Sir Arthur Bliss
Edward Johnson writes… The Bliss that popped in from you, plus the Boult / Suppé reference, reminded me that they were among the many distinguished conductors engaged by Charles Gerhardt to make LPs for Readers Digest in the 1960s. He engaged many of the greats, including Reiner, Horenstein, Munch, Barbirolli, Mackerras, and so on. However, these LPs were never reviewed in the Gramophone or played over the air, as I believe they were only available to Readers Digest subscribers.
Anyway, I wonder if it would be interesting to have in the Column three musical Knights each playing a piece of music at Gerhardt’s suggestion which was their only recording of each item. I think the off-beat castings would be amusing …
Sir Arthur Bliss conducts the New Philharmonia in Rossini’s “Journey to Rheims” Overture …
Sir Malcolm Sargent conducts the Royal Philharmonic in Leroy Anderson’s “Syncopated Clock” …
Sir Adrian Boult conducts the New Symphony Orchestra in Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” (ed. Gerhardt) …
I wrote to CG about the Boult and Sargent recordings. The Bliss LP was a tribute to Sargent who had died not long previously. I think Bliss conducting Rossini was first-rate, so he should have recorded a few more composers he wasn’t associated with. The “New Symphony Orchestra” under Boult was clearly a contractual pseudonym but whose? … The Mussorgsky is a good example of Boult going to town on a piece – and a composer – he was never associated with! … And his Readers Digest “Swan Lake” Suite was terrific too. An excerpt from his “Nutcracker” below.
Edward