In 2012-13 I served as consulting archivist for the Philadelphia Orchestra's
celebration of the centennial of its hiring of Stokowski as conductor. In
the PO archives I came across a letter from Stoki during his 1928 Asia trip
in which he informs the PO that in Java he had purchased four Javanese gongs
and was shipping them to the Orchestra. I was later able to track the gongs
down - they are owned by the Curtis Institute.
Eichheim, who traveled with Stoki for part of the trip, also composed a
piece entitled "Java" that Stoki premiered with the PO in 1930. It called
for tuned gongs. I presume they used the ones Stoki had purchased.
For an exhibit I did as part of the centennial celebration, I was able to
display Stoki's letter, two of the actual gongs, and the program from the
1930 performance of "Java."
Jack McCarthy
Certified Archivist
Archival/Historical Consultant
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carl Pultz
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 8:10 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Dora Labbette, Soprano with string quartette: The
Flowers of the Forests, 1925?
I'm rereading Oliver Daniel's "Stokowski." He tells about Stoki's Asia/south
seas trip in the 20s when the conductor studied percussion with Indian
physicist Jagadis Bose and collected instruments. Eichheim's "Bali" stems
from this journey, which Stoki later recorded. Some of those instruments may
have ended up on his famous recording of "Gurrelieder." It was an enduring
interest, as well into the 50s he was playing percussion works by Harrison,
et al, and premiered McPhee's Tabuh-Tabuhan in 1953.
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Donald Tait
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2014 8:08 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Dora Labbette, Soprano with string quartette: The
Flowers of the Forests, 1925?
Reiner also studied percussion as a student in Budapest. Including
timpani, which might help explain the added prominence of and occasional
added timpani parts in his CSO recordings (it's harder to tell with his
Pittsburgh and other recordings). I remember talking to Sam Denov, who was
then a retired member of the Chicago Symphony's percussion section. He said
"Reiner was DEATH on percussion." Meaning that he not only heard everything,
which was a given, but that he knew exactly what he wanted and wouldn't
settle until he got it. Sam was speaking from his personal CSO
experience....
Also, Reiner made piano rolls in 1925 et seq. Four-hand versions in which
he was credited as being one of the two pianists and others in which he was
credited as the "conductor." Philip Hart wrote about it on page 44 of his
biography of Reiner.
Don Tait
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