Philharmonia Archive
Editorial for August, 2018
Rameau — Le Temple de la Gloire Rameau’s masterwork — Le Temple de la Gloire (The Temple of Glory) — has been given new life, presented in the original version Rameau intended, for the first time since the opera’s 1745 premiere, with the magnificent libretto by Voltaire. This version is based on the original manuscript, housed at U.C. Berkeley’s Hargrove Music Library; this multi CD set is from the performances at U.C. Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, co-produced by Cal Performances and Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, representing a collaboration years in the making. The version of this ballet héroïque that has been heard up until now is the second version which was substantially changed by Rameau to take into account the Parisian public’s aversion to moral maxims, and their preference for love scenes. Voltaire originally wanted this to be a philosophical reform of opera: an allegory around the idea of the temple of glory, a grandiose spectacle with moral and political overtones. This original 1745 version is much more spectacular, and its originality in the history of Enlightenment Theater calls for a twenty-first-century restaging. To enter in the drawing for Rameau’s Le Temple de la Gloire merely fill out the […]
SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2; RAVEL: Piano Concerto; GERSHWIN: Second Rhapsody; MASSENET: Meditation – Andrew von Oeyen, p./ Prague Philharmonia/ Emmanuel Villaume – Warner Classics
Pianist Andrew von Oeyen embraces his twin cultural loyalties with brilliant elan. SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 22; RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G Major; GERSHWIN: Second Rhapsody; MASSENET: Meditation from Thais (trans. Oeyen) – Andrew von Oeyen, p./ Prague Philharmonia/ Emmanuel Villaume – Warner Classics 019029508485, 66:05 (1/13/17) ****: Pianist Andrew von Oeyen (b. 1979) considers himself a Parisian-American, so little wonder that his debut album for Warner Classics (rec. 21-25 August 2015) embraces compositions – rather flashy and jazzy in their own respect – from both musical cultures. That Oeyen finds a natural, virtuoso vehicle in the 1868 Concerto No. 2 by Saint-Saens comes as little surprise – Andre Watts did much the same in early days when I heard him at Lewisohn Stadium in New York. Oeyen plays with requisite strength and optimism, dashing through the Bach prelude evolves into a lovely theme attributed to Gabriel Faure. The breadth of musical line and the plastic contours from the orchestra suggest that the several Artur Rubinstein renditions of the work served as models for the present reading. The second movement Allegro scherzando relies much on Saint-Saens’ great fondness for the fourth of the Chopin scherzos. […]
MENDELSSOHN: Syms. Nos. 1 & 4 – London Sym./Gardiner – LSO Live
A vigorous and incisive Italian, with a fresh and even more exhilarating “First”. MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 1 in c, Op. 11; No. 4 in A, Op. 90 “Italian” (1833 version) – London Sym. Orch./ John Eliot Gardiner – LSO Live multichannel Pure Audio Blu-ray & SACD LSO0765 (2 discs, on audio-only Blu-ray), 62:11 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Mendelssohn’s tour of Europe from 1829-31 ended with a sojourn in Italy, where the 22-year-old immediately began writing a symphony that would reflect his experiences. It is easily the sunniest of all his compositions, though it did cause him heartache, so much so that he decided to revise it in 1834. But since it was never published in his lifetime, it is the earlier version commonly played today, and so Gardiner offers it here. I expected something rather on the quick side, and he does not disappoint. What is most surprising is the ability of the LSO to articulate some of the fast triplet passages in the first and last movements as clearly and cleanly as they do, a real tribute to the virtuosity of the orchestra. This is an exciting if predictable performance (there have been others in this mold as […]
MOZART and SCHUBERT works played by pianist Annie Fischer – Praga Digitals
Hungarian virtuoso Annie Fischer brings refined energy and passion to Mozart in classic performances. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 20 in d, K. 466; Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482; Rondo in D Major for Piano and Orchestra, K. 382; SCHUBERT: Impromptu in f, D. 935, No. 4 – Annie Fischer, p./ Philharmonia Orch./ Sir Adrian Boult (K. 466)/ Wolfgang Sawallisch (K. 482)/ Hungarian Radio Sym. Orch./ Ervin Lukacs – Praga Digitals PRD 250339, 81:58 (10/7/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] *****: Hungarian pianist Annie Fischer (1914-1996) remained the darling of Mozart interpretation, along with Clara Haskil, though Fischer could be more intense and aggressive in her performances. Andras Schiff credits her with some of “the most poetic playing” of his experience. Various conductors assisted Fischer in her Mozart journeys: Otto Klemperer, Ferenc Fricsay, Wolgang Sawallisch, and Adrian Boult. The present collection assembles London performances from 1959 and 1965, while the Rondo has its recording location in Budapest of 1959. The collaboration on the 1785 d minor Concerto (February 1959) with Sir Adrian Boult establishes a truly ominous atmosphere of sturm und drang, later affirmed by the Beethoven cadenza. The powerful opening motives, however turbulent, find no echo in […]
TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 – Suite from the Ballet – Philharmonia Orch./ Efrem Kurtz – Hi-Q Records
The 1958 classic Nutcracker excerpts assume a new audiophile guise in this issue from Hi-Q Records. TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 – Suite from the Ballet – Philharmonia Orch./ Efrem Kurtz – Hi-Q Records xrcd24 HIQXRCD51, 60:00 (6/24/16) [Distr. by Warner Classics] ****: The Nutcracker – Suite From The Ballet is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by the well-known Russian conductor Efrem Kurtz. Kurtz had already been a familiar name with the Philharmonia to the record collector of the 1950s, and he embarked upon a series of Tchaikovsky ballet recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra for EMI in 1958. A tall, imposing figure – he often dispensed with a podium – Efrem Kurtz had studied with Glazunov and Tcherepnin and was a pupil of Arthur Nikisch. Kurtz had a broad symphonic and operatic repertory and conducted the premieres of works by Copland, Barber, Walton, Hindemith, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Khachaturian. He remained most highly regarded for his interpretations of Russian music. Of this Nutcracker in the original review in The Gramophone of November 1958, R. F. remarked: “The orchestral quality is superb, and the dynamic contrasts tremendous. If you can hear the opening pizzicato notes of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, the […]
ELGAR: Cello Concerto in e minor; WALTON: Cello Concerto; G. HOLST: Invocation; I. HOLST: The Fall of the Leaf – Steven Isserlis, cello/ Philharmonia Orch./ Paavo Jarvi – Hyperion
Steven Isserlis asserts his supremacy in British cello artistry with two major concertos and two unfamiliar works dear to his heart. ELGAR: Cello Concerto in e minor, Op. 85; WALTON: Cello Concerto; G. HOLST: Invocation, Op. 19, No. 2; I. HOLST: The Fall of the Leaf for Solo Cello – Steven Isserlis, cello/ Philharmonia Orch./ Paavo Jarvi – Hyperion CDA68077, 73:01 (3/4/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: By general consensus, Steven Isserlis (b. 1958) currently reigns as Britain’s finest cellist, and his latest recording of the two major cello concertos – by Elgar (1919) and Walton (1956), respectively – bear witness to a talent that has earned meaningful comparison with the likes of the late Jacqueline du Pre. Recorded between November 2014 and April 2015, the Hyperion production also provides two relatively unknown pieces, by father Gustav Holst and daughter Imogen, the booklet’s testifying to the latter in Isserlis’ life with a photo of his reviewing the score of the solo The Fall of the Leaf with the composer in 1977. A colossal energy suffuses the first movement of the Elgar Concerto, marked with a devout melancholy which often rises up in rebellion to the elegiac sensibility of loss. Beyond […]
DELIUS: Violin Con.; BRITTEN: Violin Con.; MILFORD: Darkly Thrush – Royal Scottish & Philharmonia Orch. – Dutton Epoch
FREDERICK DELIUS: Violin Concerto; BENJAMIN BRITTEN: Violin Concerto; ROBIN MILFORD: The Darkling Thrush – Royal Scottish Nat. Orch. /David Lloyd-Jones, cond./ Philharmonia Orch./ Nicholas Collon, cond./ Phillippe Graffin, violin – Dutton Epoch stereo-only SACD CDLX 7320, 68:46 (9/11/15) [Dist. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Two familiar English works and a very worthwhile world premier. English label Dutton Epoch has given us a fine stereo SACD with 3 notable works; Delius’ Violin Concerto, Britten’s Violin Concerto Op. 15, and the world premier recording of Robin Milford’s The Darkling Thrush. The two English violin concertos are well known in the repertoire, and the Milford piece is written for violin and orchestra. This all-English program has much to recommend it both musically and sonically. The Delius concerto was written in 1916 while the composer was still in England. The score has been revised several times, and this performance reflects edits in the score by Delius champion Sir Thomas Beecham. It goes a bit further than the Beecham edit, however, and it includes revisions to the solo violin part by Albert Sammons. The Britten concerto was written as World War II unfolded. It’s highly emotional, and remains a popular, lyrical work. Finally, the disc features […]
SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto in a minor, Op. 54; BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major – Annie Fischer, p./Philharmonia Orch./ Carlo Maria Giulini (Schumann)/ Leon Fleisher, p./ Swiss Festival Orch./ George Szell – Audite
Two singular pianists make their debut as the Lucerne Festival, 1960 and 1962, with eminently musical results.
