Search - Brahms, Norman, Muti :: Symphony 3 / Alto Rhapsody

Breathtaking

BDSinC | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | 07/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have a few recordings of these works, and to be honest, I never really cared to listen to them. I found the symphony rather dull, and the alto rhapsody simply left me cold. I was told all my life that these were two of the most beautiful works. I even learned that Brahms wrote the Alto rhapsody for the greatest contralto of his day: Pauline Viardot-Garcia (and other things written for her are quite compelling). So the question became: Was it the music, the performances, or me? I gradually concluded it was NOT the music. It was simply enchanting. It wasn't me, because I could see the value in it. So it was the performance. There is something unexplainable in the conducting and the way the orchestra speaks. There are special little details, one hardly notices them at the time, but they seem to call out to you long after you have finished listening. The symphony is moving, very moving, and this reading, and the skill of the orchestra simply has a depth to it that compells. Then there is the work for men's chorus and a solo voice, a contralto. The Rhapsody for Alto. The work is in three parts, and not all of it is flowing melody. However, one is gripped and pulled into the little drama the music creates. There is a haunting quality to Norman's singing. I can't explain it. In the recording I have with Marilyn Horne, though her singing is faultless, this same haunting quality is not there. It isn't ever there. However, when Norman is singing, it is overwhelming, particularly when singing the "song" part over the male chorus. They blend so wondrously. I actually got goose bumps listening to it the very first time I put it on. And that is something considering I had listened to a number of recordings of these peaces during my lifetime. It wasn't like the music was unknown to me. However, it was like I was discovering it for the first time."