Stokowski’s
transcriptions - but not recorded by Stokowski?
Yes,
but how brilliantly they sound on this marvellous new Naxos
release conducted by José Serebrier who is served by excellent
Naxos sound. Serebrier, who contributes the concise, readable
and erudite notes, was, for five years, Stokowski’s Associate
Conductor at New York’s Carnegie Hall and was hailed by Stokowski
as “the greatest master of orchestral balance”.
Serebrier’s
readings of Stokowski’s arrangements are studied: meticulous
attention paid to orchestral colour, detail, perspectives,
clarity and transparency, dynamics, accents and phrasing.
One
of the most affecting selections is Stokowski’s arrangement
of Two Ancient Liturgical Melodies: the ninth century Veni
Creator Spiritus (‘Come Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire’)
and the lovely medieval Veni Emmanuel, the tune familiar
to us at Christmastide and used by Respighi in his Three
Botticelli Pictures. The two melodies, Veni Emmanuel climaxing
in a joyous outburst, are prefaced and separated by gently
receding, tolling bells. The arrangement of Handel’s Pastoral
Symphony continues in the same beauteous serenity. Even
more affecting is Stokowski’s arrangement of Purcell’s Dido music;
strings expressively layered and nuanced, and accents, and
solo cello phrasing sensitively enhancing the sobbing pathos
of this great Lament.
But
the emphasis in this collection is rightly on Stokowski’s
Bach transcriptions. The main work is the glorious Passacaglia
and Fugue in C minor. For the first performance of his transcription,
Stokowski wrote: “[It] is in music what a great Gothic Cathedral
is in architecture – the same vast conception, the same soaring
mysticism given eternal form. Whether played on the organ,
or on the greatest of all instruments - the orchestra – it
is one of the most divinely-inspired contrapuntal works ever
conceived.” Indeed. Stokowski’s arrangement reflects the
sonorous magnificence of a great cathedral organ and Serebrier
delivers an inspired reading that reaches such a glorious
tingling climax, it should leave you breathless.
The
remaining items are winsome transcriptions of favourite Bach
pieces, Stokowski cleverly changing the voicing, to maintain
interest and attain an appealing freshness, of each repeat
of the tune, that has attained pop-culture status, of Air
on the G string; and employing minimal forces - strings
and two flutes and two oboes - to tellingly underline the
tender fragility of Sheep may safely graze. The contrapuntal
magnificence of the ‘Giant’ and ‘Little’ fugues is wondrously
magnified in the full colours of the large symphony orchestra
and the deeply felt poignancy of Komm süsser Tod is
nicely realised, lower woodwinds and brass affectingly emulating
the gravitas of the organ pedal. Another sublime realisation
is the Stokowski arrangement of Bach’s touching Nun komm’ der
Heiden Heiland. (Come Thou Redeemer of our Race).
This
album is one of the best packaged of Naxos’s releases mostly,
I suspect, because the recording was “made possible through
generous grants from the Leopold Stokowski Society and the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Endowment Trust”. In addition
to Serebrier’s notes, there is a contribution, “Stokowski
and Bach” by Edward Johnson of the Leopold Stokowski Society,
and reproductions of three letters, dating from 1964/65,
from Stokowski to Serebrier, one of which includes this rather
enigmatic, cheeky assertion: “It is quite the contrary at
Trivi where we need a strong man who plays soccer, and always
brings a different girl.”
Sheer magnificence. Heartily
recommended.
Ian Lace
Bournemouth
Symphony Orchestra/José Serebrier 
for
details
