This is a series that’s
been a long time coming. The Hallé
Orchestra has a relatively illustrious
recording history but the early days
– the Harty years – have mainly been
documented on CD by concerto recordings.
Harty was one of the leading piano accompanists
of his day and later, as a conductor,
became a favoured Columbia recording
artist. In that role we have seen numerous
re-releases of the Brahms/Szigeti and
the Tchaikovsky/Solomon recordings.
In fact a previous disc in this Hallé
series has disinterred the 1925 Bruch
G minor/Sammons. Now however we have
a major symphonic statement, the 1927
New World as well as the Carnaval
Overture. The Bohemian theme continues
with the short-lived Leslie Heward’s
1941 recording of the Nocturne in B
flat and we end with some lusty Brahms,
once more from Harty.
The Ninth Symphony
gets a spirited, driving performance
from Harty – lithe strings, plenty of
portamenti, strong brass and distinctive
winds. It’s a broadly classical reading
stressing the architectural assurance
of the work and not stopping to admire
the scenery overmuch. Similar qualities
relate to Carnaval – Harty was clearly
a warm but not sentimental Dvořákian.
But I’m afraid you won’t hear all the
qualities of the performance from this
transfer. The Symphony is not making
its first appearance on CD and neither
are the Brahms Dances. Symposium has
the New World on SYMP
CD 1169 where it’s coupled with a mixture
of pieces by Bax, Berlioz, Elgar, Mussorgsky
and Balakirev and Symposium’s
non-interventionist approach is much
preferable. It gives me no pleasure
at all to say this – as this is a series
to which I was greatly looking forward
– but all the discs I’ve heard so far
have all suffered badly over-processed
restoration. There is ambient (Cedar,
or Cedar-like?) noise throughout, and
little "clicks" pepper the
Symphony. Side joins are usually good
but not always (the Carnaval join isn’t
good) and there is, on my review copy,
what sounds like wow in the Symphony
[track 3, 1.38 onwards and elsewhere]
The heavily veiled processing has completely
removed acoustic presence. I compared
my own set of the 78s with this transfer
and there really is no comparison. In
removing residual shellac hiss I’m afraid
everything else has been sacrificed
as well, in a way familiar from some
of those disastrous early Philips CD
historic reissues. The Heward/Nocturne
transfer is similarly impaired; greatly
inferior to the Art of Leslie Heward
double LP set (EMI).
I’m genuinely sorry
to be so negative about this release.
But even at the tempting price this
disc is still more expensive than a
Naxos. Harty left a strong body of symphonic
and concerto recordings and his legacy
should be available, no question. But
I can’t recommend these transfers at
all; they don’t do justice to that legacy.
Jonathan Woolf
Hallé Orchestra /Sir Hamilton Harty 