Search - Benjamin Britten, Edward Elgar, Paavo Järvi :: Britten: 4 Sea Interludes; The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra; Elgar: Enigma Variations

Standard repertoire, memorably realized

Tonerl | 10/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Many wonderful recordings exist of each of these nuggets, but that does not diminish the accomplishment of all involved in this offering.



Jarvi shapes the Enigma into a relatively coherent whole without resorting to an artificial homogeneity in the orchestral sound. Instead, he allows the distinctive character of the scoring of the individual variations to shine, using structural emphases and phrasing to relate the bits to each other. The playing is faultless throughout, the equal of any recording of this work to date. "Troyte" finds the brasses enjoying themselves tremendously , with some breathtaking articulation in even the most schizophrenic passages. The famed "Nimrod" shows Jarvi at his most controlled. He shapes the long arc into a devastating climax of supreme beauty, power and well-earned emotional catharsis while never allowing the orchestra to sound taxed. The effect is quite wonderful. "Dorabella" is lilting and felicitous, a delicious contrast following the sympathetic content of the previous variation (the aforementioned "Nimrod"). The finale has a maybe slightly overblown and pompous approach, but Jarvi's sensitive handling of the material and the musicians spectacular playing (listen especially for the unison runs of the trombones and tuba) keep it from becoming a caricature. The contribution of the engineers cannot be overstated here, either, with the perfect integration of the organ adding beautifully to the effect.



The Britten pieces are equally successful. The sonority and weight of the opening of the Young Person's Guide are really outstanding, and the set of variations allow each section to really shine. The violins' variation includes probably the finest realization of the writing on record, with the sound of the massed strings playing above the stave never sounding thin or harsh. The recorded sound here allows the fun rythms underpinning this section to really shine through, as well. The double basses are obviously happy to have a short run in the limelight, and they play the unusually exposed melodies with aplomb. The horns are in fine voice in their brief variation, and the trumpets have a good time dueling before the low brasses get a chance to really show off some world-class tone and color. The percussion variation is blameless, and the concluding fugue is exciting without sounding forced. This is, without a doubt, the greatest recording of this work since the composer's own, and that is high praise, indeed.



The interludes from Peter Grimes are perhaps an underappreciated little corner of the British repertoire. Here they are treated with the seriousness which they (and the opera from which they are extracted and arranged) deserve. Again the sonority of the orchestral playing stands out. In "Dawn" the brass chorales are spectacular while never overpowering the foggy dreaminess of Britten's picture of the dreary coastal daybreak. Jarvi takes a daringly quick tempo in "Sunday Morning" but the orchestra tosses it off with ease. The tolling of the bells and the trilling of birds are incredibly evocative in the hands of the horns and woodwinds who portray them. "Moonlight" is again beautifully evocative. The string playing is harmonically dense and complex while never sounding heavy or opaque. The minor dissonances in the woodwinds effectively remind the listener of the discomfort of the subject matter. The concluding "Storm" sequence allows the orchestra to really let loose with some devastating playing. The pure sound of the complex orchetration is quite striking and incredibly realized by the sheer virtuosity of the ensemble. Weight, power, tone...all are served to the fullest while articulation never suffers. This sequence and this disc as a whole are powerful testaments to the quality of orchestral playing and sensitive musicianship from the podium that are on display in Cincinnati these days."

No Enigma Here

D. Mitchell | San Diego, CA USA | 02/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is first-class in performance and expetionally well engineered. A benchmark of the audio recording craft. Recorded in Music Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, January 22-23, 2006. Played through a good sound system, the perfomance seems to unfold alive in front of you. This is musical and audio nirvana.



Danlee Mitchell"