Reviews in November 1996

Eduard Lalo (1823 - 1892)

Symphonie Espagnole, op. 21

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)

Violin Concerto No.1 in A, op. 30

Kyung-Wha Chung, violin / Montreal Symphony Orchestra / Charles Dutoit (Decca 411 952 - 2)

Kyung-Wha Chung is one of the finest and most well-loved violinists of this century; her interpretations are always thoughtful, musical, and the end-result unfailingly persuasive. She has made countless recordings, and I really cannot pinpoint more than one that is not good.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 "Spring"; Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120; Overture, Scherzo and Finale, Op. 52

Staatskapelle Dresden / Wolfgang Sawallisch, conducting (EMI CDM 7 69471 2)

While I'm not necessarily a great fan of Schumann, there are several works by him that everyone has to know and the piano concerto and the "Spring" symphony are among them. This symphony is a celebration of joy and hope and it was well received when it first came out. This is also the most recorded Schumann symphony and this mid-priced disc stands up well against its competitors. Although it's unlikely to surpass Karajan's seminal recording, the orchestra couples great precision with spontaneity and joie de vivre in the work. I particularly liked the Allegro animato e grazioso, which had an elegance and grace I thought charming.

There is also no lack of vigor in the Fourth symphony and Sawallisch again coaxes a very fine performance from the Dresden State Orchestra. This is certainly a darker and less optimistic work than the previous one and I was impressed by the fine details that Sawallisch is able to extract from the work. The Overture, Scherzo and Finale makes a welcome bonus and this makes this disc a super-bargain.

Although the sound is a little muted and somewhat distant, these are superb performances that rank close to Karajan's and the Schumann lover is well-advised to take a closer look at this disc.

Written by Melvin Yap

Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934)

The Planets, op. 32

Montreal Symphony Orchestra / Charles Dutoit (Decca 417 553 - 2)

This famous collection of symphonic works about astrology needs no introduction. English composer Gustav Holst, often cited as a one-work composer for The Planets is about the only thing in his vast output that is really well-known, is quite an underrated composer. On repeated listening of these marvellous works, one discovers how ingeniously Holst creates moods, conjures up realistic picturesque images with music, and toys with instrumental colour of each and every orchestral instrument with such cleverness and creativity. Some of these pieces are reminiscent of the great French impressionists, like Ravel and Debussy.

The Montreal Symphony and Charles Dutoit have had a long-time partnership that has produced much success. They are especially good at impressionistic pieces of the post-Romantic and 20th-century periods. The lush and warm strings are especially effective and moving in the slow numbers: Venus could not have been more serene and subtle; Saturn is appropriately pensive, yet never too heavy; and the mystic Neptune is so amazingly touching and revelatory with the distant voices of the female chorus of the Montreal Symphony. (This is clearly reminiscent of Debussy's Nocturnes, which also featured a similar finale.)

This orchestra was never well-known for power and punch, but these, they deliver in abundance in Jupiter, which is buoyant, lively, and totally enjoyable. Mercury is simply magical. Only Mars seems somewhat understated, but when delivered with such strict discipline and with much expert control over dynamics, the imagery of war is even more ironically apocalyptic and real in the soundscape that Dutoit and company create.

It helps that the Decca engineers afford the Montreal players top-drawer audiophile-quality digital sound. This is a first-class recording of a justly famous masterpiece. Well worth the sticker price, in my opinion!

Written by Lionel Choi

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op. 99

Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)

Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82

Itzhak Perlman / Israel Philharmonic Orchestra / Zubin Mehta (EMI CDC 7 49814 2)

These are amazingly different works although they were both written in the same century. In the Shostakovich violin concerto, we hear one of his very greatest masterpieces. Deceptively lugubrious when it starts, the work meanders from the dreamlike and meditative first movement to an angular and prickly Scherzo. What really bowls one over is the sheer brilliance and élan of the Burlesque. Grotesquely jolly, this movement requires incredible virtuosity from the performer, which Perlman seems to have by the bucketload. The excitement and dazzling bravura in that last bit of the final movement fairly took my breath away, with Perlman giving all he has. The ovation that concludes this live recording was surely well-deserved.

Hailing from another epoch and seemingly from a different world is the lovely, sweet concerto by Glazunov. Although a contemporary of Prokofiev and Stravinsky, he was strongly resisted the musical revolution engendered and preferred to be mired in the Romantic tradition of Borodin and Tchaikovsky. This is a very romantic work, lush and rich, with the technical fireworks that make it the showpiece that it is. The very greatest rendition of this work was given by that legend Heifetz and it is surely an accolade to Perlman that he is able to hold his own against the master in this charming work. Passionate yet restrained, lyrical yet showing panache, it is difficult not to be captivated by Perlman's playing.

This disc gives amazing value considering that it couples two fairly rare yet important works that should have a place in any collection. What is more, these are impressive performances, easily nearly the best for both works. The sound isn't fantastic but listeners should find it more than adequate. One more thing, Perlman's recordings typically have him recorded very closely. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it just emphasises his completely flawless technique but some people might find it uncomfortable.

Written by Melvin Yap

Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971)

Petrushka (1911 version); Le Sacré de Printemps (The Rite of Spring)

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Bernard Haitink (Philips 420 491 - 2 or 434 147 - 2)

This CD couples two of the greatest ballet scores of the 20th century by one of the most controversial composers of our time.

At the première of Le Sacré, a riot broke out. People raised a furore at how radically unmusical Stravinsky's ballet score was, and how it was so impossible to dance to. Critics panned it as sheer rubbish, and audiences demonstrated great distaste for a so horrifically inharmonious piece of work. Yet, ironically, it went on to become one of the greatest ballet scores of the 20th century, alongside those written by compatriot Sergei Prokofiev.

Le Sacré de Printemps is one work that takes a bit of getting used to. The music is scarily real in depicting pagan Russia, and the sequence where a young maiden dances till she drops dead and offered as a sacrifice to appease angry gods is particularly hysterical and frightening. There is, predictably, much savagery in the music, and Stravinsky generates much euphoria, senseless or otherwise, through punching rhythms and rough discordant chords with an organised cacophony of instrumental sounds seemingly in disarray. Noise, you might say. But on closer listening, this is actually a score that starts to show its unique appeal on greater familiarity. There is a certain magnetism in the music that compels and draws the listener in. Therein lies the genius of Stravinsky.

Bernard Haitink was never really considered a great interpreter of modern music. But here, he gives an account of Le Sacré that is powerful and convincing. Discipline is strict, and Haitink keeps the music very much in check and in control, much like Karajan's famous recording which the composer himself dismissed. But it is exactly that discipline and subtlety that make the music more ironic, pungent, and sarcastic. But the London Philharmonic do not quite match Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic in raw power to hammer the listener. But this is nonetheless a very fine account of this very difficult work.

Haitink seems a lot happier in Petrushka, which is itself a much more cheerful score about wooden puppets. I would even venture to say that this is one of the finest accounts of this ballet on CD. Rhythms are kept taut and resilient, much attention is paid to detail in the narrative aspects of the music, characterisations are brilliantly imaginative, and the atmosphere generated is appropriately festive in general. The orchestra play with exceptional skill and consummate artistry, and one is completely swept into the action as though the ballet were being staged right before our very eyes.

The recording from the 1970s is well-balanced and sufficiently detailed, though somewhat lacking in amplitude, which presents a slight disadvantage for Le Sacré.

Written by Lionel Choi