Search - Silvestri, Vpo, Lpo :: Constantin Silvestri: Artist Profile

An Outstanding Account of Elgar's "In The South"

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 05/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I only call your attention to this disc, which is currently out of print, because it contains the finest-ever account of Elgar's overture "In the South." This is one of Elgar's most brilliant and happiest works, written when the composer was touring around Italy (1903). I think the music sounds quite a bit like Richard Strauss in terms of its orchestration. Silvestri's virtuoso performance with the Bournemouth Symphony has been the benchmark reading ever since it was recorded.



Everything on this CD also appeared on EMI's "Artist Profile" series, which was a better group of compilations than IMG's "Great Conductors" series (in which Silvestri was disgracefully not included). All the items on this set (Dvorak's 8th, Rimsky's May Night overture, and the items by Ravel/Glinka/Borodin, save two, were also in "Silvestri: The Collection," a 10-disc Disky box set (now out of print). The two exceptions: THIS Elgar, and THIS Philharmonia account of the Tchaikovsky 5th Symphony. The latter was also on a deleted 2-disc Disky set (see my review) with Silvestri's equally wonderful readings of the 4th & 6th Symphonies.



So the real appeal of this set is the Elgar, which hopefully will be re-issued. And, just perhaps, somebody might get around to re-issuing some of the great Silvestri LPs that have yet to show up on CD, such as the fire & ice account of Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" (Electrecord LP), the brilliant Falla "El Amor Brujo" (Hungaroton LP), the Shostakovich 10th (Parliament LP), Haydn's 27th Symphony (Supraphon LP), or Silvestri's wonderful Berlioz "Symphonie Fantastique" (Trianon LP). I keep hoping for that to happen so I can retire my aging LPs."

A frequently underrated conductor!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 01/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Rumanian distinguished conductor ` main feature resided in that admirable eloquence at the moment to remark the cantabile line with such expressiveness fluency and enraptured breath.



In spite of his accented and notorious predilection for the Mediterranean repertoire, product of his birthplace, he possessed that special affinity and easiness to engage with this wide kaleidoscopic.



His May Night shares honors with the famed version of Ernest Ansermet; his Ravel Spanish Rhapsody is carefully ornamented, accurate and musically solvent. He achieves to join the Impressionism with the Spanish roots with precision in the attacks and enviable phrasing.



His Elgar is refined and pompous in the great tradition of his champion conductor Sir Adrian Boult.



In what Dvorak ` s Eighth concerns, we have a very interesting performance, plenty of radiant elegance and persuasive idiomatic language. It is far to be compared with the incandescent version of Charles Munch but I include it among the best six versions ever recorded.



Russian and Ludmila as no enemies with the vibrant performance of Arturo Toscanini. Prince Igor is pleasant surprise; florid exuberance and outstanding vitality interpretative.



And finally special mention deserves this well known Op. of Tchaikovsky; it 's refinement and distinguished phrasing in spite of lack the mercurial approach of Koussevitzky, the introspective mediation of Bernstein Vienna or the mathematical precision of Wolfang Sawalisch with the Concertgebouw, has its own profile and personality.



This is a rare album that allows us to know with major emphasis and thoroughness in that notable conductor who having died at 56, had still much to say in this competitive field. I would add his collaboration with Samson Francois with Liszt ' s First Piano concerto and his overwhelming Enescu `s Rumanian Rhapsody, that constitute definitive achievements.

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