Reader's Digest on CD - A Discography

[The Historian]

Following up on a post by Paul Goldstein a couple of years ago:

"The World's Best-Loved Symphonies" (4 CDs): Beethoven Symphony No. 5/
Royal
PO/Rene Leibowitz; Dvorak Symphony No. 9/Royal PO/Rudolf Kempe;
Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 4/Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome/
Massimo Freccia;
Schubert Symphony No. 8/National SO/Charles Gerhardt; Bizet Symphony
in C/Royal
PO/Charles Munch; Haydn Symphony No. 94/Capella Istropolitana/Barry
Wordsworth;
Brahms Symphony No. 1/London SO/Jascha Horenstein; Mozart Symphony No.
40/Netherlands PO/Hartmut Haenchen; Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6/London
PO/Enrique
Batiz. Readers Digest RC7-192-1/4, issued in 1996.

"Favorites from the Classics - Johann Strauss Jr." (3 CDs) 401C:
Blue Danube *, Voices of Spring %, Vienna Bonbons#, Wine, Women, and
Song %, Roses from the South+, Tales from the Vienna Woods %, Emperor
Waltz^, Die Fledermaus - Overture %, Champagne Polka %, Annen Polka %,
Perpetual Motion %, Morning Papers %, Persian March*, Excursion Train
Polka#, Gipsy Baron - Overture*, Pizzicato Polka %, O Schoener Mai&,
Eljen A Maygar %, Russian March#, Thunder and Lightning %, New
Pizzicato Polka %, Artists Life*, Where the Citrons Bloom %, Kiss Waltz
+, A Thousand and One Nights %, Accelerations Waltz#, Lagoon Waltz+,
Vienna Blood^

* National Philharmonic/Charles Gerhardt
+ London Symphony/Charles Gerhardt
& National Philharmonic/Eric Hammerstein
# Royal Philharmonic/Eric Hammerstein
% Royal Philharmonic/Peter Guth
^ National Philharmonic/Peter Guth

"A Treasure Chest of Classical Favorites" (4 CDs) 207C

All recordings by National Philharmonic/Charles Gerhardt, unless
otherwise indicated

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Jeffrey Siegel, piano
Flight of the Bumblebee - NPO/David Firman
Overture to The Bartered Bride - RPO/Oscar Danon
Monti :Czardas
Fanfare for the Common Man - NPO/Leonard Slatkin
Adagio from Concierto de Aranjuez - Manuel Barrueco, guitar
Emperor Waltz - Vienna State Opera Orchestra/Jascha Horenstein
Bizet:Farandole
Bizet: Habanera - New Symphony Orchestra of London/Rene Leibowitz
Brahms: Lullaby - London Promenade Orchestra/Eric Hammerstein
Merry Widow waltzes - RPO/Gilbert Vinter
Tritsch-Tratsch Polka - LSO/Gerhardt
Skater's Waltz - LSO.Gerhardt
J. Strauss Jr.: Dragonfly Polka
Tales from the Vienna Woods - RPO/Peter Guth
Gould: American Salute - NPO/Morton Gould
Mendelssohn: War March of the Priests - NPO/Vernon Handley
Fucik: Entry of the Gladiators
Tchaikovsky: Marche Miniature - NPO/Massimo Freccia
Borodin: March from Prince Igor
J. Strauss Jr: Indigo March
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance #1 - New Symphony Orchestra of London/
Adrian Boult
Mendelssoh: Midsummer's Night's Dream Overture - RPO/Rene Leibowitz
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals - NPO/Vernon Handley; David
Nettle and Richard Markham pianos
Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre - Orch.de la Societe de Concerts
Symphonique de Paris/Rene Leibowitz
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite - LSO/Gerhardt
R. Strauss: Also Sprach (introduction) London Promenade Orchestra/Eric
Hammerstein
Dvorak: Slavonic Dance #1
Vivaldi: Spring - English Chamber Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin, Jose Luis
Garcia, violin
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture - LPO/Massimo Freccia
R. Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks - London Promenade
Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries - Philharmonic Symphony of London//
Gerhardt
Rossini : William Tell (overture)

[Kerrison]

This has come up before here I believe, but Gerhardt used a few
pseudonyms as RD conductor and I think "Eric Hammerstein" may have
been one of them ... but I'm not 100% certain.

