This is a listing of concerts of the great Leopold Stokowski which seeks to
cover the period from 1941 until Leopold Stokowski's final public concert
with the New Philharmonia Orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall on
14 May 1974. This page is continued for those who regularly consult this listing.
However this stokowski.org site now has a more extensive listing of the concerts
of Leopold Stokowski separated into two periods: 1933-1949 and 1950-1974.
To consult these, please click on the link:
Frederick Fellers and Robert M. Stumpf's
Research of the Leopold Stokowski Concerts 1909-1940
Robert M. Stumpf, II, a leading Stokowski expert and commentator created
a Stokowski concert register covering the period from Stokowski's debut with the
Colonne Orchestra in Paris in 1909, through his final Philadelphia concerts of 1940.
Mr. Stumpf states that "...much of what I have produced here is based on
the work of John Hunt...", referring to John Hunt's original Discography
and Concert Register from the Leopold Stokowski Society, published in
1996 2.
Frederick Fellers, an active musicologist and orchestral historian did extensive
and careful research of the original Stokowski programmes to produce an updated and
improved version of the information gathered by Robert M. Stumpf and
John Hunt. This valuable concert register was published by the
Leopold Stokowski Society, under the supervision of the Stokowski scholar
and musicologist Edward Johnson. Fred Feller's programme listing
covers the Philadelphia Orchestra concerts from 6 October 1933 to 3 April 1941.
The concert listing below has been enabled by the materials available in the
archives of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts,
Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, the archives of the Boston Symphony,
Bridget Carr, archivist, the Samuel R. and Marie Louise Rosenthal Archives
of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the archives of the San Francisco Symphony,
Joe Evans, archivist. Of particular value have been the
extensive resources of the Kislak Center of
the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania. At the Kislak Center,
I am particularly indebted to Mr. John Pollack, archive specialist and
Mr. David McKnight, Director, Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Also
valuable has been the Music Department of the Bibliothèque nationale de
France and the Lila Acheson Wallace Library archives of the Juilliard
School. My own collection of programmes has also aided.
I want to thank all those who have provided additions and corrects to this listing,
and in particular two Stokowski experts and musicologists: Theo van der Burg and
Edward Johnson for their aid in this and other Stokowski projects.
A valuable aid in the verification of certain information on Stokowski concerts
and especially their context within Stokowski's career is the carefully researched and
detailed biography of Oliver Daniel: Stokowski: A Counterpoint of
View1.
These sources have been invaluable; however, the errors and omissions in the
concert listing below (of which there may well be many) are solely my own.
Corrections, additions and comments on this material will be welcome by
contacting me.
This listing of concerts of Leopold Stokowski seeks to descibe concerts from
1941 until Leopold Stokowski's final public concert with the New Philharmonia
Orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall on 14 May 1974. It is in the spirit
of these previous Stokowski concert registers that I am seeking to extend and
provide further detail of their coverage of Stokowski's full career.
This listing is a work-in-progress, and given the prolific nature of
Leopold Stokowski's activities, it is not likely ever to be
"complete". This augments the need for additions, corrections,
and comments all of which will be welcome.
The Concerts of Leopold Stokowski 1941-1974 listed Chronologically
key: + Orchestra premiere +++ national premiere *** world premiere
[1941]
1941
28, 29 March
1, 7 April
Philadelphia Orchestra
28, 29 - Academy of Music, Philadelphia
1 - Carnegie Hall, New York City
7 - Lyric Theater, Baltimore, Maryland
Bach: St. Matthew Passion BWV 244
- LoRean Hodapp, soprano
- Elizabeth Krueger, contralto
- Harold Hedgpeth tenor (Evangelist)
- John Baumgartner bass (Jesus)
- George Krueger bass
Henri Switten cembalo; Georges Couvreur organ,
the Westminster Choir School, John Finley Williamson director
note: It seems unfortunate that this last Stokowski subscription concert
of his Philadelphia tenure should feature singers of such a lack of stature that
it is difficult in research to ascertain their professional identities.
the Baltimore Sun wrote of the soloists: "There were soloists, but
perhaps it is as well not to mention them at all. The singing sometimes came
from the throat alone, however, and not always from a deep reservoir of
spiritual insight into the music."91
About the Carnegie Hall performance, John Alan Haughton wrote: "Mr. Stokowski did
some strange things, such as having members of the Westminster Choir, which was the
chorus of the occasion, sing the solo parts. It was not an eminently successful
experiment." 114.
the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: "the Matthew Passion in its entirety would occupy
about 4 hours. Mr. Stokowski has revised it to an hour and a half, more or less 131.
1941
3 April
Philadelphia Orchestra
Academy of Music, Philadelphia
Stokowski's Final Concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra during his tenure
1912-1941
Concert for Children
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier - Prelude and Fugue in c minor BWV 847: Fugue - Stokowski transcription
The Story of Noah's Ark.
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet: Russian Dance
This Children's Concert is a low-key ending to three decades of Stokowski
service with the Philadelphia Orchestra
1941
11 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Atlantic City Convention Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Stokowski's Initial Concert of the 1941 trans-continental tour of his new
All-American Youth Orchestra
the Associated Press wrote: "The All-American Youth Orchestra has been organized
by Leopold Stokowski, one of the most brilliant and colorful figures in the musical world
as a means of discovering and developing outstanding young talent between the ages of
16 and 27 for orchestral and instrumental work... The orchestra will make a tour of cities
in Canada, Mexico and the United States starting in May and ending in the middle of
July."
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Tales of Our Countryside (1941) - Henry Cowell piano (who joined the
United States tour of the AAYO):
Deep Tides
Exultation
The Harp of Life
Country Reel
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1941
13 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Lyric Theater, Baltimore, Maryland
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Ancient Desert Drone (1940)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
encore: Chopin: Mazurka in A minor opus 17 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Tchaikovsky: Humoresque in G major, opus 10 no 2 - Stokowski transcription
the Baltimore Sun wrote: "The tone of the orchestra was flashy, crystal cut
rather than suave; insistant rather than beguiling; powerful, clear."112
1941
16 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Ancient Desert Drone (1940)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Olin Downes in the New York Times wrote: "...At its best - indeed on average - this orchestra is
irrefutable testimony to and confirmation of Stokowski's realization that in America today there is
an immense and growing number of young orchestral players, exceptionally gifted, superbly trained and
so accomplished that they anc be assembled and in the space of two weeks rehearsing by their present
leader made into a flexible, sensitively fused musical ensemble..."
1941
18 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Victor Young (1900-1956): Charm: a ballet: " Shadows and Sunshine"
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
This Tristan und Isolde Synthesis is a regular feature of Stokowski concerts.
In Leopold Stokowski Transcriptions, Maestro Serebrier explained:"Stokowski's "symphonic synthesis" consists of Wagner's
own concert version of the Prelude and Liebestod, interpolating between
them music of the Liebesnacht from the second act. His intention was not
to create a suite, but an extended symphonic poem, with the several sections
moving seamlessly from one to the next, harmonically and thematically. Stokowski
did not alter Wagner's scoring but limited his input to replacing the vocal lines
with instruments, such as the cellos performing Tristan's lines at the start
of Liebesnacht and the violins taking up Isolde's. At other times, Stokowski
leaves Wagner's orchestral music alone, without the vocal lines, as Wagner
himself had done in his own orchestral versions of scenes from his
operas."
concert in the outdoor stadium of Rutgers University with an audience of 5,000.
1941
20 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Tales of Our Countryside (1941) - Henry Cowell piano:
- Deep Tides
- Exultation
- The Harp of Life
- Country Reel
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
concert attended by 10,000 according to newspaper reviews
C.W.D. in the Boston Globe wrote:"Henry Cowell was assisting pianist in his
'Tales of Our Countryside'...the piano portion, including long solo passages,
was something to watch as well as hear. Mr. Cowell still employs the 'tone clusters'
he originated, consisting of several notes struck at the same time by elbow,
forearm, or fist."76
1941
21 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Providence, Rhode Island
concert
Olin Downes in the New York Times wrote:"At its best - indeed on its average -
this orchestra is irrefutable testimony to and confirmation of Stokowski's realization,
which he came to well in advance of his critics, that in America today there is an
immense and growing number of young orchestral players, exceptionally gifted and
superbly trained and so accomplished that they can be assembled and in the space of
two weeks of rehearsing by their present leader made into a flexible, sensitively fused
instrumental ensemble."76
1941
22 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Albany, New York
concert
1941
23 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Springfield, Massachusetts
concert included as an encore:
Roy Harris (1898-1979): Folksong Symphony: one of the Interludes (1940)
1941
24 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Kleinhands Music Hall, Buffalo, New York
Paul Creston early in his career
concert included:
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Symphony no 1 opus 20 (1940): Scherzo movement
1941
26 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Toronto, Canada
concert
1941
27 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Ancient Desert Drone (1940)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Encore: Weber: Invitation to the Dance opus 65 - Stokowski transcription
During the intermission, relayed into the hall speakers was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio address
announcing an unlimited US national emergency in response to Germany's European conquests.
Pittsburgh critic David Steinfirst wrote: "...the tone of the woodwinds is warm, that of the strings
brilliant because of Stokowski's unusual seating arrangement..."
1941
28 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
Zoological Park Amphitheater, Toledo, Ohio
The Zoological Park Amphitheater, Toledo, Ohio site of the 28 May 1941 outdoor concert
An outdoor concert at the Amphitheater of the Zoo of Toledo, Ohio, with proceeds going
to the Toledo Symphony Orchestra Association
1941
29 May
All-American Youth Orchestra
State Fair Colluseum, Detroit, Michican
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Charles Miller: Appalachian mountains: an American folk rhapsody (1939)
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1941
2 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Civic Opera House, Chicago, Illinois
concert for the benefit of the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind 69
1941
4 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Natalie Bender (1919-1988?): San Louis Rey (Natalie Bender was later a long-time assistant
to Stokowski including until his death in England in 1977)
Encores: Bach, Tchaikovsky and Johann Strauss
4,000 persons attended the Concert. The Milwaukee Journal wrote
"The glorious climax of the Bach Fugue was all but
breathtaking in its power and beauty."99
1941
5 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Henry Cowell, composer and pianist would produce note clusters on the keyboard by using elbow and fist,
and create pizzicato effects by picking the piano's strings
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Wagner: Die Walküre: "Ride of the Valkyries"
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Ancient Desert Drone (1940)
1941
6 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum, Omaha, Nebraska
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Victor Young (1900-1956): Charm: a ballet: " Shadows and Sunshine"
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Natalie Bender (1919-1988?): San Louis Rey
1941
9 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Municipal Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Preludio in E - from Partita no 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
Charles Miller: Appalachian mountains : an American folk rhapsody (1939)
encore: "Star Spangled Banner" with audience singing
Service men in uniform were admitted free of charge
Stokowski wrote to Gould: "I like the music immensely. We are playing your
Guaracho and Rhumba and I think it is wonderful how you have caught the spirit
of this music and yet expressed it through our kind of orchestra..." 23.
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
This Tristan und Isolde Synthesis is a regular feature of Stokowski concerts.
In Leopold Stokowski Transcriptions, Maestro Serebrier explained:"Stokowski's "symphonic synthesis" consists of Wagner's
own concert version of the Prelude and Liebestod, interpolating between
them music of the Liebesnacht from the second act. His intention was not
to create a suite, but an extended symphonic poem, with the several sections
moving seamlessly from one to the next, harmonically and thematically. Stokowski
did not alter Wagner's scoring but limited his input to replacing the vocal lines
with instruments, such as the cellos performing Tristan's lines at the start
of Liebesnacht and the violins taking up Isolde's. At other times, Stokowski
leaves Wagner's orchestral music alone, without the vocal lines, as Wagner
himself had done in his own orchestral versions of scenes from his
operas."
Encore: John Stafford Smith: Star Spangled Banner
Encore: Bach: Aria "Air on the G-String" (from Orchestral Suite no 3,
BWV 1068 - Stokowski transcription
Encore: Weber: Invitation to the Dance opus 65 - Stokowski transcription
1941
14 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, Tennessee
The Ellis Auditorium in Memphis with a capacity of 12,000 in 1941. Elvis made one of his earliest
sold-out concerts there only 14 years after Stokowski's concert
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Tranfiguration), opus 24
1941
16 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Symphony no 1 opus 20 (1940): Scherzo movement
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
8000 attended the concert sponsored by the Kansas City Junior Chamber of Commerce
1941
17 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Wichita, Kansas
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Natalie Bender (1919-1988?): San Louis Rey
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Encore: John Stafford Smith: Star Spangled Banner
Encore: Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
1941
19 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Penrose Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Roger Sessions composing syle was primarily tonal and chromatic
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Roy Harris (1898-1979): Folksong Symphony: one of the Interludes (1940)
Roger Sessions (1896-1985): Violin Concerto (1935): Largo
Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Tranfiguration), opus 24
1941
20 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Denver, Colorado
Henry Brant in his compositions used spatial effects with multiple, separate musical
ensembles simultaneously playing together. He also experimented with controlled
improvisation, and large instrumental groups, such as 80 trombones or 75 guitars.
City Portrait is a ballet for full orchestra and percussion
concert included Henry Brant (1913-2008): City Portrait ballet: "Decisions"
1941
21 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Salt Lake City, Utah
concert sponsored by Latter Day Saints Choir
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Tranfiguration), opus 24
1941
23 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Seattle, Washington
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899): Fêtes
Franck: Symphony in D Minor (1888)
Natalie Bender (1919-1988?): San Louis Rey
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Encores: Bach, Tchaikovsky and Johann Strauss
1941
24 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Portland, Oregon
concert included:
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
1941
26 June
All-American Youth Orchestra
Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Morton Gould: pianist, conductor, success on TV, prolific composer, Morton Gould was an amazing,
mostly self-taught talent, championed by Stokowski throughout his career
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
"Placement of an acoustic reflector was selected by
Maestro Stokowski, creating a 'bowl within a bowl' and restricting
the audience to 15,000 persons..." 9
Recording sessions with the All-American Youth Orchestra followed at the Republic film
studios in Hollywood 3 to 20 July 1941 by Columbia Records including a dozen of the
Bach-Stokowski transcriptions, Mussorgsky-Stokowski Pictures at an Exhibition,
Brahms Symphony no 1, Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream Scherzo,
Falla "Ritual Fire Dance" from "El Amor Brujo",
the Mussorgsky-Stokowski Boris Godunov: "Symphonic Synthesis",
Cowell's Tales of our Countryside, Paul Creston Symphony
no 1 Scherzo, and the Ritual Fire Dance from Falla's El Amor Brujo
and others. Visit
Leopold Stokowski Discography 1941-1959 to read about these recordings.
1941
9, 10 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Henry Cowell was also an accomplished pianist
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Violin Sonata no 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: movement 3: Andante sostenuto - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Tales of Our Countryside (1941) - Henry Cowell piano:
Deep Tides
Exultation
The Harp of Life
Country Reel
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1941
11, 12 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Bach: Violin Sonata no 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: movement 3: Andante sostenuto - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Roy Harris (1898-1979): Folk Song Symphony: Dance Tunes for Strings and Percussion
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1941
16, 17 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription 115
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68 in the 16 October concert 115
Franck: Symphony in D minor in the 17 October concert 115
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Symphony no 1 opus 20 (1940): Scherzo movement
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1941
4 November
NBC Symphony
Cosmopolitan Opera House, New York
First broadcast of the NBC Symphony under Stokowski's direction
Broadcast from the Cosmopolitan Opera House while Studio 8-H was being changed acoustically
at Stokowski's insistance
Bach: Prelude in E-flat minor, BWV 853 (Prelude no 8 from book I of the Well Tempered Clavier) - Stokowski transcription
*** Philip Warner (1901-1982 Chicago composer): Sinfonietta (1940) - first movement.
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
"Stokowski is Engaged for Broadcast Series (10 September 1941): Niles Trammel, President of the National
Broadcasting Company annouced today that Leopold Stokowski had been engaged to conduct the
NBC Symphony Orchestra in a series of Tuesday night radio broadcasts during the
1941-1942 season. Arturo Toscanini, who conducted the orchestra for four seasons, completed his
contract and wanted a rest, Trammel said, adding that he hoped Toscanini would decide to conduct
the orchestra later."90
The decision by NBC to appoint Stokowski as conductor of the NBC Symphony not only
solved the dilemma of Toscanini withdrawing from the orchestra, but also brought
Stokowski back to recording for RCA Victor after he had moved to Columbia Records at the
time of his All-American Youth Orchestra.
It is interesting when Stokowski moved the NBC Symphony concerts temporarily to another venue, the
hall selected was at that time called the 'Cosmopolitan Opera House'. This was the same hall in which Stokowski
was later to perform his concerts with the New York City Symphony. The hall had been built by the Shriners
fraternal order and originally called by them the 'Mecca Temple'. When the owners failed
to pay the taxes on the building during the depression, the City of New York took possession and
Mayor La Guardia had the idea that it could be a center for symphony, opera and ballet. It was then
renamed 'City Center' and became Stokowski and the New York City Symphony's home
1941
11 November
NBC Symphony
Cosmopolitan Opera House, New York
Broadcast from the Cosmopolitan Opera House while Studio 8-H was being changed acoustically
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op 125
Anne Wiggins Brown soprano, Winifred Heidt contralto, William Horne tenor, Lawrence Whisonant baritone
Westminster Choir
the first three movements of the symphony were not broadcast, since the first half of the programme
was given to the Red Cross for fund raising.
it was perhaps a sign of the era that the Baltimore Sun gave particular coverage to the race
of the soloists: "The soprano soloist was Anne Brown, colored, of Baltimore who has
accomplished a great deal and who created the role of 'Bess' in 'Porgy and Bess'. The other
soloists are Vinifred Heidt contralto, William Horne tenor and Lawrence Whisonant, colored,
baritone."92
1941
18 November
NBC Symphony
Cosmopolitan Opera House, New York
Robert Kelly Adirondack Suite Sunset Reflections on Guild Historical GHCD2361
Broadcast from the Cosmopolitan Opera House while Studio 8-H was being changed acoustically
Prokofiev: music from the opera Love for Three Oranges (1930): Stokowski selection:
Infernal Dance
The Prince and the Princess
March
Robert Kelly (1916-2007): Adirondack Suite: Sunset Reflections
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E Minor, Opus 98
1941
25 November
NBC Symphony
Cosmopolitan Opera House, New York
Broadcast from the Cosmopolitan Opera House while Studio 8-H was being changed acoustically
Bach: Arioso - Largo from Concerto for harpsichord and strings BWV 1056 - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
*** Herbert Haufrecht (1910-1998): Two Fantastic Marches
While working in the field for the Department of Agriculture in West Virginia, Haufrecht
collected folk melodies, which he used in developing his compositions.
Performed in the renovated NBC Studio 8-H, modified according to
Stokowski's recommendations
Carleton Cooley: Eastbourne Sketches: Promenade
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68, Pastoral
1942
31 March
NBC Symphony
Studio 8-H, New York City
Bach: St. Matthew Passion BWV 244: concluding chorus
Collegiate Chorale, Robert Shaw director
Wagner: Parsifal - Stokowski Synthesis of music from Act III plus Good Friday Music
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture opus 36
1942
7 April
NBC Symphony
Studio 8-H, New York City
Frances Nash in the 1920s when she first performed with Stokowski
"Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" - Stokowski transcription from the traditional Martin Luther hymn
note: in most other concerts of which we have been able to verify, Stokowski performed his transcription of
Bach's Chorale of this Martin Luther theme, such as from Bach's Cantata BWV 80
Edward MacDowell: Piano Concerto no 2, opus 23 - Frances Nash
Lamar Stringfield (1897-1959): A Negro Parade - a North Carolina based composer
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) as adapted by Stokowski
1942
14 April
Studio 8-H, New York City
New York City
William Grant Still
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Saudades do Brasil opus 67: 4 movements selected by Stokowski:
3 - Botafogo
5 - Copacabana
6 - Ipanema
7 - Gavea
+ William Grant Still (1895-1978) : "And They Lynched Him On A Tree" (1940)
Louise Burge contralto, Lawrence Whisonant Winters bass-baritone
"Negro Chorus": Eva Jessye Choir, "White Chorus": Collegiate Choir, Robert Shaw director
(note: although the score called for "Negro Chorus" and "White Chorus",
the Collegiate Choir under Robert Shaw was racially integrated from its inception in
1941 70)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
1942
3, 9 May
New York WPA Symphony Orchestra
New York City
Concerts to Promote Sale of War Bonds and War Stamps
Stokowski conducted 5 WPA concerts 16
a concert included:
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1942
13, 14 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony - Los Angeles Philharmonic
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Stokowski's first appearance at the Hollywood Bowl
"Leopold Stokowski conducted the opening of the 1942 season,
beginning a close relationship with the Bowl..." 11
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Night on Bare Mountain - Stokowski transcription
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) as adapted by Stokowski
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1942
15 November
NBC Symphony
Studio 8-H, New York City
Harold Triggs (1900-1984): The Bright Land
As well as a composer, Harold Triggs was a successful concert pianist, a student of
Josef Lhevinne
Morton Gould (1913-1996): Spirituals for Orchestra
Richard Strauss: Eight Poems: "Zueignung" - Dorothy Maynor soprano singing in English
Bach: Aria "Air on the G-String" (from Orchestral Suite no 3,
BWV 1068 - Stokowski transcription
1942
22 November
NBC Symphony
New York City
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1942
29 November
NBC Symphony
New York City
Tchaikovsky: Drama of Ostrovsky (Tchaikovsky's 1864 overture to Ostrovsky's play 'The Storm')
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1942
6 December
NBC Symphony
Studio 8H, New York City
Hovhaness Symphony no 1 on Guild Historical GHCD 2347
Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Adagio in C from Toccata, Adagio and Fugue BWV 564 - Stokowski transcription
*** Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Symphony no 1, opus 17, no 2, "Exile Symphony"
reissued available on Guild Historical GHCD 2347
*** Paul Lavalle (1908-1997): "Symphonic Rhumba"
Paul Lavalle was a member of the NBC Symphony's clarinet section
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll (1870)
1942
13 December
NBC Symphony
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Programme of the Shostakovich Symphony no 7 Carnegie Hall concert
Shostakovich: Symphony no 7 "Leningrad" opus 60
Frequently written about has been the 1942 disagreement about whether Toscanini (not
particularly a Shostakovich advocate) or Stokowski (who premiered many Shostakovich
works and championed the composer throughout his career) would give the premiere
performance outside the Soviet Union of the Shostakovich Symphony no 7 "Leningrad".
With World War 2 at its hight and the German Army at the gates of Leningrad, this
was a much awaited work. Toscanini gave the premiere with the NBC Symphony on
19 July 1942 12, and Stokowski performed it in Carnegie Hall five
months later.
1942
23 December
NBC Symphony
Studio 8-H, New York City
Childrens Concert with student Kenneth Gordon as violin soloist
Paul White: Five Miniatures for Orchestra opus 7: Caravan Song
Handel: opera Siroe, re di Persia: "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night"
"The young audience will sing Christas carols and will be permitted
a question-and-answer period during which Stokowski will answer their
queries"17
Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
+ Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Symphony no 1, opus 17, no 2, "Exile Symphony" (Stokowski gave the premiere the
previous December with the NBC Symphony)
1943
25, 26, 30 January
Los Angeles Philharmonic
25-Municipal Auditorium, Pasadena
26-Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles
30-Russ Auditorium, San Diego
John Stafford Smith: Star Spangled Banner
Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé - Suite no 2
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
1943
30 January
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Camp Elliott US Fleet Marine Force Training Center, Miramar, San Diego, California
9 PM evening concert on the 61st birthday of President Roosevelt at the
Fleet Marine Force Training Center, Miramar, and was broadcast on
CBS radio 13. This was an evening concert following the 30 January 1943
San Diego Russ Auditorium matinee concert.
John Stafford Smith: Star Spangled Banner
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major, opus 3 no 5,
Hob III-17 mvmt 2 Andante cantabile (sometimes called by Stokowski "Haydn Eighteenth Century
Dance" or "Haydn's Serenade") - Stokowski transcription
Boccherini: String Quintet No 1 in E opus 11 no 5 G 275 - 3rd movement Minuetto -
Stokowski transcription
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Rapsodie for Orchestra and Saxophone (1911) soloist not identified
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé - Suite no 2
1943
14 February
NBC Symphony
New York City
Holst: The Planets on Cala CACD 0526
Gustav Holst (1874-1934): The Planets opus 32 (1916) - available on Cala CACD 0526
Women's Chorus
The Planets was the only work on the programme
1943
21 February
NBC Symphony
New York City
Concert in honor of France with French soldiers present
Stravinsky: Symphony in C (1940)
Stravinsky: Circus Polka (1942)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé - Suite no 2
encore: 'La Marseillaise'
1943
28 February
NBC Symphony
New York City
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Symphony in E flat
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1943
7 March
NBC Symphony
New York City
Tchaikovsky: The Tempest fantasy overture, opus 18
+++ Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky opus 78 - Jennie Tourel mezzo-soprano
1943
14 March
NBC Symphony
New York City
Vaughan Williams Symphony No 4 on Cala CACD 0528
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony No 4 in F minor (note: available on Cala CACD 0528)
Morton Gould (1913-1996): New China March opus 78, Red Cavalry March arranged by Morton Gould
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
1943
17 March
NBC Symphony
Lakehurst, New Jersey
Shostakovich: Symphony no 7 "Leningrad" opus 60: Movements 1 and 4
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
Johann Strauss Jr.: On the Beautiful Blue Danube
Audience sing-along
1943
21 March
NBC Symphony
New York City
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Symphony no 1, opus 210
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1943
28 March
NBC Symphony
New York City
Bach: St. John's Passion BWV 245 - "Es ist vollbracht" - Stokowski transcription
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): music from Le Martyre de saint Sébastien (1911)
Wagner: Parsifal - Act I Prelude and Act III Prelude
1943
9 April
"an orchestra of students from the Juilliard School, Columbia University, and the
High School of Music and Art" 97
Metropolitan Opera House, New York City
presented as "A Miracle Play", this was a staged version of a greatly cut
St. Matthew Passion, Robert Edmond Jones designer and George Balanchine choreographer
Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Eleanor Steber soprano
Jennie Tourel mezzo-soprano
Charles Darwin tenor
Lucius Metz tenor (Evangelist)
Gerhard Pechner bass-baritone (Pilate, Judas, Peter)
Collegiate Chorale, Robert Shaw director, Lillian Gish in non-singing
role of Mary Magdalene, and 40 persons miming the action.
"Concert for the benefit of the world's children"
Oscar Thompson of the Christian Science Monitor wrote:"It was well, perhaps, that
that this was specified as a miracle play 'based on' the 'St. Matthew Passion' for the music had
been cut with a ruthlessness that reduced to about an hour and a quarter the time consumed for
the unfolding of a score which, in its complete form, requires about three
hours... much of the time, the sound was that of the Bach Stokowski transcriptions
rather than plain Bach. The reverent was converted to the sensuous."97
1943
12 December
NBC Symphony
New York City
Stokowski with (from left) Deems Taylor, Paul Creston, Aaron Copland and William Schuman in 1943
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no 2 in F major BWV 1047 - Stokowski transcription
+ Bach: Chorale Prelude "Christ lag in Todesbanden" BWV 718 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
William Schuman (1910-1992): Prayer in Time of War, 1943
1943
19 December
NBC Symphony
Studio 8-H, New York City
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935): "In the Manger" described in the programme as
"Russian Christmas Music" - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Stokowski's "Second Symphonic Synthesis" of Tristan und Isolde: In April, 1932 Stokowski recorded
with the Philadelphia Orchestra excerpts from Tristan und Isolde Act II, concluding with the
Love Music (Liebesnacht) from Act II. Reception to this version regretted the missing Liebestod from
Act III. Then in his 1935 recording of his second "Symphonic Synthesis" arrangement, Stokowski
expanded the music from Acts 2 and 3, concluding the transcription with a transition from the
Act II music to the concluding finale of the opera, the Liebestod in which Isolde sings over
the body of Tristan. Stokowski retains the protagonist's interplay having cellos play Tristan's
music and violins play Isolde's music.
Howard Hanson (1896-1981): Symphony no 4 opus 34, "Requiem" (1943)
1944
9 January
NBC Symphony
Studio 8H, New York City
Mozart Camargo Guarnieri described as "a distinguished figure of the Brazilian
national school", and an active conductor and composer
Albéniz: Iberia, Book 1: Fête-dieu à Seville
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897-1948): Reisado do pastoreio: Batuque
Mozart Camargo Guarnieri (1907-1993): Three Dances for Orchestra (1941):
Brazilian dance
Flower of Tremembé
Savage Dance
Copland: Symphony no 2 "Short Symphony"
1944
16 January
NBC Symphony
New York City
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Charles Sanford Skilton (1868-1941): Sunrise Song
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Plow that Broke the Plains Suite from the film music
Efrem Zimbalist (1889-1985): American Rhapsody
1944
23 January
NBC Symphony
New York City
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Wagner: Die Walküre: Magic Fire Music
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Nobilissima Visione ballet (1938)
1944
30 January
NBC Symphony
New York City
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
1944
6 February
NBC Symphony
New York City
Eduard Steuermann performed a wide range of Schoenberg and other works. He
and Stokowski prepared the Schoenberg Piano Concerto premiere for several weeks with
subsequent praise from Schoenberg (often difficult to please)
Antonio Cesti (1623-1669): "Tu mancavi a tormentarmi" - Stokowski transcription
Schubert: Symphony in B minor, D759, "Unfinished"
Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
*** Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, opus 42 (1942) - Eduard Steuermann - World Premiere
1944
13 February
NBC Symphony
New York City
Butterworth and Antheil on Cala CACD 0528 (Debussy on Cala CACD 0526)
George Butterworth (1885-1916): "A Shropshire Lad" (1914)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
George Antheil: Symphony no 4 "1942"
1944
20 February
NBC Symphony
New York City
Rimsky-Korsakov: "Capriccio Espagnol" opus 34
Tchaikovsky: Again, as Before, Alone, opus 73, no 6 - Stokowski transcription
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
Daniele Amfitheatrof (1901-1983): De Profundis Clamavi for orchestra (1944)
1944
27 February
NBC Symphony
New York City
Final Stokowski concert as co-conductor of the NBC Symphony, with
his contract not being renewed 14,15
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
1944
6, 7 March
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
First Concert of Stokowski and the newly formed New York City Symphony
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Plow that Broke the Plains (1936)
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) as adapted by Stokowski
'Stokowski to Head New York City Symphony' (AP 19 January 1944): "Leopold Stokowski
announced today that he has accepted an invitation to act as unsalaried musical director
of the New York City Symphony Orchestra at the invitation of New York City Mayor
Fiorello H. La Guardia. Stokowski said that auditions for the 80 positions of the
new orchestra would begin Monday."100
a review: "A capacity crowd of music lovers, many in uniform paid a top
price of $1 last night to fill the city center of music and drama.
Stokowski lead the 80 piece orchestra in a program including the 'Little'
G minor Fugue of Bach, Beethoven's 7th symphony, the Virgil Thomson suite
'The Prow that Broke the Plains, and Stravinsky's Firebird suite "62
1944
13, 14 March
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Rimsky Korsakov: The Maid of Pskov (1872) listed by Stokowski as
"Ivan the Terrible" (the title which had later been used by Diaghilev):
Prelude to Act III 'Hunt and Storm' - Stokowski transcription
Shostakovich: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 54
Dai-Keong Lee (1915-2005): Pacific Prayer (1943) - Lee was a Hawaiian born Chinese-American who studied at Juilliard
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1944
14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30 April
Orquesta Sinfónica de México
Mexico City, Mexico
three pairs of concerts which included:
Albéniz: Iberia, Book 1: Fête-dieu à Seville in F# minor - Stokowski transcription
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Shostakovich: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 54
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919)
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sacrae symphoniae: Canzon quarti toni a 15, C185
- Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Parsifal: "Symphonic Synthesis"
of Act III - Stokowski transcription
Stokowski transcriptions of Bach
press commentary: "Stokowski is going to Mexico City at the invitation of the
Mexican government...later he will visit Guatemala, El Salvador and other Latin American
republics"63
In fact, Stokowski did not visit other Latin American republics but rather returned to
California after an incident: 25 May 1944 press account: "Mr. Stokowski arrived
here [Mexico City] several weeks ago to conduct a series of concerts...Among the scores
in a scheduled broadcast was a composition by Ponce. The composer failed to produce the
orchestra arrangement of his piece explaining to the conductor that he did not have
it. Mr. Stokowski in what the newspaper called 'a childish display of temper' berated the
composer in rehearsals in front of the musicians, who then walked out...In an open letter to
President Camacho Mr. Stokowski who left yesterday for California said that he could not
conduct a program without adequate rehearsals and that 'in behalf of the music of Mexico,
a country I love dearly, I present with sorrow this protest'."64
1944
9, 10 October
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Opening Concert of Stokowski and the New York City Symphony,
1944-1945 season
Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 3 in E-flat major, Opus 55 "Eroica"
Joaquin Turina (1882-1949): Danzas fantásticas opus 22
Franz Carl Bornschein (1879-1948): Moon over Taos : for solo flute, strings, timpany, Indian drums, harp
"On a moonlit summer night in Taos, New Mexico in 1941, Franz Bornschein
listened intently to an Indian, silhouetted against an adobe building, playing softly
a bewitching melody on a primative flute. Bornschein went to his hotel room and made a musical
sketch of what he had just seen and heard."92
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no 2
"review by Olin Downes of the New York Times: The greatest interpretive feat
of the evening - his reading of the Beethoven 'Eroica' - was one that for formal coherance
and proportion would pass the most exigent tests."73
1944
23, 24 October
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Night on Bare Mountain - Stokowski transcription
Shostakovich: Symphony no 8 in C minor, Op 65 - score extensively edited by Stokowski
Scriabin: Prelude in C-sharp minor opus 2 no 1 - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
1944
6, 7 November
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Ricardo Castillo's works often make use of the early mythology of his native Guatemala
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Violin Concerto, opus 14 (1939)
- Roman Totenberg (effectively Concertmaster of the New York City Symphony,
but with the official title 'solo violin' 65
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Ricardo Castillo (1894-1967): Cortège (1944)
1944
20, 21 November
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
10 December 1944 New York City Symphony recording of Death and Transfiguration
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in F Minor, BWV 1056: II. Largo (Arioso) - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Symphony no 40 in G Minor, K550
Schubert: 16 German Dances opus 33: Tyrolean Dances - Stokowski arrangement
Richard Strauss: Death and Transfiguration opus 24
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony no 2, opus 38 (1939)
1944
4, 5 December
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Rimsky Korsakov: The Maid of Pskov (1872) listed by Stokowski as
"Ivan the Terrible" (the title which had later been used by Diaghilev):
Prelude to Act III 'Hunt and Storm' - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74, Pathétique
Kabalevsky: Piano Concerto no 3 in D major - Henrietta Schumann piano
Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite, opus 60
1944
18, 19 December
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Nicolai Berezowsky, a violinist and conductor whose compositions were championed by Koussevitzky and
Stokowski, and whose early death may have cut short his success
Copland: Fanfare For The Common Man (1942)
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935): "In the Manger" described in the programme as
"Russian Christmas Music" - Stokowski transcription
Felix Greissle (1894-1982 and son-in law of Arnold Schoenberg): Transcription of
Harold Bauer's theme and variations on a Siciliano of Purcell
Robert Shaw early in his career; one of Stokowski's favorite choral directors
Children's Christmas Story of the Birth of Christ
Birth of Christ performed in pantomime by 55 school children, with costumes, choreography
and animals from the Bronx Zoo (at least at rehearsals). Concert of 24 December concluded at
Midnight Christmas eve with bells chiming 60
Between each scene, works of Bach as transcribed by Stokowski were played 72:
Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV 248: Part II no 10: Sinfonia "Shepherd's Song"
Bach: "Sinfonia" from Cantata no 156: "Ich Steh mit einem Fuss im Grabe"
Bach: Violin Sonata no 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: movement 3: Andante sostenuto
Bach: Chorale prelude "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639
Bach: Cantata no 29 BWV 29: "Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir
(We thank you, God, we thank you)": Sinfonia
Bach: Orchestral Suite no 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067: Badinerie
Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV 248: Part I no 1: Chorus "Christians be joyful"
Augustin Duncan, narrator, read a corresponding passage from the Gospels before each scene.
