, on a Naxos CD devoted to Stokowski Transcriptions.
Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor (orch. Sir Henry Wood) - Slatkin conducts - YouTube
Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor was performed at the First Night of the 2004 Proms in two parts: the Toccata was played on the Albert Hall organ by Martin Neary,
while the Fugue was given in Sir Henry Wood's orchestration. The BBC Symphony was conducted by its then Chief Conductor, Leonard Slatkin.
Chopin "Funeral March" - Sir Henry Wood's orchestration - YouTube
The "Funeral March" ('Marche Funebre') from Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 has been orchestrated by several musicians, including Elgar and Stokowski.
Sir Henry Wood introduced his own version during the 1895 Proms. It was last heard at the Proms in 1943 under Basil Cameron's direction. (Taken from a 'Lyrita' CD on which Nicholas Braithwaite conducts the London Philharmonic)
Bach orch. Holst: "Fugue a la Gigue" - Leonard Slatkin conducts - YouTube
Gustav Holst originally scored Bach's "Fugue a la Gigue" BWV 577 for wind band but later made another version for full symphony orchestra. That version is played here by the BBC Philharmonic under Leonard Slatkin on a 1999 Chandos CD.
Frescobaldi / Hans Kindler : Toccata "In the Style of Frescobaldi"
Toccata "In the Style of Frescobaldi" - Orchestral Version - YouTube
In 1925, the cellist Gaspar Cassado published what purported to be a cello-and-piano arrangement of a 'Toccata' by Frescobaldi. However, as Cassado's Wikipedia biography points out, he was the author of "several musical hoaxes" and this was one of them. It was in fact his own composition. He had simply taken his cue from Fritz Kreisler, who had played works supposedly by Vivaldi, Tartini and others that he himself had written in their style.
Another famous cellist, Hans Kindler, took up conducting and made an orchestral version of this piece. He was unaware that it was by Cassado, who never owned up to his hoaxes (unlike Kreisler) so Frescobaldi's name appeared on his score. The splendid recording Kindler made of this music dates from 1940 and is heard here on a Biddulph CD (WHL 063)
Mussorgsky "Night on Bald Mountain" - Sir Adrian Boult conducts - YouTube
Sir Adrian Boult made only one recording of any of Mussorgsky's music: this 1960 performance of "Night on Bald Mountain" for Reader's Digest.
Its producer, Charles Gerhardt, 'tarted up' the Rimsky-Korsakov score with a few ideas of his own, notably in the percussion (added side-drums, cymbal crashes and gong strokes) as well as deleting the recurring brass 'fanfare' motifs familiar in the Rimsky edition. Sir Adrian seems to have enjoyed letting his hair down, what little of it there was!. (Chesky CD 53.)
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 - Hans Kindler conducts - YouTube
Hans Kindler conducts his own orchestration of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 "Carnival in Pest" in a recording he made with the National Symphony Orchestra in 1945. Dutch-born Kindler had begun his musical career as a cellist but later took up conducting and founded the NSO in 1931. This is the only recording yet made of his own arrangement of the Liszt piano piece. (From Biddulph CD WHL 063)
Mussorgsky-Stokowski "A Night on Bare Mountain" - Jose Serebrier conducts - YouTube
Leopold Stokowski's version of "A Night on Bare Mountain" was featured in Walt Disney's 'Fantasia.' It is played here by the National Youth Orchestra of Spain under Jose Serebrier, former Associate Conductor to Stokowski. It comes from a concert that was filmed in Chester Cathedral in 2007 and released on Naxos DVD 2.110230.
Bach: Toccata in F major (orch. Esser) - Albert Coates conducts - YouTube
Bach's Toccata in F major for organ (BWV 540) was orchestrated in 1859 by Heinrich Esser (1818-1872). For a performance at the Three Choirs Festival in 1908, Sir Edward Elgar supplied a new concert ending to the piece. This recording was made in 1932 by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates. (From 'Biddulph' CD BID 83069/70.)
Sibelius "Berceuse" from 'The Tempest' - Charles Gerhardt conducts - YouTube
This miniature masterpiece comes from Sibelius's Incidental Music to a 1926 production of Shakespeare's ''The Tempest' and is played by the National Philharmonic under the direction of the record producer / conductor / arranger Charles Gerhardt (from a 'Menuet' CD entitled "Romantic Favorites").
Vivaldi: Concerto Grosso in D minor - Stokowski's Symphonic Transcription - YouTube
Vivaldi's Concerto Grosso in D minor, originally for strings and harpsichord, was transcribed by Leopold Stokowski for a huge symphony orchestra. The instrumentation required is as follows: 2 flutes; piccolo; 2 oboes; cor anglais; 2 clarinets; bass clarinet; 2 bassoons; contra-bassoon; 5 horns; 4 trumpets; 4 trombones; 2 tubas; tam-tam; harp; timpani; and strings. In this spectacular recording (purists beware!) the BBC Philharmonic is conducted by Matthias Bamert, a one-time assistant conductor to Stokowski. There are three movements: (i) Allegro; (ii) Largo (featuring a superb duet for flute and oboe); and (iii) Allegro. (From a 'Chandos' CD
Mussorgsky-Wood "The Great Gate of Kiev" - Leonard Slatkin conducts - YouTube
In the 1991 BBC Proms season at the Royal Albert Hall, Leonard Slatkin devised a version of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" in which each 'picture' and 'promenade' was by arranged by a different orchestrator (Ravel, Stokowski, Ashkenazy, Tushmalov, Leonidas Leonardi, Gortchakov, etc.).
