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One Of The Great Romantic Conductors

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 06/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Romanian conductor Constantin Silvestri (1913-69) was a genuine original: he was a sometimes eccentric but compellingly brilliant "romantic" who ranked among the very greatest of all conductors. Some of his recordings have a technical finish that puts even Reiner in the shade, but at times Silvestri could sound as "wayward" and mannered as anything heard from Mengelberg, Furtwangler, Golovanov, or Stokowski. But Silvestri was more often fully worthy of standing at the top. I have no doubt at all that, were he alive today, he would be hailed as the world's finest conductor. Silvestri's career was cut short at age 55 by liver cancer. In the 7+ years that he headed the Bournemouth Symphony, he transformed a seemingly hopeless provincial ensemble into a near-great orchestra. Evidence of that is clearly apparent in this wonderful 10-disc EMI set, in which he also conducts The Vienna Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the Paris Conservatory, and the London Philharmonic. Several of the readings here can lay claim to the title of "greatest ever." Here is a brief summary of contents. If you have never heard Silvestri, perhaps the performers with whom I compare him will give you some idea of what you are missing if you don't run out and get this set. I paid full bore for mine (the first copy that came into the San Francisco branch of Tower Records) and, at about $50, I regarded it as a steal. It's now out of print - but new copies can be found on the internet for under $30. And for that modest sum, you get nearly 12 hours of superb music making for less than a decent ticket's price to hear some faceless run-through.CD1 is all with Vienna. I feel this warm and passionate Dvorak 7th ranks along with Talich & Sejna as one of the 3 greatest. The Enescu is the finest stereo account, although I prefer the earlier Czech Phil. account, which is superior even to the fine Georgescu. The 4th Rhapsody is a stunning demonstration of how to conduct Liszt - a towering achievement that leaves all competitors behind. The R-R Capriccio Espagnol is a trifle rhetorical for my taste: it is outclassed by the unbeatable Kondrashin.CD2 has the finest Hansel & Gretel on disc. Others are more idiomatic in the Brahms and Dvorak items; my favorite Carnival remains the Krombholc. Dvorak's 8th is beautifully played (III is gorgeous), but it's also a bit exaggerated - I still prefer Talich & Ancerl. CD3's Shostakovich 5th is one of the great accounts, just a step or two behind Mravinsky. The Prokofiev & Khachaturian are very brilliant - I've never heard any better.CD4 is all stunning save for the rather mannered Ravel Rhapsodie Espagnol - his Supraphon version was better, especially in the Feria, but neither approaches my favorites: Rosenthal, Bour, and Martinon (Reiner's is brilliant but cold).CD5 has an exceptional Bald Mountain that doesn't quite match Stokowski and Markevitch. The Borodin & Glinka are gorgeous: perhaps only Mengelberg is better in the Steppes. Scheherazade is outstanding - for me, it ranks with Stokowski's 1927 & 1934 Philadelphia accounts and the 1957 Beecham (I find the much-praised Reiner too fast and a trifle studied). BSO concert master Gerald Jarvis is incredibly impassioned, although he has a couple patches of blue intonation.CD6 features a Sorcerer's Apprentice that outclasses even the Stokowski. The Danse Macabre is fine but not really special. The Ravel Pavane lacks the poignancy of Rosenthal & Cluytens. Franck's D minor is right up there with Mengelberg, Stokowski, and Cluytens (I learned it with Boult, whom I still prefer to the celebrated Monteux). CD7 has some lukewarm Tchaikovsky (a rather spiritless 1812). The Cap. Espagnole is no match for Scherchen, let alone Kondrashin. But the Finlandia is superb - easily the equal of Rosbaud, Collins and Otterloo. The V-W overtures (Wasps and Tallis) here get their definitive readings.CD8 has the finest stereo Les Preludes, but I still find the old Mengelberg non pareil. I prefer the BSO Dukas to this one from Paris. Stravinsky's Sym. in 3 Mvts. is the second-best I have heard, after the composer's 1946 NY Phil. account. The Song of the Nightingale even rivals the classic Reiner.CD9 offers perhaps the most mesmerizing Bolero ever - I also love Rosenthal, Leibowitz and Desormiere here. The Debussy items are a mixed bag - the La Mer is mannered but brilliant (hear the end of I: it's dazzling). To my ears, Inghelbrecht is simply in a league of his own in these works. CD10 has the definitive Tasso - one of the greatest of ALL Liszt readings. Likewise, the Bartok Divertimento is superb. Hindemith's Mathis der Maler is surely the equal of Bernstein's (live), Fricsay's and the composer's own. Too bad EMI didn't include Silvestri's great Symphonie Fantastique and dramatic New World - or his definitive Elgar "In the South" (even the boys at The Gramophone are agreed on that one).In a nutshell: this great set has a LOT of desert island stuff!"