[Paul Goldstein]

Here are some more RD boxes:

"Classics for Joy" (5 CDs): Waldteufel Estudiantina Waltz, Tchaikovsky Waltz
from Serenade for Strings, Ivanovici Danube Waves, Lehar Gold and Silver Waltz,
Khachaturian Waltz from Masquerade, Debussy-Gerhardt Reflections on the Water,
Duparc-Gerhardt Extase, Sibelius-Stokowski Berceuse, Franck-Gerhardt Pastorale,
Boccherini Minuet, Khachaturian Dance of the Rose Maidens and Lezghinka from
Gayane, Pederewski Minuet, Weinberger Polka and Fugue from Schwanda, Borodin
March from Prince Igor, Halvorsen March of the Boyars, Fucik Entry of the
Gladiators, Benjamin Jamaican Rumba, Debussy-Gerhardt Evening in Grenada, Mozart
Eine kleine Nachmusik I, Mozart-Gerhardt Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je maman,
Mozart German Dances K. 571, Shostakovich Polka from The Age of Gold,
Paganini-Gerhardt Caprice No. 24, Bernstein Three Dances from Fancy Free,
Stravinsky Circus Polka, Verdi La Donna e Mobile, Rossini Una Voce Poco Fa from
The Barber of Seville, Gluck Dance of the Blessed Spirits, Faure Berceuse from
Dolly, Villa Lobos The Little Tain of the Brazilian Countryman, Ravel Mother
Goose Suite/National PO/Charles Gerhardt; Drigo Valse Bluette/Hill Bowen and His
Orchestra; Delibes Waltz from Coppelia/Royal PO/Anatole Fistoulari; Strauss
Roses from the South/Vienna SOO/Josef Leo Gruber; Tchaikovsky Grand Waltz from
Swan Lake/London PO/Massimo Freccia; Debussy En Bateau, Pierne March of the
Little Lead Soldiers/Paris O/Rene Leibowitz; Offenbach Barcarolle, Faure Apres
un Reve, Martini Plaisir d’Amour, Lecuona Malaguena/London Prom. O/Eric
Hammerstein; Debussy The Girl with the Flaxen Hair/Royal PO/Peter Knight; Wagner
Dreams/RCA Victor SO/Douglas Gamley; Smetana Polka from The Bartered Bride,
Dvorak Slavonic Dance in E, op. 72, Vaughan Williams March from Folksongs from
Somerset, Clarke Trumpet Voluntary (John Wilbraham, tr), Strauss Radetzky March,
Bizet March, Berceuse and Galop from Jeux d’Enfants/Nationsl SO/Gamley; Bizet
Gypsy Dance from Carmen/RCA Victor SO/Henri Rene; Rimsky-Korsakov Dance of the
Tumblers/New SO London/Gamley; Rodgers Guadalcanal March/RCA Victor SO/Gerhardt;
Gould American Salute/National PO/Morton Gould; Walton Orb and Sceptre March/New
SO/Robert Mandell; Strauss Waltz from A Thousand and One Nights, Artist’s Life
Waltz, Lagoon Waltz from A Night in Venice/Vienna SOO/Jascha Horenstein; Strauss
O Schoener Mai from Prince Methusalem/Judith Blegen/Vienna SO/Anton Paulik;
Strauss New Pizzicato Polka/New SO/Eric Robinson; Rossini Il Signor Bruschino
Overture/Royal PO/Sir Malcolm Sargent; Massenet Mignon Overture/RCA Italiana
SO/Leibowitz; Brahms Academic Festival Overture/Vienna SOO/Victor Desarzens;
Gillis Ranch House Party/Beecham Promenade O/Gilbert Vintner; Coates Covent
Garden from London Suite/Royal PO/James Walker; Offenbach Can-Can/Royal
PO/Leibowitz; Wagner Dance of the Apprentices and Entrance of the
Mastersingers/Vienna SOO/Freccia; Debussy Golligwog’s Cakewalk/Royal PO/Peter
Knight; Humperdinck Dream Pantomime from Hansel und Gretel/Rome PO/Freccia;
Mozart Sleigh Ride/Vienna Volksoper O/Gruber.

