Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 14, 2013

DEAR JERRY: My New Year's resolution is to look into selling a collection of classical records left to me by my father.

A military man, he was stationed in Europe in the 1960s, and many of these he bought while there.

Last summer you provided a list of valuable soundtracks, and I'm hoping you might do something similar in the classical field.

It would give me a clue as to what some of the most desirable ones are. We might even have one.
—Sonja Frisbee, Troy, Mich.

DEAR SONJA: Hoping didn't hurt, but it's your letter that brought results.

To keep things current, I will only include classical records sold during the fourth quarter of 2012.

All are original issues, but remember there are innumerable reissues of 1950s and '60s albums, some being difficult to identify as such.

For this report, we document 13 near-mint condition sales of $2,000 or more, sorted into four price groups:

Over $8,000: MOZART A PARIS (1956)
Boxed, seven-disc set (Pathe DTX 191/192/193/194/195/196/197)
Comprehensive collection of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart compositions (1763-1778), by various performers
Made in France
Most sales of this set were closer to $8,000, but in one recent auction, the winner paid $10,600

$6,000 - $8,000: BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO (1959)
Leonid Kogan performs Beethoven with Constantin Silvestri Conducting the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra (Columbia SAX-2386)
Made in the UK

LALO SYMPHONIE ESPAGNOLE TCHAIKOVSKY SERENADE MELANCOLIQUE (1960)
Leonid Kogan with the Philharmonia Orchestra Conducted By Kyril Kondrashin (Columbia SAX-2329)
Made in the UK

$4,000 - $6,000 SONATAS FOR TWO VIOLINS: KOGAN & GILELS (SONATAS FOR TWO VIOLINS BY LECLAIR - TELEMANN - YSAYE) (1964) Leonid Kogan is joined here by Elizabeth Gilels, his wife (Columbia SAX-2531) Made in the UK

$2,000 - $4,000 J.S. BACH SUITEN FUR VIOLONCELLO SOLO (c: 1939)
By Pablo "Pau" Casala
Three volumes of 78 rpm binders, with six suites on 20 His Master's Voice singles
Volume 1: Suites 2 and 3 (six 78s); Volume 2: Suites 1 & 6 (seven 78s); Volume 3: Suites 4 & 5 (seven 78s)
Made in the UK

J.S. BACH - THE UNACCOMPANIED VIOLIN SONATAS PLAYED BY JOHANNA MARTZY (SONATAS FOR SOLO VIOLIN) (1954)
Three volume set (Columbia 33CX 1286/1287/1288)
Made in the UK

WALTZES BY JOHANN STRAUSS JR. (1956)
By the Century Symphony Orchestra, a seven-inch 45 rpm Extended Play (Camden CAE-158)
Cover art by Andy Warhol
Made in the USA

THE ROYAL BALLET - GALA PERFORMANCES (ERNEST ANSERMET CONDUCTS THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE ORCHESTRA, COVENT GARDEN, WITH MUSIC FROM: SWAN LAKE - NUTCRACKER - THE SLEEPING BEAUTY - LES SYLPHIDES - GISELLE - COPPELLIA - BOUTIQUE FANTASQUE - CARNIVAL) (1958)
Boxed, two-disc 180g vinyl edition (RCA Victor/Soria LDS-6065)
Recorded in England but made in the USA

BRAHMS VIOLIN CONCERTO (1958)
Leonid Kogan with the Philharmonia Orchestra Conducted By Kyril Kondrashin (Columbia SAX-2307)
Made in the UK

MOSIACS (1959)
By Michael Rabin (violin) with Leon Pommers (piano) (Capitol SP-8506)
Made in the USA

TCHAIKOVSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO MEDITATION (1960)
Leonid Kogan with Constantin Silvestri Conducting the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra (Columbia SAX-2323)
Made in the UK

KOL NIDREI / MAX BRUCH - MUSIC FOR VIOLA AND CELLO HERBERT DOWNES (VIOLA) & JACQUELINE DU PRE (VIOLONCELLO) WITH INSTRUMENTAL ACCOMPANIMENT (1963)
(His Master's Voice CSD-1499)
Made in the UK

ETERNA'S COMPLETE (1770-1827) LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN EDITION (DIE GESAMTAUSGABE 1970-1977 der DEUTSCHEN DEMOKRATISCHEN REPUBLIK 1770-1827 (1977)
Karl Suske (violin), Walter Olbertz (piano), Helmut Koch Conducting the (East) Berlin Orchestra
Ten boxed sets containing 112 discs (Eterna CSD-1499)
Made in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)



IZ ZAT SO? Only four countries are represented on this UK dominated list. Eight are from England, one each from France and East Germany, and three from the USA.

In case you're wondering, most of the 1950s and '60s U.S. classical records fell considerably short of the $2,000 mark, at least over the past 90 days. Topping that batch is:
DOMENICO SCARLATTI 11 SONATAS PLAYED BY CLARA HASKIL, PIANO (1954) (Westminster WL-5070) ($425)


　

Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column.  Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368  E-mail: jpo@olympus.net   Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com.

All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2013 Osborne Enterprises - Reprinted By Exclusive Permission