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Star Ratings
Key * Poor ** Fair *** Good **** Excellent ***** Extraordinary |
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 Biber:
The Rosary Sonatas. Passagalia for unaccompanied violin. Andrew
Manze, violin; Richard Egarr, organ and harpsichord. Robina
G. Young, producer; Brad Michel, engineer. Harmonia Mundi 907321
(2 CDs). Buy
CD
Music : ***** Sonics: **** |
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The fifteen Rosary Sonatas—known
also as the “Mystery” Sonatas—are the best-known
music of 17th Century violinist and composer Heinrich Ignaz
Franz Biber. Six to twelve minutes in length each, these pieces
are presented in three groups of five: “Joyful,”
“Sorrowful,” and “Glorious” mysteries,
each of which represents a key event in the lives of Christ
and the Virgin Mother, from “The Annunciation” to
“The Assumption of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.”
As well as for their evocative program, violinists treasure
these works as masterful examples of scordatura technique:
for each of the fifteen pieces, the four strings of the instrument
are tuned differently. This contributes significantly to the
mood and tone of each Sonata, from the subdued, tense worry
of “The Agony in the Garden” to the white-light
ecstasy of “The Ascension.” (Manze provides a short
but enlightening demonstration of scordatura at the end of disc
two.) The works cover a wide range of Baroque styles—stately
sonata movements, improvisatory fantasias, spirited dances,
variations—all organically connected to each other and
to the piece’s spiritual core.
Andrew Manze’s playing
is fluid and colorful, true to historically informed practice
without giving up drama, emotion, or virtuosic flair. He gets
at the unique character of each Sonata, and listening to several
in one sitting isn’t the least bit monotonous. The notes
make a good case for a minimalist accompaniment for the pieces
as intimate reflections on faith, and for all but one Sonata
(when a cello joins the proceedings), Manze is assisted only
by Richard Egarr on organ and harpsichord. He provides astute,
alert, lightly ornamented support.
The sonority of Manze’s
Amati violin, equipped with a set of “equal tension”
gut strings, is ravishing, extremely responsive to the strange
retunings Biber required. Harmonia Mundi’s recording is
immediate but not at all claustrophobic, and tonally exquisite.
Satisfying and realistic balances are maintained between violinist
and keyboard. An irresistible release. Andrew Quint |
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Further
listening: Corelli: Violin Sonatas. (Manze/Egarr);
Biber: Missa Salisburgensis (SACD) |
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 Leon
Fleisher: Two Hands. Music of Schubert, Chopin, Debussy,
Scarlatti, and Bach. Grace Row, producer; Charles Harbutt, engineer.
Vanguard 1551. Buy
CD
Music: ***** Sonics: **** |
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A Schnabel pupil, Leon
Fleisher appeared poised to surpass his teacher as a master
pianist when he was felled by dystonia, a neurological disorder
that affected his right hand in 1964. Since then, he’s
taught, conducted, and, limited to left-hand repertory, concertized.
Now, at 75, thanks to a new treatment (Botox, believe it or
not), he’s made his first two-hand recording in 40 years.
Pluck and sentiment aside, the obvious question is: can he still
hack it? As an admirer of the young Fleisher, I’m delighted
to answer with a resounding “YES.” This new disc
is nothing less than fabulous.
It opens with an extended
set of meaty short pieces that immediately tell you you’re
in the presence of a master: a pair of Bach transcriptions played
with artful simplicity, a Scarlatti sonata whose clarity and
rhythmic poise indicate a fully restored technique, a pair of
Chopin works notable for command of line and feeling, and Debussy’s
Clair de lune, projected with color and refinement.
But these are just hors
d’oeuvres before the main course, one of the best versions
of Schubert’s B flat Major Sonata, D. 960 on disc. It’s
a perfect fusion of mind and matter: Fleisher, the musical intellectual,
clarifying Schubert’s unwieldy, sprawling structures and
Fleisher, the master pianist, making every note count, playing
with tonal subtlety that weaves notes into phrases and phrases
into long lines to convey the emotional impact of one of Schubert’s
last works. Nothing timid here, either. The long first movement
is played very slowly these days, often as a straight Adagio,
but Fleisher’s is a true Andante, flowing but always in
motion. The second movement has just that much more flow to
distinguish it, a moving song in Fleisher’s hands. In
the Scherzo, he plays with terrific rhythmic lift, and the dramatic
finale is both energetic and accurate.
The engineers wrap Fleisher’s
piano in a warmly resonant acoustic that also captures his pianism
with refreshing you-are-there clarity. The engineering conveys
his perky staccato jabs in the Scarlatti and discreet, fluid
pedaling in the Schubert with unexaggerated dynamics and treble
that sparkles but never grates. A great pianist is back. Dan
Davis |
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Further
Listening: Beethoven: Piano Concertos. (Fleisher);
Schubert: Sonata, D. 960. (Schnabel) |
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 Mahler:
Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.” Utah Symphony Orchestra,
Maurice Abravanel, conductor; Beverly Sills, soprano; Florence
Kopleff, alto. University of Utah Civic Chorale. Seymour Solomon,
producer. Silverline 288244.
