More EMI Treasures from Rudolf Kempe

Many greetings to you from New England! I hope that you have had a restful summer and the opportunity to enjoy some good music. Perhaps you've attended a live concert or two, discovered some new recordings, or revisited some chestnuts in your collection? If you've made any interesting discoveries of late that you would like to share with us, we welcome your thoughts in the comments below.

In 2013-2014, when I was deep into my exploration phase of EMI recordings from the late 1950s to mid 1960s, we covered a number of stereo recordings that German conductor Rudolf Kempe (1910-1976) made for the His Master's Voice (HMV) label, including ASD 279, ASD 330, ASD 336, ASD 380, ASD 406, ASD 426, and ASD 461.  These are excellent in terms of performance. On the whole, most are at least very good with regards to their sound quality, and a few are outstanding. In their original white (or cream) and gold label pressings, they remain quite collectible, and certain rarer recordings continue to fetch high prices on the used LP market.   

In writing this post, I took the opportunity to learn a bit more about Kempe's life and work and discovered some fascinating things that I thought I would share:

• Although he took lessons on the piano and violin as a child, his primary instrument was, in fact, the oboe. In 1929, he joined the Dortmund Opera orchestra as first oboist and soon thereafter was appointed first oboist with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

• His conductorial debut was with the Leipzig Opera in 1935, when he directed Albert Lortzing's Die Wildschütz. Following a brief engagement in the German army in 1942, he returned on unofficial permanent leave and then built his early career as a conductor of opera in Germany and other major opera houses in Europe.

• In 1960, Sir Thomas Beecham invited Kempe to become the associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). Following Beecham's death in 1961, he was then appointed chief conductor. In 1964, Kempe became the orchestra's artistic director, and in 1970, "Conductor for Life". Interestingly, he was responsible for ending Beecham's male-only rule and introduced women into the RPO. In addition, Kempe became chief conductor of the Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra in 1965 and general music director of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in 1966.

• Kempe was regarded by many orchestral musicians who played under him as one of the greatest conductors of his generation. He was relaxed and soft spoken at rehearsals but could be fiery and passionate in performance. He excelled at conducting Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Strauss. His interpretations of the orchestral works of Richard Strauss are considered by some to be reference recordings. While he did also conduct music by Schoenberg, Webern, and Berg, he was not particularly interested in avant-garde music.

Let's explore a few more of the treasures he recorded for EMI.

HMV ASD 379

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Rudolf Kempe, conductor

Matrix numbers: 2YRA 1589-18 / 1590-5

In 1960, Kempe made his first recording of Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony for HMV with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. A relatively collectible album, the median price for this album is $158 USD, and the max price is $956 USD according to Popsike data. Interestingly, the majority of the higher sale prices seem to come from auctions prior to 2018. If you look at the auctions in the past few years, the going price is more like $60-170 USD. After intermittently eyeing this record for past 10 years, I finally made the decision to purchase a copy this summer.

This is a beautiful performance of the 5th. While the 5th may not be my favorite of Tchaikovsky's six symphonies, I found Kempe's interpretation to be captivating and believable. The sound is excellent - rich, natural, and spacious with very nice clarity and staging of the orchestral sections. Things can get just a touch coarse in the most dynamic passages, but overall, I couldn't complain about any significant distortion. For comparison, I pulled out a few other versions, including those of Krips/VPO (Australian Decca), Silvestri/Philharmonia (Australian HMV), and Pretre/New Philharmonia (French VSM); soundwise, I found the Kempe to be the most pleasing. I have a copy of the Dorati Mercury stereo recording en route and can report back once I have listened to this as well.

This album received a favorable review from The Stereo Record Guide, Vol. 3 (The Long Playing Record Library Ltd, 1963) around the time of its original release, which gave it a qualified three stars **(*) and a demonstration "D".

If you'd like to sample this recording on vinyl before deciding whether to pay more money for an original, there are plenty of affordable vinyl reissues available, including the following:

• HMV Concert Classics (SXLP 30216, -24/-7 stampers)
• UK World Record Club (ST 673)
• Australian World Record Club (STE-505)
• New Zealand World Record Club (STZ 724, with near identical cover art as original ASD)
• UK Classics for Pleasure (CFP 4144781)
• German Electrola (STE 80 509)
• US Paperback Classics (SL 9229)

I have not listened to any of these yet, but I would wager that the HMV Concert Classics and World Record Club reissues would be worthy alternatives to the original ASD. If any of you own any of these and can comment, please do share. There is also the US Capitol stereo release, although I suspect that this was mastered using copy tapes and may not be as good as the UK or Australian reissues above. The recording was also reissued on CD on the Testament label in 1997; this is now out of print.