The producer of the pantomime was Robert Edmond Jones.
Concert of Christmas carols (included Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, First Noel,
Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, Jingle Bells)
The Collegiate Chorale, founded and directed by Robert Shaw 60
Albéniz: Iberia, Book 1: Fête-dieu à Seville in F# minor - Stokowski transcription
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada),
from Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Violin Concerto (1939) - Robert Arthur Gross violin
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
1945
18 January
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Student Concert
Bruch: Violin Concerto no 1, opus 26: third movement - twelve year old Carlo Ferro
Vivaldi: L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Schubert: 16 German Dances opus 33: Tyrolean Dances - Stokowski arrangement
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
Schubert: Schwanengesang D.957: "Serenade"
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Night on Bare Mountain - Stokowski transcription
Audience sing-along: traditional Welsh song 'Men of Harlech' and Foster: 'My Old
Kentucky Home'74
1945
29, 30 January
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Myaskovsky, left with Prokofiev
Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950): Symphony no 21, opus 51 - Myaskovsky wrote 27 symphonies and is
somewhat famous for the quote: "Never wait for inspiration"
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade opus 35 (1888)
1945
12, 13 February
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Fanfare for the Forces of Our Latin-American Allies (1944)
Bach: Violin Sonata no 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: movement 3: Andante sostenuto - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68, Pastoral
Heitor Villa-Lobos was guest conductor in his own works
Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Uirapurú (1917)
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras: no 5 (1938)
Olin Downes of the New York Times wrote: The performance [of the Beethoven Pastorale]
was one of much beauty and prevailingly fine proportions. There was an occasional
over-accentuation of phrasing too studied or a tempo a little livelier than
is customary. There were places that Mr. Stokowski gave uncommon significance.
Not the least of these was the thanksgiving after the storm71
1945
15 February
New York City Symphony
Lewisohn Stadium, City College of New York, New York City
Tommy Dorsey, Nathaniel Shilkret, and Leopold Stokowski
Popular and Student Concert broadcast on WNYC, the city radio station
Albéniz: Iberia, Book 1: Fête-dieu à Seville in F# minor - Stokowski transcription
Scriabin: Etude opus 2 no 1 in c-sharp minor - Stokowski transcription
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
+++ William Schuman (1910-1992): Side Show (1944) later renamed "Circus Overture"
*** Nathaniel Shilkret (1889-1982): Trombone Concerto - Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey had commissioned this concerto from Shilkret, and this concert is the premiere. New York
City Mayor La Guardia attended this student concert. 73
the concert concluded with three audience sing-along songs
1945
26, 27 February
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Anis Fuleihan (1900-1970): Fanfare for the Medical Corps (1944)
Vivaldi: Concerto for 4 violins in B minor, RV 580
- Roman Totenberg, Elsa Werth,
Everett Lee, Joyce Flissler
Antonio Cesti (1623-1669): Orontea: Arioso - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
This Parsifal Act III Synthesis is a regular feature of Stokowski concerts.
In Leopold Stokowski Transcriptions, Maestro Serebrier explained:"Stokowski's Symphonic Synthesis of Act III
includes the transformation music from the conclusion of the final scene
and the final moments when Parsifal heals Amfortas's wound by touching it with his spear.
Stokowski excluded the 'Good Friday Spell' music from his version because
Wagner himself had already made a concert version of it"
1945
12, 13 March
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Fanfare for Paratroopers (1942) for brass and percussion
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture opus 36
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1945
15 March
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Student Concert
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
Thompson: Five Portraits (1940/1944)
Virgil Thompson conducted his own work
1945
19, 20 March
New York City Symphony
City Center - New York City
Roman Totenberg
Stokowski's final Concert with the New York City Symphony-
He was to be succeeded by Leonard Bernstein, Bernstein's first conducting post which he
held for three seasons. Bernstein also conducted without fee, as had Stokowski
Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
Barbara Troxell soprano
Jean Handslik contralto
Joseph Laderoute tenor (Evangelist)
Ralph Jusko baritone (Jesus)
Ralph Telasko bass
Carlos Alexander baritone
Collegiate Chorale, Robert Shaw director
Roman Totenberg violin solo
The New York Times wrote: "Because of time limitations, the work had to be drastically cut and the
program indicated 'Music from the Passion' "75
1945
10 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Charlie and Oona Chaplin at the Hollywood Bowl
First concert of what was to be Stokowski's 1945 and 1946 direction of the
'Symphonies Under the Stars' series of Hollywood Bowl concerts
"Leopold Stokowski and the Hollywood Bowl Symphony inaugurated the 24th season
of 'Symphony under the Stars' with an audience of 11,000 and with Stokowski's bride
Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski in a front row box. The audience included Lana Turner,
Charles Chaplin and his wife Oona Chaplin and Mr. and Mrs. Edward G.
Robinson..." 4
the concert was introduced by three brief fanfares composed by George Antheil (1900-1959),
and Hollywood composers Alexander Steinert (1900-1982) and Walter Scharf (1910-2003) 130
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74, Pathétique
1945
15 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Grieg: Piano Concerto, opus 16 - Percy Grainger
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
INTERMISSION
George Antheil (1900-1959): Heroes of Today (1945) - premiere - later reworked as the first movement of Antheil's
Symphony no 6 of 1948.
Victor Herbert: Air de Ballet (1912)
Tchaikovsky: Humoresque opus 10 no 2 as arranged by Stokowski
Tchaikovsky: song "Again, as Before, Alone" opus 73, no 6 - Stokowski transcription
there was also audience sing-along during the second part of the concert 135
1945
17 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Stokowski 1945 programme
Eugene Zador (1894-1977): Fanfare - opened the concert
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
Albéniz: Iberia, Book 1: Fête-dieu à Seville in F# minor - Stokowski transcription
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé Suite no 2
Isabel Morse Jones wrote: "...it is evident that the Hollywood Bowl Symphony is settling down
to its work. The different sections and even the varied solo instruments stand out with
clarity. This was particularly noticable in the "Daphnis and Chloe" second suite..." 136
INTERMISSION
César Franck: Symphony in D minor (1888)
1945
22 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Anatoly Liadov (1855-1914): Eight Russian Folk Songs opus 58 Stokowski arrangement
Religious Chant
Christmas Carol - Kolyada
Plaintive Melody
Humorous Song 'I Danced With The Gnat'
Legend of the Birds
Cradle Song
Round Dance
Village Dance Song
Marina Schubert Kochetz soprano sang:
Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride (1899) Act 2: "Marfa's aria"
Rimsky-Korsakov: "The Nightingale and the Rose" opus 2 no 2
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Tommy Dorsey had commissioned this concerto from Shilkret, and the
work was given its premiere by Tommy Dorsey and Leopold Stokowski
15 February 1945 concert listed above.
Jacques Offenbach: Tales of Hoffmann (1881) Act IV: "Barcarolle"
Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody no 2 in C sharp minor (S. 244/2) orchestrated by Liszt and
Franz Doppler, adapted by Leopold Stokowski
"...the audience was invited to sing 'Home On The Range'..." 137
1945
31 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Victor recorded the Symphony no 1 with the Hollywood Bowl on 1 August 1945
reissued on Cala CACD 0520
Gluck: Ballet Suite of 6 Interludes from Gluck operas - Stokowski transcription:
- Don Juan Wq 52: Air gai
- Iphigénie en Aulide Wq 40: Lento
- Iphigénie en Aulide Wq 40: Air gai
- Orfeo ed Euridice Wq 30: Dance of the Blessed Spirits
- Armide Wq 45: Musette
- Armide Wq 45: Sicilienne
Vivaldi: Concerto for 4 violins in B minor, RV 580
"...It was an inspired idea to present four violinists from the orchestra in the Vivaldi B minor
concerto. Concertmaster Harold Ayres, violinists Maurice Warner, Hyman Weinstein, and
Ralph Schaeffer was a delight..." 133
Bach: Concerto for 4 Harpsichords in a BWV 1065 (1730)
8:15 PM - 8:45 PM Hollywood Bowl Symphony conducted by Stokowski in Hollywood composers. Followed by
Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Claudette Colbert, Frances Langford and Johnny Green with songs
from Hollywood productions.
Franz Waxman (1906-1967): "The Horn Blows At Midnight" (1945): Athaniel the Trumpeter comedy overture
Alfred Newman: (1901-1970): "Song of Bernadette" (1943): Vision Scene
Robert Emmett Dolan (1908-1972): "Lady in the Dark" (1944): waltz
Ernst Toch (1887-1964): "Ladies in Retirement" (1941): Scherzo
Max Steiner (1888-1971): "Now, Voyager" (1942): final scene
Conrad Salinger (1901-1962): "Meet Me In St. Louis" (1944): Halloween Music
Frank Churchill (1901-1942) and Edward Plumb (1907-1958): "Bambi" excerpts with narration by Claudette Colbert
Leo Shuken (1906-1976): "Our Wife" (1941): Trumpet Concerto - Sergeant Mannie Klein trumpet
- Mannie Klein (1908-1994) was a long-time big band and Hollywood studio musician who had studied with Max Schlossberg.
1945
5 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Vivaldi: Concerto for 4 violins in B minor, RV 580
- Concertmaster Harold Ayres, violinists Maurice Warner, Hyman Weinstein, and
Ralph Schaeffer
Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707): Suite in D Major: Prince of Denmark's March
(sometimes labelled: "A Trumpet Voluntary") - Stokowski transcription
Girolamo Frescobald: Gagliarda, Book 2 no 2 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Concerto for 4 Pianos BWV 1065 - Dorothea Eustis, Margaretha Lehmann, Helena Lewyn,
Yi-an Rosita Chang
Gluck: Ballet Suite of 6 Interludes from Gluck operas - Stokowski transcription:
- Don Juan Wq 52: Air gai
- Iphigénie en Aulide Wq 40: Lento
- Iphigénie en Aulide Wq 40: Air gai
- Orfeo ed Euridice Wq 30: Dance of the Blessed Spirits
- Armide Wq 45: Musette
- Armide Wq 45: Sicilienne
Brahms: Serenade no 1 in D-major, opus 11: two minuets arranged by Stokowski
Antonio Cesti (1623-1669): "Tu mancavi a tormentarmi" - Stokowski transcription
encore - Chabrier: España (1883)
1945
7 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, opus 59: Waltzes
Jerome Kern (1885-1945): Mark Twain (Portrait For Orchestra)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1945
9 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Boléro (1928)
Jeanette MacDonald soprano:
- Gounod - Faust "Song of the King of Thule"
- Gounod - Roméo et Juliette "Juliette's Waltz"
- Léo Delibes - The Maids of Cadiz
- Victor Herbert - Badinage (1908)
- Italian song I'll See You Again
- Schubert - Ave Maria D 839
- Rudolf Friml - Indian Love Call Wq 45: Sicilienne
- Rudolf Friml - Donkey Serenade
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
1945
12 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
Dvorak: Carnival Overture, opus 92
Dvorak: Rondo for Cello in G minor, opus 94 - Kurt Reher cello
*** Steinert: Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra - Kalman Bloch clarinet
Encore - Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): The Damnation of Faust opus 24: Hungarian March
Encore - Saint-Saëns: Le Déluge (1876): Prelude
Encore - Johann Strauss Jr.: Die Fledermaus (1874) : Prelude
Encore - Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major opus 3 no 5,
Hob III-17 mvmt 2: Andante cantabile (sometimes called "Haydn's Serenade") - Stokowski transcription
Encore - Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé - Suite for Orchestra no 2 (1912)
1945
14 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Stokowski rehearsing the Hollywood Bowl Symphony in 1945
A Wagner Concert
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Wagner: Das Rheingold: "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla"
Wagner: Siegfried: Act II Scene 2: "Forest Murmurs"
Wagner: Die Walküre: "Magic Fire Music" and "Ride of the Valkyries"
Wagner: Die Götterdämmerung: Death of Siegfried and Immolation Scene
1945
19 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Morton Gould (1913-1996): American Salute (1943)
Verdi: Don Carlo: "Ella giammai m'amò" - Nicola Moscona
Gounod: Faust: "Vous qui faites l'endormie" - Nicola Moscona
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Schubert: Moment Musical in f minor opus 94 no 3 (D780-3) 'Air russe' - Stokowski transcription
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Pines of Rome (1924)
1945
21 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
William Grant Still
William Grant Still (1895-1978): "Old California" (1941)
- Virgil Thomson's "The Plow that Broke the Plains" was scheduled for this concert, but the
score did not arrive in time. It was performed and recorded by the Hollywood Bowl Symphony
under Stokowski in August 1946
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony no 7 in c opus 60 "Leningrad" (1942)
Isabel Morse Jones of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "...The Hollywood Bowl Symphony has been
rearranged to give a better blending quality of the winds and the brass. The cellos are in
the middle and the basses at the back. The sound effect is vastly improved.
Leopold Stokowski's re-creation of this symphony is not soon to be forgotten. It
rings in the ears..." 134
1945
26 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Bach: Preludio in E - from Violin Partita no 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
Scriabin: Etude opus 2 no 1 in c-sharp minor - Stokowski transcription
Victor Young: Pearls On Velvet (1937) for piano
- Ray Turner, piano Southern California Young Artists Audition Winner
Mozart: Marriage of Figaro: Act III: "Dove sono" - Phyllis Moffat soprano
Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci Ballatella - Phyllis Moffat soprano
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (1941) - James Abato saxophone
Richard Strauss: Concert Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, opus 59
1945
28 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op 125
Anne Bollinger soprano, Robert Kidder tenor, Wauneva Bell mezzo-soprano,
Tudor Williams bass 3
Greater Los Angeles Chorus "A Chorus of 1000 Voices" 3
1945
2 September
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68: Movement 4
Victor Herbert: song "Indian Summer" (1919)
Schubert: one of the Marches militaires D. 733 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Piano Sonata no 14 in c sharp minor opus 27 no 2 "Moonlight":
Movement 1 - Stokowski transcription
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole opus 21 - Isaac Stern
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C major opus 48: Movement 2
1945
18 December
New York Philharmonic
Madison Square Garden
"USA-USSR Welding the Peace"
USA Anthem: The Star Spangled Banner
USSR Anthem: "Unbreakable Union of Freeborn Republics"
Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky: Cantata for Mezzo-Soprano, Chorus, and Orchestra, opus 78
Opening of the 1946 Hollywood Bowl season with Bizet's Carmen
Bizet: Carmen (1875) sung in English
Winifred Heidt mezzo-soprano (Carmen)
James Pease baritone (Escamillo)
Ramon Vinay tenor (Don José)
Marina Koshetz soprano (Micaëla)
Charles Ferguson bass (Zuniga)
Alice Lee soprano (Frasquita)
Barbara Patton mezzo-soprano (Mercédès)
Henry Reese baritone (Le Dancaïre)
Thomas McGranahan tenor (Le Remendado)
Hollywood Bowl Chorus directed by Hugo Strelitzer who was also
choral director of the San Francisco Opera
"19,000 persons flocked to the Hollywood Bowl last night to witness
'Carmen', opening production of the twenty-fifth summer
season. Leopold Stokowski conducted"10
1946
14 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Camilla Wicks (1928- ) a virtuoso, age 17 at this concert
Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon opus 24: Overture
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 "From the New World": Largo
Mikhail Glinka: Jota aragonesa (1845) - perhaps the only Stokowski career performances of Jota aragonesa
Wieniawski: Violin Concerto no 2 in D minor, opus 22 - Camilla Wicks
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Peter Grimes (1945): Interlude from Act II (Passacaglia)
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Soirées musicales opus 24 (1936) - suite of 'Five Movements from Rossini'
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Tzigane (1924) - Camilla Wicks
Fritz Kreisler: Caprice viennois opus 2 (1910)- arranged by Stokowski
Honegger: Pacific 231 (1923)
1946
16 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Brahms: Academic Festival Overture opus 80
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Act III Prelude - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Paris version 1861): Overture and Venusberg Music
1946
21 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Percy Grainger
concert featuring Percy Grainger (1882-1961)
Lalo: Le roi d'Ys: Overture
Charles Tomlinson Griffes: "The White Peacock" (1915)
Grainger: In a Nutshell (1916)
Arthur Benjamin (1893-1960): From San Domingo (1945)
Tchaikovsky: Suite from The Nutcracker Op 71a - Stokowski selection:
- Marche
- Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Danse de la fée Dragée)
- Trepak - Danse russe
- Arabian Dance (Danse arabe)
- Chinese Dance (Danse chinoise)
- Waltz of the Flowers (Valse des fleurs)
Kodály: Danses de Galánta (1933)
Grainger: Danish Folk Song Suite - Percy Grainger piano
- The Power of Love
- Lord Peter’s Stable Boy
- The Nightingale and The Two Sisters
- Jutish Medley
Cyril Scott (1879-1970): Hornpipe and Shanty (Percy Grainger was a good friend of Scott -
both were vegetarians who belived in apple cider and vinegar for health)
1946
23 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina:
Prelude - Dawn over the Moscow River - arranged by Stokowski
Shostakovich: Symphony no 1 in F minor opus 10
Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead opus 29
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Fantasy after Dante, opus 32
the Los Angeles Times wrote: "...the Stokowski seating arrangement,
bazaar in Wagner or Brahms, is perfectly acceptable in Shostakovich.
The wind instruments are given many opportunities and should be out
front. There were impish and individual solos from the Concertmaster
Alfred Lustgarten and from the cellist Boris Blinder of San Franciscos..."
128
1946
28 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Ernst Toch
Ernst Toch (1887-1964): Pinocchio, A Merry Overture (1935)
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite opus 22: "The Swan of Tuonela" opus 22 no 2
Alfred Bachelet (1864-1944): "Chère nuit" (1897) - Nadine Conner soprano
Jules Massenet: Manon (1884) Act III: Gavotte scene: "Obéissons quand leur voix appelle" - Nadine Conner soprano
David Rose: Holiday For Strings (1942)
David Rose: As Kreutzer Spins (1940)
- David Rose (1910-1990) was a radio and TV orchestra leader married to Judy Garland
Puccini: La bohème (1896): Act I "mi chiamano Mimi" - Nadine Conner soprano
Puccini: La bohème (1896): Act II "Quando me'n vo'" - Musetta's Waltz - Nadine Conner soprano
Borodin: Prince Igor (1887): Polovetsian Dances - Stokowski arrangement
Elie Siegmeister (1909-1991): Western Suite (1945)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957): Die tote Stadt (1920): "Marietta’s song"
- (Otto Klemperer conducted the
opera's premiere in Cologne and his wife Johanna Geisler sang Marietta.)
George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess: "Summertime"
Johann Strauss Jr.: Die Fledermaus (1874): waltz
1946
30 July
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
José Iturbi
Mozart: Don Giovanni K. 527: Overture
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
*** Italo Montemezzi (1875-1952): Italia mia! Nulla fermerà il tuo canto
("My Italy! Nothing will silence your song")
- Montemezzi moved from Italy to California in 1939. This seems to
have been a world premiere 129
José Iturbi (1895-1980): "Soliloquy" (1943)
Joaquin Turina (1882-1949): Danzas fantásticas opus 22
1946
4 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Shura Cherkassky
Ambroise Thomas: Raymonda (1851): Overture
Antonio Cesti (1623-1669): Tu mancavi a tormentarmi - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no 2, opus 44: Movements 2 and 3 - Shura Cherkassky piano
Wagner: Siegfried: Act II Scene 2: "Forest Murmurs"
Delibes: Sylvia Ballet Suite (1880)
George Antheil (1900-1959): Over the Plains (1945)
Nikolay Peiko (1916-1995): From the Legends of Yakutia (1940) symphonic suite
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from
Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Symphony in E flat major (1940) a 1940 commission by the Chicago Symphony
Richard Strauss: Salome opus 54: Dance of the Seven veils
Copland: Incidental music to the play Quiet City (1940)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1946
11 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Doris Stockton marimba soloist
von Suppé: Beautiful Galatea Overture
Tchaikovsky: Valse Scherzo op 34 - played with Doris Stockton marimba
von Weber: Rondo for Harmonichord and Orchestra (1811) - Doris Stockton marimba
Aldo Solito De Solis: Malaga (short 3 minute piece from "Moods of Spain") - Doris Stockton marimba
Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4 - Doris Stockton marimba
Falla: El sombrero de tres picos: Suite arranged by Stokowski
Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major, opus 3 no 5, Hob III-17
movement 2 Andante cantabile (which Stokowski in performances and recordings sometimes called
"Haydn EIGHTEENTH CENTURY DANCE") - Stokowski transcription
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): La Valse
Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite, opus 60
- performed with Edward Arnold narrator to a new Kije script written by the
Hollywood Bowl Assistant Manager Douglas Field 132
Sibelius: Finlandia opus 26 (1899)
this is a concert of such unusual (even strange) mix of works that perhaps would
only be found in a Stokowski programme
1946
13 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Darius Milhaud
Rachmaninoff: Symphony no 2 in e opus 27
Falla: El Amor Brujo (1916) - Nan Merriman mezzo-soprano
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Saudades do Brazil no 2: Botafogo
the Los Angeles Times wrote: "...it was a cool night in the Hollywood Bowl until
Stokowski's El Amor Brujo fired the blood"
1946
18 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Eric Zeisl
Wolf-Ferrari: Il segreto di Susanna (1909) Overture
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Bachianas brasileiras no 2 (1930):
- Aria and Toccata ("The Little Train of the Caipira")
Saint-Saëns: Samson and Delilah: 'Bacchanale'
Joaquin Torina: Oración del torero opus 34 (1925)
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major opus 35: Movements 2 and 3 - Roman Totenberg
Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite no 1
Eric Zeisl (1905-1959): Job: Cossack Dance
*** George Frederick McKay (1899-1970): Evocation "From A Moonlit Ceremony" - seems to have
been the work's premiere
Edouard Lalo: Symphonie espagnole opus 21 (1874) - Roman Totenberg
Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty ballet: Excerpts: Prelude, Pas d'action,
Danse-vertige, La Fuite des Quatre Princes, La Fée des lilas variation, Sarabande,
Apothéose
1946
20 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Vivaldi: L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
The Los Angeles Times wrote that this was "...authentic Vivaldi without
corrective treatment..."
Mozart: Symphony no 41 in C major, K. 551
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
1946
25 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Concert featured winners of Southern California Young Artists Audition
Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld Overture (1858)
Verdi: Simone Boccanegra: Fiesco: "Il lacerato spirito..."
- John Arnold Ford bass
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream opus 61 (1826): Scherzo
Charles Wakefield Cadman (1881-1946): Daoma Suite from the opera (1945):
- Spring Dance of the Willow Wands
- Dance of Sacrifice
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no 1 in B-flat minor, opus 23: Movement 1
- Lillian Magadow (Brewer) piano
Lillian Magadow (Brewer) in the 1950s
Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960): Swedish Rhapsody no 1 opus 19: "Midsommarvaka"
Scriabin: Prelude in C minor - Lester Donahue piano
Serge Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no 2 in C minor opus 18 - Lester Donahue piano
1946
26 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
"Music for the Wounded" concert
Leopold Stokowski conducting:
Benjamin Britten: Soirées Musicales opus 9 (1936): March
Johann Strauss Jr.: Die Fledermaus (1874): waltz
Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave in B-flat minor, opus 31
Igor Stravinsky conducting: Firebird Suite (1945 version)
Sigmund Romberg conducting: medley of light opera selections by Victor Herbert
Sigmund Romberg conducting: music from 'The Student Prince'
followed by: Robert Montgomery - reading
Bing Crosby - They Say It's Wonderful
Bing Crosby - Blue Skies
Bob Burns - Comedy Monologue
band - Lady Be Good
Lawrence Welk - Tea for Two
Freddy Martin - To Each His Own
Billy Butterfield - Star Dust
Charlie Barnet - Cherokee
Leonard Sues - Blue Prelude
Harry James - Ciribiribin
Carmen Cavalerro - Till The End of Time
Bob Burns - I Ain't Got Nobody
Phil Harris - Lady Be Good
Frank Sinatra - The Girl That I Marry
Frank Sinatra - Soliloquy - from 'Carousel'
1946
27 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
1946 Recording of The Plow that Broke the Plains
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Plow that Broke the Plains Suite from the film music
This work was recorded by Stokowski and the Hollywood Bowl Symphony in a famous
recording on 30 August 1946 issued on Victor album M-1116 (78 RPM) later
re-issued on CD: RCA Victor Gold Seal: 09026-68163-2.
Elgar: Enigma Variations opus 36 (abridged by Stokowski)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1946
29 August
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
J. S. Bach: Saint Matthew Passion BWV 244 (1727)
Olive Mae Beach soprano
Clemence Gifford contralto
Joseph Sullivan tenor
Tudor Williams bass
Leopold Wintner bass
Hollywood Bowl Symphony and Greater Los Angeles Chorus "a chorus of 600
singers formed from choruses of Southern California by J. Arthur Lewis" 127
1946
1 September
Hollywood Bowl Symphony
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Dorothy Eustis
Concluding concert of Stokowski's 1945 and 1946 direction of the
'Symphonies Under the Stars' series of Hollywood Bowl concerts
Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri (1813): Overture - seem Stokowski's only concert performance of this popular overture
Louis Castellucci: "Mi carita" - with the composer playing trombone; Castellucci was
also Principal trombone of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Robert Emmett Dolan (1908-1972): waltz from the 1944 film Lady in the Dark
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Alborada del gracioso (1905)
Schumann: Piano Concerto opus 54: allegro affettuoso - Dorothy Eustis (1915-she later disappeared in Italy in the 1950s)
Bizet: L'Arlesienne Suite no 1 plus Danse provençale from
Suite no 2 as arranged by Stokowski
Ernest Kanitz (1894–1978): Motion Picture Fantasies
- "Nightmare"
- "Love Scene"
- "Screen Ballet"
(Kanitz taught composition at University of
Southern California after leaving the Vienna Conservatory in 1938)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor opus 36
1946
26, 27 December
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
J. S. Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite opus 22: "The Swan of Tuonela" opus 22 no 2
- Michel Nazzi English Horn
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Frontiers opus 34 - inspired by the pioneer migration to the American west
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
1946
29 December
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
J. S. Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611): Motet "Jesu, dulcis memoria" - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Overture from Don Giovanni, K. 527
Intermission
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole for Violin and Orchestra, opus 21 - Jacques Thibaud
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Saudades do Brasil opus 67
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
1947
5 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Paul Hindemith at about the time of this concert
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611): Motet "Jesu, dulcis memoria" - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Overture from Don Giovanni, K. 527
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Symphony in E-flat for Large Orchestra
Intermission
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole for Violin and Orchestra, opus 21 - Jacques Thibaud
Falla: El Amor Brujo - Nan Merriman
1947
9, 10 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon opus 24: Overture
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor opus 74 "Pathétique"
Intermission
Shostakovich: Concerto no 1 in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings, opus 35 - Eugene List
Rachmaninoff: The Isle of the Dead opus 29
1947
11, 12 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Student Concert and Subscription same programme as January 9, 10
1947
16, 17 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no 2 in F major, BWV 1047
John Wummer, Ferdinand Prior, William Vacchiano,
John Corigliano
J. S. Bach: Chorale, "Komm, süßer Tod, komm selge Ruh", BWV 478 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 8 in F major, opus 93
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1947
18 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Programme of 'Student' or 'Popular' concert of 18 January 1947
Student Concert
J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no 2 in F major, BWV 1047
John Wummer, Ferdinand Prior, William Vacchiano,
John Corigliano
J. S. Bach: Chorale, "Komm, süßer Tod, komm selge Ruh", BWV 478 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 8 in F major, opus 93
Intermission
Elie Siegmeister (1909-1991): Prairie Legend
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1947
19 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Chorale prelude "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no 2 in F major, BWV 1047
John Wummer, Ferdinand Prior, William Vacchiano,
John Corigliano
J. S. Bach: Prelude from Partita no 3 in E major, BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Chorale, "Komm, süßer Tod, komm selge Ruh", BWV 478 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1947
20, 21 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Intermission
Mozart: Piano Concerto no 19 in F major, K.459 - Hortense Monath
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
1947
22 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Student Concert
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no 1 in B-flat minor, opus 23 - Jesus Maria Sanromá
Sibelius: Finlandia, opus 26, no 7
1947
23 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no 1 in B-flat minor, opus 23 - Jesus Maria Sanromá
Intermission
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Sibelius: Finlandia, opus 26, no 7
1947
4 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Chorale, "Komm, süßer Tod, komm selge Ruh", BWV 478 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Intermission
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Frontiers opus 34
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1947
10 March
New York Philharmonic
Plaza Hotel, New York
Heitor Villa-Lobos with Florent Schmitt in Paris in the 1920s
Special Concert for Orchestra Society Members
J. S. Bach: Prelude from Partita no 3 in E major, BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Chorale, "Mein Jesu! was fur Seelenweh" BWV 487 - Stokowski transcription
Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major opus 3 no 5,
Hob III-17 mvmt 2: Andante cantabile (sometimes called "Haydn's Serenade") - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Drei Equali for Four Trombones
Gordon Pulis, Allen Ostrander, Lewis Van Haney, William Bell
Brahms: Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra in A minor, opus 102
John Corigliano, Leonard Rose
Intermission
Saint-Saëns: Septet in E-flat major for Two Violins, Viola, Cello, Double Bass,
Trumpet, and Piano, opus 65 - Excerpts
William Vacchiano trumpet, Walter Hendl piano
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Introduction and Allegro for Harp, accompanied by String Quartet, Flute and Clarinet
Theodore Cella harp, John Wummer flute, Simeon Bellison clarinet
Florent Schmitt (1870-1958): Poem for Oboe and Strings - arranged by Hershey Kay
Harold Gomberg oboe
Striegler: Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra
Saul Goodman timpani
Turner: Fanfare, Chorale and Finale
James Chambers, William Vacchiano, Gordon Pulis, William Namen, Nathan Prager,
Lewis Van Haney, Mark Fischer, James Smith, Allen Ostrander, Robert Schulze,
William Bell
1947
13, 14 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Albéniz: "Fête-Dieu à Séville" from Iberia - Stokowski transcription
Indy: Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français - Robert Casadesus
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
*** Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Hymne au Saint Sacrement (1932, reconstructed 1946)
Franck: Variations symphoniques for Piano and Orchestra
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): La Valse
1947
16 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Albéniz: "Fête-Dieu à Séville" from Iberia - Stokowski transcription
Indy: Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français - Robert Casadesus
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
Franck: Variations symphoniques for Piano and Orchestra
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): La Valse
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Hymne au Saint Sacrement (1932, reconstructed 1946)
1947
19 March
CBS Symphony Orchestra
CBS Studios, New York City
Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen (1945) first radio broadcast following
the Koussevitzky/BSO premiere of this work
1947
3, 4 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
+ J. S. Bach: Chorale Prelude "Christ lag in Todesbanden" BWV 718 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68, Pastoral
Intermission
++ William Grant Still: Festive Overture
Wagner: Parsifal Good Friday Music, Act II
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
1947
5 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Young Peoples' Concert
Bizet: Carmen Act I: Prelude (Complete)
Beethoven: Incidental music for The Ruins of Athens, opus 113: "Turkish March"
J. S. Bach: Prelude from Partita no 3 in E major, BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
Everybody Sing: Traditional: "Three Blind Mice" and
Gilmore: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor opus 36: Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato: Allegro
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition: Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks - Stokowski transcription
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Bachianas Brasileiras no 2 "Little Train of the Caipira" - Tocata
1947
6 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
J. S. Bach: Chorale Prelude "Christ lag in Todesbanden" BWV 718 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68, Pastoral
Intermission
Wagner: Parsifal Good Friday Music, Act II
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
++ William Grant Still: Festive Overture
1947
10, 11 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Night on Bare Mountain - Stokowski transcription
Shostakovich: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 54
Intermission
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919)
1947
12 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Pension Fund Concert
Beethoven: Symphony no 8 in F major, opus 93
Intermission
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, opus 125
Charlotte Boerner Soprano, Nan Merriman Contralto, Donald Dame Tenor, Todd Duncan Baritone,
Westminster Choir, Dr. John Finley Williamson Director
1947
13 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Last Subscription Concert 1946-1947
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857): Souvenir d’une nuit d’été à Madrid (Spanish Overture no 2)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Night on Bare Mountain - Stokowski transcription
Shostakovich: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 54
Tchaikovsky: Again, as Before, Alone, opus 73, no 6 - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919)
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite
1947
14 April
New York Philharmonic
Lyric Theater, Baltimore, Maryland
Lyric Theater from the outside: not beautiful, but opened in 1895 in a concert of
Dame Nellie Melba and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Emil Paur; it was modeled
after the great Leipzig Gewandhaus hall
On Tour: Lyric Theater, Baltimore
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Intermission
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) - John Wummer featured as flute
encore: Tchaikovsky: song Again, as Before, Alone, opus 73, no 6 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
After the concert, the orchestra musicians were given vaccinations prior to their southern tour since
smallpox cases had been reported in New York City 116
1947
15 April
New York Philharmonic
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
On Tour: Old Dominion University, Norfolk
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Frontiers opus 34
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1947
16 April
New York Philharmonic
Mosque Theater, Richmond, Virginia
On Tour: Mosque Theater, Richmond, Virginia
Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon opus 24: Overture
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
Intermission
Elie Siegmeister (1909-1991): Prairie Legend
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Preludio in E - from Partita no 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
1947
17 April
New York Philharmonic
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Raleigh, North Carolina
On Tour: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Raleigh, North Carolina
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Intermission
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919)
1947
18 April
New York Philharmonic
Page Auditorium, Duke University, Durham North Carolina
On Tour: Page Auditorium, Duke University, Durham North Carolina
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Frontiers, opus 34
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1947
19 April
New York Philharmonic
Converse College Auditorium, Spartenberg, South Carolina
Lamar Stringfield (1897-1959) a North Carolina-based composer
On Tour: Converse College Auditorium, Spartenberg, South Carolina
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Lamar Stringfield (1897-1959): Mountain Song and Cripple Creek
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Tchaikovsky: song Again, as Before, Alone, opus 73, no 6 - Stokowski transcription
1947
20 April
New York Philharmonic
Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia
On Tour: Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
1947
21 April
New York Philharmonic
Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia
On Tour: Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia
Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon opus 24: Overture
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
Intermission
Elie Siegmeister (1909-1991): Prairie Legend
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
1947
22 April
New York Philharmonic
Alumni Memorial Auditorium, Knoxville, Tennessee
On Tour: Knoxville, Tennessee, University of Tennessee, Alumni Memorial Auditorium (also
the location of Rachmaninoff's last concert on 17 February 1943)
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Lamar Stringfield (1897-1959) a North Carolina composer: Mountain Song and Cripple Creek
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1947
23 April
New York Philharmonic
Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Elie Siegmeister
On Tour: Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, Tennessee
J. S. Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (from Cantata BWV140) - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Intermission
Fauré: Ballade for Piano and Orcehstra, opus 19 - Robert Casadesus
+++ Robert Casadesus (1899-1972): Piano Concerto in E minor, opus 37 - Robert Casadesus
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey
1948
14 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
J. S. Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (from Cantata BWV140) - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Intermission
Robert Casadesus (1899-1972): Piano Concerto in E minor, opus 37 - Robert Casadesus
Stravinsky: Pastorale, for Violin with Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet and Bassoon
John Corigliano violin, Harold Gomberg oboe, Michel Nazzi English Horn, Simeon Bellison clarinet,
William Polisi bassoon
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey
+++ Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008): Concert Music for Orchestra (original title: "American Landscape")
1948
18, 19 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
William Schuman (1910-1992): American Festival Overture (1939), with a large fugal development of
American themes as its central section
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
Intermission
+++ Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Seine at Night (1947)
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite - Nan Merriman mezzo-soprano
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
1948
20 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Stokowski conducting the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall in 1948
Pension Fund Concert
Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty ballet: Excerpts: Prelude, Pas d'action,
Danse-vertige, La Fuite des Quatre Princes, La Fée des lilas variation, Sarabande,
Apothéose
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor opus 16 - Menahem Pressler
Wagner: Rienzi (1840): Overture
Intermission
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): La damoiselle élue (1888)
Bidu Sayao soprano, Jane Hobson mezzo-soprano, Women's Chorus of the Westminster Choir Bassoon
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Boléro (1928)
(note: critics did not appreciate this performance of Boléro, which speeded up and
slowed "like a roller-coaster" with amplification of the role of woodwinds
in a very fast-paced reading
1948
21 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
Intermission
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Seine at Night (1947)
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite - Nan Merriman soprano
Lorenzo Fernândez (1897-1948): opera Malazarte: "Batuque" Negro dance
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
1948
25, 26, 27 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Beethoven: Leonore Overture no 3, opus 72b
Mozart: Symphony no 41 in C major, K.551 Jupiter
Intermission
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910)
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
1948
28 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Intermission
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910)
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
Maestro Serebrier wrote: "Stokowski's Symphonic Synthesis of Act III
includes the transformation music from the conclusion of the final scene
and the final moments when Parsifal heals Amfortas's wound by touching it with his spear.
