A Long Forgotten Record Company: A Catalogue of Revolution LPs

Catalogue of Revolution Records

 Many years ago (c.1972) I discovered a recording of Arnold Bax’s ‘The Tale the Pine Trees Knew’ in Symphony One, a small record shop in Glasgow. This was the first piece of Bax that I had consciously heard.  It had been released on the short lived Revolution record label. The coupling was equally interesting in its presentation of E.J. Moeran’s rare ‘Serenade’ in G major. This was also was a ‘first’ for me. Over the next year or so I bough a handful of other Revolution LPs including the English Clarinet Music (RCF.009) and the John Ireland Violin Sonata in D minor (RCB.5) However, for me the desideratum was Bax’s ‘Symphonic Variations’ and the Symphony No. 4. Try as he could, the proprietor was unable to order these for me. It was the days before Amazon.

I present the catalogue of Revolution records as I have been able to construct it. There may be some errors; however I do not believe there are any omissions. It was a short-lived project that had promised so much.

Budget Label 19/10 (99p) 

RCB.1 Arnold Bax/Arthur Bliss: Sonatas for Viola & piano

Herbert Downs (viola) Leonard Cassini (piano)

RCB.2 Liszt: Annees de Pelerinage (Suisse)

Sergio Fiorentino (piano)

RCB.3 Handel: Flute Sonatas Op.1 Nos. 1,2,3,4

William Bennett (flute) Harold Lester (harpsichord) Denis Nesbitt (viola de gamba)

RCB.4 Handel: Flute Sonatas Op.1 Nos. 5, 6, 7, ‘Halle’ Sonata in B minor, ‘Fitzwilliam’ Sonata on B flat.

William Bennett (flute) Harold Lester (harpsichord) Denis Nesbitt (viola de gamba)

RCB.5 John Ireland: Violin Sonata No.1 in D minor, Cello Sonata in G minor

Alan Loveday (violin) Leonard Cassini (piano) Derek Simpson (cello)

RCB.6 (Listed but never issued) Liszt: Piano Concerto No.2 in A Major, Weber: Polonaise brillante,  Op. 72
Sergio Fiorentino (piano) Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley
RCB.7 Concert of Part Songs Finzi: Seven Unaccompanied Part Songs for Mixed Voices, Op. 17, Holst: ‘Six Choral Folk Songs’ for mixed voices, Op. 36, E.J. Moeran: Songs of Springtime for mixed voices

Proteus Choir conducted by Vernon Handley

RCB.8 Elgar: Piano Quintet in A minor, Op.84 Bax, Legend for viola & piano

Aeolian String Quartet, Leonard Cassini (piano)

RCB.9 Beethoven: ‘Kreutzer’ & ‘Spring’ Sonatas

Alan Loveday (violin) Leonard Cassini (piano)

RCB.10 Chopin: Polish Fantasy, Op.13, Scherzi Op.20 & 31, Polonaise-Fantasie op.61, Ballade No.3

Sergio Fiorentino (piano) Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley

RCB.11/12 Rachmaninov: The 24 Preludes & ‘Liebesfreud’ (Kreisler)

Sergio Fiorentino (piano)

RCB.13 Liszt: ‘The Dante Symphony’

Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra & Chorus/Boris Khaikin

RCB.14/15 (available individually) Mahler: Symphony No.3 in D minor

Vienna Orchestra/ Charles Adler

RCB.16 Brahms: The Three Violin Sonatas

Alan Loveday (violin) Leonard Cassini (piano)

RCB.17 Bach: Flute Sonatas & Partita

William Bennett (flute) & Harold Lester (harpsichord)

RCB.18/19 (available individually) Chopin: The 16 Polonaises       

Sergio Fiorentino (piano)

RCB. 20 Vaughan Williams: String Quartet in G minor, Bax Violin Sonata No.1

Aeolian Quartet, Henry Holst (violin) Frank Merrick (piano)

RCB.21 Lilli Lehmann Historical Recital: Arias from Saraglio, Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan Tutte, Walkure, Fidelio, Norma & Traviata.

RCB.23 Schumann: Carnival, Bach: Organ Prelude & Fugue in D Major, BWV 532 (Busoni/Fiorentino) Mendelssohn: ‘Spinning Song’, Op. 67 No.4, Etude in B flat Major, Op. 104 No.1 Borodin: Scherzo in A flat Major, Liszt: Concert Etude No.2 ‘Gnomenreigen’, Liszt: Grande Etude de Paganini No.2 ‘Octaves’

Sergio Fiorentino (piano)

Full Price Label (£2.30p) (46/-)

RCF.001 Arnold Bax: ‘Symphonic Variations’ for piano & orchestra

Joyce Hatto (piano) Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley

RCF.002 Arnold Bax: Symphony No.4

Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley

RCF.003 Arnold Bax: The Tale the Pine Trees Knew, E.J. Moeran: Serenade in G major

Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley

RCF.004 Ignaz Moscheles: Sonata Mélancolique, Op.49, Gigue, Op.58, ‘La Tenerezza’, ‘La Leggerezza’, ‘La Petite Babillarde’, Op.66, Three Characteristic Studies Op.95

Philip Challis (piano)

RCF.005 Liszt Recorded Edition:  ‘Diabelli’ Variation (1822) ‘8 Variations’ (1824) Scherzo (1827) ‘Lucia & Parisina,’ Valse, a capriccio (1842) Fantasia on Beethoven’s ‘Ruins of Athens’, Divertissement on Pacini’s ‘Niobe’.

Gail Buckingham (piano)

RCF.006 Liszt Recorded Edition: The Mephisto Music

Philip Challis (piano)

RCF.007 Liszt Recorded Edition: Beethoven Transcriptions

Philip Challis (piano)

RCF.008 Liszt Recorded Edition: Lyon (Album d'un voyageur) & Early Works

Gail Buckingham (piano)

RCF.009 English Music Clarinet Sonatas by Arnold Bax, Charles Villiers Stanford, John Ireland & Eric Hughes

John Denman (clarinet) Hazel Vivienne (piano)

RCF.010 Arnold Bax: Piano Sonata 1 & 4, Water Music & Toccata

Joyce Hatto (piano)

RCF.011 Chopin ‘Oda Slobodskaya Memorial Album’ 17 Polish Songs, Czary, Dumka

Oda Slobodskaya (soprano) Frederick Stone (piano)

RCF.012 (announced but not released) Rachmaninov: Etudes tableaux, Op. 33 nos 1 - 8 Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 nos 1 - 6 

Sergio Fiorentino (piano)

RCF.013 (announced but not released) Rachmaninov: Etudes tableaux, Op. 39 nos. 1 – 9, Polka de W. R , Vocalise, Op. 34 No.14 

Sergio Fiorentino (piano)

Children’s Series (75p)

REVK.10 ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ adapted from the novel by Dumas

Paul Daneman with the London Theatre Company

REVK.12 ‘Don Quixote’ adapted from the stories by Cervantes

Alec McCowen with the London Theatre Company

REVK.13 ‘The Story of Mozart’ narrated in words and music

Alec McCowen with the London Theatre Company

REVK.14 ‘The Story of Bach’

Derek Hart with the London Theatre Company

John France December 2013 ©