Mariss Jansons is seventy-two now, and has been suffering from serious
heart problems since at least 1996, when he was taken ill during a
performance of
La Bohème. He has now left his long-running post as
conductor-in-chief at the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, but continues his
relationship with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. He directs them in
these recordings from concerts given during April of this year and November
2014. Jansons has recorded both works previously;
Petrushka with
the Oslo Philharmonic,
Pictures at an Exhibition with both them and
the Concertgebouw.
His concept of both works is admirable; he is a master at characterising
music sharply, bringing out the myriad colours and contrasts that exist in
these two great scores. In the Bavarian RSO he has the ideal instrument to
achieve this, for they are now a truly world-class orchestra, strong in all
sections, and with an unshakably secure ensemble in even the most demanding
music.
So these are satisfying and absorbing performances. In
Petrushka,
Jansons captures in equal measure the various aspects of the drama, which
Stravinsky depicts so tellingly: the milling crowds, the personal tensions
between the three puppets and the pathos of the ending. I found Tableau 4,
which is a huge rhapsody on Russian folk melodies, especially wonderful. It
acquires an irresistible momentum, before being stopped in its tracks by the
bizarre events that bring the ballet to its end. This is a reading fit to
rank with the very best on disc – Abbado/LSO on DG, Rattle/BPO on EMI, or –
for my money the best in recent years – Järvi/Cincinnati SO on Telarc. My
only reservation lies with the recording; the balance seems a bit lop-sided.
Generally, it feels quite close-up, though not excessively so. Even so,
there are places where the horns in particular, when they are playing softly
or muted, as near the very end, are pretty well inaudible.
Pictures at an Exhibition is again given the full Jansons
treatment, every detail brought out lovingly.
Gnomus (Dwarf) is
terrific, and we can hear those sliding string
portamenti (track
17, 2:07) more clearly than ever – and it’s the same with the other ‘spooky’
effects. Wonderful too is the feverish activity of
Limoges Market
but the last few of the
Pictures were a slight disappointment for
me. The noble brass chords of
Catacombs are often obscured by loud
strokes on the tam-tam, which, impressive as they are, I cannot find in
Ravel’s score; the same instrument also pervades
The Hut on Chicken’s
Legs.
The Great Gate of Kiev is a strangely lack-lustre
affair, as if the energy of the participants was flagging … except for that
of the tam-tam player.
There are so many top-notch versions of
Pictures and this one
doesn’t quite get into that category. On the other hand, Jansons’
Petrushka is very hard to beat, and the album is worth having for
that alone.
Gwyn Parry-Jones
Previous review:
Michael Cookson
