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BOX 1 - Baroque and pre-Classical Period
CD 1 - Bach
- Orchestral Suite No. 3 BWV 1068 - Berlin Philharmonic 10/22/1948
- Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 BWV 1048 - Vienna Philharmonic 08/31/1950
- Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 BWV 1050 - Vienna Philharmonic 08/31/1950
SOUND: Mostly good for age, but Brandenburg No. 5 (with Furtwängler on piano) is weaker.
CD 2-4 - Bach
St. Matthew Passion - Elisabeth Grümmer, Marga Höffgen, Anton Dermota, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Otto Edelmann, - Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Singverein, Vienna Boys' Choir 04/14-17/1954
SOUND: OK for age but there are recordings available with much less distortion. This one isn't a top performer.
CD 5
- Händel - Concerto grosso in D major Op. 6 no. 5 - Berlin Philharmonic 04/22/1954
- Händel - Concerto grosso in D minor op. 6 no. 10 - Berlin Philharmonic 12/19/1949
- Gluck - Alceste: Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 10/28/1942
- Gluck - Iphigénie en Aulide: Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 03/08/1954
- JS Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 BWV 1048 (excerpts) - Berlin Philharmonic 1930
- JS Bach - Orchestral Suite No. 3 BWV 1068: Air - Berlin Philharmonic 1929
SOUND: All very good for age, but note the Gluck Alceste is from 1942 and the Bach excerpts from 1929-30.
CD 6-7 - Gluck
- Orfeo ed Euridice - Fedora Barbieri, Hilde Güden, Magda Gabory, Chorus & Orchestra of Milan Scala 04/07/1951
SOUND: Not a great transfer, high end very muted by noise control mastering but the constant hiss is still fairly strong.
BOX 2 - Beethoven
CD 8-12 - Symphonies No. 1-9
- Symphony No. 1 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - 07/13/1950
- Symphony No. 2 - Vienna Philharmonic 10/03/1948
- Symphony No. 3 - Vienna Philharmonic 11/26-27/1952
- Symphony No. 4 - Vienna Philharmonic 12/01-03/1952
- Symphony No. 5 - Berlin Philharmonic 05/27/1947
- Symphony No. 6 - Vienna Philharmonic 11/24-25/1952
- Symphony No. 7 - Vienna Philharmonic 01/18-19/1950
- Symphony No. 8 - Berlin Philharmonic 04/14/1953
- Symphony No. 9 - Bayreuth Festspiel Orchestra 06/29/1951
SOUND: Symphonies 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9 are all the same performances featured on the "Great EMI Recordings" set. In most cases I found the sound of the Membran version to be at least as good as the EMI, although I'd give a slight edge to EMI on Symphonies 2 and 7. Symphony 1 has some record needle noise and distortion, and Symphony 5 is a live recording with middling sound. Symphony 8 has fine sound.
CD 13
- Egmont Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 05/27/1947
- Coriolan Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 10/29/1951
- Leonore II Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 10/18/1949
- Große Fuge Op. 133 - Vienna Philharmonic 08/30/1954
- Cavatina from String Quartet Op. 130 (Version for String Orchestra) - Berlin Philharmonic 1940
SOUND: Good all around, though a bit worse on the final track.
CD 14
- Piano Concerto No. 1 - Adrian Aeschbacher, Lucerne Festival Orchestra 10/27/1947
- Piano Concerto No. 4 - Conrad Hansen, Berlin Philharmonic 12/03/1943
SOUND: Decent, muted on the high end probably due to noise control.
CD 15
- Piano Concerto No. 5 - Edwin Fischer, Philharmonia Orchestra 02/19-20/1951
SOUND: Better and brighter than the identical performance on the EMI set.
CD 16
- Violin Concerto - Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Berlin Philharmonic 05/18/1953
- Romance for Violin and Orchestra Nos. 1-2 - Yehudi Menuhin, Philharmonia Orchestra 04/09/1953
SOUND: Generally very good, a few incidents of noise. I like that they included the Schneiderhan performance, which of course features the Schneiderhan cadenzas.
