One has to be very cautious in using the word ‘great’
when discussing performing artists for fear that the term be devalued.
However, I believe its use is justified when one speaks of the Italian
conductor, Carlo Maria Giulini (1914-2005). The centenary of the maestro’s
birth is being celebrated by Warner Classics with several boxed sets
reissuing the recordings that he made in London and elsewhere for
EMI. This box, as its title confirms, focuses on recordings that he
made in London of orchestral repertoire – many of his concerto
recordings are contained in a companion box. They were made mainly
with the Philharmonia Orchestra, or the New Philharmonia Orchestra
as it became for some years when Walter Legge cut it loose. Giulini,
along with Klemperer, remained loyal to the players at that time,
to the eternal credit of both conductors.
Within this box you will find Giulini’s Brahms symphony cycle;
the last three Dvořák symphonies; several pieces by Ravel
and Debussy as well as other reminders of his twentieth-century repertoire.
There’s Beethoven, Schumann, Haydn, Rossini and Verdi. Sadly
there’s no Mozart but one can’t have everything. Inevitably,
in a substantial box such as this there are some performances that
may disappoint individual collectors and you may not agree with every
interpretative decision. However, within this set you will find consistently
fastidious, carefully considered and scrupulously prepared performances.
You will also find a complete absence of flashiness or self-promotion.
Such was not Giulini’s way: he was always at the service of
the composer and the music.
A box of this size is not something that can be rushed, especially
when the music-making is of such quality: one needs to savour it gradually
and let it settle. Therefore, even after having had the box for several
weeks I freely admit that I haven’t listened to all 21 hours
of the contents. However, I have listened to the majority of the performances
and certainly to sufficient of them to be able to evaluate the contents.
Most of the works in this collection could fairly be described as
standard core repertoire. However, there’s nothing ‘standard’
or routine about the performances. There’s no attempt to make
points for the sake of it nor to search officiously for something
“different” to say about the music – that would
have been anathema to Giulini. Instead, the listener can sense that
the contents of every bar have been carefully considered during scrupulous
preparation. So, for example, on Disc 1 we hear a burnished account
of the ‘Unfinished’ Symphony. The first movement is darkly
dramatic, the second easeful. There’s also what I can only describe
as a cultivated reading of Haydn’s ‘Surprise’ Symphony.
I’m not sure the Beethoven recordings show Giulini at his best
though all are intensely musical. I enjoyed the ‘Pastoral’.
The first movement, though perhaps too steadily paced for some tastes,
is refined and cultivated. The second movement’s brook flows
in an unhurried way yet no detail on either bank escapes his perceptive
glance; the music is elegantly shaped. The storm is dramatic while
the concluding hymn of thanksgiving is nobly sung and very satisfying.
The Eighth, however, doesn’t really recover from an account
of the first movement that is too earthbound and misses the sense
of gaiety and thrust. The other movements are better but I’ve
heard many accounts of this symphony that have better conveyed Beethoven’s
bluff good humour and dynamic energy. The ‘Choral’ suffers
from a sluggish first movement; the tempi are too steady and the music
lacks tension and electricity. Matters improve somewhat in the inner
movements. The scherzo is much better; there’s greater animation
and incisiveness. In the slow movement Giulini seems to latch on especially
to the cantabile instruction in the tempo marking; his performance
is glowing and noble. Unfortunately the finale is rather a let-down.
The singing and playing is decent enough but the performance never
quite takes off. John Phillips reviewed
all three of these performances when they were issued as a set some
time ago.
I’m not sure if Giulini recorded any of Schumann’s symphonies
apart from this version of the ‘Rhenish’. If not, that’s
a pity because I enjoyed this performance very much, especially the
first movement which is ebullient, the Philharmonia horns ringing
out splendidly, Incidentally, Giulini uses Mahler’s re-orchestration
of the work. While auditioning this box I took a break to review
Sir Simon Rattle’s new set of the Schumann symphonies and I
was interested to hear Rattle remark that years ago Giulini urged
him to investigate Das Paradies und die Peri. I see that some time
ago Christopher Howell reviewed
very favourably a live performance of this very work conducted by
Giulini in 1974. I believe this recording is still available.