Stokowski excluded the 'Good Friday Spell' music from his version because
Wagner himself had already made a concert version of it"
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
+ Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass, opus 50
1948
1, 2 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Khachaturian: Russian Fantasy (1944)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
Intermission
Sibelius: Four movements from Belshazzar's Feast, opus 51: Oriental Procession, Solitude,
Nocturne, Khadra's Dance - Stokowski arrangement
+++ Stravinsky: Concerto in D for Strings "Basle" (1946)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
3 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Students Concert
Khachaturian: Russian Fantasy (1944)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
Intermission
Sibelius: Four movements from Belshazzar's Feast, opus 51: Oriental Procession, Solitude,
Nocturne, Khadra's Dance - Stokowski arrangement
+ Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Medea ballet suite opus 23
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
4 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
Intermission
Stravinsky: Concerto in D for Strings "Basle" (1946)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
6 April
New York Philharmonic
McCarter Theater, Princeton University, New Jersey
"Runout Concert"
J. S. Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (from Cantata BWV140) - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Intermission
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Russian Fantasy (1944)
Stravinsky: Concerto in D for Strings "Basle" (1946)
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) The Seine at Night (1947)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
10 April
New York Philharmonic
McCarter Theater, Princeton University, New Jersey
"Young Peoples Concert"
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Ma Mère l'Oye (1910): excerpts: 5 - Conversation of Beauty and the Beast,
6 - Interlude
Joachim Andersen (1847-1909): Scherzino opus 55 no 6 - John Wummer
Charles Jones (1910-1997): Cowboy Song - Harold Gomberg oboe solo
Carl Baermann (1810-1885): Adagio in D-flat major for Clarinet and String Quartet, opus 23 -
Simeon Bellison [note: incorrectly attributed to Wagner in programme notes]
Weber: Bassoon Concerto in F major, opus75 - William Polisi
Audience sing-along: Root: Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!, traditional: My Bonnie Lies Over
the Ocean
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Children's Corner orchestrated in 1910 by André Caplet:
"The Little Shepherd"
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Masquerade: Galop
1948
20 September
New York Philharmonic
Lincoln Theater, Syracuse, New York
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Ennio Porrino (1910-1959) - a Respighi disciple: Sinfonia per una fiaba (Symphony for a Fable)
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Seine at Night (1947)
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
1948
21 September
New York Philharmonic
Cleveland Opera Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Arcady Dubensky (1890-1966): Fugue for Thirty-Four Violins (1948)
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): L'Ascension: Four Symphonic meditations for orchestra (1933)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
22 September
New York Philharmonic
Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Seine at Night (1947)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
23 September
New York Philharmonic
Orchestra Hall, Chicago, Illinois
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
+Ennio Porrino (1910-1959) - a Respighi disciple:
Sinfonia per una fiaba (Symphony for a Fable)
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Seine at Night (1947)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
24 September
New York Philharmonic
Orchestra Hall, Chicago, Illinois
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
Stravinsky: Petrushka complete 1911 ballet
+ Messiaen: L'Ascension: Four Symphonic meditations for orchestra
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
Arcady Dubensky (1890-1966): Fugue for Thirty-Four Violins (1948)
+ Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Symphony no 2 in A minor "Symphony with Bells" (1943)
1948
25 September
New York Philharmonic
Stock Pavilion, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
+Copland: Billy The Kid ballet: "Prairie Night", "Celebration"
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
26 September
New York Philharmonic
Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
+Ennio Porrino (1910-1959) - a Respighi disciple: Sinfonia per una fiaba (Symphony for a Fable)
+ Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Seine at Night (1947)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
27 September
New York Philharmonic
Auditorium, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
Stravinsky: Petrushka complete 1911 ballet
+ Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): L'Ascension: Four Symphonic meditations for orchestra (1933)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
+Arcady Dubensky (1890-1966): Fugue for Thirty-Four Violins (1948)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1948
28 September
New York Philharmonic
Memorial Hall, Columbus, Ohio
Aaron Copland at Tanglewood in 1946
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
+Copland: Billy The Kid ballet: "Prairie Night", "Celebration"
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
1948
29 September
New York Philharmonic
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, New York
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
Stravinsky: Petrushka complete 1911 ballet
+ Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): L'Ascension: Four Symphonic meditations for orchestra (1933)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
+Arcady Dubensky (1890-1966): Fugue for Thirty-Four Violins (1948)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1948
30 September
New York Philharmonic
Stanley Theater, Utica, New York
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Intermission
+ Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): L'Ascension: Four Symphonic meditations for orchestra (1933)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
1948
1 October
New York Philharmonic
Eastman Theatre, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York
Olivier Messiaen at about the time of this concert
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Intermission
+ Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): L'Ascension: Four Symphonic meditations for orchestra (1933)
+ Copland: Billy The Kid ballet: "Prairie Night", "Celebration"
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
1948
2 October
New York Philharmonic
Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
+ Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Seine at Night (1947)
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): L'Ascension: Four Symphonic meditations for orchestra (1933)
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
1948
3 October
New York Philharmonic
City Hall Auditorium, Portland, Maine
"New York Philharmonic Autumn Tour"
Stravinsky: Petrushka music from the 1911 ballet: Danse Russe, Chez Petrushka,
Shrovetide Fair Toward Evening
+Arcady Dubensky (1890-1966): Fugue for Thirty-Four Violins (1948)
NY Philharmonic programme of 13 January 1949 listing as conductors:
Bruno Walter, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Charles Munch and Leopold Stokowski
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) (1843): Overture
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
Intermission
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): "Philharmonic Concerto" (Variations for Orchestra) (1932)
named for the Berlin Philharmonic
which gave its premiere in 1932 under Wilhelm Furtwängler
+Weinberger: Schwanda the Bagpiper (1926): Polka and Fugue "First performance by the Society
of the Revised Edition"
1949
15, 16 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
J. S. Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Chorale, "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach-Stokowski: Chorale Preludes, "Nun Komm', der Heiden Heiland,"
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
Intermission
Stravinsky: Petrushka music from the 1911 ballet: Danse Russe, Chez Petrushka,
Shrovetide Fair Toward Evening
+Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007): Island God opera (1942): Revealing the Island,
Struggle to Restore the Temple
Weinberger: Schwanda the Bagpiper (1926): Polka and Fugue
1949
20, 21 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Vano Muradeli's career had its hights and depths depending on the musical judgement of
the Soviet Composers Congress, but is regarded by critics today as "a minor talent"
Vano Muradeli (1908-1970): Georgian Symphonic Dance
(note: Muradeli was censured by the
Communist Party Central Committee in 1948 for "Ideological deficiencies" concerning Georgian music)
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Symphony no 2 in A minor "Symphony with Bells" (1943)
Intermission
+++Menotti: Piano Concerto (1945) - Rudolf Firkusny
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
1949
22 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Griffes: The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan, opus 8
+++ Henry Cowell (1897-1965): American Pipers (1943)
*** Maurice Baron (1889-1964): Ode to democracy : a setting of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address -
world premiere - The Schola Cantorum of New York, Hugh Ross director
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto no 2, opus 22 - Jean Graham
Intermission
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Symphony no 2 in A minor "Symphony with Bells" (1943)
1949
23 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Griffes: The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan opus 8
*** Otto Luening (1900-1996): Pilgrim's Hymn "First Performance in This Version"
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): American Pipers (1943)
Maurice Baron (1889-1964): Ode to democracy :a setting of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address -
world premiere - The Schola Cantorum of New York, Hugh Ross director
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto no 2, opus 22 - Jean Graham
Intermission
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Symphony no 2 in A minor "Symphony with Bells" (1943)
1949
27, 28 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Vaughn William Symphony no 6 on Cala CACD0537
+Ernest John Moeran(1894-1950): In the Mountain Country
+Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony no 6 in E minor 1947 version (was further revised in 1950)
Intermission
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody no 2 in C sharp minor (S. 244/2) orchestrated by Liszt and
Franz Doppler, adapted by Leopold Stokowski
1949
30 January
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
+Thomas Jefferson Scott (1912-1961): From the Sacred Harp
Ernest John Moeran(1894-1950): In the Mountain Country
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Schelomo (1916) - Leonard Rose
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): two of the three Nocturnes (1899)
Nuages
Fêtes
Intermission
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony no 6 in E minor 1947 version (was further revised in 1950)
1949
3, 4 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
+++ Walton: film "The First of the Few": Spitfire Prelude and Fugue (1942)
Brahms: Piano Concerto no 1 in D minor, opus 15 - Dame Myra Hess
Intermission
Schumann: Symphony no 2 in C major opus 61
1949
6 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande excerpts from the incidental music (1905):
Mélisande
At the Seashore
Pastorale
Entr'acte
Death of Mélisande
+++ Walton: film "The First of the Few": Spitfire Prelude and Fugue (1942)
Mozart: Piano concerto n. no 21 in C major, K.467 - Dame Myra Hess
Intermission
Schumann: Symphony no 2 in C major opus 61
1949
10, 11 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
+++ George Dyson (1883-1964): The Canterbury Pilgrims: Overture
"At the Tabard Inn": (Studied at the Royal College of Music at
about the same time as Stokowski)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
+ Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975): The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74, Pathétique
1949
12 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Pension Fund Concert
Wagner: Das Rheingold: "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla"
Eileen Farrell soprano, Molly Starkman soprano, Mary Davenport contralto
Wagner: Siegfried: Act II Scene 2: "Forest Murmurs"
Wagner: Siegfried: Act I: Siegfried's Forging Song
"Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert!" - Irwin Dillon tenor
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion - Eileen Farrell soprano - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
Wagner: Die Walküre Act III scene 3: Wotan's Farewell and "Magic Fire Music" -
Michael Rhodes baritone
Wagner: Das Rheingold Scene 4: Erda's Warning "Wie alles war"
Mary Davenport contralto, Michael Rhodes baritone
Weinberger: Gotterdammerung Act III: Brünnhilde's Immolation Scene
Eileen Farrell soprano
1949
13 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Quinto Maganini was second flute of the New York Philharmonic sitting next to his teacher Georges Barrère,
and was winner of the 1927 Pulitzer Prize in Music
+ Quinto Maganini (1897-1974): Three Early American Pieces (1940)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74, Pathétique
Intermission
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975): The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
1949
17, 18 February
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Vivaldi: L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Three German Dances, K.605 (1791) - Stokowski transcription
+ Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony no 53 in D "Imperial" Hob. I:53
Intermission
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no 3 in D minor, opus 30 - William Kapell
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
1949
12 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Young People's Concert
Gounod: Faust (1859): Soldier's Chorus: "Gloire immortelle de nos aïeux" -
- Boy's Choirs
Stephen Foster: Tioga Waltz for Four Flutes - Stokowski transcription -
John Wummer, Amedeo Ghignatti, F. William Heim, Ben Gaskins
Pierné: March of the Lead Soldiers, opus 14, no 6
Traditional: "The Erie Canal"
Traditional: Las Chiapanecas (Mexican Dance) - Boy's Choirs
George Kleinsinger (1914-1982): "Tubby the Tuba"
audience Sing-Along: Marching Through Georgia, Home on the Range
+ Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991): Tragic Overture (1941)
+ Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Three Pictures: Wheat Field at Noon (1948)
Sibelius: Violin Concerto, opus 47 - John Corigliano
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Gayaneh ballet Suite no 1, opus 53:
Lezghinka
Lullaby
Dance of the Young Kurds
Adagio
Sabre Dance
Intermission
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
1949
26 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Wagner: Rienzi (1840): Overture
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Three Pictures: Wheat Field at Noon (1948)
+ Howard Hanson (1896-1981): Serenade for flute, harp and strings, opus 35 -
John Wummer, Theodore Cella
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Gayaneh from ballet Suite no 1, opus 53 and no 3, opus 55 Stokowski selections:
Lezghinka
Lullaby
Dance of the Young Kurds
Adagio
Sabre Dance
Intermission
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
1949
27 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Wagner: Rienzi (1840): Overture
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Intermission
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
Howard Hanson (1896-1981): Serenade for flute, harp and strings, opus 35 -
John Wummer, Theodore Cella
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Three Pictures: Wheat Field at Noon (1948)
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Gayaneh ballet Suite no 1, opus 53:
Lezghinka
Lullaby
Dance of the Young Kurds
Adagio
Sabre Dance
1949
31 March, 1, 3 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Suite selected and arranged by Stokowski
Trumpet Tune "The Cebell"
Echo Pastorale from The Fairy Queen
Hornpipe from The Fairy Queen
"When I am laid in earth" ('Dido's Lament') from "Dido and Aeneas")
Largo and Allegro from The Fairy Queen
Mozart: Symphony no 40 in G Minor, K550
Intermission
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey,
Siegfried's Death Music, Immolation Scene and Act III Finale - Stokowski transcription
1949
2 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
*** Theodore F. Fitch (1900-1976): Terra Nova (1941) symphonic poem about Newfoundland
Mozart: Symphony no 40 in G Minor, K550
Intermission
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey,
Siegfried's Death Music, Immolation Scene and Act III Finale - Stokowski transcription
1949
9 April
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Arthur Kreutz (1906-1991) composer of the Paul Bunyan Suite also
conducted the New York Philharmonic in a 13 June 1946 Pops concert
Young Persons Concert
Mozart: Three German Dances, K.605 (1791): no 3 in C major "Sleighride" -
Stokowski transcription
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Fantasia on Greensleeves (1934)
Arthur Kreutz (1906-1991): Mosquito Serenade for string orchestra
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op 71a: Dance of the Sugarplum Fairly
Arcady Dubensky (1890-1966): Capriccio for Piccolo - Ben Gaskins
Audience Sing-Along "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"
Deems Taylor (1885-1966): Circus Day, Eight Pictures from Memory opus 18:
The Lion's Cage
The Dog and Monkey Circus
Waltzing Elephants
Young Person's Prize Winning Competition is Performed:
Mary Lou Wesley (Krosnick) (1936- ): The Rains Came - orchestrated by Stokowski
1949
18 April
New York Philharmonic
Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
1949 New York Philharmonic Spring Tour
J. S. Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini opus 32
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Three Pictures: Wheat Field at Noon (1948)
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Gayaneh from ballet Suite no 1, opus 53 and no 3, opus 55 Stokowski selections:
Lezghinka
Lullaby
Dance of the Young Kurds
Adagio
Sabre Dance
1949
19 April
New York Philharmonic
The Mosque Theater, Richmond, Virginia
The Mosque Theater, Richmond
1949 New York Philharmonic Spring Tour
J. S. Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini opus 32
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Three Pictures: Wheat Field at Noon (1948)
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Gayaneh from ballet Suite no 1, opus 53 and no 3, opus 55 Stokowski selections:
Lezghinka
Lullaby
Dance of the Young Kurds
Adagio
Sabre Dance
1949
20 April
New York Philharmonic
Columbia Music Festival, Columbia, South Carolina
1949 New York Philharmonic Spring Tour
J. S. Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini opus 32
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Three Pictures: Wheat Field at Noon (1948)
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Gayaneh from ballet Suite no 1, opus 53 and no 3, opus 55 Stokowski selections:
Lezghinka
Lullaby
Dance of the Young Kurds
Adagio
Sabre Dance
1949
21 April
New York Philharmonic
Municipal Auditorium / Atlanta, Georgia
1949 New York Philharmonic Spring Tour
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): American Pipers (1943)
Wagner: Die Walküre Act III scene 3: Wotan's Farewell and
"Magic Fire Music" - Stokowski transcription
+Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007): Island God opera (1942): Revealing the Island,
Struggle to Restore the Temple
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
1949
23 April
New York Philharmonic
Knoxville, Tennessee, University of Tennessee, Alumni Memorial Auditorium
1949 New York Philharmonic Spring Tour
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): American Pipers (1943)
Wagner: Die Walküre Act III scene 3: Wotan's Farewell and
"Magic Fire Music" - Stokowski transcription
+Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007): Island God opera (1942): Revealing the Island,
Struggle to Restore the Temple
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
1949
24 April
New York Philharmonic
Municipal Auditorium, Birmingham, Alabama
1949 New York Philharmonic Spring Tour
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Wagner: Siegfried: Act II Scene 2: "Forest Murmurs"
Wagner: Das Rheingold: "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla"
Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande excerpts from the incidental music (1905):
Mélisande
At the Seashore
Pastorale
Entr'acte
Death of Mélisande
J. S. Bach-Stokowski: Chorale Preludes - Stokowski transcriptions:
"Nun Komm', der Heiden Heiland," BWV 62
"Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639
"Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437
1949
13, 14 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Programme for the New York Philharmonic 1949-1950 season opening concert led by Stokowski, with
headmast stating: "Conductors: Leopold Stokowski, Dimitri Mitropoulos"
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868): Prelude to Act I
+ Copland: The Red Pony (1949) suite from the film score:
"Morning on the Ranch"
"The Gift"
"Dream March and Circus Music"
"Walk to the Bunkhouse"
"Grandfather's Story"
"Happy Ending"
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): La Mer (L 109 - 1905)
Intermission
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
1949
16 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Rolf Liebermann at age 50, later head of the Paris Opera
Rolf Liebermann (1910-1999): Suite on Six Swiss Folk Songs (1947)
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
+ Chopin: Mazurka in A minor opus 17 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
Copland: The Red Pony (1949) suite from the film score:
"Morning on the Ranch"
"The Gift"
"Dream March and Circus Music"
"Walk to the Bunkhouse"
"Grandfather's Story"
"Happy Ending"
1949
20, 21 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
+++ Nikolai Miaskovski (1881-1950): Slavic Rhapsody in D minor opus71
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
Intermission
Mozart: Notturno in D major, K. 286/269a - Stokowski arrangement
Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Tranfiguration), opus 24
1949
23 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Beethoven: Leonore Overture no 3, opus 72b
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
Intermission
Mozart: Notturno in D major, K. 286/269a - Stokowski arrangement
Johann Strauss Jr: On the Beautiful Blue Danube (An der schönen, blauen Donau), opus 314
Johann Strauss Jr: Tales from the Vienna Woods opus 325
1949
27, 28 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
+ Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder: Song of the Wood Dove - Martha Lipton
+ Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Uirapurú (The Magic Bird)
Intermission
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68, Pastoral
1949
29 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
*** Richard Arnell (1917-2009): Black Mountain Prelude for orchestra opus 46 - world premiere
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
Intermission
Mozart: Piano Concerto no 9 in E-flat major, K. 271 - Eugene Istomin
Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Tranfiguration), opus 24
1949
30 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
J. S. Bach: Arioso "Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe" from Cantata BWV 156 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Aria from the Schemelli Gesangbuch: "Mein Jesu! was vor Seelenweh"
BWV 487 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68, Pastoral
Intermission
Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder: Song of the Wood Dove - Martha Lipton
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Uirapurú (The Magic Bird)
1949
3, 4 November
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
*** Arcady Dubensky: Concerto Grosso for Three Trombones and Tuba - world premiere
+ David Diamond: Overture to the Tempest [of Shakespeare] (1946)
+ Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Two Interludes to Macbeth - Act I and Act III (1919)
Intermission
Schumann: Cello Concerto: opus 129 - Pierre Fournier
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony no 101 in D major "The Clock"
1949
5 November
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
+++ Ennio Porrino (1910-1959) - a Respighi disciple: I Shardana music drama frequently
revised and final version published in 1958
+ Jean Rivier (1896-1987): Rivier: Concertino for Viola and Orchestra (1947)
- William Lincer
+ Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Two Interludes to Macbeth - Act I and Act III (1919)
Intermission
Vivaldi: L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony no 101 in D major "The Clock"
1949
6 November
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Vivaldi: L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Schumann: Cello Concerto: opus 129 - Pierre Fournier
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony no 101 in D major "The Clock"
Intermission
+ David Diamond: Overture to the Tempest [of Shakespeare] (1946)
+ Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Two Interludes to Macbeth - Act I and Act III (1919)
1949
10, 11 November
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
+ Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sacrae symphoniae: Canzon quarti toni a 15, C185
- Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Piano Concerto no 2 in B flat major, opus 19 - William Kapell
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1949
12 November
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Pension Fund Concert
Wagner: Tannhäuser "Paris version": Venusberg Bacchanal Act I scene 1 -
Chorus of the Schola Cantorum
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Stokowski Symphonic Synthesis: Act 1 Prelude,
Act II Liebesnacht and Act III Liebestod conclusion
- Mariquita Moll soprano, Robert Bernauer tenor, Virginia Paris contralto,
Intermission
Wagner: Siegfried Act III : "Mit zerfocht'ner Waffe wich mir der Feige?",
Siegfried climbing to Brünnhilde's rock "Was ruht dort schlummernd im
schattigen Tann?", Brünnhilde's Awakening (Heil dir, Sonne!) and Love Scene
- Stokowski arrangement
- Mariquita Moll soprano, Eugene Conley tenor
1949
13 November
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Nikolai Ivanov-Radkevich (1904-1962) - a student of Glière: Russian Overture
Louise Bernhardt alto, Eugene Conley tenor,
Carlos Alexander tenor, George London bass-baritone,
Chorus of the Schola Cantorum, Westminster Choir, Boys Choir of Public School
number 12
1950
4 December
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski's first concert with the Houston Symphony Orchestra67
Wagner: Die Walküre Act III scene 3: "Magic Fire Music" - Stokowski transcription
another work by Wagner
+ Carl Ruggles (1876-1971): Organum (1946) for orchestra
a concluding symphony
1950
9 December
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Palace Theatre, Dallas, Texas
Rolf Liebermann (1910-1999): Furioso (1947)
a piano concerto with Walter Hendl piano soloist - Perhaps the Grieg Concerto
1950
15 December
San Antonio Symphony Orchestra
Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas
Special memorial concert in memory of Max Reiter founder of the
San Antonio Symphony who died 2 weeks previously and which
Stokowski conducted only two works, beginning with the Allegetto
movement of the Beethoven Symphony and concluding with Debussy
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92: Movement 2: Allegretto
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
1950
16 December
San Antonio Symphony Orchestra
Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas
Antonio Iglesias Álvarez
Stokowski introduced the movement of the Beethoven Symphony
no 7 in memory of Max Reiter founder of the San Antonio Symphony
who died 2 weeks previously
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92: Movement 2: Allegretto
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
Wagner: Die Walküre Act III scene 3: "Magic Fire Music" - Stokowski transcription
+++ Antonio Iglesias (Álvarez) (1918-2011): First Adventure of Don Quixote
J. S. Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
+ Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961): Symphony no 3 opus 42 (1948)
Wagner: Das Rheingold: "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla"
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act III (1867)
Wagner: Die Walküre Act III scene 3: Wotan's Farewell and
"Magic Fire Music" - Stokowski transcription
Donald Steinfirst in the Pittsburgh Post-Dispatch wrote:
"Riegger's work is difficult to
grasp at one hearing. Its atonalities and acridities do not make it palatable.
Yet one remembers that Bach lay domant for a hundred years and Wagner
was often hissed, one can understand the need for a sympathetic understanding
of contemporary music."105
1951
19, 21 January
Pittsburgh Symphony
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
the Pittsburgh Symphony concert hall, the Syria Mosque, was a
Moorish style theater with 3,850 seats. As well as being too large for a
symphony hall, also its oval shape, wider than deep, produced poor
acoustics.
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
+ Arthur Honegger (1892-1955): Symphony no 3 "Liturgique" (1946)
+ Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Louisiana Story
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
The Pittsburgh Post-Dispatch wrote: "'La cathédrale engloutie' transcribed for
orchestra by Stokowski was last played in Pittsburgh under Stokowski's baton
in 1926."103
1951
28 February
National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC
Constitution Hall, Washington DC
Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Suite transcribed by Stokowski:
"Cebell" for trumpet
"The Fairy Queen" Pastorale
"The Fairy Queen" Hornpipe
"Dido and Aeneas": Dido's Lament: "When I am laid in earth"
"The Fairy Queen" Largo and Allegro
+ Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony no 6 in E minor 1950 version
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
1951
6, 7 March
National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC
6 - Lyric Theater, Baltimore, Maryland
7 - Constitution Hall, Washington DC
Rolf Liebermann
Rolf Liebermann (1910-1999): Furioso (1947)
"its uncompromising wildness brought its composer
Rolf Liebermann international fame"
+ Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961): Symphony no 3 opus 42 (1948)
Wagner: Das Rheingold: "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla"
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act III (1867)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Parsifal - Stokowski Synthesis of music from Act III - Stokowski transcription
Maestro Serebrier wrote: "Stokowski's Symphonic Synthesis of Act III
includes the transformation music from the conclusion of the final scene
and the final moments when Parsifal heals Amfortas's wound by touching it with his spear.
Stokowski excluded the 'Good Friday Spell' music from his version because
Wagner himself had already made a concert version of it"
Wallingford Riegger was present at the Washington and Baltimore concerts. Concerning
Stokowski and Wagner, Weldon Wallace
of the Baltimore Sun wrote: "one may regret the inflated sounds and extravagance
of some of his effects; this was especially true last night in the orgiastic and inflated
reading of the music from the third act of 'Parsifal'. But it is impossible to remain immune
to the allurements of some of the timbres Stokowski secures and to be unresponsive
to the physical impact."117
1951
April to August
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Great Britain
Leopold Stokowski and Sir Thomas Beecham in 1951
In the Spring and Summer of 1951, during the "Festival of Britain", Stokowski
toured Great Britain conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the invitation
of Sir Thomas Beecham
1951+
27, 29, April,
1, 7, 28 May
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
27 - Central Hall Bristol
29 - Capital Theatre Cardiff
1 - De Montfort Hall Leicester
7 - Theatre Royal Newcastle
28 - David Theater Croydon, England
Davis Theater Croydon
It seems that Stokowski and the Royal Philharmonic on tour would perform not only in famous
concert halls, but also in old movie theaters such as the Davis Theater, Crydon. Daniels
quotes Denis Vaughan: "{Stokowski] insisted that for the whole tour
around England in various old cinemas and so on that the stages be stripped
entirely so rhat there were only walls to be seen - no curtains at all so that the
sound would be as reverberant as possible..."7
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Paris version 1861): Overture and Venusberg Music
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act III (1867)
+ Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): from the movie
"Descobrimento do Brasil": Impressão moura
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
1951+
28, 30 April
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
28 - Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, England
30 - Town Hall, Birmingham, England
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
+ Carl Ruggles (1876-1971): Organum (1946) for orchestra
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) as adapted by Stokowski
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
Oliver Daniel writes 6: "[the 28 April concert] was in
Bournemouth, where he was able to visit his mother in the nursing home.
It would be his last visit, since she died September 23, 1952 at the
age of 93."
1951+
1, 2, 5, 6 May, 1 June
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
1 - Leicester
2 - Hanley
3 - Nottingham,
6 - New Victoria Hall, Bradford, England
1 - David Theatre, Croydon, London, England
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
+ Carl Ruggles (1876-1971): Organum (1946) for orchestra
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) as adapted by Stokowski
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1951+
7, 8, 16 May
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
7 - Newcastle
8 - Manchester
16 - Royal Albert Hall London, England
The Royal Albert Hall, home of the "Proms" Concerts
The 16 May 1951 concert in the Royal Albert Hall with an audience of 6000 was
Stokowski's first London concert since his 22 May 1912 London debut at the
very beginning of his conducting career. It was also broadcast on the
BBC Home Service.
