Landon Ronald and Arthur de Greef in Grieg and Liszt; Thor Johnson conducts Grieg

Yet more from Landon Ronald now – this time conducting accompaniments for the Belgian pianist Arthur de Greef (1862 – 1940), in music by Liszt and Grieg. As a bonus there’s also a disc of two De Greef solos, by the same composers. The recordings are of some significance, as De Greef was one of Liszt’s pupils, and was a friend of Edvard Grieg, who endorsed his performances.

Grieg – Piano Concerto in A minor Op.16

Mediafire link for Grieg’s Piano Concerto – Arthur de Greef, Landon Ronald (electrical recording)

(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)

His Master’s Voice D 1237-40
Matrices CR 918-I, 919-II, 920-I, 921-IA, 922-II, 923-IA, 924-IA, 925-IA (single side numbers 05982/9)
Recorded 18th January 1927 (except side 2, 21st January) Queen’s Hall, London

I. Allegro molto moderato (4 sides)
II. Adagio (1½ sides)
III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato (2½ sides)

Arthur de Greef, piano
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Sir Landon Ronald

Side 2 was noticeably off pitch compared to the other sides, beginning somewhat below speed for a fraction of a setting, before rising to 80rpm and slowly returning to 78rpm.

Grieg – Piano Concerto in A minor Op.16 (abridged acoustic recording)

Mediafire link for Grieg’s Piano Concerto – Arthur de Greef, Landon Ronald (acoustic recording, and solo items)

(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)

His Master’s Voice D 551-2
Matrices Cc 78-I, 79-I, 80-II, 81-II (single side numbers 05663/6)
Recorded 19th April 1921, Hayes, Room 1

I. Allegro molto moderato (2 sides)
II. Adagio (1 side)
III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato (1 side)

Arthur de Greef, piano
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Sir Landon Ronald

This recording is cut to about half of its original length to fit  on just four sides, rather than the eight of the electrical version.

Side 1 starts at bar 1,  runs to 12 after A, then cuts to 21 after E (Animato), continuing through to the pause before the cadenza. The cut is from the Animato section of the Exposition to that in the Recapitulation.

Side 2 runs from the cadenza through to the end of the movement. Curiously, de Greef adds an extra half bar in the cadenza in bar 8, just before the descending octave passage leading to the fff repeat of the main theme. He does not do this in the electrical recording, so it must be a slight memory slip.

Side 3 starts 2 before A and runs to the end of the movement

Side 4 runs from the beginning(!) through to C, cuts to 8 before H, runs to 27 after H, cuts the 3/4 section, and resumes at K, continuing to the end of the movement.

Grieg – Norwegian Bridal March (Pictures from Folk Life Op.19 No.2)
Liszt-Schubert – Soirée de Vienne S247/6
His Master’s Voice D 1412
Matrices Cc 11773-II, 11800-I (single side numbers 2-05561, 2-05577)
Recorded 7th and 10th November 1927, C Studio, Small Queen’s Hall

Arthur de Greef, piano

The Liszt is played without repeats, and with cuts to both A major sections. The Grieg is uncut, and in fact, De Greef slightly extends the final cadence, by repeating the E major chord an octave higher, followed by a low E in the bass.

Liszt – Hungarian Fantasia

Mediafire link for Liszt – Hungarian Fantasia – Arthur de Greef, Landon Ronald (electrical recording)

(This is an mp3 file – left click the link, download the file)

His Master’s Voice D 1306-7
Matrices CR 914-III, 915-II, 916-IA, 917-III (single side numbers 05978/81)
Recorded 21st January 1927 (except side 3, 18th January) Queen’s Hall, London

Arthur de Greef, piano
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Sir Landon Ronald

Liszt – Hungarian Fantasia (acoustic recording, slightly abridged)

Mediafire link for Liszt – Hungarian Fantasia – Arthur de Greef, Landon Ronald (acoustic recording)

(This is an mp3 file – left click the link, download the file)

His Master’s Voice D 523, 528
Matrices HO 4573af, 4574af-II, 4575af, 4576af-III (single side numbers 05654, 05655, 3-0582, 3-0583)
Recorded 27th October 1920, Hayes

Arthur de Greef, piano
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Sir Landon Ronald

This acoustic recording omits one of the first three bars. As they’re identical, it’s hard to say which. It seems a bizarrely pointless cut – the side runs to just over 4 minutes, and could easily have accommodated the few extra seconds required.

De Greef elaborates slightly on the solo part, when compared to the score.

Thor Johnson was the youngest American-born conductor to be music director of an American orchestra when he took over the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He recorded three LPs for English Decca (through its London label in the USA) in 1951, before moving on to record for Remington in 1953 and 1954.

Grieg – Sigurd Jorsalfar

Mediafire link for Grieg’s Sigurd Jorsalfar Suite – Thor Johnson

(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)

DECCA LW 5124 (10” LP)
Matrices TRL 275-1B, 276-1B
Recorded c1951

No.1 – In the King’s Hall (Prelude)
No.2 – Borghild’s Dream (Intermezzo)
No.3 – Homage March (Triumphal March)

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Thor Johnson

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