Wonders of Stokowski
Andre Gauthier | 09/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The three pieces represented on this CD were close to Stokowski's heart making his unique abilities to express himself in the realms of the sumptuous come to the fore in this concert. They all require great degrees of coloration and they certainly receive it here. The CD comes from a single live performance at the Library of Congress in November, 1960.
The Siegfried Idyll is surely something that Stokowski loved dearly, and it is given a passionate, lush performance. Those two adjectives should not imply slow however. The tempi throughout are spot on, with minor adjustments for every phrase; the overall sentiment being that of an improvisation on the famous "motifs" contained within the "Ring". The Symphony of the Air (an orchestra that was comprised of remaining players from the original NBC Symphony) is not always as accurate as say the Philadelphia Orchestra was under the same baton. Still, one can almost picture the Christmas Eve morning when this piece was premiered for Cosima Wagner as both birthday gift and homage to her and the Wagner's son Siegfried. There aren't any surprises here. Those thinking Stokowski will bloat the piece with unnecessary touches will find that not to be at all true. The notes from Bridge records say this was the only time that Stokowski actually recorded this piece and according to several very complete discographies of the conductor they are right. It is surprising that through all the years that Stokowski performed Wagner he only gave us this one lasting impression on this occasion. (I do not know how often he actually performed it in public)
The "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" of Vaugh Williams follows. It is among five different versions recorded by Stokowski with different orchestras from 1948 - 1975. This 1960 recording of course shows Stokowski's deep relationship with 20th century music. Although Vaughn Williams wrote it in 1910 it was revised as late as 1919. It has several "choirs". There is the full string section, a single desk from each string section, and finally a string quartet. The Tallis theme is of course Elizabethan in origin, and is taken from a hymn whose first line is "Why fum'th in fight the Gentiles spite, in fury raging stout" which was accompanied in the Phrygian/Dorian mode. It is given a far more complex structure in the Fantasia. While the main theme of the hymn is repeated fully three times during the work in the Tallis harmonization, the 3 different groupings of strings make for a fascinating way to explore the implications of church music. This work must have a rich sound and a rich acoustic to help that. Here the acoustic is slightly short, but Stokowski solves that problem by stretching the phrasing in key moments and allowing for a dynamic range that keeps holds together the piece as a complete entity. In the opening group of string chords there is some bad intonation from one or two players, but that's the only problem spot. The trouble with so many attempts at this magical creation is that they become too sectionalized. Stokowski never falls into that trap and gives the listener one of the better readings available from anyone on CD.
Finally we have Schoenberg's "Verklarte Nacht" or "Transfigured Night", Opus 4. This is among Schoenberg's greatest achievements in any form and is one of the harbingers of the end of the romantic period. For a full 29 minutes Stokowski holds this dense piece together with a magicians touch. Bridge Records devotes long notes to the piece and Stokowski's relationship to it. This is the last recording of it that he ever made, and from the disquieted opening to the moment of transfiguration to the ecstatic ending, Stokowski creates a perfect bridge for these three defined elements of the piece.
Thanks to Bridge for liner notes in a large font!! The normal 8 point is here replaced by what I think is a 12 point. I can read it without glasses, and there's a lot of interesting material to read too.
If you are a Stokowski fan, don't miss this recording. It may be familiar territory in some cases, but it is Stokowski once again at his best.
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Track Listings (3) - Disc #1