A
REVIEWER’S LOG – JUNE 2005 - John Quinn
I’m going to cheat
at the outset, by expanding the month
of May backwards by one day so that
I can include mention of a remarkable
concert. On Saturday 30 April I was
fortunate enough to be in Symphony Hall,
Birmingham for a concert by the Bavarian
Radio Symphony Orchestra under their
Chief Conductor, Mariss Jansons. Up
to now I’ve only heard Jansons on CD
or on the radio or seen him conduct
on the television. Seeing him "in
the flesh" and at pretty close
quarters was a remarkable experience.
I have an instinctive distrust of hype
but on the evidence of this concert
I can safely say of Jansons: believe
it! He really is an exceptional conductor.
His programme included
Don Quixote by Richard Strauss.
In this performance the solo cellist
portraying the Don and the violist who
represented Sancho Panza were, as Strauss
intended, the principals of their respective
sections within the orchestra. Both
were excellent. Jansons knitted the
complex orchestral tapestry together
seamlessly, aided by virtuoso playing
from his orchestra. After the interval
we heard Brahms’s Second Symphony in
a performance that was, if anything,
even finer. It is a great challenge
to a performer to take a familiar work
and bring it up sounding fresh and new-minted.
Suffice it to say that Jansons achieved
this feat without ever resorting to
artifice or exaggeration. He was totally
inside Brahms’s music (which he conducted
from memory) and gave a consummate exhibition
of the art of conducting. A friend of
mine, who accompanied me and who has
at least 60 years of concert-going experience
not only shared my enthusiasm for the
performance but actually said he had
never heard the symphony done so well.
I see that a live recording of the work
by Jansons and his other orchestra,
the Royal Concertgebouw, is shortly
to be issued on that orchestra’s own
label. I can scarcely wait!
The audience was disappointingly
thin; the hall was possibly a third
full. Why this should be so I am at
a loss to know. Perhaps it was the fact
that this was a Bank Holiday weekend?
Perhaps there are simply too many concerts
at Symphony Hall? Perhaps the BRSO is
not sufficiently famous an orchestra?
(though they played superbly). Thankfully,
however, those people who were present
were discerning and they responded to
the playing with great enthusiasm. We
were rewarded with two encores, the
choice of which exhibited beautifully
first the subtlety and then the sheer
power of this orchestra. First the strings
played, with exquisite refinement, a
little andante from a string quartet
by Haydn. Under Jansons this was played
with such discipline, unanimity and
finesse that one might have indeed been
listening to a quartet. Then the full
orchestra pulled out all the stops in
a truly stunning account of ‘The Death
of Tybalt’ from Prokofiev’s Romeo
and Juliet. A night to remember!
Bach’s vocal music
dominated the start of May itself. I
finished reviewing the third and last
volume of Bach’s vocal music conducted
by Fritz Werner (review)
. This is a style of Bach performing
from another age and many of the recordings
were new to me, having been locked in
the Erato vaults for many years (indeed,
many are making their CD debut.) The
recordings by Werner that I had previously
heard had alerted me to the fact that
he was a Bach interpreter of considerable
stature and this impression has been
amply reinforced through listening to
these three boxes, comprising 30 CDs.
Werner’s art is one that never seeks
to draw attention to itself. He is consistently
wise, discerning and humane. From time
to time one may take issue with some
of his interpretative choices but he
is rarely less than convincing. Occasionally
one or two of the soloists disappoint
but there’s much fine singing to admire
here and the contributions of two soloists,
Agnes Giebel (soprano) and Helmut Krebs
(tenor), are consistently splendid.
There’s also some very fine instrumental
solo work to savour, not least from
trumpeter, Maurice André and
the peerless oboist, Pierre Pierlot.
These recordings may sound "old-fashioned"
to some listeners but in my opinion
their sincerity and musical conviction
transcend fashion.