"Light Classical Gold" (4 CDs): Grieg Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Solveig’s
Song, Anitra’s Dance from Peer Gynt; I Love Thee, Norwegian Rustic March, The
Last Spring;Monti Czardas; Liszt Hungarian Fantasy (Earl Wild); Ippolitov-Ivanov
Procession of the Serdar; Mussorgsky A Night on Bald Mountain; Prokofiev March
from Love for Three Oranges; Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 7; Rimsky-Korsakov
Capriccio Espagnol; Waldteufel Espana Waltz; Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March
No. 1; Coates London Suite; Rossini Barber of Seville Overture, William Tell
Overture and Dances; Thomas Mignon Overture; Gounod Faust Ballet Music;
Waldteufel Pomone Waltz; Falla Dances from The Three Cornered Hat; Granados
Intermezzo from Goyescas;, Ibert Valencia from Escales; Suppe Light Cavalry
Overture;, Schubert Entracte from Rosamunde; Lanner Schoenbrunner Waltz; Strauss
Fledermaus Overture; Lehar Gold and Silver Waltz; Schubert Marche Militaire;
Mozart Marriage of Figaro Overture; Weber Oberon Overture; Verdi Grand March
from Aida, Prelude to Act I of La Traviata; Humperdinck Hansel und Gretel
Overture; Meyerbeer Coronation March; Wagner Ride of the Valkyries/all
apparently conducted by Gerhardt.

"A Treasure Chest of Classical Favorites" (4 CDs): Gershwin Rhapsody in
Blue/Jeffrey Siegel/National PO/Charles Gerhardt; Rimsky-Korsakov Flight of the
Bumblebee/NPO/David Firman; Smetana The Bartered Bride Overture/Royal PO/Oskar
Danon; Chopin Fantasie-Impromptu/Philip Fowke; Monti Czardas/NPO/Gerhardt;
Copland Fanfare for the Common Man/NPO/Leonard Slatkin; Rodrigo Adagio from
Concierto de Aranjuez/Manuel Barrueco/NPO/Gerhardt; Strauss Emperor Waltz/Vienna
SOO/Jascha Horenstein; Bizet Farandole/NPO/Gerhardt Habanera/New SO of
London/Rene Leibowitz; Brahms Lullaby/London Promenade O/Eric Hammerstein; Lehar
Merry Widow Waltz/Royal PO/Gilbert Vinter; Strauss Tritsch-Tratsch Polka,
Waldteufel Skaters’ Waltz/London SO/Gerhardt; Strauss Dragonfly
Polka/NPO/Gerhardt; Strauss Tales from the Vienna Woods/Royal PO/Peter Guth;
Gould American Salute/NPO/Morton Gould; Mendelssohn War March of the Priests
from Athalie/
NPO/Vernon Handley; Fucik Entry of the Gladiators/NPO/Gerhardt; Tchaikovsky
Marche Miniature/NPO/Massimo Freccia; Borodin Prince Igor March/NPO/Gerhardt;
Strauss Indigo March/NPO/Gerhardt; Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1/New
SO of London/Adrian Boult; Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Overture/RPO/Rene Leibowitz; Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals/Nattle &
Markham/NPO/Handley, Danse Macabre/O de la Societe des Concerts de
Paris/Leibowtz; Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite/LSO/Gerhardt; Dvorak Slavonic Dance
op. 46 no. 1/NPO/Gerhardt; Vivaldi Spring/Jose-Luis Garcia/ECO/Leonard Slatkin;
Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture/LPO/Freccia; Strauss Till Eulenspiegel/London
Promenade O/Slatkin; Wagner Ride of the Valkyries/PS of London/Gerhardt; Rossini
William Tell Overture/NSO/Gerhardt.

All of these are mixes of standard and "light" classics. The recording quality
is uniformly superb, and the performances are almost always good, often
excellent.

[William Sommerwerck]

"Paul Goldstein" <pgol...@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:fnfm0...@drn.newsguy.com...