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Paris version 1861): Overture and Venusberg Music
+ Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): from the movie
"Descobrimento do Brasil": Impressão moura
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
1951+
17, 20, 27 May
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
17 - Oxford
20 - Southend-on-Sea
27 - Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite opus 20
+ Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961): Symphony no 3 opus 42 (1948)
J. S. Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
1951+
4 June
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Carl Ruggles in 1950
+ Carl Ruggles (1876-1971): Organum (1946) for orchestra
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony no 2, opus 38 (1939)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1951+
9 June
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London, England
Royal Festival Hall
Stokowski's Royal Festival Hall debut
Concert broadcast on the BBC - part 1 on the Light Programme (later renamed
"BBC Radio 2") and part 2 on the Third Programme (later renamed
"BBC Radio 3")
National Anthem
J. S. Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (from Cantata BWV140) - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Adagio for Strings opus 11 (1936-1938)
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps (1913 version)
1951+
10 June
BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Maida Vale Studio 1, London, England
Broadcast live on the BBC Home Service
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Adagio for Strings opus 11 (1936-1938)
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps (1913 version)
1951
27 June
Residentie Orkest
Kurhaus, Scheveningen (The Hague), Netherlands
The Kurhaus of Scheveningen in the 1950s, a resort spa with a concert hall
1951 Holland Festival concert
+ J. S. Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (from Cantata BWV140) - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
+ Lukas Foss (1922-2009): Recordare (1948) - an elegy to Gandhi
+ Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
1951
5 July
Concertgebouw Orkest
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam one of the world's great concert halls with famous acoustics
and a famous history
thanks to Theo van der Burg for this photograph
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Adagio for Strings opus 11 (1936-1938)
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
1951
16 July
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany
+ Carl Ruggles (1876-1971): Organum (1946) for orchestra
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony no 1, opus 9 (1906)
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) as adapted by Stokowski
1951+
1 August
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, England
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
1951+
4 August
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, England
Kenneth Leighton, said to be influenced by Goffredo Petrassi in Rome, his style
is described as lyric and contrapuntal
J. S. Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: Cantata BWV 208 Schafe können sicher weiden
(Sheep May Safely Graze) - Stokowski transcription
Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988): Primavera Romana Overture opus 14 (1951)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1951
11 August
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Lucerne Festival, Switzerland
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - probably the Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
1951
22 August
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Salzburg Festival, Austria
Frantisek Picha
+ Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - probably the Stokowski transcription
Frantisek Picha (1893-1964) - student of Josef Suk: Stepancikovo Overture
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1951+
25 August
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Salzburg Festival, Austria
+ Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - probably the Stokowski transcription
Stravinsky: Pastorale, for Violin with Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet and Bassoon
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1951
18, 20 October
National Theater Symphony Orchestra
18 - Oporto, Portugal
20 - Lisbon, Portugal
J. S. Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1951
23, 25 November
Pittsburgh Symphony
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Cello Concerto no 2 (1953)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1951+
1 December
Choir and orchestra
University of Pittsburgh Heinz Chapel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
A "non-professional" concert by Stokowski of the music of
Tomás Luis de Victoria which he had studied and performed in Spain the previous
Summer.
Conrad Seaman, Dorothy Bund, Jane Bower, Mary Watkins, Wynette Betcher, Joseph Halliday,
Nancy Lee Williams, John Beiswanger, Robert Reidel, Edmund Osbourne, Sidney Wildman,
Charles Schraeder, David Bauman, Ruth Cotton, Lucille Nolte, Eleanore Carothers.
works of Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) published about 1585:
Popule meus, quid feci tibi?
O vos omnes
Vere Languores
Ave Maria
"O vos omnes" sung during Easter Holy Week:
All you who walk by on the road, pay attention and see
if there be any sorrow like my sorrow
Ralph Lewandon in the Pittsburgh Press wrote: "The concert lasted only 25 minutes. The
invited audience of about 200 packed the Chapel. In keeping with the devotional character of the
occasion, singer and leader were unseen, performing behind the alter."106
1951
30 November, 2 December
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh Symphony
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Julian Carrillo
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) as adapted by Stokowski
*** Julian Carrillo (1875-1965): Horizontes: Poema sinfónico - world premiere
Nicoline Zedeler-Mix, Livio Mannucci cello, Ann Elizabeth Jones playing
Carillo's harp-zither "...played somewhat like a zither, but strung
to produce 97 tones to the octive" 8.
Carillo advocated the use of musical intervals smaller than half-tones, and composed
works such as Horizontes in quarter, eighth and sixteenth-tones. Stokowski had
commissioned and premiered several of Carrillo's works in the 1930s and 1940s.
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
Encore: Carrillo Horizontes
1951+
6, 8 December
Cleveland Orchestra
Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
+ J. S. Bach-Stokowski: Chorale Preludes - Stokowski transcriptions:
"Christ lag in Todesbanden" BWV 718
"Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437
"Nun Komm', der Heiden Heiland," BWV 62
Shostakovich: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 54
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
of the Carillo work, Weldon Wallace in the Baltimore Sun wrote:
"The new instrument is a harp/zither that can subdivide the usual
12-tone octave into 97 tones...the result was not at all like the highly
dissonant or even atonal composers...it was not grating but sliding, not
jarring but tantalizingly as it slithered about among the tones one is
accustomed to."118
1952
27 April
augmented CBS Orchestra
theater at Broadway and 65th Street, New York City §
Roger Goeb
Columbia University Festival of Contemporary Music Sunday afternoon
broadcast by CBS Radio
*** Alexei Haieff (1914-1994): Piano Concerto (1952) - Leo Smit piano - world premiere 5
*** Roger Goeb (1914-1997): Symphony No 3 - world premiere 5
§ Daniels writes: " [the concert] was to have taken place in Columbia's
McMillan Theater but a strike by kitchen workers...[caused] the concert to be
hastily moved to a quite unrehabilitated theater on Broadway at 65th Street"
1952
21 May
BBC Symphony Orchestra
London, England
Concert broadcast on the BBC Home Service
Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Suite transcribed by Stokowski:
"Cebell" for trumpet
"The Fairy Queen" Pastorale
"The Fairy Queen" Hornpipe
"Dido and Aeneas": Dido's Lament: "When I am laid in earth"
"The Fairy Queen" Largo and Allegro
J. S. Bach: "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
J. S. Bach: "Nun Komm', der Heiden Heiland," BWV 62 - Stokowski transcription
Vivaldi: L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899) BBC Chorus
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes
Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986): Symphony no 5 in B-flat opus 63 (1947)
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act I (1867)
1952
10 June
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, Florence, Italy
Stokowski concert
1952
17 June
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, Florence, Italy
Stokowski concert
1952
20 June
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Milan, Italy
Stokowski concert
1952
24 June
Tonhalle Orchester Zürich
Zurich, Switzerland
Stokowski concert
1952
1 July
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Milan, Italy
Stokowski concert
1952
7, 8 July
North German Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hamburg and Düsseldorf, Germany
Günter Raphael
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite
Günter Raphael (1903-1960): Jabonah ballet suite opus 66 (1948)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1952
26 October
a small ensemble of New York freelance musicians
Auditorium, Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Ulysses Kay
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Hymn and Fuguing Tune
Ulysses Kay (1917-1995): Suite for Strings
John Lessard (1920-2003): Cantilena for Oboe and String Orchestra (1946) - Robert Bloom oboe
Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961): Study in Sonority
Alan Hovahaness: 30th Ode of Solomon - Warren Galjour baritone
1952
28 October
a small ensemble of New York freelance musicians
Auditorium, Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Ben Webber
Lou Harrison (1917-2003): Suite for Violin and Piano with Small Orchestra
Anahid Ajemian violin, Maro Ajemian piano
Elliott Carter (1908-2012): Eight Etudes and a Fantasy for Woodwind Quintet (1950)
Vladimir Ussachevsky (1911-1990): Sonic Contours (1952)
Otto Luening (1900-1996):
Low Speed (1952)
Invention (1952)
Fantasy in Space (1952)
Ben Webber (1916-1979): Symphony On Poems Of William Blake - Warren Galjour baritone
The works of Vladimir Ussachevsky and Otto Luening are of electronic tape music,
not requiring a conductor - one of the pioneering concerts of this gendre.
1952
12 November
University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961): Music for Brass Choir
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
+ Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610) - as arranged by Stokowski
Mariam Stewart soprano, Dorothy Clark contralto, William Miller
tenor, Bruce Foote baritone,
100 voice University of Illinois Oratorio Society Chorus, Paul Young director.
This concert was also recorded by the legendary engineer Bert Whyte, with at
least the Beethoven being recorded in stereophonic sound; amazing for 1952.
From a contemporary newspaper: "STOKOWSKI TRIES SOUND EXPERIMENT.
(Champaign, Illinois) Three dimensional sound recordings with Leopold Stokowski
conducting the symphony orchestra are being made at the University of Illinois
in a pioneering educational project. Stokowski conducted the University of
Illinois student symphony orchestra in the first recording, the start of a
library of stereophonic or 'three-dimensional' recordings." 18.
1952
20 November
Detroit Symphony
Detroit, Michigan
Music & Arts CD 1190
J. S. Bach-Stokowski
Schubert
Wagner
*** Jacob Avshalomov (1919-2013): The Taking of T’ung Kuan - world premiere
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
This concert was also recorded in stereophonic sound
by the legendary engineer Bert Whyte allowing the issue of the
Avshalomov and Tchaikovsky on Music & Arts CD 1190.
1952
4, 5, 6 December
San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera Chorus
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California
Cala Recording CACD 0535
"All-Russian Program"
+ Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
- Colin Harvey offstage
baritone taking the hymn part usually scored for the trombone
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
Nichola Rossi-Lemeni bass (Boris Godunov), Lawrence Mason tenor (The Idiot),
San Francisco Opera Chorus, Kurt Herbert Adler director,
San Francisco State College Choir,
Roy Freeburg director, San Francisco Boys Choir, Madi Bacon director.
Two days after this series of concerts on 8 December and on 10 December, RCA Victor
recorded Stokowski's remarkable performance of these scenes from Boris Godunov
with the San Francisco cast. It was issued on LM 1764 LP and on CD issued
by Cala Records on CACD 0535. Mussorgsky was one of the composers
to whom Stokowski was particularly atuned.
1952
12, 14 December
San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera Chorus
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
Nichola Rossi-Lemeni bass, Lawrence Mason tenor, San Francisco Opera Chorus, Kurt Herbert Adler director,
San Francisco State College Choir, Roy Freeburg director, San Francisco
Boys Choir, Madi Bacon director.
1952
18, 19, 20 December
San Francisco Symphony
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Harald Sæverud (1897-1992): The Ballad of Revolt (1943) opus 22A no 5
Fartein Valen (1887-1952): Churchyard by the Sea opus 20
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Oliver Daniel quotes Jon Embretsen: "...Valen was not
popular with the concert public in Norway...[Stokowski] with
his usual flair gave the Valen piece a superb rendition - so
much so that in the end the audience was stunned, and there
was this dead silence of several seconds before a thunderous
applause broke out..."19
1953
17, 18 June
Helsinki City Symphony Orchestra
Helsinki, Finland
Sibelius and Stokowski in a 1953 visit prior to the concert, which
Sibelius also attended
Sibelius Programme
Sibelius: Finlandia opus 26 (1899)
Sibelius: Symphony no 1 E Minor opus 39
Sibelius: Suite from the incidental music to Pelléas et Mélisande opus 46
Sibelius: Symphony no 7 in C Major, opus 105
Guild Historical has issued GHCD 2341 containing this concert, but like other
sources, the sound is poor, although they were able to made some improvements;
yet the recording demonstrates the excellence
of these performances and expains the audience acclaim.
1953
27 September
CBS Radio Orchestra
CBS Studios, New York City
Twentieth Century Concert Hall on CBS radio
Sponsored by the American Composer's Alliance66
Bach: Siciliano from Sonata for Violin and Clavier BWV 1017 - Stokowski transcription
Nicolai Berezowsky (1900–1953): Adagio from String Sextet Concerto (1940)
(played by Stokowski "In Memoriam" to Berezowsky who had recently died)
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Concerto for orchestra no 1 "Arevakal" opus 88 (1951)
1953
16 October
Orchestra of New York freelance musicians
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Colin McPhee
Programme of Canadian Composers
Pierre Mercure (1927-1966): Pantomine for Wind Instruments and Percussion
Alexander Brott (1915-2005): Violin Concerto - Noel Brunet violin
Colin McPhee (1900-1964): Tabuh-Tabuhan (1936) using 2 pianos and extensive
percussion
Intermission
François Morel (1926- ): Antiphone
Godfrey Ridout: Two Mystical Songs of John Donne - Lois Marshall soprano
Healey Willan: Coronation Suite - Westminster Choir, John Finley Williamson director
1953
18 October
CBS Radio Orchestra
CBS Studios, New York City
Twentieth Century Concert Hall on CBS radio
Sponsored by the American Composer's Alliance
Peggy Glanville-Hicks (1912-1990): a composition
Roger Goeb (1914-1997): Concertino no 1, for orchestra (1949)
1953
25 October
CBS Radio Orchestra
CBS Studios, New York City
Twentieth Century Concert Hall on CBS radio
Sponsored by the American Composer's Alliance
Antonio Cesti (1623-1669): Tu mancavi a tormentarmi - Stokowski transcription
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Cantabile : for strings : Portrait of Nicolas de Chatelain
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Hymn and Fuguing Tune
Douglas S. Moore (1893-1969): Polka and Cakewalk from Cotillion Suite (1952)
Vladimir Ussachevsky (1911-1990)/Otto Luening (1900-1996): Incantation for Tapesichord
The Ussachevsky/Luening work required no conductor, since it was electronic music
produced using magnetic tape recording: a "Tapesichord"
1953
1 November
CBS Radio Orchestra
CBS Studios, New York City
Twentieth Century Concert Hall on CBS radio
Sponsored by the American Composer's Alliance
concert conducted by Stokowski followed by the "Music Critics Workshop"
organized by the American Symphony Orchestra League 79.
1953
13, 15 November
San Francisco Symphony
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California
Enrique Jorda San Francisco Music Director 1954-1963
Stokowski opened the San Francisco Symphony 1953-1954 season. The New York Times
wrote:
"With Leopold Stokowski on the podium, the San Francisco Symphony
Orchestra opened its 'Season of Decision' last night. This is the season at the
conclusion of which, according to Howard K. Skinner, the orchestra's General Manager,
it is hoped that a decision can be reached on a successor to Pierre Monteux as
permanent conductor" 78
Stokowski programmed a relatively conservative programme, with his best works.
Eventually, however, Enrique Jorda was appointed San Francisco
Music Director beginning with the 1954-1955 season, rather than Stokowski.
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899) with chorus
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes
San Francisco Opera Chorus, Kurt Herbert Adler director in Sirènes
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Stokowski had the woodwinds seated at stage front to the right for
this concert 31
1953
20, 22 November
San Francisco Symphony
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California
+++ Morton Gould (1913-1996): Dance Variations
soloists: Arthur Wittemore and Jack Lowe pianists
Walter Piston (1894-1976): Toccata (1948) originally commissioned by the French National Orchestra
Chou Wen-chung (1923- ): Landscapes "based on three traditional
Chinese melodies associated with three ancient Chinese poems"
"Chou is credited by Nicholas Slonimsky to be one of the first
Chinese composer who has attempted to translate authentic oriental
melo-rhythms into the terms of modern Western music." 27
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
1953
24 December
CBS Concert Orchestra
CBS Studios, New York City
"Annual Christmas Carol Hour" broadcast Christmas eve on
CBS radio
Concert of Christmas carols - Eileen Farrell soprano and Robert Shaw
Chorale
Boris Blacher (1903-1975): Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini opus 26
Emmanuel Bondeville (1898-1987): Illuminations no 2 - Ophélie (1931)
Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975): For the fallen: Berceuse
Uuno Klami (1900-1961): Karelian Rhapsody opus 15 (1927)
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
Stokowski often improved the acoustics in halls in which he performed, but not in
the old Constitution Hall, Washington. "January 1954: Washington. [Leopold Stokowski] wanted
a large curtain removed from the stage of Constitution Hall in Washington.
He said he'd been complaining about the thing for years because it ruins the
acoustics of the place. Eventually he capitulated and played before the undisturbed
drapes..."20
of the Baltimore concert, Weldon Wallace in the Baltimore Sun wrote:
"The first half of the evening featured four works by living composers...none of
these was modern in a harsh, jagged way. None of them had distinctive profile, but
they were rewarding in their own way, especially as played last night."119
1954
22 January
Minneapolis Symphony
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Harald Sæverud (1897-1992)
Harald Sæverud (1897-1992): The Ballad of Revolt (1943) opus 22A no 5
Howard Hanson (1896-1981): Pastorale for oboe, harp and strings opus 38
Uuno Klami (1900-1961): Karelian Rhapsody opus 15 (1927)
Beethoven: Incidental music for The Ruins of Athens, opus 113: "Turkish March"
Mozart: Piano Sonata no 11 in A major, K 331: Movement 3 Alla Turca "Turkish March"
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Herbert Elwell (1898-1974): The Forever Young (1952)
Wagner: Das Rheingold: Alberich's curse and "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla" - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1954
7 February
CBS Symphony
MacMillian Theater, Columbia University, New York City
Twentieth Century Concert Hall - broadcast by CBS radio
+++ Charles Ives (1874-1954): A Set of Three Short Pieces: Hymn, Largo cantabile
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus for harp and string orchestra (1939)
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances for Orchestra BB 68
Josef Foerster (1859-1951): Sarabande - Maurice Wilk violin
1954
12, 14 February
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968)
Otmar Nussio (1902-1990): Danze di Majorca (1949)
Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968): Preludio a un altro giorno (1952)
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) Suite
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
Steinfirst in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote: "The Nussio Majorcan dance proved to be
pleasant, bright-colored, and strongly rhythmic and not much else."108
1954
13 February
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Concert of Russian choral music
1954
21 February
CBS Symphony
MacMillian Theater, Columbia University, New York City
Harold Coletta, left and Eddie Grosso soloists in Ives
Twentieth Century Concert Hall - broadcast by CBS radio
Charles Ives (1874-1954): Holiday Symphony: Washington’s Birthday
"Jews Harp" soloists: Harold Coletts (usually NBC viola), Eddie Grosso
amateur musician.
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Partita for Flute, Violin & Stings opus 12
soloists: Maurice Wilk violin, Julius Baker flute
CBS radio and Stokowski received extensive nationwide newspaper coverage of their search for
musicians playing the "Jews Harp" for Ives's Washington's Birthday score. When the
story died down, Stokowski issued a press release saying he might have to cancel the concert
due to a lack of a jews harp musician. The search and audition of musician candidates received
continued daily newspaper coverage for one week prior to the concert, seemingly effective
publicity for the 21 February 1954 concert. Photographs of the winning musicians, shown above,
were printed by newspapers nationwide.
1954
2, 3 March
Toronto Symphony
Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Night on Bare Mountain - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
François Morel (1926- ): Antiphone
Claude Delvincourt (1888-1954): Pamir (1938)
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): English Folk Song Suite (1923)
1954
14 March
CBS Symphony
CBS Studios, New York City
Peter Mennin - he also succeeded William Schuman as head of the Juilliard School
Twentieth Century Concert Hall - broadcast by CBS radio
Robert Kurka (1921-1957): Elegy for English horn & Strings: In memory of Mrs. Hepburn (1948)
Peter Mennin (1923-1983): Fantasia for String Orchestra (1947)
Walter Piston (1894-1976): Fantasy for English Horn, Harp & Strings (1953)
featured artists in the Piston work: Harry Shulman English horn (of the NBC orchestra), Gloria Agostini harp
Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Suite transcribed by Stokowski 3 of the following (not identified):
"Cebell" for trumpet
"The Fairy Queen" Pastorale
"The Fairy Queen" Hornpipe
"Dido and Aeneas": Dido's Lament: "When I am laid in earth"
"The Fairy Queen" Largo and Allegro
1954
1 April
Orchestra of New York freelance musicians, Westminster Choir
Carnegie Hall, New York
Gala all-Norwegian Concert sponsored by the Norwegian Government
Fartein Valen (1887-1952): Churchyard by the Sea opus 20
Harald Sæverud (1897-1992): The Ballad of Revolt (1943) opus 22A no 5
Johan Svendsen (1840-1911): Carnival in Paris, Episode for Orchestra opus 9 (1872)
Arne Eggen (1881-1955): Liti Kersti Suite: Bjorgulv the Fiddler
Ludvig Irgens-Jensen (1894-1969): Partita Sinfonica
+++ Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): Lyric Pieces, opus 54, no 6: Bell Ringing - as arranged by Stokowski
David Monrad Johansen (1888-1974): Voluspaa opus 15
Øivin Fjeldstad conducted the Klaus Egge Piano Concerto no 2 with Robert Riefling piano
to conclude this programme of Norwegian music
1954+
5 May
BBC Symphony Orchestra
London, England
Concert broadcast on the BBC Home Service
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006): Beckus the Dandipratt opus 5 - Comedy Overture
Reinhold Glière (1875-1946): Concerto for Coloratura and Orchestra opus 82
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Alan Rawsthorne (1905-1971): Symphonic studies for Orchestra (1938)
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
Malcolm Arnold (later Sir Malcolm) was present in the audience
1954
7 May
BBC Symphony Orchestra
London, England
Leopold Stokowski conducts Arnold Bax in a 1954 BBC telecast
Televised concert by the BBC introduced by Stokowski
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Arnold Bax (1883-1953): Tintagel (1919)
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Suite transcribed by Stokowski:
"Cebell" for trumpet
"The Fairy Queen" Pastorale
"The Fairy Queen" Hornpipe
"Dido and Aeneas": Dido's Lament: "When I am laid in earth"
"The Fairy Queen" Largo and Allegro
1954+
9 May
BBC Symphony Orchestra
London, England
Concert broadcast on the BBC Home Service
William Schuman (1910-1992): Circus Overture
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus for harp and string orchestra (1939)
Arnold Bax (1883-1953): Tintagel (1919)
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
1954
14 May
Belgian National Orchestra
Brussels, Belgium
This was Stokowski's first and only concert performance in Belgium
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
1954
21 May
Opéra de Paris Orchestra
Paris, France
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1954
27 May
Swiss-Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Lugano, Switzerland
Kurt Leimer at about the time of this concert
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
Kurt Leimer (1920-1974): Piano Concerto no 2 (1948) - with the composer at the piano
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio italien opus 45
1954
6 June
South West Radio Symphony Orchestra (Südwestfunk)
Baden-Baden, Germany
William Schuman (1910-1992): Circus Overture
Aaron Copland (1900-1990): Statements for Orchestra (1935)
Rolf Liebermann (1910-1999): Furioso (1947)
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
Boris Blacher (1903-1975): Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini opus 26
Falla: El sombrero de tres picos: Suite arranged by Stokowski
1954
19 June
Orchestra Teatro La Fenice
Basilica di San Marco, Venice, Italy
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sacrae symphoniae: Canzon quarti toni a 15, C185
- Stokowski transcription
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): Vespro della Beata Vergine SV 206:
"Sancta Maria ora pro nobis" - Gabriella Carturan soprano
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sacrae symphoniae Book 2:
"In Ecclesiis Benedicite Domino" - Stokowski transcription
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Beatus Vir RV 597 - with organ and Choir
Gabriella Carturan mezzo-soprano, Carlo Tagliabue baritone, Giovanni Spina tenor, Choir of
La Fenice
1954
21 June
Orchestra Teatro La Fenice
outdoor courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale, Venice, Italy
Stokowski conducting in the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale, Venice, Italy
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
1954
22 June
Orchestra Teatro La Fenice
outdoor courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale, Venice, Italy
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
1954
27 June
Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Rome, Italy
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Night on Bare Mountain - Stokowski transcription
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade opus 35 (1888)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1954
27 June
Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Rome, Italy
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
1954
8 July
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, Florence, Italy
concert of the Florence May Festival which extended from May until July
1954
26 October
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Bicentennial Celebration of Columbia University
this seems to be the only Stokowski - New York Philharmonic concert of the 1950s
following his departure as Co-Principal conductorof the orchestra in 1949.
Daniel Gregory Mason (1873-1953): Chanticleer Overture festival overture
for orchestra, Op 27
Otto Luening (1900-1996): Symphonic Fantasia no 2
Douglas Stuart Moore (1893-1969): Symphony no 2 in A major
Edward MacDowell (1860-1908): Concerto no 2 in D minor for Piano and Orchestra,
opus 23 - Gary Graffman
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): Dance Suite BB 86a
1954
19 November
Boston University Symphony and Chorus
Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Stokowski rehearsing the Boston University Symphony in Carmina Burana
Normand Lockwood (1906-2002) a student of Respighi: Prairie (1953) with chorus
Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
The Boston University Symphony, Symphonic Chorus, Newton Boys' Choir
Student soloists: Gwendolyn Belle mezzo-soprano, John Colleary baritone, Elmer Dickey tenor,
Kenneth Shelton baritone, Ruth Ann Tobin soprano
Although the first performance of Carmina Burana was in Frankfurt
in 1937, the published score was not available in the USA until
1953. The USA premiere took place in a little-noticed San Francisco
concert given by the University of San Francisco's Schola Cantorum
under Giovanni Camajani 21. Thor Johnson conducted the
second USA performance at the Cincinnati May Festival 5 May 1954 21.
The November 1954 Stokowski/BU concerts seem the third USA performance
prior to a number of leading orchestras adding in the work to their
repetoire in 1955.
1954
21 November
Boston University Symphony and Chorus
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Normand Lockwood (1906-2002) a student of Respighi: Prairie (1953) with chorus
Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
The Boston University Symphony, Symphonic Chorus, Newton Boys' Choir
Student soloists: Gwendolyn Belle mezzo-soprano, John Colleary baritone, Elmer Dickey tenor,
Kenneth Shelton baritone, Ruth Ann Tobin soprano
Carnegie Hall performance was sponsored by Contemporary Music Society.
Paul Henry Lang of the New York Herald-Tribune, often critical of Stokowki wrote:
"Orff prefers melismas, microscopic fragments which are repeated, at times endlessly.
There is not development, musical or psychological, of the kind we find in even the most
avant guarde music, and everything is pared down to a primordial simplicity of
music" 120
1954
2, 4 December
Cleveland Orchestra
Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Robert Cogan when a composition professor at the New England Conservatory
+ Robert Cogan (1930- ): Fantasia for Orchestra (1951)
+ Henri Barraud (1900-1997): Offrande à une ombre, pour orchestre, à la mémoire de
Maurice Jaubert (1942)
Stravinsky: Apollon musagète ballet (1928/1947)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1954
9, 11 December
Cleveland Orchestra
Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
+ Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Suite transcribed by Stokowski:
"Cebell" for trumpet
"The Fairy Queen" Pastorale
"The Fairy Queen" Hornpipe
"Dido and Aeneas": Dido's Lament: "When I am laid in earth"
"The Fairy Queen" Largo and Allegro
+ Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Sinfonia Antarctica (Symphony no 7 written in 1952)
Stravinsky: Apollon musagète ballet (1928/1947)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899) with chorus
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Roy Harris (1898-1979): Symphony no 7 (1952)
1955
23 January
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas, Texas
Jack Frederick Kilpatrick, Cherokee heritage composer
concert included:
Jack Frederick Kilpatrick (1915-1967): Invocation and Ritual
Jack Frederick Kilpatrick was a native american composer who often used
themes inspired by his Cherokee heritage including in Invocation and Ritual.
Concert was also intended to include Lou Harrison (1917-2003):
Symphony on G (Symphony no 1) written in 1952
using Harrison's variation on Schoenberg's 12 tone system, but
Stokowski cancelled due to lack of two harps and the work by Kilpatick (then composing
in Dallas) was substituted. Lou Harrison, who had taken a bus from California to be
present expressed his disappointment.
local newspapers described the choice of Kilpatrick: "Stokowski explained that
he loved Kilpatrick's music, and he ordered that the program be changed. The program was
almost ready to go to press but that made no difference to the great Stokowski who
ordered the program changed."109
1955
28 January
Fort Worth Symphony
Will Rogers Auditorium, Fort Worth, Texas
repeat of Dallas concert
1955
11 February
New Orleans Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra
Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana
Rimsky-Korsakov: Dubinushka opus 62
- Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral arrangement
of the traditional folk song "The Little Oak Stick"
+ Shostakovich: Symphony no 10 in E minor opus 93
William Schuman (1910-1992): Prayer in Time of War, 1943
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1955
17 February
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan
concert included:
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Vision From High Rock opus 123
This seems to be the world premiere of the Hovhaness work although not claimed
in newspaper accounts. In 1986, Hovhaness wrote: My success now is quite a surprise
to me: for the first half of my life I was known as the composer who was
never performed. I had no luck until I was 41, when Leopold Stokowski,
the great conductor, conducted one of my pieces and decided to champion my work".
Hovhannes's comments seem to refer to this Detroit premiere and the famous 31 October 1955 premiere
of Mysterious Mountain, listed below.
Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991): Symphony for Peace (1951) - Lutnia Singing Society
Panufnik later replaced his Symphony for Peace with his Sinfonia Elegiaca
Symphony no 2 which used the first two movements from the
Symphony for Peace.
1955
22 February
Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
John Stafford Smith: Star Spangled Banner
Rimsky-Korsakov: Dubinushka opus 62
- Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral arrangement
of the traditional folk song "The Little Oak Stick"
+ Shostakovich: Symphony no 10 in E minor opus 93
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Suite bergamasque: Movement 3: Clair de Lune - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1955
13, 14 March
University of Miami Symphony Orchestra
13 - Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami, Florida 101
14 - Dade County Auditorium, Miami, Florida 102
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Mein Jesu! was vor Seelenweh" BWV 487 - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
This was the occasion when Stokowski's broadcast was cut off the air.
The Miami Daily News wrote: "Stokowski, here for a concert at the Miami Beach
Auditorium and another tonight at the Dade County Auditorium was being interviewed
backstage at the Miami Beach Auditorium. Announcer John Prosser read 'Leopold Stokowski was
born in 1882...' Stokowski shouted 'No, no, no, that is not true, I was born in
1887!' Prosser read on 'He was born of a Polish father and an Irish mother...'
Stokowski shouted 'That's a lie! My mother was not Irish! Where did you get that
stuff?'. There was a scuffle and then the broadcast was cut"102
1955
23, 24 April
Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Auditorium di palazzo Pio, Rome, Italy
Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 645 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Mein Jesu! was vor Seelenweh" BWV 487 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, opus 125
1955
30 April
RAI Roma Orchestra and Chorus
Rome, Italy
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Cantata BWV208 Schafe können sicher weiden
(Sheep May Safely Graze) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
+++ Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
Soloists: Soloists: Angelica Tuccari soprano, Antonio Pirino tenor, Raffaele de Falachi baritone,
Margherita Salvi soprano, Aurelio Oppicelli baritone
1955
6 May
RAI Turino Orchestra
Turin, Italy
Morton Gould in about 1945
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Ibert: Féerique (1924)
Morton Gould (1913-1996): Sinfonietta (1936)
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
1955
6 May
RAI Turino Orchestra
Turin, Italy
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op 67
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) - Oralia Dominguez mezzo-soprano
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act I (1867)
1955
15 May
South West Radio Symphony Orchestra (Südwestfunk) and chorus
Baden-Baden, Germany
Gottfried von Einem known in particular for his operas
Gottfried von Einem (1915-1996): Meditationen Two Pieces for Orchestra opus 18
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Percussion Concerto opus 109 (1930)
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983): Variaciones Concertantes opus 23 (1953)
Werner Egk (1901-1983): French Suite after Rameau (1949)
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet ballet opus 64 - Stokowski's selection from
Prokofiev's Suites no 1 and 2:
no 6 from Suite no 1 opus 64a: Romeo and Juliet
no 6 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: Dance of the Girls with Lilies
no 7 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: Romeo at Juliet's Grave
1955
20 May
Süddeutscher Rundfunk Orchestra
Stuttgart, Germany
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - transcription by Stokowski
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Cantata BWV208 Schafe können sicher weiden
(Sheep May Safely Graze) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
+ Karl Hartmann (1905-1963): Symphony no 2 (1946)
Boris Blacher (1903-1975): Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini opus 26
1955
31 May
Radio Symphony Orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk
Frankfurt, Germany
Hessischer Rundfunk "Week of New Music"
+ Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Hymne au Saint Sacrement (1932)
+ Ernst Krenek (1900-1991): Concerto for Cello opus 133
Stravinsky: Mass (1948) with mixed chorus
+ Karl Hartmann (1905-1963): Symphony no 2 (1946)
*** Hans Werner Henze (1926-1912): Quattro poemi (1955) a premiere and commissioned for this concert
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
1955
5 June
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna, Austria
Ernst Krenek composed in a relaxed version of the twelve-tone technique after studying with Webern
Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 645 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
+ Ernst Krenek (1900-1991): Concerto for Cello opus 133
Mozart: Symphony no 40 in G Minor, K 550
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
1955
11 June
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna, Austria
Concert of the 1955 Vienna Music Festival
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
+ Max Haager (1905-1984): Chaconne for Orchestra (1947)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1955
30 August
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
Stokowski returned to the Hollywood Bowl for the first time since 1946 to conduct the
concluding concert of 1955 'Symphony Under The Stars'. It was "Leopold Stokowski's 37 appearance
on the Hollywood Bowl stage"121
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet ballet Suite no 2 opus 64b: Romeo at Juliet's Grave
+ Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
+ Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
soloists included a young Marilyn Horne (born 1934) soprano, Marni Nixon soprano,
Richard Robinson tenor, Heinz Blankenburg baritone
Roger Wagner Chorale
1955
10 September
Pacific Coast Featival Orchestra
Spanish Courthouse Gardens, Santa Barbara, California
"The Sunken Gardens of Santa Barbars's Old Spanish Courthouse, sketched here,
will be the scene of the Pacific Coast Music Festival September 10 through 18 under the baton
of Leopold Stokowski Music Director in four outdoor symphony concerts"111
Pacific Coast Music Featival
Handel: Concerto Grosso in G minor, HWV 324 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: 'Siciliano' from Sonata for Violin and Clavier BWV 1017
Bach: "Mein Jesu! was vor Seelenweh" BWV 487 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Prelude in B minor BWV 869 from Book I of the "Well-Tempered Clavier" - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Preludio in E - from Partita no 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Serenade in D major K. 239 "Serenata notturna"
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Concerto no 5 for piano and strings opus 98 no 3
*** Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Hymn and Fuguing Tune number 10 (1955) - billed as world premiere
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht (1899)
1955
11 September
Pacific Coast Featival Orchestra
Spanish Courthouse Gardens, Santa Barbara, California
Joaquin Rodrigo: his most famous work Concierto de Aranjuez was composed in 1939
Pacific Coast Music Featival
concert included: 110
William Schuman (1910-1992): Symphony for Strings - Symphony no 5 in Three Movements (1943)
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999): Zarabanda lejana (1926) arranged for orchestra
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Concerto Grosso no 2 (1952)
1955
17 September
Pacific Coast Featival Orchestra
Spanish Courthouse Gardens, Santa Barbara, California
Pacific Coast Music Featival
William Lawes (1602-1645): Consort Sets in Six-parts: Six-part Fantasy and Air no 1
- Stokowski transcription
Matthew Locke (1621-1677): Suite no 1 in G minor - Stokowski transcription
Henry Purcell (1659-1695): King Arthur: Excerpts - arranged by Julian Herbage
John Humphries (1707-1745): Concerto in D minor, opus 3 no 10 - Stokowski transcription
William Billings (1746-1800): Lamentation Over Boston
Supply Belcher (1752-1836): How Swift the Moments Fly
Jacob Kimball (1761-1826): Leicester and Hark What News the Angels Bring
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C major opus 48
1955
18 September
Pacific Coast Featival Orchestra
Spanish Courthouse Gardens, Santa Barbara, California
Pacific Coast Music Featival
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Percussion Concerto opus 109 (1930)
Charles Ives (1874-1954): The Unanswered Question (1908)
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta BB 114
Stravinsky: Mass (1948) with 160 voice Roger Wagnor Choral mixed chorus
The Stravinsky Mass was dedicated by Stokowski to New York music critic Olin Downes who died
22 August 1955. Downes was a strong advocate of contemporary music.
Sibelius: The Tempest opus 109: Berceuse
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Serenade to Music (1938)
1955
30 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Television Broadcast: This is a 30 October 1955 final rehearsal prior to
the 31 October 1955 first concert beginning Stokowski's tenure as Music Director
of the Houston Symphony. The rehearsal was televised nationally on NBC's
'Wide, Wide World', and was also the Houston Symphony's first telecast
*** Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Mysterious Mountain Symphony no 2 (1955)
this is the rehearsal prior to the world premiere
1955
31 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
First Houston Symphony concert with Stokowski as Music Director
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act I (1867)
*** Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Mysterious Mountain Symphony no 2 (1955)
Hovhaness's compostion Mysterious Mountain was commissioned by the
Houston Symphony and given its world premiere coinciding with the beginning
of Leopold Stokowski's tenure. The compostion had uniformly positive reviews
following the concert and went on to become perhaps Hovhaness's most popular
composition.
