A Classical Collection
RNZ Concert presenter David Morriss is an avid record collector. In this five-part series 'A Classical Collection' he shares with us a personal selection of the rare, the exquisite and the sometimes astounding…
An extraordinary photograph was the inspiration for a unifying theme for the series. It shows five great conductors gathered together: Bruno Walter, Arturo Toscanini, Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer and Wilhelm Furtwängler – names that still resonate through the musical world decades after their deaths. Five historical conductors – five programmes. David just couldn’t resist!
Bruno Walter, Arturo Toscanini, Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer and Wilhelm Furtwängler. Photo by Erich Auerbach, 1929 Photo: Wilhelm Furtwangler Society
Each episode also features an exceptional New Zealand performer: organist Dame Gillian Weir, singers Frances Alda and Inia Te Wiata, and conductors Warwick Braithwaite and Sir William Southgate. And toward the end of each episode, David takes a look at a particular performer or work, ranging from a period instrument orchestral pioneer to a Japanese conductor recognised as one of the finest Brucknerians of the 20th Century.
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A Classical Collection Programme 1
12:00 PM.At home, David Morriss has some real treasures in his record collection and here he shares with us a personal selection of the rare, the exquisite and the sometimes astounding. Read more Audio, Gallery
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A Classical Collection Programme 2
12:00 PM.David Morriss takes a look at the work of Swiss conductor Michel Corboz – renowned for his soulful conducting of baroque masterpieces. Also, Toscanini giving the world première of Barber’s Adagio for… Read more Audio, Gallery
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A Classical Collection Programme 3
12:00 PM.David Morriss introduces a Haydn quartet from the Lindsays, the gorgeous finale from Strauss’s Rosenkavalier conducted by Erich Kleiber, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Played by Mantovani and his… Read more Audio, Gallery
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A Classical Collection Programme 4
12:00 PM.An excerpt from Boris Godonov (though probably not the one you’re thinking of!); NZ bass Inia Te Wiata sings music by Purcell inspired by a rough sea journey; and David takes a look at one of the 20th… Read more Audio, Gallery
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A Classical Collection Programme 5
12:00 PM.Baroque Bolivia; a mystery composer; Beethoven recorded deep in the heart of Nazi Germany; Carnival of the Animals with animal sounds from the New York Zoo. Is this a grand finale, or a mad… Read more Audio, Gallery
