Upload: Johannes-Passion 1948 - Stader/Patzak/Panzera

Yoël L. Arbeitman wrote (August 12, 2006):
There is an opera upload list where members simply SHARE that which is not generally obtainable.

I am just now listening to this performance and have nothing yet to say about it.

What totally attracted my attention is the presence of Charles Panzéra as Jesus. Ch. Panzéra was the most notable French singer of lieder and the most notable Pelleas of his time, the late 1920s and early 1930s. I guess this is where old barytons go; they sing Jesus.

I did find the first alto aria difficult to enjoy.
The opening chorus is very long.
If you have broadband, enjoy.
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Forwarded message edited for spelling and privacy:
So here is another performance with this now forgotten conductor, Hans Münch, (1893-1983) who was chief conductor of Basel Symphony Orchestra from 1935 to 1947 and also for a little more than 50 years of the Basler Gesangsverein, where he by the way followed in 1925 on Hermann Suter.

This St. John's passion with an absolutely unique cast took place at Basel cathedral on 18 April 1948. I got it from a collector in Greece (sometimes strange ways) on CD but exactly the way it was recorded originally, done with two machines of perhaps acetate or something like that, because no take was longer than 5 minutes but each starting about 1 minute before the last ended. So there were some hours of patchwork, but no bar is missing and is was worth the time for the immense historic importance and the artistic value.

To all members of the technical group for their work and with a special thanks to Mike Richter for all his sound restoration.

Evangelist: Julius Patzak
Jesus: Charles Panzera
Arien: Maria Stader
Elsa Cavelti
Julius Patzak
Fritz Mack
Basler Gesangsverein
Basler Orchestergemeinschaft

Hans Münch

http://rapidshare.de/files/29042431/Johannespassion_1.mp3.html
http://rapidshare.de/files/29049277/Johannespassion_2.mp3.html

Yoël L. Arbeitman wrote (August 13, 2006):
all the Münches and Schweitzer

Aryeh, it appears, has just added a bio of HANS Münch. There are already bios of the brothers Charles and Fritz. All, it appears, are related to Ernst (or Ernest; some discrepancy there as well as in umlauts). This Ernst Münch is connected with Albert Schweitzer according to the bios supplied. It seems that Hans is related to the whole crew as well. I am not very good at these genealogies but we seem to have a family here or am I
jumping to conclusions?
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Fritz Münch (Conductor)

Born: June 2, 1890 - Strasbourg, France

The French choir-master and professor of music, Fritz Münch, was the son of Ernest Münch, founder of the Chœur Saint-Guillaume, and a critically important figure in the Bach revival in Alsace. His younger brother was the eminent conductor Charles Munch. Fritz Munch first studied music in his native town, later in Leipzig, Berlin and Paris. He succeeded his father as director of the Chœur Saint-Guillaume, and rapidly made a name for himself, both in Strasbourg and elsewhere.

Because Albert Schweitzer was for several years the regular organist at Ernst Münch's Bach concerts, Fritz may well provide insight, through his Bach recordings, into where Albert Schweitzer was coming from in his analysis of the choral works of J.S. Bach.

For many years Fritz Münch has been director of the Municipal Conservatoire in Strasbourg and lecturer in the history of music at Strasbourg University..

Source: Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians (by Dom Anselm Hughes, 1944 Supplementary Volume); Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical
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Hans Münch (Conductor)

Born: March 9, 1893 - Mulhouse, Alsace, France
Died: September 7, 1983 - Basel, Switzerland

The Alsatian-born Swiss conductor and composer, Hans Münch, was born to a family of musicians. His father, Eugen Munch, was a conductor. His uncle was the Alsatian organist and choral conductor Ernst Münch (1859-1928). After studying with Albert Schweitzer, he settled in Basel in 1912 and became a naturalized Swiss citizen. He took courses with Hans Huber (composition), Adolf Hamm (organ), and Emil Braun (cello) at the Conservatory.

Hans Münch played cello in the city orchestra from 1914 to 1916. Then he taught piano at the Conservatory from 1918 to 1932, and conducted the Bach Choir from 1921 to 1926. Subsequently he led the Gesangverein and the Liedertafel, was conductor of the Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft from 1935 to 1966, and served as director of the Music School and Conservatory from 1935 to 1947. He composed a Symphony (1951), Sympbonische Improvisationen (1971), and several cantatas.

Aryeh Oron wrote (August 15, 2006):
[To Yoël L. Arbeitman]
Ernst Münch (1859-1928) was am Alsatian organist and choral conductor - Father of Charles Munch (1891-1928) and Fritz Münch (1890 - ?)
Eugen Münch was a conductor - Father of Hans Münch.
Ernst and Eugen Münch were brothers.

All the recordings of Bach's vocal works by the Münchs can now be found at the page: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Performers/Munch.htm

Yoël L. Arbeitman wrote (August 16, 2006):
[To Aryeh Oron] I think that's simple enough even for me.

Charles Munch (always without an umlaut of course) was someone who was often enough on USA commercial tv in my CHILDHOOD together with Pierre Monteux, William Steinberg, Arturo Toscanini and many others.
Commercial tv was quite different bach then concerning Classical Music.

Thanks, Aryeh

Charles Munch, Fritz Münch & Hans Münch: Charles Munch | Fritz Münch | Hans Münch | Recordings | BWV 245 - H. Münch