Corregidor 1945

The Romanian conductor Constantin Silvestri (1913-1969) began his distinguished career in 1930 with the Bucharest Radio Symphony Orchestra, leading to the directorship of the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra in 1945. In 1956, Silvestri moved to Paris, and a year later he made his UK debut with the London Philharmonic. This led to a major contract with EMI, under which he conducted the Philharmonia, the Paris Conservatoire, and the Vienna Philharmonic orchestras in a wide selection of repertoire including Bartók, Debussy, Dvořák, Elgar, Franck, Hindemith, Liszt, Ravel, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky. These ‘Spanish’-themed recordings are rarities and belonged to Silvestri’s private collection, only discovered after his death. Silvestri’s live performances of Debussy’s Ibéria, Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain (Noches en los jardines de España), and The Three Cornered Hat (Le tricorne) are new additions to his large discography, either commercial recordings or live broadcasts. The wide-ranging recording captures Silvestri’s hugely dynamic, colorful, and expressive conducting of these popular Spanish-influenced works.

The Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Boise (CL-47) was one of the most famous US combat ships of World War II, already internationally renowned following her participation in the naval battles in the Solomons in 1942. After repairs and modifications, in 1943 the Boise was sent to the Mediterranean theater, there to participate in the invasions of Sicily, Taranto, and Salerno, and enhancing her fame by destroying enemy tanks during armored counterattacks in both Sicily and Salerno.