Royal Convertgewouw
Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances
Stravinsky Petrushka
This recording is live so this excuses certain things but I want to discuss the only weak point of this SACD. The sound take is obviously the result of multi-miking and the sound engineer(s) went overboard with it. If an oboe is playing solo, then the instrument fills up the center of the image and all the rest of the orchestra (for example strings that would support the solo instrument) is pushed to the side. This procedure is acceptable in certain sections (like the beginning of the slow section in the first movement with a lot of solo woodwinds) but in other it is really annoying because the sound perspective change too quickly. For example a xylophone appears dead center and disappears as quickly! So at many points there is not a realistic image of a full symphonic orchestra.
But besides this nasty problem all other technical aspects are really good. The image is solid, the dynamic stellar and there is good balance of all frequencies (e.g. thrilling mid-bass, stellar highs, etc.) There is a good feeling of the acoustic of the concert hall from the softest solos to the full orchestral tuttis. And even when an instrument is artificially put on the center spot, the instrument itself sounds very natural and the feeling of sounds in a large space is preserved, it is just the positioning that is all wrong.
A last comment on the “hyper” clarity of this recording (maybe the good side of the multiple miking). All instruments are vivid and kind of jump out of the speakers. It is hard to describe with words but the technical strength help appreciate all the good work of the excellent musicians of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
First some information on the symphonic dances
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphonic_Dances_(Rachmaninoff)
In particular: http://inkpot.com/classical/rachsymdances.html
I rate the overall music on this SACD at 4 out of 5, but of course I rate the interpretation of the Symphonic Dances 5 out of 5.
Musically the symphonic dances are a retrospective for Rachmaninoff. The first movement contains references to its first symphony and the third movement to its second symphony. The first and third movement have the same overall format of fast-slow-fast. But the (over?) richness of the material always left me uncommitted to the music, I think I have simply heard average interpretation of this music until now. Here difficult transitions are done effortlessly and there is a high level of energy and of forward momentum throughout. I attribute a lot this success to the conductor Mariss Jansons but also to the excellent playing of the musicians of the Royal Conbergebouw.
First movement: non allegro
The first movement starts quietly with a tentative motif at the strings followed by intervention of the woodwinds (English horns, Clarinet, Bassoon and Bass Clarinet) which repeats similar melodic fragments. But this is soon replaced at 0:18 with something energetic (even martial) hammered by strings and tympani. The dynamics increase with brass and the then the main theme is taken up by the woodwinds. But the conductor does not let the pressure down and makes his musicians play with all the energy possible, each musical sentence is projected and becomes a building block for something grand.
The musical flow pauses at the first minute (in the whole piece Rachmaninoff repeatedly interrupt himself which puts a burden on the conductor to not loose the sense of continuity), but quickly picks up again at 1:20. The conductor pushes the energy “button” and the orchestra answers immediately. The orchestration is complex and musical fragments get passed quickly between different orchestral sections, but all this is seamless and the music keeps its focus and the listener is just swept along.
The music builds up to 2:20 and during the next 30 seconds Mariss Jansons controls another beautiful transition where the tension is gradually lowered until the beginning of the slow portion at 2:50. This begins with beautiful and lyrical solos by the woodwinds. In particular a sax solo which is an instrument used relatively rarely in classical music. As everything else here it is beautifully played, congratulations to the whole woodwind section of the Convergebouw. At 5:27 the slow melody is taken again by the strings and it is difficult to imagine music sounding more “Russian” than this.
At the end of the slow section (from 7:30 to 8:30) the conductor leads another gorgeous transition that seems nearly magical. After repeated listening of this single passage I think the secret is for the conductor not to accelerate too quickly and as the orchestration becomes richer there is a sense of build-up without needing to accelerate too quickly.
At 8;4 we reach another climax and it sounds like the movement would be reaching its close, but in fact Rachmaninoff comes back to the initial marital theme. I will use this to underline the energy and dynamics of this recording in all the frequency range. Various sounds sparkle out of the speakers such as the various percussions both in the low and high registers. The movement ends with yet another transition which introduces the second movement.
