Minneapolis Symphony

There were occasions during the three decades when the LP record ruled supreme - from the 1950s to the 1970s - when the chemistry between an orchestra, its conductor and their record company combined to work a magic that the commitment of long-term recording contracts quite often made possible. Karajan and the Philharmonia; Ansermet and the Suisse Romande; Dorati and the Minneapolis; Münch and the Boston Symphony, Cluytens and the Paris Conservatoire and Previn and the London Symphony are all prime examples of such collaborations. All of these produced recorded performances that are as fine today as they ever were and are all well-represented in the current CD catalogues. Until now there has been one successful recording collaboration that seems almost to have slipped under the radar: the Pittsburgh Symphony, William Steinberg and the Capitol Records producer, Richard C. Jones.

Jeremy Denk is joined by The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for two Mozart concertos—No. 25 in C Major, K. 503 and No. 20 in D minor, K. 466—bookending the composer’s solo Rondo in A minor, K. 511.

There are several reasons to own this Vox Box 2CD set. For the first, it includes five great violin concertos in some of the very best performances in their discography. For the second, Ivry Gitlis (born 1922) is a great living violinist and these recordings made in early 1950s show his art in the best way, when Ivry's violin sounded powerful and brilliant.

This volume released by AS Disc dedicated to Legenday Conductors, features Dimitri Mitropoulos and his soloist in both live venues is Myra Hess. He traveled from Paris to the US at the invitation of Serge Koussevitzky to conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra and remained there fulfilling various commitments, leading the Minneapolis SO from 1937-1940 and at the same time was instrumental in the formation of the famous New York Philharmonic Orchestra where he was to remain as Director. It was there that Myra Hess, on one of her famous American Tours, met him and played under him.