The Chicago Symphony’s in-house label keeps on churning with this release partnered with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. There is a distinct east/west motive that runs through this recording, starting with Bloch’s Schelomo, traveling to the Herlen River in Mongolia, traversing Lou Harrison’s last piece written for the pipa, a Chinese plucked instrument, and ending with Prokofiev’s rhythmically jaunty and harmonically startling Scythian Suite, a creation for Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes that tells of the Scyths, a nomadic horse-riding people of Iranian origin.
Strangely it all works well, and I felt little disconnect among the various pieces even though on paper you might wonder a bit. Harrison’s concerto is fascinating, a wonderful synergy of Far East and California west played to a tee by virtuoso pipa player Wu Man, for whom the work was composed. Ma is superb in the Bloch—hardly a surprise there—while his Silk Roaders give a rousing performance for Herlan’s composer Byambasuren Sharav, born himself only 150 miles from the birthplace of Genghis Khan.
The biggest surprise for me is the Prokofiev, an emotionally composed and very controlled, colorful, and harmonically satisfying effort by conductor Gilbert, whom I have not been too enthralled with so far. Perhaps there is hope for New York after all when he accepts the reins in 2009. This is a lovely reading, and here as in all of these tracks CSO ReSound provides some smooth and exceptionally warm sound for all concerned. [Especially welcome in the Scythian, since that work abounds in such hard-edged semi-tonal sounds…Ed.] There are other Schelomo’s—Bernstein and Rostropovich’s incandescent reading remains the benchmark, and there are some terrific Scythian’s as well; but these can certainly serve as worthy supplements with the addition of the other works on this fine recording.
— Steven Ritter
