Posted by richard on August 14, 2003 at 00:07:17:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Herb Jenkel and Victory at Sea posted by Mark Heter on August 13, 2003 at 22:05:44:
Interesting - Bertelsmann is also the custodian of the Victory at Sea recordings. BMG is without a doubt, the most shamelessly venal of the major companies, and the most indifferent to any product that won't make them a LOT of money. It's not enough not to lose money, or make a modest profit. It has to be big $$$ or they can't be bothered.
As to Victory at Sea, I seem to recall correspondence with Herb Wekselblatt, in which he said that the V(AT)Sea TV sessions and the original RCA recording had been done by him alternating with Joe Novotny.
Bill Bell was the original tubist with the NBC. When he went to the Philharmonic, he was replaced first by Herbert Jaenkel, and was in turn replaced by Abe Torchinsky, who, when Abe went to Philadelphia, was succeeded by Joe Novotny.
Another post implies that the NBC Symphony was, aside from the strings, some kind of "pick-up" orchestra. The basic personnel compliment for the Symphony concert broadcasts for Toscanini, as well as an array of the most celebrated conductors of the period appearing as guests, was quite stabile and consistant. After personally engaging key players like Harry Glantz, Ray Crisara, Neal Di Biasi, the Bervs etc., Toscanini would not have been to patient with a band of subs. For other work, such as Victory at Sea, other soundtrack or background work, or pops concerts, the situation might have been more laissez-faire. Otherwise, it was a tight band with little turnover despite the lack of job security as we know it today, or Toscanini's volatile temper. He yelled at 'em a lot, but he kept most of 'em.