This England
Sir Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Cockaigne (In London Town), Op. 40 [15:02]
Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958)
Symphony No. 5 in D major [38:20]
Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes, Opp. 33a
and 33b* [24:00]
Oregon Symphony Orchestra/Carlos Kalmar
rec. live, 18-19 February, *12-14 May, 2012, Arlene Schnitzer Concert
Hall,
Portland, Oregon. DSD
PENTATONE CLASSICS PTC 5186 471 SACD [77:29]
Just last year I was seriously impressed by the album Music for a Time
of
War by Carlos Kalmar and The Oregon Symphony (review).
My attention was grabbed not just by the quality of the music and the
exciting,
committed performances but also by the thoughtfulness with which the
programme
had been put together. This, their latest disc, is very slightly different
in
that, while the programme fits together well, this is not, I think, a
single
concert programme as was the case with the previous release; certainly the
Britten
was recorded at a different set of concerts.
Kalmar’s account of Cockaigne is a bustling affair; the music
teems
with life and colour, as it should. Once or twice I wondered if the fast
music
was being taken a shade too briskly, but to my surprise when I made some
quick
checks I found that long-admired recordings by Boult and Barbirolli
actually
take fractionally longer overall. Kalmar gives the sweeping, lyrical
passages
their full value and overall his reading of the piece is brilliant and
cheerful.
At the other end of the programme come the orchestral excerpts from
Peter
Grimes. Here Kalmar plays the Passacaglia between the third and fourth
interludes,
an entirely appropriate decision since that is the order in which these
extracts
occur in the full score. ‘Dawn’ is tensely atmospheric and I
admired
especially the great depth of tone that the low brass instruments produce
in
their quiet chorale-like passages. The performance of ‘Sunday
morning’
catches the gradually increasing bustle as the Borough comes to life. I
was
impressed with the way ‘Moonlight’ is presented; Kalmar
ensures
that what we hear is an evocation of an unsettled, even oppressive,
moonlight.
The Passacaglia is powerful and biting and then a potent, boiling
‘Storm’
is unleashed. Here the orchestra’s response is particularly
imposing:
there’s ample power and the accents and the percussion interjections
are
all delivered with whiplash attack; it’s all very exciting.
At the heart of the programme is Vaughan Williams’ serene Fifth
Symphony.
This was the first time I’d heard the work since I was lucky enough
to
experience English National Opera’s staging of Pilgrim’s
Progress
late last year (review).
There’s so much of Pilgrim in this symphony, not just the
direct
use of material in the Romanze movement but also in terms of ambience, and
I
found it a very special experience to return to the symphony after seeing
Pilgrim’s
Progress live on stage. Happily, it soon became apparent that I was
returning
to the symphony courtesy of a very fine performance.
Carlos Kalmar shapes the first movement very nicely, imparting proper flow
to
the music. The E major episode (from 3:34) glows warmly, the Oregon
strings
singing and their woodwind colleagues blending beautifully with them and
with
each other. The central paragraphs are invested with welcome energy and
Kalmar
builds this section very well indeed (5:27 - 7:22). If I were being
hyper-critical
I think that the movement’s climax (from 8:34) is perhaps thrust
home
a little too firmly but it’s a marginal call and overall I think the
reading
of this movement is a conspicuous success.
The half-lights of the Scherzo are done really well. The playing is alert
and
atmospheric. I loved the crisp but soft interjections from the heavy
brass.
Here, as throughout the performance, listeners will hear an abundance of
detail,
which is testament to the performers as well as to the engineers. The
glorious
and moving Romanze is very sensitively handled. The Oregon strings sound
very
well indeed; there’s just the right amount of weight to their
collective
tone and the sound has a lovely sheen. Not to be outdone, the woodwind
treat
us to some refined playing - sample the passage between 4:24 and 5:11 -
and
the climax around 8:30 glows. Near the end of the movement Sarah Kwak
contributes
some delectable violin solos. For these concerts she was the guest
concertmaster
but I believe she now holds the position permanently; I’m not
surprised
if this sweet-toned playing is typical of her. However, it’s almost
unfair
to single out an individual soloist since all the solo work is beautifully
done.
Kalmar and his players give a deeply satisfying account of the
movement’s
hushed ending. In the finale Kalmar brings out the confidence and good
nature
in the passacaglia. From 6:48 to the end of the symphony the playing is
captivating
with the strings and gentle woodwinds displaying great refinement.
This is a disc of no little distinction. Throughout the performances the
playing
is excellent and Carlos Kalmar conducts all three works with understanding
and
flair. The sound is very good indeed - I listened to this hybrid SACD as a
conventional
CD. As I indicated earlier a wealth of detail is brought out and the sound
certainly
shows this orchestra off to best advantage - the percussion is excitingly
present,
as is the brass section. The one slight caveat I would express is that in
the
louder passages - such as the last movement of the Britten and parts of
the
symphony’s finale - the recording is just a little close. Perhaps a
bit
more space around the orchestral sound might have brought even more
impressive
results. However, this is very marginal and other listeners, using other
equipment,
may hear things differently. In any event, the recording is still highly
successful
and I wasn’t surprised to see that several of the same recording
team
that brought us the Music for a Time of War album were involved
once
again. There is no applause after the music and even when listening
through
headphones I couldn’t detect any extraneous audience noise: the
music
lovers of Portland, Oregon must be a more disciplined, considerate bunch
than
some British audiences I’ve encountered. Steven Kruger’s
booklet
note is detailed and informative though on occasion I find his style a
rather
acquired taste.
I was sorry to read on the orchestra’s website
that in the current economic climate The Oregon Symphony has not been
immune
from the need for some recent belt-tightening, including the cancellation
of
their planned re-appearance at Carnegie Hall in May 2013. We must hope
that
the need for economies will soon be a thing of the past for on the
evidence
of the two discs of theirs that I’ve heard this is a fine orchestra,
worthy
of support. Happily, the budgetary constraints will not affect their
planned
release of a new disc in the near future and I await that with some
interest.
John Quinn
A disc of no little distinction.
Support us financially by purchasing this disc from |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|