It’s great to have all four of the Brahms symphonies here. All
are very fine though the tempi are often more spacious than we have
become accustomed to hearing from many conductors in recent years.
That’s certainly true in the First Symphony though I find the
performance admirable. The Second is given a distinguished reading.
I love the generous phrasing and lyrical approach in the first movement
while Giulini is searching in the second movement, once again taking
great care over phrasing. Ideally, I’d like more urgency in
the finale but there’s still fire there and conductor and orchestra
make the conclusion exultant. The first movement of the Third is perhaps
a bit deliberate: Giulini doesn’t quite get across the confidence
and surge in the music. However, he certainly ‘gets’ the
serenade-like quality of the second movement. The finale, too, is
on the steady side – one doesn’t feel that there’s
enough suppressed energy in the opening pages – however, once
the allegro gets into its stride Giulini brings out the strength in
the music and he does the glowing, reflective closing pages marvellously.
The Fourth is a bit more problematic, though much of it is also very
impressive, especially a powerfully projected finale. However, the
performance is let down somewhat by the way Giulini plays the third
movement. The speed is too steady for my taste and the reading doesn’t
convey the essential brio.
I was particularly glad to find a disc containing two of my favourite
Tchaikovsky works, though they are very different from each other.
Giulini gives an agile account of the Little Russian Symphony. His
Francesca da Rimini may not be as volatile as, say, Stokowski’s
famous New York account but even so the outer sections are dramatic
and powerful while the central love music is suitably red-blooded.
I enjoyed this disc a lot. Superficially the performance of the Pathétique
may seem underpowered by comparison with some more volatile interpretations
but Giulini doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, especially
in the outer movements. There’s plenty of feeling in the way
he plays both of these movements but the approach is patrician and
I like it a lot. In particular the relative restraint in the finale
is moving.
His Dvořák is very rewarding. The performance of the Eighth
Symphony is beautifully proportioned and warm: expectations are immediately
raised by the way in which the opening theme is sung and those expectations
are met. The slow movement is immaculately shaped and Giulini’s
account of the finale is wholly convincing. He is just as convincing
in the darker music of the Seventh. The first movement is by turns
dramatic and winningly lyrical while the Scherzo is a charmer. The
finale is strong and thrusting with the London Philharmonic, on their
sole appearance in this set, responding splendidly to Giulini. The
New World is very well done and on the same disc there’s a refreshing
performance of the Carnival Overture.
Giulini was a noted exponent of the Ravel and Debussy scores that
are included here. In passing, I wonder why it should be that so many
Italian conductors have excelled in La Mer: one thinks of Cantelli
and Toscanini as well as Giulini. Giulini’s approach is very
different to theirs. His fastidious attention to colour and balance
serves the music very well but there’s also excellent spirit
to his reading of these pieces. I also enjoyed his supple account
of the Nocturnes very much. He shapes the subtleties of the two outer
movements with great refinement while there’s plenty of colour
and dash in Fêtes. I see that Gwyn Parry-Jones was also impressed
by Giulini in this repertoire (review).
The Ravel pieces are all enticing. I love Ma Mère l’Oye
and I found Giulini’s performance of it beguiling and satisfying,
nowhere more so than in the concluding Jardin Féerique,
which he builds beautifully. I so wish he’d had a chorus for
the Daphnis et Chloé suite; it’s such a vital
ingredient and the music isn’t the same in its purely orchestral
guise. Nonetheless, this is excellent.
There’s a generous helping of Rossini overtures. Highlights
of a hugely enjoyable collection include Guillaume Tell in
which the introduction is really well done – the Philharmonia’s
cello section is on superb form at the start – while the main
allegro has terrific dash. There’s also a sparkling
account of La Cenerentola. La gazza ladra is very
entertaining while Il Barbiere di Siviglia is vivacious.
