Continuing with radio transcriptions of the 1960's this week. Featuring the Hollywood Bowl debut of 25 year-old Wunderkind Indian Conductor Zubin Mehta, who began his long association with the orchestra in 1961 with this performance, featuring pianist Byron Janis, of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3, recorded by the Armed Forces Radio Service on August 1, 1961.

Mehta was something of a shot-in-the-arm for the Orchestra, which had gone through much of the previous decade in the musical doldrums, highlighted by the occasional guest conductor or soloist. Mehta brought enthusiasm back to the orchestra and the audience, by introducing a lot of adventuresome programming and trying unconventional things. Who could ever forget the L.A. Phil and The Mothers Of Invention at UCLA? Zubin Mehta came along and was at the right place at the right time.

And this recording is right about where it all started.

Another one of those concerts that hasn't seen the light of day since it was recorded. Even though it was pressed by AFRTS for use overseas, it's not likely it got a lot of airplay. And it certainly hasn't been reissued.

So yes, we're looking at yet another rarity here. Lucky you.

Over to Dorchester-on-Thames this week for a live broadcast of the opening concert from the 2012 English Music Festival in Dorchester, England with the BBC Concert Orchestra in music by Parry, Curtis, Delius, Vaughan-Williams, Ireland and Moeran.

Celebrating their 60 years as a tight-knit little band, The BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Martin Yates and featuring Mark Bebbington, play an outstanding program of World Premieres and seldom heard works by British composers, and a couple of work-horses in the mix.

Here the rundown:

Live from Dorchester Abbey, Dorchester-On-Thames
Presented by Catherine Bott

The opening concert from this year's English Music Festival in Dorchester-on-Thames. The BBC Concert Orchestra are joined by pianist Mark Bebbington in John Ireland's Legend and the first performance of an early work by Vaughan Williams, his Piano Fantasia. The concert ends with another premiere: conductor Martin Yates's completion of Moeran's Second Symphony.

Part 1:Parry: Jerusalem
Curtis: Festival Overture
Vaughan Williams: Piano Fantasia (World Premiere)
Part 2:Ireland: Legend
Delius: Over The Hills And Far Away
Moeran: Second Symphony (World Premiere)

Mark Bebbington (piano)
BBC Concert Orchestra
Martin Yates (conductor).

It's Anti-road Rage Wednesday, and this one does the trick.

Enjoy.

Digging again into the Transcriptions of 1940's and 1950's French Radio.The music of Gabriel Pierne` this week, as performed by The Pierre Jamet String Quintet, featuring Pierre Jamet on Harp, in a performance of Pierne's Variations Libres et Finale op. 51. Recorded by French Radio in 1955, and as far as I know, not re-issued in any form.

Gabriel Pierne` was a prolific composer, but during his lifetime he was equally well known as a conductor whose legendary recordings of the 1920's and 30's were sought after for years by collectors. They've been reissued at various times over the years. While Pierne` the composer underwent a period of obscurity, being overshadowed by his contemporaries Ravel, Debussy, Satie and Stravinsky. But time has shone a little more light on the lesser luminaries of the period, and the music of Pierne` has been getting performed and recorded more regularly of late.

A nice closer to the weekend.

Over to Toulouse, France this week for a concert featuring the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, led by the wonderful Spanish conductor Josep Pons and featuring the vocal talents of Raquel Lojendio, soprano, Gustavo Pena, Tenor and Joan Martin Royo, Baritone in music of Richard Strauss and Manuel de Falla. Recorded live in concert on January 6th of this year by Radio France Musique.

A short concert (the last piece, the Brahms Symphony No. 1 wasn't broadcast) but still on two players.

Here's the rundown courtesy Radio France Musique from their February 10th broadcast.

Un épisode de don Quichotte comme source d'inspiration, trois voix solistes, un petit orchestre et des marionnettes : avec ces moyens modestes, Falla a composé une œuvre pleine de charme et de vitalité, Le Retable de Maître Pierre, où passent tour à tour drame, bouffonnerie, réalisme et féerie.

Richard Strauss
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, Suite pour orchestre Op.60 TrV 228c (1911, 1920)

1. Ouverture de l’acte I

2. Menuet

3. Le maître d’armes

4. Entrée et danse des tailleurs

5. Menuet de Lully

6. Courante

7. Entrée de Cléonte

8. Prélude de l’acte II

9. Dîner et danse des marmitons

Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
Le Retable de Maître Pierre (1922) d'après le Don Quichotte de Cervantès (Episode du 26e chap. de la 2e partie)

1er tableau :

2e tableau : Melisandra

3e tableau : le supplice du Maure

4e tableau : les Pyrénées

5e tableau : la fuite

6e tableau : la poursuite

7e tableau : finale

Raquel Lojendio, Soprano
Gustavo Peña, Ténor
Joan Martin Royo, Baryton
Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
Josep Pons, Direction

Great concert, wonderful orchestra, terrific soloists, not often heard music. Perfect Anti-Road Rage Wednesday.

Enjoy.

This week's concert comes from Stockholm and it features the Swedish Radio Symphony, conducted by Daniel Harding and featuring one of the legendary figures of the keyboard, Menahem Pressler playing the Mozart G Major Piano Concerto K. 453. After the break, the orchestra embarks on a seamless presentation of music by Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern and Alban Berg. The concert was recorded on February 10th by Sveriges Radio.

Since there was a rather lengthy intermission, I just decided to break the concert up between two players, with part one (the top player) featuring the Mozart along with a Chopin encore. And part two (the bottom player) featuring the Schoenberg, Webern and Berg.

Here are the Program notes from Sveriges Radio:

"

Publiken var i extas" rapporterade en P2 Live klassiskt-medarbetare efter Menahem Presslers och Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkesters konsert i Berwaldhallen den 10 februari. Lyssna på detta ljuvliga framförande av Mozarts pianokonsert nr 17 och triptyken av Schönberg-Webern-Berg som har kallats för "Mahlers elfte symfoni".

21:30: Konsert med Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester
Solist: Menahem Pressler, piano. Dirigent: Daniel Harding.

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Pianokonsert nr 17 G-dur.

2. Arnold Schönberg: Fem orkesterstycken.

3. Anton Webern: Sex orkesterstycken.

4. Alban Berg: Tre orkesterstycken.

Konsert 10/2, Berwaldhallen.

Announcements are in Swedish and I've kept them to a minimum.

A great concert featuring one of the founding members of the Beaux Arts Trio (Pressler) who is still actively touring and teaching and one of the truly bright lights of the music world.

Enjoy.

Sticking with the Americana theme this week. Here is one of the first, if not the first, broadcast performance of the Symphony Number 2 by the American composer David Ward, as performed in this 1948 radio concert by the CBS Radio Symphony Orchestra and conducted by the eminent Black American conductor Dean Dixon.