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Symphony 'From the New World' on five 45 RPM discs.
The billboard of the 1943 concert when George Singer conducted the Palestine Orchestra.
Beethoven (Coriolan), Mendelssohn (Ruy Blas), Liszt (Les Preludes) conducted by George Singer.
The orchestra now named "European Symphony Orchestra" - Merit M1-16.
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Festival Overture (Ouverture Solonelle) was issued on 2 x 45 RPM 7" discs with Smetena's Moldau by George Singer (reference RB-4-003).
By mistake the box mentions George Singer as the conductor for the Tchaikovsky piece, whereas the factual conductor was Kurt Wöss.
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SINGER, GEORGE (1908-1980), chef
d’orchestre, compositeur et pianiste. Né à Prague, Singer étudia le
piano et la composition à l’Académie de musique (1924-26) et
remporta un concours de piano (1925). Il fait ses débuts comme chef
d’orchestre d’opéra au Neues Deutsches Theater (1926-30). Par la
suite, Singer se rend à Hambourg pour diriger le Staatsoper. En
1934, il retourne à Prague, où il donne la première représentation
radiophonique de la version concert du premier opéra de Dvořák, Alfred.
Lorsque les nazis ont envahi la Tchécoslovaquie, il s’est rendu en
Palestine en 1939 sur le navire d’immigrants « illégaux »Tiger
Hill. Il a été parmi les fondateurs et chef d’orchestre de
l’Opéra de Palestine, servant jusqu’en 1945. Lors de la création de
l’Opéra d’Israël en 1947, il en devient le chef invité permanent.
Singer a souvent dirigé l’Orchestre philharmonique d’Israël,
l’Orchestre de radiodiffusion israélien, l’Orchestre de chambre
d’Israël, l’Orchestre symphonique de Haïfa et le Festival
Rubinstein. À partir de 1947, il fit également de nombreuses
tournées pour diriger des orchestres et des opéras en Europe, auxÉtats-Unis et
en Russie (1956), donnant des interprétations particulièrement
remarquables des œuvres de compositeurs tchécoslovaques et
israéliens. Parmi les premières d’opéra qu’il dirigea, mentionnons
King
David de
Darius *Milhaud (1954); *Alexandra
the Hasmonean d’Avidom (1959),
et Karel*
Salamon’s Vows.
Il a donné les premières de plusieurs œuvres orchestrales
israéliennes, telles que la Symphonie n° 4 d’Avidom; To
the Chief Musiciande Ben Haim pour orchestre, Symphonie n° 2 etThe
Sweet Psalmist of Israel; * Concerto pour hautbois de Boskovich; et*Gelbrun’s Rilke
Songs. Il était connu pour sa facilité phénoménale à lire à vue et à
diriger toutes les nuances d’une partition orchestrale. Parmi ses
compositions figurent Sinfonietta pour orchestre (1950), deux suites
pour orchestre (1957, 1960), un concertino pour piano (1965) et de
la musique vocale et pour piano.
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George Singer around 1950.
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Conductor George Singer (who was also a composer) led the
Opera of Prague, as well as the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
and the Orchestra of the Prague Spring Festival. He
conducted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on a regular
basis and also the Hebrew National Opera. He contributed to
Israeli culture by premiering several works from
contemporary, Israeli composers.
He spent several months of the year outside Israel
appearing in front of important European orchestras like the
Berlin Philharmonic and the Suisse-Romande Orchestra (l'
Orchestre de la Suisse-Romande). He conducted the Santa
Cecilia Orchestra of Rome and spent time in Vienna with the
Austrian Symphony Orchestra, in Leipzig with the Radio
Orchestra (Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig - MDR -
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk), the Symphony Orchestra of Radio
Hamburg (Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Hamburg) and the Bamberg
Symphony Orchestra (Bamberger Symphoniker).
George Singer was the first Israeli conductor to perform
in the USSR. He already conducted the Palestine Orchestra
(Eretz Israeli Orchestra), long before it became the Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra was founded by
violinist Bronislaw Huberman in 1936 with the support of
Arturo Toscanini who conducted the first concert.
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The 1939-1940 season of subscription concerts of the
Israel Philharmonic with George Singer conducting
Borodin, Franck, Dvorak, Gluck, Schubert and Mahler.
Right from the start of the orchestra's existence famous
conductors and soloists travelled to Israel to give
concerts, and national celebrities performed with the
orchestra. To mention a few: Arturo Toscanini, Malcolm
Sargent, Benno Moiseiwtisch, Jacob Bernstein, Issay
Dobrowen, Eugen Szenkar, Oda Slobodskaya, Herman
Scherchen, Ignaz Neumark, and George Singer. |
Of the many concerts of George Singer, one memorable took
place on Monday, June 7th, 1943, in the midst of the Second
World War, in the so called Edison Hall. On the program was
Beethoven's Prometheus Overture and Pastoral Symphony, and
after the break pianist Lance Dossor was the soloist in
Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat Major. Another
memorable concert with George Singer conducting was during
the 1963/1964 season. On the program: Paul Ben Haim's 'Dance
and Invocation', Brahms's Double Concerto (with Endre Wolf,
violin, and Adolfo Odnoposoff, cello), and after the
intermission Dvorak's 3rd (7th) Symphony. Singer conducted
works of many Israeli composers. Especially known are the
performances of the music of Arthur Gelbun (on texts by Leah
Goldberg) with the Israel Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra &
Choir.
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The Remington recordings of George Singer:
R-199-4 Dvorak: Symphony 'From the New World - released
December 1950 (reissued on Masterseal MSLP 5014 in 1957).
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Alex Steinweiss designed the cover for the recording of
Dvorak's Slavonic Dances.