Intermission
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no 2
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
1955
8 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Leopold Stokowski in 1955
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
+ Charles Ives (1874-1954): The Unanswered Question (1908)
Intermission
+ Thomas de Hartmann (1885-1956): Esther: Dances
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
1955
14 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
+ Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
+ Bach: Orchestral Suite no 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067: Badinerie - Stokowski transcription
+ Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
+ Charles Ives (1874-1954): The Unanswered Question (1908)
Intermission
*** Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Symphony no 6 (1952) - premiere; probably Cowell's least-performed
symphony
Henry Cowell was present for this premiere
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
1955
22 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Smetana: The Bartered Bride: Overture
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
Intermission
+ Howard Hanson (1896-1981): Piano Concerto in G major - Rudolf Firkusny piano
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1955
28 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski performed and recorded the music of Aram Khachaturian throughout his
career including this USA premiere of this 19 minute Festive Poem depicting
people celebrating Soviet rule (Khachaturian survived the Stalin era)
+++ Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Festive Poem (1950) - USA premiere
+ Shostakovich: Symphony no 10 in E minor opus 93
Intermission
+ Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961): Dance Rhythms
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
1955
6 December
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
All Sibelius Programme commemorating the composer's 90th birthday
Sibelius: Finlandia opus 26 (1899)
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite opus 22: "The Swan of Tuonela" opus 22 no 2
Sibelius: The Tempest: Berceuse opus 109 (1926)
+++ Sibelius: Hymn of the Earth opus 85 - USA premiere
mixed chorus: the Houston Symphony Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
Sibelius: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 43 (1902)
1955
17, 18 December
Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, DC and Chorus
Mozart Programme
Mozart: Ave verum corpus in D major K. 618
Mozart: Missa brevis no 9 in B-flat major K. 275: excerpts
Mozart: Canon for Six Voices in D major: K. 347
Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major K. 299
Mozart: Serenade no 10 for winds in B flat major K. 361/370a "Gran Partita"
Bach: Chaconne in D minor - from Partita no 2 in D minor BWV 1004 - Stokowski transcription
+ Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Réveil des Oiseaux (1953)
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919) as adapted by Stokowski
Phillip Lamdro of the Christian Science Monitor wrote of this Messiaen performance:
"Messiaen's is not merely to spin polyrhythmic counterpoint, but
through our limited system of musical notation to create 'living' music.
It does not sound like any other music one may have heard since it is as
far removed from academic formualas as it is from revolutionary
ones."122
1956
31 January
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski programmed a memorable 1956 performance of Carmina Burana
which he was then to record with Capital Records in 1958
Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 1 in C major, opus 21
+ Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
Virginia Babikian soprano, Jack Waggoner tenor, Guy Gardner baritone,
Howard Hartmann baritone
Stokowski employed a mixed chorous of 150 singers: the Houston Symphony
Chorale 24
1956
2 April
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
for the last 2 concerts of the Houston 1955-1956 season, Stokowski programmed
innovative repetorie including Orff's "Trionfo di Afrodite" and
works by Brazilian composer Mozart Camargo Guarnieri and local composer Paul Holmes
Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture opus 95
Schumann: Symphony no 2 in C major opus 61
+ Carl Orff (1895-1982): Trionfo di Afrodite
Virginia Babikian soprano, Audre Lokey soprano, Jack Waggoner tenor, Guy Gardner baritone
Houston Symphony Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
1956
10 April
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Paul Holmes (1923-2007) University of Texas composer commissioned by the
Houston Symphony
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): L'éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan) ballet (1927)
Oscar Espla (1886-1976): Don Quijote velando las armas (1924)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Boléro (1928)
*** Paul Holmes (1923-2007): Fable (1956) premiere of a work commissioned by the Houston Symphony
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
Phillip Lamdro of the Christian Science Monitor wrote:
"Espla composed a Fantasia consisting of a Prelude, Dance, and
Final Scene, all based on one simple theme. Scored for large orchestra,
the work is free in form and contains massive tonal effects."123
This concert, with a programme - which would only be devised by Stokowski - concluded the
Houston Symphony 1955-1956 seasaon.
1956
9 May
Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid
Teatro Monumental, Madrid, Spain 124
Oscar Espla (1886-1976) said to be mainly self-taught as composer
Stokowski's first concert performance in Spain
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999): Homenaje a la Tempranica (1939) - a lyrical work
Oscar Espla (1886-1976): El sueño de Eros in B-flat minor (1912)
Conrado del Campo (1878-1953): Fantasia Castellana
Conrado del Campo had been for many years principal conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Saudades do Brasil opus 67 (1921): movement 3: Botafogo
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Boléro (1928)
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934): Suncana polja ("Sunny Fields")
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
While in Yugoslavia, Stokowski was a particularly active tourist, since he
could not take his fee in dinars out of the country 25
1956
2 June
Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
Belgrade, Yugoslavia
The Serbian composer Petar Konjovic is perhaps best remembered for his operas of nationalistic
folk themes
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
Petar Konjovic (1883-1970): song from "My Country": Chestnut Wood
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Boléro (1928)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1956
26 June
Tonhalle Orchester Zürich
Tonhalle, Zurich, Switzerland
"Zurich June Festival" which took place 1 June to 3 July 1956113
Beethoven: Leonore Overture no 3, opus 72b
Mozart: Symphony no 40 in G Minor, K 550
Kurt Leimer (1920-1974): Left Hand Concerto (1952) - with the composer at the piano
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Boléro (1928)
1956
19 July
Symphony of the Air and cast
Empire State Music Festival, Ellenville, New York
Frank Forrest (Frank Hayek) as opera tenor
Empire State Music Festival in Ellenville, New York 75 miles north of New York City
This mini-festival was funded primarily by Frank Eugene Forest (1896-1976),
(born Frank Hayek) who made his fortune founding a drug company, changed his stage
name to Frank Forest and pursued an opera singing career in Italy and the USA.
With the Empire State Music Festival, he wanted to create a music festival that
would avoid the usual opera repertoire, and to present "brand-new
works or very, very old ones." 30
Fully staged production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with
Carl Orff's incidental music
+ Carl Orff (1895-1982): incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream
cast and chorus: Basil Rathbone - Oberon, Nancy Wickwire - Titania, Red Buttons - Bottom,
Alvin Epstein - Puck, the Shawangunk Choraliers 28
The Shakespeare play, normally taking nearly three hours was reduced to
the span of two hours by some heavy cuts 29.
Miles Kastendieck in the Christian Science Monitor wrote:"A professional
cast starring Basil Rathbone as Oberon and Red Buttons as Bottom gave a fair account
of the text. Neither star was completely in character. It remained for Alvin Epstein
as Puck to come closest to a full realization of his role."125.
1956
4 October
Symphony of the Air
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Robert Helps (1928-2001)
Fromm Music Foundation Award Winners Concert
*** Bernhard Heiden (1910-2000): Memorial (1955)
Bernhard Heiden was a student of Paul Hindemith and for three decades was
Chair of the Composition Department at the Indiana University School of Music,
*** Robert Helps (1928-2001): Symphony no 1 movement 2: Adagio (1953)
Helps began composing in his teens, and studied with Roger Sessions. Helps also had
a successful career as a concert pianist.
+ Leon Kirchner (1919-2009): Toccata for Strings, Solo Winds, and Percussion (1955)
*** Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959): Piano Concerto no 4 "Incantation"
This concert completely of new music illustrates the breadth of Stokowski's repetoire,
unmatched by any other conductor of his era. Stokowski's view in assessing new scores is
shown by an account of Anthony Morss: "
I had heard that Ormandy hired people to winnow through the
enormous piles of scores that were sent to him, because he just hadn't
the time to read them all. I asked Stokowski if he did that and he said,
no, because he was always afraid of some assistant's
dismissing out of hand a crude, primitive genius like Moussorgsky,
who was enormously original but who wrote in a way that might
seem illiterate. Stokowski was searching for that kind of rugged
individuality, and he couldn't trust any other person not to miss a
rough-hewn genius."29
1956
14 October
Symphony of the Air
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Programme of the 14 October 1956 Symphony of the Air concert
*** Charles Ives (1874-1954): Robert Browning Overture
- that this Ives work was a world premiere in 1956 shows the continuing lack
of recognition of Ives only 2 years after his death
*** Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Symphony no 3
Bach: St. Matthew Passion BWV 244-63: "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" - Stokowski transciption
- Bach played in memory of Philip Sklar, Principal bass of the Symphony of the Air and longtime of the
NBC Symphony who had died 3 weeks earlier on 26 September 1956.
*** Kurt Leimer (1920-1974): Piano Concerto no 4
+++ Werner Egk (1901-1983): French Suite after Rameau (1949)
1956
30 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Opening of the Houston Symphony 1956-1957 season, Stokowski's second season
as Music Director
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Sir Henry Walford Davies (1869-1941): Solemn Melody for organ and orchestra (1908)
Davies was one of Stokowski's teachers at the Royal College of Music
William Rice: Concerto for Wind and Percussion
William E. Rice (1921-1987) was a Houston composer who studied at Yale and Indiana University,
and who was present for the premiere of his work.
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Paris version 1861): Overture
1956
5 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Cantata BWV208 Schafe können sicher weiden
(Sheep May Safely Graze) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Symphony no 41 in C major, K. 551
Michael Tippett (1905-1998): The Midsummer Marriage (1954): Ritual Dances
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake ballet opus 20: excerpts selected by Stokowski:
Introduction, Waltz, Pas de deux from Act I, two scenes from Act II, Danse Espagnole from Act III and concluding
with the Dance of the Little Swans and Finale from Act IV
1956
13 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski begins a Beethoven cycle
Stokowski wrote the programme notes for each concert of the Beethoven cycle.
Beethoven: Symphony no 1 In C Major, opus 21
Beethoven: Triple Concerto in C Major, opus 56
soloists: Lois Zabel Banke (University of Texas music professor) piano, Raphael Ray Fliegel Concertmaster,
Marion Davies Principal cello
Beethoven: Symphony no 2 in D major opus 36
1956
15 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Gregory Gymnasium, University of Texas
Austin, Texas
University of Texas 1956-1957 Fine Arts Festival
"...The minor annoyance of hissing steam pipes caused the maestro, in a regrettable
display of temperament, to delay the opening of the concerts some 45 minutes..."
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Cantata BWV 208: Schafe können sicher weiden (Sheep May Safely Graze) -
Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 2 in D major opus 36
Kent Kennan (1913-2003): Night Soliloquy (1936) for solo flute, piano and strings
Kennan was professor of music at the University of Texas, Austin
Henry Walford Davies (1869-1941): Solemn Melody (1909) for cello and orchestra
Davies was one of Stokowski's teachers at the Royal College of Music; the music was scheduled,
but not played due to the delay in opening the concert.
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake ballet opus 20: excerpts selected by Stokowski:
Introduction, Waltz, Pas de deux from Act I, two scenes from Act II, Danse Espagnole from Act III and concluding
with the Dance of the Little Swans and Finale from Act IV
Stokowski at the 15 November 1956 University of Texas concert
1956
19 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski continues a Beethoven cycle
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture opus 62
Beethoven: Piano Concerto no 4 in G major, opus 58
soloist: June Stokes (Pantillon) piano
Beethoven: Symphony no 3 in E-flat major, Opus 55 "Eroica"
1956
27 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski rehearsing the Houston Symphony Orchestra
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto no 2 in G minor, opus 63 (1935)
soloist: - Fredell Lack violin (she was Professor of violin at the University of Houston)
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances as arranged by Glazunov and Stokowski
1956
3 December
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski continues a Beethoven cycle
Beethoven: Leonora Overture no 3, opus 72b
Beethoven: "Three Equali" for four trombones, opus 30
Beethoven: Symphony no 4 in B flat, opus 60
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
1956
11 December
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski continues a Beethoven cycle
Beethoven: Incidental music to Egmont opus 84
soloist: Margaret Blackburn soprano
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68 "Pastoral"
1956
17, 19 December
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Triptych (1952) no 1b: As On the Night (Christmas Ode)
soloists: Lois Townsend soprano
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): L'Enfance du Christ opus 25 (1854)
soloists: Audrey Lokey soprano, Jack Waggoner tenor, Jack Dickinson baritone,
Philip Maero baritone, Yi-Kwei Sze bass
This was a benefit concert for "UNISOMI" as it called itself, related to the
United Nations, with the objective of 'World Peace through World Music'
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - funeral march
Stokowski played this music in memory of Arturo Toscanin who had died
four days earlier.
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Symphony no 41 in C major, K. 551
Intermission with a speach by Dr. Everett R. Clinchy on "World Brotherhood"
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto no 1 in D-flat major, opus 10 (1912)
- a 14 year old Daniel Barenboim makes his debut at this New York
concert with a 74 year old Stokowski at the beginning of Barenboim's
performing career.
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
encore: Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung": Act III Interlude: Siegfried's funeral march - Stokowski transcription
This Wagner funeral march was played in memory of Arturo Toscanini who died 19 January 1957
1957
4 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski continues a Beethoven cycle
Beethoven: Overture to Creatures of Pometheus opus 43
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, opus 61
soloist: Zino Franescatti violin
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
1957
12 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Programme for the 12 March 1957 concert with the Hovhannes premiere
This concert was "in tribute to the city of Bombay, India"
and recorded for broadcast in India under US State Department
sponsorship 37
John Stafford Smith: Star Spangled Banner
National Anthem of India
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
César Franck: Symphony in D minor (1888)
- the performance of the Franck received remarkably
negative reviews ('melodramatic', 'stressful' 37)
*** Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Ad Lyram opus 143
soloists: Melba Petzold soprano, Ruth Porter contralto, Alan Messer tenor,
Henry Bennick baritone
Houston Symphony Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
This work of about 12 minutes was commissioned by the Houston Symphony and called
for a 4 solo voices,
large chorus, full symphony orchestra, and a string quartet.
It is set to poetry by the Roman poet Horace.
Melba Petzold soprano, Ruth Porter contralto, Alan Messer tenor, Henry Bennick baritone
Houston Symphony Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Pines of Rome (1916)
1957
18, 20 (afternoon) March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
soloist: Raymond Weaver Principal oboe
Richard Arnell (1917-2009): Ceremonial and Flourish
this Arnell work for brass was commissioned to mark the occasion of
Sir Winston Churchill’s visit to Columbia University in 1946.
Carlos Chavez (1899-1978): Toccata for Percussion Ensemble
In 1939, avant-garde composer John Cage asked Chavez to compose a piece
for Cage's percussion ensemble with which Cage was touring the
West Coast. This toccata, rather than for keyboard or strings is
for percussion including multiple drums and gongs.
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1957
25, 27 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Beethoven Cycle concluded
Beethoven: Symphony no 8 in F major, opus 93
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, opus 125
Jean Hinkle soprano, Annette Dinwoodey contralto, Rudolph Petrak tenor, Jay Froman bass
Houston Symphony Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
1957
18 April
Symphony of the Air and Chorus
Ellenville, New York
Second season of the Empire State Music Festival in Ellenville, New York
75 miles north of New York City
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971): Canticum Sacrum ad Honorem Sancti Marci Nominis
(1955) - dedicated "To the City of Venice" which Stravinsky admired and
where he was eventually buried.
Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
1957
8, 9 May
Vienna Philharmonic
Musikverein, Vienna, Austria
Stokowski began his Summer 1957 European tour in Vienna
Society 'Musikfest' concert of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Mozart: Symphony no 41 in C major, K. 551
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
1957
15, 16 May
Berlin Philharmonic
Titania-Palast, Berlin, Germany
Stokowski programmed two works by Stravinsky which he was
scheduled to record with the Berlin Philharmonic after this
concert
Falla: El amor brujo (1916)
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919 version) as adapted by Stokowski
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Stravinsky: Petrushka (1911 version)
1957
9 June
Vienna Philharmonic
Musikverein, Vienna, Austria
the Musikverein, Vienna on of the world's greatest concert halls
Falla: El sombrero de tres picos: Suite arranged by Stokowski
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899) with chorus
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes
Kurt Leimer (1920-1974): Piano Concerto no 4
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919 version) as adapted by Stokowski
1957
26, 27 June
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
Stokowski's first concert with the London Symphony Orchestra (other than
his 1912 London debut concert !). Stokowski was to perform and record many programmes
with this orchestra over the next 17 years)
Broadcast live on the BBC Home Service
Stokowski recorded the Ravel and Debussy works at the time of this concert
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Roman Carnival Overture opus 9
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899)
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes - BBC Women's Chorus
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919 version) as adapted by Stokowski
1957
30 June
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
Leopold Stokowski visits Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1957
Broadcast live on the BBC Third Programme
Schubert: Rosamunde Overture D. 797
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony no 8 in D minor (1955)
Vaughan Williams attended the concert
Schumann: Symphony no 2 in C major opus 61
1957
18 July
Symphony of the Air
Empire State Music Festival, Ellenville, New York
Empire State Music Festival
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971): Canticum Sacrum ad Honorem Sancti Marci Nominis
(1955) - dedicated "To the City of Venice" which Stravinsky admired and
where he was eventually buried.
Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
Rudolf Petrák tenor, Philip Maero baritone, Eileen Faull soprano
American Concert Choir
1957
28, 29 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Leopold Stokowski in 1957
Initial concert in the 1957-1958 season, Stokowski's third
as Music Director of the Houston Symphony
Beginning with the 1957-1958 Houston Symphony season, all concerts
were given in pairs, and the season extended from 20 to
24 concerts, both extending the season, while reducing the number
of concerts Stokowski would need to prepare26
Bach: "Mein Jesu! was vor Seelenweh" BWV 487 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Sibelius: Symphony no 7 in C major, opus 105 (1924)
Sibelius's symphony, which Stokowski had introduced in the USA at a
3 April 1926 Philadelphia Orchestra concert soon after its composition,
was said to be "In Memorium", since Sibelius had died several
weeks previously.
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey,
Siegfried's Death Music, Immolation Scene and Act III Finale - Stokowski transcription
1957
4, 5 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
José Serebrier and Leopold Stokowski in the 1960s
+ Claude Debussy (1862-1918): 6 Épigraphes antiques (1915)
*** José Serebrier (1938- ): Symphony no 1 (1956) - premiere
In this 1957-1958 Houston season, Stokowski had intended to give the premiere of
the Charles Ives Symphony no 4, but the reconstructed score was not yet ready.
Stokowski instead gave the premiere of José Serebrier's Symphony no 1 with
the Houston Symphony which he had seen recently. Serebrier was then still a
student of the Curtis Institute, Class of 1958, but of course went on to a
brilliant career not only assisting Stokowski with the American Symphony, but
also combining the historic roles of prolific composer and prolific conductor.
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini opus 43 - Leonard Pennario
+ Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1957
11, 12 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
11 November 1957 Houston Symphony programme
+++ Carl Orff (1895-1982): Nänie und Dithyrambe - USA premiere
Houston Symphony Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
+ Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony no 8 in D minor (1955)
On 30 June 1957 Stokowski performed this symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra
at the Royal Festival Hall with Vaughn William present
+ Ernst Krenek (1900-1991): Concerto for Cello opus 133 - Margaret Auë cello
*** Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991): Sinfonia Elegiaca (Symphony No.2) -
world premiere
On 17 February 1955 in Detroit, Stokowski had performed Panufnik's Symphony for Peace.
Panufnik later used materials from this symphony in 1957 to compose the
Sinfonia Elegiaca premiered by Stokowski.
1957
18, 19 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Except for the Shchedrin, Stokowski made memorable recordings of all of these works
with the Philhadelphia Orchestra. His
1937 recording of Stravinsky's Petrushka
was the first USA recording.
+ Rodion Shchedrin (1932- ): The Little Humpbacked Horse ballet (1956) - Stokowski selections
Anatoly Liadov (1855-1914): Eight Russian Folk Songs opus 58 Stokowski arrangement
Religious Chant
Christmas Carol - Kolyada
Plaintive Melody
Humorous Song 'I Danced With The Gnat'
Legend of the Birds
Cradle Song
Round Dance
Village Dance Song
Stravinsky: Petrushka (1911 version)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
"Mein Jesu, was fuer Seelenweh befaellt dich in Getsemane" BWV 487
"Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
INTERMISSION
+ Boleslaw Szabelski (1896-1979): Toccata (1938)
Wagner: " Die Gotterdammerung" - Act III Finale - Stokowski transcription
1958
9, 10 January
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Chicago, Illinois
+ Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
Intermission
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet ballet opus 64 - Stokowski's selection from
Prokofiev's Suites no 1 and 2:
no 6 from Suite no 1 opus 64a: Romeo and Juliet
no 6 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: + Dance of the Girls with Lilies
no 7 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: + Romeo at Juliet's Grave
+ Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake ballet opus 20: excerpts selected by Stokowski:
Act I: Introduction
Act I: Pas de deux for Two Merry-makers
Act II: Scène
Act II: Danses de cygnes
Act III: Danse russe pour Mlle Pelageya Karpakova
Act III: Danse Espagnole
Act IV: Danse des petits cygnes
Act IV: Scène finale
1958
17, 18 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Samual Barber, left, with friend and collaborator Gian Carlo Menotti at about the time
of Vanessa
This concert had a programme that few other conductors would construct, with works from the
classial era that Houston's audiences often accused Stokowski of neglecting 32,
but which were still unusual. An excerpt from Barber's recently successful opera Vanessa
was followed by the Stokowski staple: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod in
his transcription.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 - Mathan Milstein violin
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony no 88 in G major (Hoboken 1/88)
This was likely Stokowski's first performance of this symphony, as
the Haydn symphonies were not central to his repetoire
Mozart: Adagio and Rondo in C minor, K.617
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): opera Vanessa (1958): Intermezzo
Samuel Barber's successful opera Vanessa had received its premiere at the
Metropolitan Opera 2 months previously on 15 January 1958, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos
with production by Cecil Beaton and directed by Gian-Carlo Menotti who had also
written the libretto.
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1958
24, 25 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940) who died young of alcohol
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940): Janitzio (1933) extroverted music depicting an island of his youth
Prokofiev: Symphony no 5 in B flat major opus 100
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Alborada del gracioso (1905)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Images pour orchestre: "Ibéria" (1908)
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
1958
31 March, 1 April
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Liturgical melodies: Veni Creator Spiritus and Veni Emmanuel -
Stokowski transcriptions
Peter Mennin (1923-1983): Symphony no 6 (1953)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
Wagner: Parsifal: Prelude to Act I, Symphonic Synthesis of Act III,
"Good Friday Spell"
In this performance includes Prelude to Act I, "Symphonic Synthesis"
of Act III, and "Good Friday Spell". Stokowski gives an orchestral overview of
Parsifal by performing the Prelude to Act I, and his "Symphonic Synthesis" of Act III,
including music from the end of Scene 1, the "transformation music" to Scene 2, and
the conclusion of the final scene when Parsifal heals Amfortas's wound by touching it with
his spear. To this, Stokowski has added the "Good Friday Spell", music which he
usually did not include in the Synthesis because Wagner had separately arranged a concert
version of this music.
1958
7, 8 April
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
The Stokowski/Houston Symphony recording of the Shostakovich Symphony no 11, praised
for both performance and recorded sound
This concert led to two famous recordings made the next week with Capital Records
of the Shostakovich symphony and of Carmina Burana
+++ Shostakovich: Symphony no 11 "Year of 1905" in G minor
opus 103 - USA premiere
Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
Virginia Babikian soprano, Jack Waggoner tenor, Guy Gardner baritone,
Joseph Edwin Naron baritone
Stokowski employed a mixed chorous of 150 singers, the Houston Symphony
Chorale, Alfred Urbach director and the Houston Youth Symphony Boys Choir
1958
12 May
l'Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris
The Stokowski - Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française recording for
Capital records
Stokowski recorded the works by Ibert, Ravel and Debussy of this concert on
13 May 1958 with this orchestra for Capital Records.
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Intermission
Jacques Ibert (1890-1962): "Escales" suite (1922)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Miroirs: "Alborada del gracioso" (piano composition orchestrated by
the composer in 1919)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Images pour orchestre no 2: "Ibéria" (1905)
1958
27 May
Ukrainian State Orchestra
Kiev, Ukraine
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Adagio for Strings opus 11 (1936-1938)
Shostakovich: Symphony no 11 "Year of 1905" in G minor
opus 103
1958
7 June
USSR State Radio and TV Large Symphony Orchestra
Great Hall of the Conservatory, Moscow, Soviet Union
Stokowski with Dmitri Shostakovich following this 1958 performance
of the Shostakovich Symphony no 11
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Adagio for Strings opus 11 (1936-1938)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Shostakovich: Symphony no 11 "Year of 1905" in G minor
opus 103
The Barber Adagio for Strings was performed by Stokowski as an encore
1958
15 June
USSR State Radio and TV Large Symphony Orchestra
Great Hall of the Conservatory, Moscow, Soviet Union
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Romeo and Juliet ballet opus 64 - Stokowski's selection from
Prokofiev's Suites no 1 and 2:
no 6 from Suite no 1 opus 64a: Romeo and Juliet
no 6 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: Dance of the Girls with Lilies
no 7 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: Romeo at Juliet's Grave
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Symphony no 5 in B flat major opus 100
1958
17 June
USSR State Radio and TV Large Symphony Orchestra
Great Hall of the Conservatory, Moscow, Soviet Union
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
1958
23 June
Leningrad Philharmonic
Bolshoi Zal, Philharmonia, Leningrad, Soviet Union
The Leningrad Philharmonia, site of the 23 June 1958 concert in the Bolshoi Zal, or Large
Hall
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) - Irina Arkhipova mezzo-soprano
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Shostakovich: Symphony no 11 "Year of 1905" in G minor opus 103
1958
30 June
USSR State Radio and TV Large Symphony Orchestra
Great Hall of the Conservatory, Moscow, Soviet Union
concert
1958
25 September
Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
This was intended as a gala concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of
Stokowski's debut as a conductor - although his debut was at a Paris concert
with the Colonne Orchestra on 12 May 1909
Juan Orrego-Salas (1919- ): Obertura Festiva opus 21 - Chilean composer long at
the Indiana University School of Music
+ Paul Creston (1906-1985): Toccata opus 68 (1957) - a 14 minute work with frequent
rhythmic shifts and contrasting themes, with each section of the orchestra alternatively
being featured.
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Mysterious Mountain Symphony no 2 (1955)
+ Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961): New Dance opus 18b (1935) - a 5 minute syncopated romp
+++ Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony no 9 in E minor - completed in 1957 and premiered
in London in April, 1958
Stokowski selected this USA premiere to honor Vaughan Williams who had died
one month earlier on 26 August 1958. The score for large orchestra also includes
three saxophones and a flugelhorn.
1958
20, 21 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra and Houston Symphony
Chorale
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski in Houston 1958
Stokowski's opening concert of the Houston Symphony 1958-1959 season -
his 4th as Music Director
Weber: Euryanthe: Overture
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
+ Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Meditation on Orpheus opus 155
a memorable 12 minute work in which Hovhaness includes sections without indicated meter,
but with the instruction they should be played "about 20 seconds ad. lib.
...with notes rapid, but not together" giving a murmuring or rushing sound which
intensifies each time repeated.
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Paris version 1861): Overture and Venusberg Music
played with the Houston Symphony Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
1958
27, 28 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Rimsky-Korsakov: Overture On Three Russian Themes in D major, opus 28 -
based on based on his mentor Balakirev's folksong overtures
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp minor opus 3 no 2 - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: song Again, as Before, Alone, opus 73, no 6 - Stokowski transcription
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Romeo and Juliet ballet opus 64 - Stokowski's selection from
Prokofiev's Suites no 1 and 2:
no 6 from Suite no 1 opus 64a: Romeo and Juliet
no 6 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: Dance of the Girls with Lilies
no 7 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: Romeo at Juliet's Grave
+ Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Symphony no 2 "Symphony With Bells"
inspired by World War 2 34
1958
3, 4 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra and Houston Symphony
Chorale
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Serge de Gastyne (1930-1992)
Bach: Adagio in C from Toccata, Adagio and Fugue BWV 564 - Stokowski transcription
Handel: Oboe Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 302a - Ray Weaver Principal oboe
Schubert: Symphony no 8 in b minor - "Unfinished"
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): 3 Chansons, for a cappella chorus: - Houston Symphony Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
Nicolette
Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis
Ronde
*** Serge de Gastyne (1930-1992): tone poem Atala based on a Native American legend,
this work was commissioned by Stokowski for the Houston Symphony
Jacques Ibert (1890-1962): "Escales" suite (1922)
1958
10, 11 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Paul Creston
+ Paul Creston (1906-1985): Toccata opus 68 (1957)
+ Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony no 9 in E minor
Tchaikovsky: Hamlet Incidental music opus 67 b - Stokowski selection:
Overture
Act II Entr'acte
Funeral March
Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Tranfiguration), opus 24
1958
25 November
Symphony of the Air
General Assembley Hall, United Nations, New York City
Stokowski was engaged by the Turkish Government to
perform a Turkish concert in the United Nations hall of the
General Assembly
Anis Fuleihan (1900-1970): Invocation to Isis (1941)
+++ Ahmed Adnam Saygun (1907-1991): oratorio Yunus Emre opus 26 (1942)
performers: Janice Harsanyi soprano, Carol Wolf contralto, James Wainner tenor,
Scott Gibson bass, the Chorus of the Crane School of Music
of the New York Teachers College, Potsdam.
1958
3 December
Symphony Orchestra
Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Contemporary Music Society concert
Halim El-Dabh (1921- ): Fantasia-Tahmeel for derabucca (a hand drum) and strings -
the composer played the derabucca, Harry Zaratzian viola
*** Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Persian Set (1954) "a pioneering effort in
assimilating Persian influence"
Odeon Partos (1907-1977): Yizkor (In memoriam) for viola & string orchestra
Shukichi Mitsukuri (1895-1971) : Ten Haikus opus 8 no 2 - based on Matsuo Basho haikus
Colin McPhee (1900-1964): Nocturne
Chou Wen-chung (1923- ): To a Wayfarer for clarinet, strings, harp and percussion
Malloy Miller (1918-1981): Two Rituals for percussion - Manhattan School of Music Percussion Ensemble
Walter Piston (1894-1976): Divertimento for Nine Instruments (1946)
1958
12 December
Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sonata pian e forte, Ch. 175 - Stokowski transcription
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Pines of Rome (1924)
Shostakovich: Symphony no 11 "Year of 1905" in G minor opus 103
Verdi arias: Mario del Monaco
Wagner: Lohengrin Act III: "In fernem land" - Mario del Monaco
Following this concert they recorded the Scriabin and Amirov on Everest SDBR 3032
Bach: St. Matthew Passion BWV 244-63: "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" - Stokowski transciption
a Stokowski Bach transcription of 4 minutes with solo voice of the Passion
given to the bassoon, solemn and contemplative and not often performed by him, but recorded
28 November 1936 with the Philadelphia Orchestra,
Fikret Amirov developed what he called "symphonic mugam" based on Azerbaijan
folk melodies. Amirov's symphonic mugam Kyurd ovshary (1948) was recorded with the
Houston Symphony on 18 March 1959, released on Everest SDBR 3032 (33 RPM)
coupled with the Scriabin Poem of Ecstasy.
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915): Poem of Ecstasy (Le Poème de l'extase) opus 54
1959
23, 24 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski's 1959 Everest Records SDBR 3031 recording of music from Parsifal
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Benedictus Dominus Deus Sabaoth a 8 - Stokowski transcription
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643): Gagliarda
Frescobaldi published several volumes of his compositions, of which
the second was entitled "Il secondo libro di toccate, canzone, versi d'hinni,
Magnificat, gagliarde, correnti et altre partite d'intavolatura di
cembalo et organo." The "gagliarde" was the piece
transcribed by Stokowski and recorded with the title "Gagliarda"
Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007): Piano Concerto (1945) - Francesca Bernasconi
Stokowski first performed Menotti's Piano Concerto, which Menotti referred
to as his first purely instrumental composition 35 with Rudolf Firkusny
and the New York Philharmonic in concerts of 20, 21 January 1949.
