This
is a first CD release for this 1954-55 Swan Lake, famously
and idiosyncratically rearranged by the eminent conductor
so that the second Act comes first, the Third Act second
and the first Act brings up the rear. And just to complete
things the Act 3 Scene concludes things, following
on from Act I’s Coda of the Pas de deux. Stokowski
being Stokowski this all works fine, and unless your purist
and terpsichorean hackles rise at the impudence of the
London-born magician you will soon submit to most of his
blandishments.
These
include the gorgeous liquidity of Act 2 No.10 – which opens
the set – and the instrumental excellence of the orchestra.
Listen to the anticipatory rasp of the New York trombones
in Act II or to the splendid oboe principal, who plays
in a most distinguished fashion throughout. Then there
are the violin and cello solos. I assume the evocative
playing in Act I’s Andante (track 19) and in Act
II’s Pas d’action is by concertmaster Mischa Mischakoff
and that he is joined in the latter by Frank Miller, though
there’s no indication of this anywhere, as doubtless there
wasn’t at the time. Mischakoff in particular shows once
more his characteristically sweet and vibrant tone, with
its fast vibrato, whilst Miller is patrician and elegance
itself. The brass calls are crisp and dramatic, with a
fat cornet tone being richly evoked in the Danse napolitaine. The
orchestra as I say plays throughout with gutsy drama and
Stokowski encourages some lissom articulation, which sometimes
borders on the inconsiderate, should you be a dancer. Flair
is paramount here, fleetness too and richly characterised
movements that attest to Stokowski’s affectionate warmth.
True,
yes, there are some distractions; fine though it is to
hear so nimble a harpist, the instrument is over-recorded
to a draconian degree. The same is true for the unnatural
spotlighting of the clarinet, especially in the Moderato
assai of Act II – and elsewhere too. Speeds, as noted,
can be over-fast. But with that naughty addition of the
Drigo interpolation this is an enjoyable melange, wrong
order or not, and not to be missed by the Stokowski collector.
To
complete the collection we have some rather camp classics.
Willi Boskovsky would not necessarily approve of Stokowski’s
way with Johann Strauss – there’s even a Hawaiian electric/steel
(?) guitar in the mix of Tales from the Vienna Woods, which
must have raised a sardonic smile from the conductor. There
is some Turkish flim-flam to conclude, the Beethoven taking
advantage of spatial knob turning to make its point to
maximal effect.
The
notes as always in this series are both helpful and well
written. The Swan Lake is in mono – it was
originally recorded in stereo as well but the stereo tapes
have disappeared. The sound is very good, too; there’s
some residual very high-level hiss and some rumble on the
tapes as well but you’d have to go looking for it to find
it.
Plenty
of entertainment and incident here and the usual ration
of Stokowski idiosyncrasy.
Jonathan
Woolf
see also review by Rob Barnett
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