The Essence of Guido Cantelli
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
El Sombrero De Tres Picos Suite
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Siegfried Idyll
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Philharmonia Orchestra/Guido Cantelli
rec. 1951-54, Studio 1 Abbey Road; Kingsway Hall, (Debussy); Royal Festival Hall (Falla), London
Reviewed as a digital download from a press preview
BEULAH 2PDR47 [70]
Whether or not this album reveals the essence of Guido Cantelli remains to be seen though I suspect the title is more the product of a search for a title that encompasses what is a bit of rag bag of choice Cantelli morsels. Certainly the benefit of such an assemblage is that the listener gets a broad view of the maestro’s art. It also demonstrates the extraordinarily consistent quality he maintained across a wide range of repertoire before his career was so tragically ended. As always with Cantelli, alongside what was, there is sadness at what might have been. The Siegfried Idyll hints at how his Ring might have sounded.
I recently reviewed an earlier Beulah release of Cantelli in French music which, in sumptuously refurbished sound, demonstrated just how good he was in that nation’s music. In that review, I lamented the absence of Cantelli’s recording of Le Martyre and Beulah have now rectified that omission. It is a very special recording in every way. Alongside showing off the breadth of Cantelli’s art, this CD does the same for the remarkable versatility of the Philharmonia during this period.
As for the sound, Beulah have done, well, a Beulah on it. This was always
a good sounding record – well balanced with great depth that suited
the sepulchral gloom of the music very well. Beulah have sharpened up
the image and made it less recessed than on the most recent EMI reissue.
The real aural sleight of hand is that they have done so without losing
those mysterious depths I mentioned before. In previous reviews, I have
likened the Beulah approach to trying to recreate the vibrancy and directness
of the LP era and this release exemplifies that approach.
The performance has claims to being one of the best ever of this tricky score. Regardless of the music, Cantelli always liked to hold a very firm line and that really helps in music that in lesser hands can meander in an aimless if lovely manner. This is music as tightly organised as anything Debussy wrote and Cantelli the great symphonic conductor plays it so, though never at the expense of those colours. It is a testament to conductor, orchestra and engineers (and the Beulah team) that we barely miss stereo.
The Falla is typically fiery and flamboyant. I suspect some might find Cantelli a bit too symphonically minded in these lighter pieces but I found the extra impetus he brings very satisfying. His pacing of the finale is impeccable and guaranteed to bring the house down. The original recording, to my ears, was a little crumbly in places presumably reflecting the recording venue, the Royal Festival Hall.
Enthusiastic Wagnerian though I am, I always find that the Siegfried Idyll outstays its welcome even in Toscanini’s compelling version. Cantelli’s is cut from similar cloth and refuses to linger which I found most welcome. It shows off the Romantic range of the Philharmonia to great effect with a lovely bed of firm string sound anchoring the sonic picture. The boldness and confidence of the first violins at the climax is the string equivalent of listening to full throated singers of old. Once again the sound on this Beulah version is more forward and punchy than previous releases. It is also significantly brighter yet without turning the all important high violin sound to acid. There is less of a case for this style of presentation in this piece than the others on the release and the more rounded if slightly more muted version on the 2012 Icon box set still sounds very fine even if Beulah’s sounds just that little bit more luxurious.
The Tchaikovsky is everything one would expect – muscular, brilliant and sonically spectacular (for the era!). The big melodies sing but Cantelli keeps a tight grip on things throughout. It is those singing, dare I say Italianate, lines that stop this performance from seeming excessively hard driven. This is Tchaikovsky in bold primary colours. Beulah’s sound is suitably in your face. The opening, for example, is clearly etched rather than emerging out of the depths. It still packs quite a punch in the bigger, noisier moments where one would expect that modern stereo would be most missed. The Philharmonia produce the most gorgeous sounds throughout, most notably in the delicate webs of the love music.
Every performance on the mixed bag collection should be in everyone’s record collection (the Debussy I would regard as essential) and, for many listeners, the LP sound produced by Beulah will be the sound of this era of recording. It recreates the kind of sound that used to follow the drop of needle on to new vinyl.
David McDade
Published: October 7, 2022