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R-149-10
Bizet: Carmen Suite and Smetena: The Moldau - released December
1950.
R-149-11 Rimsky-Korsakov: Le coq d'or (orchestral suite) -
released in the Spring of 1951
Music critic Cecil Smith wrote in New Republic that the performance
of Rimsky-Korsakov's glittering Suite from "Le Coq d'Or" recorded by
George Singer and the Symphony Orchestra of the Viennese Symphonic
Society was "a creditable job", which means that the Suite is
performed with imagination and nuances.
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Le coq d'or (Rimsky-Korsakov) coupled with Peer Gynt Suite
No. 1 conducted by H. Arthur Brown. Many years later Peer
Gynt Suites Nos. 1 and 2 were released on the Vibraton label
and there it is stated that both Suites were directed by
Georges Singer.
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Liszt's Les Preludes conducted by George Singer were coupled
on R-149-47 with Georges Enesco performing his Rumanian
Rhapsody No. 1. The Rhapsody was later reissued with Heitor
Villa-Lobos conducting the RIAS Symphomy Orchestra.
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R-149-47
Liszt: Les Preludes (+ Enesco Rumanian Rhapsody No. 2, George Enesco
conducting) (Varèse Sarabande VC 81042 -1978) - released in the Fall
of 1951
R-149-48 Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture (+ Beethoven Egmont
Overture, Hans Wolf conducting) - released in September of
1952
R-199-51 Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 - released Fall 1951
R-199-55 Rimsky-Korsakov: Le coq d'or (orchesral suite)
originally released on a 10 inch disc is now coupled with
Tchaikovsky's 'Tempest' conducted by Zoltan Fekete - released in the
Fall of 1951
R-199-106 Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Op. 46 - Released in April,
1954
R-199-110 Schubert: Symphony No. 3 and Haydn: Symphony No. 93
- Released in February, 1954
R-199-112 Mozart: Symphony No. 29 (+ Weber: Symphony No. 2
conducted by Günther Rabhuber) - Released in May, 1954
R-199-114 George Singer conducting Dvorak (Largo from New
World Symphony), Rimsky-Korsakov (March from Le coq d'or), Erasmo
Ghiglia conducting Rossini (Barber of Seville Overture); coupled
with excerpts from The King and I with Frank Chacksfield and his
Orchestra - released in 1954
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Mozart: Symphony No. 29 conducted by George Singer and
Carl Maria von Weber's : Symphony No. 2 conducted by
Günther Rabhuber.
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An early release of Le Coq d'Or (Rimsky-Korsakov)
conducted by George Singer, coupled with The Tempest
(Tchaikovsky) conducted by Zoltan Fekete.
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Some of the recordings were released later in different couplings.
The best example is the Suite 'Le coq d'or' by Rimsky-Korsakov which
was released on R-199-68 together with Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
conducted by H.
Arthur Brown.
The release dates of the recordings were taken from Schwann Record
Catalog and The Longplayer. In certain instances the Schwann listed
a recording later than The Longplayer did.
Traverso player
Raanan Eylon
from Jerusalem played under George Singer. He remembers:
Singer was Czech - like my
mother. He was a fiend at playing scores on the piano -
he could read anything. A conductor of great
inspiration. The orchestra that I played in for a year
when I was 19 - the Israeli Radio Orchestra in Jerusalem
- liked only two conductors - George Singer and Carlo
Zecchi. Singer because he never had patience for
thorough rehearsal. He would always say: "In the
evening", meaning that things will work out in the
concert. The orchestra played really well for him if
compared to the abysmal playing for others. I knew of
two people in Israel who were able to put an orchestral
score in front of them and play anything and everything
on the piano. The composer Yosef Tal (who is 98 years
old) was one, and George Singer was the other. Singer's
love for Czech composers was legendary, and he would
include a Dvorak work in each program, if possible. -
Raanan Eylon. 2007.
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The archives of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (Radio Central Germany
- MDR) contain various recordings. The details are taken from the
MDR-list.
Catalog number: 39850 - Date: 1967-03-30.
Studio/Leipzig, Funkhaus Saal 1:
Mozart: Sechs deutsche Tänze (Six German Dances) KV 567
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig (MDR) - George Singer, conductor
Catalog number: 39851/audio - Date: 1967-03-30.
Studio/Leipzig, Funkhaus Saal 1
Mozart: Sechs deutsche Tänze (Six German Dances) KV 571
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig (MDR) - George Singer (Dirigent)
In February and March 1960, George Singer conducted performances of
OTHELLO (Guiseppe Verdi) and La Bohème (Giacomo Puccini) in the
Amsterdam City Theatre (Amsterdamse Stadsschouwburg). Stars in
Othello were Mimi Aarden, Scipio Colombo and Ramon Vinay (Othello),
Angela Vercelli, Leonard del Ferro and Rudolf Knoll (second
performance of Othello). In La Bohëme were starring Mirella Freni,
Marilyn Tyler and Ettore Babini. The picture of George Singer in
action appeared in Issue 1960/2 of Dutch Opera Magazine.
There also exists a recording with the Bamberger Symponiker of
Mozart: Rondo for Violin and Orchestra KV 373
Soloist: Zvi Zeitlin (violin)
George Singer conducting.
And there is a recording with Excerpts from Nabucco (Verdi)
with Norma Giusti (soprano), Erika Wien (Mezzo-Soprano), Giuseppe
Savio (tenor), Lawrence Winters (baritone), Nicola Rpossi-Lemeni
(bass), the Radio Chorus and the Hamburg Radio Symphony Orchestra
(Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Hamburg), George Singer conducting.
ETERNA Stereo 825364 (1974)
Text and research
Rudolf A. Bruil. Page first published on December 9th, 2009
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