Robert Craft – London recordings 1996 – 2010

Unless otherwise stated these recordings are conducted by Robert Craft with the Philharmonia Orchestra plus Simon Joly Chorale and made in Abbey Road Studio No.1.

This list is a record of PGM’s work in sourcing, booking and the financial management of orchestras, choirs, engineers, materials and majority of solo artists.

Robert Craft brought his own Producers for these recordings: Gregory Squires up to June 2004 and, thereafter, Philip Traugott.

The recordings were released on a mix of Koch and MusicMasters which were then transferred to Naxos.

Overall PGM project managed 30 projects for Robert Craft during which 75 works were recorded.

20 & 21 April 1996 (venue; Henry Wood Hall + The London Philharmonic Orchestra)

• STRAVINSKY, Variations for Orchestra (Aldous Huxley In Memoriam) 
• STRAVINSKY, Concerto for Strings in D

27 & 29 November 1996

• STRAVINSKY, The Firebird (1^st recording of the complete original version)

29^th January 1997 – 1^st February 1997

• STRAVINSKY, Petrushka
• STRAVINSKY, Fireworks
• STRAVINSKY, Etude no. 4
• STRAVINSKY, Scherzo à la russe
• STRAVINSKY, Suite, Pulcinella – STB soloists; Diana Montague, Robin Leggate, Mark Beesley

14^th – 17^th August 1997

• STRAVINSKY, Le Rossignol – soloists; Olga Trifonova (Nightingale), Robert Tear (Fisherman), Paul Whelan (Emperor), Stephen Richardson (Chamberlain), Philippa Dames-Longworth (Cook), Andrew Greenan (Bonze), Sally Burgess (Death), Peter Hall (Japanese Envoys 1 & 3), Simon Preece (Japanese Envoy 2) + London Voices (Courtiers, Choruses & Spectres). Alexandre Naoumenko (language coach). John Berry was Vocal Consultant for this recording.

16^th – 18^th January 1998

• STRAVINSKY, Ebony Concerto – soloist Michael Whight clarinet
• STRAVINSKY, Jeu de Cartes
• STRAVINSKY, Tango

6^th – 9^th April 1998

• STRAVINSKY, Violin Concerto – soloist; Krystof Smietana (Pastorale was scheduled, but not recorded) STRAVINSKY, The Flood – Alan Howard (Narrator), Robert Tear (Noah), Philippa Dames-Longworth (Noah’s Wife), Ian Caddy (Caller), Andrew Greenan & Andrew Slater (God), Robert Coxon (Satan) + Noah’s sons as step-outs from the Simon Joly Chorale STRAVINSKY, Movements for Piano and Orchestra – soloist; Christopher Oldfather

26^th – 29^th July 1998

• SCHOENBERG, Four Orchestral Songs, op. 22 – soloist; Catherine Wyn-Rogers mezzo-soprano
• Bach arr SCHOENBERG, Chorale Prelude: Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 654 
• Bach arr SCHOENBERG, Chorale Partita: Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist, BWV 667

16^th– 21^st October 1998

• SCHOENBERG, Variations for Orchestra, op. 31 
• Brahms arr SCHOENBERG, Piano Quartet no.1 in G minor, op.25
• Bach arr SCHOENBERG, Prelude & Fugue “St Anne” BWV 555

18^th – 20^th April 1999

• SCHOENBERG, Violin Concerto – soloist; Rolf Schulte

20^th – 23^rd August 1999

• SCHOENBERG, Pelleas et Melisande
• STRAVINSKY, Firebird Suite (1945)

14^th– 17^th November 1999

• STRAVINSKY, Symphony in C
• STRAVINSKY, Symphony in Three Movements

17^th – 21^st February 2000

• SCHOENBERG, Erwartung – soloist; Anja Silja
• SCHOENBERG, Verklärte Nacht

26^th – 28^th May 2000

• SCHOENBERG, Piano Concerto – soloist; Christopher Oldfather
• SCHOENBERG, Kammersymphonie No. 2, op.38