At the other end of
the scale, as it were, comes the latest
volume, the third to be issued, of CDs
recorded during John Eliot Gardiner’s
celebrated Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of
2000. This seemed to me at the time
to be a marvellously imaginative project
and the concert that I attended when
the pilgrimage reached Tewkesbury Abbey
was memorable. I’m delighted that the
recordings, from which DG withdrew on
financial grounds, are now seeing the
light of day at last. I may not always
agree with everything Gardiner does
but he is never less than stimulating
and wholeheartedly committed. The first
two releases in the series were first
class and it’s good news indeed that
we haven’t had long to wait for the
next instalment. This pair of CDs, beautifully
presented and documented, contains performances
from the Schlosskirche, Altenburg (cantatas
for the Third Sunday after Easter) and
from St. Mary’s Church, Warwick (cantatas
for the following Sunday). The Altenburg
programme includes the magnificently
expressive cantata, Weinen, Klagen,
Sorgen, Zagen, BWV12, in which the
contribution of the Monteverdi Choir
is exceptionally fine. There’s also
the cantata Wir müssen durch
viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes
eingehen, BWV 146. This has a
substantial opening sinfonia, which
features a prominent organ part. (The
same music also appears, in a different
guise, as the first movement of the
keyboard concerto in D minor, BWV 1052.)
This tempted Gardiner and his organist,
Silas John Standage to use the big,
period organ in the castle chapel. The
results are superb but an additional
note by Standage relates how close the
vagaries of the organ came to wrecking
the whole enterprise on the day. The
three volumes so far issued suggest
this series is going to be a major addition
to the Bach discography and I’m impatient
for further instalments.
James Gilchrist, Gardiner’s
excellent tenor soloist in the cantatas
for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, has
also issued a CD in his own right. It
is devoted to three song cycles for
high voice by Gerald Finzi and the disc
takes its title from one of the cycles,
O Fair to See. The two
companion cycles are Till Earth Outwears
and A Young Man’s Exhortation. Gilchrist
has that very typically English type
of light tenor voice, which suits these
songs to perfection. Throughout the
recital he sings with that forward projection,
heady tone and clarity of both sound
and diction that makes him such a fine
Bach singer. There’s also a welcome
touch of steel in the voice. Finzi’s
songs are subtle and sometimes understated.
I particularly like the vein of gentle
melancholy that runs through so many
of them. Gilchrist is a splendid and
sympathetic advocate and he is ably
supported by pianist Anna Tilbrook.
The Linn CD (CKD 253) should be heard
by all lovers of English song.
Through the kindness
of fellow reviewer, John Portwood, who
lent me his set, I’ve at last caught
up with David Zinman’s Beethoven symphony
cycle. Previously I’d only acquired
Zinman’s account of the Missa Solemnis.
That I found somewhat disappointing.
It seemed to me to be too hard driven
to allow that towering masterpiece to
make its full effect. The symphonies
are a different matter. I must confess
some disappointment with the finale
of the Ninth, which strikes me as something
of a pygmy reading; perhaps it will
grow on me. The remaining performances
are immensely stimulating. Although
the orchestra plays on modern instruments
there is a ‘period’ feel to the performances.
In part this is due to the clarity of
texture that Zinman consistently obtains.
His often challengingly swift tempi
rival, and sometimes surpass, those
of the likes of Norrington, Gardiner
and Harnoncourt. The recordings use
the relatively recent edition of the
scores by Jonathan Del Mar. I certainly
won’t be rushing to discard the three
complete cycles mentioned above from
my collection, nor those by Klemperer
or Toscanini but Zinman’s provocative
and illuminating readings unsettle,
stimulate and intrigue me in pretty
equal measure and they constitute a
welcome if belated addition to my shelves.
The enthusiastic review
by Ian
Lace spurred me on to acquire the
new Naxos CD of Roger Quilter’s folksong
settings. I’ve found that Quilter’s
art songs are almost invariably as grateful
to sing as they are pleasing to hear.
These arrangements of familiar traditional
songs are equally delightful. Quilter
avoids the trap of over-arranging what
are in many cases pretty simple and
direct melodies but time and again an
arrangement of his will cast a new and
welcome light on a tune one thought
one knew well. Ian Lace enthused not
just about the songs but also about
the performances they receive here and
I fully endorse his opinions. This is
a delightful disc.
