Works of PROKOFIEV; MUSSORGSKY; RESPIGHI; DVORAK – Rosalind Elias, mezzo-soprano/ Chicago Sym. Orch./Fritz Reiner – Urania

by | Apr 25, 2011 | Classical Reissue Reviews | 0 comments

PROKOFIEV: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78; Lieutenant Kije Suite, Op. 60; MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on Bald Mountain; RESPIGHI: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome; DVORAK: Carnival Overture, Op. 92 – Rosalind Elias, mezzo-soprano/ Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner – Urania Records Widescreen Collection WS.121.11 (2 CDs), 72:32, 78:13 [Distr. By Albany] ****:
Refurbished historical inscriptions of 1956-1959 from the legacy of Hungarian maestro Fritz Reiner (1888-1963) reveal the clarity and forceful energy that master could impart, much in the tradition of his admired Arturo Toscanini. The colossal Russian works–Alexander Nevsky (7 March 1959) and Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (7 December 1957)–receive potent realizations, although some may wish that Reiner had used a Russian instead of English-language text for the cantata to Eisenstein’s film. Mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias conveys the alternate heroism and pity for fallen heroes in the score, which takes a 12th Century battle as a commentary on the encroachment of fascist Germany on Russia in World War II.  (Those who know Eisenstein’s movie iconography may have noted that the design for the Teutonic Knights’ helmets had its precedent in D.W. Griffith’s Klansmen costumes in The Birth of a Nation.) Reiner had invited choral director Margaret Hillis to lead the Chicago Symphony Chorus, an association whose musical wonders we can still enjoy here. Those who owned the old RCA LP (LSC 2395) will relish this transfer for its keen impact.
Reiner’s tenure with the Chicago Symphony may not have fulfilled every dream he harbored as a music director–since only the Philadelphia Orchestra could have granted that wish–but he honed the ensemble to a steely perfection that rivaled Szell’s Cleveland Orchestra for tonal discipline. The reading of Respighi’s Fountains of Rome (24 October 1959) captures the atmosphere of ancient elegance to perfection, dignified, colorful, sonically impeccable. The ensuing Pines of Rome contain that element of savage panoply that raises the level of excitement to resplendent pitch, once again the Roman style that Toscanini could project. Even with the blatant power of the outer movements in Pines, the Lento section devoted to a depiction of the catacombs has its own magisterial momentum. Of an entirely different order for color and dazzling effects, the Suite to Lieutenant Kije (2 March 1959) presents a series of unique moments in virtuosity, including some fine moments for bass fiddle and saxophone. The famed recording of Pictures at an Exhibition (from RCA LP LSC 2201) has always wowed auditors for its spectacular sonic effects, while some have felt a sang froid in Reiner’s objective account.  Nevertheless, the RCA engineers outdid themselves for tonal realism in their refinement of the brass and bass drum parts, which of course swoop to engulf us when we enter The Great Gate of Kiev.
The two relatively short works–Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain (14 March 1959) and Dvorak’s Carnival Overture (7 January 1956)–project a demonic energy from the outset, almost as if fired from the muzzle of a high powered rifle. In both works, Reiner maintains interior tension and color lines with a dexterity and fluidity that always marked his flexibly taut style. The Night on Bare Mountain conveys much of the terror and chilling atmosphere we felt when we saw the Disney incarnation (for which Bela Lugosi had mimed the Devil’s gestures). Dvorak’s installment of “Life” from his tripartite series of symphonic poems–that includes In Nature’s Realm and Othello–quite dazzles with the rugged energy and alternately sweet folkways of the piece, the quiet sections of which melt us with glowing interior colors.
— Gary Lemco

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