> All of these are mixes of standard and "light" classics. The recording
> quality is uniformly superb, and the performances are almost always
> good, often excellent.

The Reader's Digest recordings were generally very good, probably because
Gerhardt was looking to record superior performances, not to churn out a
"product" for RD to sell.

The RD recordings include the first "modern" Beethoven Symphony cycle
(Leibowitz) and the Wild/Horenstein Rachmaniov series. There's also an
outstanding Brahms 4th from Reiner, and one of the very finest
"Fantastiques" ever recorded. These and others have been reissued on Chesky,
but it would be nice if Brilliant put out a cheap set of all the RD
recordings. (Hmmm...)

[robertric...@gmail.com]

I have the three CD set 'Trannquility' but with the booklet missing. Does anyone have the orchestras, pianists etc for each track? It would be appreciated.

[leg rivers@hitmeonce.com]

who would that be conducting the "Fantastique" ever recorded

[rapu...@spiritone.com]

Freccia did the Fantastique

Stan Punzel

[gggg...@gmail.com]

On Monday, June 20, 2016 at 9:16:40 AM UTC-10, rapu...@spiritone.com wrote:
> Freccia did the Fantastique
>
> Stan Punzel

Isn't this the reissue?:

http://store.acousticsounds.com/includes/image_browser.cfm?title_id=66544

[gggg...@gmail.com]

Concerning the recording quality, weren't they all Dynagroove recordings?

[Saint Russell]

On Monday, June 20, 2016 at 5:47:03 PM UTC-4, gggg...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> Concerning the recording quality, weren't they all Dynagroove recordings?

Some of them were originally Dynagroove LPs, but that processing was done at the LP mastering stage. Most of the RD classics were engineered (superbly) by Decca's Kenneth Wilkinson.

[rapu...@spiritone.com]

That is a late 70's LP issue. Those Quintessence albums had a lot of RD and RCA material. Chesky did a CD issue.

Stan Punzel
.

[Kerrison]

The enormous on-line Decca Discography 1929-2009, running to hundreds of pages, includes details of all the recordings made in London by Readers Digest, as producer Charles Gerhardt chose a Decca engineering team to record them. It would be nice if someone could extract just the RD recordings from this immense list, as it takes an awful long time to wade through the lot, and post them on-line as a separate discography!

Anyway, the RD sessions began in early 1959 and the Freccia "Fantastique" was recorded 21 & 23 February 1962. The discography usefully identifies those "pseudonymic" orchestras that RD used. Several London orchestras were already contracted to other labels, so RD were obliged to use non-de-plumes. For example, Sir Adrian Boult's recording of the Franck Symphony was issued as being played by both the "London Orchestral Society" and the "RCA Victor Symphony" but was in reality the Philharmonia Orchestra. Click the link below and proceed to wade through ...

http://images.cch.kcl.ac.uk/charm/liv/pubs/DeccaComplete.pdf

[rapu...@spiritone.com]

Thank you for posting! The PDFs run to over 1400 pages on my iPad(tm).

Stan Punzel

[Frank Berger]

I have a Bach collection with Gerhardt conducting various
orchestras on RDCD169 that doesn't seem to be mentioned in
the discography. I was hoping to learn the recording dates
for that disk which seem to be a secret.

[Mark Zimmer]

Ah, interesting. I had no idea that these were actually Decca products. No wonder they sound so good, even today.

[gggg...@gmail.com]

On Monday, June 20, 2016 at 9:16:40 AM UTC-10, rapu...@spiritone.com wrote:

> Freccia did the Fantastique
>
> Stan Punzel

Various Freccia selections can be heard on Youtube.

[Kerrison]

On Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at 9:15:17 PM UTC+1, Frank Berger wrote:
>
> > Thank you for posting! The PDFs run to over 1400 pages on
> > my iPad(tm).
> >
> > Stan Punzel
> >
>
> I have a Bach collection with Gerhardt conducting various
> orchestras on RDCD169 that doesn't seem to be mentioned in
> the discography. I was hoping to learn the recording dates
> for that disk which seem to be a secret.

