Its Symphonic Sunday time. The Hungarian Rhapsody #2 was part of a series of 19 such rhapsodies composed by the Hungarian musical genius Franz Liszt in 1847. The work is performed by the Philadelphia (Symphony) Orchestra under the baton of Leopold Stokowski and was recorded at the Philadelphia Academy of Music November 18, 1926. During his sojourn in Philadelphia, Stokowski was considered to be one of the most gifted conductors in the world who took the Philadelphia Orchestra to the top of the performance world as it became renowned for its flawless and innovative performances. Stokowski was a pioneer in the early days of electrical recording working with the Victor Talking Machine Co. sound engineers in nearby Camden, New Jersey to produce recordings that would fully capture the range of sounds and richness of the full symphony orchestra. Stokowski had made numerous acoustical recordings for Victor in the 10 or so years prior to the invention of the Western Electric microphone and was dissatisfied with most, even preventing some from being released.
The rhapsody begins with an introductory "lassan" a dark and somber melody that quickly turns into a delightful and joyous sound of the "frisca". The Number 2 should sound familiar to most of the world's population having been performed in Disney's very first 1929 Mickey Mouse cartoon, the Max Fleischer 10 minute soundie cartoons of the 1930s, Warner Brothers cartoons, Marx Brothers comedies, Bugs Bunny and Woody Woodpecker cartoons as well as being the subject for the delightful Tom and Jerry Cat Concerto (on YT) which cruised to an Academy Award for best short subject in 1946. What would Liszt think if he knew how many ways his work had thrilled so many?
This 1926 12 inch red label Victrola 6652B is from the collection of San Antonio pioneer banker Gus Groos. Thanks to his heirs for entrusting the collection to me for a year to transcribe and share with music lovers over the world.
Comments