Stokowski again programmed the Piano Concerto in this concert with the
ten-year old pianist Francesca "Kiki" Bernasconi, whom Stokowski had met
in Naples, Italy 36. Kiki Bernasconi later appeared with several
US regional orchestras, on TV as a prodigy, before apparently disappearing
from sight (professionally).
Wagner: Parsifal: Prelude to Act I, Symphonic Synthesis of Act III,
"Good Friday Spell"
In this performance Stokowski has given an orchestral overview of Parsifal
by performing the Prelude to Act I, and his "Symphonic Synthesis"
of Act3. Stokowski's Synthesis of Act III includes music from the end
of Scene 1, the transformation music to Scene 2, and the conclusion of the
final scene when Parsifal heals Amfortas's wound by touching it with his spear.
Stokowski has added the "Good Friday Spell", music which Stokowski had
not included in his Symphonic Synthesis because Wagner had separately arranged
a concert version of the "Good Friday Spell".
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
1959
30, 31 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Aleksey Muravyev: Legend of Azov Mountain
+ Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Violin Concerto in D minor (1954)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1959
6, 7 April
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Programme for the 6 April 1959 Bach Mass in B minor
Concluding concert of the 1958-1959 Houston Symphony season
Stokowski wrote in his programme notes for this concert:
"First of all, as musical expression, the Mass is
profound and sincere. The Mass in B minor is planned on a
vast scale and the texture of the music is complex and highly
concentrated, revealing the slow and rich outwelling of his inspiration.
Second, while it is cast in a form similar to the great
Masses preceding Bach, this form is greatly enlarged and extended.
Third, it has cosmic vastness of expression and consciousness.
Fourth, the parts which are in reality prayers, such as the
beginning of the first Kyrie, have the intensity and simple directness
that probably is always one of the chief elements in prayer.
Fifth, in many places, such as the great choruses of the Gloria
in excelsis Deo, the Credo in unum Deo, the Sanctiis,
and Osanna in excelsis, there is a blazing jubilation like
radiant sunlight. It is as if all Nature, man, the planets, the
whole universe, were singing together. Sixth, at certain moments
in the Mass such as Qui tollis peccata mundi and
Et incarnatus est and Crucifixus,
there is in the music profound mystical intensity that could only
have come from the spirit of a man who was moved to the
uttermost depths of his being."
1959
25 April
Symphony of the Air
New York City
Children's Concert
Bizet: Carmen: Prelude
Mozart: Three German Dances K. 605: "Sleigh Ride" - Stokowski transcription
Leopold Mozart: "Toy Symphony" (Cassation in G major for toys, 2 oboes,
2 horns, strings and continuo) - Stokowski arrangement played by children
Shostakovich: Age of Gold Suite opus 22: Polka
Natalie Bender (1919-1988?): Children's Suite (Stokowski's assistant)
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Engelbert Humperdinck: opera Hänsel & Gretel: Evening Prayer
1959
22, 24 May
Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and chorus
Warsaw, Poland
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994): Symphony no 1 (1947)
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937): Stabat Mater opus 53 (1926)
Alina Bolechowska - soprano
Krystyna Szczepanska - alto
Andrzej Hiolski - baritone
1959
31 May, 1 June
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig Radio Chorus
Leipzig Gewandhaus, Leipzig, Germany
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899) with Leipzig Radio Chorus
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes
Intermission
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
1959
7, 8 June
Berlin Philharmonic
Titania-Palast, Berlin, Germany
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899) with the Favre Choir
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes
Intermission
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
1959
30 June
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
Tchaikovsky: Hamlet Fantasy Overture opus 67
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sonata pian e forte, Ch. 175 - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Pines of Rome (1924)
1959
10 July
Symphony of the Air and chorus
Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park, Bear Mountain, New York
Empire State Music Festival - third summer, now in a new location
about 35 miles north of New York City. Frank Forrest was still in
charge administratively, and the deficit was reduced by subsidies from
local foundations
+++ Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978): Ode to Joy (1956) - a Soviet pot-boiler
performed by mezzo-soprano and chorus
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): cantata Alexander Nevsky opus 78
performed with chorus
1959
25 July
Symphony of the Air and chorus
Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park, Bear Mountain, New York
Empire State Music Festival
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Trois poemes juifs pour grand orchestre: 3 - 'Cortège funèbre'
this work was played in memory of Bloch who had died 15 July 1959
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Stravinsky: Oedipus rex an opera-oratorio (1926)
performed with soloists and chorus, Hugh Ross director
1959
24 September, 7, 9 October
New York City Opera
New York City Center
Stokowski's debut with the New York City Opera in these fully-staged
productions of Carmina Burana and Oedipus Rex
Stravinsky: Oedipus rex an opera-oratorio (1926)
performed with soloists and chorus
+ Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
soloist, chorus dressed in hooded robes, and choreography by John Butler
1959
19, 20 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski's opening concert of the Houston Symphony 1959-1960 season -
his 5th as Music Director
Stokowski's biographer Oliver Daniel wrote: "Even before he began
his 1959-1960 season in Houston, Stoki had expressed disenchantment with the
whole Texas affair. Other options were so much more appealing: invitations
from Philadelphia, from the New York Philharmonic, City Center,
and the major orchestras in Europe..."
+ Handel: Water Music Suite (1717)
this performance is of the Stokowski arrangement and transcription
of Handel's music, to which he added the Adagio from
Handel's Oboe Concerto in D Minor; not in the original
Water Music suite.
+ Mozart: Symphony no 25 in G minor, K. 183
+ Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, opus 45 (1940)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1959
26, 27 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Rudolf Serkin circa 1960
Following the dissatisfaction of some of the Houston Symphony subscribers
about the quantity of new and contemporary music 24, Stokowski announced the
beginning of a Brahms cycle
First concert of the Brahms cycle
Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, opus 80
Brahms: Piano Concerto no 1 in D minor, opus 15 - Rudolf Serkin piano
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
1959
2, 3 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sonata pian e forte, Ch. 175 - Stokowski transcription
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Bachianas brasileiras no 1, W246: movement 2:
Modinha
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Pines of Rome (1924)
*** Harold Farberman (1929- ): Symphony for Strings and Percussion (1959)
+ Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Variations for Orchestra (1956)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1959
9, 10 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Second concert of the Brahms cycle
Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn opus 56
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major opus 77 - Zino Francescatti
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde "Symphonic Synthesis" - transcription by Stokowski
This is the second Stokowski "Symphonic Synthesis" of
Tristan und Isolde. In April, 1932 Stokowski recorded with
the Philadelphia Orchestra excerpts from Tristan und Isolde Act II,
concluding with the Love Music (Liebesnacht) from Act II. Reception to this
version regretted the missing Liebestod from Act III. Then in his
1935 recording of his second "Symphonic Synthesis"
arrangement, Stokowski expanded the music from Acts 2 and 3, concluding the
transcription with a transition from the Act II music to the concluding finale
of the opera, the Liebestod in which Isolde sings over the body of
Tristan. Stokowski retains the protagonist's interplay having cellos play
Tristan's music and violins play Isolde's music.
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
(note: a classic Stokowski programme with works he seems to have selected
for his most important concerts during his career)
1960
3, 4, 5, 6 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall, New York
Leopold Stokowski and Leonard Bernstein
Stokowski's first concerts with the New York Philharmonic since 26 October 1954
+ Handel: Water Music Suite (1717)
- the first NYPO performance of the Stokowski arrangement
and transcription of Handel's music, to which he added the Adagio
from Handel's Oboe Concerto in D Minor; not in the original
Water Music suite.
Mozart: Symphony no 40 in G minor, K.550
Intermission
+++ Fikret Amirov: Azerbaijan, Symphonic Suite - USA premiere
Shostakovich: Symphony no 1 in F minor opus 10
1960
14, 15 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Richard Yardumyan (1917-1985): Chorale prelude on Veni sancte spiritus (1959)
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68 "Pastoral"
Chopin: Stokowski transcriptions of works for piano:
Mazurka in A minor opus 17 no 4
Prelude in D minor, opus 28 no 24
Waltze in C-Sharp Minor, opus 64 no 2
Wagner: Die Walküre Act III scene 3: Wotan's Farewell and
"Magic Fire Music" - Stokowski transcription
1960
21, 22 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Leopold Stokowski in early 1960s
Third concert of the Brahms cycle
Brahms: Hungarian Dance no 1 in G minor
Brahms: Serenade no 1 in D major opus 11
Brahms: Alto Rhapsody opus 53
soloist: Francis Bible mezzo-soprano and male chorus of the Houston
Chorale, Alfred Urbach director
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
1960
28, 29 March
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Stokowski's Everest Records recording of recent works from
Houston Symphony concerts: Thomas Canning, his
Chopin Transcriptions and Wagner Die Walküre Wotan's Farewell and
"Magic Fire Music"
Thomas Canning (1911-1989): Fantasy on a Hymn Tune by Justin Morgan
Mozart: Horn Concerto no 4 in E-flat major, K. 495 - Thomas E. Newell, Jr. Principal horn
*** Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Symphony no 12 (1956): andante, allegro, presto, maestoso
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): Concerto for Orchestra BB 123
1960
4, 5 April
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Programme for the April 1960 Houston Symphony German Requiem
the Houston Chorale, Alfred Urbach, director, University of Houston Concert
Choir, Dr. Merrils Lewis, director
1960
19 April
Symphony of the Air
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Children's Concert sponsored by the Parent's League of
New York41
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf opus 67 with
Bob Keeshan, children television's Captain Kangaroo narrating.
Student compositions:
Ellen Glickman, a 13 year-old New York school student: Serenity
Robert Coren, a 14 year-old New York school student: Fantasy
Robert Levin, a 12 year-old New York school student: An Evening in the Forest - Robert Levin piano
Joey Alfidi, a 10 year-old New York school student: Rondo for Orchestra - Joey Alfidi piano
Beethoven: Incidental music for The Ruins of Athens, opus 113: "Turkish March"
Mozart: Piano Sonata no 11 in A major, K 331: Movement 3 Alla Turca "Turkish March"
Percussion was demonstrated during the two Turkish marches. Children of the U.N. International school
participated in the production
At the beginning of this concert, Stokowski announced to the audience that he had
just heard that Carnegie Hall would be preserved, a cause which he had actively
promoted. 93
1960
6 May
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
National Radio, Katowice, Poland
concert
1960
20 May
Bydgoszcz City Philharmonic Symphonic Orchestra
Orchestra House, Bydgoszcz, Poland
concert
1960
28 June
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
Beethoven: Overture to Egmont opus 84
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): Concerto for Orchestra BB 123
1960
21 July
Philadelphia Orchestra
Robin Hood Dell, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
concert included:
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899): "Nuages" and "Fêtes"
1960
31 July
New York Philharmonic
Lewisohn Stadium, New York City
Programme for the 31 July 1960 Stadium concert, postponed from 30 July due to rain
Stadium Concert - Lewisohn Stadium
Bach: Chorale prelude: Wir glauben all an einen Gott BWV 680 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Cantata BWV208 Schafe können sicher weiden
(Sheep May Safely Graze) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Intermission
Richard Strauss: Don Juan opus 20
Encore: Richard Strauss: Salome opus 54: Dance of the Seven veils
Stokowski paused the concert 5 times because of airliners noise.
1960
14 August
CBC Symphony Orchestra
Festival Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Stratford Festival
Concerts marking the week of the International Conference of
Composers 42.
1960
28 August
New Milford town band
New Milford, Connecticut
Daily Herald Newspaper
"Leopold Stokowski, one of the world's great conductors, led the 30-piece of this small
town in a rendition of the 'Stars and Stripes Forever'. The maestro, as summer resident
had been asked to give his services by the Community Center. The conductor warned the
musicians that he would stop if they failed to perform to his satisfaction. But they
did, and he didn't..." 126.
1960
29 September
New York City Opera
New York City Center
Stokowski's second season with the New York City Opera
- abridged and transcribed for larger orchestra by Stokowski with other Monteverdi music
interpolated in a performance different from what is usually performed today.
soloists: Gérard Souzay baritone (Orfeo), Judith Raskin soprano (Euridice),
Doris Yarick-Cross soprano (La Musica), Regina Sarfati mezzo-soprano (Messaggiera),
Joy Clements soprano (Speranza), Andrew Frierson bass-baritone (Caronte),
Joshua Recht bass (Plutone), Frank Doretta (Apollo), Mary Lesawyer (Ninfa),
Maurice Stern tenor (Pastore I), John Dennison tenor (Pastore II)
Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-1975) : Il prigioniero (The Prisoner) (1949) one act opera presented
in English - a primarily atonal score with some flavor of Alban Berg
soloists: Norman Treigle bass-baritone (the Prisoner), Richard Cassilly tenor (the Jailor and Inquisitor),
Anne McKnight (the Mother), John Macurdy bass (Priest)
Orchestra and Chorus of the New York City Center Opera
Paul Henry Lang of the New York Herald-Tribune, often critical of Stokowki wrote:
"Mr. Stokowski's performance was informed by a sure knowledge of the work and he
eschewed all temptation to meddle with the score. The difficult aggregation of instruments
was handled with exemplary skill, and the little orchestral interludes as well as the
charming vocal madrigals were delightful" 96
1960
17, 18 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Boris Blacher (1903-1975)
Beginning of Stokowski's 6th season as Houston Symphony Music Director -
Advertised as "Stokowski's Farewell Season with the Orchestra"
38
Bach: Cantata BWV208 Schafe können sicher weiden
(Sheep May Safely Graze) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu Dir (Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee)
from Cantata BWV 38 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Preludio in E - from Partita no 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 3 in E-flat major, Opus 55 "Eroica"
Boris Blacher (1903-1975): Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini opus 26
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier opus 59: Waltzes - as arranged by Stokowski
1960
24, 25 October
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major Hob. I/105
soloists: Raphael Fliegel violin, Marion Davies cello, Raymond Weaver oboe,
Paul R. Tucci bassoon.
Mozart: Piano Concerto no 24 in C minor, K. 491 - Ezra Rachlin piano
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967): Háry János: Suite (1926)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes - Stokowski transcription
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
1960
31 October, 1 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
+ John Wooldridge (1919-1958): Suite The Elizabethans (1953) composed at the time of the
accession of Queen Elizabeth II
+ Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Peter Grimes (1945): Interlude from Act II (Passacaglia)
+ William Walton (1902-1983): Partita for Orchestra (1957) originally commissioned
by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1960
7, 8 November
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Leopold Stokowski's Final Concert with the Houston Symphony
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, opus 61
soloist: Isaac Stern violin
(Oliver Daniel recounts an Isaac Stern
story about this concert: "I remember our playing in Houston because
I remember goind down in the elevator with him and discussng the opening of the
Brahms. He looked at me very quietly and said 'Isaac, what are your talking
about? We're playing the Beethoven'. So I gulped and said 'OK'... From that
night on we also became very good friends' "39)
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
This season, billed as "Stokowski's Farewell Season with the Orchestra"
was not to be a full season. Stokowski's biographer Oliver Daniel wrote of
Houston professor and Stokowski acquaintance Lee Pryor:
"Just before conducting his final pair of concerts before the
Christmas holidays, he invited me to dinner...and during dinner said
'I want you to read something' and he took out of his pocket a letter
which turned out to be his letter of immediate resignation
in which he said he could no longer serve a city which had this
kind of racial bias. After dinner, he said 'would you mind taking me to
General Hirsch's [President of the Houston Symphony Society]
house? So I drove him there; he went up to the door, rang the bell -
there was no response - and put the letter in the mail slot".
The orchestra Board later voted to agree to and early end to Stokowski's contract
with the Houston Symphony. 40
1960
28 November
Philadelphia Orchestra
Academy of Music, Philadelphia
Programme for the 1960 Philadelphia Orchestra Pension Fund concert
1960 Philadelphia Orchestra Pension Concert
Beethoven: Leonore Overture no 3, opus 72b
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Romeo and Juliet ballet opus 64 - Stokowski's selection from
Prokofiev's Suites no 1 and 2:
no 6 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: Dance of the Girls with Lilies
no 7 from Suite no 2 opus 64b: Romeo at Juliet's Grave
Rimsky-Korsakov: "Capriccio Espagnol" opus 34
encore: Bach: "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Schubert: Moment Musical in f minor opus 94 no 3 (D780-3) 'Air russe' - Stokowski transcription
Harold C. Schonberg of the New York Times wrote:
"Mr. Stokowski conducted, as always, without a baton.
Could this, too, have been a Metropolitan first? Baton or not,
the singers seemed to know exactly what he wanted; at least,
they followed him throughout. Mr. Stokowski being Mr. Stokowski,
there were bound to be a few little changes in the score.
One extremely noticeable one occurred during Turandot's aria,
'In quest reggia' where Mr. Stokowski dropped all of the
instrumentation except the tympani. He probably figured that
it was more effective and dramatic his way rather than Puccini's.
He came on the stage after the performance for three bows.
The principals were called almost twenty times. It was quite
an evening."43
Metropolitan Opera Broadcast was of the 4 March performance
1961
6, 7, 10, 11 March 50
Philadelphia Orchestra
6, 10, 11 - Academy of Music, Philadelphia
7 - Carnegie Hall, New York
Programme for the March, 1961 Philadelphia Orchestra Gurre-Lieder concerts
This concert was originally planned for January, but Stokowski's hip injury
caused the Philadelphia Orchestra to move William Steinberg to January,
and reschedule Stokowski for Steinberg's dates in March 49
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) : Gurre-Lieder (1911) - as abridged by Stokowski
Margarita Zambrana (Richards) soprano (Tove)
Rudolf Petrak tenor (Waldemar)
Nell Rankin mezzo-soprano (Wood dove)
George Hoffman bass (Farmer)
Thomas Hageman tenor (Klaus the Jester)
Choirs of Temple University, Philadelphia
given without Narrator in a shortened version
1961+
15 April
Symphony of the Air
Carnegie Hall, New York
Childrens Concert
Frank W. Meacham (1856-1909): American Patrol march (1884) - as arranged by Stokowski
Bach: English Suite No 2 in A minor BWV 807: Bourée - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Marriage of Figaro K, 492: March
Rimsky-Korsakov: opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan Act III: 'Flight of the Bumblebee'
Student compostions 94
Daniel Troob, a 12 year-old student: Overture to Rip Van Winkle
Faye Silverman, a 13 year-old student: Sunset and Twilight
Mary Richman, a 10 year-old student: Prelude and Nocturne
Dorothy Gross, a 14 year-old student: Clock Work
Deborah Watarz, a 12 year-old student: and untitled work
Roy Harris (1898-1979): When Johnny Comes Marching Home Overture (1935)
Bedrich Smetana: The Bartered Bride (1866): Overture
Johann Strauss, Jr.: Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka opus 214
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony no 45 in F-sharp minor "Farewell" - final movement
encore: Rimsky-Korsakov: Dubinushka opus 62
encore: Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Bachianas Brasileiras no 2
"Little Train of the Caipira" - Tocata
concert given in a lightening visit back to the USA from Europe. He returned
with sons Chris and Stan to Paris, Geneva, then to London
1961
20 August
London Symphony Orchestra
Edinburgh Festival, Usher Hall Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
An inspired concert: Guild Historical issued this concert on GHCD2388-89 - surprisingly, the
BBC did not record the concert and this release comes from
home tape recordings of the broadcast (so sonically less than
ideal)
Opening Concert of the 1961 Edinburgh Festival
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): Gurre-Lieder (1913)
Gré Brouwenstijn soprano (Tove)
James McCracken tenor (Waldemar)
Nell Rankin mezzo-soprano (Wood dove)
Forbes Robinson bass (Farmer)
John Lanigan tenor (Klaus the Jester)
Alvar Lidell (Narrator)
Edinburgh Royal Choral Union
a review by Benjamin Künzel:"Stokowski does not hold the threads
tightly in his hands, but rather inspires his musicians. That is part of
the magic of the moment, which can be felt almost palpably
in this performance"52
1961
22 August
London Symphony Orchestra
Edinburgh Festival, Usher Hall Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
Concert of the 1961 Edinburgh Festival
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sonata pian e forte, Ch. 175 - Stokowski transcription
Michael Tippett (1905-1998): Concerto for Double String Orchestra (1939)
Liszt: Mephisto Waltz no 1 (1859)
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
1961
9, 12, 13 October
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
9 - Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
12, 13 Symphony Hall, Chicago, Illinois
Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian-born composer who later taught DePaul University in Chicago
Opening concerts of the Chicago Symphony 1961-1962 season
Following his major heart attack on 7 October 1960, Reiner
missed most of the Chicago Symphony 1960-1961 season.
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
Intermission
+ Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977): "Georgiana": Suite opus 92 - a Russian composer
who had settled in Chicago
Rimsky-Korsakov: "Capriccio Espagnol" opus 34
1961
4, 7 November
Metropolitan Orchestra and Chorus
Metropolitan Opera House, New York City
Birgit Nilsson at Turandot and Richard Tucker as the Calaf in the 1961
Production of Turandot
Puccini: Turandot (1924)
Birgit Nilsson soprano - Princess Turandot - all performances
Robert Sabin in Musical America wrote:
"Miss Nilsson was, of course, the overwhelming feature of the evening.
The others were familiar in their roles. Mr. Stokowski seemed tired,
and the performance lacked the smashing power and brilliance of last
season's performances, although, as always, he elicited lush and beautiful
sounds from the orchestra. The stage brass could not apparently see his
beat (given without stick) and wavered in several places, though no
such catastrophe occurred as did at one performance last season, when
they came in fortissimo in the wrong place! Cecil Beaton's decor seemed
as lovely as ever."44
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: "Variations On A Theme By Haydn" opus 56a
Rimsky-Korsakov: "Capriccio Espagnol" opus 34
1962+
4, 5 January
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Chicago
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): "A Night on Bare Mountain" - Stokowki transcription
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no 1 in B-flat minor, opus 23 - Byron Janis
Intermission
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey,
Siegfried's Death Music, Immolation Scene and Act III Finale - Stokowski transcription
1962
11, 12 January
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Chicago
Mozart: "Le Nozze di Figaro" Overture
The Chicago press reported: "Stokowski's ear required a
string section with 10 double bases"45
Beethoven: Symphony no 3 in E-flat major, Opus 55 "Eroica"
Intermission
+ Tikhon Khrennikov (1913-2007): "Much Ado About Nothing" - Incidental Music
photo of Tikhon Khrennikov in 1948 when General Secretary of the
Union of Soviet Composers in a speech denouncing
Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Khachaturian during the Soviet Composers
Congress, Moscow 19-25 April 1948 46. "...In the
music of Comrade Shostakovich we find all sorts of things alien to
realistic Soviet art, such as tenseness, neuroticism,
escapism and repulsive pathology..."47
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Review of this concert by Roger Dettmer: "Altogether an extraordingary
performance. Most praisworthy of all, it never for a moment lagged or lost your
attention. When you have heard a work perhaps 100 times in 10 years,
maybe even more times than that, and it can still absorb you every moment,
something remarkable is at work in the performance. Last night's
remarkable something was the unpredictable Stokowski, a giant among
musicians when he will put himself at the service of music."48
1962
20 January
Philadelphia Orchestra
Academy of Music, Philadelphia
George London, Harpo Marx, Leopold Stokowski in the Academy of Music 1962
Gala Programme to celebrate the Academy of Music 105th Anniversary
Wagner: Rienzi (1840): Overture
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Arias with Birgit Nilsson soprano and George London bass-baritone:
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (1786): Act I: "Non più andrai" - George London
Borodin/Rimsky-Korsakov: Prince Igor (1888): Act II:
" Ni sna, ni otdikha izmuchennoi dushe " - George London
Gounod: Faust (1859): Act IV: "Vous qui faites l'endormie" - George London
Verdi: Aida (1891): Act III: "Cielo! mio padre!" - Birgit Nilsson, George London
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung":
Immolation Scene and Act III Finale - - Birgit Nilsson
Harpo Marx performed in this gala program conducting a comic rendition of the Leopold Mozart
Toy Symphony
1962+
6 February
Philadelphia Orchestra
Academy of Music, Philadelphia
A Sketch of Henry Eichheim by Alfredo Ramos Martinez (1871-1946)
1961-1962 Philadelphia Orchestra Pension Fund concert
A concert filled with many Stokowski transcriptions which he had
recorded with the Philadelphia Orchestra in the 1930s
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sonata pian e forte, Ch. 175 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: St. John's Passion BWV 245 - "Es ist vollbracht" - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643): Gagliarda
Frescobaldi published several volumes of his compositions, of which
the second was entitled "Il secondo libro di toccate, canzone, versi d'hinni,
Magnificat, gagliarde, correnti et altre partite d'intavolatura di
cembalo et organo." The "gagliarde" was the piece
transcribed by Stokowski and recorded with the title "Gagliarda"
Chopin: Mazurka in A minor opus 17 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Henry Eichheim (1870-1942): 'Oriental Impressions' Suite (1918-1922}: Japanese Nocturne
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade opus 35 (1888)
encore: Bach: Preludio in E - from Partita no 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Antonin Dvorak: Slavonic Dance no 10 in E minor opus 72 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
encore: Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major opus 3 no 5,
Hob III-17 mvmt 2: Andante cantabile (sometimes called "Haydn's Serenade") - Stokowski transcription
1962
21 February
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Lyric Theater, Baltimore, Maryland
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - transcription by Stokowski
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Pines of Rome (1924)
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Peter Herman Adler, conductor of the Baltimore Symphony 1959-1967 said of this
concert: "Something happened during the first rehearsal.
Suddenly there was that typical rich sonority. You couldn't explain
it, but you could hear it. It was mysterious and
miraculous."51
1962
1, 2, 4 March
New York Philharmonic
Carnegie Hall - New York City
Programme for the 1 March 1962 New York Philharmonic concert
Stokowski was replacing a mortally ill Fritz Reiner at this concert
Robert Kurka (1921-1957): Julius Caesar opus 28 (1955)
"a symphonic epilogue after Shakespeare's play"
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910)
Stokowski wrote: "Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme by
Thomas Tallis spans the 16th and 20th centuries ... those who love
beauty, deep emotion, and the unseen mystery of life, will find
intense joy in listening to it."
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
Intermission
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
1962
8, 10 March 61
Cleveland Orchestra
Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Stokowski's first Cleveland concert since 1954
+ Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Suite transcribed by Stokowski:
"Cebell" for trumpet
"The Fairy Queen" Pastorale
"The Fairy Queen" Hornpipe
"Dido and Aeneas": Dido's Lament: "When I am laid in earth"
"The Fairy Queen" Largo and Allegro
+ Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Sinfonia Antarctica (Symphony no 7 written in 1952)
Stravinsky: Apollon musagète ballet (1928/1947)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899) with chorus
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1962+
14, 16, 17, 20 March
4, 10 April
Philadelphia Orchestra
14 - Lyric Theater, Baltimore, Maryland
16, 17 - Academy of Music, Philadelphia
20 - Carnegie Hall, New York City
4 - College Avenue Gymnasium, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
10 - Walt Whitman Auditorium, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York City
Programme for the March 1962 Philadelphia Orchestra concert
Webern: Passacaglia opus 1
Sibelius: Symphony no 4 in A minor opus 63 (1911)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes -
Stokowski transcription
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1962
6 August
Greek State Orchestra
Herod Atticus Theater, Athens, Greece
concert given open-air at the foot of the Parthenon
1962
August
Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Auditorium di Palazzo Pio, Rome, Italy
Rome concert for the Festival Internazionale with the
Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
1962+
26, 27 September
Philadelphia Orchestra
26 - Stanley Theater, Utica, New York
27 - Lincoln Auditorium, Syracuse, New York
The Philadelphia Orchestra on tour
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "La soirée dans Grenade" (Night in Granada), from Les estampes -
Stokowski transcription
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
Televised concert with Stokowski substituting for an ill Fritz Reiner
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no 2 in D major opus 36
a rare recorded performance by Stokowski of the Beethoven Symphony no 2
1962
15 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
First Concert of the American Symphony Orchestra
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sonata pian e forte, Ch. 175 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Piano Concerto no 1 in C major, opus 15 - Susan Starr piano
Shostakovich: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 54 (1939)
1962+
30 October
American Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble
Auditorium, Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Contemporary Music Society concert
"Chamber Ensemble" of the American Symphony Orchestra
José María Castro (1892-1964): Preludio y Toccata
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Ensemble
José Serebrier (1938- ): Elegy
Héctor Campos Parsi (1922-1998): La Calle
Lou Harrison (1917-2003): Suite for Symphonic Strings:
Estampie
Et in Arcadia Ego
In Honor of Hercules
In Honor of Eros
Lament
In Honor of Apollo
Viola's Reward
In Honor of Hermes
Nocturne
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Bachianas brasileiras no 1, W246: movement 2:
Modinha
Puerto Rican composer Héctor Campos Parsi was present for the concert
1962+
5 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
+ Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Symphony no 15 "Thesis" - a work in six sections
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini opus 32
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Mathis der Maler Symphony (1934)
1962
3 December
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Albéniz: "Fête-Dieu à Séville" from Iberia - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 73
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): 6 Épigraphes antiques (1915) - transcription by Ernest Ansermet, who
was in the audience for this concert
Frank Martin (1890-1974): Petite Symphonie concertante opus 54 (1946)
1962+
17 December
Philadelphia Orchestra
Academy of Music, Philadelphia
This concert is available on Pristine Classical PASC379 in Andrew Rose's restoration from
broadcast tapes from the collection of Stokowski scholar Edward Johnson
1962-1963 Philadelphia Orchestra Pension Fund concert
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act III: Prelude
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Miroirs: "Alborada del gracioso" (piano composition orchestrated by
the composer in 1919)
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940): Sensemayá (1937) - based on poetry by
Nicolás Guillén
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
Encores:
Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707): Suite in D Major: Prince of Denmark's March
(sometimes labelled: "A Trumpet Voluntary") - Stokowski transcription
Virgil Thomson at about the time of composition of 'Fugues and Cantilenas'
Virgil Thomson himself conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra in 'Fugues and Cantilenas'
on 2 May 1959 during the University of Michigan May Festival concerts
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): 'Fugues and Cantilenas' from the film "Power Among Men" (1959)
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1963+
26 January
Philadelphia Orchestra
Academy of Music, Philadelphia
Announcement for the Academy of Music 106th Anniversary Concert
Academy of Music 106th Anniversary Concert
Verdi: La forza del destino (1862): Overture
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini opus 43 (1934) - Susan Starr piano
Richard Strauss: Salome opus 54: Dance of the Seven veils
George Enescu (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1 in A major opus 11 (1901)
Arias:
Umberto Giordano (1867-1948): Andrea Chénier: Act I: "Un di all'azzurro spazio"
- Franco Corelli
The 8 February 1963 concert was billed as "Stokowski Anniversary Concert"
commemorating "the Fiftieth season since he made his debut" with the
Philadelphia Orchestra 53
- something of a stretch since his
Philadelphia debut was 11 October 1912
Beethoven: Leonora Overture no 3 opus 72b
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935): Caucasian Sketches Suite no 1 opus 10 (1894):
no 4 'Procession of the Sardar'
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Paris version 1861): Overture and Venusberg Music
1963+
12 February
22 April
7, 8 May
Philadelphia Orchestra
12 - Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
22 - The Mosque, Richmond, Virginia
7 May - University Union Hall, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
8 May - Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan
Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit
The Philadelphia Orchestra on tour
Beethoven: Leonora Overture no 3 opus 72b
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
encore: Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
1963
25 February
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro K. 492: Overture
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983): Variaciones Concertantes opus 23 (1953)
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): Concert Champêtre for Harpsichord and Orchestra (1928)
Beethoven: Symphony no 3 in E-flat major, opus 55 "Eroica"
1963+
28 February
American Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble
Auditorium, Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Contemporary Music Society concert
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): The Burning House one act opera opus 185 (1959): Overture
Donald Erb (1927-2008): Four for Percussion - percussive tone row sound
- Manhattan School Percussion Ensemble, Paul Price director
Lou Harrison (1917-2003): Suite for Symphonic Strings:
Estampie
Et in Arcadia Ego
In Honor of Hercules
In Honor of Eros
Lament
In Honor of Apollo
Viola's Reward
In Honor of Hermes
Nocturne
Richard Donovan (1891-1970): Soundings (1953)
Roman Haubenstock-Ramati (1919-1994): Mobile for Shakespeare composed using musique concrète
Pierre Boulez (1925- ): Pli selon pli (1959): "Improvisations sur Mallarmé" I and II
1963
4 March
American Symphony Orchestra
Imperial Ballroom, Americana Hotel, New York City
"American Israeli Concert"
Edward Elgar: Violin Concerto in b minor, opus 61: movement 1 - Shmuel Ashkenasi violin
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Lydian Ode opus 67 (1956)
Wagner: Die Walküre Act I: "Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond" - Lauritz Melchoir
Grieg: Melodies of the Heart opus 5: no 3 - "Jeg elsker dig"
("I love you") - Lauritz Melchoir
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
encore: Grieg: Melodies of the Heart opus 5: no 3 - "Jeg elsker dig"
("I love you") - Lauritz Melchoir
encore: Bach: "Little Fugue" in g minor BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
1963+
30 April,
7 May
Philadelphia Orchestra
30 April - Muhlenberg Memorial Hall, Allentown, Pennsylvania
7 May - Union Grand Ballroom, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
The Philadelphia Orchestra on tour
Beethoven: Leonora Overture no 3 opus 72b
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
encore: Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
1963
24 May
Cincinnati Symphony
Cincinnati May Festival, Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati Music Hall, home of the Cincinnati May Festival
Stokowski returns to the Cincinnati Symphony for the first time in 51 years !