The sequence concluded with Ravel's version of "The Great Gate of Kiev" but as an encore, Slatkin and the Philharmonia Orchestra played it again in the arrangement by Sir Henry Wood, founder of the Proms.
Purcell-Stokowski "Dido's Lament" - Andrew Davis conducts - YouTube
Leopold Stokowski's string orchestra version of "Dido's Lament" ("When I am Laid in Earth" from Henry Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas') was played at the Last Night of the 1995 Proms by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Davis in London's Royal Albert Hall.
Bach "Little" Fugue in G minor - Stokowski's orchestration - YouTube
Bach's Fugue in G minor (the "Little" or "Shorter" Fugue for organ) was orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski and is here played by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Jose Serebrier, his one-time Assistant Conductor. (From a 'Naxos' CD).
Piazzolla "Libertango" - The London Cello Sound - YouTube
Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango" is one of his best known numbers. It is played here by the 24 members of The London Cello Sound, plus rhythm section, under the direction of Geoffrey Simon. (Cala CACD0109).
Borodin "Nocturne" - Nikolai Tcherepnin's orchestration - YouTube
The "Nocturne" from Borodin's
String Quartet No. 2 in D is played here in an unfamiliar but evocative orchestration by Nikolai Tcherepnin. The Philharmonia Orchestra is conducted on this 1959 'Russian Concert Favourites' LP by Anatole Fistoulari (SXLP 30119).
Gottschalk "Grande Tarantelle" for Piano and Orchestra - YouTube
This bravura toe-tapping showpiece was discovered after Louis Gottschalk's death in 1869 in versions for piano solo and for piano duo.
It is heard here in Hershy Kay's exhilarating orchestration in which Reid Nibley is accompanied by the Utah Symphony under Maurice Abravanel. (Vanguard Classics CD 08 4051 71).
Cyril Scott "Lotus Land" - Kostelanetz conducts - YouTube
Cyril Scott's famous piano piece "Lotus Land"
is heard here in an orchestral version played by the New York Philharmonic under Andre Kostelanetz. It comes from a 1950s Columbia LP entitled 'Grand Tour' (CL 981).
"Greensleeves" - Rene Leibowitz conducts - YouTube
"Greensleeves" is best-known in Vaughan Williams's version but here
it is beautifully arranged for strings and harp by Rene Leibowitz. He conducts the New Symphony Orchestra of London on a Readers Digest "Concert Favourites" LP.
Bach "Italian Concerto" - Orchestral Version - YouTube
Bach's "Italian Concerto" in F major (BWV 971) is usually played on the harpsichord or piano. However, in 1936,
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt recorded a delightful orchestral version with the Berlin Philharmonic. Those old 78s (heard here) seem to be the only recording of the work in full orchestral form, as opposed to a smaller arrangement for chamber group.
This particular version was made by the conductor himself. (From Biddulph BID 83069/70)
Sousa "The Stars and Stripes Forever" - Stokowski conducts - YouTube
John Philip Sousa's military band march "The Stars and Stripes Forever"
is here given the full symphonic treatment by Leopold Stokowski in his own brilliant orchestration. He was already in his 90s when he made this recording with the National Philharmonic, a specially assembled orchestra of top-flight London musicians, and it comes from the 'EMI Classics' CD "Stokowski Showcase."
Bach-Elgar: Fantasia and Fugue in C minor - Elgar conducts - YouTube
The "Fantasia" from this 1926 recording has already been uploaded here on its own. A comment underneath that upload asks "Where is the Fugue?" so the transcription is now presented here in its entirety. Sir Edward Elgar conducts the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra on this historic recording. (From a 'Biddulph' CD).
Pierne "March of the Little Fauns" - Ormandy conducts - YouTube
This jaunty little piece comes from Gabriel Pierne's ballet "Cydalise and the Satyr" (1923) and is played by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.
"The Volga Boat Song" - Sir Henry Wood conducts - YouTube
Sir Henry Wood, founder of the Proms in London, conducts his Symphony Orchestra in his own arrangement of this traditional Russian folksong. From a 78rpm disc made in 1930.
"Right Away!" Polka - Sargent conducts (orch. Walter Goehr)
"Right Away!" Polka - Sargent conducts - YouTube
Eduard Strauss's "Right Away!" Polka, in an orchestration by Walter Goehr, is heard here in a 78rpm recording made in 1944 by Dr. (later Sir) Malcolm Sargent and the Liverpool Philharmonic.
Mussorgsky "A Tear-Drop" (orch. Kindler) - Geoffrey Simon conducts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plut-2ummto
This charming piano piece, entitled "Une Larme" ("A Tear-Drop") was orchestrated by the Dutch-born cellist-turned-conductor Hans Kindler and is played here by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Geoffrey Simon on a Cala CD.
such a joy.
