Search - Fritz Reiner :: Fritz Reiner

Historical moments of the music!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 07/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This marvelous compilation offers (with the honored exception of Bartok `s Concerto for Orchestra Pittsburgh version), the most admirable musical legacy of this incisive conductor.



His Bach is notably austere and far to be romantic; absolutely adjusted to his temperament and vision; Beethoven's Second symphony is one of the most visceral versions ever recorded, Shostakovich `s Sixth is since its first release in 1946, a reference recording for the generations to come, his Mozart was a true revelation and his also Sprach has achieved a cult status for many of his hard admirers.



So, in case you make this wise choice, you will be investing the prize of just one single CD receiving three as a gift. You do not have to let escape this opportunity. This a bargain prize but the only fact of the supreme stature of these historical recordings justifies plainly you r inversion.



So give yourself this prize, you well deserve it!



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Another fine entry in the Artone series--featuring Fritz Rei

Steven A. Peterson | Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL) | 12/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Artone series is truly a treasure. The standard treatment of a conductor/performer is 4 CDs plus a booklet with considerable detail. This product features Fritz Reiner, the well-known conductor. The zenith of his career was probably his conducting of the Chicago Symphony, helping to make it into one of the world's greatest orchestras. He was something of a tyrant. If I recall (this is a fragment of a memory from 40 years ago), he was famous/notorious for the minuscule hand motions in his conducting. Once, and perhaps this is an apocryphal story, a member of the orchestra came in with binoculars/telescope, to try to emphasize how hard it could be to follow his conducting. And, if memory serves, Reiner kicked him out of the rehearsal. I also recall from decades ago on public TV, shows featuring him conducting from a stool (and I do recall the modest hand movements of his conducting).



The 4 CDs cover a great deal of territory--from 4 of Bach's Brandenburg Concerti to Mozart's Symphony # 40 to Beethoven's Symphony # 2 to Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" to Shostakovich's 6th Symphony to Hindemith's "Mathis der Maler." I can only refer to a handful of these pieces to illustrate his (and the orchestras') work. . . .



Bach's Brandenburg Concerto # 5 is played by the Columbia String Ensemble, recorded in 1949. This familiar work begins briskly enough. The musical intimacy provided by a string orchestra works nicely. The Allegro is played well. The recording is about 60 years old, but the sound is still pretty clean and clear, albeit a bit "dry" (if I can use that term). The second movement is played well, "Affetuoso." This is a slow portion, but it is played affectingly. Elegiac. The third movement, Allegro, is sprightly enough (although I'd prefer a bit more pace), and the work closes out nicely.



The second CD features Mozart's Symphony # 40 and Beethoven's # 2, both played by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and recorded in 1946. Both are well done. The first movement of Mozart's work is played well, with the strings fairly singing. The slow movement is played in what I think of as a contemplative mode. The symphony closes with the 4th movement beginning at a quick pace, with a vital finale that closes out this work in a most satisfying fashion.



Beethoven's Symphony # 2 is an underplayed treasure, I think. Reiner and the PSO do it justice. The shift in tempos in the first movement (from adagio molto to allegro con brio) is done well, providing some spark to this movement. The sound is a bit antiseptic, but this is a 60 year old recording after all.



The third CD features Strauss' work. The only illustration I'll provide is the familiar "Sunrise" Introduction (anyone who has ever viewed the move "2001: A Space Odyssey" will instantly recognize this piece). This piece is played stolidly by the P. S. O., with the horns doing a nice job.



Shostakovich's 6th Symphony, to be honest, is a work that, to the best of my knowledge, I have never listened to. Reiner and the P. S. O., though, do a fine job in this performance. The final movement is played at the "Presto" pace indicated by the composer and is awfully lively!



Want to get a sense of Fritz Reiner the conductor? This is a good start. It is lamentable that nothing on this 4 CD set comes from his years with the Chicago Orchestra. Nonetheless, a worthwhile means of acquainting oneself with the art and craft of Reiner.

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