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In an effort to meet the needs of the Marston customer, we have chosen our upcoming releases with you in mind. We press only 1000 copies of most releases and do not repress so “when they’re gone, they’re gone.” To date, more than a 1/3 of our catalogue is out of print! Don’t be left out in the cold! If you Pre-order any release, you will be guaranteed a copy. If there is a title that is of interest, please order your copy now. Your credit card will be charged shortly before your CDs are shipped. |
54001-2 (4 CDs for the price of 3) A Century of Romantic Chopin is a four CD-compilation commemorating the Chopin bicentennial year. The set will include some 65 pianists, going back to Francis Planté and Vladimir de Pachmann who were born when Chopin was still alive. Other pianists in the set include Josef Hofmann, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ferruccio Busoni, Moritz Rosenthal, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Ignaz Friedman, Alfred Cortot, Jan Smeterlin, Rosita Renard, Claudio Arrau, Guiomar Novaes, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Solomon, Arthur Rubinstein, Emil Gilels, Earl Wild, Jorge Bolet, and others. All of Chopin’s etudes will be represented, as well as a selection of preludes, mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, ballades, and scherzi, each performance conveying a personal approach to the music. Some of the recordings will already be familiar to pianophiles because of their legendary status, while many others will be delightful surprises, as they are taken from concert performances and out-of-print recordings. |
This two-CD set will contain many of the first Verismo performances on record. 52062-2 (2 CDs) Verismo opera is easier to identify than define. When one thinks of verismo, a number of composers come to mind: Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Puccini, Franchetti, and Giordano. During the first decade of the verismo era, several sopranos made their reputations in connection with this new kind of opera. Among them were Angelica Pandolfini, Gemma Bellincioni, Amelia Pinto, Rosina Storchio, and Emma Carelli, all of whom made recordings at the beginning of the 20th century. For the first time on CD, we will present the five incredibly rare G&T sides of Pandolfini, her complete recorded output, and the complete recordings of Gemma Bellincioni on four Gamp;T, and ten Pathé sides. Also included in this set are the nine Gamp;T sides from Giordano's Siberia sung by the original cast. To round out this fascinating album with notes by Michael Aspinall, we will present selected recordings by other important La Scala sopranos of the period – Amelia Pinto, Isabella Paoli, Giannina Russ, Emma Carelli, and Cesira Ferrani. These have all been transferred directly from original discs belonging to the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Laurence C. Witten II in the Yale Collection of Historical Sound Recordings at Yale University Library, and from several important private collections. |
53010-2 (3 CDs) Marston continues its Pathé opera series with the release of Victor Massé’s Galathée and Les noces de Jeannette. These recordings transport us back to an era when the true French style of singing still flourished in Paris. Galathée was recorded in 1912 and featured André Gresse, Alex Jouvin, Albert Vaguet, and Jane Morlet. Émile Archainbaud conducts. Les noces de Jeannette was recorded in 1922. This recording, conducted by Laurent Halet, features the incomparable Ninon Vallin as Jeannette, and the great comic baritone Léon Ponzio as Jean. To round out this three CD set we are including important Massé interpretations by Georgette Bréjean-Silver, Suzanne Brohly, Rose Heilbronner, and others. |
52063-2 (2 CDs) Today, the name “Koczalski” is not a well-known quantity, yet his credentials, and more importantly his recordings, should garner better recognition. Raoul von Koczlaski was born in 1885, and before he was six years old he caught the attention of Anton Rubinstein and music critic Edward Hanslick. At six, he was a pupil of Liszt-student Ludwig Marek and was studying composition with Henryk Jarecki. At the age of seven, Koczalski’s life was changed; he began studying with Chopin-student Karol Mikuli. This relationship defined Koczalski’s musical destiny as a pre-eminent interpreter of Chopin. The first impression of Koczalski’s playing is often one of the fluency and grace of his execution, coupled with his subtlety of phrasing and smooth legato, but what one is often left with is his use of rubato. This aspect of his playing has given rise to debate about Chopin’s musical intentions and has sparked both criticism and admiration of Koczalski’s playing; it will delight many and dissuade some, while asking all to consider if this is the definitive interpretation of Chopin. This two CD-set is the first volume of the important, and somewhat controversial, complete Raoul von Koczalski recordings. |
