Mitch Miller -- Horn Soloist on Swan Of Tuonela by Sibelius

Mitch Miller? The 'Sing Along with Mitch' TV shows, the 'Mitch Miller and the Gang' records... THAT Mitch Miller? Yes. And the Artists & Repertory Director of pop music for Mercury and later for Columbia, producer of million-selling hits. THAT Mitch Miller (first photo).
But before 'Mule Train' and 'The Yellow Rose of Texas', there was Mitch Miller the graduate of Eastman School of Music, session musician playing jazz, pop, and classical, an accomplished, indeed virtuosic, performer on oboe and English horn.
'The Swan of Tuonela', the third of 'Four Legends', Op. 22, was composed by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) between 1893 and 1900. Tuonela is the isle of the dead in Finland's mythology; on the waters surrounding the isle floats a majestic swan, singing. The English horn is the voice of the swan, and the solo is one of the most famous in the literature for the instrument.
Leopold Stokowski (second photo) conducts 'his Symphony Orchestra'-- actually the NBC Symphony or members of the NBC Symphony and the New York Philharmonic-Symphony-- on this RCA-Victor twelve-inch 78-RPM disc, number 12-0585; with 'Mitchell Miller, English Horn'. The recording was made on 11 December 1947.
After the novelty of, or the amazement at, a well-known name doing something unexpected has worn off, Miller's performance under Stokowski's direction can be appreciated for what it is-- superb music-making.
In this video, I have combined the two sides of the disc so the music can be heard without a break.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mitch
• Miller
• horn
• Stokowski
• Sibelius
• Swan
• Tuonela
• Finland
• 1947
• 78-RPM

[adam28xx]

There is now a better-sounding copy of this recording uploaded here, taken from a CD reissue, which should help to solve the question of the solo instrument!

[rvaughanwilliams1988]

this is definitely English Horn, it would be blasphemy to this on sax ... it just wouldn't be done

[u47tube]

I'm a (sentimental) fan of Sing Along...but THIS is beautiful! Thanks for showing YouTube the artist side of Mitch. This is THE diamond in the rough here on YouTube. I've posted a radio interview of Mitch that was done here in Rochester, New York in 1973.  It's from the interviewer's private collection and has not been heard since that air date.

[boxers7x5]

@krsmav

def English horn on this.

[jpsned]

Yeah, that is clearly an English horn.  This is one of the most famous solos in the English horn literature. Mitch Miller played both oboe and EH, and would have never played it on alto sax.

[Metvla]

Sorry, krsmav, but it IS being played on an English Horn. Listen especially to the lower register. Anyway, it's clearly stated on the label who the soloist is and on what instrument.

[krsmav]

It's played on alto sax, not English Horn. Listen particularly at 2:54. I play both sax and oboe, and the sax tone and way of moving from one note to the next are unmistakable. I never heard that Mitch Miller played sax, though he may have.

[phonebook9876]

July 4, 1911 - July 31, 2010

R.I.P.

[telephilia]

Mitch Miller is like 97 years old or thereabouts and still going strong! There's also a video somewhere of him accompanying crooner Tony Bennett on the oboe.