Ditto!

Wayne A. | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 10/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mister Lipscomb is dead on in every respect on this set. The label is Disky (Dutch and licensed from EMI)and I was able to track down a new copy at Berkshire Record Outlet for 30 dollars--the best 30 dollars I've ever spent on anything in my life. Sadly, and with the way things are going in the classical biz these days, I doubt EMI would ever put together a comparable package on their own to market in the US (Who the heck's Silvestri?). Check the overseas Amazon sites and pay whatever they want in Euros or Pounds. If this set cost $200 it'd be worth it.



To add my own nickel's worth, this is a collection of warhorses that'll give any jaded listener a fresh jolt. For example, I'd about given up on finding any recording of the Franck symphony that made a case for this old dog as an unqualified masterpiece (Sorry, the Monteux doesn't quite get there for me, and I otherwise love Monteux's work. Munch is damn close but unavailable). Well, anyway, I found the ideal recording here. Same with the Enescu, the Danse macabre, and a host of other otherwise rusty items to be found in this magnificent set.



If modern conductors and orchestras offered this kind of excitement (as opposed to the current penchant for clinical perfection--doesn't anyone believe in this music any more?) to the public we wouldn't be having a crisis in the classical music world.







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Rob Cowan's review in 'The Independent'

Record Collector | Mons, Belgium | 04/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""There aren't many success stories in British musical life that can match the thorny but ultimately victorious growth of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Romanian-born conductor Constantin Silvestri. It was an unforgettable era, which spanned the 1960s and bore a small legacy of recordings, most of them included in Disky's new 10-CD 'Constantin Silvestri: The Collection'. Not that there's any booklet to explain how this naturalised Brit had started his career as a pianist, led the Bucharest Opera and Philharmonic, toured, taught and composed. But then, at just pounds 25-30 (the approximate asking price), you can hardly expect chapter and verse as well.



"Wading through this collection has been a delight. A fine orchestral trainer, Silvestri could inspire less-than-world-class orchestras to surpass themselves. His Bournemouth sojourn proved that beyond doubt, with red-blooded traversals of Vaughan Williams's 'Tallis Fantasia' and Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Scheherazade'.



"Silvestri made his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the late 1950s and a finely tooled LPO Dvorak 8th Symphony harbours many piquant details. Dvorak's 7th Symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is very different in mood: mellow, restless, and impulsive by turns.



"The sessions with the Philharmonia are full of surprises. Franck's D minor Symphony receives one of the most imaginative interpretations of the period, while Stravinsky's 'Song of the Nightingale' and Symphony in Three Movements are awash with colour. Few conductors have drawn more affectionate playing in Humperdinck's 'Hansel und Gretel' Overture. Liszt's 'Tasso' and 'Les Preludes' ride high on the Silvestri temperament; Hindemith's 'Mathis der Maler' Symphony climaxes to some handsomely protracted brass declamations, and Bartok's 'Divertimento' is packed with character.



"Other works include Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture' and 'Capriccio Italien' (Bournemouth), Ravel's 'Bolero' (very broad), Debussy's 'Nocturnes' and 'La Mer' (all three from Paris), Rimsky-Korsakov's 'May Night Overture' and Mendelssohn's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture' (London, Philharmonia). And there's more still, all of it tasty food for musical thought.



"My advice is to snap the set up. But don't make the mistake of listening to too much at a single sitting. Like his compatriot Sergiu Celibidache, Silvestri fashioned his performances according to some very individual interpretative ideas. It's the sort of collection to have on tap just to prove that breaking the rules can serve great music as truthfully as honouring them."

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