| LATEST REVIEW | Tchaikovsky's 4th
Cantelli, 1954
Koussevitzky, 1949
| PASC245 Cantelli
PASC247 Koussevitzky
Review by Bob Briggs, MusicWeb International
Here are two historical documents of prime importance. They represent the old world, Koussevitzky had studied with Arthur Nikisch in Berlin, and the new, Cantelli studied at the Milan Conservatory under Arrigo Pedrollo. Both recordings were made two years before the conductors died, thus both are the work of musicians at the very end of their careers, but here's the irony. Koussevitzky's interpretation is the result of half a century of music-making, whereas Cantelli's professional career was only ten years old at the time of this performance.
Both are totally electrifying, Cantelli having the edge in that his is a live performance and thus there is that added tension which one gets from such an event. Tension is the hallmark of the first movement, and Cantelli drives the music irrevocably forwards, there's even an underlying nervousness in the jaunty second theme. It's a hard fought battle and the end is devastating in its power. This is a very special interpretation indeed. The slow movement is richer than one might expect, and the middle section dances, not gaily but with a purpose. Some may feel that it borders on the heavy-handed but Cantelli is always just the right side of letting the music get out of hand. Whilst the winsomeness of the marvellous oboe tune is somewhat lost in the overall conception, he makes his vision work with very satisfactory results. The scherzo is delightfully fun-filled, with vibrant pizzicato strings, sparkling woodwinds and bluff brass. This is a very nicely conceived interlude before the fiery finale taken at a slightly deliberate tempo, which gives time for the fantastic runs to register cleanly and clearly. This is a fantastic performance, it's in superb sound and we are given a little of the audience's enthusiasm at the end - which one wants to join for one feels elated. Rossini's La Cenerentola Overture makes for a delicious makeweight.
Whereas Cantelli, the young man, might think that fate cannot affect him and thus gives a dangerously vibrant account of Tchaikovsky's 4th, the older Koussevitzky understands the inevitability of kismet and thus he sees the first movement as music full of nervous energy, restless, questing. Here the second subject is held back, looking for its place in the grand scheme of things. Whereas Cantelli sticks to his tempo from start to finish Koussevitzky pulls it around to suit his emotional thoughts. Both readings work equally well and it is testimony to Tchaikovsky's skill that he can create a work which can take two such different approaches. Cantelli may have delivered a rich sound to the slow movement, but it's as nothing compared to the death by sumptuous orchestral textures Koussevitzky gives us. This does go slightly over-the-top, but there's sincerity in every bar and thus we know that it's well meant and has been considered prior to recording. The scherzo is fast, almost too fast, and there is the slight feeling of discomfort from the poor strings who pluck as fast as they can - excitement seems to be on Koussevitzky's agenda for this movement, rather than playfulness. But again, with all three elements of the music taken into consideration it's obviously exactly how the conductor sees the music, and one cannot argue with a well thought out interpretation. The finale is a tour de force of orchestral playing and it's certainly exciting. The Waltz from the Serenade for Strings was issued as the coupling for the Symphony and it has a very nice dancing lilt to it.
Koussevitzky's complete recording of the Serenade is in a closer, and drier, acoustic and this tends to emphasise the hardness of the strings. That said, it cannot disguise a very well thought out, if occasionally hard-driven, performance. Tempi are standard and unsurprising, and the large string body is well captured. The upper strings have a glassy sheen to them and I don't know if this is because of Koussevitzky or the recording engineer. This performance isn't for the casual listener, it's far too specialised in its outlook, and the sound might not be found to be acceptable. For a full red-bloodied account of the Serenade go to Barbirolli's 1964 recording with the London Symphony (EMI Phoenixa 63962. coupled with a fiery account of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony in a 1959 Hallé account).
As to the Symphony both these disks offer excellent performances, albeit different interpretations. The sound on Cantelli's recording is the better of the two, and Koussevitzky offers a heavier view of the work. I will not be drawn. Buy them both, you won't be disappointed as both performances are worthy of attention.
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CONTENTS
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Editorial Welcome to 2011!
