Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908)
Scheherazade Op.35 [45:44]
Russian Easter Festival Overture [15:33]
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Charles Dutoit
rec. Henry Wood Hall, London, 25-26 April 2010. Stereo. DDD
ONYX 4064 [60:88] 
Charles Dutoit is an old-ashioned sort of conductor, in a good way I mean;
he's somebody who pays attention to details and makes sure he gets the most
from his musicians. And unlike some his younger colleagues, he is not a conductor
who strives for excitement at the expense of every other musical virtue. He
can usually deliver the excitement as well, but when the energy drops, as
it occasionally does on this disc, we are left admiring the high quality of
the orchestral playing but in something of a musical vacuum.
The first movement suffers this the most. All the notes are there, and it
isn't particularly slow. But there is a lack of drive in many of the passages.
All of the abrupt tempo changes are perfectly executed, but there is rarely
much enthusiasm for the follow-on section when it has been established. The
second movement too could do with a bit more oomph. Admittedly, Rimsky-Korsakov
doesn't really write this as a high energy scherzo, but it could still do
with a little more zest than here.
That apart, this is a good recording. The energy certainly picks up in the
finale, and I've no complaints at all about the Russian Easter Festival
Overture. The RPO play well, although they are not quite managing the
same top standards as other London orchestras at the moment. The string sound
is a little coarse, and the tuning of the brass often leaves much to be desired.
On the other hand, the woodwind section puts in an excellent performance,
with real character to their various solos and ensembles.
I sense a tension between the violin soloist Clio Gould and Dutoit. All the
violin solos are interpreted very freely, with lashings of rubato and some
wonderfully distinctive phrase shaping. But then the orchestra comes in and
everything immediately settles down to an even conformity. They evidently
have different ideas about the piece, and the violin solos often sound like
they have been transplanted from somewhere else. That's not necessarily a
fault, in fact it fits quite neatly into the narrative, with the wilful Scheherazade
getting her own way, and achieving independence - or at least survival - on
her own terms.
The sound quality is good. There is detail in the orchestral sound, although
this being R-K there could always be room for more. The packaging includes
three different photographs of the orchestra playing at the Festival Hall,
which is somewhat deceptive given that this recording was made at the Henry
Wood Hall. But the acoustic there is better anyway, and it certainly benefits
the audio.
So, a good Scheherazade and an excellent Russian Easter Festival.
This is not quite vintage Dutoit, but it is a recording that benefits from
his many years of experience. As I mentioned, he is a conductor who really
knows how to get the best out of an orchestra, and his continuing association
with the RPO can only work in their favour. My only real objection is that
the first movement in particular is a bit limp, but the later movements of
the symphony and the overture at the end are all magnificent.
Gavin Dixon
Dutoit really knows how to get the best out of an orchestra.