52064-2 (2 CDs) Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949) lived during the birth of the “recording era” and he made numerous records in his role as conductor and eight recordings as pianist. However, this compilation concentrates on those singers who interpreted Strauss’s compositions in song. Most of the singers included here not only knew Strauss, but worked with him, and their recordings could be heard and judged by him. These recordings are very important documents because they are arguably the definitive “Strauss.” We can hear Lotte Lehmann, Fredrich Schorr, Hermann Jadlowker, Elisabeth Schumann, Meta Sienemeyer, Larentz Melchoir, Marcella Sembrich, Elisabeth Rethberg, Jacques Urlus, and others bring his songs to life. This two CD-set contains recordings primarily from the acoustic era including the earliest known recording of a Strauss song (1901 Berliner sung by Lotte Schloss), with a few important electrical recordings. |
55001-2 (5 CDs) Vanni-Marcoux’s (1877 – 1962) career in opera roughly-spanned the first half of the last century. Marcoux made his debut as Friar Lawrence in Bayonne in 1899; was a guest at Covent Garden every year between 1904 and 1915; created the roles of Guido Colonna (Monna Vanna) and Panurge; performed with the Boston Opera, Chicago Opera, the Colón, and La Scala; appeared in film; and ended his career as the director of the Opera in Bordeaux. His recording career began late (1924), yet Marcoux made approximately 120 sides, leaving a legacy that is well-loved by many, though not all, and is highly sought-after. His voice is rich and expressive and his diction is near perfect, which alludes to his reputation as a great actor. This compilation is the first complete Vanni-Marcoux and the 5 CD-set will be offered at a substantial discount due to the generosity of our sponsor Fabrice Pilato. |
52065-2 (2 CDs) Giacomo Meyerbeer was one of the most important composers in Paris during the mid-1880s. He is considered the founder of the French Grand Opera and his works dominated the French stage. Meyerbeer changed the face of opera in Paris, yet much criticism is directed toward him and much of his music is seldom heard today. This 2-CD set is the second of two volumes, which together with Marston’s Meyerbeer on Record vol. 1, honor Meyerbeer and reacquaint the listener with his marvelous music and some very interesting singing. This volume contains at least one version of every recorded Meyerbeer excerpt sung by French-language singers. They include cylinders and discs from the earliest days of recorded sound and continue through the 1930s. The compilation is not only an interesting way of organizing important and lovely French singing, but also gives a rare and extensive look into this style of singing. Volume two features recordings from Meyerbeer’s: L’étoile du nord, Le pardon de Ploërmel (Dinorah), and L’Africaine. |
Pianist Ward Marston and long-time friend and vocalist Rosemary Benson have collaborated on Falling in Love is Wonderful, a CD of songs by Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, Kern, and others. These jazz-flavored renditions reflect Marston’s creativity as a pianist and are anything but typical cabaret performances. The CD contains nine vocal tracks by Rosemary Benson; three solo piano and four vocal tracks by Ward Marston; and one duet. Each song was recorded several times, each take reflecting the spontaneity of the moment. Marston and Benson chose the take they liked best, with little editing or electronic intervention. We at Marston realize this may not be your “cup of tea” being neither classical nor legendary, but if you want a break from our usual fare, and have a glimpse at Ward’s other life, order this limited-edition set. |
52058-2 The culmination of over a decade of releases, Marston is issuing the final volume of the complete Josef Hofmann recordings. Hofmann combined unparalleled virtuosity with emotion, understanding, and spontaneity to create some of the finest piano playing ever recorded. This two-CD set contains the earliest extant Hofmann recordings (three wax cylinders from 1896), alternate takes of his Columbia and Brunswick sessions, and a soundtrack from a short Bell Telephone Hour promotional film. Since this is the last volume, we are making ever effort to leave no stone unturned. We are previewing all known sources of Hofmann’s Bell Telephone Hour broadcasts since the Telephone Hour programs were performed twice, once for an east coast audience, the second time for the west. Previously issued Bell Telephone Hour broadcasts were not identified as “east” or “west,” so comparing all available sources is necessary. |
