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Zoltán KODÁLY
(1882-1967)
Háry János Suite [24:21]
Dances of Galánta [16:56]
Ernö DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960)
Konzertstück for Cello and Orchestra, Op 12 [24:03]
János Starker (cello)
Seattle Symphony/Gerard Schwarz
rec. 22 November 1988 (Háry János), 9 September 1989
(Galánta), 7 June 1990 (Dohnányi), Seattle Center
Opera House, Washington, USA
NAXOS 8.572749 [65:19]
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We shouldn’t be surprised anymore when the Seattle Symphony and Gerard
Schwarz turn in idiomatic performances of late-romantic showpieces.
Even after their marvelous Rimsky-Korsakov (review,
review,
review)
and Borodin (review),
this still caught me off guard. You’d think I’d
have learnt my lesson already. These recordings, from 1989 and
1990, are terrific. The highlight is actually Kodály’s
beloved Dances of Galánta: I approached with fear,
because the 17-minute timing is much longer than the classic
Dorati/Philharmonia Hungarica (15:08), but I honestly don’t
know where the two extra minutes came from. Gerard Schwarz shapes
the slow opening dances with such lusciousness and rhythmic
flexibility that if they’re under tempo I’m not
sure it’s noticeable; plus the Seattle Symphony has a
sound big and rich enough to sustain attention over the longer
span. After an unsteady horn at the beginning, all the woodwind
solos are very fine indeed, the gradual increase in excitement
is skillfully handled, and the exuberant finale only falls slightly
short of Dorati’s for sheer velocity and vibrancy.
In the Háry János suite, the slower times
do occasionally tell, most of all in the here rather foreboding
opening movement, but it’s not really something I can
complain about. It is a very good performance: the Viennese
Musical Clock chimes out with cheery accuracy, the following
viola solo is a bit square but still ear-catching, and the entire
‘Song’ is fantastic. The Seattle Symphony’s
rich, boldly colorful sound is at its best in the biggest climaxes,
like in a battle scene which builds to wonderful heights from
a measured initial pace, and also in basically any of the excellent
woodwind solos - another element familiar from their newer Naxos
recordings. It is a general truth that the composer’s
use of winds and trumpets correlates directly with the vividness
of the playing.
Ernö von Dohnányi’s Konzertstück
for cello and orchestra is less colorful than the Kodály
works, giving the program a contemplative heart. Though it plays
continuously, and is given one track here, the work is in three
movements, the first setting out in a confident mood before
the cello commences a restrained, rather Brahmsian dialogue
between different emotions. The slow movement begins after about
six minutes, and is brief but poignant; the way that the cello,
flute, oboe, and clarinet converse may remind one of Dvořák.
The finale is the longest and most substantial of the three,
recalling earlier material and containing a cadenza and an ending
which is the best, most moving part of an impassioned work.
János Starker is the excellent soloist.
This release might be most valuable for the Dohnányi,
as played by Starker; the other widely available complete recordings
are by Wallfisch with Mackerras and by Alban Gerhardt on Hyperion,
though I have heard neither; I assume based on the cellists
that they’re excellent. Starker recorded the piece for
EMI but in a version with slight cuts. The Kodály won’t
be mandatory for anyone who has a recording like Dorati’s
or more recently Lawrence Foster’s, but it is nevertheless
very good, and it makes for a very satisfying CD. I’ll
be returning to the Seattle Dances of Galánta
a great deal more than I expected. The sound of these Delos
recordings (1988-1990) is basically like new, in a slightly
roomier acoustic than the Seattle Symphony’s new Benaroya
Hall, but otherwise up to today’s standards. The temptation
to spot-mike soloists, including Starker, is resisted, creating
an authentic in-the-audience ambience. A very desirable CD with
a program that should attract interest.
Brian Reinhart
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