CD 17-18
- Fidelio - Martha Mödl, Wolfgang Windgassen, Gottlob Frick, Otto Edelmann, Vienna State Opera Choir, Vienna Philharmonic 10/13-17/1953
SOUND: About the same as on the EMI set.
CD 19
- Symphony No. 5: I - Berlin Philharmonic 10/16/1926
- Egmont verture - Berlin Philharmonic 1933
- Symphony No. 3: IV - Berlin Philharmonic 06/20/1950
- Symphony No. 9: I - Berlin Philharmonic 04/19/1942
- Symphony No. 9: II - Vienna Philharmonic 05/30/1953
SOUND: The older tracks show their age, otherwise good.
CD 20
- Leonore III Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 06/02/1944
- Piano Concerto No. 4: III - Pietro Scarpini piano, RAI Symphony Orchestra of Rome 01/19/1952
- Violin Concerto: III - Erich Röhn violin, Berlin Philharmonic 01/12/1944
- Fidelio: Jetzt Schätzchen, jetzt sind wir allein - Lisa della Casa, Rudolf Schock, Vienna Philharmonic 08/03/1948
- Fidelio excerpts - Kirsten Flagstad, Josef Greindl, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Vienna Philharmonic 08/05/1950
SOUND: Mixed -- great on the Violin Concerto and pretty good on the 1950 Fidelio excerpts.
BOX 3 - Brahms
CD 21
- Symphony No. 1 - Berlin Philharmonic 02/10/1952
- Variations on a Theme by Haydn - Berlin Philharmonic 06/20/1950
SOUND: Good but live recordings that show their age.
CD 22
- Symphony No. 2 - Berlin Philharmonic 05/07/1952
- Symphony No. 3 - Berlin Philharmonic 04/27/1954
SOUND: Good for age, no real issues.
CD 23
- Symphony No. 4 - Vienna Philharmonic 08/15/1950
- Hungarian Dances Nos. 1, 3 and 10 - Vienna Philharmonic 04/04/1949
SOUND: Symphony No. 4 is OK, shows its age a bit with slight distortion and tinny sound. Hungarian Dances sound better than the same performances on EMI.
CD 24
- Piano Concerto No. 2 - Edwin Fischer piano, Berlin Philharmonic 11/08/1942
SOUND: Variable, 2nd and 3rd movements pretty good for age but 1st and 4th are a bit muddier. Overall good for 1942.
CD 25
- Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin violin, Lucerne Festival Orchestra 09/1949
- Concerto for Violin and Cello - Willi Boskovsky violin, Emanuel Brabec cello, Vienna Philharmonic 01/1952
SOUND: Good -- same performances as on EMI set in better sound due to less aggressive noise control.
CD 26
- A German Requiem - Kerstin Lindberg-Torlind, Bernhard Sönnerstedt, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus 11/19/1948
SOUND: Some pretty heavy needle noise, and dynamics are poor. Listenable. Love the performance.
CD 27
- Symphony No. 1: IV - Berlin Philharmonic 01/23/1945
- Symphony No. 2: I - Vienna Philharmonic 01/28/1945
- Variations on a Theme by Haydn - Northwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra 10/27/1951
- Violin Concerto: III - Gioconda de Vito violin, RAI Symphony Orchestra of Torino 03/11/1952
- Hungarian Dances Nos. 1 and 10 - Berlin Philharmonic 1930
SOUND: Excerpts, quality is variable. The first three sound great for their age, the last three fair to middling.
BOX 4 - Bruckner
CD 28-33
- Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" - Vienna Philharmonic 10/19/1951
- Symphony No. 5 - Vienna Philharmonic 08/19/1951
- Symphony No. 6 (excerpts) - Berlin Philharmonic 11/13/1943
- Symphony No. 5: I - Berlin Philharmonic 10/28/1942
- Symphony No. 7 (Original Version) - Berlin Philharmonic 04/23/1951
- Symphony No. 8 - Berlin Philharmonic 03/15/1949
- Symphony No. 9 - Berlin Philharmonic 10/07/1944
SOUND: Mostly very high quality for their age, listenable and enjoyable, although Symphonies No. 7 and 9 are a bit dull and muted sounding.