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Intermission
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): Fugues and Cantilenas from the film "Power Among Men" (1960)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1963+
21 June
Philadelphia Orchestra
Robin Hood Dell, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Paul Dukas (1865-1935): La Péri (1911)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967): "Hary Janos" Suite from the opera (1927)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1963+
17 July
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
John Addison (1920-1998): Carte Blanche Suite from the ballet (1953)
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910)
Gustav Holst (1874-1934): The Planets opus 32 (1916) - London Symphony Chorus
1963+
23 July
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
A concert of the 1963 Proms (The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts)
An historian of the Proms concerts states that this 1963 Proms, the first for Stokowski,
was the beginning of major international conductors such as Stokowski participating in
the concert series 55
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sonata pian e forte, Ch. 175 - Stokowski transcription
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra -
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell (1946)
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1963+
30 July
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
This famous 1963 Proms Mahler Symphony no 2 issued on BBC Legends BBCL 4136-2
Stokowski's second concert of the 1963 Proms (The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts)
A stirring performance of the "Resurrection" now issued on BBC Legends CD
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony no 2 in C minor "Resurrection" (1894)
Janet Baker mezzo-soprano
Rae Woodland soprano
Harrow Choral Society, the Goldsmiths Choral Union, the BBC Choral Society,
the BBC Chorus
encore: last few minutes of the "Resurrection" played as an encore
1963+
26 September
Scranton Philharmonic Orchestra
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton Philharmonic programme
The Scranton Philharmonic Orchestra is a semi-professional group
Bach: "Little Fugue" in g minor BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
William Schuman (1910-1992): New England Triptych (1956)
Be Glad then, America
When Jesus Wept
Chester
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no 1 in B-flat minor, opus 23 - Thomas Hrynkiw piano
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
1963+
7, 9 October
American Symphony Orchestra
7 - Carnegie Hall, New York City
9 - Carlton Theater, Red Bank, New Jersey
Leopold Stokowski begins his second season, 1963-1964, as Music Director of the
American Symphony Orchestra
This Carnegie Hall concert was presented as a "Tribute to the United Nations"
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Ich ruf' zu dir" BWV 639 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Wir glauben al' an einen Gott" BWV 437 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
*** José Serebrier: Poema Elegiaco - commissioned by the American Symphony;
José Serebrier was also Assistant Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Bachianas brasileiras no 1, W246: movement 2:
Modinha
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919 version) as adapted by Stokowski
1963
21 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Ulysses Kay in the 1960s
Ulysses Kay (1917-1995): Of New Horizons (1944)
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act III (1867)
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony no 10: Andante - Adagio
Handel - Beecham: Amaryllis Suite selected and transcribed by Sir Thomas Beecham)
Originally arranged by Beecham for ballet performance using movements from various Handel
works extensively reorchestrated:
Entrée: (from Alcina HWV 34 Act III)
Bourrée (from Water Music HWV 348)
Musette: (from Concerto Grosso 0pus 6 no 6 in G minor HWV 324)
Gigue (from Terpischore HWV 8c)
Sarabande (from Terpischore HWV 8c)
Gavotte (from Il Pastor Fido HWV 8a)
Menuet (from Il Pastor Fido HWV 8a)
Ballo (from Il Pastor Fido HWV 8a)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
1963
11 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Schubert: Rosamunde Overture D. 797
Mozart: Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major K 364
Paul Ben-Haim (1897-1984): Piano Concerto (1949) - Joel Rigal piano
Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967): "Hary Janos" Suite from the opera (1927)
1963
25 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Wagner: Lohengrin (1850): Act I: Prelude
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): Two Images opus 10 BB 59
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) - Jean Madeira mezzo-soprano
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung": Act III Interlude: Siegfried's funeral march - Stokowski transcription
1963+
5, 6, 7, 9, 10 December
Philadelphia Orchestra
5, 6, 7, 9 - Academy of Music, Pennsylvania
10 - Carnegie Hall, New York City
Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 645 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 3 in E-flat major, opus 55 "Eroica"
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey,
Siegfried's Death Music, Immolation Scene and Act III Finale
9 - Flushing Town Hall, Flushing, Queens, New York
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Peter Grimes (1945): Interlude from Act II (Passacaglia)
Jean Sibelius: (1865-1957): Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 43 (1902)
Wagner: Die Walküre: "Ride of the Valkyries"
Warner Bass (1915-1988): Song of Hope (Warner Bass was at that time Associate Conductor
of the American Symphony Orchestra
Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Tranfiguration), opus 24
1964+
4 February
Philadelphia Orchestra
Academy of Music, Philadelphia
1963-1964 Philadelphia Orchestra Pension Fund concert
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sacrae symphoniae: Canzon quarti toni a 15, C185
- Stokowski transcription
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major K 364
John de Lancie oboe, Anthony Gigliotti clarinet, Bernard Garfield bassoon, Mason Jones horn
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
encores:
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): Vocalise opus 34 no 14 (1915) - Stokowski arrangement
Brahms: Serenade no 1 in D major opus 11: Two Minuets
Bach: English Suite No 3 in G minor, BWV 808: Sarabande - Stokowski transcription
Henry Eichheim (1870-1942): 'Oriental Impressions' Suite (1918-1922}: Japanese Nocturne
Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major opus 3 no 5,
Hob III-17 mvmt 2: Andante cantabile (sometimes called "Haydn's Serenade") - Stokowski transcription
1964+
24 February
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Stokowski and the American Symphony Orchestra performing Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky in 1964
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sacrae symphoniae: Canzon quarti toni a 15, C185
- Stokowski transcription
Bach: St. John's Passion BWV 245 - "Es ist vollbracht" - Stokowski transcription
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony no 88 in G major (Hoboken 1/88)
Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in c minor, K. 546
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): cantata Alexander Nevsky opus 78
- Nell Rankin mezzo-soprano, Rutgers University Choir
1964+
6, 7, 9, 10 March
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Boston
Stokowski's First Boston Symphony Orchestra concert (at age 82)
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sacrae symphoniae: Canzon quarti toni a 15, C185
- Stokowski transcription
Bach: St. John's Passion BWV 245 - "Es ist vollbracht" - Stokowski transcription
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): L'estro armonico - Concerto grosso opus 3 no 11 in d minor RV 565 - Stokowski transcription
+ Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Prelude and Quadruple Fugue opus 128 (1954)
+ Ned Rorem (1923- ): Eagles
Rorem was impressed that Stokowski conducted
Eagles as a normal repertoire piece, did not
require a premiere, did not contact Rorem, but simply programmed the
work 56
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1964+
6 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Paul Dukas (1865-1935): La Péri (1911)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899)
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes - Brearley School Chorus
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Violin Concerto opus 14 (1939) - Jaime Laredo violin
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1964+
20 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Beethoven: Overture to Egmont opus 84
Frank Martin (1890-1974): Petite Symphonie concertante opus 54 (1946)
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll (1870)
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
1964+
22 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Mozart: Regina coeli antiphon in C major, K.276 - American Symphony Chorus
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll (1870)
Brahms: Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) opus 54 (1871) - American Symphony Chorus
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
1964+
21 August
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Tanglewood Festival, Berkshire, Massachusetts
Stokowski's first Tanglewood Festival concert
Mozart: Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major K 364
Ralph Gomberg oboe, Gino Cioffi clarinet, Sherman Walt bassoon, James Stagliano horn
Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Tranfiguration), opus 24
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Prelude and Quadruple Fugue opus 128 (1954)
Ned Rorem (1923- ): Eagles
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1964+
15 September
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
A concert of the 1964 Proms (The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts)
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Symphony no 8 in D minor (1955)
Falla: El amor brujo (1916) - Gloria Lane mezzo soprano
Jean Sibelius: (1865-1957): Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 43 (1902)
encore: the ending of the Sibelius symphony was played as an encore
1964+
17 September
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
A concert of the 1964 Proms (The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): "A Night on Bare Mountain" - Stokowki transcription
Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
encore: Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Fantasia on Greensleeves (1934)
1964+
5 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Opening Concert for the 1964-1965 American Symphony season - Stokowski's
third season as Music Director
Handel: Concerto Grosso in G minor, HWV 324 - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Mountain Bell
Edgar Varèse (1883-1965): Ionisation (1931)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no 2
1964+
21 October
London Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
London Symphony Orchestra "on its first US tour since 1912"57
Pierre Monteux was to have conducted this tour, but unfortunately he died 1 July 1964. Pablo Casals
(in the first half) and Leopold Stokowski (in the second half) took his place for this concert
in tribute to Pierre Monteux.
During the first half, Pablo Casals conducted:
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no 3 in G Major, BWV 1048
Bach: St Matthew Passion BWV 244: Aria: "Erbarme dich, mein Gott" - Maureen Forrestor soprano, Isaac Stern violin
Ernest Chausson - Poème for violin and orchestra, opus 25 - Isaac Stern violin
Pablo Casals: "El Pessebre" (The Manger)
During the second half, Stokowski conducted:
Beethoven: Fantasy in C minor for Piano, Chorus, and Orchestra opus 80 (1908) -
Rutgers University Choir, Rudolf Serkin piano
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
1964+
9 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 645 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Cantata BWV 208 Schafe können sicher weiden
(Sheep May Safely Graze) - Stokowski transcription
William Schuman (1910-1992): Symphony no 7 (1960)
Eric Satie: Gymnopédie nos 1 and 3 - orchestrated by Debussy and Stokowski
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): Concerto for Orchestra BB 123
1964+
13, 15 November
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Stokowski in the Syria Mosque with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Stokowski opened the Pittsburgh Symphony 1964-1965 season
Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 645 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Cantata BWV 208 Schafe können sicher weiden
(Sheep May Safely Graze) - Stokowski transcription
Brahms: Symphony no 3 in F major, opus 90
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Meditation on Zeami opus 207 (1963)
Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977): Symphonic Prayer opus 93
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no 2
The Pittsburgh Press wrote:"For the first time since 1954, Leopold Stokowski
will appear here as guest conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Stokowski is the first in a
series of guest conductors who will replace William Steinberg, now on a year's leave of
absense with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera."104
1964+
22, 23 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus ballet opus 43 (1801): Overture
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K.466 - Jose Iturbi
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra (1890) - Jose Iturbi
Elgar: Enigma Variations opus 36
1964+
7 December
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Concerto grosso in G minor opus 6 no 8 "Christmas Concerto" -
Stokowski transcription
Peter Mennin (1923-1983): Symphony no 5 (1950)
Gustav Holst (1874-1934): The Planets opus 32 (1916)
1964+
22 December
London Symphony Orchestra
Maida Vale Studio, London
BBC Television broadcast introduced by Stokowski
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): "A Night on Bare Mountain" - Stokowki transcription
Novacek: Perpetuum Mobile opus 5 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade opus 35 (1888)
1964+
25, 26, 28, 29 December
6 January 1965
Philadelphia Orchestra
25, 26 - Academy of Music, Pennsylvania
28 - Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
29 - Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
6 - Lyric Theater, Baltimore, Maryland
Kimio Eto playing his traditional Japanese Koto
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884): Ma vlast (1879): "Sarka"
Jean Sibelius: (1865-1957): Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 43 (1902)
*** Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Concerto for Koto and Orchestra (1962) - Kimio Eto, Koto
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1867): Prelude to Act I, Act III Prelude,
Dance of the Apprentices, Procession Of The Meistersingers - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for String Orchestra in C major, opus 48
Shostakovich: Symphony no 10 in E minor opus 93
1965+
1 February
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Brahms: Serenade no 1 in D-major, opus 11
Schubert: Symphony no 8 in b minor - "Unfinished"
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps (1913 version)
1965+
12, 13 March
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Boston
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Schubert: Symphony no 8 in b minor - "Unfinished"
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
1965+
5, 10 April
American Symphony Orchestra
5 - Carnegie Hall, New York City
10 - Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York City
Programme of American Symphony concert of 5 April 1965
Paul Creston (1906-1985): Corinthians: XIII for Orchestra opus 82 (1963)
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony no 2 in C minor "Resurrection" (1894)
soloists: Helen Boatright soprano, Betty Allen contralto, Westminster Choir, Dr. George Lynn director
1965+
26 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Programme of the 26 April 1965 World Premiere of the Ives Symphony No 4
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) (1843): Overture
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite opus 22: "The Swan of Tuonela" opus 22 no 2
*** Charles Ives (1874-1954): Symphony no 4 - world premiere (note: this premiere performance was
preceded by 10 rehearsals)
José Serebrier and David Katz Associate Conductors
Schola Cantorum of New York, Hugh Ross director
The music critic of the Times of London wrote:"It is impossible to praise Mr. Stokowski
highly enough for his courage and vision giving the Fourth Symphony it first performance. But even
more praiseworthy was the brilliance of his performance. Only the most complete of musicians
could have brought the work to life so vividly."80
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
1965+
21 June
Philadelphia Orchestra
Robin Hood Dell, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) (1843): Overture
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987): The Hollow Men opus 25 (1944)
Shostakovich: Symphony no 10 in E minor opus 93
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): cantata Alexander Nevsky opus 78 - Elaine Bonazzi soprano
1965
8 July
Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Minao Shibata (1916-1996) also composed electronic music later in his career
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
+ Charles Ives (1874-1954): The Unanswered Question (1908)
Minao Shibata (1916-1996): Sinfonia (1960)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
encore: John Philip Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896) - arranged by Stokowski
1965
10 July
Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall, Tokyo, Japan
concert
1965
13 July
Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Bunka Kaikan Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
+ Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Concerto for Koto and Orchestra (1962) - Kimio Eto, Koto
This concerto was composed at the request of Kimio Eto. The Koto is a traditional Japanese
stringed instrument. The concerto was later renamed "no 1" when Cowell wrote
a 2nd Koto concerto.
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
The Philadelphia Orchestra programme notes state about Kimio Eto: "Born in 1925 in
Oita, Japan, Mr. Eto at an early age became fascinated with the Koto. He began his study of
the 13 stringed instrument, and became the foremost virtuoso of Japan. He and his wife,
who is also blind, divide their time between Tokyo where the teach and the United State
and Europe where they have a heavy recital schedule."
1965+
31 July
Honolulu Symphony Orchestra
Waikiki Shell, Honolulu, Hawaii
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
+ Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Concerto for Koto and Orchestra (1962) - Kimio Eto, Koto
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1965+
15 August
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Tanglewood Festival, Berkshire, Massachusetts
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Schubert: Symphony no 8 in b minor - "Unfinished"
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
1965+
10 September
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Kingsway Hall, London
BBC Television broadcast with Stokowski interview
Beethoven: Overture to Egmont opus 84
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty ballet opus 66: excerpts selected by Stokowski:
Introduction
Prologue no 3: Pas de six - Canari qui chante
Act I: no 6: Valse
Act I: no 8: Pas d'action
Act III: no 22: Polacca
Act III: no 23: Pas de quatre - Allegro
Act III: no 25: Pas de quatre - Adagio
Act III: no 28: Pas de deux - Adagio
Act III: no 30: Apothéose
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931): Symphony no 6 "Sinfonia semplice" (1924)
1965+
13 September
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Fairfield Hall, Croydon, London
Concert was also broadcast by BBC television
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake ballet opus 20: excerpts selected by Stokowski:
Act I: Introduction
Act I: Pas de deux for Two Merry-makers
Act II: Scène
Act II: Danses de cygnes
Act III: Danse russe pour Mlle Pelageya Karpakova
Act III: Danse Espagnole
Act IV: Danse des petits cygnes
Act IV: Scène finale
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Préludes I, no 10 "La cathédrale engloutie" - Stokowski transcription
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1965+
4 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Opening Concert for the 1965-1966 American Symphony season - Stokowski's
fourth season as Music Director
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): The Seine at Night (1947)
George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess - A Symphonic Picture
- Fritz Reiner commissioned Robert Russell Bennett
to make this arrangement of Gershwin's music
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
- played "In Memorium to Adlai E. Stevenson" who had died 14 July 1965
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
1965+
25 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): opera Oberon (1826): Overture
Beethoven: Symphony no 2 in D major opus 36
Rimsky-Korsakov: "Capriccio Espagnol" opus 34
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1965+
7, 8 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787): music from Gluck's operas - Stokowski transciptions:
Iphigénie en Aulide (1774): lento
Orfeo ed Euridice (1762): "Dance of the Blessed Spirits"
Armide (1777): musette
Iphigénie en Aulide (1774): air gai
Armide (1777): sicilienne
Mozart: Symphony no 40 in G minor, K.550
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): Piano Concerto no 1 BB91 (1926) - Jerome Lowenthal piano
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
1965+
19, 20, 23 November
Philadelphia Orchestra
19, 20 - Academy of Music, Philadelphia
23 - Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Philadelphia Orchestra programme of November, 1965
Mozart: Overture from Don Giovanni, K. 527
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): The Tale of the Stone Flower ballet opus 118: "Ural Rhapsody"
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919 version) as adapted by Stokowski
1965+
19, 20 December
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Stokowski in his New York apartment with the clock he designed
Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV 248: excerpts:
Part I no 1: Chorus Christians Be Joyful
Part I no 5: Chorale How shall I fitly meet Thee
Part I no 8: Aria Mightly Lord - Fague Springmann bass
Part II no 10: Sinfonia Shepherd's Song
Part II no 21: Chorus Glory to God
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Die Natale opus 37
Rimsky-Korsakov: opera Christmas Eve (1895) Suite:
Sacred Night
mazurka Dance of the Stars
Comet
Falling Stars
Dance of the Mischief-Maker
Polonaise
Procession of Christmas Carolers
In the Church
Charles Ives (1874-1954): Symphony no 4
José Serebrier and David Katz Associate Conductors
Schola Cantorum of New York, Hugh Ross director
encore: Christmas music attributed to Ippolitov-Ivanov: "In the Manger"
- the Stokowski transcription is in this programme called
"Traditional Slavic Christmas Music"
Beethoven: Symphony no 6 in F major, opus 68 "Pastoral"
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Violin Concerto no 2 in G minor opus 63 (1935) - Berl Senofsky violin
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1966+
24 January
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Overture (Suite) in D minor, TWV 55: Overture - Stokowski transcription
Anton Webern (1883-1945): Six Pieces for Orchestra, opus 6
Richard Strauss: Salome opus 54: Dance of the Seven veils
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
1966+
24, 25 March
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra Hall, Chicago
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 8 in F major, opus 93
Shostakovich: Symphony no 10 in E minor opus 93
1966+
18 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Leopold Stokowski was born 18 April 1882
Leopold Stokowski's 84th birthday!
Walter Piston (1894-1976): Concerto for Orchestra (1934) - a tonal and fugal work
Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Symphony no 2 in C major opus 61 (1847)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Pavane pour une infante défunte
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1966+
29 April
Riverdale Country Day School orchestra and chorus
Bronx, New York
Programme for the Riverdale concert
Gabriel Fauré: Requiem opus 48 (1888)
soloists: 'Offertory' Paul Sohmer baritone, 'Pie Jesu' Sara Ford soprano,
'Liber me' Craig Della Penna, Scott Johnson, Joshua Karter, Paul Sohmer, baritones
Riverdale Country Choir, Robert Rudie Music Director, Horace Mann School choir,
Nightengale- Bamford School choir
Herbert Haslam (1920-2005): Chronos
soloist: Mary Lou Gilbert soprano
Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707): Suite in D Major: Prince of Denmark's March ("A Trumpet Voluntary") - Stokowski transcription
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): The Red Poppy Act 1: Russian Sailor's Dance - Stokowski arrangement
Stokowski conducting the Riverdale concert from the LP jacket cover - thanks to Edward Johnson
1966+
8, 9 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
American Symphony programme of May, 1966
Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture opus 95
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony no 31 in D major "Hornsignal" Hob. I:31 (1765)
Tchaikovsky: Marche Solennelle which Tchaikovsky conducted on the Carnegie Hall opening
night in 1891
Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
soloists: Lucille Perret soprano, Henry Nason tenor, Leslie Guinn baritone
The Dessoff Choirs, Paul Boepple director, Boy's Choir of the Church of the Transfiguration, Stuart Gardiner director
1966
22 July
Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Auditorium di Palazzo Pio, Rome, Italy
Rome concert for the Festival Internazionale with the Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia
1966
27 July
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra
Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Florence, Italy
1966 Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival concert
1966+
10 September
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
A concert of the 1966 Proms (The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
Franz Liszt (1811-1886): Piano Concerto no 1 in E-flat major (1854) - Charles Rosen piano
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
encore: Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
The Times of London wrote:"Brass were raised one tier aloft behind the
woodwind, and behind and above them all were the cellos and basses spread out in
two long lines right across the platform - and they were a splendid sight to
watch, as well as hear, when their turn came to sing the ripe tune of the Andante
in Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony"82
1966+
9, 10 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Opening Concerts for the 1966-1967 American Symphony season - Stokowski's
fifth season as Music Director
David Diamond (1915-2005): Overture to Shakespeare's The Tempest
Beethoven: Symphony no 4 in B flat, opus 60
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey,
Siegfried's Death Music, Immolation Scene and Act III Finale - Stokowski transcription
1966+
14 October
Philadelphia Orchestra
Convention Center, Philadelphia
Benefit concert in support of the strike of the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra
David Diamond (1915-2005): Overture to Shakespeare's The Tempest
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
encores:
Bach: Prelude in E flat BWV 869 from Book I of the "Well-Tempered Clavier" - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Overture
Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major opus 3 no 5,
Hob III-17 mvmt 2: Andante cantabile (sometimes called "Haydn's Serenade") - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1967+
2 February
Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra
Budapest Opera House, Budapest, Hungary
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1967+
3 February
Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra
Studio 6, Magyar Radio, Budapest, Hungary
Stokowski and Kodaly in 1967
Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967): "Hary Janos" Suite from the opera (1927) - Charlotte Péczely cimbalom
Kodaly was present during the BBC recording of this performance. The BBC later broadcast
this recording on 16 December 1967.
1967+
26, 27 February
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Peter Mennin (1923-1983): Canto (1962) - an 8 minute piece showing off the instruments of the orchestra
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major opus 77 - Joseph Silverstein violin
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Symphony no 5 in B flat major opus 100
1967+
3 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Bachianas brasileiras no 1 (1930) - scored for cellos
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Bachianas brasileiras no 5 (1945) - scored for cellos and soprano, Maria Lúcia Godoy soprano
Jacques Ibert (1890-1962): "Escales" suite (1922)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Shéhérazade (1903) - Maria Lúcia Godoy soprano
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990): Jeremiah Symphony (Symphony No.1) (1942)
Bernstein was present at the concert.
1967+
7, 8 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Wagner: Rienzi (1840): Overture
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake ballet opus 20: excerpts selected by Stokowski:
Act I: Introduction
Act I: Pas de deux for Two Merry-makers
Act II: Scène
Act II: Danses de cygnes
Act III: Danse russe pour Mlle Pelageya Karpakova
Act III: Danse Espagnole
Act IV: Danse des petits cygnes
Act IV: Scène finale
George Enesco (1881-1955): Romanian Rhapsody no 1, opus 11 (1901)
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 'From the New World'
1967+
21, 22 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): Sacrae symphoniae Book 2:
"In Ecclesiis Benedicite Domino" - Stokowski transcription - Westminster Choir
George Lynn (1915-1989): Gettysburg Address - Lynn was the Music Director of the Westminster Choir which performed this work
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral'
Carolyn Stanford mezzo-soprano, Stanley Kolk tenor, Veronica Kusmin soprano, Marvin Hayes bass
Westminster Choir, George Lynn Music Director
1967+
3, 5 June
Orchestra of the Conservatoire de Paris
Salle Playel, Paris, France
Orchestra made up of primarily the Premier Prix winners of the 1967 Concour of
the Paris Conservatory
Beethoven: Overture to Egmont opus 84
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
Shostakovich: Symphony no 1 in F minor opus 10
On 7 June 1967, the France-Soir music critic Jean Cotte wrote:"Stokowski directs
in Technicolor. With him, music gleams, shimmers, overwhelms. He had an orchestra after his
own heart. Its average age is twenty. They are all young Premier Prix winners following
the perfecting cycle created this season at the Conservatoire. Its fruits are succulent.
What a musical fantasia! At the timpani, the most virile of all reigns a frail young lady.
The first violin is a small Japonese girl, fragile except when the music transforms
her."84
1967+
15 June
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): "A Night on Bare Mountain" - Stokowki transcription
Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave in B-flat minor, opus 31
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919 version) as adapted by Stokowski
Wagner: "Die Götterdämmerung" - Siegfried's Rhine Journey,
Siegfried's Death Music, Immolation Scene and Act III Finale - Berit Lindholm soprano - Stokowski transcription
Stanley Sadie in the Times of London wrote:"His direction of the 'Firebird' was nothing
if not effective: at its best delicate with the LSO violins playing suavely and the woodwinds phrasing
their music gently, in the Berceuse and especially in the Ronde des princesses; and often very
pointed and sharp in accent and rhythm. Yet it was not a subtle performance; and the actual
characterization of the music was not searching"81
1967+
26 July
Orchestre national de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
Salle Garnier, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Monte Carlo
Salle Garnier, Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade opus 35 (1888)
1967+
4 August
Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra
Copenhagen, Denmark
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931): Symphony no 2 "The Four Temperaments" opus 16
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1967+
9 August
Stockholm Radio Symphony Orchestra
Stockholm, Sweden
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1967+
18 August
Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK)
Oslo, Norway
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1967+
19, 23 September
London Symphony Orchestra
19 - Royal Festival Hall, London
23 - Fairfield Hall, Croydon, London
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1867): Prelude to Act I, Act III Prelude,
Dance of the Apprentices, Procession Of The Meistersingers - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral'
Heather Harper soprano, Helen Watts contralto, Alexander Young tenor, Donald McIntyre bass-baritone
London Symphony Chorus, members of the Chelsea Opera Group
Joan Chissell in the Times of London wrote:"One of the most convincing proofs of
Beethoven's might is his way of standing up to practically any approach: lesser composers
do not have this same resilience. There were tremendous cheers at the end of last night's performance,
not because Mr. Stokowski had scales the highest peaks and opened up vistas of starry heavens, but with
a physical exhilaration quite remarkable in a man of 85, he brought home that all men are brothers
and that the world is a jolly good place to live in after all."83
1967+
16, 22 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Programme for the opening concert of the 1967-1968 American Symphony Orchestra
Opening Concert for the 1967-1968 American Symphony season - Stokowski's
sixth season as Music Director
John Stafford Smith: Star Spangled Banner
Charles Ives (1874-1954): Four Songs sung by Raymond Buckingham:
They Are There
An Election or It Strikes Me That
Masses or Majority
Lincoln The Great Commoner
Gregg Smith Singers, Gregg Smith director, Ithaca College Choir, Boys of the Choir of St. Thomas Church
"Gloria Patri, gloria Filio, gloria et Spiritui Sanct" - Singing City choirs, Veronica Tyler soprano, Maria Lucia Godoy mezzo-soprano
Gustav Mahler: Symphony no 2 "Resurrection" (1894)
soloists: Veronica Tyler soprano, Maria Lucia Godoy mezzo-soprano
the Singing City choirs
"As the Ressurection Symphony ended Saturday night, two 15-foot green banners
printed with red letters reading 'Bravo Mahler' and 'Bravo Stokey' were unfurled. Stokowski
first stared at the banners, then smiled, waived and left the stage."107
1967+
19, 20 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Falla: El sombrero de tres picos: Suite arranged by Stokowski
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Rapsodie espagnole (1907)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Images pour orchestre no 2: "Ibéria" (1905)
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
1967+
3, 4 December
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Carl Ruggles (1876-1971): Sun Treader
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Schelomo (1916) - Harvey Shapiro cello
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1967+
17, 18 December
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
1967
François-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829): "La Nativité" Oratorio (1774): Excerpts:
11 - Veteran's Memorial Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island
12, 13 - Symphony Hall, Boston
30 - Academy of Music, Philadelphia
Stokowski score of his transcription of Boris Godunov
Mozart: Overture from Don Giovanni, K. 527
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Tchaikovsky: Hamlet Fantasy Overture opus 67
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
1968+
2, 3, 4 February
American Symphony Orchestra
Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden, New York City
Bach: "Little Fugue" in g minor BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Leonore Overture no 3, opus 72b
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Adagio for Strings opus 11 (1936-1938)
Schubert: Symphony no 8 in b minor - "Unfinished"
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini opus 43 (1934) - Jerome Lowenthal piano
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Boléro (1928)
1968+
14 February
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Maida Vale Studio no 1, London
BBC Radio broadcast on the Third Programme
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Four Seasons 1725
1968+
13, 14 March
Members of the American Symphony Orchestra
13 - Public Health Hospital, Staten Island, New York
14 - Rusk Institute of New York University, New York City
Special Concerts for Veterans Hospitals"
Haydn: Symphony no 13 in D major, Hob.I:13 - finale
Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920): Poem for Flute and Orchestra (1918) - Harold Jones flute
Handel: Oboe Concerto in G minor, HWV 287 - Arthur Krilov oboe
Shostakovich: The Age of Gold ballet opus 22 (1930): Polka
Ferdinand David (1810-1873): Concertino for Trombone and Orchestra opus 4 (1837) - Per Brevig trombone
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Sonata a Quattro for trumpet and strings
Johann Strauss Jr.: On the Beautiful Blue Danube opus 314
1968
11, 12, 13, 15 April
New York Philharmonic
Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Stokowski in about 1968
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36
Shostakovich: Symphony no 6 in B minor, Opus 54
Intermission
*** Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): From Byron's Don Juan for tenor and orchestra(1967):
Shipwreck and Love Scene - Richard Kness tenor - world premiere
- world premiere, commissioned
by the New York Philharmonic for its 125th Anniversary
Wagner: Parsifal Act III Symphonic Synthesis - Stokowski transcription
1968+
28, 29 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Lamar Stringfield (1897-1959) a North Carolina composer: Mountain Song
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990): Symphony no 2: "The Age of Anxiety" (1949) - Philippe Entremont piano
Beethoven: Symphony no 3 in E-flat major, opus 55 "Eroica"
1968+
5, 6 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Billed as "Request Program"
Bach: Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 645 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Mein Jesu! was vor Seelenweh" BWV 487 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Prelude in E flat BWV 869 from Book I of the "Well-Tempered Clavier" - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde "Symphonic Synthesis" - transcription by Stokowski
comprising music from Act II concluding with a transition to the concluding finale
of the opera, the Liebestod
1968+
9 May
"American Youth Performs" Orchestra and Chorus
Carnegie Hall, New York City
"American Youth Performs" jacket cover
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967): Te Deum (1936) to a Latin text
soloists: Joyce Mathis soprano, Ivanka Myhal mezzo-soprano, Arthur Williams tenor, Alan Ord bass
Performed In Memoriam for Kodály who died 6 March 1967
issued on a special LP "American Youth Performs" Audio Recording EC 68006 conducted by Stokowski and
others sponsored by American Airlines
thanks to Edward Johnson for this information
1968+
19, 20 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Bach: Orchestral Suite no 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067: Badinerie - Stokowski transcription
Frank Martin (1890-1974): Les quatre éléments Études symphoniques (1964)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): cantata Alexander Nevsky opus 78
Elaine Bonazzi soprano, the Dessoff Choir
1968+
18 June
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
Also recorded for delayed broadcast on 16 August 1968
Wagner: Rienzi (1840): Overture
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915): Poem of Ecstasy (Le Poème de l'extase) opus 54
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Symphonie Fantastique opus 14 (1830)
Martin Cooper in the Daily Telegraph wrote:"Stokowski's interpretation of
Berlioz's 'Symphonie Fantastique' grew in power and intensity with each movement. No
other conductor (or orchestra) has made me feel that in the last movement Berlioz does
in fact perfectly reproduce the 'Walpurgisnacht' in Goethe's 'Faust' - with a similar
wealth of allusion and the same combination of cold, sardonic humour and heated imagination.
This finale was the evening's triumph and a revelation not only of a new dimension in
Berlioz's music but an unsuspected penetration in Stokowski's generally extroverted
art."85
1968+
18 June
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Pavillion, Montreux, Switzerland
The 1968 Montreux Festival
Beethoven: Overture to Egmont opus 84
Schumann: Symphony no 4 in d minor opus 120
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
1968+
7, 13 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Programme for the opening concert of the 1968-1969 American Symphony Orchestra
Opening Concert for the 1968-1969 American Symphony season - Stokowski's
seventh season as Music Director
Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961): Passacaglia and Fugue opus 34 (1942)
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Mutations from Bach (1968)
Carlos Surinach (1915-1997): Melorhythmic Dramas (1966)
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
1968+
27 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
*** Karl Weigl (1881-1949) - Symphony no 5 "Apocalyptic Symphony" (1945)
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll (1870)
1968+
17, 18 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
*** Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991): Epitaph for the Victims of Katyn (1967)
+++ Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983): Ollantay opus 17 (1947)
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959): Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra (1951) - Alirio Diaz guitar
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999): Concierto de Aranjuez - Alirio Diaz guitar
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Nocturnes (1899) with chorus
Nuages
Fêtes
Sirènes
Donal Henahan in the New York Times wrote:"Andrzej Panufnik's 'Epitaph for
the Victims of Katyn' given its world premiere on this occasion also made a sharp impression
under under Mr. Stokowski's hands. Written in 1967 to commemorate the massacre of the Polish
officer corps after Poland's fall before the Nazis, 'Epitaph' took what might be called the
Mahler road to success. In a few fine moments, the piece had the intensity of a Mahler
adagio, although its lack of a discernible individual voice foreordained that much of its
elegiac power would fade as soon as the last note died."86
1968+
22, 23 December
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream opus 61 (1826): Scherzo
Werner Josten (1885-1963): Concerto Sacro no 1: The Annunciation, The Miracle
- Ladislas Helfenbein piano
*** Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): "Praise the Lord with Psaltery, opus 222 - world premiere
The Camerata Singers, Abraham Kaplin, director
Shostakovich: Symphony no 1 in F minor opus 10
Alan Hovhaness and Peter Josten, son of Werner Josten, attended this performance.
