Leopold Stokowski conducts
2009
Boris Blacher
Darius Milhaud
Modest Mussorgsky
Peter Tschaikowsky
Richard Wagner
Sergej Prokofjew
Werner Egk
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg
Leopold Stokowski
CD 1 Darius Milhaud: Concerto for Percussion and Small Orchestra
CD 1 Boris Blacher: Variationen über ein Thema von N. Paganini op. 26 for Orchestra (1947)
CD 1 Sergej Prokofjew: Romeo und Julia Suite aus dem gleichnamigen Ballett op. 64
CD 1 Werner Egk: Französische Suite nach Rameau
CD 1 Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde WWV 90
CD 1 Peter Tschaikowsky: Symphony No. 5 e minor op. 64
CD 1 Modest Mussorgsky: Intermezzo (from: Chowanschtschina)
When the 72 year-old Leopold Stokowski came to the Southwest German Radio in 1954, he was already a living legend. Together with Toscanini and Koussevitzky he helped to define American musical life in the first half of the 20th century. Stokowski welcomed the chance to come to Baden-Baden since the orchestra was renowned for its more adventurous and creative programming. Stokowski immediately recognized the qualities of the orchestra trained by Hans Rosbaud. The excellent orchestra of the Southwest radio, already a disciplined ensemble, responded enthusiastically to Stokowski’s leadership.
From Baden-Baden Stokowski drove directly to Stuttgart, where he conducted a program of three of the most famous “War Horses” on May 20th 1955. There he conducted an ecstatic performance that included Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and his own special orchestration of the “Prelude and Liebestod“ from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.
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