La Voix de Son Maitre CVA 752

Bonbons Viennois (Viennese Bonbons)

Johann Strauss:

Tales from the Vienna Woods - Waltz, Op. 325

Leichtes Blut - Polka, Op. 319

Dynamiden - Waltz, Op. 173

Intermezzo (From "A Thousand and One Nights")

Emperor - Waltz, Op. 437

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Rudolf Kempe, conductor

Matrix numbers: 2YVH 27-3 / 28-3G

Nights in Vienna (HMV ASD 279) was a big hit for me and is one of my favorite Kempe EMI recordings.  So naturally, I had high expectations for this second installation of light Viennese repertoire.  The original UK ASD 431 used to sell on Ebay for $150-250 USD, but in recent years, its price seems to have fallen to closer to $50-80 USD.  My copy is a 1967 reissue of the original French ASDF 287, complete with wooden dowel spine, which I found for $8 USD.  I found the recording to be as delightful as Nights in Vienna.  It's not sonically stunning, but I wouldn't really expect that of a disc of Strauss waltzes and polkas.

The reviewers of The Stereo Record Guide, Vol. 3 were a bit less enthused about the UK ASD:

"Kempe holds the reins loosely and the Vienna Philharmonic playing is lacking in tension with a tendency for the Viennese 'lilt' to degenerate into slackness. The beginnings and endings are done better than the waltzes themselves, which, like the polkas, are without rhythmic zest. The recording - cut at a low level - is smooth without being outstanding in any way, except that for once the zither in Vienna Woods is life-size and not exaggerated by too-close microphones."

Discogs shows an Australian World Record Club stereo reissue (ST-4047) and a German Electrola reissue (1C 027-01 464).

HMV ASD 449

Music from Bohemia

Smetana: "The Bartered Bride"

Weinberger: Polka and Fugue from "Schwanda the Bagpiper"

Dvorak: Scherzo capriccioso

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Rudolf Kempe, conductor

Matrix numbers: 2YEA 578-2 / 545-3

Another classic Kempe EMI recording that I had put off acquiring until only recently.  These are fun and lighthearted performances of popular Czech repertoire.  The sound is warm and dynamic, but the soundstage is more constricted, and overall, the recording is somewhat wanting in terms of expansiveness and atmosphere.  To my ears, the violins lacked sparkle and could sound dry and even a bit steely at times; the winds and percussion are better captured.  The music is enjoyable on the whole, but I was hoping for more here.

Reissues include the following:

• HMV Concert Classics (SXLP 30125)
• Australian World Record Club (SD-871)
• Seraphim (S-60098)

Hi-Q Supercuts also released an audiophile reissue of this in 2012; this is now out of print.  I have not had the chance to hear this for comparison.  Anyone with any experience here?

Electrola STE 90 017

Brahms: Konzert für Violine und Orchester D-dur, Op. 77

Yehudi Menuhin, violin

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Rudolf Kempe, conductor

Matrix numbers: 2YRA 1000-4 / 1001-2

This is a great example of Kempe as a sensitive accompanist. It is, in my opinion, the best of Yehudi Menuhin's concerto recordings for EMI in stereo.  Back in the mid-2000's, I purchased many of his HMV recordings as a soloist (the Beethoven concerto, Beethoven romances, Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos, and Lalo Symphonie espagnole), but, unfortunately, they just didn't move me as much or have quite the refinement as contemporaneous concerto recordings from Oistrakh, Milstein, Szeryng, or Ricci.  This Brahms disc, though, is an exception.  I picked up this very clean German Electrola pressing for 15 euros at Da Capo in Berlin (the UK ASD pressing generally sells for $25-45 USD) and was pleasantly surprised at how good of a recording this is.  Menuhin gives both a lyrical and energizing performance and is aptly supported by Kempe and the Berlin Philharmonic.  The sound is vibrant, clear, and spacious, with a nice balance between soloist and orchestra.  I have not heard the UK ASD for comparison but cannot imagine that this Electrola is far off the mark.

Originally reviewed in the first edition of The Stereo Record Guide in 1960 and still included in the 1968 The Stereo Record Guide, Vol. 5, the UK ASD received a glowing three stars *** and demonstration "D", with the following commentary:

"From Menuhin this most noble of all violin concertos receives a lyrical performance which is notable for artistry and depth of sympathy with the music. Menuhin, in superb form, produces a tone of resplendent richness, and phrases with all his old skill and understanding. He is accompanied by Kempe with insight and fine musicianship, and there is some very moving playing from the orchestra. The oboe solo in the slow movement is a joy to hear.

An interesting photograph of the recording sessions, on the back of the sleeve, shows the soloist on a low platform apart from the orchestra, and there is in fact a slight feeling of separation, though not enough to spoil one's enjoyment of a truly marvellous performance. Much has been written on the subject of whether the Brahms Concerto is for violin with orchestra, or for violin against orchestra:  this disc resolves the conflict naturally and convincingly."

Well, that's it for Miles to Mozart for this week. As always, happy listening!

References:

• Holmes, John L. Conductors: A Record Collector's Guide Including Compact Discs. Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1988.
• "Rudolf Kempe, conductor, dies." New York Times. 13 May 1976, https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/13/archives/rudolf-kempe-conductor-dies-led-orchestras-in-london-munich-and.html.
• "Rudolf Kempe." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Kempe.