Remington Records
Encyclopedia
Remington Records was a low budget record label
. It existed from 1950
until 1957
and specialized in classical music
. Unfortunately, the discs suffered from considerable surface noise.
. They were produced by Marcel Prawy from 1950 till 1953. In 1953 Berlin became the recording venue outside the United States.
Producer Don Gabor, recording director Laszlo Halasz and engineer Robert Blake made the very first commercial stereophonic tape recordings in the United States in 1953 with Thor Johnson
and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
. They included Dvořák
's Symphony No. 8 (then No. 4) and symphonic and choral works by Sibelius. These stereo recordings were released as mono records in 1954.
Mono and stereo recordings were also made in Berlin with the RIAS (Radio in the American Sector) Symphony Orchestra. The recordings were supervised by Don Gabor and conductor Laszlo Halasz.
Besides the Cincinnati Symphony recordings, other recordings were made in America with various classical artists, including violinist Georges Enesco, pianist Jorge Bolet
, and violinist Ossy Renardy, among others. Some of Remington's mono and stereo tapes were released in the late 1970s on the Varèse-Sarabande label. Producer Tom Null and his technicians applied a different equalization for the new matrices and this resulted in far better pressings and improved sound.
Thor Johnson's recordings for Remington were:
Don Gabor produced recordings in the 1940s for his Continental label. Best known are the Continental recordings he made with George Enesco of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas. But in the 78 rpm era he recorded several jazz musicians such as Sarah Vaughan
, Don Byas
, Cozy Cole
, and Dizzy Gillespie
, as well as popular musicians on Continental. He later reissued most of these recordings on the Remington label and the other labels he had: Masterseal, Plymouth, Merit, Masque, Buckingham, Webster, and Paris.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. It existed from 1950
1950 in music
-Events:*January 3 – Sam Phillips launches Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.*August – Herbert Howells' Hymnus Paradisi is premiered at the Three Choirs Festival.*Malcolm Sargent becomes chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra....
until 1957
1957 in music
-Events:*January 5 – Renato Carosone and his band start their American tour in Cuba.*January 6 – Elvis Presley makes his final appearance on the The Ed Sullivan Show.*January 16 – The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool, UK....
and specialized in classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. Unfortunately, the discs suffered from considerable surface noise.
History
The earliest Remington recordings were made in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. They were produced by Marcel Prawy from 1950 till 1953. In 1953 Berlin became the recording venue outside the United States.
Producer Don Gabor, recording director Laszlo Halasz and engineer Robert Blake made the very first commercial stereophonic tape recordings in the United States in 1953 with Thor Johnson
Thor Johnson
Thor Martin Johnson was an American conductor. He was born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. He studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was president of the Alpha Rho chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity. He was the first recipient of the fraternity's national...
and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
As the fifth oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances in historic Music Hall, recordings, and international tours...
. They included Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's Symphony No. 8 (then No. 4) and symphonic and choral works by Sibelius. These stereo recordings were released as mono records in 1954.
Mono and stereo recordings were also made in Berlin with the RIAS (Radio in the American Sector) Symphony Orchestra. The recordings were supervised by Don Gabor and conductor Laszlo Halasz.
Besides the Cincinnati Symphony recordings, other recordings were made in America with various classical artists, including violinist Georges Enesco, pianist Jorge Bolet
Jorge Bolet
Jorge Bolet was a Cuban-born but mostly American-resident pianist and teacher.-Life:Bolet was born in Havana, and studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he himself taught from 1939 to 1942...
, and violinist Ossy Renardy, among others. Some of Remington's mono and stereo tapes were released in the late 1970s on the Varèse-Sarabande label. Producer Tom Null and his technicians applied a different equalization for the new matrices and this resulted in far better pressings and improved sound.
Thor Johnson's recordings for Remington were:
- R-199-168 Dvorak: Symphony No. 4 (8th)
- R-199-182 Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 with Jorge Bolet, pianist (reissued in 1974 in stereo on Turnabout TV-S 34543)
- R-199-184 Gershwin: Concerto in F with Alec TempletonAlec TempletonAlec Templeton was a Welsh composer, pianist and satirist.Templeton was born in Cardiff, Wales. Blind from birth, he studied at London's Royal Academy.-Radio:...
, pianist - R-199-185 Ward: Third Symphony; Stein: Three Hassidic Dances.
- R-199-187 Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2
- R-199-188 Brant: Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Sigurd Rascher soloist (coupled with Glanville-Hicks: Gymnopedies 1, 2 and 3; Rudhyar: Sinfonietta; performed by the RIAS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jonel Perlea)
- R-199-191 Sibelius: The Origin of Fire with the Helsinki University Chorus (coupled with Glazunov's Violin Concerto, played by André Gabriel and the RIAS Symphony conducted by Georg Ludwig Jochum)
Don Gabor produced recordings in the 1940s for his Continental label. Best known are the Continental recordings he made with George Enesco of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas. But in the 78 rpm era he recorded several jazz musicians such as Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
, Don Byas
Don Byas
Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, long-resident in Europe.- Oklahoma and Los Angeles :...
, Cozy Cole
Cozy Cole
Cozy Cole was an American jazz drummer who scored a #1 Cashbox magazine hit with the record "Topsy Part 2". "Topsy" peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100, and at number one on the R&B chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The track peaked at #29 in the UK...
, and Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, as well as popular musicians on Continental. He later reissued most of these recordings on the Remington label and the other labels he had: Masterseal, Plymouth, Merit, Masque, Buckingham, Webster, and Paris.