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The
Covers of Curt John Witt
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When
checking the covers of many Remington records, it seems that Curt John
Witt is the artist whose work appears on most of the Remington covers.
Curt John Witt was already working for Don Gabor before Alex Steinweiss
was asked to design the new house style and the basic grid for the covers
with the new logo. Witt also delivered the artwork for many Plymouth and
Merit releases while he was also doing covers for other record labels
like Eli Oberstein's Allegro Royale. Ernst Lumpe shows a few on his website.
It is obvious that the cheaper Plymouth records were not adorned with
elaborate artwork. These covers were kept simple with eventually just
a few ornaments. There are many of those covers which simply state WITT.
An example of an early Remington cover by Curt John Witt is the edition
of the Pastoral Symphony - conducted by Kurt Wöss - with the old
style reference number RLP-199-7. At left the Plymouth-Merit release of
Beethove's 7th Symphony and at right the Plymouth release of Beethoven's
Emperor Concerto played by Felicitas Karrer.
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Like
Alex Steinweiss, Curt John Witt had a characteristic handwriting as can
be seen on many covers. Examples are the covers for Tchaikovsky's Symphony
No. 4 with conductor H. Arthur Brown, and Piano Concerto Op. 23 performed
by pianist Hermann Schwertmann and conductor Alexander Paulmüller.
Witt's handwriting / lettering is more solid and serious, has a remarkable
regularity, unlike the light and playful Steinweiss scrawl. It is safe to
allege that the covers with this writing were styled by Curt John Witt,
even though his name is not mentioned.
Also the style of the back of the covers with the liner notes must have
been Witt's lay out. It clearly shows his hand. |
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At
right an early pre-Steinweiss cover for Cesar Franck's Symphony in D conducted
by Hans Wolf. It is not known who did this cover as there is no name printed
on it.
Above the second cover by Curt John Witt with a variation on the church
windows. |
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When
- in 1952 - Alex Steinweiss designed the new Remington logo and the lettering
arranged in boxes topped with "A Don Gabor Production" and at
the lower end the crown, Curt John Witt continued to work for the Remington
label, in cooperation with Alex Steinweiss who sometimes would make suggestions.
The division by a horizontal or vertical banner or band on certain covers
may have been suggested by Steinweiss who himself often split the space
in two fields when a record offered two different compositions or series.
Alex Steinweiss certainly gave Witt and the other artists more playground
and the covers were gaining in quality. Also Curt John Witt, who was a master
of simplicity, gradually developed a richer style as Beethoven's Violin
Sonatas (with Helen Airoff and Walter Schneiderhan), the new cover for Cesar
franck's Symphony in D, and Bach's Partita No. 6 by Jörg Demus show
(R-199-92). |
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The
box with Mozart's Requiem (conducted by Joseph Messner) combines beige and
purple. At times it is not easy to define a color because the printing process
did not always have the exact match of colors. A standard scheme of colors
like the Pantone Matching System had yet to be established.
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Sibelius
5th Symphony with Jussi Jalas (R-199-201). In a different color setting
the same pattern was used for a new cover of Simon Barere's Liszt Sonata
which was not a Musirama recording.
The Origin of Fire and Pohjola's Daughter (Sibelius) was coupled with Glazounov's
Violin Concerto (R-199-191) and received a somewhat more elaborate cover.
By then Witt signed his work with his name written as a signature. There
are also covers which mention "Curt John Witt Design House". Slonevsky
also had "Design House" added to his name. Maybe they were in
the same company, or agency. It is not sure if Curt John Witt was the manager/owner
of "Design House".
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Jorge
Bolet's recording of the Four Scherzi (Chopin) was released on R-199-161
and signed: Design House Curt John Witt.
Kilenyi's performance of the Second Concerto of Brahms was on R-199-164.
Curt John Witt's cover for Gershwin's Concerto in F with pianist Alec
Templeton illustrates the modernity of the work, the energy, and where
it had its roots.
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Conrad
Hansen's Tchaikovsky Op. 23 with the RIAS Symphony.
Daring colors for the modern compositions by American Composers Leon Stein
and Robert Ward, performed by the Cincinnati Symphony under Thor Johnson.
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Stravinsky's
Suite from The Fire Bird and Prokofiev's Symphonie Classique conducted
by Eugen Szenkar get rather tranquil tones instead of fiery red en yellow.
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With
the cover for Hindemith's Mathis der Maler, Schumann's Manfred Overture
and Weber's Euryanthe Overture, Curt John Witt seems to have traveled a
great distance, leaving the early black covers far behind him - but the
dots are still there. |
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Expressive
simplicity and purity: the cover for J.S. Bach's Magnificat sung by Maria
Stader (Soprano), Elsa Cavelli (Alto), Ernst Haefliger (Tenor) and Hermann
Schey (Bass), with the Reinhart Chorus, the Winterthur Chorus and Symphony
Orchestra, conducted by Walter Reinhart, on a 10 Inch Musical Masterpieces
Society, MMS 31, in the USA Concert Hall CHC 60; for the first time listed
in the Schwann Record Catalog of December 1950. This is probably a later
cover for this recording.
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