Leopold Stokowski, British and not Slavic by birth, was one of the great individualists of the classical scene in the 20th century, and it seems a bit surprising that no one has undertaken this kind of homage before conductor Richard Egarr and the Brussels Philharmonic. But of course Stokowski's recordings themselves have been widely available. They've fallen out of fashion but might be due for a revival as classical musicians ponder how their ancestors captured the public imagination. Surprising, too, is the identity of ...
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Leopold Stokowski, British and not Slavic by birth, was one of the great individualists of the classical scene in the 20th century, and it seems a bit surprising that no one has undertaken this kind of homage before conductor Richard Egarr and the Brussels Philharmonic. But of course Stokowski's recordings themselves have been widely available. They've fallen out of fashion but might be due for a revival as classical musicians ponder how their ancestors captured the public imagination. Surprising, too, is the identity of the conductor; Egarr is generally known as a historical-performance specialist. In the booklet (in French, English, German, and Dutch) he is quoted as saying, "I prefer playing such a sincere interpretation from a true musician, than this or that rediscovered Bach concerto questionably reconstructed by musicologist." What's at hand here is not quite the reconstruction of a typical Stokowski concert but an examination of an unusual aspect of his repertoire, and here Egarr makes a...
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