Reissue CD Reviews
CASADESUS: Viola Concerto in B Minor in the Style of Handel; WALTON: Viola Concerto; BERLIOZ: Harold in Italy--Symphony, Op. 16 - William Primrose, viola/ RCA Victor Sym./Frieder Weissman; Philharmonia Orch./William Walton; BSO/Koussevitzky - Naxos
The world's leading viola virtuoso in his time
Published on September 28, 2005
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CASADESUS: Viola Concerto in B Minor in the Style of Handel;
WALTON: Viola Concerto; BERLIOZ: Harold in Italy--Symphony, Op. 16 -
William Primrose, viola/ RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra/Frieder
Weissman; Philharmonia Orchestra/William Walton; Boston Symphony
Orchestra/Serge Koussevitzky (Berlioz)
Naxos 8.110316 79:41 *****:
Recordings from 1944-1946 featuring William Primrose (1904-1982), who, after Lionel Tertis (1876-1975), enjoyed an international repute as the world’s foremost viola virtuoso. In splendidly quiet restorations edited by Mark Obert-Thorn, we have Primrose’s second inscription (the first having been made with Walter Goehr) of the Henri Casadesus “forgery” of the Bach-Handelian style in the manner of Fritz Kreisler. The tone of Primrose’s Macdonald Strad alternates between an alto burnished sheen and the flights of a deeply coloristic tenor. The vibrato is quite fast, and Primrose sports a lean, athletic style whose range of figuration and articulation is liquid and plastic at once. Some lovely orchestral polish from the pickup orchestra under the direction of German émigré Frieder Weissman, better known for his operatic repertory.
The Walton Concerto has the composer-conductor making his second inscription, the first having been with Frederick Riddle. Primrose negotiates its tricky metrics with debonair grace and a light hand. The Philharmonia Orchestra, still a new ensemble in 1946 created by Walter Legge, has its own band of brilliant wind players, who shine in every aspect of the concerto. The 1944 Berlioz with Koussevitzky has remained a monumental reading since its original appearance on 78 rpm. Despite tempo fluctuations and ad libitum accelerandi from Koussevitzky--Toscanini often lamented Koussevitzky’s deviations from the score--the performance enjoys a romantic sweep and massive texture thoroughly in the heroic mold. The tempo for the March of the Pilgrims is exactly on target--neither dragging in the Beecham manner nor too brisk a la Toscanini to keep its devotional swagger. The playing of the Boston Symphony in the Orgy of the Brigands, with its echoes of Beethoven’s Ninth, is superb, given the hysterics of the part-writing. The Primrose singing line finds its most exemplary vehicle in this recording, for which I share, along with Martin Bookspan, an unabashed enthusiasm. Heartily recommended!
--Gary Lemco
Naxos 8.110316 79:41 *****:
Recordings from 1944-1946 featuring William Primrose (1904-1982), who, after Lionel Tertis (1876-1975), enjoyed an international repute as the world’s foremost viola virtuoso. In splendidly quiet restorations edited by Mark Obert-Thorn, we have Primrose’s second inscription (the first having been made with Walter Goehr) of the Henri Casadesus “forgery” of the Bach-Handelian style in the manner of Fritz Kreisler. The tone of Primrose’s Macdonald Strad alternates between an alto burnished sheen and the flights of a deeply coloristic tenor. The vibrato is quite fast, and Primrose sports a lean, athletic style whose range of figuration and articulation is liquid and plastic at once. Some lovely orchestral polish from the pickup orchestra under the direction of German émigré Frieder Weissman, better known for his operatic repertory.
The Walton Concerto has the composer-conductor making his second inscription, the first having been with Frederick Riddle. Primrose negotiates its tricky metrics with debonair grace and a light hand. The Philharmonia Orchestra, still a new ensemble in 1946 created by Walter Legge, has its own band of brilliant wind players, who shine in every aspect of the concerto. The 1944 Berlioz with Koussevitzky has remained a monumental reading since its original appearance on 78 rpm. Despite tempo fluctuations and ad libitum accelerandi from Koussevitzky--Toscanini often lamented Koussevitzky’s deviations from the score--the performance enjoys a romantic sweep and massive texture thoroughly in the heroic mold. The tempo for the March of the Pilgrims is exactly on target--neither dragging in the Beecham manner nor too brisk a la Toscanini to keep its devotional swagger. The playing of the Boston Symphony in the Orgy of the Brigands, with its echoes of Beethoven’s Ninth, is superb, given the hysterics of the part-writing. The Primrose singing line finds its most exemplary vehicle in this recording, for which I share, along with Martin Bookspan, an unabashed enthusiasm. Heartily recommended!
--Gary Lemco
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