The penultimate disc offers a selection of music – the Introduction
and four dances – from El sombrero de tres picos. Perhaps
the Introduction is a little on the relaxed side but overall Falla’s
colourful music is very well done. The suite from L’Oiseau
de feu is very fine. The Introduction is full of tension while
‘Rondes des princesses’ is expertly sculpted – yet
another reminder of Giulini’s refined musical sensibilities.
By contrast Kashtchei’s Dance is explosive, the percussion thwacks
are like whip-cracks. There’s more refinement in the ‘Berceuse’
– the bassoon solo is beguiling – while the ‘Finale’
is imposing. There are also a couple of reminders of how well Giulini
could conduct the music of Britten - an even more potent reminder
is the 1969 live performance of War Requiem, which he co-conducted
with Britten (BBC Legends BBCL 4046-2). In this present collection
the Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes are very
well done. Moonlight is sophisticated and atmospheric while
Storm is suitably elemental. I remember this and the performance
of The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra from LP
days, not least the wonderful hollow sound of the bass drum in Young
Person’s Guide. What I didn’t know until now –
the information is contained in Raymond Holden’s booklet note
– is that the recording of Young Person’s Guide
won a Grammy Award in 1965 for Best Engineered Classical Album. Parts
of Giulini’s reading are a little on the steady side –
I always think of portly Aldermen when I hear the trombone/tuba variation
and that impression is certainly reinforced here – but it’s
a very good performance nonetheless, culminating in an exciting account
of the fugue.
The last disc in the box is given over to a documentary feature about
Giulini made by Jon Tolansky for the American radio station WFMT to
mark the maestro’s ninetieth birthday. It’s been issued
before on disc at least once, when it was coupled with some of the
conductor’s Brahms recordings (review).
It includes extracts from a number of recordings and also features
comments from Giulini himself, recorded in Milan in December 2003.
He was an old man by then and age together with his accented English
mean that one has to concentrate to hear what he has to say but it’s
well worth the effort. There are comments from a number of people
who worked with the maestro during his career, including Lord Harewood
and some who played for him in the Philharmonia and in the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra. What comes across is the modesty, dedication,
musicality and sheer humanity of the man. It’s a most interesting
feature. One story that impressed me was related by Adolph ‘Bud’
Herseth (1921-2013), the renowned principal trumpeter of the Chicago
Symphony from 1948 to 2001. Herseth recalls Giulini’s debut
with the orchestra in 1955 at the invitation of Fritz Reiner who was
about to take a two-week holiday. Before leaving Reiner told his players
that in his absence they would be led by Giulini, who he described
to them as ‘a very special person’. Herseth notes that
this was the only time that Reiner ever introduced a guest conductor
in this way.
I mentioned a moment ago that the recording of Britten’s Young
Person’s Guide to the Orchestra won a Grammy Award for
engineering. In fact all the recordings in this box are very good
and few allowances have to be made for them on age grounds. Mind you,
the engineers involved included Robert Gooch, Douglas Larter and Christopher
Parker so perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised at the quality
of the sound. Giulini was also accorded the services of some of EMI’s
top producers, including Robert Kinloch Anderson, Christopher Bishop
and a certain Walter Legge. All of the recordings were made either
in EMI’s No 1 Studio at Abbey Road or in the much-missed Kingsway
Hall. Giulini would be the first to insist on credit being given to
the musicians who gave these performances under his direction. The
orchestral playing is consistently excellent and above all this set
reminds us what a fantastic orchestra the Philharmonia was in these
years, especially when inspired by a conductor to whom they were clearly
devoted.
In addition to this box Warner has also released as part of its centenary
tribute a box of concerto recordings conducted by Giulini. You can
read Stephen Greenbank’s review here.
They’ve also reissued EMI’s four-disc box of the maestro’s
recordings made in Chicago while he was principal guest conductor
of the Chicago Symphony (4317522). That box is well worth acquiring,
not least for the incandescent extracts from Berlioz’s Roméo
et Juilette.
