Ernst von Dohnanyi: Variations on a Nursery Tune

[beaumonde]

I just transferred this 1931 recording from a very clean set of pre-War pressings (circle label). This is from RCA-Victor Set M-162. Lawrance Collingswood conducts the London Symphony Orchestra, and the composer plays piano. A single difficult side join may be detected where the eccentric groove was placed unfortunately close to the final soft chord of the side.

Dohnanyi: Variations on a Nursery Tune, Op. 25 (1922)

Here is the second movement of Dohnanyi's Ruralia Hungarica. He conducts same orchestra (this is from side 6 of the set).

[MordEth]

Adam,

I just downloaded it (and was surprised by the file size)—I assume from the length that it’s a 5-side piece? (I’m listening to it currently, but have only gotten through approximately the first 5 minutes.) The transfer so far is excellent.

I cannot say that I was familiar with Ernő Dohnányi (or Ernst von Dohnányi as he normally was credited), but Wikipedia has a fairly thorough article on him, which is more in depth than the Britanica article that I initially found.

If anyone is interested, here are two photos of the composer:

(Ernő Dohnányi, 1905)



(unknown date; it appears to be a later photo)

Thanks for sharing this—I’m grabbing the last side right now.

— MordEth

[beaumonde]

David, thanks for posting the article link and photos. He was a uniquely handsome man, with a granitic countenance (like Sibelius). He ended his career teaching piano at a University in Florida, and made some stereo recordings for the Everest label (ca. 1960), of Beethoven sonatas and of his own compositions.

I've previously posted (at the old Board) a recording of his orchestral Suite in F Sharp Minor by Frederick Stock and the Chicago Symphony. I should repost my transfer of that here.

The Variations is a tongue-in-cheek piece based on the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", or "A vou dirai je maman" (I think, my French is non-existent), which Mozart used for his neat little set of piano variations (I've played that one myself).

Yes, the sides each ran to almost 5 minutes (maybe 4 and a half).

[MordEth]

Adam,

I’ve been meaning to reply to this since I finished listening to both transfers (the evening of my previous post), but it seems I’ve been rather sidetracked lately.

Apparently you did a good job with your ‘single difficult side join’—despite the fact that you pointed it out when you posted the transfer, I didn’t notice it at all.

I've previously posted (at the old Board) a recording of his orchestral Suite in F Sharp Minor by Frederick Stock and the Chicago Symphony. I should repost my transfer of that here.

You should; I’d be interested to hear it (and still need to catch up on quite a few of the other transfers in this section of the board). I’m sure that I missed out on quite a few good transfers when ProBoards pulled the plug there.

The Variations is a tongue-in-cheek piece based on the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", or "A vou dirai je maman" (I think, my French is non-existent), which Mozart used for his neat little set of piano variations (I've played that one myself).

The French title of the melody is actually “Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman”, but you were very close.

Thanks to a few years of French (that I’ve mostly forgotten), I’d have gotten the ‘vous’, but it’s doubtful that I’d have gotten the ‘Ah!’ or the hyphenation. I cheated and referenced the Wikipedia article on it.

Apparently Mozart also wrote twelve variations of the same piece, although I have not heard them.

Thanks again for sharing this (and a great deal of other enjoyable music) with us!

— MordEth