Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Scythian Suite,
Op. 20 (1914-15) [17:42]
Alban BERG (1885-1935) Symphonic Pieces from the opera Lulu
(Lulu-Suite) (1934) [29:05]
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Ach! Ich fühl's, es ist
verschwunden, Pamina’s aria from Die Zauberflöte (1791)
[3:03]
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony No. 6 in B minor,
Op. 74, (Pathétique) (1893) [45:34]
Anna Prohaska (soprano)
Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela/Claudio Abbado
rec. live, Lucerne Festival (Concert Hall of the Culture and Convention Center),
Lucerne, 18-19 March 2010
Picture Format DVD: NTSC 16:9; Sound Formats DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1., DTS
5.1, PCM Stereo; Region Code: 0 (worldwide); Booklet notes: texts in German;
Disc Format: DVD 9
ACCENTUS MUSIC ACC20101 [95:24]
To those who may be unaware, the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra is among the
finest youth orchestras in the world. They have recorded extensively over
the years, particularly for Deutsche Grammophon and Dorian. Founded in 1975,
they offer a regular slate of concerts and concert tours and are led (since
1999) by the dynamic young conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who also holds the post
of music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and who can be
seen in the audience at the start of this concert.
Claudio Abbado has guest-conducted the orchestra many times and here leads
them quite impressively in all works. The Prokofiev Scythian Suite is
given a brisk reading: in Abbado’s Chicago Symphony recording from 1978 for
DG, his tempos were much more mainstream, the whole clocking in at 20:38,
compared with this performance’s 17:42. That’s a nearly three-minute difference,
but the music still comes across well in this live effort, not least because
of the youthful zest and talent of the Simon Bolivar players. Nothing sounds
rushed here, only spirited and lively. Abbado’s CSO reading was powerful and
detailed, and other performances, like the Dorati/Mercury from around 1960
and the Mata/Dorian from 1991 were also fine efforts. But this Scythian
Suite, because it’s both an audio and video production, lets you see the
vast orchestra - Prokofiev calls for 150 or more performers in the score -
which includes nine players on percussion, two each on harp and celesta, and
all kinds of reinforcements in the brass and string sections. It’s quite a
sonic spectacular and a sight to behold, giving this already solid performance
an added advantage over most others.
In the Berg Lulu Suite Abbado is once again very brisk: his 1970 DG
recording with the London Symphony Orchestra clocked in at 33:49, compared
with this one’s 29:05! The stopwatch doesn’t necessarily tell a great deal,
but one can observe that Abbado has generally become faster over the years
in works he regularly conducts. [There is in this recording a cut of two minutes
in the first movement] Yet, his interpretations seem to have gained greater
spirit, maybe even greater depth. This Lulu Suite is simply splendid,
and again much of the credit must go to the Simon Bolivar players. Anna Prohaska,
in her relatively small role here, turns in fine work too: her high notes
are especially impressive and her shriek near the end is chilling and powerful.
Her Mozart aria is fine too, if a little stiff.
The Tchaikovsky Sixth runs against Abbado’s tendency toward faster tempos:
here he delivers the work with fairly mainstream pacing and, at 45:34, takes
almost two minutes longer than his 1986 Chicago Symphony recording on DG.
The first movement introduction is taken slowly, and the rest is paced quite
judiciously. Some of the woodwinds play a little stiffly in delivering the
exposition of the dark main theme, but the strings perform the famous sad
theme with great feeling and melting beauty. The development section comes
across with both fierceness and desperation. On the whole the first movement,
then, is fully convincing, if not of transcendental quality.
The middle movements are played with spirit and accuracy, and the finale comes
across with great feeling in its sense of resignation and loss. In the end,
one must assess this as a fine account, but lacking that last bit of virtuosity
and commitment heard on versions by Gergiev, Maazel, Ormandy and Bernstein
- though one must disqualify his absurdly bloated 1986 version on DG. The
sound on all works is good but a bit cushioned. The camera-work is excellent
throughout.
Robert Cummings
A sonic spectacular and a sight to behold.