Top Shelf Silvestri: The HMV Recordings, Part Two

This is the second installment in our ongoing series dedicated to the Romanian conductor, composer, and pianist, Constantin Silvestri (1913-1969) and the wonderful legacy of recordings he made for His Master's Voice (HMV).

Picking up where we left off with Silvestri's early life:

• In the early 1950's, Silvestri's reputation grew throughout Eastern Europe, and he was invited to guest conduct orchestras in the USSR, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. The pinnacle of his career in Romania came in 1958, when he directed the successful premiere of fellow compatriot George Enesco's complex opera, Oedipe, in Bucharest. Shortly thereafter, he defected to western Europe and settled in Paris.

• In 1957, he made his western European debut, conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall, London. He then toured Australian in 1959 and gave concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra in the United States in 1960-61.

• It was during this era that he recorded many of his famous recordings for HMV and Columbia in London, Paris, and Vienna. His initial contract with EMI was for three years, but in 1960 this was then extended another two years as the company saw Silvestri as its natural successor to conductor Artur Rodzinski, who had passed away in 1958. As we have seen so far, Silvestri's records received mixed praise from critics at the time.

La Voix de Son Maitre ASDF 130519

Danses Symphoniques

Borodin: Danses Polovtsiennes

Dvorak: Danses Slaves Nos. 1 & 2

Brahms: Danses Hongroises Nos. 5 & 6

Falla: Danse Rituelle du Feu, Interlude et Danse de La Vie Brève

Paris Conservatoire Orchestra

Constantin Silvestri, conductor

Matrix numbers: 2YLA 1119 21B M6 27221 / 2YLA 1120 21 M6 216864

From the Romanian, Hungarian, and Spanish/French orchestral rhapsodies of ASDF 635 (ASD 417), we move on to Hungarian, Slavonic, Spanish, and Polovtsian Dances, another diverse and high-energy program that Silvestri recorded with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra in 1963 (HMV ASD 519). The UK white and gold label original pressing is another one of Silvestri's treasures, with median and maximum prices of $154 and $813 USD, respectively, according to Popsike data.

HMV ASD 519 (courtesy of Discogs)

In the interest of searching for less expensive alternatives, I opted to try one of the French pressings, ASDF 1305119 (why the longer than usual number, I do not know), which I picked up from Ebay for $19 USD. Since this album was originally recorded in France with a French orchestra, I figured that a French Pathé mastering and pressing would get me pretty close to the best sound. Fortunately, this turned out to be the case.

This is a really fun album. It's pretty much high octane from start to finish, and the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra under Silvestri's direction give energetic and enthusiastic performances of all these symphonic dances. Soundwise, I had absolutely no complaints - the recording engineers have truly done justice to this repertoire. We have a nice, wide soundstage and impressive dynamics all throughout with no loss of clarity even at the loudest moments.

Here are a few excerpts from my copy to give you a sample of this recording:

Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5

The first part of Borodin's Polovtsian Dances

De Falla's Ritual Fire Dance

From the EMG Monthly Letter:

"Excellently played but rather relentless performances of a selection of well-known nationally-inspired dances. In the fast pieces Silvestri keeps the orchestra on its toes but he is not very convincing in the softer moments, which could have more subtlety. He also tends to overdo the dynamics (and he is aided and abetted by the engineers) and by the end of the disc the listener feels rather tired. There is some striking stereo information in the Falla pieces from La vida breve though we did need to regulate the upper register. One star."

Incidentally, the cover art on this French issue is the same as that used on HMV ASD 509, Georges Pretre's recording of Russian orchestral works.  

If you're having any trouble finding the UK or French originals, a worthy alternative is the Australian World Record Club reissue, SD-894. 
 

The disc itself is a bargain (I got mine for 5 Australian dollars, or $3.40 USD), but unless you live in Australia, you will likely have to pay a bit extra for shipping. Here is another fine example of the high quality of the World Record Club reissues of EMI material, from its unique cover art to its excellent sound quality that leaves little to be desired when compared with the original.  Try some of these samples and compare for yourself with the ASDF above.

Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5

The first part of Borodin's Polovtsian Dances

World Record Club (Australian) SPE 726

Overtures

Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Glinka: Russlan and Ludmilla

Rimsky-Korsakov: May Night

Borodin: Prince Igor

Philharmonia Orchestra

Constantin Silvestri, conductor

Matrix numbers: 2YS 258-2 / 259

Following concert programs of rhapsodies and orchestral dances, we now shift to Silvestri's recording of popular overtures that he made with the Philharmonia Orchestra on March 31, 1959 at Kingsway Hall.  An original 1960 white and gold label pressing of this disc (HMV ASD 338) is really hard to find, and if and when you do find it, it will typically be for an exorbitant amount of money. I once saw an autographed copy online for $525 USD. Popsike lists a median and maximum auction price of $341 and $801, respectively.

HMV ASD 338 (courtesy of Discogs)

Selected overtures from the album were used as fillers to other Silvestri reissues in the HMV Concert Classics series (May Night on SXLP 30078, Prince Igor on SXLP 30065, and Russlan and Ludmilla on SXLP 30066). Fortunately, the Australian World Record Club reissued the recording in its entirety in both stereo and mono in 1962, and the stereo version is the copy that I managed to find for $15 Australian dollars ($10 USD).

Soundwise, this one has a more laid-back, mid-hall presentation similar to that which I've heard on many Philharmonia/Kingsway Hall recordings of this era. The orchestra is given a warm sound throughout, and there is good weight to the bass, but the recording doesn't quite have the clarity and transparency of the Rhapsodies for Orchestra and Hungarian/Slavonic/Spanish/Polovtsian Dances discs.  

Here are two excerpts from my copy:

Russlan and Ludmilla Overture

 

Prince Igor Overture

This recording also received mixed feedback from critics at the time:

• The Stereo Record Guide, Vol. 3 gave it a qualified three stars **(*) and a demonstration "D", with the following comments: "The Midsummer Night's Dream Overture is on the heavy side, but otherwise this is an excellent collection beautifully recorded. Silvestri is at his best in the colourful Russian items, and the playing of the Philharmonia is fine throughout."

•  The EMG Monthly Letter was less enthusiastic: "A more comfortable and less boxy recording than the single-channel, but not distinguished enough to outweigh the shortcomings of some of the performances, notably those of Russlan and Prince Igor. The strings, moreover, lack weight and sheen, and are too often submerged by the brass section."

Unless you have the fortune to find the UK original pressing and the funds to pay for it, the World Record Club reissue is, in my opinion, a far more affordable, high-quality alternative.