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By Robert E. Benson, David Hurwitz, Robert R. Reilly, and Terry Teachout STRAUSS "ALPENSINFONIE”; LOS ANGELES, MEHTA In the face of formidable competition, Strauss's musical travelogue of the Alps receives its finest CD representation on this London Jubilee disc featuring Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Haitink's excellent Concertgebouw account on Philips is thinly recorded, Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic version on Deutsche Grammophon is magnificently played but is marred by disappointing sonics, and Solti's Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra performance on London is out of the running on all counts. The present performance is superb in detail and impulse; Mehta keeps this colorful score moving at a convincing pace, and the Phil harmonic is in top form. Recorded in 1975 at UCLA's Royce Hall, this is an example of London's finest sonics, combining opulence with clarity and impact. There are some particularly splendid moments here: the horn interplay in "The Ascent" (Band 3) and the rich sonorities of "Sunset" (Band 17). Many listeners feel that this vast Alpine tapestry of sound is the most vapid of Strauss's symphonic poems, but if you enjoy the piece, you surely will find great pleasure in this recording. Unlike its full-price competitors, this budget-line disc is a terrific buy. Playing time: 48:09. ( London 417 717-2.) R. E B. ORFF: "CARMINA BURANA" As part of its new mid-price Papillon Collection, RCA has released Seiji Ozawa's wonderful performance of Orff's perennial favorite Carmina Burana. This Boston Symphony Orchestra account, featuring the New England Conservatory Chorus and Children's Chorus, always was one of the finest recorded versions and is doubly so now that it has been digitally remastered for CD. Soloists Evelyn Mandac, Stanley Kolk, and Sherrill Milnes sing well, but the palm goes to the New Eng land Conservatory Chorus, whose brash and gutsy youthfulness suits this music perfectly. Finally, special praise to RCA for being the only company to date to offer Carmina Burana at mid-price, with complete texts and translations. This is the kind of quality product the CD public de serves. Playing time: 63:11. (RCA 6533 2.) D.H. TCHAIKOVSKY SYMPHONIES: LENINGRAD, MRAVINSKY Evgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic recorded Tchaikovsky's Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, and 6 (Pathetique) for Deutsche Grammophon during a 1960 tour of Great Britain. These performances have now been digitally remastered and reissued as a two-CD set. The remastering is outstanding, and Mravinsky's interpretations are authentic to the last degree. The line separating agitation from hysteria is regularly and fearlessly approached but never crossed. Though the orchestra plays crudely in places, Mravinsky's absolute control over his musicians is some thing to hear. A more moderate approach to Tchaikovsky may be preferred for everyday listening, but these performances are indispensable all the same. The Fifth Symphony is divided between the two discs. Playing time: 128:55. (Deutsche Grammophon 419 745-2.) T T GERSNWIN WORKS: GERSHWIN; THOMAS This wonderful Gershwin CD is filled with brilliant performances-one of them Gershwin's own. In 1925, a year after the premiere of Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin recorded the work on Duo-Art piano rolls, playing not only the solo piano part but the original jazz-band part as well. Through much painstaking effort, the producers of this CBS Masterworks recording were able to eliminate the accompaniment, preserving the composer's solo performance. To this was added the live performance of the Columbia Jazz Band led by Michael Tilson Thomas, playing the original arrangement rather than the orchestration typically heard today. The result is a modern stereophonic recording of Gershwin playing his most famous work. This has been laudably accomplished by all concerned, and though many listeners may wish to have the Rhapsody in its fuller orchestration, what is heard here is fascinating indeed. Another attraction is Thomas's account of An American in Paris with the New York Philharmonic, which is among the finest recordings ever made of this work. The CD is filled out with overtures to six of Gershwin's Broadway shows, played by the Buffalo Philharmonic under Thomas. With excellent sound throughout and near-maximum playing time, this disc is highly recommended. Playing time: 71:27. (CBS Masterworks MK 42240.) R. E. B. DEBUSSY PIANO MUSIC: JACOBS Pianist Paid Jacobs, who died of AIDS in 1983, left a substantial recorded legacy, which Nonesuch is now transferring to Compact Disc. The first Jacobs recording