Search - Vaughan Williams, Dvorak, Purcell :: Stokowski conducts Vaughan Williams/Dvorak/Purcell

Truly essential listening at mid-price !

N. Daniele Pietro | Milano, MI Italy | 05/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the two legendary recordings Stokowski made in1975 (aged 93!) with the obscure indie label Desmar. They've neverbeen available on cd, I guess for [certain] problems (Desmar folded shortly afterwards), and EMI has done a wonderful job in re-issueing them . Nowadays every performance from the past is billed as "legendary" , but this word can be properly used about these two releases. While the other disc is, in my opinion, the definitive recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd sym., from the conductor who premiered it and worked closer than any other with the composer, this one is, quite simply, the most amazing rendition of the RVW Fantasia I've ever encountered. Sometimes mistakenly intended as a "simple" string showpiece, the Fantasia is a most difficult piece, that requires a balance of totale dedication and unerring control, otherwise it can easily sound static, or too syrupy, or too mystic , which was not intended to be (not in the strictly religious sense, at least ). Thankfully there are some great performances around, like Previn's, Haitink's or Boult's, but I think no one like Stokowski strikes such a perfect blend of concentration, heartfelt dedication and forward momentum. Only Barbirolli matches him, but here the playing is even more refined, and the sound is altogether superior. Stokowski's performance is, at the same time, somber and poignantly passionate , majestic and most finely nuanced. The string "layers" are splendidly balanced, the antiphonal interaction between the two orchestras achieves an unprecedented clarity. No gloss at the expense of depth, though: the hushed beginning is ethereal, while the ecstatic climax is glorious. The Old Magician also extracts the most ravishing sounds from the RPO, that here truly boasts that blend of unity, precision and warmth normally associated with the Concertgebouw or the golden age Philadelphia. This alone is worth the price, but we also get a most charming, even though idiosyncratic in tempi, performance of the Dvorak, and a real gem, the Stokowski "transfiguration" of the Purcell. I usually like my ancient music "authentic" but no one like Stokowski ( neither Schonberg nor Respighi or Elgar in their transcriptions) knew how to make the old masters shine like he did with Bach, and this Purcell transcription is absolutely marvelous. A guilty pleasure, maybe, but who cares, when the music making is so glorious? The Desmar releases were also famous for their sound, and deservedly so. The careful digital remastering has preserved the splendidly three-dimensional soundstage and, above all, the uncanny realism of the strings tone rendition. I'm not usually inclined to "analogue nostalgia", but this is really superior to many chilly DDD recordings. The presentation is overall first class: there's even a picture of the (splendid) original LP covers."