Schmidt-isserstedt: The Capital Recordings

Das NWDR Sinfonie-Orchester; Ventsislaw Yankov, piano; Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, conductorr

Capital Recordings

Wholenote Discoveries - April 2011
In 1945 the German conductor Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (1900-1973) was invited by the military authorities to form an orchestra for the North German Radio in Hamburg. In six months the NWDR Symphony Orchestra was a reality and Schmidt-Isserstedt conducted their first concert in November 1954. The very next year he made a series of LPs released by Capitol and referred to as The Capitol Recordings. These discs have virtually disappeared but TAHRA has unexpectedly issued them on three CDs. Mozart, we are told, was the conductor’s favourite composer and it is appropriate that Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is the first work on the first disc. It is interesting that no matter how many times we have heard this little serenade it doesn’t become tiresome or ho-hum. This sparkling performance is freshly appealing, reflecting a real joy of music-making. Noticeable immediately is the very high quality of the sound, articulate and dynamic in a very suitable acoustic (possibly the Musikhalle, the liner notes mention no venue). The Haydn Symphony No.94 follows and then the Schubert 5th. Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto, again we are told, was the conductor’s favourite and many soloists enjoyed playing it with him. Here Ventsislav Yankov is the soloist in a pensive performance of unusual beauty. There is a moment in the first movement cadenza when the piano disappears and fades up a second or two later. The tempi in Brahms Second Symphony are well judged in a performance that is lyrical above all and never ponderous. I put this recording right behind Bruno Walter’s 1953 New York Philharmonic recording as my preferred version. Extended excerpts from Rosamunde are followed by six extracts from The Ring. The playing throughout is of the very highest calibre from all sections but the strings are exceptionally sonorous as are the brass. Not a set for everyone but I am pleased with it. Bruce Surtees
Another welcome re-issues.
These are rarities from the famous Capitol label (Odeon in Europe) which seems to have disappeared completely.
Serious listeners, as well as members of the conducting profession, have long searched for these rare performances, at last available.
From Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, one would naturally expect his favourite composer, Mozart.
There are loads of Mozart recordings in the archives of the N.D.R. in Hamburg. Surprisingly, no symphonies have been scheduled for these Capitol sessions, but instead: the Eine kleine Nachtmusik.
After all, why not? The performance is remarkable in its freshness, especially for listeners who have to deal so often with indifferent playing.
No acrobatics here: the tempi are perfectly chosen, and the conductor's love for Mozart is unmistakable.
None to match the wonderful playing of the celebrated Hamburg strings, reduced in number so as to give the right sense of proportion for this serenade.
A particularly interesting part is the hushed fast notes in the third variation of the slow movement, reminiscent of the anguished "bisogna aver coraggio" just before the entrance of the three masks in Don Giovanni.

Price: $49.98