DVORAK: Cello Concerto in B Minor; FAURÉ: Elegie /Janos Starker, cello/ Philharmonia Orch./Walter Susskind – Hi-Q Records xrcd24
A valuable remastering of a classic Starker performance.
“Echoes From the Dark Years – PROKOFIEV and World War II” – var. performers/ Academic Sym. Orch. of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conserv. – Intergroove
PROKOFIEV – some top-drawer and some bottom-drawer compositions by the famed composer written during World War II.
R. STRAUSS: Don Juan; Till Eulenspiegel; Death and Transfiguration; Vier letze Lieder – Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, sop./Vienna Philharmonic/ Wilhelm Furtwaengler/ Philharmonia Orch./ Otto Ackermann (Last Songs) – Praga Digitals
Gripping, “transcendent,” the Furtwaengler readings of Richard Strauss powerfully capture the composer’s symphonic ethos.
DEBUSSY: Pelléas et Mélisande = Suzanne Danco/ Oda Slobodskaya/Henri-Bertrand Etcheverry/ Camille Maurane/ André Vessières/ BBC Chorus/ Philharmonia Orch./ Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht – Testament (3 CDs)
A touchstone for mid-century Pelleas performance practice, recorded in 1951.
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast; DVORAK: Symphonic Var. – Richard Lewis, tenor/ Royal Choral Society/ Philharmonia Orch./ Sir Malcolm Sargent – IDIS
The combination of two vintage Malcolm Sargent performances reminds us of his gift for choral and instrumental composition.
“Guilty Pleasures” – Rene Fleming, soprano/ Philharmonia Orch./ Sebastian Lang-Lessing – Decca
Another Grammy possibility? Sure sounds that way…
Audio News for October 8, 2013
Esa-Pekka Salonen Extends Contract with Philharmonia; Antelope Audio Emphasizes Superior Clocking for Digital Audio; 135th Audio Engineering Society Convention, Oct. 17-20; Netflix Super HD Available to All Subscribers – Maybe
Lucerne Festival = MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 20; BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” – Clara Haskil, piano/ Philharmonia Orch./ Otto Klemperer (Mozart)/ Robert Casadesus, p./ Vienna Philharmonic Orch./ Dimitri Mitropoulos – Audite
Two collaborations, of Mozart and Beethoven in Lucerne, welcome the extraordinary talents of Haskil and Casadesus, each accompanied by a passionate conductor, for two epic performances.
PETER MAXWELL DAVIES: Trumpet Concerto; Piccolo Concerto; Maxwell’s Reel, with Northern Lights; Five Klee Pictures – Stewart McIlwham, piccolo/ John Wallace, trumpet/ Royal Philharmonic Orch. /Royal Scottish Nat. Orch./ Philharmonia Orch./ Peter Maxwell Davies – Naxos
Welcome to the diverse and stimulating sound world of British composer Peter Maxwell Davies, one of the most honored and controversial composers of our time!
Editorial for January 2013
A stunning updated three-volume set of the complete Beethoven Symphonies conducted by Otto Klemperer in stereo will soon be part of the libraries of five readers thruout the world who register using our simple form this month. The winners will be emailed a code for the Pristine Audio site, where they can select whether they will be sent free CD-Rs, or would rather download 24-bit or 16-bit FLAC audio files, or even MP3 files. The early stereo sound of the Philharmonia Orchestra has been transferred to this century with astounding effect. The five lucky winners will be listed here in early February. Here are the three winners of the 20-CD set from EMI, Imaginary Landscapes – Sounds of America, our December drawing. Congratulations! = Richard Lovison, Becket MA; Thomas D. Stover, Middletown VA; Marshall Dean, Indianapolis IN. [audaud-hr] EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, which aired for 13 1/2 years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations coast to coast. In September 1998 its web site for programming information was expanded to the present Internet publication. January 2013 is our 166th issue, and features improved navigation and appearance […]
RACHMANINOV: Piano Concerto No. 2; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Benno Moiseiwitshc, p./ Philharmonia Orch./ Sir Malcolm Sargent/ London Philharmonic Orch./ Walter Goehr/ Basil Cameron – Pristine
Benno Moiseiwitsch, the proclaimed heir to the Rachmaninov style, performs a trio of the Master’s works in superheated, brilliant performances.
Audio News for April 13, 2012
Samsung Launches Tubed Audio Products; Philharmonia Orchestra “Universe of Sound”; More Interest in Multi-Screen Video
Fitelberg conducts RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, TCHAIKOVSKY & SZYMANOWSKI – Dutton
An unknown conductor of distinction.
Guido Cantelli conducts TCHAIKOVSKY: Romeo & Juliet Ov.; Sym. No. 5 – Pristine
Guido Cantelli delivers Tchaikovsky performances with potent vigor and a degree of elegance that testifies to his classical adherence to form even in the midst of theatrical passion.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
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