June 2010 NEW RELEASES

CD-1237(2) PAUL HINDEMITH'S "ATTEMPT TO RECONSTRUCT THE FIRST PERFORMANCE" OF MONTEVERDI'S ORFEO. With Patricia Brinton as La Musica, Gino Sinimberghi as Orfeo, Uta Graf as Euridice, Norman Foster as Caronte, Frederick Guthrie as Plutone, Waldemar Kmentt as Apollo, members of the Wiener Singakademie and of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra playing ancient instruments. Conductor: Paul Hindemith. Public Performance Recording, Vienna, 3 June 1954. 2 CDs: 56:20 + 52:39. UPC# 0 17685 12372 6.

BUZZ: Claudio Monteverdis Orfeo, premiered in February 1607, is the oldest opera still in repertoire today. The work fell into oblivion for more than three centuries, and it was only in 1927 that the first printed score was reprinted in a facsimile edition - but while the score gave fairly clear directions to vocalists, it lacked specificity in notating the instrumental parts, leaving many vital choices, including what instruments to use, up to the performers. A number of late-Romantic versions followed, but it was only in 1943 that Paul Hindemith published his thoroughly researched score which attempted to reconstruct the style and instrumentation of Monteverdi's first performance.

Hindemith premiered his version in the USA during the years he spent at Yale; this Viennese performance was its European premiere. For it, Hindemith assembled young players interested in authentic performances of early music (among them string players Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Paul Angerer, harpsichordist Anton Heiller, and oboist Karl Mayrhofer) and borrowed ancient instruments from numerous private collections. Harnoncourt later recalled: "This performances affected me like a lightning bolt!", launching his own early music performing career and the formation of his ensemble "Concentus Musicus".

With this release, Music & Arts initiates a series of co-productions with the Wiener Symphoniker (Vienna Symphony Orchestra), featuring outstanding live performances from the Orchestra's extensive tape archive. The second volume in the series appears below. It will be followed by further installments this year, featuring the artistry of pianist Friedrich Gulda and the short-lived Spanish conductor Ataulfo Argenta, both scheduled for Summer 2010 release.

CD-1238(2) J. S. BACH: JOHANNES-PASSION (ST. JOHN PASSION). Uta Graf, Soprano, Marga Hoeffgen, Alto, Julius Patzak, Tenor, Gerard Souzay, Baritone, Walter Berry, Bass; Wiener Singakademie, prep by Hans Gillesberger; Wiener Symphoniker (Vienna Symphony Orchestra), cond. Fritz Lehmann. Live recording from the Large Concert Hall of Vienna's Konzerthausgesellschaft, 6 April 1955. Released with the kind cooperation of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra from their archival tapes. Extensive notes in German and English. 2 CDs, 63:15 + 56:51. UPC# 0 17685 12382 5.

BUZZ: Fritz Lehmann (1904 - 1956) became conductor of the Händel Festival in Göttingen in 1934, and held numerous conducting posts, the last one in Göttingen (1946-1950). He subsequently was a teacher at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich (from 1953). A consummate conductor, he led notable performances in oratorio, opera, and symphonic literature, ranging from the Baroque period to the 20th century. He died at age 52 of a heart attack during a performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Especially noted for his Bach and Handel interpretations, he made numerous acclaimed Bach cantata recordings for DGG. He left no studio recording of the St. John Passion so we are fortunate that this live performance, with the highly experienced soloists Julius Patzak as the Evangelist and Gerard Souzay as Christ, was taped.

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