Topclassical is the RU-vid channel of Marc van Bemmel. I live in Berkenwoude, in the green heart of the Netherlands. I am a lover and collector of historical classical music recordings, mainly on 78 rpm records. I focus on instrumental recordings with special attention to piano, violin, cello and chamber music. I also collect recordings of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra.
I am an amateur organist and post some recordings of my playing here as well. I am organist in the reformed churches of Berkenwoude and Schoonhoven.
My teacher Jane Coawan, a feuermann pupil, tells a funny story of this recording. Apparently Feuermann was less than impressed by the quality of the orchestra; he had a major outburst where he insisted the orchestra played scales as they were badly out of tune. Jane who was observing the recording, looked on in horror, whispering to Feuermann ‘you can’t treat Sir Malcom Sargent (the conductor) like that- he’s a knight of the realm!’ 😂
I concur with the previous comments that given this recording was made only three years after the conversion from acoustic to electric transcription, that its quality is truly remarkable. This excellent sound is even more surprising, given the challenges to make such a recording in the reverberant space such as Notre Dame, yet retain some of its distinct ambience. Kudos to the recording engineer, as well as Maestro Vierne. It is appropriate that we listen to this performance in anticipation of the reopening of the Cathedral after a five year restoration period. Thank God, the organ apparently suffered little damage from the terrible fire, smoke, and water poured into the building to extinguish the flames. Finally, the photos attached to this video are interesting, particularly the one depicting the very serious expressions of the assistants surrounding Maestro Vierne. In today’s world, a smile would not be out of place in such a gathering!
Thanks a lot for your enthusiasm for this recording. Please check out the other Vierne recordings on my channel. I have a very good quality 78 recording set up that yields wonderful results. The Vierne recordings should be much better known and I agree they need attention in the framework of the re-opening of Notre Dame, in late 2024. These recordings will be 96 years old by then.
Surface noise used to drive me nuts. From The Velvet Brush to Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machine - I tried them all. Then suddenly, one day, I quit. Cold turkey.
I'm not one for headphones. For years I was a member of the "lunatic fringe" searching for The Absolute Sound. Eventually, I gave up my Quads, Dahlquists and Oracle. Today, my tiny PSB system is augmented by a Sennheiser subwoofer and I am at peace with the world.
Haha, great. I just want to make people aware that listening through your laptop speakers or (even worse) your mobile phone will not give you the best experience. If you have a good stereo, that is of course perfectly fine! I do not think absolute sound can be achieved, as there are so many systems that sound good or even outstanding, they still all sound different. The most important thing is the quality of the performance. Trying to make the general public aware of the immense heritage of old recordings is what drives me to collect these records and share some of them with the world. Thank you for listening and subscribing!
My second favourite twentieth century organ work (after Duruflé's Prelude and Fugue on Alain). Wonderfully played on an excellent instrument. Many thanks for the upload.
Hi Dave, I played the Alain P&F a couple years ago - absolutely love that!! The Schmidt is an even bigger beast and one that is a a great great joy to play. Quite difficult, unfortunately and my amateur performance is far from perfect. I really don't get why it is so neglected; it's a masterpiece!
I especially love the lyrical part in "Lydisch", played with the clarinet (starting 9:25). The moment where it get's two voices (around 10:25) is magical. The lyrical part in "Dorisch", from the 22:00 mark, is just as beautiful and harmonically very interesting
Hello Frederic, yes, it is an amazing recording. A free floating line of melody. BTW, I attended an organ concert by you in Fouesnant, Bretagne some years ago, loved it! regards, Marc
Yes, crazy! You played a Rameau ouverture, also the Gluck Melody and I think Bach BWV 543 as well! I loved the organ and your performance! Keep it going and be inspired by the old masters!@@fredericrivoal3929
For those that may not be aware of it, this is only the second recording of the Dvorak Concerto (Feuermann’s was the first) and the only recording made by a cellist who was born before the concerto was composed!
