Credits:

Charles Munch

Description:

Charles Munsch was a master conductor who was popular for his sharp and dynamic style, his unique and powerful singing, and his rich sense of color. Born in Strasbourg in 1891 (then a German territory), he was the son of a musical family. A son of a musical family, his name is of German origin, and the "u" in Munch was originally an umlaut. He was first educated as a violinist in Strasbourg (where his talent was discovered by the composer Dandy) before moving to Paris, where he studied with Lucien Capet in Paris and Carl Flesch in Berlin. After World War I, he became concertmaster of the Orchestras of Strasbourg, Cologne-Gürzenich, and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, performing under Furtwängler and Walter. 1932, he hired an orchestra and rented out the Theatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, where his concert This was the beginning of his conducting career. This was the beginning of his conducting career. In 1949, he became the permanent conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, cementing its international reputation.After leaving Boston, he returned to Paris and resumed his association with the Orchestre National de France and the Orchestre Lamoureux; in 1967, French Culture Minister André Malraux proposed the creation of an orchestra for the city of Paris (Orchestre de Paris) and he became its first music director, conducting its first concert in November of that year. He died in Richmond in November 1968, while on tour in the United States. This 13-CD box contains all of Munsch's recordings on the former EMI and Erato labels from 1935-1949 (CDs 7-13) and 1965-1968 (CDs 1-6). The repertoire ranges from Baroque (Bach and Vivaldi) to mid-20th century (Dutilleux, Jolivet, etc.), and the core repertoire to rare works. 78rpm SP era recordings (CD7-13) are from Warner Classics' archive in good condition. The LP era recordings (CDs 1-6) have been remastered at Art&Son Studio at 24bit/96kHz from the original master tapes for this box.Although there have been recordings in installments, authorized and unauthorized versions, these recordings have never been released together, and the masterpieces from Munsch's early and late years, especially the French works, are valuable sources to hear Munsch's passionate performances, such as his boldness to fully express the emotional dynamism of the works and his sense of scale to look over the entire work. These recordings are a rare opportunity to hear Münsch's passionate performances. Warner Music Japan