Unicorns are real

摘要

The recent letter from David North [HFN Jun '20] reminded me of John Goldsmith's Unicorn record label, which began the 'reinstatement' of that formerly neglected German conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler. Goldsmith had spent time in the City of London Police but, a passionate classical music lover, he decided to take the risky step of first opening a specialist shop - The Record Hunter, around the corner from Waterloo Station - in 1966 and then starting his own record label. He was importing rare repertoire and then with the help of Elisabeth Furtwangler was able to issue wartime recordings that had been taken by the advancing Soviets. They included the early 1940s Beethoven 'Eroica' and 'Choral' Symphonies, a VPO Bruckner Eighth, a remarkable Sibelius Violin Concerto with Georg Kulenkampff, Edwin Fischer in Brahms's Second Piano Concerto and (from EMI) Tchaikovsky No 4 with Serenade for Strings excerpts. Goldsmith then ventured into producing records. He was deeply impressed by the Kiev-born conductor Jascha Horenstein - who made a series of Vox LPs, some still in the CD catalogue. In the 1920s Horenstein had worked as Furtwangler's assistant - he prepared Nielsen's Symphony No 5 for the premiere under Furtwangler at the 1927 ISCM Festival in Frankfurt. Horenstein wasn't an easy man to get on with, but he agreed to record that Carl Nielsen Symphony for Unicorn, then Mahler Symphonies Nos 1 and 3. These turned out to be valuable, unvarnished interpretations.