This set of discs contains wonderful performances. One might quibble
with a detail here or there but that’s almost an impertinence
in the face of such dedicated musicianship. I said at the start that
I’m wary of using the word ‘great’ but no one listening
to these recordings could fail to realise that they are the work of
one of the truly great conductors of the twentieth century.
John
Quinn
Disc and performance details
Philharmonia Orchestra
*New Philharmonia Orchestra
**London Philharmonic Orchestra
***London Symphony Orchestra
CD1 [75:05]
Franz Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809) Symphony No.94 ‘Surprise’ [20:23]
Luigi BOCCHERINI (1743-1805) Symphony in C minor, Op. 41 [15:58]
Overture in D, Op. 43 [6:23]
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Symphony No.8 D759 ‘Unfinished’ [22:45]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Egmont Overture, Op 84* [9:11]
CD2 [72.37]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Symphony No 6 in F major, Op. 68, ‘Pastoral’* [44:53]
Symphony No 8 in F major, Op. 93*** [27:32]
CD3 [72.32]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Symphony No.9 in D minor, Op. 125*** [72:32]
Sheila Armstrong (soprano); Anna Reynolds (contralto); Robert Tear (tenor); John Shirley-Quirk (baritone)/London Symphony Chorus
CD4 [77.33]
Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1808) Overtures
La scale di sieta [6:17]
Il signor Bruschino [4:450]
Tancredi [6:28]
L’italiana in Algeri [8:04]
Il Barbiere di Siviglia [7:29]
La Cenerentola [8:34]
La gazza ladra [10:31]
Semiramide [12:51
Guillaume Tell [12:23]
CD5 [69.48]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Symphony No.3 in E flat, Op 97 ‘Rhenish’ (Re-orchestrated by Gustav Mahler) [32:19]
Manfred, Op 115 – Overture [11:53]
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901) Preludes & Overtures
La Traviata – Prelude to Act 1 [4:20]
Prelude to Act III [3:59]
I vespri siciliani – Overture [9:07]
La forza del destino – Overture [7:56]
CD6 [70.35]
César FRANCK (1822-1890) Symphony in D minor [39:41]
Psyché et Éros [9:08]
Georges BIZET (1838-1875) Jeux d’enfants [10:49]
Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1891) Night on Bare Mountain [10:39]
CD7 [60.36]
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op. 68 [47:13]
Tragic Overture, Op. 81 [13:20]
CD8 [76.52]
Johannes BRAHMS Symphony No 2 in D major, Op. 73 [41:44]
Symphony No 3 in F major, Op. 90 [35:05]
CD9 [62.17]
Johannes BRAHMS Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98* [43:31]
Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op 56a [18:46]
CD10 [56.04]
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony No.2 in C minor, Op 17 ‘Little Russian’ [31:03 ]
Francesca da Rimini, Op 32 [24:51]
CD11 [67.12]
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.6 in B minor, ‘Pathétique’ [47:11]
Romeo and Juliet – Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare [19:54]
CD12 [79.01]
Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Symphony No 7 in D minor, Op 70** [40:45]
Symphony No 8 in G major, Op 88 [38:16]
CD13 [64.51]
Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No.9 in E minor, Op 95 ‘From the New World’ [40:57] Carnival Overture, Op 92 [9:34]
Scherzo capriccioso, Op 66 [14:01]
CD14 [76.57]
Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) La Mer [25:23]
Nocturnes [26:31]
Philharmonia Chorus (Ladies’ Voices)
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Alborada del gracioso (Miroirs) [7:46]
Daphnis et Chloé – Suite No.2 [16:53
CD15 [66.49]
Maurice RAVEL Ma Mère l’Oye [17:16]
Pavane pour une infante Défunte [6:55]
Rapsodie espagnole [16:16]
Manuel de FALLA (1876-1946) El amor brujo [26:22]
Victoria de los Angeles (soprano)
CD16 [76.23]
Manuel de FALLA El sombrero de tres picos [18:32]
Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) L’Oiseau de feu – Suite [21:52]
Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976) Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op 33a [17:09]
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op 43 [18:42]
CD17 [76.38]
Carlo Maria Giulini: A Profile
Documentary by Jon Tolansky
