18 abril, 1970

Stokowski at 88 - TV Documentary



Tom Slevin, director & producer

To mark Leopold Stokowski's 88th birthday in 1970, a television documentary surveyed his life and career. In this programme, we see him rehearsing his own American Symphony Orchestra; dictating a letter to Andrzej Panufnik regarding the first performance of the composer's 'Universal Prayer'; auditioning a young violinist in his New York apartment; receiving a prestigious Gold Medal award from the American Academy; travelling to England by boat (he never flew) to record Beethoven's 5th Symphony with the London Philharmonic (not the London Symphony as incorrectly stated) for the Decca / London 'Phase-4' label, with producer Tony'D'Amato and chain-smoking engineer Arthur Lilley; watching a baseball game between the New York Philharmonic and American Symphony Orchestra; and being interviewed by Glenn Gould for Canadian radio. 

The narrator mis-pronounces the Maestro's name (it should sound as if spelt "Stokoffski") but otherwise this is a well-produced programme. Remarkably, Stokowski lived to the ripe old age of 95 and was still energetically making records right up until a few weeks before he died in September 1977. 

Incidentally, to set the record straight, he was born Leopold Stokowski on 18 April 1882, son of Kopernik Joseph Boleslaw Stokowski and his wife Annie-Marion, at 13 Upper Marylebone Street (now New Cavendish Street) in London (see his Wiki bio entry). At no stage in his life or career did he ever change his name from or to "Stokes." This was a nonsense dreamt up by his detractors once he'd achieved international fame in the 1930s.

20 marzo, 1970

Mauricio Kagel - Repertoire aus Staatstheater (1967/70)



In einer Fernsehfilmproduktion spielen das Kölner Ensemble für Neue Musik und Mauricio Kagel "Repertoire" aus "Staatstheater" Szenische Komposition von 1967/70.

02 marzo, 1970

Beethoven's Birthday: A Celebration in Vienna with Leonard Bernstein (1970)



CBS / AMBERSON / ORF - 1970 
Humphrey Burton

Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's birthday, famed maestro Leonard Bernstein honors the life and work of the German composer in this tribute conducted, performed, written and narrated by Bernstein. The musical portrait features excerpts from Bernstein's performances of Beethoven's work, including the Ninth Symphony's "Ode to Joy," scenes from "Fidelio" and "Piano Concerto No. 1" with the Vienna Philharmonic.

01 febrero, 1970

Stokowski Rehearsing - Barber, Schubert, Rachmaninoff



In February 1968, Leopold Stokowski (Marylebone, 1882 - Hampshire, 1977) and his American Symphony Orchestra gave the opening concert in the new Madison Square Garden building. The programme included Beethoven's 'Leonore' Overture No. 3, Barber's 'Adagio for Strings' and Rachmaninoff's 'Paganini Rhapsody' with Jerome Lowenthal at the piano. Television cameras were on hand for one of the rehearsals and material was provided for two programmes. One consisted of just rehearsal excerpts and the other was a documentary entitled "Stokowski at 88."


25 enero, 1970

Bruno Maderna - interview



01.1970
WEFM, Chicago / George Stone & Alan Stout  

Bruno Maderna (1920 Venice-1973 Darmstadt), Italian-German composer, conductor, teacher; also antifascist Resistenza-hero. One of the most insightful, amiable, stringent, vivid and creative musicians of the last century speaks out and, in spite of being critically ill, in his typical unassuming, humorous way at that.

He adresses his career and beginnings with Malipiero and Scherchen, Virgil Thompson's intervention, orchestras, their conductors, lack of education and their policies, especially vis à vis the new music and rehearsing it, and the innate stupidity of culture industry. The gravity towards Schoenbergianism.

Also included a curious anecdote that he recalls, about Hans Rosbaud concerning the composer Anton Webern... Enjoy.

For WEFM in Chicago, January, 1970. With George Stone & Alan Stout.

01 enero, 1970

Entrevista a Luciano Berio



KPFA - 24.07.1962
Glenn Glasow

Recorded in July of 1962, this is a fascinating interview between composer, music professor, and KPFA presenter, Glenn Glasow, and the Italian avant-garde composer Luciano Berio (Imperia, 1925 - Roma, 2003), who had just joined the faculty at Mills College. In many ways this interview highlights the difficulty that many musicologists and listeners of traditional classical music, had dealing with the new, radical concepts being promoted by the likes of Berio, Pierre Boulez, and John Cage.

The interview begins with Glasow inquiring about Berio’s previous observation that a composer’s “attitude” or “conception” about life and society could be discerned from hearing their music. Berio suggests while there may be no obvious cause and effect relationship between a particular piece of music and current trends in society, he does feel that some works can reflect certain social conditions. Glasow does not fully agree with Berio’s attempts to trace those relationships, and wonders how pure music, removed from any knowledge about the composer’s life, could be interpreted in such a manner. Glasow also quizzes Berio on the idea that contemporary composer’s feel required to shock their audience. Berio considers this tendency toward protest a somewhat American phenomenon, which while not always agreeable may be required in certain societies. He thus defends the work of John Cage, and states that is many ways America deserves, nay even requires, John Cage. A concept that Glasow seems to accept, suggesting that perhaps America has lusted after culture to such a point, that Cage was prompted to make fun of such pretensions.


Stokowski: Ives Symphony No. 4 - Complete Performance & Introduction



Charles Ives's (1874-1954) 4th Symphony was given its World Premiere in 1965 by Leopold Stokowski (Marylebone, 1882 - Hampshire, 1977) and the American Symphony Orchestra. A few days later they made work's first recording and also played it in a televised studio performance, seen here, which was introduced by Stokowski and others, including co-conductors Jose Serebrier and David Katz, and John McClure, producer of the CBS recording.