Second movement: andante con moto (tempo di valse)
The second movement may seem simple, a “valse triste” (sad waltz). This is a waltz that goes through a continuous series of subtle change (at least more subtle than the first and third movement). Again our conductor Mariss Jansons knows where he is going and the music never looses its sense of pace and flow. For example right at the beginning the waltz seems to take flight but soon after the tempo (:22) slows again, picks up, dies again (:44). A solo violin take flights but again is concluded indecisively, this whole section feels like the repressed emotions (of an old man?)
The main them start with the English Horn (1:35) which is then is join by a Oboe (1:57) and finally by the strings (2:12) and the exposition goes on to 2:45 with a gradual increase of the tempo, subtle but at the same time like a slow wave that keeps getting bigger. The movement goes on like this with multiple variations all based on build-up, let-down cycles. But there is a climbing up feeling that culminates at 8:00 and then explodes and accelerates to reach another summit at 8:55, through all this is the music changed? Rachmaninoff is making a transition to a 2 beat tempo to prepare the arrival of the third movement..
Third movement: lento assai
The third movement is played with even more energy that the first (the conductor has the gas pedal to the floor!). This feeling of energy and pace is re-enforced by the feeling of continuity given by a live recording. After a slow introduction (only up to :30) we enters a magical world with a complex orchestration. At the same time, under that joyful music is darker undercurrent based on the Dies Irae which was an obsession for Rachmaninoff (for example the tubular bells and flute at :46).
For another 2 minutes the orchestra shines with a lot of bravura playing, in particular one can admire the precision of the violins at 2:00 and the solidity of the lower strings just after . All this electricity is only the anticipation for the main theme which is even more energetic.
Our powerful syncopated main theme arrives at 2:36 and is spectacularly played a bit like 40s music for a great Hollywood production, it evokes an epic action film. The orchestra grows in power and reach its full stride at 3:11. Nearly immediately all this energy is dissipated and the tempo slows down at 3:25.
As in the first movement the central part is slow, but here the feeling is more remote and abstract (so the contrast is even greater). At 4:00 a melody at the strings is lift up with woodwinds arpeggios, it sounds like a gust of winds pushing a sail boat that was stalled. At 4:50 a pause and then a bass clarinet, is our boat lost in the fog? The momentum restart around 5:40 and our vessel sails again. At around 7:00 with the trumpet entrance the music takes a more dangerous tone (jagged reefs?). The tension is maintained (dangerous journey?) up to 8:00 where the melody takes a happier tone and our captain, I mean our conductor Mariss Jansons brings us to safety, again nice string works for the transition.
At 9:00 we are back on the ground and the tempo picks up speed and we reach an orchestra tutti with a impressive intervention of the French Horns at 9:25. Just a bit further the music takes a sombre turn using once more Dies Irae fragments. At 10:12 the music becomes event faster and returns to our triumphant theme. Then follow a minute of colourful orchestral music played with as much energy as one can imagine. The conductor whips is ensemble to frenzy without making the orchestra loose its sense of virtuosity.
At 11:00 the music is glorious and again the listener could believe that the movement is closing, we are again hearing fragment of the Dies Irae but this time in a major tonality, is Rachmaninoff accepting is upcoming death? Our theme comes again at 11:46 with a triumphant transformation. But again (and for the last time) the music twists around and becomes philosophical for 30 seconds to finally arrive at its conclusion at 12:46 with full brass and percussions. The reaction of the crowd is the proof of the excitement, and our reaction as listener is to envy the lucky people that heard something so beautiful live.
A few words about Petrushka
By contrast to the Rachmaninoff, the Stravinsky lacks a bit of magic and this childish side that should represents the universe of the puppets. But it is still a spectacular interpretation full of color. I will illustrate this with 2 extracts: In the first track from 5:00 to 5:30 at the end of the fair segment (just before the entrance of the ballerina) we feel the crowd energy and the anticipation for the Muppet show. At the end (track 15) the ghost of Petrushka comes back to haunt the scene and the two trumpets plays with scorn and frustration. But in my own case it is the “filler” music that has conquered my imagination.