BOX 5 - Viennese Classical Period
CD 34 - Haydn
- Symphony No. 88 - Vienna Philharmonic 12/05/1951
- Symphony No. 94 "Surprise" - Vienna Philharmonic 09/25/1950
SOUND: Really quite good on both symphonies, perhaps a bit muted at the high end but not bad.
CD 35 - Mozart
- Symphony No. 39 - Berlin Philharmonic 02/08/1944
- Symphony No. 40 - Vienna Philharmonic 12/07-08/1948 & 02/17/1949
SOUND: No. 39 is the same performance as on DG's Wilhelm Furtwangler - Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 1, and the sound is about the same -- that is, a bit compromised but OK. No. 40 is the same performance as on the EMI set, and again the Membran has just a bit brighter sound.
CD 36 - Mozart
- Serenade No. 10 for 13 Wind Instruments "Gran Partita" - Wind soloists of the Vienna Philharmonic 11-12/1947
- Serenade No. 13 "A Little Night Music" - Vienna Philharmonic 04/01/1949
SOUND: Very good once again on the Gran Partita. "A Little Night Music" shows its age just a bit more -- a little tinny and muted at the high end, but not too bad.
CD 37 - Mozart
- Piano Concerto KV 466 - Yvonne Lefébure piano, Berlin Philharmonic 05/15/1954
- The Escape From The Seraglio: Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 1933
SOUND: Piano Concerto shows its age, a bit noisy and muddy but a nice performance. Overture sounds just like 1933, but nothing unusual -- noisy and poor technology.
CD 38 - Mozart
- Concerto for Two Pianos KV 365, Dagmar Bella & Paul Badura-Skoda piano, Vienna Philharmonic 02/08/1949
- Piano Concerto No. 22 - Paul Badura-Skoda piano, Vienna Philharmonic - 01/27/1952
SOUND: Both pieces a bit compromised -- record needle noise, noise control equalization. Listenable, but typical record transfers from the period.
CD 39-41 - Mozart
- Don Giovanni - Cesare Siepi, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Anton Dermota, Otto Edelmann, Vienna State Opera Choir, Vienna Philharmonic 08/06/1954
SOUND: Live recording from 1954, and considering that the sound is pretty good with nice definition of the singers, although it is not perfect with plenty of footfalls and such. This looks to be the same recording sold by EMI in this 3-CD set, and judging by the reviews there I imagine the sound is about the same, but I can't make a direct comparison.
CD 42-44 - Mozart
- Die Hochzeit des Figaro - Paul Schöffler, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Erich Kunz Maikl, Vienna State Opera Choir, Vienna Philharmonic 08/07/1953
SOUND: Live recording 1953, same as this performance. Sound is OK for age, but a little distortion in some places. My biggest problem is that this is not the original Italian, but a performance in German translation. May have been common practice at the time but I don't have to like it.
CD 45-47 - Mozart
- The Magic Flute - Josef Greindl, Anton Dermota, Paul Schöffler, Wilma Lipp, Erich Kunz, Vienna State Opera Choir, Vienna Philharmonic 08/01/1951
SOUND: This 1951 Salzburg Magic Flute derives from a recording of a radio broadcast, so this isn't great sound -- still pretty good considering its age and the recording conditions, and a great performance. Same recording as featured on this 3-CD set.
CD 48 - Schubert
- Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" - Berlin Philharmonic 02/10/1952
- Symphony No. 9 - Berlin Philharmonic 11-12/1951
SOUND: Pretty great for their age on both recordings.