to appear on cp is his 1976 performance of the Debussy Etudes, the most satisfying account of these beautiful, elusive works on record. To fill out the disc, Nonesuch has exhumed a 1982 radio-broadcast tape of Jacobs and Gilbert Kalish performing Debussy's two-piano suite En blanc et noir at an outdoor festival in California. The sound is barely adequate, with plenty of audience noise and the odd birdcall here and there, but the performance is staggering--the En blanc et noir of a lifetime. Jacobs's original notes are augmented by a thoughtful essay on En blanc et noir by Ned Rorem and appreciations of Jacobs by Kalish, Teresa Sterne, Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, William Bolcom, and Da vid Hamilton. This is a generous reissue, with, one hopes, many more to come. Jacobs's Busoni recordings, for instance, would fill a CD nicely. Playing time: 66:50. (Nonesuch 9 79161-2.) T T RAVEL ORCHESTRAL WORKS: MINNESOTA, SKROWACZEWSKI Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and an energized Minnesota Orchestra turn in performances of Ravel's complete orchestral works that are superior, in both interpretation and sound, to all other contenders. In comparison, the acclaim given to Charles Dutoit's cycle on London amounts to nothing less than a critical embarrassment. Skrowaczewski, conductor laureate of the Minnesota and currently principal conductor of the Halle Orches tra, has long been one of our most under rated podium masters. He is equally at home in Bruckner, Ravel, and Stravinsky, and is himself a composer of substance. These three CDs, available separately at Vox Prima's bargain prices, are simply a steal. MWCD 7144 contains the finest Bo lero on disc (at the correct, hypnotically slow tempo) as well as a luxurious La valse, a fiery Rapsodie espagnole, and a haunting Pavane pour une infante defunte. MWCD 7142 features the most magical and enchanting Ma mere l'oye ever of fered, as well as sumptuous renditions of the two Daphnis et Chloe suites. MWCD 7140 includes everything else: Alborada del gracioso, Le tombeau de Couperin, Valses nobles et sentimentales, Menuet antique, the tiny fanfare from L'eventail de Jeanne, and the rarely performed Une barque sur l'ocian. Don't miss this opportunity to hear these stunningly atmospheric and idiomatic performances in demonstration-quality sound. This is what the CD medium is all about, and it's encouraging to see such intelligent planning from Vox. What other gems lie under those lousy $3.99 pressings? Playing times: 60:57 (Vox Prima MWCD 7140); 62:49 (MWCD 7142); 53:23 (MWCD 7144). D.H. LORD BERNERS WORKS: ROYAL LIVERPOOL To say that Lord Berners was an eccentric is to put it mildly. Born in 1883, Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson inherited the title of 14th Baron Berners in 1919. He was a painter, author, diplomat, and composer--largely self-taught, though he was encouraged by Casella and Stravinsky. Like Sir Thomas Beecham, Lord Berner's wealth permitted him to dabble as he wished; it is said he kept a miniature clavichord in his Rolls Royce. His gift for humor, satire, and parody is evident in the music heard on this new recording. The polka movement of The Triumph of Neptune, for example, includes a drunken sail or singing "The Last Rose of Summer." Barry Wordsworth leads the Royal Liver pool Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of this work that is as delightful as the Beecham/Philadelphia account re corded in the early 1950s. Also featured on this CD is an expertly crafted Fugue for orchestra, Fantaisie espagnole, Three Pieces, and two excerpts from film music for Nicholas Nickleby. The excellent performances capture the wit of the scores, and Angel EMI's digital recording is wide-ranging and natural. Lord Berners composed other intriguing works that have never been recorded; let's hope the present issue will at least be followed by a second volume. Playing time: 53:01. (Angel EMI CDC 47668.) R.E.B. ALBRKHTSBERGER: CONCERTOS FOR JEW'S HARP AND MANDORA Performances and recording are excellent, but this is basically a party record. The Jew's harp-which is, to put it kindly, a reticent instrument -wears out its welcome pretty quickly in these two charming rococo concertos. And $15 or so is a lot to spend for a laugh. Although the playing time on this CD may seem skimpy, another 20 minutes of Jew's harp would not necessarily enhance this release's claim on your purse. Dieter Kirsch, on the mandora, and Fritz Mayr, on Jew's harp, are accompanied by the Munich Chamber Orchestra, Hans Stadlmair conducting. Playing time: 38:58. (Orfeo C 035821 A.) D. H. PETER CHRIST, CRYSTAL SOLOISTS: CHAMBER WORKS Oboist Peter Christ is featured on a new Crystal CD (assembled from several analog LPs) that