Music: ** 1/2 Sonics: ** 1/2 |
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 Mahler:
Symphony No. 4. Utah Symphony Orchestra, Maurice Abravanel,
conductor; Netania Davrath, soprano. Seymour Solomon, producer.
Silverline 288261.
Music: ** 1/2 Sonics: ** 1/2 |
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 Sibelius:
Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4. Utah Symphony Orchestra, Maurice Abravanel,
conductor. Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz, producers. Silverline
288245.
Music: *** 1/2 Sonics: *** 1/2 |
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Rachmaninov:
Symphony No. 3. Chanson Georgienne. Utah Symphony Orchestra,
Maurice Abravanel, conductor; Netania Davrath, soprano. Seymour
Solomon,
producer. Silverline 288242.
Music: *** Sonics: **** |
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Maurice Abravanel was
surely an underrated conductor. After the Second World War,
Abravanel, then in his early forties, seemed poised for a high-profile
career. He’d appeared at prestigious European opera houses,
conducted Kurt Weill’s productions on Broadway, and had
been the youngest man to take the podium at the Met. But Abravanel
wanted most to “build” his own orchestra and, in
1947, signed a one-year contract with the Utah Symphony—basically
a community orchestra at the time. He stayed for 32 years. Abravanel
made over 100 recordings with Utah, most of them for Vanguard.
While it’s tempting to wonder if his reputation might
be greater today had he appeared regularly (and recorded) with
more accomplished orchestras, there can be no denying that his
is an impressive body of work. Silverline Classics has been
reissuing titles from the Vanguard catalog on DVD-A. There’s
material from Pierre Monteux, Sergiu Comissiona, Sir Adrian
Boult and others, but the bulk of the label’s releases
have been Abravanel/Utah, including these four.
Abravanel was once tactfully
referred to as “the lesser-known Mahler crusader”—he
championed the symphonies at the same time as Leonard Bernstein,
and actually was the first to record the entire cycle with one
orchestra. These late 1960s versions of the “Resurrection”
and the Fourth are certainly worth hearing but are just not
competitive with so many others in the ever-increasing Mahler
discography. Part of the problem is the orchestra. Abravanel
brought the Salt Lake ensemble a long way, but it can’t
compete with Solti’s Chicago, Karajan’s Berlin,
Chailly’s Concertgebouw, MTT’s Los Angeles Philharmonic,
or even Lennie’s NYPO. Strings, especially cellos, can
sound scrawny, and the principal oboe’s tone frequently
has an unappealing sourness. But the conductor gets some of
the blame, too. Abravanel told an interviewer once that he “didn’t
try to conduct [Mahler’s] music as a music of extremes.”
These performances lack the full measure of drama, playfulness,
urgency, languor, hysteria, and majesty—those “extremes”
that make Mahler so compelling. The heaven-storming conclusion
to the Second seems underpowered. One strength, in the Fourth’s
finale, is the pert, focused singing of Netania Davrath (beloved
by audiophiles for her Songs of the Auvergne) and a
young, fresh-sounding Beverly Sills is a plus for the “Resurrection.”
The orchestra sounds more
confident with the other two programs. The two Sibelius symphonies
are dramatically cogent, permeated with the darkly glowing power
of the composer’s best symphonic music. Highlights include
the First Symphony’s finale, expertly paced with a climax
that’s really quite magnificent; the opening movement
of the Fourth is brooding and ruggedly beautiful. Abravanel’s
Rachmaninov is warmly Romantic without going over the top. There’s
some nice solo work from the concertmaster and first horn in
the middle movement, and the closing Allegro pleases with its
energetic good spirits. Davrath’s sensual soprano works
well for the brief Chanson Georgienne.
Technically, these DVD-As
are nicely executed, with 96/24 MLP and Dolby Digital options
in both stereo and surround. One would think that multichannel
might help with the difficult acoustic of the immense Mormon
Tabernacle and, on the Mahler discs, there’s an open airiness
in the quieter sections. But things get a bit messy and confused
as the music becomes louder and more complex, both with two
channels and with six. Some fatiguing brightness creeps in as
well. The Sibelius and Rachmaninov programs fare better, with
warmer string sound and a more coherent layering of the orchestral
forces. The multichannel on the Rachmaninov DVD-A envelops the
listener in a tender embrace; still, we get gratifying clarity
and detail, and satisfying punch to brass and percussion. The
“Special Features” provide good value, including
a fond remembrance of Abravanel by his long-time associate conductor,
interviews with former orchestra members, artifacts (e.g. correspondence
between Davrath and producer Seymour Solomon), notes on the
composers, and extensive technical information. AQ |
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Further
Listening: Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by
Thomas Tallis. (Abravanel) (SACD); Mahler: Symphony No. 4. (Tilson
Thomas) (SACD) |
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