« A Significant Symphonic Heritage | Main | Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise »
January 18, 2008
The Good Old Days
For those who doubt that orchestra life was very hard in "the good old days," this should set you straight. I was recently researching information about the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, and happened upon details of the Berlin Philharmonic's 1951 month-long tour. I thought I'd share it with you just for amusement, really, and for insight into orchestra life a half century ago...
It makes me tired just to look at it. (Note, by the way, how long most of the programs are - May 15 in Hamburg, for example).
Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting, 1951 Tour
April 18, Cairo
Haydn: Sym 101
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration
Beethoven: Symphony #7
April 19, Cairo
Rameau: La princesse de Navarre
Debussy: Nocturnes - "Nuages"; "Fêtes"
Berlioz: Rakoczy March
Tchaikovsky: Sym #6, "Pathetique"
April 20, Cairo
Weber: Der Freischutz: Ov
Brahms: Sym #3
Hindemith: Concerto for Orchestra
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Ov
April 21, Cairo
Mozart: Sym #40 in G Minor
Beethoven: Leonore Ov #3
Beethoven: Symphony #5
April 22, Cairo
MORNING:
Weber: Der Freischutz: Overture
Schumann: Piano Concerto (Tagliaferro, piano)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6, "Pathetique"
April 22, Cairo
EVENING:
Mozart: Sym #40 in G Minor
Beethoven: Leonore Ov #3
Beethoven: Symphony #5
April 23, Cairo
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Mendelssohn: Violin Con (Siegfried Borries, violin)
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Ov
April 24, Alexandria
Haydn: Symphony #101
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration
Beethoven: Symphony #7
April 25, Alexandria
MORNING
Brahms: Symphony #3
Debussy: Nocturnes - "Nuages"; "Fêtes"
Wagner: Die Meistersinger: Ov
April 25, Alexandria
EVENING
Brahms: Symphony #3
Debussy: Nocturnes - "Nuages"; "Fêtes"
Wagner: Parsifal: Good Friday Music
Wagner: Götterdammerung: "Siegfried's Funeral"
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Ov
Berlioz: Rakoczy March
April 30, Naples
Mozart: Symphony #40
Brahms: Symphony #3
Debussy: Nocturnes - "Nuages"; "Fêtes"
May 1, Rome
Bruckner: Symphony #7
Strauss: Don Juan
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Ov
May 2, Bologna
Haydn: Symphony #101
Brahms: Symphony #3
Beethoven: Symphony #5
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Ov
May 3, Turin
Weber: Der Freischutz: Ov
Debussy: Nocturnes - "Nuages"; "Fêtes"
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration
Beethoven Symphony No. 7
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Ov
May 4, TRAVEL DAY (TO PARIS)
May 5, Paris
Bruckner: Symphony #7
Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Weber: Der Freischutz: Ov
May 6, Paris
Haydn: Symphony #101
Brahms: Symphony #3
Strauss: Don Juan
Wagner: Parsifal: "Good Friday Music"
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Ov
Berlioz: Rakoczy March
May 7, TRAVEL DAY (TO VIERSEN, Germany)
May 8, Viersen Haydn: Symphony #88
Hindemith: Concerto for Orchestra
Bruckner: Symphony #7
May 9, Dusseldorf
Cherubini: Anacreon: Ov
Brahms: Symphony #3
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6, "Pathetique"
May 10, Dortmund
Haydn: Symphony #101
Brahms: Symphony #3
Beethoven: Symphony #5
May 11, Essen
Haydn: Symphony No. 101
Debussy: Nocturnes - "Nuages"; "Fêtes"
Bruckner: Symphony #7
May 12, Bielefeld
Haydn: Symphony #101
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration
Bruckner: Symphony #7
May 13, Wolfsburg
Cherubini: Anacreon: Ov
Brahms: Symphony #3
Beethoven: Symphony #5
Weber: Der Freischutz: Ov
May 14, Hannover
Haydn: Symphony #101
Debussy: Nocturnes - "Nuages"; "Fêtes"
Berlioz: Rakoczy March
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6, "Pathetique"
May 15, Hamburg
Haydn: Symphony #101
Brahms: Symphony #3
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6, "Pathetique"
May 16, Münster
Haydn: Symphony No. 101
Brahms: Symphony #3
Strauss: Don Juan
Wagner: Parsifal: "Good Friday Music"
Wagner: Tannhäuser: Ov
Posted by hfogel at January 18, 2008 9:45 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.artsjournal.com/cgi/mt-tb.cgi/1478
COMMENTS
Interesting how musical life has changed. My orchestra - the Halle - gave 238 concerts in the 1955/56 season of which Barbirolli conducted around 190!
Posted by: John Summers at January 18, 2008 11:32 AM
Egypt as an orchestra tour destination? Those really were the old days. Thanks for the interesting post
There was a DGG LP issues some years back of Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic performing Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, taken from a Cairo performance. The cover of the LP showed Furtwängler riding a camel! It was definitely an attention-getter.
Posted by: Naimah at January 19, 2008 1:08 PM