#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Week 2

 Last month the Classics a Day team chose vintage recordings as the theme. Specifically, recordings made before the LP era. This month, the focus moves forward in time a little, to the early LP era. This runs from 1948 to about 1958, with the advent of stereo recording.

In that era (as with other eras of recording) composers conducted their own works, legendary performances were preserved, and occasionally history was made. 

Here are my posts for the second week of #ClassicalTimeMachine (early LPs).

11/09/20 Jussi Bjorling - Nessun Dorma (1952)

"The Voice of Firestone" was a classical music program running from 1928 (on radio) and from 1949-1963 on TV. This recording comes from Bjorling's performance on the program.

11/10/20 Sibelius - Violin Concerto (1951)

A young Isaac Stern recorded this with Thomas Beechem and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abby Road Studios.

11/11/20 Chopin - Polonaise in A, Op. 40 No. 1 (1951)

Artur Rubinstein made this recording for RCA. who he started with in 1928. When he died, Rubinstein had recorded over 100 hours of music for the label.

11/12/20 Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite (RCA, 1950)

Leopold Stokowski made over 100 recordings with "Leopold Stokowski's Symphony Orchestra." The LSSO had an ever-rotating roster of NYC musicians (including the NY Phil and NBC orchestra).

11/13/20 Schoenberg - Verkaerte Nacht (Capitol Records, 1950)

The Hollywood Quartet was founded by Leonard Slatkin's parents, Felix Slatkin and Eleanor Aller. Its members were top movie studio musicians, and the ensemble made a series of outstanding and important recordings.