Schubert - Symphonies No. 1 & 2

Nonesuch Records H-71230 (stereo)

Side One (31:14)

SYMPHONY NO. 1 IN D, D. 82 

1.  Adagio–Allegro vivace (10:36)

2.  Andante (8:59)

3.  Allegro (5:06)

4.  Allegro vivace (6:20)

Side Two (28:35) 

SYMPHONY NO. 2 IN B FLAT, D. 125

1.  Largo–Allegro vivace (11:08)

2.  Andante (7:46)

3.  Allegro vivace (3:31)

4.  Presto (6:04)

STUTTGART SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

KARL RISTENPART, conductor 

So, apart from sniffing their jackets like wine corks, exactly how does a discriminating connoisseur of fine music, such as myself, determine which thrift store classical records are worthy of my hard-earned pocket change? Simple... I grab the ones with really neat-o covers, of course! Seriously, the groovy, psychedelic artwork is mainly why I bought this particular classical LP, and its cover will be the primary focus of the following report. 

I didn't yet own any Schubert records and had actually just started thinking how I'd like one when I spotted this LP. However, if not for the far-out cover I may have passed on it because I generally prefer solo piano, guitar, or violin pieces to symphonies, and I was really hoping to find some of his piano works. I'm glad I did pick it up or I might never have learned the interesting stories behind the Nonesuch record label, the cover art (and the artist who created it), or the unexpected connection to a birthday gift I received in the early '80s and still have stowed away in a trunk...

I'm not sure when this LP was released, but the original owner
wrote on the inner sleeve that it was purchased Dec. 21, 1975.  

Nonesuch Records was created in 1964 by Jac Holzman, who also founded Elektra Records fourteen years earlier. The initial idea behind Nonesuch was to release high quality, but low priced classical music. Holzman, recalling his student days, and how frustrated he always felt at having to pick just one of the much desired LPs he'd find at the record shop, wanted to make Nonesuch's releases available for about the price of a high quality paperback book—which was $2.50 in 1963-64. At the time, classical records were typically priced at twice that amount. Another part of the plan was to package the "unusual, baroque-oriented" selections he was licensing from European labels, with cover art and liner notes that would appeal to a younger generation of listeners. Sales income from the first year of Nonesuch releases turned out to be substantial enough to help fund the pop side of Elektra; allowing Holzman to sign now legendary bands such as The Doors and Love to that label. In 1967 Nonesuch launched their groundbreaking Explorer Series—which provided the first exposure many listeners would have to authentic, traditional music of other cultures. Holzman sold Nonesuch to Warner Communications in 1970 and the label continued to release an impressive and diverse range of music from jazz, to world music, to alternative and pop. Recent Nonesuch releases include recordings by Joni Mitchell, Brian Wilson, David Byrne, Wilco, and The Magnetic Fields. 

Artist Bob Pepper created the colorful cover art for this Schubert album. Even if you have not heard of Pepper, chances are, you have seen something he has created—such as the cover of the classic Forever Changes album by the aforementioned Los Angeles band Love, or maybe the art he did for a series of novels by acclaimed sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick. An illustrator since 1962, Pepper's work also appears on a host of other sci-fi/fantasy book covers. Click here to view a very nice collection of Bob Pepper's art at the Fantastic Flipout art blog.

Pepper has stated that two of the most rewarding projects he ever worked on were the Dragonmaster and Dark Tower games for Milton Bradley. While Dragonmaster was his favorite of the two projects (due to MB allowing him complete freedom in inventing the characters and style), it is his connection to Dark Tower that struck a chord with me.

This Dark Tower commercial (starring Orson Welles!) worked its marketing magic and left me wanting the game. But alas, this sort of cutting-edge, electronic board game technology did not come cheap in 1981 and it was as financially out of my league as one of those fashionable Members Only jackets, or sneakers that didn't come from a big wire bin at the grocery store. That is, until one fateful day, while carrying out the happy task of selecting a birthday gift at a toy & hobby shop, when I suddenly found myself standing before a majestic Dark Tower box with an attached paper sign stating a deeply discounted price...

Section of Dark Tower board and some of the game pieces

Evidently, a lawsuit was filed by two designers who claimed Milton Bradley based Dark Tower on a game they had unsuccessfully tried selling to MB in the late 1970s. There is some controversy over the fairness of the final judgement, but the game giant was forced to pay out money to the plaintiffs, and as part of the settlement, they also had to pull Dark Tower off the market. It seems this lawsuit was behind the sudden, steep drop in price. This surely was bad news for Milton Bradley, but good news for young, cash-strapped nerds longing for a fantasy adventure born of electronic wizardry. Unfortunately, I had such a hard time keeping the tower furnished with costly batteries, that I was unable to play the game as much as I'd have liked. On the bright side, it's still in excellent condition from spending so much downtime safely sleeping inside the box.

Illustration found along edge of Dark Tower box

You may recall that this article began as a report on a record album of symphonies composed by Franz Schubert. Even though I warned there wouldn't be much written here about the actual music or recording, I think it might be a good idea to wrap things up with a few quick thoughts on the sounds... as I sit here listening to the record right now, I think the performance is very good, and the recording sounds decent, but perhaps somewhat dull or flat. 

I most enjoy the more subdued, slower, instrumentally sparser moments found in both symphonies—but particularly in the first one (which Schubert finished when he was only 16). These parts sometimes remind me of the music you might find in a well produced, dramatic movie of the 1930s or 40s. At times, the music seems very familiar, but I am not sure if that's due to my hearing these exact pieces somewhere before or if it is because the young Schubert is employing ideas/motifs that are derivative of, and bringing to mind, earlier works by composers such as Beethoven and Mozart which I may have previously heard.

Click here for more info on the Dark Tower game, and to read an interview with artist Bob Pepper at the great Well of Souls / Dark Tower fansite.

Click here to read an excerpt from the book Follow the Music, where Jac Holzman himself tells the story about starting Nonesuch Records.