@@topclassical News to me! - there’s always something to learn. And Cassado’ was born only one year after the concerto was written! (It’s also likely that Cassado’ studied the concerto with Casals when he was his student.)
@@topclassical This 1932 live performance with Piatigorsky in Copenhagen (only the 1st.movement was preserved) was not a commercial studio recording but should be in the lineup of early Dvorak recordings: <ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bpCkRXJk9JY.htmlsi=xEs2qizyhzIu6jdh> At that point in his career he must have only performed it a few times. (His son Joram determined that he was actually born in 1904, so he would have been just 28!)
How does what I assume to be a digitally sampled organ achieve such a powerfully realistic sound? Or am I wrong about this instrument? Well played in either event.
This is indeed a digitally sampled organ, played with Hauptwerk software (voxusorgans.com/en/product/dudelange). This was recorded directly from the soundcard of my computer. The live sound in my room is also quite realistic. Thank you for your reaction and appreciation!
I for one prefer the recordings of the young Szell to those of the older martinet of Cleveland. Invariably I find a more spontaneous, singing quality in the orchestral playing of his earliest recordings, like this one, which is great not just because of the incomparable Casals but because of the committed playing of the Czech players. This performance has a freshness that I've never heard in any other recording of this piece. Other, subsequent cellists may have had a silkier tone than Casals, but he and the orchestra play as if they were composing the piece as they perform it, as if it were a great drama from moment to moment.
I believe the freshness has to do with the fact that this was almost a live recording. Casals flew from Barcelona to Prague to perform the concerto on the first day and the second day, they recorded the whole thing. Szell was simply the best man for this job, keeping everything tightly together, allowing both Casals and the orchestra to shine. The spontaneity of for instance the woodwinds of the CPO is charming and captivating, lining up very well with the passion of Casals. Szell was always a literalist and it works very well here. I think some of his stuff with Cleveland is marvellous, Brahms 4 Andante moderato coming to mind as a special case
@claudewallet3287 Certainly, agreed about the Beethoven with Fleisher and some others, but I also find many of his Cleveland recordings bloodless and finicky, the same way I usually react to that compulsive over-rehearser Celibidache.
The first time I heard this recording was in 1981. It was a 33rpm Supraphon LP. The sound was muffled. When CDs came out, I purchased a few versions. Filters were applied to all of them. In these transfers, noise was removed together with the music. Do you have a higher bitrate file for sale? @@topclassical
Misha Elman was a master violinist and a great singer at the same time. His intonation was flawless and his double stop technique so magnificent Mischa Elman also had an indelible style and hearing but one phrase it was obvious as with Jascha Heifetz who the violinist was. Sadly that is for the most part missing today. His was not about expressing the brutality of his time but of expressing just how beautiful the violin and music are... taking all the time he wanted. Eric Shumsky
Considering that electrical recording had only been in existence for three years, the sound quality on this disc seems amazing. Thank goodness we have a record of this great composer and organist to enjoy forever. Thank you for posting it- a true holiday gift.
Hi Jonathan, thank you for your encouraging remarks! Have you seen the other video of Vierne playing Bachs Fantasia in G minor? Truly remarkable we have these valuable recordings as a lasting inspiration!
Elman plays with no violin pad and here he drops the left hand deeply down. Classical technique as well as old one, that lowering of violin would consider totally wrong. In some performances Elman keeps left hand "properly" (high). So what is the catch? Probably because of absent violin shoulder pad, his contemporary physical condition of neck, and mood, he allowed himself extremely low position of instrument. Because of Elman's tremendous experience and abilities we don't hear even a slightest problem in his performance. Simply, the master could play probably upside down from the ceiling 😂
I'm not sure which is the more impressive: the early 20th-century recording apparatus which managed to capture so much detail and atmosphere, or the 21st-century digital cleaning-up and enhancement. And, of course, it's spooky to be so close to a performer who has been dead for nearly 90 years...
Yes, also it captures the mighty Cavaille-Coll in original condition, before many alterations, played by the legendary Louis Vierne. The pathos of the romantic performance tradition is palpable
