BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”; LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 in F Minor; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C Sharp Minor; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3 in D Major; “Sounds of Nature” discussion – NBC Symphony Orchestra/ Leopold Stokowski

by | Nov 22, 2006 | Classical Reissue Reviews | 0 comments

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”; LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 in F Minor; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C Sharp Minor; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3 in D Major; “Sounds of Nature” discussion – NBC Symphony Orchestra/ Leopold Stokowski

Cala CACD0545, 74:28 ****:

Recorded 18-19 March 1954 at the Manhattan Center, New York, the Stokowski Pastoral Symphony (originally on RCA LM 1830) has held up quite well, so far as lush, vivid conceptions of the score are concerned. As per expectation, the string and woodwind sections of the NBC are molded with felicitous care, and we can hear Carlton Cooley’s viola section to great effect prior to the coda of the first movement. The controversy of the interpretation lies in the extremely slow second movement, marked Andante molto mosso, but executed in a fashion that belies the 12/8 rhythm and stretches the phrasings into a bucolic lullaby, adagio. Each of the cadences resounds either with a thud or a plucked heartthrob. Stokowski does achieve a fabulous homogeneity of sound, a vibrantly romantic tapestry from which Paul Renzi’s flute and Elias Carmen’s bassoon emerge with startling clarity, well dispelling the NBC’s repute as a pale, often colorless ensemble. The scope of the panorama is huge, a Brueghel mural of Nature’s bounty.

An earthy peasant dance ensues, Harry Glanz’s trumpet threatening to blast the revelers into the stratosphere. Stokowski brings the inner voices forward, the reel almost tottering from the sheer, lush weight of the orchestration. Stokowski takes Berlioz at his word that the storm sequence could signify the end of the world. Wonderfully rich tremolandi and brilliant strokes from Robert Bloom’s oboe and the entire supple cello section under Harvey Shapiro. Stokowski pushes the Shepherd’s Song hard, combining a paean to Nature with an elasticity of line and pungency of articulation quite breathtaking. Pantheism as ripe as we are likely to hear it, the Stokowski Pastoral on Cala CD adds an impressive inscription to the conductor’s classical canon.

Stokowski addresses Beethoven’s stylization of “literal realism” in his Pastoral Symphony. Stokowski calls Beethoven’s interpretation “impressionistic.” The flowing brook is superimposed on the opening of the second movement. We hear the three bird songs of nightingale, cuckoo, and quail. We can well appreciate Alexander Williams’ hearty clarinet. When combined with the music, we get Respighi. Then the storm in nature and Beethoven’s musical realization. I must say the two combined are virtually inseparable. Stokowski credits Beethoven with a “keen sense of humor” which came into play in his pictorial music.

The Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies (RCA LM 1878, 13 January-10 February 1955) serve to distinguish Stokowski’s penchant for extreme, even lurid colors. Perhaps only Fricsay’s inscription comes close to rivaling Stokowski’s gypsy sensibilities. The free use of rubato and the stretching of the musical line testify to a great deal of fun within the NBC ranks. The harp sequence in the F Minor (arr. Doppler) might have been lifted from Tchaikovsky. The perky triangle and percussion have our feet tapping, at least until the tempo gets beyond what human feet can accomplish. The ever-popular C Sharp Minor is the Mueller-Berghaus arrangement, augmented by Stokowski’s own ritards, slides, and sforzati. Some great sonorities from the NBC battery, doublebasses, and Robert Bloom’s oboe. When the friss section breaks into the “cartoon gestures,” Stokowski has his excuse to turn the kitchen sink upside down and pour out a panoply of color effects, only one step removed from Sousa. The D Major (No. 6 in the piano catalogue) enjoys the viola talent of Nicholas Biro, substituting for the clarinet color that Franz Doppler had provided. The cimbalom solo is courtesy of Antoniette Steiner, producing an effect of a torch singer in a Vienna coffeehouse. When the fiery gypsy theme kicks in for its graduated crescendos, the sparks fly, topping a feisty, high-spirited romp by a virtuoso ensemble.

— Gary Lemco

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