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Jaromir Weinberger: Schwanda Polka & Fugue
Historic Music
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8m 46s
Once a staple of Summer Band and Orchestra concerts, this oddly titled piece is something of an antiquated curiosity today. Weinberger himself was a tragic figure, who had one big hit with his Czech folk-opera Švanda Dudák in 1927 and then no more. He died forgotten in Florida in 1927 but his strange opera has enjoyed some revivals since 1990.
Eugene Ormandy is usually associated with the Philadelphia Orchestra, but he came to Philadelphia from a previous stint of several years in Minneapolis, where he made a number of classic recordings such as this one.