I wrote recently that a good record is always a good record, and this comment applies even more to a great record. Stokowski's inspired performance of Hamlet is far, far superior to any other recorded version, indeed, it has a creational quality that puts it alongside the greatest performances of Furtwangler and Toscanini. Francesca is nearly as fine and generates enormous tension at the sequence just before the lovers are discovered where their passion is encompassed in polyphonic string textures of the greatest intensity. Then, after the dramatic moment of their death, they are consigned to the whirlwinds of Dante's Inferno, which rage frenziedly until the riveting final climax, where the gong is not allowed to drown the nemesis of bold orchestral dissonances at the last few bars. Stokowski's reading is equally memorable for the beguiling wind solos in the romantic middle section—depicting the idyll of the lovers—shaped with characteristic magic.
Hamlet is sensational. It is also even better recorded than Francesca and the sonority of the lower strings is particularly telling at the electrifying opening, while at the big climax the weight of the trombones and tuba is splendidly caught. But perhaps the most spectacular moment is the forboding march-like sequence, dominated by the side-drum, which is sinisterly dramatic each time it appears: this device anticipates Shostakovich at the climax of the first movement of the Fifth Symphony and the emotional character of the playing is very Russian in its fervour. The desolation of mood of the coda is intensely moving, with a power of melancholy to equal that at the close of the Pathetique Symphony. Hamlet does not have a love theme to match Romeo and Juliet, but its equivalent possesses a unique colour when it appears in the woodwind. Ophelia's melody on the oboe is utterly poignant and when it returns there is a rustling in the strings which subtly creates a sense of uneasiness. There are many other points of detail which show the conductor's creative affinity with this score, which John Warrack has praised for its ''great strength and potent atmosphere''.
I have often wondered about the identity of the New York Stadium Orchestra, but (according to Oliver Daniel's biography of Stokowski) Bert Whyte, the brilliant engineer of this 1958 recording, and also one of the founders of the Everest label, has affirmed that it is the New York Philharmonic under a pseudonym. This was the pre-Bernstein era and the ensemble isn't always immaculate, but the tremendous commitment of the playing more than compensates. The recording was originally made on 35mm film, which brought a wide frequency range and particularly clear transients, but added background noise. However, this has been subdued. It is not clear whether Bryan Crimp's remastered version (which dell' Arte issued on a 12-inch 45rpm disc) is used for the CD, but certainly the sound is cleaner than originally, if perhaps a little drier.
At the time that these recordings were made, the late Deryck Cooke declared that ''to hear these rarely played and much-disparaged works played like this is to realize that Tchaikovsky was one of the very great who could meet Dante and Shakespeare on their own level''. During the closing years of his life Stokowski said, ''When I get to Heaven I shall shake Tchaikovsky by the hand and thank him for all the wonderful music he has given us''. If that came about I think the composer might, in return, express complete satisfaction with this record. It is issued with admirable backup notes by an authority on the composer Edward Johnson.'