Search - Andre Previn, James Conlon, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra :: Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony; Dohnanyi: Concertos

A fantastic collection........solid performers....

Timothy Mikolay | Pittsburgh, PA | 09/07/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"EMI has released a CD series entitled "Gemini - The EMI Treasures". I am unaware if this album is the first in the series but it is a welcome find due to the fact that some of the works presented were last issued on vinyl. For starters, the Dohnanyi Konzertstucke performed by Starker is quite remarkable. The piece itself is rare in the catalog and Starker's rendition is as legendary as his Dvorak or Bloch. Susskind and the Philharmonia offer excellent accompaniment in this unique and original piece. Take note of Starker's treatment of the upper range of his cello in this work. Astounding!



Cristina Ortiz' lovely playing in Dohnanyi's Variations is a joy to listen to, however the experience of working under Koizumi's baton must have been frustrating (as this recording can be). The New Philharmonia accompanies well enough with great detail, but Koizumi's stifling style noticeably drags the tempo of the entire work down up until the final variation (when Ortiz saves the day). The slow down is strikingly apparent. This may be a hint as to why we don't see much in the catalog from this conductor. With all due respect to Ortiz, the Variations are the least interesting of this set.



Last released in 1980 on vinyl, Previn and the Pittsburgh Symphony offer Goldmark's Rustic Wedding Symphony. This fine Pittsburgh Orchestra (nominated for a grammy in 1980 for their Mahler 4 recording) plays beautifully throughout. The music is alive, passionate and especially vivacious in the final movement. The rhytmic execution of the strings in the final movement is breathtaking. This is a joyful recording of this music, every bit as good as Bernstein's with the N.Y. Philharmonic.



Sara Chang's reading of Goldmark's violin concerto with James Conlon is as good as my Milstein recording (I've always enjoyed Chang's ability to infuse her technical prowess with passionate music-making). Conlon, whom I recently sang under at Ravinia, is more than effective at eliciting gorgeous tones from the Koln musicians embracing Chang's tone and technic. (This the same conductor-orchestra of Conlon's famous Schreker album).



The initial work of this set, Der gefesselte Prometheus, is a youthful piece intellectually and although it seems that Conlon is being deliberate here, we must remember that Prometheus is a tragic figure, so we will not hear heroics. The Koln orchestra and Conlon provide the necessary scope and depth to this score contributing a healthy amount of tension and bravado to the performance without underplaying or overdoing it for that matter.



This album is chock full of engaging performances of great music of two great composers. I gave it four stars because the recorded sound is somewhat lacking in the lower end throughout (especially in the symphony) and Koizumi's conducting. Otherwise, this is a great buy for the money. Recommended!"