Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Roy Harris, Franz Liszt :: Serge Koussevitzky: Great Conductors of the 20th Century

A conductor who may have gone the way of the auk

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Koussevitzky is one of the few conductors in this series whose entire career consists of pre-LP recordings, many caught in antiquated sound. He was born in 1874, the same year as Pierre Monteux, but of the two, not to mention Stokowski, Koussevitzky has survived as less well suited to modern taste. He had an impulsive conducitng style that changed tempo arbitrarily from bar to bar, and to modern ears this sounds too intrusive, even egotistical. During his long tenure with the Boston Sym. Koussevitzky commissioned more masterpieces (from Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Bartok, Copland, etc.) than anyone with the exception of Diaghalev, mostly financed with money from his rich wife.



I wish I could be more enthusiastic about how well this famous musician has lasted. All these recordings are in sketchy-to-good mono from the 30s and 40s. CD 1 begins with a virtuosic Tchaikovsky Fifth (1944) riddled with the condcutor's arbitrary phrasing--if you like Mengelberg, however, who was even more extreme, Koussevitzky's impassioned account may strike you as something special. The performance of Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead (1945) is much better--feverish and moody wihtout the usual depressing langours one often hears in this piece. I would rate this a genuinely great recording. The sonics are among the best here, also. CD 1 ends with Liszt's excitingly trashy Mephisto Waltz (1936) in a romping, unbuttoned, and often wayward account caught in reasonably good sound--but who cares?



CD 2 begins with the Sym. #7 of Sibelius, one of Koussevitzsky's best composers. It's in boxy 1933 sound with the BBC Symphony and yet fairly leaps out of the speakers. Sibelius's rhapsodic idiom takes well to the cnductor's moment-to-moment mood changes. Too bad we can't hear it better. Koussevitzky's BSO commisions are represented by the Roy Harris Third Sym. (1939) in an often-reissued world premiere recoding. The sound is decrepit, and the reading, though extroverted, pales beside Leonard Bernstein's famous stereo version from the Sixties. The biggest misstep on the compliers' part, however, is a Beethoven Fifth with the London Phil. (1934), which is in pointlessly dim sound. Like Stokowski, one appreciates Koussevitzky outside the main German repertoire; we should have had more BSO recordings from the orchestra's golden age rather than this fairly routine, if vigorous, reading.



Overall, this is a fair portrait of Koussevitzky, who like Beecham was a great musical personality if not a technically trained condcutor. Four stars for the best parts.



"

One unvaluable musical treasure

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 06/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lets start stating that Thaikovsky fifth is wild , caucassic , you feel the roughness and lyricism mixed and that's the way you must conduct Thaikovsky , specially in the last movement. I've heard this version at least one sixty times and believe me ; there are few performances that even get close to that. because they lack incandescence, balcanic rage, and dyonisiac rapture.
This is the jewel of the crown of this set. You may find out in the market Van Kempen Concertgebouw , Sawalish Cocertgebouw and Fricsay Berlin . I have them all but Koussevitsky wins. Don't forget that the strings , winds and woods of that orchesta are pure gold , the deep expressiveness and the craft of this master allows to develop the sense of the span , so necessary in this symphony. Because the three first symphonies of Pyotr Illich are imperial and the three last are introspective in their mood.
The Isle of the dead is superb.
And the Sibelius seventh is first rate. This is , after the fourth, the most complex symphony for winning . You must underline the inner mood , the forrest sounds and avoid to fall in a sentimental mood due this is an epic work.
Beethoven fifth is the less fortunate recording of the set. It's well played , only that there are giants versions that are far beyond this one.
But if you are a hard fan of Koussevitzky and if you really want to know how the Boston Symphony sounded in their golden years, you must acquire this album.
This is a historical document."

Sibelius performance stands out ; not much else

Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 01/07/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Regarding Koussevitzky's Tchaikovsky Fifth, the issue is certainly not the playing of the fabled Boston Symphony. It has more to do with what some might refer to as the conductor's "old fashioned" performance. I'm not indicating that this particular label necessarily has a negative connotation, here or anywhere else. I am referring chiefly to the tempos that are employed. In a number of areas throughout the symphony, Koussevitzsky's tendency to slow things down may not be appreciated by some. I might have enjoyed the conductor's entire effort more if the leisurely element had been less frequent or pronounced. Also, while this impresses as a fairly musical performance, there are moments where Koussevitzky seems a bit theatrical, especially in the final movement. I continue to prefer the more stalwart and convincing Szell/Cleveland interpretation....Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead is given a decent reading, but Mitropoulos (on the same mono playing field) offers more intensity. ( For the remainder of disc one, I did not listen to Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No.1. )



On disc two, there isn't much that is noteworthy about Koussevitzky's Beethoven Fifth in either sound or interpretation....And, I don't find too interesting Harris' one movement Third Symphony, though I've heard Bernstein give a better account than the one offered here by Koussevitzky. Lastly, it's unfortunate the conductor's moving, live performance of the Sibelius Seventh with the BBC Symphony couldn't have received better sound. There is some powerful feeling emitted here. If you can accept the less than ideal acoustics, you should come away very impressed with what you hear. Other than this Sibelius opus though, I initially had anticipated a more positive reaction to the other pieces from this distinguished maestro's set."