Arnold Schoenberg Gurre-leider Stokowski, Victor M-127 1932 78 rpm 14 discs set

$

90

Arnold Schoenberg Gurre-leider Stokowski, Victor M-127 1932 78 rpm 14 discs set
This set was recently purchased from a Cambridge Massachusetts estate. This original 1932 Victor Records box set comes in 14 discs. The first side is a description of the piece by Stokowski on piano.  The set is complete, no cracks or breaks, and the discs range from G+ to E, and play as one would expect from an early 1930's recording. Please email with questions.  
Here's some additional information about this set;

Victor's 1932 Recording of Gurre-lieder

This work was recorded by Victor during three performances on Friday, Saturday and Monday, 8, 9 and 11 April 1932.  Ward Marston writes of these recordings in his notes for the beautiful and superbly done Andante album 4978 containing this work.  He reports that 25 78 RPM sides were recorded during the April 8 premiere, using two cutting turntables alternating sides.  However, this April 8 recording was not complete, stopped presumably due to difficulties in the performance.  Ward Marston reports that the April 9, 1932 performance was recorded in Victor's new 33 1/3 RPM format (later issued in Victor long playing album LM-127 on 5 long-play disks).  The Victor recording of the April 11, 1932 performance was used in the eventual 78 RPM issue of this work in Victor Musical Masterpiece album M-127.  Please see the album details of Andante 4978 in the page on 'CDs of Stokowski - Philadelphia Orchestra' , and buy the Andante album now, while still available.  Ward Marston's restorations of this Schoenberg recording, and a number of other superb recordings in the Andante album are a revelation, and also beautifully presented.

The selection of Schoenberg's Gurrelieder by Stokowski reflects two interests of Stokowski during his career.  First is the attraction of producing a massive, new and unknown score to generate public excitement and to showcase a new work as well as the orchestra.  It was said at the time that Stokowski was seeking to reproduce the dramatic success of his 1916 US premiere of the massive Mahler Symphony no 8 , the 'Symphony of a Thousand'. 

Second was Stokowski's attraction to the lushly scored music of the late romantic era, of which Gurrelieder was one of the last examples.  This was linked also to the story of a legendary love.  Gurrelieder is based on the Danish poem by Jens Peter Jacobsen (1847-1885) recounting the tragic medieval love story of the Danish King Valdemar IV (1320-1375), with Gurrelieder having clear reflections of the love story of Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde'.  In fact, as we see below, Stokowski did in fact also record extensive excerpts from 'Tristan und Isolde' during this month of April, 1932.