A Man of Honors

There is no question that the exquisite musical and technical collaboration be tween Robert Shaw and Telarc Records has, over the last decade and a half, produced such an extraordinary orchestral/choral discography that it is unmatched in the annals of commercial recording. Now, while I realize this may seem a bold statement, it is bolstered by the sheer number and consistency of the recordings and by the high standards that Shaw has al ways set for himself.

As I write this, Shaw is approaching his 76th birthday, and last December he received a Kennedy Center Honor, which came as a fit ting tribute for a lifetime of achievement in a truly estimable career. That career began in the '40s, as Shaw "prepared" choruses for such famed conductors as Arturo Toscanini and Bruno Walter. In 1949, the Robert Shaw Chorale was organized and came to enjoy a reputation as America's premier touring choral ensemble until it was disbanded in 1966. Shaw had worked closely with George Szell in Cleveland for 11 years prior to accepting the post as music director for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in 1967.

As have all major choral conductors, Shaw has always achieved a sonic texture and style of his own. In texture, h emphasizes blend and cohesion; no voice ever obtrudes. Technical execution is superb, and even in the midst of polyphony the diction is always clear.

In style, Shaw approaches all period idiomatically, but without any radical departure from his own personal basic sense of what a large chorus should be. In an age in which most record companies have espoused early performance practice in baroque works, Shaw's traditional approach may see anachronistic. Would that more of the early music specialists spent as much time as Shaw on precision and details.

Whatever the period, the Telarc recordings all benefit from Jack Renner sensible engineering and Robert Woods' expert production. And it is a further credit both to Shaw and Telarc that they have never stinted in their choice of soloists.

The collaboration with Telarc began in 1978 with a recording of the Stravinsky Firebird suite (1919), backed up with Borodin's Overture and Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor.

The choral portion in the Dances is almost insignificant (and is often omitted), but the Firebird became a landmark audiophile LP during the late '70s. Other works that followed included Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Handel's Messiah, and Robert Russell Bennett's The Many Moods of Christmas.

By the mid-'80s the release pace at Telarc had quickened, and by the end of 1991 there were 20 CDs in the series. Two additional discs of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, recorded in France, have been released as well. Many of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus recordings were made possible by a grant from the Fulton County Arts Council, a division of the Fulton County ( Georgia) government.

The Atlanta recordings take place in the city's Sym phony Hall. Jack Renner de scribes the stage as quite large, and the orchestra shell sections can be moved to increase the space to the sides, to the back, and overhead.

The chorus is placed on risers behind the orchestra. The intent in moving the orchestra shell sections is to provide as much space around the chorus as possible. This minimizes reflections (and cancellations) that might cause coloration and also helps blend the choral sound with that of the orchestra.

The chorus is miked separately from the orchestra, as are any soloists.

If necessary, acoustical changes are made in the house. This technique first became apparent to me in the Berlioz Requiem, where the hall seemed to have taken on a significant increase in reverberation time. This was accomplished by laying down sections of ply wood over the absorptive seating in the house.

The following are brief comments on a few of my favorite 20th-century works:

Walton: "Belshazzar's Feast" (CD 80181).

The problems in performing and recording this 1930s oratorio arise from the sheer difficulty for all forces involved and from the rich orchestration, which includes two brass bands and an expanded percussion section.

The only thing missing in this performance is the optional organ part. The declamatory baritone solo part that connects the major sections of the work is superbly sung by William Stone. The engineering is first-rate, with ideal balances throughout and precise stereo imaging. (Of all the "Belshazzar" recordings, it should come as no surprise that the top three were all conducted by choral specialists--Robert Shaw, Roger Wagner, and David Willcocks ) Faure and Durufle: Requiems (CD 80135).

I believe this is the only coupling of these kindred works. They are at the "quiet" end of the requiem scale, far removed from the apocalyptic tone of Verdi and Berlioz. Both works make use of organ and limited instrumentation and were primarily written for liturgical use. They are unmistakably French, and both bear the same mystical imprint. Soloists in the Faure are Judith Blegen and James Morris.

Janadek: Glagolitic Mass (CD 80287). This stark work is a setting of the Old Church Slavonic text to the Mass. It is written in the typical fragmentary and motivistic style of Janatek, in which the text literally shapes the musical line. The soloists are Chris tine Brewer, Marietta Simpson, Karl Dent, and Roger Roloff.

Hindemith: "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" (CD-80132).

This haunting work is a secular requiem based on a text by Walt Whitman about the death of Abraham Lincoln. It was commissioned by Robert Shaw in 1946 on the sad occasion of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's death. Obviously, the work has great personal meaning to Shaw, and the recording stands as well as a tribute to its soprano soloist, the late Jan DeGaetani. William Stone is the baritone soloist.

The work goes on. Although Shaw retired from the helm of the Atlanta Symphony after 21 years, he remains Music Director Emeritus and Conducor Laureate and maintains an active recording schedule with Telarc.

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Robert Shaw Discography

In addition to the four discs discussed in the text, Telarc has issued the following CDs with Robert Shaw leading the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus:

• Stravinsky: Firebird Suite; Borodin: Overture and Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor (CD-80039)
• Orff: Carmina Burana (CD-80056)
• The Many Moods of Christmas, arranged by Robert Russell Bennett (CD-80087)
• Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem (CD-80092)
• Handel: Messiah (CD-80093-2CD)
• Berlioz: Requiem; Bioto: Prologue to Mefistofele; Verdi: Te Deum (CD-80109-2CD)
• Choral Masterpieces (CD-80119)
• Mozart: Requiem (CD-80128)
• Beethoven: Missa Solemnis; Mozart: Great Mass in C Minor (CD-80150)
• Verdi: Requiem and Operatic Choruses (CD-80152-2CD)
• Britten: War Requiem (CD-80157-2CD)
• Brahms: Alto Rhapsody; Gesang der Parzen; Nanie; Schicksalslied (CD-80176)
• Vivaldi: Gloria; Bach: Magnificat (CD-80194)
• Schubert: Masses 2 and 6 (CD-80212)
• Bach: Mass in B Minor (CD-80233-2CD)
• Beethoven: Mass in C; Elegiac Song; " Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage" (CD-80248)
• Verdi: Quattro Pezzi Sacri; Stravinsky: "Symphony of Psalms" (CD-80254)
• Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E Flat, "Symphony of a Thousand" (CD-80267)
• The following are with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers: Rachmaninoff: Vespers (CD-80172)
• Poulenc: Mass in G Major; other works (CD-80236)

(adapted from Audio magazine, Jun. 1992)

Also see:

Compact Discs -- Telarc Treat (July 1983)

Remasters of Living Stereo (Aug. 1993)

The Audio Interview--Jack Pfeiffer: RCA's Prince Charming (Nov. 1992)

The Audio Interview: Tom Frost--Master Producer (Apr. 1991)

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