CD 49
- Schubert - Rosamunde (excerpts) - Vienna Philharmonic, 01-02/1951
- Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 1933
- Mozart - Don Giovanni (excerpts) - Tito Gobbi, Josef Greindl, Vienna State Opera Choir, Vienna Philharmonic 07/27/1950
- Mozart - The Magic Flute: Hm! Hm! Hm! - Walter Ludwig, Karl Schmidt-Walter, Vienna Philharmonic 07/27/1949
SOUND: Very nice on Rosamunde, less so on the rest.
BOX 6 - Romantic Period
CD 50
- Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin, Berlin Philharmonic 06/25-26/1952
- Mendelssohn - The Hebrides: Concert Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 08/19/1951
- Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 09/28/1947
- Schumann - Manfred Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 01/24/1951
SOUND: Mendelssohn Concerto is the same performance as on the EMI set -- the sound here is excellent, pretty much identical to the EMI. The other tracks sound good, but not great -- a little muddy generally.
CD 51 - Schumann
- Symphony No. 1 "Spring" - Vienna Philharmonic, 10/20/1951
- Symphony No. 4 - Berlin Philharmonic 05/14/1953
SOUND: OK on No. 1, a little muddy. No. 4 sounds great for its age.
CD 52 - Schumann
- Piano Concerto Op. 54 - Walter Gieseking piano, Berlin Philharmonic 03/03/1942
- Cello Concerto - Tibor de Machula cello, Berlin Philharmonic 10/28/1942
SOUND: Both excellent for 1942.
CD 53-54 - von Weber
- Der Freischütz - Alfred Poel, Oskar Czerwenka, Elisabeth Grümmer, Rita Streich, Vienna State Opera Choir, Vienna Philharmonic 07/26/1954
SOUND: Looks to be the same performance as featured here. Quality is good for live recording in 1954.
CD 55
- von Weber - Der Freischütz: Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 03/05/1954
- von Weber - Euryanthe: Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 05/04/1954
- von Weber - Oberon: Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 02/01/1950
- von Weber - Invitation To The Dance - Berlin Philharmonic 1932
- Otto Nicolai - The Merry Wives Of Windsor: Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 01/18/1951
SOUND: All excellent for their age, even the 1932 -- although it still sounds like good 1932.
CD 56
- von Weber - Der Freischütz: Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 1926
- von Weber - Der Freischütz: Prelude to Act 3 - Berlin Philharmonic 1935
- Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto: III - Gioconda de Vito violin, RAI Symphony Orchestra of Torino 03/07/1952
- Schumann - Cello Concerto: Finale - Pierre Fournier cello, Berlin Philharmonic 11/13/1943
- Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture - Berlin Philharmonic 1929
SOUND: All except the Violin Concerto excerpt are excellent for age, although many can't hide their age. The final track is mislabeled in the set as by Schumann, but it is really Mendelssohn.
BOX 7 - Late Romantic
CD 57 - Richard Strauss
- Sinfonia domestica - Berlin Philharmonic 01/12/1944
- Metamorphosen: Study for 23 Solo Strings - Berlin Philharmonic 02/10/1952
SOUND: Again, very good for age.
CD 58 - Richard Strauss
- Don Juan - Vienna Philharmonic 01/24/1951
- Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks - Vienna Philharmonic 03/02-03/1954
- Death and Transfiguration - Vienna Philharmonic 01/1950
SOUND: Very good. Till Eugenspiel and Death and Transfiguration same performances as on the EMI set with no appreciable difference in sound.
CD 59
- Richard Strauss - Four Songs - Peter Anders, Berlin Philharmonic 02/15/1942
- Richard Strauss - Four Last Songs - Kirsten Flagstad, Philharmonia Orchestra 05/22/1950
- Gustav Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Philharmonia Orchestra 06/24-25/1952
SOUND: Four Songs are outstanding for 1942. Four Last Songs are tough listening due to record needle noise and general poor transfer. The Mahler is in excellent studio sound.