27^th – 28^th July 2000

• SCHOENBERG, Die glückliche Hand – soloist; Mark Beesley (Baritone) + Simon Joly Chorale

23^rd, 25^th & 26^th October 2000 (venue; Walthamstow Assembly Hall)

• SCHOENBERG, Cello Concerto (arr from GM Monn 1746 harpsichord concerto) – soloist; Fred Sherry STRAVINSKY, Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa as CD annum (This was scheduled two days before the recording in place of Dumbarton Oaks which itself had been preceded for recording by “Begleitungmusik” until shortly before that).

5^th – 6^th & 8^th – 9^th January 2001

• STRAVINSKY, Symphony of Psalms – Simon Joly Chorale
• STRAVINSKY, Les Noces (8 & 9 January) – SATB soloists; Alison Wells, Susan Bickley, Martyn Hill & Alan Ewing plus International Piano Quartet (Elizabeth & Marcel Bergmann + Jeroen & Maarten van Veen) plus Tristan Fry Percussion Ensemble (Tristan Fry Director, Nigel Bates, Charles Fullbrook, Graham King, Glyn Matthews & Julian Poole

25^th – 29^th June 2001

• STRAVINSKY, Oedipus Rex – Speaker; Edward Fox & soloists ATTBB; Jennifer Lane, Martyn Hill, Joseph Cornwell, David Wilson-Johnson, Andrew Greenan + men of the Simon Joly Chorale 
• STRAVINSKY, Threni (Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet) – soloists SATTBB; Julie Moffat, Jennifer Lane, Martyn Hill, Joseph Cornwell, David Wilson-Johnson, Martin Robson + Simon Joly Chorale

16 – 20 October 2001 (venue; Watford Colosseum)

• SCHOENBERG, Gurre-Lieder:  Stephen O’Mara (Waldemar), Melanie Diener (Tove), Jennifer Lane (Wood Dove), David Wilson-Johnson (Peasant), Ernst Haefliger (Speaker) + Simon Joly Chorale

27^th March 2002

• STRAVINSKY, A Sermon, a Narrative and a Prayer – David Wilson-Johnson (Speaker) + soloists A & T; Jennifer Lane, Martyn Hill + Simon Joly Chorale
• STRAVINSKY, Babel – David Wilson-Johnson (Narrator) + Simon Joly Chorale

22^nd – 26^th July 2002 (venue; Watford Colosseum)

• SCHOENBERG, Kammersymphonie No. 1, Op.9
• WEBERN, 6 Pieces, Op.6, 
• Bach arr WEBERN, Ricercar a 6 BWV 1079
• Schubert arr WEBERN, 6 German Dances

28^th & 30^th November 2003

• SCHOENBERG, Moses und Aron – excerpts from Act 2; c.bars 320-457, 671-820 (“70 Elders” & 4 Virgins) & 824-912 (Dance of the Golden Calf) – Sick Woman, Young Girl, 4 Naked Virgins, Ephramite and “70 Elders” (there were 20 singers) all stepped-out from the Simon Joly Chorale. PGM was asked to finalise plans to finish making a complete recording of Moses und Aron in 2006 which was cancelled late in its planning.

21 & 25 June 2004 (venue; Watford Colosseum)

• STRAVINSKY, Le sacre du printemps. The repertoire for this period and November ’03 was chosen to go the other way around to suit each venue’s acoustics. This recording was not released.

