This is a delightful hour of listening, and for those of you
who are weary of “historically-informed” Bach, this could be
your disc of the year! In the liner-notes Keith Anderson quotes
Elgar’s reasoning for his transcription of the Fantasia
and Fugue in C Minor: “to show how gorgeous and great and
brilliant he [Bach] would have made himself sound if he had
had our means.” Surely Respighi’s intent was the same. Whatever
their intent, they have created fantastically exuberant and
colorful orchestrations of some of Bach’s greatest works.
The CD begins rather gently with the Tre Corali, first
performed in New York in 1930, conducted by Toscanini. As in
his Ancient Airs and Dances, Respighi remains truthful
to the original source material, fashioning timbral combinations
that were simply not available to Bach. The first chorale prelude
is Nun komm, der Heiden Holland (BWV 659, which is
not the familiar version from Orgelbüchlein), while
the second and third preludes (Meine Seele erhebt den Herrn
and Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme) are better known
as part of the Schübler Chorale Preludes. The Seattle orchestra
plays with a warm, plush sound, making Bach’s writing sound
positively romantic in origin.
Sonata in E Minor proved to be less enjoyable. The
performance - featuring the orchestra’s concertmaster at the
time, Ilkka Talvi - is first-rate, with a good sense of chamber-music
dialogue and listening between soloist and orchestra. The problem
lies in Respighi’s orchestration. The arrangement, for soloists,
organ and string orchestra is too heavy and lacks timbral contrast.
It very much reminded me of what recordings of Bach’s Violin
Concertos made in the 1950s often sound like. Perhaps if I knew
the solo sonata better I would more fully appreciate Respighi’s
work, but this is, for me, the least interesting transcription
on the CD.
The CD concludes with three splendidly lavish arrangements.
Respighi’s transcription of the D Major Prelude and Fugue
is for a large orchestra including piccolo, two flutes, three
oboes, three clarinets, bass clarinet, three bassoons, contrabassoon,
four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tube, timpani,
strings and piano duet. The orchestra used for the Passacaglia
is even larger, adding a cor anglais, two more horns, and another
trumpet, as well as replacing the piano duet with an organ!
Here Respighi’s complete mastery of orchestration is readily
apparent. Colors shift from one line to the next, sometimes
highlighting the fugue subject, at other times drawing our attention
to a particularly beautiful counter-subject. I grew up listening
to these two pieces on the organ, and I feel sure that such
familiarity only adds to my enjoyment of Respighi’s craft. Halfway
through the Passacaglia I realized my face was a little
sore from grinning for the last several minutes – a sure sign
that I was completely taken with both the transcription and
performance.
I first heard Elgar’s transcription of the Fantasia and
Fugue on a RCA recording of Elgar’s The Kingdom,
featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard
Slatkin. Elgar’s arrangement of the Fantasia is literal and
somewhat somber, but in the Fugue he allows himself greater
liberties, adding some wonderful flourishes - the harpists must
love this writing! - that immediately reminded me of his stunning
orchestration of Parry’s Jerusalem. It is riotous fun,
and I only wish Naxos could have found a way to record another
transcription or two to fill the remaining twenty minutes of
available time.
The last three works were recorded more recently by the BBC
Philharmonic on Chandos: the D Major Prelude and Fugue
conducted by Gianandrea Noseda (CHAN
10081, 2003) and the Passacaglia and Fugue, as
well as the Fantasia and Fugue conducted by Leonard
Slatkin (CHAN
9835, 2000). It must be said, as fine as the Naxos (originally
Delos) recordings are, the Chandos are superior - especially
the recording of the organ in the Passacaglia. The
Slatkin-led performances are also played with more technical
precision and greater abandon. But Seattle and Schwarz offer
accomplished and enjoyable performances, in very good sound,
gathered together on a CD at budget price.
This might not be “authentic” Bach, but it is magnificent Bach.
David A. McConnell
See review by John
Whitmore
Seattle Symphony/Gerard Schwarz