exemplifies this label's commendable practice of utilizing the storage capacity of Compact Discs, not simply replicating LP programs. Christ and his Crystal Chamber Soloists ably essay the works on this disc; it is one's interest in the material that will determine the release's appeal. The longest piece, Randall Thompson's Suite for oboe, clarinet, and viola ( 15:39), is also the best. This distinctly American music is fresh, folkish, infectiously delightful and direct, and simply moving. It adds to the mystery of why Thompson's wonderful music remains neglected. The second-longest contribution is William Grant Still's Miniatures for flute, oboe, and piano ( 12:14). The five miniatures, which are taken directly from folk melodies, are light, conventional Americana-pleasant enough, though not in the same league as the Thompson Suite. Alberto Ginastera's Duo for flute and oboe is quite sprightly, energetic, and concise, and it creates more of an impression than its eight-minute length would lead one to expect. William Schmidt's hybrid, The Spar row and the Amazing Mr. Avaunt, is puzzling. Two poems by William Pillin are re cited to oboe accompaniment: The first is a melancholic reflection on Edith Piaf, the second a brief parody of avant-garde com positional techniques used to spoof "Mr. Avaunt." For this listener, these two pieces do not work together, or, rather, work too hard together. In any case, I would have preferred to have heard the texts and the music separately. Also included is Vincent Persichetti's short Parable III, for solo oboe, which is on the somber side. The liner notes are full of well-deserved accolades from the composers for the superb playing by Christ and his colleagues. The digitally remastered sound is excessively bright but otherwise fine. Playing time: 49:32. ( Crystal CD 321.) R.R.R. RACHMANINOFF WORKS: LONDON SYMPHONY, PREVIN Andre Previn's exceptional sympathy tor Rachmaninoff's music has never been better documented than in these excellent performances of The Isle of the Dead and Symphonic Dances, recently reissued on CD. Previn is especially successful in the Dances, heeding the composer's non allegro injunction in the first movement, keeping the luscious waltz moving along in the second, and letting it all hang out in the orgiastic finale. As a bonus, the disc includes the orchestral version of the Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14, and excerpts from the opera Aleko. Sound and performance on this mid-price CD easily outclass the London disc bearing Vladimir Ashkenazy's interpretive approximations. Playing time: 71:05. (Angel EMI CDM 69025.) D.H. BERNSTEIN STAGE WORKS: NEW YORK, BERNSTEIN For most listeners, the music heard on this CD is Leonard Bernstein, the youthful composer who wrote catchy, imaginative tunes, brilliantly orchestrated, far re moved from his pretentious "major" works of later years. The content of the disc was originally recorded in 1960-61, with the composer conducting the New York Philharmonic. The recording of the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story has a stunning electric quality that far surpasses any other recorded version of the music, and the suite from On the Water front becomes, in this eloquent performance, a major 20th-century American symphonic poem. The dances from On the Town and the overture to Candide are dazzling. John McClure produced the original recording and remastered it for the CD reissue, which boasts sonics as big and bold as the performance. Highly recommended. Playing time: 54:42. (CBS Masterworks MK 42263.) R.E.B. PROKOFIEV, KODALY: A CLEVELAND, SZELL This coupling of Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kiji and Kodaly's Hdry Jdnos suites has been definitive since the day it was issued. George Szell's conducting and the Cleve land Orchestra's playing are beyond praise. The only direct competition, Klaus Tennstedt's identical coupling on Angel EMI, is a nonstarter. This is a good value at mid-price, in bright but perfectly acceptable sound. Playing time: 42:26. (CBS Masterworks MYK 38527.) D. H. BACH "GOLDBERG": GOULD Glenn Gould's 1955 debut recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations has been digitally remastered and transferred to CD as part of CBS's "Great Performances" bud get line. The sound is dated, the splices audible, and the disc only half full, but who cares? This magnetic performance is with out question one of the great recordings of the century. Each variation is separately banded, and Gould's original liner notes are included. An essential recording. Playing time: 38:25. (CBS Masterworks MYK 38479.) T.T. Also see: Classical Reviews: Inbal's Mahler cycle continues; two perspectives on Previn's return to Walton's First. |