My first recordings of these debut Symphonies was courtesy of a Classics for Pleasure LP (CFP 40004), a reissue of HMV ASD 263 (cover illustrated). I thought back then – whenever ‘then’ was and however instinctive my reactions might have been – that these 1958 performances lacked a little something.
Efrem Kurtz (1900/St Petersburg-1995/London), who studied conducting with Nikisch in Leipzig, certainly gets fine playing from the Philharmonia, but on returning to these accounts on CD, I still find Prokofiev’s ‘Classical’ somewhat dour, although the Shostakovich is much better than I might have recalled, if short on biting sarcasm or overloaded emotions – no bad thing perhaps given the ease with which ciphers are read into his music, if with tuttis a little congested, the Symphony’s very end for example.
But what makes this 1993 twofer collection (EMI CZS 7677292) indispensible, if still available it will now be a Warner Classics’ imprint (hopefully with greater collectors’ information), are Kurtz’s readings of the other Russian pieces – including a brilliantly dancing version of the ‘Krakowiak’ from Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar, and a hair-raisingly fleet ‘Galop’ from Kabalevsky’s The Comedians.
There is also Khachaturian and plenty of popular Rimsky-Korsakov and Liadov (the latter with the Royal Philharmonic) included, all brought off with engaging fantasy and colour, and demanding of another listen, and soon. I am so pleased to have reacquainted myself with this now-enticing compilation.
The Efrem Kurtz twofer was, as you know, part of a series called ‘Artist Profile’ we put together at EMI between 1992 and 1995 with the objective of highlighting in some cases, a few of the ‘forgotten’ artists or unissued performances in the catalogue at the time. Cantelli, Cluytens, Giulini, Kempe, Kletzki, Kogan, Kubelik, Matacic, Rodzinski, Silvestri, Solomon, Starker and of course Kurtz, all featured and the recordings were all in stereo. In the 25 years or so that have passed, most of these artists have now been reissued in comprehensive box sets but there are still some like Kutrz, Kletzki and Matacic who have so far not been given the full treatment. There is also another, Alceo Galliera who contributed many notable recordings to the EMI catalogue in the 1950’s and 1960. If your readers are interested and might like to investigate, on Medici Masters (MM022-2) Galliera conducts Respighi’s Pines of Rome, Brazilian Impressions and Rossini/Respighi’s La Boutique fantasque, great performances and sound.