Stokowski His 1960 Philadelphia Return Concert in Full
Klemperer Live Mahler 2nd with Ferrier & Vincent, 1951
PADA Mitropoulos conducts Stravinsky's Petroushka
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Editorial - Welcome to 2011In the near six years since Pristine Classical was launched, in February 2005, the passing of each calendar year has been perhaps a bigger deal for us than for most music businesses. It is on the first day of January each year that a new tranche of recordings passes into the public domain here in Europe - back in 2005 it was the recordings made in 1954 which were now open to restoration and remastering without licences; this week we've moved finally into a new decade, with recordings published or broadcast in 1960 passed out of copyright and into the public domain on 1st January 2011. Only time will tell whether this will continue - efforts by the major record companies to get European legislation changed appeared to be going ahead in 2009 but since then appear to have stalled. But we're getting perilously close to the first commercial recordings by The Beatles falling into public domain ownership, so expect another big push on this front soon. If it's successful, sadly it may mean that further concerts such as this week's Stokowski 1960 Philadelphia Return, transferred from the conductor's own tapes, may end up languishing in the vaults as a result of their taking place in 1961 and 1962 - only time will tell. Whilst we have on occasion licensed recordings for release, in general this is an option which falls far beyond our means. Commercial recordings can cost thousands for a short-term limited licence, whilst artists' broadcast contracts can create legal minefields that even the major broadcasters themselves can't traverse. Pristine Classical's business model involves selling generally small quantities of individual recordings from a large and ever-growing catalogue. Gone are the days, it would appear, where a Stokowski release might be subject to a 2000 CD press run for global distribution - the sales have simply dried up, and with them a number of companies previously operating in this field (not helped, it has to be said, by increasingly restrictive copyright laws in the USA and the Naxos vs. EMI court case a few years ago which saw so many historic recordings being removed from American record store shelves for good). It's not all doom and gloom in this field - we may have lost some big names in the field of historic recordings over recent years, and seen others severely scale back their activities, but this month also sees the launch of a new label, ICA Classics, offering an initial catalogue of 8 CDs and 18 DVDs, to be launched on 24th January. The mastermind behind this label - a long-standing friend and supporter of Pristine's - has long associations with a number of very successful record companies and we wish this new venture well. Like our own issues, the majority of ICA Classic releases will most likely be drawn from the European public domain. The passing last Saturday into the public domain of all the 1960 recordings will, I hope, bring forward more gems for a number of historic music companies. Great recordings are surely languishing either on unissued tapes or on long-forgotten shelves of LPs, and so I've been wondering whether readers of this newsletter might have suggestions for me to follow up. What would you like to see in a Pristine XR remastered release? There are a couple of crucial criteria: 1 - The recording must have been published in 1960 (this is defined as having been either issued on record or broadcast during 1960, regardless of the original recording date) 2 - The recording must be one I can be reasonably expected to be able to lay my hands upon! It's not unusual to receive e-mails with suggestions which involve the near-impossible tracking down of semi-mythical recordings which, if they do actually exist, fetch such astronomical sums on the rare occasions they become available as to be just as uneconomical as the thousands a major label charges for limited reissue licences from their masters! Your suggestions therefore, please, to andrew@pristineaudio.com - I can't promise to reply to them all, but will certainly read them with great interest! Andrew Rose, January 7th, 2011
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STOKOWSKI The 1960
Philadelphia Return
MOZART Marriage of Figaro Overture [notes / score] DE FALLA El Amor Brujo [notes / score]RESPIGHI The Pines of Rome [notes / score]SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 in C minor [notes]Live in full stereo at the Academy of Music; Philadelphia, 12 February 1960
Transferred by Pristine Classical from Stokowski's own open-reel tapes
Shirley Verrett-Carter, mezzo-soprano The Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Leopold StokowskiWeb page: PASC 264
Short Notes
Having made his name and reputation as principal conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra between 1912 and 1940, Stokowski's return to conduct the orchestra for the first time in nearly 20 years on 12th February 1960 was a major event.
Pristine Classical can now offer the entire concert as broadcast in full stereo, including commentary by the orchestra's assistant conductor William Smith, in top quality transfers from Stokowski's own open-reel tapes; as supplied to him by the radio broadcaster.
Highlights include an unreleased early appearance, her first with this orchestra, by mezzo Shirley Verrett in de Falla's Un Amor Brujo. But the star of the show is surely Stokowski's finest ever rendition of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, long prized by bootleg recording collectors but never before issued. Don't miss it!
MP3 Sample - Shostakovich 5th Symphony, 4th mvt. ListenDownload purchase links: Stereo MP3Stereo 16-bit FLACStereo 24-bit FLACCD purchase links and all other information: PASC 264 - webpage at Pristine Classical
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KLEMPERER conducts Mahler's Resurrection Symphony
MAHLER Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection' [notes / score]Recorded Holland Festival, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 12th July, 1951 Jo Vincent, soprano
Kathleen Ferrier, contralto
Holland Festival Chorus
Concertgebouw Orchestra conductor Otto KlempererWeb page: PASC 265
Short Notes
This legendary 1951 concert performance of Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony has long been recognised as one of the greatest on record. Featuring the conducting of Mahler's protégée Otto Klemperer, without doubt one of the composer's finest interpreters, it is also notable for excellent performances both from Jo Vincent and, of course Kathleen Ferrier.
Despite the recording's origin on 78rpm acetate discs, sound quality is fine throughout, if lacking in very high treble, and this new XR remastering has succeeded in bringing out the full dynamic impact of Mahler's epic work captured by Dutch radio engineers some 60 years ago, with a cleaner, clearer and fuller sound than ever previously available.
MP3 Sample - 5th Movement, 2nd half ListenDownload purchase links: mono MP3mono 16-bit FLACAmbient Stereo 16-bit FLAC Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLACCD purchase links and all other information: PASC 265 - webpage at Pristine Classical
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 | | Dimitri Mitropoulos |
PADA Exclusives
Streamed MP3s you can also download
STRAVINSKY
Petroushka (1911 version)
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York
Conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos
Recorded 5th March 1951
Columbia LP: ML-4438
This transfer is presented with Ambient Stereo remastering by Dr. John Duffy.
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