I only buy the BBC
Music Magazine very occasionally. I’m
sorry to say that I find the magazine
much too superficial in tone despite
the eminence of some of its contributors.
However, every so often the cover mount
CD is of particular interest. This was
the case with the March issue, which
included as its CD a live performance
of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, recorded
at a concert in Manchester’s Bridgewater
Hall. I already possess rather more
recorded versions of this titanic symphony
than is good for me but the chance to
hear the thoughts of that fine conductor
Sir Charles Mackerras was irresistible.
Having bought it, the CD then joined
the pile of others waiting to be heard
and it was only recently that I had
the chance to listen. Mackerras conducts
a very fine performance and the BBC
Philharmonic (to my mind consistently
the best of the BBC orchestras) play
for him with enormous commitment. They
are challenged by some of his tempi,
especially in the monumental finale
but they rise to the challenge. This
is a performance that delivers. Unlike
many conductors Mackerras plays the
andante movement second (personally
I prefer it when the scherzo is heard
second) and he also includes the third
hammer blow in the finale. I believe
it is possible to order back numbers
of the magazine from the publishers
and so Mahlerites who may have missed
this performance can, and should, catch
up with it. It’s a veritable bargain.
At the end of the month
I found myself returning to a favourite
holiday haunt, the Gulf of Mexico coast
(the West coast) of Florida. Those who
associate Florida solely with Mickey
Mouse may be pleasantly surprised to
learn that there is a vibrant arts scene
at least in this part of the state (I
can’t vouch for elsewhere.) In terms
of classical music, besides much else
there are professional symphony orchestras
in Naples (the Naples Philharmonic,
www.thephil.org)
and in Tampa (the Florida Orchestra,
www.floridaorchestra.org
), whose Music Directors are Jorge Mester
and Stefan Sanderling respectively.
Both orchestras offer some interesting
programmes though they present fewer
subscription symphony programmes than
say a British orchestra does, no doubt
in order to be able to accommodate fairly
full schedules of "Pops" concerts,
which I guess are vital for financial
survival and audience building. Unfortunately,
I have always visited when the orchestral
seasons are finished or all but over
so I have yet to hear either orchestra
in concert.
I was delighted to
be able to purchase in America two significant
new books about music. I am only part
way through reading Joseph Horowitz’s
Classical Music in America. A
History of its Rise and Fall
(W W Norton & Co. New York, 2005)
It is a substantial piece of work and
a very provocative one. I daresay that
others better acquainted with the subject
matter than I am may take issue with
Mr Horowitz on certain points (as was
the case with a previous book of his
about Toscanini.) A central thesis of
the book is that, in contrast to Europe,
classical music in the USA has been
founded more on appreciation of performers
rather than indigenous composers. Also
he contends that the US experience is
different to that of European countries
because the symphony orchestra has been
a much more influential feature there
than the opera house. Among the key
(and heroic) figures in Mr Horowitz’s
narrative are Henry Higginson, the moving
spirit behind the establishment of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the conductor,
Theodore Thomas, whose crowning achievement
was to be the founding conductor of
what became the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Nowadays, when we are familiar with
a long series of virtuoso performances
by these and other fine American orchestras
it’s salutary to learn what a struggle
for survival some of them had in their
earliest days.
Much though I’m enjoying
Mr Horowitz’s book, I was even more
pleased to find Choral Masterworks,
a Listener’s Guide by Michael Steinberg
(Oxford University Press, 2005). This
is the long-awaited successor to Steinberg’s
earlier volumes devoted to The Symphony
and The Concerto (OUP, 1995 and 1998
respectively). Given the long lapse
of time since the second of those volumes
appeared I had feared the promised one
on choral music would not see the light
of day but its appearance now is a cause
for rejoicing. Like its predecessors
the book chiefly consists of revised
programme notes that Mr Steinberg has
written for various orchestras over
the years, especially for the Boston
Symphony (between 1976 and 1979) and
the San Francisco Symphony (1979-2000).
