Adolf Busch, Pt. 2. Bach, Beethoven (with Serkin) AND Acoustic Recordings

As promised, here is the balance of my Adolf Busch (and company) tribute. A number of these recordings were unissued at the time they were recorded. A few were first issued in an Odyssey Lp set from the 1970s, but the Beethoven Op. 96 has, to date, only been issued on a Japanese Sony Lp. The Beethoven Concerto is not the live performance from the previous day, available from Music and Arts, but an unissued studio recording. Biddulph has also issued this, but I felt my Japanese Sony Lp sounded better, although there are still some sonic problems. I don’t know whether the Bach A Minor Concerto is an unissued Columbia recording, as there is no specific information in that Odyssey set. The selection of acoustically recorded sides is interesting for the glimpse at a side of Busch’s repertory that he later discarded, and to a certain extent, his style of playing emulates different violinistic models as well.

I was hoping to find a copy of Tully Potter’s book on Adolf Busch (“Adolf Busch: The Life of an Honest Man”), but I see a major revision is due out in the fall from Toccata Press. I eagerly look forward to that!

CD 4

Bach: Violin Sonata in E minor, BWV 1023
Columbia 71582-D XCO
Adolf Busch, violin
Artur Balsam, piano
Recorded May 21, 1942
New York, Liederkranz Hall

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61
Columbia (unissued) (matr. XCO 32448/57)
Recorded February 9, 1942
New York, Liederkranz Hall
Adolf Busch, Violin
Fritz Busch, Conductor
New York Philharmonic

Acoustical Recordings (below 7 items Recorded 1922-25):

Gossec-Burmester: Gavotte
American Vocalion B 60057

Dvorak: Adagio from Romantic Pieces
American Vocalion A 60057

Tartini-Kreisler: Varations on a Theme of Corelli
Polydor B 27512

Dvorak: Slavonic Dance in G Minor, Op. 46, No. 8
Polydor B 27511

Tartini-Corti: Adagio
American Vocalion A 60059

Corelli: Adagio
Grammophon B 27501

Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5
Grammophon B 27547

All from Past Masters-23 (Lp issue)

CD 5

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, op. 47 ‘Kreutzer’
Columbia M-496, ML-4007
Recorded December 12, 1941
New York, Liederkranz Hall

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, op. 12, No. 1
Odyssey Y3-34639
Recorded October 10, 1951
Brattleboro, Vermont, Music Shed

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major, op. 96
Recorded October 13, 1951
Brattleboro, Vermont, Music Shed
Japanese Sony SOCU-

Adolf Busch, violin, Rudolf Serkin, piano

CD 6

Bach: Sonata for Solo Violin in C major, BWV 1005
Columbia M-926, ML-4309
Adolf Busch, violin
Recorded May 18, 1942
New York, Liederkranz Hall

Bach: Violin Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1041
(recording date unknown)
Adolf Busch, violin
Busch Chamber Players
Odyssey Y3-34639

Bach: Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042
Columbia M 530, ML-4002
Adolf Busch, violin
Busch Chamber Players
Recorded October 3, 1941
New York, Liederkranz Hall

Bach: Concerto in D minor for two violins , BWV 1043
Columbia X-253, ML-4002
Frances Magnes and Adolf Busch, violins
Busch Chamber Players
Recorded April 26, 1945

A friend has sent me new versions with some additional elimination of loud clicks and thumps in the Bach A Minor Violin Concerto mvts. 1 & 2, which may be downloaded from this RS Link. Many thanks!