When I was around three or four, the Boston Pops and Arthur Fiedler recorded Khatchaturian's Sabre Dance from Gayne. It was my favorite recording. I remember having a Little Golden Record of the dance of the little swans from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and that was probably my only classical recording until I saw Disney's Fantasia in 1956, and that was a revelation: I thought Stokowski was the greatest conductor, and I fell in love with "The Sorceror's Apprentice" and the Nutcracker Suite. In 1958 I caught part of the broadcast of the complete Nutcracker ballet and that was a real kick in the butt: the Suite was about a quarter of the music in the ballet, and I got Dorati's Mercury recording of the complete Nutcracker - the first complete recording - with the Minneapolis Symphony. That led to Dorati's complete Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.
Around 1961, my Aunt Jean, trying in vain to teach me fiscal responsibility, suggested I begin a checking account, and that led to my joining, like Benjamin Kritzer, the Columbia Record Club. I got my stereo player, and the only albums I purchased were classical, mostly Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. and musical theatre. Among my favorite purchases were Bartok's "Miraculopus Mandarin." Orff's "Carmina Burana," and suites from Delibes' ballets Coppelia and Sylvia.
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Topic: THE RETURN OF ORMANDY - THE COLUMBIA STEREO YEARS (Read 4353 times)