Steinberg, it seems to me, is the doyen
of annotators, whether it is for concert
programmes or for CDs. He writes extremely
well and communicates his enthusiasm
for the music. Indeed, he is one of
that select band of writers on music
(Michael Kennedy is another) who has
the gift of making the reader want to
hear the piece of music about which
he is writing straightaway. There
are essays on nearly all
the standard repertory pieces and although
the book will be of particular value
to the general listener, more specialist
music lovers will also derive great
profit from reading Steinberg’s thoughtful
and informed views. This is essentially
an anthology for dipping into, which
is all I’ve been able to do so far.
However, on the basis of what I’ve sampled
to date this book is right up to the
standard of its two distinguished predecessors.
Apart from some review
CDs that had "mysteriously"
found their way into my suitcase the
local National Public Radio stations
provided my daily music listening in
Florida. These are station WGCU, based
in Fort Myers or further north, station
WUSF in the Tampa area, for whose output
and presentation I have a slight overall
preference. Both of these stations are
attached to universities, respectively
the Florida Gulf Coast University and
the University of South Florida. They
offer a daily diet of classical music
on disc, interspersed with news programmes
taken from NPR News in Washington (particularly
‘Morning Edition’ and ‘All Things Considered’,
which are the NPR equivalent of BBC
Radio Four’s ‘Today’ and ‘PM’ programmes.)
There are also a number of "home-grown"
speech programmes. Apart from the chance
to hear good music, what NPR stations
offer that is invaluable is a proper
worldwide news agenda. (Far too
much of the American media focus is
on domestic items or on spheres such
as Iraq that are of especial relevance
to the USA; for the most part, in my
experience, Europe might as well not
exist!) One thing that has always puzzled
me slightly about the choice of music
played each day by these two stations
is how rarely vocal music seems to feature
by comparison with instrumental and
orchestral items. Of course, I don’t
listen all the time but I think I’ve
heard enough over the years to have
garnered a flavour. I wonder why this
should be the case?
I mention all this
not because "What I Did on My Holidays"
is of much interest to MusicWeb readers
but simply, if I may, to salute the
invaluable work of NPR and its affiliates.
It can’t be an easy task pursuing a
quality broadcasting agenda in a country
where a pop culture is all-pervasive.
Financially the stations rely on subscriptions
from individual local members and some
corporate sponsors for survival (there
are no commercials, thank goodness.)
People visiting the USA and wanting
some decent radio programmes to hear
can log on to the NPR website (www.npr.org),
to find out just what stations are available
in any given part of the country and
what their output consists of (not all
stations specialise in classical music.)
On the evidence of what I’ve heard during
my travels round the US over the years
the NPR affiliate stations are proudly
flying the flag for quality broadcasting.
And let me offer one completely non-musical
tip: if you’re visiting the US try to
catch the hilarious ‘Car Talk’ show
on NPR on Saturday mornings or the Garrison
Keillor’s whimsical ‘A Prairie Home
Companion’ show, also broadcast at weekends.
But despite the vibrant
cultural scene in South West Florida
there’s one great problem, which I suspect
probably affects whole swathes of the
USA outside the really major cities.
I’ve been visiting the States on vacation
for many years now and it’s becoming
ever harder to find decent stores selling
a good range of classical CDs. One can
find CDs in many branches of the booksellers,
Barnes & Noble and, of course, there
are the chain record stores but I don’t
feel that the serious collector is properly
catered for. I guess that most such
collectors now rely on mail order, which
is fine up to a point but with mail
order one doesn’t get the sheer pleasure
of browsing and impulse buys are all
but impossible. The UK is, of course,
heading the same way, as are most other
countries, I suppose. In all probability
the trend is irreversible but the demise
of the independent CD dealer is a cause
for genuine concern and if we are fortunate
enough to live in the vicinity of such
stores we collectors surely must cherish
and support these businesses while we
can. Once their doors have shut it will
be too late. A sombre note on which
to conclude a diary of what has been
a most enjoyable and stimulating month
of listening.
John Quinn
Patrick Waller is
away