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1969+
8 February
New York Philharmonic
CBS Studios, New York City
Leonard Bernstein Young Persons CBS television program with Bernstein discussing
the relation of Bach to modern music; Stokowski conducts his transcription of the
Bach "Little" Fugue
Bach: "Little Fugue" in g minor BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
1969+
13 February
Philadelphia Orchestra
Academy of Music
Programme for the 1968-1969 Philadelphia Orchestra Pension Fund concert
1968-1969 Philadelphia Orchestra Pension Fund Concert
Giovanni da Palestrina (1525-1594): Motet "Adoramus te, Christe" (1581) - Stokowski transcription
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611): Motet "Jesu, Dulcis Memoria" - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Chaconne in D minor - from Partita no 2 in D minor BWV 1004 - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde "Symphonic Synthesis" - transcription by Stokowski
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
encore: Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major opus 3 no 5,
Hob III-17 mvmt 2: Andante cantabile (sometimes called "Haydn's Serenade") - Stokowski transcription
1969+
9, 10 March
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
A diverse programme which perhaps only Stokowski would construct
Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980): Promenade (Walking The Dog) - a transcription by
Kostelanetz of music George Gershwin wrote for the 1937 movie "Shall We Dance"
starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
Aaron Copland (1900-1990): Music for a Great City from the film score (1964)
Franz Liszt (1811-1886): Hungarian Fantasy (1852) - Earl Wild piano
Tchaikovsky: Hamlet Fantasy Overture opus 67
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
1969+
23, 24 March
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Gene Gutche
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Symphony no 40 in G minor, K.550
Beethoven: "Three Equali" for four trombones, opus 30
Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881): Violin Concerto no 4 opus 31 - Young Uck Kim violin
Gene Gutche (1907-2000): Genghis Khan opus 37 (1963) - a mildly atonal
10 minute piece with woodwind and brass, but without strings other than basses
1969+
4, 5 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Billed as "Request Program"
Bach: Preludio in E - from Partita no 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Boléro (1928)
Charles Ives (1874-1954): The Unanswered Question (1908)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1969+
18, 19 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Programme for the 18 May 1969 American Symphony concert
Felix Labunski (1892-1979): Canto di aspirazione (1964)
Bela Bartok (1881-1945): The Miraculous Mandarin BB 82 (1918)
Carl Orff (1895-1982): Carmina Burana (1936)
Diana Hoagland soprano, Earnest Murphy tenor, Robert Mosley baritone
Westminster Choir, George Lynn director, Boys of the Choir School of St. Thomas Church, Gordon Clem director
1969+
15 June
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
Programme for the 15 June 1969 Royal Albert Hall concert prior to Phase Four recording sessions
Also broadcast live by the BBC
"Programme of Russian Composers"
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): "A Night on Bare Mountain" - Stokowki transcription
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857): Kamarinskaya (1848)
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Stravinsky: Pastorale, for Violin with Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet and Bassoon
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture (1880)
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915): Poem of Ecstasy (Le Poème de l'extase) opus 54
Anatoly Liadov (1855-1914): Eight Russian Folk Songs opus 58 - 4 selected and
arranged by Stokowski
Plaintive Melody
Humorous Song 'I Danced With The Gnat'
Legend of the Birds
Cradle Song
Village Dance Song
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances as arranged by Glazunov and Stokowski
John Alldis Chorus, Welsh National Opera Chorale, Band of the Grenadier Guards, sound effects
1969+
23, 24 June
Orchestre de Paris
23 - Theatre Municipal De Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau
24 - Université Assas, Paris
25 - Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris
Concert of 24 June 1969 at the Faculté de Droit, Paris
The concert of 24 June was in honor of la Faculté de Droit of Université Assas (Paris-II)
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture opus 62
Brahms: Piano Concerto no 1 in D minor, opus 15 (1858) - Byron Janis piano
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
encores
1969+
31 August
International Festival Youth Orchestra
Hotel Reine Victoria Ballroom, St. Moritz, Switzerland
Concert of the International Festival Youth Orchestra, featuring
youth orchestra musicians from 10 countries
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Mozart: Piano Concerto no 20 in D minor, K.466 - Maria Isabella di Carli piano
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
1969+
8 September
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Fairfield Hall, Croydon, London
BBC television later broadcast the Beethoven and Schubert works
Mozart: Serenade in D major, K. 239 "Serenata notturna"
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
Schubert: Symphony no 8 in b minor - "Unfinished"
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1969+
6, 12 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Opening Concert for the 1969-1970 American Symphony season - Stokowski's
eighth season as Music Director
Rimsky-Korsakov: Dubinushka "Little Oak Stick" (1906)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Boris Godunov: excerpts with Jerome Hines bass - Stokowski transcription
Outside the Novodievichi Monastery
Coronation of Boris
Monks Chanting In The Monastery Of Choudov
Siege of Kazan
Outside the Church of Saint Basil; the starving people and the Idiot foretells the fate of Russia
Death of Boris
Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1929-1969): Symphony no 2 à Montevideo D. 99
Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Adagio for Strings opus 11 (1936-1938)
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody no 2 in C sharp minor (S. 244/2) orchestrated by Liszt and
Franz Doppler, adapted by Leopold Stokowski
Harold Schonberg in the New York Times was highly critical of this concert and of
Stokowski's transcription of music from Boris Godunov. He wrote:"Mr. Stokowski was
quoted in the program notes as saying that he consideres Boris
Godunov full of inspired music. If he thinks the music is so great, why doesn't he try the
real original for once instead of his blown-up adaptation."87
1969+
26, 27 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture opus 62
Brahms: Piano Concerto no 1 in D minor, opus 15 (1858) - John Ogdon piano
Rimsky-Korsakov: "Capriccio Espagnol" opus 34
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini opus 32
1969+
12 November
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Lyric Theater, Baltimore, Maryland
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 2 in D major, opus 36 (1802)
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): Schelomo (1916) - Mihaly Virizlay cello
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription
1969+
23, 24 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Vittorio Rieti (1898-1994) studied with Respighi
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Overture (Suite) in D minor, TWV 55: Overture - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 - William Read harpsichord
Handel: Water Music Suite (1717) - the 6 movement version of Stokowski's arrangement
and transcription of Handel's music, to which he added the Adagio
from Handel's Oboe Concerto in D Minor; not in the original
Water Music suite:
Adagio
Allegro
Minuet
Bourrée
Andante
Alla Hornpipe
Vittorio Rieti (1898-1994) studied with Respighi: Harpsichord Concerto (1957) lighthearted and extroverted
- William Read harpsichord
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Pines of Rome (1924)
- transcription by Jean-Pierre Rampal of Khachaturians 1940 Violin Concerto in D minor
Rimsky-Korsakov: Le Coq d'Or Suite from the opera as arranged by Alexander Glazunov
1970+
13 March
Juilliard Orchestra
Alice Tully Hall, New York City
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Schumann: Symphony no 2 in C major opus 61
William Schimmel (1946- ): Portrait no 1 - William Schimmel accordion (a Juilliard professor)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol opus 34
1970+
2, 3, 4 April
Atlanta Symphony
Atlanta, Georgia
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Mysterious Mountain Symphony no 2 (1955)
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
1970+
26, 27 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Teiko Maehashi
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643): Gagliarda from Libro delle Gagliarde number 2 - Stokowski transcription
Paganini: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra no 1 in D major, opus 6 - Teiko Maehashi violin
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Symphonie Fantastique opus 14 (1830)
Stokowski scholar Theo van der Burg commented on this concert: "An interesting
concert by the old wizard Leopold Stokowski. This was the last time he was to conduct the
Symphonie Fantastique, having recorded it just two years previously on 18 June 1968 after some live
performances with the New Philharmonia. In this concert the 88 year-old Stokowski whips up plenty of
excitement in the work - the March to the Scaffold sometimes sounds like a Trot to the Scaffold -
with some extremely tender playing in the 'Scène aux champs'. The conductor pulls tempi around like
taffy but the overall effect is probably not all that far from what Berlioz had in mind.
This concert also marks the debut of the young Teiko Maehashi, who had recently moved from Japan
to New York in order to study at Julliard with Robert Mann and Dorothy DeLay. Maehashi recorded
the Tchaikovsky and the Mendelssohn concertos with Christoph Escenbach and has made six CDs of
short, well-known violin pieces such as the 'Meditation' from Thais. She teaches in Osaka Japan but
seems to have quite disappeared from the international scene."
1970+
3 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983): "Fausto criollo" overture opus 9
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989): "Sea Piece with Birds" (1952)
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in d minor opus 125 "Choral"
Elaine Bonazzi soprano, David Clatworthy baritone, Dan H. Marek tenor,
Alpha Floyd mezzo-soprano, Westminster Choir, George Lynn Music Director
1970
8 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
During the Vietnam War and student protests against the war (quoting Wikipedia)
"the Kent State shootings occurred at Kent State University in the US city of
Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by the Ohio National Guard
on Monday, May 4, 1970." Oliver Daniel wrote of Stokowski's reaction:
" 'This is horrible. What can we do for these children?' He asked the
[American Symphony] orchestra whether they would donate their services for a
memorial to the students of Kent State. Their reaction was unanimous.
Carnegie Hall donated its space and the concert was held on May 8,
1970."89
Stokowski scholar Theo van der Burg kindly provided the order and timings of the events
during this noon-time concert:
Speech by timpanist Elayne Jones (3.56)
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings (6.44)
Speech by Second Horn Player (2.33)
Bach-Stokowski: Chaconne in D minor from Partita no 2 in D minor BWV 1004 (19.08)
Speech by Flutist Jones (1.22)
Händel: Saul: Funeral March (2.08)
Speech by male orchestra member (3.29)
Bach-Stokowski: Prelude in E-flat minor, BWV 853 of the Well Tempered Clavier (5.20)
Speech by Mr. Jacobs (3.35)
Scriabin-Stokowski: Etude opus 2 no 1 in c-sharp minor (5.33)
Chopin-Stokowski: Marche funèbre from Piano Sonata no 2 (7.51)
Announcement by Stokowski (0.38)
Casals-Stokowski: O vos omnes (4.48)
About the concert, Oliver Daniel added: "For anyone who had not been there,
it might be difficult to realize how intense and supercharged was the emotional
complexion of that time." 89
1970+
24 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Cathedral of St. John the Devine, New York City
Andrzej Panufnik and Leopold Stokowski at St. John the Devine Cathedral
*** Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991): Universal Prayer (1969) - premiere
Nadja Witkowska soprano, David Griffith tenor, Patricia Kelby contralto, Terrance Hawkins
bass and chorus
after an interval, Alec Wyton conducted:59
Richard Felciano (1930- ): Sic Transit (1970) - boy's voices, organ, electronic tape recording
encore: second part of Universal Prayer
1970
18, 20 June
London Symphony Orchestra
18 - Royal Festival Hall, London
20 - Fairfield Concert Hall, Croydon, London
Stokowski, now 88, begins his Summer 1970 European Tour in London
Decca/London producer Tony D'Amato is both scheduling Stokowski's concerts
and coordinating them to lead to further Stokowski Phase Four stereo
recordings (the works of this concert to be recorded 4 days later)
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): L'Ascension: Four Symphonic meditations for orchestra
(1933) - London Symphony Chorus
Charles Ives (1874-1954): Orchestral Set number 2:
An Elegy to Our Forefathers (1909)
The Rockstrewn Hills Join in the People’s Outdoor Meeting (1911)
From Hanover Square North, at the End of a Tragic Day, the Voice of the People Again Arose (1915)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): La Mer (L 109 - 1905)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé, Suite no 2
encore Royal Festival Hall: Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): Dance of the Sylphs
encore Croydon: ending of La Mer
Alan Blyth in the Times of London wrote:"How courageous it was for a man born well before
the turn of the century both to undertake such an arduous task and, what is more, to execute it
so sympathetically and for the most part so idiomatically. Admittedly the most recent piece, Messiaen's
'L'Ascension', was written as long ago as the early 1930s, but even today this and Ives's Second Orchestral
Set are not easy for an orchestra to encompass. Stokowski showed himself quite at one with the
hypnotic repetitions and hierarchial of this early, but seminal work by this contemporarly French
master."88
1970+
20, 22 August
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
20 - Zuidhal RAI, Amsterdam, Netherlands
22 - De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands
20 August 1970 programme and concert poster thanks to Stokowski expert and musicologist
Theo van der Burg
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): L'eventail de Jeanne ballet (1927) - Fanfare
César Franck: Symphony in D minor (1888)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Alexander Nevsky opus 78 - Sophia van Sante, mezzo-soprano
1970+
6, 11 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Programme for the opening concert of the American Symphony Orchestra 1970-1971 season
Opening Concert for the 1970-1971 American Symphony season - Stokowski's
ninth season as Music Director
Handel: Chandos Anthem no 2 in d minor HWV 247 - Overture in D minor - Stokowski transcription
the Handel Overture was played in memory of John Barbirolli and
Jonel Perlea who had died 29 July 1970, and George Szell who had died 30 July 1970
*** Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007): Triple Concerto for violin, cello and piano
in C major opus 56 (Triplo Concerto a tre) - world premiere - consists of 3 solo groups
with 3 players each.
Arthur Krilov oboe, Joseph Rabbai clarinet, William Scribner bassoon,
Mary Blankstein violin, Maxine Johnson viola, Jascha Silberstein cello,
Rex Cooper piano, Lise Nadeau harp, Lawrence Jacobs and Alan Silverman percussion
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941): Piano Concerto in A Minor opus 17 - Earl Wilde piano
Schumann: Symphony no 2 in C major opus 61
encore: Schubert: Moment Musical in f minor opus 94 no 3 (D780-3) 'Air russe' - Stokowski transcription
1970+
9 October
American Symphony Orchestra Brass and Westminster Choir
Princeton University Chapel, Princeton, New Jersey
Vaughan Williams: The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune (1953) - orchestration by Vaughn Williams of a traditional hymn
Bach: Motet "Singet dem Herrn ein Neues Lied" (Sing unto the Lord a New Song) BWV 225:
"Wie sich ein Vater erbarmet"
Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991): Universal Prayer (1969)
Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612): In ecclesiis (1608) - Stokowski transcription
1970+
1, 3 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975): For the fallen: Berceuse
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, opus 47 - Henryk Szeryng violin
César Franck: Symphony in D minor (1888)
1970+
15, 17 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Henry Cowell (1897-1965): Symphony no 10 (1953), movements 1 and 2 listed in programme as
Cowell: "Largo and Allegro"
Charles Ives (1874-1954): Symphony no 4
David Popper (1843-1913): Cello Concerto no 2 in E minor opus 24 - Jascha Silberstein cello
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra opus 30 (1896)
1970+
29 November
Members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City
"Concert for peace and brotherhood"
Bach: Cantata no 29 BWV 29: "Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir
(We thank you, God, we thank you)": Sinfonia - Stokowski transcription
Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991): Universal Prayer (1969)
Nadja Witkowska soprano, David Griffith tenor, Patricia Kelby contralto, Terrance Hawkins
bass and chorus
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani - John Grady organ
encore, played twice: Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751): Adagio in G Minor for Strings
and Organ - John Grady organ
1970+
13, 15 December
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): L'Enfance du Christ opus 25 (1854)
soloists: Meredith Rung soprano, Kenneth Riegel tenor, Richard Stillwell baritone,
Michael Devlin bass-baritone
American Symphony Chorus, Ainslee Cox director
encore: Christmas music attributed to Ippolitov-Ivanov: "In the Manger"
- the Stokowski transcription is sometimes called by him
"Traditional Slavic Christmas Music"
Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus ballet opus 43 (1801): Overture
Beethoven: Triple Concerto in C Major, opus 56
- Beaux Arts Trio (Menahem Pressler, Isidore Cohen, Bernard Greenhouse)
Beethoven: Symphony no 3 in E-flat major, opus 55 "Eroica"
encore: Romanus Hoffstetter (attributed to Franz Josef Haydn): String Quartet in F major opus 3 no 5,
Hob III-17 mvmt 2: Andante cantabile (sometimes called "Haydn's Serenade") - Stokowski transcription
1971+
4, 6 March
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
Hennings Auditorium, Syracuse, New York
Bach: "Little Fugue" in g minor BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 5 in C minor, opus 67
Tchaikovsky: "Romeo and Juliet" Overture Fantasy - Stokowski arrangement
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, opus 36 - Donald Miller bass
1971+
21, 23 March
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte K. 620: Overture
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier opus 59: Waltzes - as arranged by Stokowski
Werner Josten (1885-1963): Jungle, symphonic poem for orchestra
*** William Mayer: Octagon for Piano & Orchestra (1970) - William Masselos piano -
world premiere
Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite from 1911 ballet
encore: Tchaikovsky: Song without Words, opus 40 no 6 - Stokowski transcription
1971+
4, 6 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes opus 34 (1933): no 14: Prelude in E-flat minor - Stokowski transcription
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony no 2 in c minor "Resurrection"
Janette Moody soprano, Louise Parker contralto
Westminster Choir, George Lynn director
Händel: Saul Oratorio HWV53: Funeral March - Stokowski transcription
1971+
15 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Programme for the 15 April 1971 "Salud Casals" concert
"Salud Casals" concert honoring Pablo Casals
Stokowski conducting:
Beethoven: Leonore Overture no 3, opus 72b
In the following arias, Roland Gagnon was conducting with Beverly Sills soprano:
Bellini: I Capuleti ed Montecchi: "Eccomi in lieta vesta…Oh quante volte ti chiedo"
- Beverly Sills soprano
Rossini: L'Assedio di Corinto: "Si, Ferite, Il Chieggo, Il Merto" - Beverly Sills soprano
Donizetti: Linda di Chamounix: "Ah! tardai troppo" - Beverly Sills soprano
Stokowski conducting:
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Piano Concerto no 5 in E flat major opus 73 "Emperor" - Rudolf Serkin piano
Pablo Casals: O vos omnes - Stokowski transcription
Pablo Casals conducting:
Pablo Casals: Sardana for cello orchestra
Casals conducted an orchestra of 100 invited cellists, there to honor him.
1971+
30 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Trinity Church, New York City
Free concert given as a "Music for Peace", with the statement of purpose:
"musicians joing together to offer and all-day statement for peace and unity
in the hope of creating an awareness of the [Vietnam] war and its effect in the
United States of America"98
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, opus 125: "An die Freude" - "Ode to Joy"
Phyllis Curtin soprano, Louise Parker contralto, George Shirley tenor,
Douglas Hill bass
200 voice chorus
Speech by Stokowski
Bach: "Little Fugue" in g minor BWV 578 - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1867): Act III Prelude
1971+
24, 25, 27 April
American Symphony Orchestra
24 - Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York City
25, 27 - Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Request Programme
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Mozart: Symphony no 41 in C major, K.551 Jupiter
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Act III Prelude, Dance of the Apprentices,
Procession Of The Meistersingers
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 4 in F minor, opus 36
1971
13, 14, 15 May
Cleveland Orchestra
Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Programme for the 13 May 1971 Cleveland Orchestra concert
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 7 in A major, opus 92
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite opus 22: "The Swan of Tuonela" opus 22 no 2
- Harvey McGuire English Horn
Intermission
+ Reinhold Glière (1875-1956): Symphony no 3 in B minor, opus 42 "Ilya Mourometz"
- as abridged by Stokowski
Gary Stucka the great Cleveland Orchestra and Chicago Symphony cellist recounts:
I heard one story about Stokowski's visit [in 1971]...at one of the
first rehearsals of the Bach, Stoki orated to the orchestra (and I paraphrase
here) about how 'nobody could really be sure that Bach wrote all of this great
music'...[and] stated that 'the music could've been written by a man named
Schneider for all we know!' The rehearsal then proceeded without incident.
Later in the week, at the dress rehearsal, Stoki mounted the podium and said,
'Now, what are we starting with today?' One of the wags in the violins answered,
'Schneider!', to the amusement of Stoki and the orchestra.
1971+
20 June
Orchestra and Chorus
Twickenham Parish Church, London
+++ Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991): Universal Prayer (1969)
April Cantelo soprano, Helen Watts contralto, Ian Partridge tenor,
Roger Stalman bass, John Mitchinson tenor
Maria Korchinska, Tina Bonifacio and David Watson harps, Nicholas Kynaston organ,
Louis Halsey Singers
1971+
12, 17 October
American Symphony Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City
Opening concert of Stokowski's tenth and final season 1971-1972 as Music Director of the
American Symphony Orchestra
Rimsky Korsakov: The Maid of Pskov (1872) listed by Stokowski as
"Ivan the Terrible" (the title which had later been used by Diaghilev):
Prelude to Act III 'Hunt and Storm' - Stokowski transcription
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Piano Concerto no 2 - Jorge Bolet piano
Brahms: Symphony no 4 in E minor, opus 98
1971+
2, 7 November
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Sharon Moe: Fanfare (1971)
Rogers Bernard (1893-1968): Fantasia for Horn, Timpani and Strings (1952)
Anthony Miranda horn, Elayne Jones timpani
Haydn: Symphony no 70 in D major, Hoboken 1/70
Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910)
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): Roman Festivals (1928)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Pictures at an Exhibition - Stokowski transcription
1972+
1 March
American Symphony Orchestra da Camera
Town Hall, New York City
Programme for the American Symphony Orchestra da Camera concert
Handel: Concerto grosso in D Minor opus 6 no 10
Bach: Adagio in C from Toccata, Adagio and Fugue BWV 564 - Stokowski transcription
Haydn: Symphony no 45 in F-sharp minor "Farewell"
Ned Rorem (1923- ): Pilgrims for Strings
Stokowski had conducted Ned Rorem's Eagles (1958) with the Boston Symphony
on 6, 7, 9, 10 March 1964 followed by a 21 September 1964
Tanglewood concert. Rorem was impressed that Stokowski conducted
Eagles as a normal repertoire piece, did not
require a premiere, did not contact Rorem, but simply programmed the
work 56, Stokowski now programmed Rorem's
Pilgrims for Strings in this 1 March 1972 concert, but
Rorem did not attend. Rorem wrote of this concert:
"...Now Stokowski is a great man...but I don't like Pilgrims
anymore. My contention: the worse a piece is,
the worse it will sound the better it's played..." 56.
Ulysses Kay (1917-1995): Brief Elegy for Oboe and Strings (1946)
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1943)
Kenneth Riegel tenor, Anthony Miranda horn
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Alleluia and Fugue Op 40b
encore: Leopold Stokowski: "Reverie" - 2 minute work which Stokowski
introduced as one of his student compostions
1972+
26, 28 March
American Symphony Orchestra
Town Hall, New York City
Sharon Moe: Fanfare (1971)
Rogers Bernard (1893-1968): Fantasia for Horn, Timpani and Strings (1952)
Anthony Miranda horn, Elayne Jones timpani
Beethoven: Piano Concerto no 5 in E flat major opus 73 "Emperor" - William Masselos piano
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): La Mer (L 109 - 1905)
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio italien opus 45
1972+
16 April
American Symphony Orchestra, St. Bartholomew's Church Choir
St. Bartholomew's Church, New York City
Programme for St. Bartholomew's Church service
Concert at St. Bartholomew's Church, New York where Stokowski had been and organist
1905-1908 (although in a previous church structure)
Giovanni da Palestrina (1525-1594): Motet "Adoramus te, Christe" (1581)
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611): Motet "Jesu, Dulcis Memoria" - Stokowski transcription
Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus K. 618
Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in C minor K. 546
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000): Magnificat (1958)
soloists: Siran Haroutunian soprano, Cynthia Munzer contralto, Philip Cho tenor,
Richard Anderson bass
1972+
23, 25 April
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Bach: Chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (from Cantata BWV 80) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Prelude and Fugue no 8 in E-flat minor BWV 853: Prelude
(Well-Tempered Clavier) - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
Beethoven: Symphony no 9 in D minor, opus 125
Helen Boatright soprano, Louise Parker contralto, Richard Shadley tenor, Douglas Hill bass
Yale Glee Club, Fenno Heath director
1972+
7, 9 May
American Symphony Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Stokowski's last concert in the United States
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Khovanshchina arranged by Stokowski: Act IV, scene 2 Entr'acte
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major opus 35 - Itzhak Perlman violin
Shostakovich: Symphony no 5 in d minor, opus 47 (1937)
encore: Chopin: Mazurka in A minor opus 17 no 4 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Henri Duparc (1848-1933): "Extase" - Stokowski transcription
encore played twice: Schubert: Moment Musical no 3 in f minor D 780 no 3:
"Air russe" - Stokowski transcription
1972+
14 June
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
Programme for the Stokowski Sixtieth Anniversary Concert
Stokowski 60th Anniversary Concert - commemorating the Wednesday, 22 May 1912
London debut concert of Stokowski with the London Symphony Orchestra. This 1972
concert was sold-out, so the concert was repeated in the Royal Albert Hall on
15 June 1972
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act I (1867)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Glazunov: Violin Concerto in a minor opus 82 - Silvia Marcovici
Intermission
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
encore: Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave in B-flat minor, opus 31
1972+
15 June
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
Decca OPFS 3-4 Stokowski Sixtieth Anniversary Concert Album
Stokowski 60th Anniversary Concert - second night following the
sold-out house of 14 June
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act I (1867)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)
Glazunov: Violin Concerto in a minor opus 82 - Silvia Marcovici
Brahms: Symphony no 1 in C minor opus 68
encore: Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave in B-flat minor, opus 31
encore: Schubert: Moment Musical no 3 in f minor D 780 no 3:
"Air russe" - Stokowski transcription
encore: Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707): Suite in D Major: Prince of Denmark's March
(sometimes labelled: "A Trumpet Voluntary") - Howard Snell trumpet - Stokowski transcription
encore: William Byrd (1543-1623): The Earl Of Salisbury Pavane and Gigue
- Stokowski transcription
encore: Tchaikovsky: "Chant sans paroles" opus 40 no 6 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Scriabin: Étude in C-sharp minor, opus 2, no 1 - Stokowski transcription
According to the musicologist and Stokowski scholar Edward Johnson, the Decca Anniversary
album when issued included the Meistersinger Prelude taken from the
Royal Festival Hall concert, the Brahms Symphony and Marche Slav performances
from the Royal Albert Hall concert, and the others edited from both concerts.
1972+
7, 8 November
Czech Philharmonic
House of Artists, Prague, Czechoslovakia
This concert was also recorded by Decca for a Phase Four record release
Bach: Toccata and Fugue, D minor, BWV 565 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Trio Sonata for Organ no 1 in E flat major BWV 525: Allegro - Stokowski transcription
Bach: "Mein Jesu! was vor Seelenweh" BWV 487 - Stokowski transcription
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 - Stokowski transcription
encore: Bach: St Matthew Passion BWV 244: Chorale "My Soul Is Athirst"
(O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden)
encore: Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty opus 66: Apothéose
Although the performance of the Tchaikovsky symphony was not one of Stokowski's finest
performances, the conclusion of The Sleeping Beauty given as an encore (after
Stokowski asking the audience "Do you want to go home now ?") is sublime.
1973+
25 April
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
Beethoven: Leonore Overture no 3, opus 72b
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini opus 43 (1934) - Ilana Vered piano
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 6 in B minor, opus 74 "Pathétique"
1973+
7 June
New Philharmonic Orchestra
Maida Vale Studio no 1, London
This concert was recorded and later broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 5 October 1973
Beethoven: Overture to Egmont opus 84
*** Havergal Brian (1876-1972): Symphony no 28 in C minor (1967) - a 15 minute work given its world premiere
during this radio concert.
Anthony Payne writing in the Daily Telegraph remarked: "It was fascinating to contemplate
the uniqueness of the event - a 91-year-old conductor learning a new work by a
91-year-old composer."
Dvorak: Symphony no 9 in e minor opus 95 "From the New World"
1973+
19 August
International Youth Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
Rehearsal of the International Youth Orchestra of 1973 at Morley College, London
This orchestra was made up of musicians from youth orchestras from a number of countries. This concert
was presented as part of the 1973 Proms concerts
The first half of the concert was conducted by Zdenek Kosler who programmed
the Walton Crown Imperial march and the
Bruch Violin Concerto no 1 with 25 year old Kung Wha-Chung as soloist
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no 5 in E minor, opus 64
1973+
30 September
London Philharmonic
Royal Festival Hall, London
Programme for 30 September 1973
Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro K. 492: Overture
Schubert: Symphony no 8 in b minor - "Unfinished"
Wagner: Rienzi (1840): Overture
Wagner: Die Walküre Act III scene 3: "Magic Fire Music" - Stokowski transcription
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Act III Prelude, Dance of the Apprentices,
Procession Of The Meistersingers
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod - Stokowski transcription but seems not
to be the Stokowski 'Synthesis'
1973+
4 November
London Philharmonic
Royal Albert Hall, London
Brahms: Academic Festival Overture opus 80
Brahms: "Variations On A Theme By Haydn" opus 56a
Brahms: Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) opus 54 (1871) - London Philharmonic Choir
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: suite from the ballet, opus 71a
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio italien opus 45
encore: Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin opus 24: Act III "Polonaise"
If you have any comments or questions about this Leopold Stokowski site, please e-mail me (Larry Huffman)
at e-mail address:
leopold.stokowski@gmail.com
19 pages 584-587 Daniel, Oliver.
Stokowski A Counterpoint of View. op. cit.
20 page 14. All Not Lost.
Yuma Daily Sun. Yuma, Arizona.
28 January 1954.
21 page 25. USF Company will Premiere New Play.
Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California.
6 January 1954.
22 page 3. Beer, Bach, Batons Mark Music
Festival. Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio.
3 May 1954.
23 page 134. Goodman, Peter W.
Morton Gould: American Salute Hal Leonard Corporation.
New York, New York. 2003. ISBN-13: 9781574670554
24 pages 160-166. Roussel, Hubert
The Houston Symphony Orchestra 1913-1971 University of Texas Press.
Austin, Texas. 2003. ISBN: 0-292-73000-4.
25 pages 654-658. Daniel, Oliver.
Stokowski A Counterpoint of View. op. cit.
27 Chang, Peter Chou Wen-Chung: the Life and Work of a Contemporary
Chinese-born American Composer Oxford, UK. The Scarecrow Press. 2006.
28 page 7. Haydn to be Sung in Ellenville.
Middletown Times Herald. Middletown, New York. 24 April 1957.
29 Morss, Anthony Revealing Stokowski: An Interview
with Anthony Morss Oxford, UK. Koussevitzky Recording Society
Journal: Fall 1996, Spring 1997, Fall 1997, Spring 1998.
30 Tidemann, Paul A. Minnesotan Rose to Opera and Movie
Stardom. Memorial to Frank Eugene Forest. July 2009.
31 page 12. Stokowski on Podium as Symphony Season
Opens. Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 13 November 1953.
33 page 15. Stokowski Rehearses for Soviet
Concerts. Oklahoma City Daily Oklahoman.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 4 June 1958.
34 Yuzefovich, Victor. Aram Khachaturyan.
Sphinx Press. New York, New York. 1985. ISBN 0-8236-8658-2.
35 Menotti quote page 6.
New York Philharmonic Program Notes. New York, New York.
20, 21 January 1949.
36 pages 693-694. Daniel, Oliver.
Stokowski A Counterpoint of View. op. cit.
37 page 3. Roussel, Hubert. Symphony Brings Out
New Choral Work in Concert of Moment. Houston Post.
Houston, Texas. 12 March 1957.
38 page 22. Houston Symphony Will
Offer Greater Variety. Lake Charles American Press.
Lake Charles, Louisiana. 23 September 1960.
39 page 727. Daniel, Oliver.
Stokowski A Counterpoint of View. op. cit.
40 page 726. Daniel, Oliver.
Stokowski A Counterpoint of View. op. cit.
41 page 7. Practice Makes Perfect.
Muscatine Journal And News Tribune. Muscatine, Iowa.
3 May 1960.
42 page 63. Victor Feldbrill Conducts at Stratford.
Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba.
4 June 1960.
43 Schonberg, Harold C. Puccini's 'Turandot' came
to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
New York Times. New York, New York.
25 February 1961.
44 Sabin, Robert. Puccini's 'Turandot'.
Musical America. New York, New York.
December 1961 issue.
45 page 32. Dienhart, John.
The Passing Scene. The Suburbanite Economist.
Chicago, Illinois. 17 January 1962.
46 pages 117-139. Lobanova, M..
He Was Chosen By The Time: The Phenomenon of Tikhon Khrennikov
Slavic Musicological Studies, Volume 13. H. Schmalenberg.
Berlin. 1998.
47 quotation from Sixsmith, Martin.
Shostakovich: The Secret Rebel. The Guardian.
London, UK. 14 July 2006.
48 Dettmer, Roger. Stokowski Concert.
Chicago American. Chicago, Illinois. 12 January 1962.
49 page 38. Its a Tough Season for Conductors.
Ogden Standard Examiner. Ogden, Utah. 5 March 1961.
51 page 707. Galkin, Elliott W.
A History of Orchestral Conducting: In Theory and Practice.
Pendragon Press. Hillsdale, New York. 1989.
ISBN-13: 9780918728470
52 Künzel, Benjamin.
Stokowski in Gurre-Lieder Breaths the Magic Spark of Life.
Klassic.com 16 August 2012.
53 page 21. Smith, Miles A.
Keep Boxing in N.Y.. Mansfield News Herald.
Mansfield, Ohio. 5 February 1963.
54 page 51. Melchoir Sings to Celebrate
50th Anniversary of Debut. Racine Journal Times.
Racine, Wisconsin. 19 April 1963.
55 Jennifer Ruth Doctor, David Wright, Nicholas Kenyon
The Proms: A New History. Thames & Hudson Ltd.
London, UK. 2007.
56 Rorem, Ned. The Later Diaries of Ned Rorem:
1961-1972. Open Road Media. New York, New York.
2007. ISBN-13: 9781480427723.
57 pages 5-6. Musicians Gather to Pay
Tribute to Late Conductor.
Lubbock Avalanche Journal. Lubbock, Texas.
18 October 1964.
58 Shearer, Stephen Michael
Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr.
MacMillan Company. New York, New York.
2010. ISBN 9781429908207
59 pages 848-849. Daniel, Oliver.
Stokowski A Counterpoint of View. op. cit.
60 page 8. Lyons, Leonard.
Broadway Melody. San Mateo Times.
San Mateo, California. 14 December 1944.