CD 60 - Hindemith
- Symphonic Metamorphosis on a Theme by Carl Maria von Weber - Berlin Philharmonic 09/16/1947
- Concerto for Orchestra - Berlin Philharmonic 06/20/1950
- Symphony "Harmony Of The World" - Vienna Philharmonic 08/30/1953
SOUND: All good, none great. No real noise issues, just recordings that show their age in somewhat thin sound. The Concerto for Orchestra is the same performance as featured on the big Audite set of RIAS recordings a few years back. The Audite sounds a tiny bit better, but the difference is not great.
CD 61
- Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements - Vienna Philharmonic 08/15/1950
- Stravinsky - Le Baiser de la fee - Berlin Philharmonic 03/18/1953
- Hans Pfitzner - Symphony in C major - Vienna Philharmonic 08/07/1949
SOUND: Sounds like noise control has muted the Stravinsky pieces a lot, but even so the fact that Furtwangler was not a towering figure among Stravinsky conductors shines through. The Pfitzner still sounds muted with noise control, but less so.
CD 62
- Hans Pfitzner - Palestrina (excerpts) - Berlin Philharmonic 06/10/1949
- Gustav Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen: Die zwei blauen Augen - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Vienna Philharmonic 08/19/1951
- Richard Strauss - Don Juan - Venezuela Symphony Orchestra 03/21/1954
- Richard Strauss - Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks - Berlin Philharmonic 1930
SOUND: A bit muted on the Pfitzner (but the work itself was a great surprise that made me want to hear the whole thing rather than just the excerpts here). The Mahler is from a live performance with clear sound -- so clear you can hear the audience just great as well. The 1954 Venezuela Strauss sound more like 1929, and the 1930 Strauss sounds its age.
BOX 8 - Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Sibelius, Liszt, Smetana
CD 63 - Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 4 - Vienna Philharmonic 01/08-10/1951
- Serenade For Strings Op. 48 (excerpts) - Vienna Philharmonic 01/01-02/1950
SOUND: Studio recordings from 1950-51, sound is very good, must be from tapes, definitely not an LP transfer.
CD 64
- Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5 - RAI Orchestra of Torino - 06/06/1952
- Smetana - Die Moldau (Vltava) - Vienna Philharmonic 01/24/1951
SOUND: Mediocre on the Tchaikovsky -- a record transfer with both noise and noise control. The Smetana sounds brilliant and multidimensional, I really love this except from "Ma Vlast" with the extensive quotes from the Rheingold Vorspiel.
CD 65
- Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique" - Berlin Philharmonic 10-11/1938
- Liszt - Les Préludes - Vienna Philharmonic 03/03/1954
SOUND: The Tchaikovsky is good, but only for age -- record needle noise is not too bad. The Liszt sounds great -- studio recordings apparently transferred from tapes.
CD 66
- Sibelius - Violin Concerto - Georg Kulenkampff violin, Berlin Philharmonic - 02/07/1943
- Sibelius - En Saga - Berlin Philharmonic 02/10/1943
- Dvorák - Slavonic Dance Op. 46 no. 3 - Berlin Philharmonic 1930
SOUND: Sibelius Concerto is great for wartime recording, I doubt it could get better. En Saga is practically as good. Dvorák is pretty good for heavily noise-controlled 1930 record transfer, but don't expect a lot.
BOX 9 - Wagner
CD 67
- Siegfried-Idyll - Vienna Philharmonic 02/16-17/1949
- The Flying Dutchman: Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 03/30-31/1949
- Tannhäuser Overture - Vienna Philharmonic 12/02-03/1952
- Parsifal (excerpts) - Berlin Philharmonic 03/15/1938
SOUND - All pretty good for LP or 78 transfers, but with some hiss and noise. Parsifal from 1938 has weakest sound.
CD 68
Lohengrin (Excerpts from Act 3) - Franz Völker, Maria Müller, Margarete Klose, Josef von Manowarda - Bayreuth Festspiel Chorus & Orchestra 07/19/1936
- Lohengrin, Prelude to Act 1 - Vienna Philharmonic 03/04-05/1954
SOUND - All but last track are 1936 recording with weakish sound and record needle noise. 1954 Prelude sounds great.