Eugen Jochum: Rare Recordings

Eugen Jochum, conductor; Annelies Kupper, soprano; Ewin Fischer, piano; Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Daphnis et Chloë: Suite II / Vier letzte Lieder: Frühling / Vier letzte Lieder: September / Vier letzte Lieder: Beim Schlafengehen / Vier letzte Lieder: Im Abendroth / Agrippina: Ouverture / Rondo pour piano et orchestre KV 382

Wholenote Discoveries - December 2011/January 2012
It was with singular pleasure that I listened to the second suite from Daphnis et Chloé played by the Bavarian Rundfunks Orchestra on this new release from Tahra. Jochum founded the orchestra in 1949 at the bidding of Bavarian Radio, creating one of Europe’s very finest ensembles. The often played Ravel suite is an excellent example of the composer’s meticulous craftsmanship and this virtuoso performance from October 1950 is played with an unexpected subtlety of timbre worthy of the finest French interpretation. Annelies Kupper was a German operatic soprano, well known and admired in her day as an interpreter of Mozart, Wagner and Richard Strauss. Her repertoire on CD is quite extensive but here, from December 1950 is her only recording of The Four Last Songs, richly sung with assurance and ardor and sumptuously supported by Jochum. The overture to Die Fledermaus is played with a sparkling exuberance that is usually heard only from the pit. The overture to Handel’s Agrippina is followed by a Mozart’s Rondo K382 for piano and orchestra played with Edwin Fischer at the 1954 Wurzburg Festival. There are no complaints about the sound which is full-bodied, often with a natural, front to back dimension and with virtually no recording artifacts. This is the 23rd CD from TAHRA devoted to performances conducted by Jochum and all the works are new to his recorded repertoire. Bruce Surtees
During "Jochum Era" (1949-1959), Eugen Jochum managed to build a sound body that transformed a simple radio orchestra into a first class orchestra of worldwide reputation.
The archives in this CD are first-time releases for two reasons: they have never been released before, but above all, no official (of half-official) recording exists today.

Price: $19.98