Jaromir Weinberger: Schwanda Polka & Fugue
Historical Films Inc.
•
8m 46s
Once a staple of Summer Band and Orchestra concerts, this oddly titled piece is something of an antiquated curiosity today. Weinberger himself was a tragic figure, who had one big hit with his Czech folk-opera Švanda Dudák in 1927 and then no more. He died forgotten in Florida in 1927 but his strange opera has enjoyed some revivals since 1990.
Eugene Ormandy is usually associated with the Philadelphia Orchestra, but he came to Philadelphia from a previous stint of several years in Minneapolis, where he made a number of classic recordings such as this one.
Up Next in Historical Films Inc.
-
Julius Ehrlich conducting the Orchest...
There was a time when Stalin, at the peak of his power and terror, encouraged avant-garde Soviet composers to tour Europe and scare the bourgeoisie with ultra-modern, dissonant music celebrating the communist obsession with heavy industry.
But most of these composers sooner of later fell afoul of... -
Ludwig van Beethoven: Overture Leonor...
Toscanini in his prime was hailed as the ultimate Beethoven conductor. Not everyone agrees today, citing his relentless tempos and hard-driving intensity. But in pieces like the Fifth Symphony, or the present Overture, this style is just what is needed. Beethoven was not naturally inclined to ope...
-
Stokowski Conducting The Love for Thr...
Three brief orchestral numbers from Prokofiev’s bizarre fairy tale opera, conducted by a magician who delighted in bringing the new and strange to his audiences. This is perfect Stokowski material, exotic and well off the beaten path. During his years away from the Soviet Union from 1918 to 1936,...