I have that Bach CD too. The London-made Readers Digest recordings in the Decca listing were all done between 1959-1971, though I notice a considerable tailing-off of the RD sessions in the Decca listing towards the end. The last of them was an extensive batch conducted by Gerhardt and others in September / October 1971 for a 10-LP set entitled "World of Music."

In the Bach CDs, Gerhardt's recording of the 3rd Orchestral Suite (CD1) is shown as (p) 1989 in the "Copyright Details" page of the booklet, and the 2nd Orchestral Suite (CD2) is shown as (p) 1977. If these are any indication of the likely recording dates then clearly he'd moved on from his association with Decca, having conducted with their crew for the last time in 1971. It would seem he then used a different studio and engineers for his Bach sessions. These were with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, an 'ad hoc' ensemble of assorted London orchestral players put together solely for recording purposes. If there's a complete NatPhO Discography floating around somewhere, that would give us the details of the Gerhardt / Bach sessions!

[Gerald Martin]

Several days ago I bought the RD set "Arthur Fiedler Presents The Wonderful World of Music" from a thrift shop. It is 10 LPs of classical music "pops." On examing the records I discovered not a single work was recorded by Fiedler and/or the Boston Pops. Charles Gerhardt is the conductor for many of the selections.

[Kerrison]

On Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 1:43:22 AM UTC+1, Gerald Martin wrote:
> Several days ago I bought the RD set "Arthur Fiedler Presents The Wonderful World of Music" from a thrift shop. It is 10 LPs of classical music "pops." On examing the records I discovered not a single work was recorded by Fiedler and/or the Boston Pops. Charles Gerhardt is the conductor for many of the selections.

Ahh ... You have the US version ... The UK version of this identical set was entitled "Eric Robinson's World of Music." He was a popular presenter of light music on BBC Television at that time and the conductor of several items in that box. However, being a complete unknown in the USA, RD opted for a different personality on the box cover, someone whose name was more familiar there, even though he had nothing at all to do with any of the LPs therein! ...

http://rdboxsets.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/eric-robinsons-world-of-music.html

Incidentally, Sir Malcolm Sargent and the RPO made an RD LP (28 & 29 March 1963) entitled "Lollipops" that included Leroy Anderson's "Syncopated Clock." This appears to have been released in the USA as a Fiedler / Boston Pops collection. I wonder if Sargent ever found out? Here is the video where it says underneath it is Arthur Fiedler conducting ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFJOdbGziVg

And here is the same performance correctly attributed to Sargent, though copied at a lower volume level ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyU47EAbUnk

[Gerald Martin]

Thanks. That explains a lot.

https://www.google.com/search?q=arthur+fiedler%27s+wonderful+world+of+music&client=chrome-mobile&biw=1024&bih=600&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjMsrKOtcnNAhWIOSYKHQkvBbwQ_AUICygD&dpr=1#imgrc=W9IAYTQzDFBi0M%3A

[wagner...@gmail.com]

The booklet in the Treasure Chest set lists the following

Beethoven Treasury
Celebration of Light Classical Favorites
A Glorious Christmas
250 Years of Great Music
Great Romantic Piano Classics
Treasury of Great Operettas
Light Classics for Listening and Relaxation
Festival of the Worlds Best Loved Music
Till the End of Time
Worlds Best Loved Walzes
Classics for Joy
Light Classical Gold

are there more?????

[wade...@hotmail.com]

Just as an FYI, some of the CD sets with names like their LP equivalents are abridged sets. For example the Operetta set of 4 CDs only includes some of the shows included in the 9 (or 10?) LP set. The Beethoven Treasury is for the most part, also found on Chesky. Recreating the original LP collections could be a major project. But I wish the recording data was available for all the items not recorded by Decca in London.

[gggg...@gmail.com]

Does this READERS DIGEST cd (from Germany?) have anything to do with the U.S. READERS DIGEST recordings?

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=657&ei=vZfTW_aFLaX29AP3yqfQAw&q=rothenberger+readers+digest&oq=rothenberger+readers+digest&gs_l=img.3...627.8110..8217...3.0..0.371.3433.23j1j2j3......0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0j35i39j0i8i30j0i24.JC_W84fMIik#imgrc=FLjS_YL1Do5LPM: