Search - Barber, Golschmann, Janigro :: Orchestral Works

A very fine Barber collection

L. Johan Modée | Earth | 09/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Strange... no other reviews yet. It's strange because this is a collection with classic Barber performances of exceptional artistic qualities in superb Vanguard sound.



In five of the six works collected here, Vladimir Golschmann conducts an orchestra named "Symphony of the Air". In fact, this is another name for Toscanini's NBC Symphony - a top class orchestra.



For most people, Barber = his "Adagio", which has been played too many times it seems (in the same sense that Mahler's "Adagietto" has been played too much - i.e., at funerals). It is also included here in its original string quartet version, played by I Solisti di Zagreb. It is a fine and moving performance, one of the few essential performances of this famous work (in addition to Schipper's classic NYPO recording, which has the string orchestra version, and Beaux Arts' recording of the complete string quartet (both are included here: Barber: Adagio for Strings; Orchestral & Chamber Works, but Schipper's Barber recordings are also available in a separate edition: Samuel Barber / Thomas Schippers).



The other Barber works in this collection are mostly - apart from the brilliant "Second Essay" Op. 17 - rarely incarnated on record. The original "A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map, for male chorus & 3 tympani" Op. 15, for example, is a gem, moving and deeply memorable in this excellent performance. The same is true of the chamber opera "A Hand of Bridge" Op. 35. Great playing and singing, superb performance. Cast: Patricia Neway (soprano); Eunice Alberts (contralto); William Lewis (tenor); Philip Maero (bass) - very good.



The "Serenade, for string quartet or string orchestra" Op. 1, and "Music for a Scene from Shelley" Op. 7 are also fine (and rarely performed).



Warmly recommended!"

Barber Rarities

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 09/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of works by Samuel Barber contains some pieces that are rarely heard in outstanding performances.



The disc begins with a find performance of the Second Essay from 1942. The Essay is a highly dramatic work divided into three sections: a brooding andante begins the piece succeeded by an energetic allegro and concludes with a tranquil melody. The Music for a Scene from Shelly composed in 1933 is an equally dramatic work inspired by some lines from Shelly's play Prometheus Unbound.



One of the rare works on this disc is A Stopwatch and an Ordinance Map scored for male chorus, percussion and brass. The music was composed in 1940 and is inspired by a poem by Stephen Spender written during the Spanish Civil War. Let Down the Bars, O Death! Is inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson and is scored for a chorus of men and boys. One of the surprises of this disc is a recording of Barber's chamber opera A Hand of Bridge. It was first performed at the Spoleto Festival and has a text by Gian Carlo Menotti. The action is a card game played by two couple, alienated from each other, each of them fantasizing about what obsesses them. Sally wants an expensive hat, Bill wants to be with his mistress Cymbaline, David dreams of being of being rich and Geraldine prays her mother does not die. This is an excellent recording of this short work and I prefer it to the one recorded by Marin Alsop for her complete Barber series.



The disc concludes with a marvelous performance of the Serenade for Strings composed in 1929. This is lyrical piece in three short movements and is quite advanced for a nineteen-year-old. The final work is the Adagio for Strings from Barber's String Quartet played in the arrangement for string orchestra.



The Symphony of the Air performs beautifully under the direction of Vladimir Golschmann. The Adagio is performed with great sensitivity by I Solisti di Zagreb. This is a great disc for anyone interested in Samuel Barber's music.

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