28^th April – 1st May 2005

• SCHOENBERG, 3 Volksliedersatz (1928/29) – a capella Simon Joly Chorale
• SCHOENBERG, 3 Volksliedersatz, op.49 (1948) – a capella Simon Joly Chorale
• SCHOENBERG, Kol Nidre, op.39 – David Wilson-Johnson (Rabbi/Narrator) + Simon Joly Chorale

18^th – 20^th September 2005

• STRAVINSKY, Requiem Canticles – soloists A & T; Sally Burgess, Roderick Williams + Simon Joly Chorale with step-outs in “Libera Me”
• STRAVINSKY, Sonate fur Zwei Klavieren zu vier handen – Piano; Maarten van Veen & Ralph van Raat
• SCHOENBERG, De Profundis (Psalm 130), op.50b – 6 voice a capella Simon Joly Chorale
• SCHOENBERG, Dreimal Tausend Jahre (God’s Return). Op.50a – a capella Simon Joly Chorale
• SCHOENBERG, Sechs Stucke fir Mannenchor. Op.35 – men of Simon Joly Chorale

29^th April – 30^th April 2006

• STRAVINSKY, Violin Concerto – soloist; Jennifer Frautischi

6^th – 9^th June 2006

Simon Joly conducted op.13 and assisted Robert Craft in op.27, 28 & Ei du Lutte

• SCHOENBERG, Six Songs, op.8 – soloist; Jennifer Welch-Babidge + Philharmonia Orchestra
• SCHOENBERG, Prelude to a Genesis Suite for mixed chorus and orchestra, op.44 – Philharmonia Orchestra + Simon Joly Chorale
• SCHOENBERG, Four Pieces for mixed choir & instruments, op.27 – Simon Joly Chorale + members of the London Sinfonietta in no.4
• SCHOENBERG, Friede auf Erden op.13 – a capella Simon Joly Chorale and conducted by Simon Joly 
• SCHOENBERG, Ei du Lutte – SATB Simon Joly Chorale
• SCHOENBERG, Three Satires for chorus & instruments, op.28 – Simon Joly Chorale + members of the London Sinfonietta in no.3

3^rd– 9^th January 2007

Simon Joly assisted Robert Craft in Webern’s op.19 & 2

• STRAVINSKY, The Rite of Spring (using the 1967 edition and released as part of a 125^th Anniversary Album celebrating Stravinsky’s birth)
• STRAVINSKY, Danse Sacrale (1943)
• Mussorgsky arr STRAVINSKY, Chanson de Mephistopheles dans le cave d’Auerbach – soloist; David Wilson-Johnson
• Beethoven arr STRAVINSKY, Mephistopheles’ Lied vom Floh, op.75 – soloist; David Wilson-Johnson
• WEBERN, Two Songs, op.19 – Philharmonia Orchestra instrumentalists + Simon Joly Chorale
• WEBERN, Five Pieces for Orchestra, op.10
• WEBERN, Entflieht auf leichten Kaehnen, op.2 – a capella Simon Joly Chorale
• WEBERN, ‘Das Augenlicht’ for Chorus and Orchestra – Simon Joly Chorale
• WEBERN, ‘Funf Satze’ for String Orchestra, op.10

1^st– 3^rd October 2007

• STRAVINSKY, Abraham und Isaac – soloist; David Wilson-Johnson
• SCHOENBERG, A Survivor from Warsaw, op.46 – David Wilson-Johnson (Narrator) + unison men of Simon Joly Chorale. Ruth Sontag (language coach)

27^th, 28^th & 30^th July 2008

• WEBERN, Cantata no. 1, op.29 – soloist; Claire Booth (soprano) + Simon Joly Chorale
• WEBERN, Cantata no. 2, op.31 – soloists; Claire Booth & David Wilson-Johnson + Simon Joly Chorale. Norbert Meyn (language coach)

The photographs below were taken in July 2008 at the recording sessions for Webern’s Cantatas 1 & 2 with Claire Booth as soprano soloist and David Wilson-Johnson joining as the baritone soloist in no.2.

24 – 26 May 2010 – cancelled during choir rehearsal on the first morning and never rescheduled

• STRAVINSKY, Mass
• STRAVINSKY, Introitus TS Eliot in Memorium. Instrumentalists were to be from the Philharmonia Orchestra + soloists SATTB drawn from the Simon Joly Chorale 

PGM worked on other projects for Robert Craft that did not ultimately take place as well as having additional music on standby in some sessions that was not used.

Patrick Garvey, August 2020